Essence at the Fives Beach

Dining

Choice of restaurants: Flavours (International buffet). Mestizo (authentic Mexican gastronomy). La Brasserie (Bistro restaurant serving the best of International cuisine). Oka (sushi bar). Koh Thai (Thai cuisine). Sea Olive (Mediterranean and Mexican fusion menu). Arezzo (Italian delicacies). Natura (grilled flavours). Lizzards (healthy delights). Oriola (beach club grill). 5 pop up food corners including pizza slices, Mexican bites, burgers and sandwiches and other pop up delights. 4 pool bars and 4 signature bars. Coffee shop*.

Entertainment

Daily and nightly entertainment.

Fun and Games

Seven outdoor pools. Spa*. Gym. Outdoor tennis courts. Basketball court. Running and jogging circuit. The Beach Club with loungers and sun beds. Aluxitos Play House (4-12 years) offering fun supervised activities for kids, ranging from fitness classes, arts and crafts and tennis lessons.

Handy Stuff

Butlers in the pool and beach areas. 24-hour room service. Dry-cleaning/laundry services*. Babysitting service available*.

Resort Fees

Please note: a travel tax of $11 per adult (over 15 years old) applies when visiting the Mexican state Quintana Roo. The payment can be made prior to travel, upon arrival or during the stay, as the tax will be imposed upon departure. There is also an additional Environmental Sanitation Tax of $3.72 USD per room, per night (payable locally, subject to change).

Additional Information

* Denotes local charge.

TripAdvisor traveller rating

Rating summary

Location
Sleep Quality
Rooms
Service
Value
Cleanliness

Traveller rating

Excellent (12928)
Very good (2670)
Average (1119)
Poor (543)
Terrible (635)

WOW! And not in a good way

Dec 26, 2024 Kevin M

Our family is still on the property, in the middle of our “ Luxury” Christmas vacation at the shockingly well reviewed “ Fives” resort, Playa Del Carmen. We rented a “Epic” 2 bedroom, penthouse suite, costing roughly $ 1300.00 (American)per night . The room itself, along with the overall resort, is very nice. The issue is with almost… Read more

Our family is still on the property, in the middle of our “ Luxury” Christmas vacation at the shockingly well reviewed “ Fives” resort, Playa Del Carmen. We rented a “Epic” 2 bedroom, penthouse suite, costing roughly $ 1300.00 (American)per night . The room itself, along with the overall resort, is very nice. The issue is with almost everything else. Our upper end “ Epic” class, all inclusive room came with a completely empty kitchen, all the way down to no plates, silverware, cups, paper towels, etc. For these “ luxuries”, we have been told that there is an additional fee, based on an availability basis. Want a blanket for your bed? Also on an as available basis. All of that falls pretty much under just weird and annoying. The real issue is “ THE RESTAURANTS” and the unbelievably inept way that they are managed. Before you commit to this resort, it is important to understand that this is a membership property. After sitting through a solicited, on premise, EPIC travel club sales pitch, it seems that these inconveniences are purposefully designed to get customers to upgrade to a membership . Fee to do so quoted to my wife and I at between $ 12,000- $18,000. Members get priority on everything. Especially restaurant reservations. Our lack of membership has resulted each evening, in over 2 hour wait times, with multiple customers so upset that they have been screaming obscenities at the staff nightly. You might, and probably will, walk in at 6:00 to an almost empty restaurant and then have to wait 2 plus hours for a table. 2 nights in a row they have initially quoted us an approximate 30-45 minute wait. Each time our actual wait time, was slightly over twice that. Communication between the hotel staff and the customers is confusing, to the point we aren’t even sure that the staff itself understands the resort policies. Most employees seem to have just recently been hired. We are a couple in our early 60’s and have travelled regularly over the years. We have never experienced such a frustrating stay. Hoping this helps other travelers to choose wisely. Read less

Don’t recommend.

Dec 26, 2024 790celester

This resort is over 15 years old and it shows. They overbook so no guarantee the room type you reserve is the one you will get. You have to wait over an hour for dinner each night people literally start lining up at 5:30pm they don’t do reservations. Overbooked so no lounge chairs at beach or pool available. Tubs in room will flood making them… Read more

This resort is over 15 years old and it shows. They overbook so no guarantee the room type you reserve is the one you will get. You have to wait over an hour for dinner each night people literally start lining up at 5:30pm they don’t do reservations. Overbooked so no lounge chairs at beach or pool available. Tubs in room will flood making them unusable. Every room service orders comes with a charge and was wrong every time. Most staff were kind, others would argue back and forth. You can tell they’re used to the complaints. Soooooo many better options than this, just not worth it. Read less

Lower star complex

Dec 26, 2024 Journey22066357623

Just got back from a 14 day holiday from Mexico staying in the fives beaches and residancies although rated as a 5 star hotel i would say a 4 star is a closer rating. The food was good the staff were exellant but where it falls flat is the entertainmentduring the day especialy on rainy days and the evening entertainment was average. The food was… Read more

Just got back from a 14 day holiday from Mexico staying in the fives beaches and residancies although rated as a 5 star hotel i would say a 4 star is a closer rating. The food was good the staff were exellant but where it falls flat is the entertainmentduring the day especialy on rainy days and the evening entertainment was average. The food was good but the 2 dinning areas were not sufficent enough for the amount of guests wich led to long waiting times at meal times. But the main complaint from myself and most people we spoke to was the rip off prices of the shop ($28 for 2 deoderants) and the rip off taxis that the complex used to ferry guests out to visit surrounding areas Read less

3 star hotel

Dec 24, 2024 Venture557234

We celebrated our anniversary at the hotel with a 4 night stay. When we booked the hotel the pictures showed a 5 start hotel, but after checking in we would give a 3… our room was outdated, the bathroom vanity top was cracked and was glued together with a horrible job, toilet seat was broken and rusty, after taking a shower half of the water was… Read more

We celebrated our anniversary at the hotel with a 4 night stay. When we booked the hotel the pictures showed a 5 start hotel, but after checking in we would give a 3… our room was outdated, the bathroom vanity top was cracked and was glued together with a horrible job, toilet seat was broken and rusty, after taking a shower half of the water was in the middle of the bathroom…. It says all inclusive but I have never been in all inclusive hotel and a coffee shop was not included! The restaurants don’t take reservations you have to wait over an hr to get in! And the entertainment side was not satisfying neither. The beach was nice but full of rocks and seaweed. I would rate it a 3 start and not a 5. Read less

Loved it at the Fives Beach Hotel

Dec 23, 2024 Dianne A

We had a wonderful week at The Fives Beach relaxing in the adult's pool area mainly because it was heated while the other pools were chilly. Really enjoyed the personal attention and comfort of the members exclusive area where we loved playing backgammon while lounging by the pool and had the benefit of hearing the calming chimes/bells of the… Read more

We had a wonderful week at The Fives Beach relaxing in the adult's pool area mainly because it was heated while the other pools were chilly. Really enjoyed the personal attention and comfort of the members exclusive area where we loved playing backgammon while lounging by the pool and had the benefit of hearing the calming chimes/bells of the meditation session taking place nearby. We would have spent most of our time there had that pool been heated. Spent one day in a bali bed on the beach which was very nice to walk although there were rocky areas. Bali bed made for good napping we didn't think we needed but enjoyed. Water was comfortable, but we prefer the pool. Food was delicious everywhere we went, although the sushi menu did not appear to have non-sushi options, so we skipped that one. Flavours buffet was very loud at breakfast and dinner where children's cries echoed throughout. We preferred eating a quiet breakfast on the deck of the LaBrassiere restaurant or al la carte outside at the Mexican restaurant. The room was the size of a one-bedroom apartment. Full kitchen with microwave, full-size frig and full-size stove/oven which we questioned why it was needed in an all-inclusive resort where you could get something to eat anywhere. Entertainment was always a class act in the Plaza area. Missed quite a bit though because our dinner reservations coincided with events. Bummer. We were treated like kings and queens everywhere we went. Can't wait to return. Read less

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