The Reef Playacar Resort & Spa

Very disappointing. Everything was closed. We paid for all inclusive and got literally nothing for an extra 80 dollars a day. Rooms were small. We checked out a day early and went to our Airbnb and enjoyed ourselves much more. I am still waiting on a refund from this resort. They don’t seem to like to answer the phone either. From what it seems like to me they just like to take your money and assume everyone doesn’t care. I care. I will be checking in until I get my refund. Highly recommend going somewhere else. Isn’t worth the money at all. Update: called in December....they said I would be getting refund and to wait 15 days. Never came. Still hasn’t. They WILL take your money and not give it back.

Pros: - The staff was very friendly and polite, especially Juan, Santiago, Paulino and Minerva at the restaurant. Even the staff from the diving / snorkeling section are quite engaging and nice. - Nice selection of food and drinks and the beachfront was spacious enough. - There are activities and events every night which kept us entertained. - The hotel was like a jungle, where you can feel that you're one with nature. Cons: - I lost my iPhone during my stay. I would have liked it if the reception and security staff made a more proactive effort to update me with my case. It seemed as if they didn't care. It was only when I was checking out that they gave me a form to fill in to file my case (and only after I had asked them). - The beach in front was quite wavy during our stay so it was impossible to swim. - Our first room was very old and had leaking ceiling and sink, but luckily we had got a replacement room right away which was much better.

It depends what you are looking for. The beach is the best. The front desk service was the best. Jesus, Victor, Miguel and Fernando were exceptional or excellent. The grounds are immaculate. The choices for eating not to good. No roomservice. Very noisy could rarely take a nap. Bed were very comfortable pillows were like rocks. Beach was beautiful. No beach service for drinks. It depends what you are use to. If you have never been to a resort then you will be fine but if you have been to many resorts you start comparing. In the end im so greatful to have gone. The dinner was the same usually but we had excellent service from Diego, Royer and Fernando. Breakfast excellent service from Mary, Gladis and Minerva and Jesus. These individuals go above and beyond and i do believe they make the resort. Also Manuel and Brenda in towel and bike service area were excellent. Without these individuals working i would give a bad rating but they worked very hard to keep all satisfied. I would recommend this resort for families. Not couples. The one thing that needs to change is the music by the pool was so bad. That constant thumping they couls put something nicer and calming would really make the experience even better.

The staff was great, the top tier room was good too, but that's where it ends. Food was terrible, bars closed way early, and had literal kids sitting on bar stools. I know the laws differ from country to country, but this is just wrong. Also, family friendly and all, but more then half the populous was children. We won't be back.

Many issues, don't upgrade, don't get the gold bracelet, really does not do much. Room is awesome, spacious but you can hear noise of other doors near yours. They force themselves on your bags, we wanted to carry ourselves, our luggage disappeared 3x. We had an issue in the Italian restaurant with the hostess telling us we could not eat there. It was open,no one there she sent us away, we got a Mgr. And he took care of it. It was very odd. Food up there is really good, had great waiters. The breakfast,lunch dining is good food, we got great service. Food hot, tasty. Zero service by pool or on beach. We had to service ourselves. We go to get waited on so this was a big issue for us... Grounds very clean, front desk folks brought us Champaign, just make sure you clarify all they tell you. Not all is accurate... pool clean, no STRAWS, hard to drink many drinks with out straws, biggedt turn off they held our key till the timeshare guys sat us down to hear their spill, we wanted to go to our room and hit the beach not be detained to go to a presentation.. Biggest turn-on the grounds, its a real escape, local wildlife, jungle, waterfalls, and teal blue caribe with white sand right out the door...