TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Stayed in The Essence part of the resort (villas 15 to 21) furthest from the beach but don't let that put you off. The main vibe of the place is around The Plaza so villa 15 was a great option for us. On our booking I had requested 2x ground floor rooms in block 15 with pool view (if possible). We were checked in to 2x top floor rooms with garden view. Not a great start after a 10 hour flight and forking out £6k on a holiday. After much deliberation we came away with change to ONE of the rooms 2 days later. Moved to villa 17 ground floor pool view. However they didn't tell us the sunbeds and bar immediately opposite our room are for the 'hotel members only' so while we had a great looking room we couldn't use their beds or bar. We were promptly moved off these beds by patrol staff.... Embarrassing and ridiculous. We heard similar stories from people placed in villa 19 which has adults only facilities. They had kids age 17 who couldn't use the pool, sunbeds or bar at their villa. The plus side? Food is good. Its very a la carte based not buffet which we liked. Evening entertainment is good quality. No kids mini disco, just top quality duo singers then big show acts. The beach? Dreadful. We came in peak sargassum season so didn't expect the best but I think even in better conditions its nothing to write home about. The pools were delightfully warm and staff go above and beyond to serve you all day long. I liked the hotel but I wouldn't go back.

We received a free day at the Fives Beach because we were staying at the Fives Downtown Hotel. We received free unlimited food and drinks, which was great — except the food wasn’t impressive, and there was a massive line for most breakfast options. The pools were crowded (and pretty warm in the afternoon), and the beachfront was covered in sargassum. There is a cenote on site, which was pretty (but you couldn’t go in), and a “Mayan walk” to look at the forest and animals. We had to participate in a presentation for the residences, and we were not impressed with the offerings — the facilities were somewhat worn, the 3 bedroom they showed us did not have beach or pool access, and we were not interested but had to withstand the psychological tactics they use.

The stay was wonderful; the pictures are exactly the same in person. The location is beautiful, well-maintained, and the service is convenient and impeccable. Ivan, our guide, was so friendly, as were the drivers and the servers for each meal. All were so kind, and the other patrons were wonderful as well. Every night there was entertainment, and it was pretty good! I would definitely return! I have not one complaint. Another thing to consider is that if you have children and/or teens, it's a great location with large suites, multiple rooms, and doors that close for privacy. There's also a teen room where the teens gathered and were able to socialize if families are okay with that, as well as a secure kids' area, again if families are okay with that. If you are an adult not wanting to deal with kids, there were multiple adult-only areas as well, such as pools and buses, so it's a great mix for adults and families. Excellent management!

Great staff, friendly, helpful & want you to have a good experience. Room was excellent & clean with good facilities. You can always get a sunbed on the beach, but rarely by the pools. They do not enforce their 15 minute rule. There are some nice touches such as the burger bar at the beach and the ice cream parlour, however food, both in terms of quality & availability was poor. The buffet restaurant is too small, struggles to keep up with demand, has minimal choice and variety. Vegetables appear a foreign concept. Because of this the à la carte restaurants struggle to keep up with demand leading to long waits. That’s the good days, then they bizarrely choose to close the buffet restaurant some nights, which makes the problem worse. The à la carte restaurants are okay, but are in a rush to turn over tables. It all feels quite rushed including the actual food. The hotel does value all guests, however there is a hierarchy and standard guests are the bottom rung.

We are here now and I am writing this out of pure frustration. TUI should remove this hotel for people from UK&I as we are so far down the priority list for restaurant bookings it really isn’t worth it. You have Ambassadors, Epic Travellers, investors, private owners, people with blue hats, anyone one else that rocks up in front of you If you have kids it’s even worse as there are adult only areas so you are further excluded. We have tried to get in the Italian 5 times and last night 17 families in front of us. Absolute joke, empty tables reserved for the list above and this place is not cheap. We are paying good money to be here to be totally treated as 3rd class. It’s the same with the other restaurants, long queues to get tables and then when you get a text to say your table is ready you get grief from those in the queue because they think you are jumping it. The hotel needs to sort this and have one queue to register and one where you are called. It’s not rocket science. Some people will say no queues at 530pm but there is a reason for that- no one wants to eat at that time. You always have the buffet as back up but that is average at best. Monotonous food badly presented plus only open for breakfast and dinner. As for the sea forget lovely Caribbean Sea and think mulligatawny soup. No way am I going in that as it looks more like the Thames after a storm. Not the hotel’s fault but TUI should be more honest and say at this time of year the sea looks like a sewage farm rather than cover it up. So far we have not heard form a TUI rep. Do they really exist in person or is it all on the app as we have been here 10 days and heard nowt. The public areas are cramped and if you want a subbed they are up at sunrise to drop their towels. There is a 15 minute rule on sun-beds which is ignored. People reserve and rock up in the afternoon or leave and don’t take their towels off. Same the world over I guess. Rooms are good as are the staff who work really hard and are put in an impossible position with this 10 tier service. This hotel has the potential to be good but but seems more interested in people buying condos, joining epic travellers (don’t keep rubbing our noses in it) and whatever else program that would let you actually book a table at a restaurant. Overall this hotel is not 5 star maybe a good 4 star at best. Save your money and go to Europe or Middle East The standards are higher and there is less hassle and you actually feel valued . So if you are in the UK thinking about this place, contemplating a long flight and a hotel with monkeys and wildlife. Don’t do it. Stick with a Rixos somewhere in Europe you will thank me for it later.