The Fives Beach All Senses Inclusive

We have just returned from the fives after a great week. We had read reviews before and weren't entirely sure what to expect but we absolutely needn't have worried. We were in block 16, so had a pool view and the mojito bar just downstairs, although we preferred the busier beach area pool and liveliness. The room was spacious (one bedroom residence) but the kitchen bizarrely didn't have a single plate or cutlery etc, not really important but to be mindful if you have room service (which we did when shattered on night one). Minibar replenished daily without fail with variety of beers, water and various soft drinks. We used the adult only pool one day, great service and incredible food at Natura (highly recommend!) Service from Miguel was amazing and whilst we didn't go back as we used the pool at the far end, we were happy to see him at breakfast in the brasserie each morning! We were dubious about the wait for a la carte restaurants having read reviews but there was never an issue. On the two occasions we were in a queue (Italian and Thai) we went to get a drink at a neighbouring bar and received a WhatsApp message when our table was ready (10-15 mins wait). We loved the virtual ambassador to check the options for lunch and dinner each day. We are quite food-y people which made this hotel appealing. As it was low season some restaurants were combined but you could still get everything! (Ie Thai and Japanese both served in one restaurant). The Thai was tasty but definitely not a traditional Khao Soi. We enjoyed the fish tacos evening at the little beach bar, with an acoustic duo. The Ceviche at muelle ocho is a highlight - don't miss that!! We aren't big evening entertainment people but they looked popular and sounded fun so I guess it is good! The bar staff are amazing, there are no menus because they will literally make ANYTHING you could possibly want! We loved the setting and the nature in the resort, seeing the wildlife, racoons, coatis, monkeys etc. One small drawback for me was constantly being asked about the Spa, which we politely declined because it was around £250 each for a massage which, for us, was too much. We must have been asked about 5 times each day and I can't help but feel if it was less expensive the staff would be more busy massaging and less busy touting at the pool. Overall, I would definitely go back and recommend this hotel to others looking for excellent service, friendly staff and a relaxing (and good value) break in the sun!

The standout feature of the hotel was the staff. Always cheerful and helpful. The room was left spotless every day, coffee and minibar topped up daily. The restaurants were all good with Thai, Mediterranean, Italian and Sushi featured as well as the buffet restaurant Flavours. Our favourite restaurant had to be Natura which was “adults only” by the pool which was also “adults only “. Our favourite waiter was Miguel who was always smiling and also usually on breakfast duty at The Brasserie. Food here was simple but tasty and the beef rib sandwich out of this world. Nearly all the guests were pleasant and happy to strike up a conversation in the 1910 bar. The guys here could produce great cocktails, my favourite being the espresso martini.

We had an unforgettable stay at The Fives Beach Hotel & Residences for our wedding, and the experience truly exceeded our expectations. The rooms were spacious, comfortable, and very convenient, especially for a wedding trip with family and friends. Having residence-style accommodations made everything easier, from getting ready to spending time together before and after the celebration. The resort itself is beautiful and very enjoyable to walk around. The gardens, pathways, beach areas, restaurants, and event spaces are all well connected, so our guests could move around comfortably and enjoy the property without feeling rushed or overwhelmed. We also felt very safe throughout our stay. The team was always present, attentive, and professional, but never intrusive. Everything felt well organized, from the arrival experience to the wedding logistics and the service during the event. The food and drinks were definitely one of the highlights. Our wedding dinner was beautifully presented, full of flavor, and very well served. Chef Francisco Pérez and his team created an experience that many of our guests are still talking about. The location is also a strong advantage. You can enjoy the resort, the beach, and a relaxing atmosphere while still being close to Playa del Carmen and many Riviera Maya activities. What made the experience truly special was the people. The Fives All Senses Weddings team, together with the hotel operations and service teams, made us feel cared for from beginning to end. Every detail was handled with warmth, professionalism, and genuine attention. For anyone considering The Fives Beach for a wedding, celebration, or special trip, we can honestly say it was one of the most meaningful and beautifully executed experiences of our lives.

This review is long - but if you want honest then read on to the end! We have just returned from a two-week stay at The Fives Beach Hotel & Residences (20 May–3 June 2026) as a family of five, occupying two Deluxe Rooms booked through TUI. After reading the reviews and seeing the hotel marketed as a 5-star luxury all-inclusive resort, we arrived with high expectations. Unfortunately, while the grounds are beautiful, the reality falls far short of the luxury experience being advertised. **The Good** The hotel grounds are genuinely stunning. The property is vast, beautifully maintained, clean, and full of tropical landscaping. The staff are generally friendly, welcoming, and work hard. The resort has excellent potential and, with significant improvements, could become the luxury 5-star destination it claims to be. **The Bad – Rooms** The rooms are extremely inconsistent, and in our opinion some should not be occupied by paying guests. Hotel management need to take maintenance and maintaining high standards in all rooms seriously. We had booked a Deluxe Double Room and a Deluxe 2x Double Room under the same booking. On arrival, we were assigned rooms in completely different areas of the resort—approximately a 15-20-minute walk apart. As a family travelling together, this was completely impractical. When we raised the issue, we were initially told it would be too difficult to resolve and to return the following day, despite us having just completed a long journey from the UK. After standing our ground, one room was moved closer, but both rooms were disappointing. They were clean, but they certainly did not feel "deluxe." We would rate them closer to 3/4 star standard. The furniture was tired and damaged, with visible filler repairs. Mirrors were heavily oxidised, toilet roll holders were loose on the wall, room phones did not work (immediately removing the all inclusive room service option), there were drywood termite droppings in wardrobes, metal fittings were rusty, and showers leaked and often failed to function properly, items like ironing boards, robes, slippers and umbrella's were missing (even though described as included in the room). We reported these issues immediately. Our TUI representative was largely ineffective, and it was only after my husband escalated matters through the Ambassador Service and a duty manager that we were eventually moved. By that point, it had taken several days of repeatedly raising our problems and we were already four days into our holiday. (To be honest, if it weren’t for our favourite ambassadors - shout out to Aldo and Omar - we wouldn’t have managed to get past our disappointments during our stay!) What frustrated us most was hearing completely different experiences from other guests when it came to room availability and resolving issues. One guest had been moved three times on her first day for multiple problems but she didn’t have to wait days. Another couple were upgraded to a suite at check-in without even asking! Meanwhile, we were repeatedly told no rooms were available and we would have to wait. There seems to be no consistency whatsoever in how problems are handled. **The Ugly – The Food and Restaurant Situation** This is where the hotel really falls apart. The resort advertises 9 restaurants and 5 gourmet corners, suggesting a total of 14 places to eat. This is simply misleading. Two of the advertised venues (the Sushi and the Mexican restaurants) are permanently closed. The buffet restaurant only serves breakfast daily, offers no lunch service whatsoever, and is only open for dinner on limited evenings each week. Even when open, the buffet is very small and lacks the variety you would normally expect from a 5-star resort. For lunch, your choices are essentially: • Muelle Ocho fish restaurant at the beach pool • Pizza bar at the beach pool • Burger bar at the beach pool • Chechen & Chaka - taco hut at the beach pool • Lizards Bar located mid resort near two pools • Natura (adults only) located near to the plaza • Humo & Vino - usually serves taco’s, hut style food, located in the plaza While this may sound reasonable on paper, the menus rarely change and become repetitive very quickly, especially during a two-week stay. The evening dining situation is even worse! Every night becomes a gladiatorial battle for restaurant reservations. The available restaurants rotate, and because of the closures, there are realistically only three or four evening options for TUI guests. The Brasserie (serves the french and Mexican menus) Kho Thai (Serves the Thai and sushi menus) Arrezo Italian Seasons (Epic travellers club members only - although we were given a reservation here after we complained) Flavours (Buffet restaurant, open approx twice a week for dinner) If you go for dinner anytime after 6-6:30pm you must queue, sometimes for up to 30 minutes, just to put your name on a waiting list. Then you are told how many families are ahead of you. We typically arrived about 7pm and experienced waits of between 45 and 90 minutes after joining the list, despite visibly empty tables sitting inside the restaurants. On one occasion, a concierge stood in front of multiple empty tables and informed us she would start a waiting list and we would be her first family on it. We then waited another 40 minutes to be seated - despite empty tables. This is not a luxury all-inclusive experience. At a genuine 5-star resort, you should be able to get ready and enjoy dinner when you choose. Instead, we found ourselves planning military-style strategies every evening just to secure a meal before 9:00–9:30pm. Speaking with other guests, it became clear that everyone was experiencing the same problem. Unless you are an owner or an Epic member, you're largely left competing for whatever remains. Casa de Rosa is also an additional paid dining experience and is not included within the all-inclusive package. When you remove the permanently closed restaurants and account for limited operating schedules, the advertised 14 dining venues quickly become closer to 7 lunch options and only 3-4 evening options. The bars listed throughout the resort do not serve food. The smoothie bar is only open for a few hours each morning and is the only place to grab a simple snack such as a muffin or cookie. There are no convenient self-service snack options (like a muffin, cake or savoury snack) throughout the day - in our opinion a huge oversight from hotel management. The ice cream parlour doesn't open until midday. Unfortunately, our concerns about the food went beyond the lack of variety. During our stay, three out of the five members of our party suffered severe diarrhoea, with one also experiencing vomiting. While we cannot say with certainty what caused it, we spoke to numerous other guests who reported similar stomach issues and were openly questioning the food. It only added to our growing disappointment with what was supposed to be a luxury 5-star all-inclusive experience. **Pool Service and Guest Priorities** Pool drink service was also inconsistent. Some pool staff will not offer you drinks and solely seem to prioritise the Bali beds, whilst others are amazing and get to know your favourite drinks, bringing them without even asking! Because of the inconsistency, it largely becomes unreliable and so you go get a drink rather than wait, so the queue at the pool bar also became very long during busy periods. What became increasingly obvious throughout our stay was that the resort operates a clear hierarchy of guests - its an undisclosed class system that unfortunately ruined our holiday. Owners appear to be treated as first-class guests. Epic members and wedding parties appear to come second. Everyone else, particularly package holiday guests through TUI, comes a distant third. Whether it was restaurant reservations, room allocations, or general service, it often felt like standard guests were simply left with whatever remained after priority guests had been accommodated. **Final Thoughts** What makes this review particularly disappointing to write is that management is clearly aware of many of these issues. We met numerous guests who had complained about the same room problems, restaurant queues, lack of dining availability, service inconsistencies, and stomach illnesses. The complaints are not new. The problem is that management appears to address issues only when individual guests complain loudly enough, rather than fixing the underlying problems permanently. If you stay here, my advice is simple: complain early, complain often, and escalate immediately if necessary. The resort itself is beautiful. The staff are pleasant. But beautiful grounds alone do not create a luxury 5-star experience. Management must listen to the guest experience and actually try to mitigate the issues. The hotel needs to review its evening food offering urgently! We booked expecting a premium all-inclusive holiday and left feeling that the marketing does not match the reality. Had we known what the experience would actually be like, we would not have booked this hotel. Unfortunately, we will not be returning. If you have a similar experience as us, and you travelled with TUI - complain to them too, they are simply ignoring the fact that the marketed holiday versus the guest experience do not live up, this is not a TUI 5* Platinum all inclusive holiday! (And they know it)

We had a 2 BR suite which was fantastic. This is a very large resort with a lot of dining option all of which had very good food. They have several pools to make it convenient for each building to be very close to a pool. They run carts every 10-15 minutes to and from the infiniti pool beach side. You have 2 "Ambassadors" assigned to your family and anything you want to do you do through them. There are a lot of Bali beds but you need to reserve them thru the ambassador. I would rate it higher but It is seaweed season so the beach was covered with seaweed and there are a lot of large rocks protruding up from the sand near the water. We will definitely go back in the future.