The Fives Downtown

My husband and I are preparing for our third trip to Playa del Carmen. It is the perfect family vacation for us and our soon to be 3 year old twins. We have stayed at two other all-inclusive resorts in the Riviera Maya and this one is perfect for a family with small children. The resort is located just 10 minutes north of Playa del Carmen. We like the quiet, less crowded location. It's a quick cab ride into town if we need a change of venue or additional supplies (e.g., diapers). It's also a great jumping off point for adventures in the area. Tulum is about an hour away and there is a bio-reserve and historical sites all within two hours. My husband and I are not fans of hotels that are replicas of historical sites, so this is perfect for us. The resort itself has a more modern feel, which better suits our tastes. The rooms are situated between the main reception area, the one buffet restaurant, and the spa which are all in the front; and the beach, infinity pool, and additional restaurants which are all along the back of the resort. We've stayed in two separate locations and it has never taken us more than 5-10 minutes to get from one end to the other (closer to 10 if our curious twins are walking rather than riding in a stroller). There are monkeys throughout the resort which are entertaining for the adults and the kids. The seem to like the entrance to the lazy river along the back near the center of the resort. Accommodations We have only stayed in the one-bedroom suite. The room is HUGE and perfect for our family. The decor is lovely and the suite has two televisions, one in the bedroom and one in the living room. It has 1.5 bathrooms and a full kitchen. Each day, room service would bring us the standard beer, wine, juice and water, but also a carton of milk to keep in the fridge. We did the a la carte package our first year and kept baby food and groceries in the room. The second year we did all-inclusive, but the kitchen still comes in handy for snacks and on days when you don't want to eat in a restaurant. Previously, we had two cribs/pack n' plays delivered to the room for the kids. The cleaning staff made the cribs daily along with the beds and sometimes left "towel animals". Even with two cribs, the room was still spacious. As other posters mentioned, the hotel is incredibly clean. The cleaning staff came daily while we were out and were able to successfully navigate around all of our stuff. Food The resort does a good job of accommodating adults and kids. My husband and I only had one "eh" meal in our two years. We like that the restaurant only has one buffet. The seafood and produce are both exceptionally fresh. We had sushi during our last trip and regretted only eating at the sushi restaurant for one meal instead of multiple meals. The Italian and steak restaurants are both great. There are a lot of healthy, delicious food options for those of us who are interested. As far as kids go, there are a lot of options for picky eaters. The breakfast buffet is especially great for kids as is the beach grill, which has grilled fish for us adults and burgers and hot dogs for the kids. For the littlest eaters, baby food in each restaurant. Our kids were 11 months old during our first trip and the staff at Flavors brought over a plate of minced fresh fruit for them to munch on. For the kiddos The indoor play space is great and there is a nice shady pool. The sun is really strong so it is nice to have an option for indoor play. Even a room with lots of familiar toys and a room which has a ball pit and other, more physical fun. There is also a video game room which we haven't used. Our kids are too young to leave behind for activities, but we did see lots of kids each day with the staff. Babysitting services is provided. I think it's around $10 or $12 per hour which is comparable to home. Last year, we got the same babysitter for both of our "date nights". Interestingly, we saw some of the same faces during our 2012 and 2013 trip, which is reassuring. Each restaurant has toys for kids to play with during meals, and the concierge can also have toys delivered to your room (e.g., Fisher Price activity tables). For the parents Other than the babysitting service, which for us, is a must, the spa is out of this world. My husband and I had amazing massages on one of our date nights. The pool bar staff brings around a special drink of the day to those on the beach and at the infinity pool and also fresh fruit. General Clearly we like this resort since we are heading back for a third trip. The staff is very friendly and we love the property itself (the landscaping is beautiful). We've met very nice families on our two trips and stay in touch with one family. Our only complaints are that there are not many good tv channels and wi-fi is not included, so we are sure to bring DVDs. Generally, we wouldn't care, but since we do tend to return to our room early with the kids, we need some entertainment.

I returned to This property for the 3rd time in the last 13 months. Two thumbs up !!! This property is great. I had a 2 bedroom condo. Plenty of space. For this reason alone a keep returning. The Staff is so very friendly and the beach now has almost no rocks. I'm going back in April. I can't wait !!!

First trip to this resort. Beautiful resort. Had an excellente vacation. The staff was awesome and always available to assist with any request. Staff members Manny, Omar and Imelda were always available at the different bars and treated us like we had known them for years. Imelda even translated for us when we had to make an emergency call back home and we were having problems. The food was great and service was excellent We are already talking about going back for another visit.

We traveled here for Spring break with our college age kids and their friends and had a great time. Flavors for breakfast buffet was a favorite place to start the day and rehash the previous days adventures. The GI plan is great. Tsuki was a great place for sushi. Enjoyed the beach buffet, the Sea Olive and Oriola Restaurant as well. The chefs and wait staff were very accommodating and were more than willing to tweak the menu when requested. Quite a few of the staff remembered our names which is always nice. Every member of the staff greeted us with a cheerful hola. If you like to walk or run the beach, this is a great place. To the north is Grand Velas, Mayakoba and Tres Rios. To the south is Royal Hacienda, Mareazul and Playa del Carmen. Compared to the Caribbean islands we were not hounded to buy things, which was a nice change. The resort grounds were beautiful and well maintained. The two main swimming pools between the building units are really great for a long swim. There is a short walk to the beach club from the units. My wife and I always paused before rounding the corner of the beach club to take in the view across the infinity pool and the Caribbean. We called this the million dollar view. Catch it around 8 or 9 AM for the sun to turn the water to diamonds. In the evening it is nice to see the lights from Cozumel across the water. We were in unit 5 and saw monkeys almost every day right outside our unit. This is a great location, but I don't think there is a bad location in the place. We were also treated to a meteor shower on the roof of our unit during our stay. Rooms are large, maid service was very good. Late night room service was very good. So the kids tell me. Much as we loved just hanging at this resort, there is so much to do in this area of Mexico. Diving is phenomenal, and Bahia Divers is located at the resort and is a top notch operation. We arranged an open water reef dive and a cenote dive. Both were very good. Also, the spa at the resort is really nice. And we saw a couple evening shows that we liked, notably the fire show. Tulum is a must see - try this early in the morning or on a cloudy day because it can get uncomfortably hot. Take a bathing suit because the beach at Tulum is breathtaking. Playa del Carmen which is about 5 km south of Fives is pure magic. This was fun for an unplanned day of bouncing from beach club to beach club. In the evening, 5th avenue is - well - you really need to experience it. Lots of people, lots of shops, great food, great drink, mariachi bands, lights. Just a laid back cool vibe. We started all the way on the north end at 38th and 5th and worked our way south. 12th and 5th is the party zone with a bunch of clubs on 12th. This area gets going a little later in the evening and goes late. Cab will cost you about $20 with a tip.

All the staff were absolutely amazing and do anything to help you! The hotel is always looked after and the food was amazing! The room was always clean and the beach was always kept tidy! although the entertainment was very small at night its an amazing hotel and The best holiday I have been on! The surrounding areas are beautiful and I would definitely recommend akumal beach! My favorite waiter was eziquirel! all the staff are amazing and the hotel is fantastic. Internet should be free at a hotel of such standard, that is my only negative comment

We recently spent 4 days at Fives. The property is perfectly manicured and our unit had a great pool view. Opening the sliding doors to the deck and relaxing out there in the early mornings are a great way to start the day. You can't walk by any employee without them providing you a friendly Hola, buenos dias, etc. You really feel like everyone wants to be there and provide good service. The improvements to the beach are a massive change from the last time we were there. Lots of reason to play in the water now and no need to go up or down the beach other for exercise. As Mexico all-inclusives go, the food is very good. You can probably do better going into town but the benefit of all-inclusive is not having to deal with going into town. Have a nice meal and walk home. The Italian restaurant is the ticket.

My wife and I spent a week at Fives in early December. We couldn't have been happier. The grounds were immaculate. We particularly liked the large room which had a very large balcony overlooking one of the pool areas. The room was bigger and nicer than any hotel room we've stayed at. I'm thinking of going back with our family and renting multiple connecting rooms which are available. There is even a kitchen and living room which really allows you to mix things up if you don't want to be at the pool or ocean all the time. Just a really good place to reconnect. The beach was awesome and I spent some time body surfing in the big waves. The beach is nicer than most of the other places in the area. Food was great; my favorite was the Italian restaurant followed by Suki (Asian) and Flavors (buffet - but they had different themes nightly). The shows were good and we particularly liked the Michael Jackson show and the Fire show. We went into Playa once by cab and I highly recommend Fifth Avenue. We ate at a little roadside caf and it was really a pretty authentic Mexican experience. Like I said our stay was just about perfect and would highly recommend Fives to our friends. Oh and I almost forgot. The spa was fabulous. Clean modern professional and well run.

Had a great stay at Fives. The rooms where great and the beach was very nice. We where planning a family vacation to Cancun but we did not want to be near the city, so we ended up choosing something a bit further away and we did not regret it. The drive into the hotel is not that nice but once you drive up to the hotel it is an incredible hotel. All the staff are friendly and make your stay a first class experience. The food was incredible at the restaurants that are there. We did the all inclusive and it was great. The infinity pool is great and the swim up bar are great to refresh yourself on a hot day. The staff had daily activity at the hotel to keep you entrained. If you do not want to leave the hotel there is plenty of activities at the hotel. We did 2 excursion there in playa de Carmen one was xecaret and chinitza and those where great. Xecaret is a great water park plenty of things to do there at the park. The whole family wants to go back. It was fun and amazing. I would recommend getting a package where you have transportation picking you up. And also when you leave give yourself plenty of time to get to the airport you need to be there at least 3 hours before you leave because the process to get checked in for your flight is long. And you don't want to miss your flight.

I wanted to take a moment to share one of the best experiences that we have ever had at the Fives in Playa Del Carmen. From the moment we were greeted at the front desk to the day we left we were catered to like we were royalty! The friendly and helpful staff was always there for us, the rooms were exceptionally large and comfortable and the restaurants were five star!!! our children loved the experience with the kid's club and activities which allowed my wife and I to spend some quality time between the two of us as well. The evening shows were very entertaining and kid friendly. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a great destination for your family!

I have to take time to write another review as I feel this place is worth it! I will try to avoid being wordy so in a nutshell. Food-outstanding. Service-pinnacle. Rooms- down right unbelievable. I will take a moment to say that if you have family and are considering bringing kids there is really nowhere else to go. I have tried. The kids club is amazing and the ladies that work there are so good that we had to fight to hang out with our children as they always wanted to go there. We have come back for this very reason among the others. Save your time and trouble looking for where to go and just go here. We are coming back again guaranteed. The last review I thought the beach was questionable. Fixed. Amazing beach now.

We have been to The Fives several times and it gets better with every visit! From the 8am tennis lessons with Pedro to the poolside drinks and service and the amazing on site restaurants, this place has it all! The grounds are beautiful and well maintained, the pools are stunning, and the beach is one of the best in the area! And nothing compares to the service provided in every department!! These people seriously go the extra mile when it comes to customer service. I could go on about how truly awesome The Fives is but mere words don't do it justice! Discover this place for yourself and be prepared for an exceptional vacation!

We went to The Fives to get away from the crowds, but still be close to town and the Island. We never left the resort. Great food and drinks everywhere. Very relaxed feeling and the three pools with three bars/lunch bars makes it so enjoyable to relax in the sun. I could exercise in gym while she relaxed at the sauna. Loved being on the beach or at one of the three pools. Always asked if we needed anything while sitting around. We did see a lot of weddings going on at hotel when we were there. Will advise anyone to choose Fives for vacation. Many people said they stay there for a month each year.

We stayed already for the third time in The Fives and is is truly a very good hotel. Not to big so you won't feel lost but at home quickly. The rooms are very big and well equipped . The beach is really like a dream. The food is good especially the sushi restaurant was out favourite. For family's with Children , there is great animation for all ages from 3 until 20. Again a great place to stay! Stayed October 2013, traveled with friends

We just got home from our 7 night family trip to Fives. This is the 4th time we've taken our 2 kids to Mexico and this resort was our favorite by far. We travelled with our friends who have 2 kids so there was a total of 8 of us. We had 4 adults and 4 kids ranging from 8yrs to 4yrs old. The rooms were spacious (1 bedroom, 2 bathroom suite), clean, and set up well for traveling with 2 kids. The food was great! The breakfast buffet at Flavors was really good. The Sea Olive and and the Oriola Beach Club Grill were our favorites for lunch and the Sea Olive and Italian restaurants were our favorites were dinner. None of us ever got a meal we didn't love from any of those restaurants. The warm apple and goat cheese salad and fish tacos from Sea Olive were the best and will be missed now that we are home. The drink service around the pool was wonderful because we sat in Alexander's section every day. Alexander was WONDERFUL. He was always friendly, always quick, always checked in to make sure the drinks were good and if they were not to our specific liking he would make them himself. Alexander was the best server at the pool hands down. The best part of our trip though was Azulitos Kid's Club. I knew this resort had a kids club but because we were traveling with two 8yr old boys, a 6yr old boy and a 4yr old girl, I didn't really even consider Azulitos a factor in our planning. I thought it was going to be set up more for babies/little kids. Boy were we surprised when we got there. The first day we were there, we were headed to the pool and ran into Sandra, who runs the Kid's Club. She stopped us to let us know they were having "movie night" from 7-8:30 that night and they were showing The Croods. The kids really wanted to go so we took them. We signed the kids in and while they sat in big bean bag chairs in front of a blow up screen in the gym area, we headed to the Sky Bar to have a couple drinks before dinner. When we went to pick up the kids, they raved about the staff and all the things the Kid's Club had planned for the next day. The next morning, my 4 yr old just kept asking if it was time to go to the Kid's Club. I really thought my 8 yr old would want to stay at the pool but he wanted to go too. During the week they got to play soccer on the beach, attended 2 cooking classes (they made guacamole and tostadas), took a Spanish class, got their faces painted twice, played mini water polo, made crafts (key chains and pinatas), made sand castles on the beach, played video games (it rained 3 of the 7 days we were there), attended a tea party, played games on the beach like tug of war and volleyball, had a treasure hunt, and spent a lot of time in the gymnastics room where they have monkey bars, a mini trampoline, a ball pit and a gymnastics bar for doing flips. This isn't even all the stuff they got to do. It's no wonder the kids never wanted to "just hang at the pool". Because the kids wanted to be at the Kid's Club, it allowed us to have time to get a couple's massage and have dinner with our friends without the kids. Because the kids were all 4 and over, we were able to check the kids in and never had to pay to have them watched (although the ladies there were so awesome, worked so hard, and took care of our kids like they were their own, we did tip them each day). Kids 3 and under have a different set up but we lucked out. Sandra, Ithalia, Angelica, and Erika were all so incredibly wonderful to my kids that I can't thank them enough for making the week so special for the kids therefore making the week even better for us. All in all, we can't think of much to complain about. The only thing we wish they had was food service around the pool but not having food delivered to us while we lounged did make us get up and walk around a little. :) Our travel agent told us this resort was great for families so I was expecting a lot but this place completely exceeded our expectations. Thank you Fives for making our week at your resort so wonderful. We WILL be back!

I was very skeptical with the gourmet inclusive (GI). I am a Toronto foodie, not so easily pleased. When traveling with kids and looking for a resort with decent food, the two usually don't match up. Fives was a pleasant surprise. Great breakfast, several lunch spots and several unique restaurants for dinner. The Italian restaurant is fantastic, we ordered six courses each time we went. And for the young kids, a play centre that they won't want to leave. The resort is spacious and well designed, so it doesn't have the feel of a typical family resort with screaming kids everywhere you turn. I could go on about how good the resort is as a whole, but the point to be made is this is a great resort for family's who still want high class food and service.

Just coming back from a 2 week stay at the Fives hotel. I had always wanted to stay in a Karisma resort because they just seemed so luxurious. This was our second time in Mexico and first stay at a Karisma resort. What a wonderful and relaxing vacation. First thing I must say is that the staff is wonderful anf so friendly. They all were saying Hello and smiling when we walked around. They would call us just to make sure everything was alright and asking if we needed anything. Staff: I want to point out the excellent service we received from Rodrigo at the Kafeina coffee and juice bar. He made the best smoothies and was so nice. Always had interesting chats with him. He gave us alot of helpful information about the area and the people there. He is the reason why we would stop to that spot. Also, I want to point out the excellent service we got from Alberto our concierge. He would always ask us if we needed anything and gave us the best advice on how to make our stay wonderful. He would always stop and say hi when he saw us on the resort and make sure all our requests were met. He is so friendly and sweet and made us feel like family. If you go to the Sea Olive restaurant, ask for Ezequiel. I have never seen a waiter to proud to do his job and be so great at it. He was always happy and would learn your name and call you by your name for the duration of your meal. Also, Julio at the italian restaurant was so friendly and waited us like we were kings. In general, this is the best staff service we have ever gotten. Rooms: You have to be carefull when you make your reservation. We booked the Deluxe pool walk out room. It comes with 2 single beds and even if we requested a king size bed, we did not get it. We later learned that only 4 rooms on the whole resort have king beds in those types of rooms. We later upgraded to a 1 bedroom suite that was fantastic! We were in Villa 12 and it was well kept and quiet. When we were in Villa 4 we were near the beginning of the long pool and parents would hang out in this shallow spots with their kids. So if you are looking for some quiet and romantic time dont books this spot. These are timeshares and I would say depending on the price, it is worth it to upgrade! We did have some issued with our boilers but problem was quickly taken care of . Food: best food ever! And fruits and veggies are grown in a nearby resort and are organic. delicious, fresh and oh so tasty! Everything in the menu is delicious, gourmet with a beautiful presentation. I would eat the same meal 3-4 times during my stay just because it was so amazing! We had the dinner on la playa special and we had filet mignon surf and turf and a special menu. All the deserts are so delicious. Very diverse menus even if there are only 5 restaurants. You will always find something your like. The Burger boutique offers 12 types of great angus burgers! Spa: we booked a day at the spa. We had the best massages ever. They also do a beautiful mayan ritual before starting that puts you in a relaxing and spiritual mood. The facilities are beautiful and the staff is so attentive. Location: the Hotel is well located. 10 min taxi ride to Playa del Carmen. From the boulevard you will drive about 1km to get to the resort (most hotel have their hotel begin at the boulevard but not the fives). The first impression when you get to the building is great. Beach: You will always find a chair or beach bed available for you. When you are elsewhere on the resort and need clean towels you can go to the concierge offices or will have to go all the way to the beach. The infinity pool is beautiful and there is entertaineent all throught the day. If you want to be in a more quiet space, you will always find a spot on the beach or the pools to be alone. Room service: AMAZING! free room service 24 hours a day. You can get the most delicious filet mignon delivered to your room at 3 pm! The room service is fast and delicious. We would always order our breakfast by room service. They will make sure your order is complete and always ask if there anything else they can do for you! As an animal lover I have to say how much I loved seing the spider monkeys. One mama was nursing her tiny baby monkey. Saw some coaties and beautiful birds. Local cats are friendly too! lol

We just came back from staying 15 nights at the Fives. We had a wonderful vacation. I cannot say enough good about Luca and Jorge - they treated us like family members - we made good friends! They never stopped caring for us, stopping by and checking in - wow we felt so good staying. We typically stay at 2 resorts in our two week time, we thought we would try one this time and thoroughly enjoyed it due to the service! The rooms were VERY clean, and I am particular. We had Irene as our housekeeper - she was fantastic! The rooms are a bit limited on lighting - this would be the only improvement I could see. The food was good, lots of choice so never got bored with it in our time. The service in the Italian reswtaurant is amazing - best waiters were Ernesto (glad to see him from a past resort we stayed at), Julio and Jose - great waiters not missing a beat.We had good service at the Palmas Pool - Manuel and Carlos were great - we also had Santiago one day - he entertained us too! We used the spa 3 times - lovely spa - could not wait to go again - the steam and jacuzzi were wonderful - Thanks to Sergio and Jeancarlo whose service was also great - made us feel welcome and like we were at home! The groundskeepers were constantly grooming the grounds, keeping them clean and nice through our entire stay. I know I mentioned above about Jorge and Luca - these two guys absolutely will make us come back to this resort again! Thanks for a memorable vacation!

WOW! What a placed to stay. Although the drive to the hotel appeared to be a little sketchy, once you arrived to the destination what an Oasis. I never felt unsure while on the resort and it was superb. We stayed in a two bedroom loft with access to the roof. This in itself was simple amazing. Sitting on the roof, sun bathing, looking at the ocean and stars was amazing. The hotel staff was outstanding and very friendly. The ocean front beach was calm and the entertainment staff and wait staff did a wonderful job. We had our children with us and they were treated with respect and had a wonderful time. They are older but were still having fun. There is something for everyone. We'll return sometime in the future.

On December 14th we were treated to a fabulous five-course meal at Tsuki Restaurant in the Fives Hotel. Manager Christopher arranged for us to attend at the restaurant and have a special meal prepared by Chef Israel. It was absolutely amazing! Very nice selections including prawn appetizer, salad, carrot soup, salmon fillet and dessert. Presentation was lovely. Really special individual attention from waiter and chef. Thank you!!

Great hotel. The service is exceptional. The staff can not do enough to make your stay more complete. The grounds are impecable and the villas are very clean. The only thing I would change is the floor tiles in the shower. They are very slippery. As for the food....besides the presentation, every meal we had from the Japanese restaurant to the pool side burger restaurant was delicious. I want to extend an extra bit of gratitude to Pablo, Guadalupe, Miguel and the hotel manager Sybile for making our stay memorable. Thank you!

I don't usually write reviews but I just have to add a little something to the feedback for this place. I loved it. The resort is in the perfect location- near Playa Del Carmen for day trips and adventures, and right on the beach for sufficient salt water dips and sandy tanning sessions. I loved the varying restaurant options included in our package - it was great to have options and cohoes items from a menu rather than buffet style. It's modern, clean and refreshing.

We had our best all inclusive vacation yet at Five at the end of November. We have been to 4 and 5 stars in Cuba and Bahamas and this resort beat our other experience by far! We originally picked this resort because of it's ease on people travelling with babies (we took our 14 month old)! If you request the baby amenities to be in your room you will get: - A Graco Stroller - Wooden crib with sheets and bumpers - A baby bath tub with insert for smaller babies - Step stool - Bottle warmer - Bottle Sterilizer - Baby Monitors - A high chair All these items were in brand new condition! The resort also has a toy lending program where you can choose from about 20 different Fisher Price toys and take them back to your room. Other baby friendly notes: The restaurants open at 5:30, so you can still have a nice dinner and are usually in the company of other families so you don't have to worry if your child is a bit noisy. All the restaurants have toys for the kids to play with while waiting for food. Huge kids club and great staff, lots of kids activities during the day. 24 hour room service so if you child is napping during a meal you can get food (or a few glasses of wine) brought to your room- they will even deliver it to your patio so you don't wake the baby! The best part about all of this is that you don't feel like you are at a typical child friendly resort. The grounds are pristine, there aren't kids running wild everywhere, the restaurants are top notch and the food is very nice. Even though the resort was at 90% capacity, it never felt full. We never had a problem getting a bed on the beach and there were tons of sun chairs to be had by the pool and at the beach. The staff here are so hard working and friendly. We would see the person who served us breakfast also working the wedding that evening and still smiling. The concierge service is a nice touch. They really do try to think of everything here- including a pillow menu in case you didn't like the pillow in your room. They will also make your dinner reservations for you, so you aren't standing in line or waiting for a certain time to call to make them as we have experience at other all inclusives. Overall we had a great time and plan to go back in the next few years! I would highly recommend any Karisma resort to a friend travelling to Mexico.

We recently stayed at Fives Nov 22 to Dec 3 the grounds are beautiful the beach is fabulous If you are looking for a place that makes you feel "great" and "relaxed" would highly recommend We loved the multiple pools they wind throughout the resort. Our favourite building was 14 it was right in the centre of the resort. The food was fantastic especially the Italian we have not been to an All Inclusive before that offers so many restaurants that you can order off a menu. The staff was all very friendly the Yoga teacher was fantastic. On Tuesday mornings the Yoga was in a Garden in the Centre of the Spa it was incredible. Otherwise theYoga / or stretch classes were out on the beach front very relaxing. The spa is fantastic they would always greet me by my name when I walked in. The walk around the resort at night was fantastic the views looking up the pools was incredible. I can not say enough about how beautiful this resort is. By far one of the best in the Playa Del Carmen area.

From top to bottom a great experience. Upon arrival met our butler Jorge and he gave us a tour of the property. He and Luca would be our butler's the entire stay, Would always check in with us and see how we're doing and find us on property. Also made suggestions for dinner. They were fantastic, been to many resorts as well and they were tops! Grounds: Very spacious and well kept. Iguanas and spider monkeys about. Had some carts to take people around if needed as well. Room: Very spacious, mini bar set up. Had balcony. Pools: 2 free form pools with swim up bars, infinity pool with swim bar as well. So much room never felt crowded Restaurants: Arezzo is the Italian, need a reservation there. Met Christian an assistant waiter there and he was superb, and it was his first day! Tsuki, is the Japanase restaurant, need reservation there as well. Great sushi(spicy tuna roll/california roll) and had a tempura salmon dish. Jacoby was our waiter, very personable and great recommendations. Sea Olive, the mediterranean restaurant. Had fantastic Tortilla Soup and the Mahi Mahi, excellent as well. Flavours has the buffet breakfast daily. Pancakes and French Toast were my favorites, Oriola Beach Club for lunch, have a bunch of different burgers. Chips and guacamole were good, Had some tacos at Lizard's the pool bar. Azulitios is the kids club there and have their own private pool and activities, many little ones around this trip. Weddings going on all weekend and their set up looked fantastic, if you're looking for a destination wedding. Have desks that can set up your Mayan Ruin tour or anything you can think of to your transfer back to the airport. Highly recommend to couples, families, weddingmooners or honeymooners.

My friends and I couldn't have picked a better week to stay at Fives. We were there for 5 nights in the middle of November and the resort was not even close to being at capacity. Service was great; everyone was friendly and went above and beyond to ensure we had a great vacation. The food was amazing. I have stayed at El Dorado Royale (another Karisma resort) and the food was just as good at Fives as it was there. When they say they are "gourmet inclusive" they mean it! Lots of choices at the breakfast buffet and the sit-down dinners at all 3 of the other restaurants were top notch. Another thing we liked was that we didn't have to get to the pool at 6 a.m. to save lounge chairs. Most days we wandered down there around 9:30 or 10:00 and had no problem getting 4 chairs all together. This is most likely where the resort not being at capacity came in handy. The service at the pool was hit or miss. The bartenders at the swim-up bar seemed overly busy and it could take several minutes for someone to acknowledge you. However, Guadalupe went above and beyond. On one especially hot day my friends and I were in the pool for quite some time near the infinity edge, and Guadalupe would walk by and hand us fresh drinks over and over. We never even had to ask or go to the swim up bar. Talk about service! Drinks in general were pretty good. Some stronger than others, but all good. The mango margaritas were our favorite! Rooms were typical hotel rooms. Beds were comfortable enough and the refrigerator was kept stocked full of water and other drinks. We ordered room service one night for snacks. They said they would be there in 20-25 minutes and they showed up in less than 10. The delivery guy then offered to go out and bring us back more beer without us even asking! Again, another example of going above and beyond! We enjoyed the Zky bar as well. Most nights we would meet there before and/or after dinner for some cocktails. Lots of indoor and outdoor seating and the service there was also very good. There were quite a few families there but didn't really bother us much. We saw lots of families taking advantage of the kids' programs that the resort offered. Seemed like a nice way for the adults to enjoy some time alone. The check-in and check-out process were seamless. They made everything very easy. We had a bit of a mix-up with the transportation company, but they were not affiliated with the resort. All in all, I would definitely go back to Fives. I would also not hesitate to stay at another Karisma resort.

I cannot say enough good things about my experience at Fives. The service is what truly made our vacation special. I work in the hospitality industry and as a guest service manager they really paid attention to all the details. It was my best friends birthday and the sent her a HUGE arrangement of flowers and turndown service delivered a three tiered birthday cake out of towels covered in confetti and a "Happy Birthday" wrap for the door. Because our trip was all inclusive we expected the drinks to be watered down and the food to be bland. That definitely was not the case, the drinks were perfect and the food flavorful and there was plenty of it. Specifically, Marcos, the pool bartender was amazing and very attentive. Mauro at the Beach Club made my best friends birthday even better on the first day of our trip. These two guys in addition to many other (Flor in the salon too) will be the reason that we come back. Job well done! I will definitely be taking some great ideas back to my hotel, because again, they sure have it figured out here!