Looking to create your own memorable moments in Mexico... well we're sure the Essence at The Fives Beach deserves a spot in your Wishlist! Sitting on a picture-perfect beach in Playa del Carmen the stunning Essence at The Fives Beach delivers all your holiday desires. Starting with their generous all-inclusive plan that offers global cuisine and impressive cocktail lists in 10 trendy restaurants and bars, that's enough to keep any foodie happy! You have a choice of inviting pools, beach club, dreamy spa and a kid's club playhouse, where little ones will be entertained for hours thanks to the energetic activity programme. Phew! Plus there's a great selection of rooms to choose from too. How does all that sound? It's clear to see a holiday here combines a blissful beach break with something a bit more 'extra'... it's no wonder it’s proving popular with fun-loving couples and families.
Amenities
Tennis
Babysitting service
Kids Club
Bar
Evening Entertainment
Internet Access
Restaurant
Room Service
Spa
Swimming Pool
Beachfront location
Where is it
Perfectly sat on the white sand coast of the Caribbean Sea in Playa Del Carmen. Transfer time from airport: 35 minutes.
Hotel information
663 air-conditioned rooms. All with a balcony or terrace with pool or garden views, air-conditioning, LCD flat-screen television or smart TV, WiFi, coffee maker and daily stocked mini-bar.
With features of contemporary coastal style, Deluxe Rooms have a large balcony or terrace with garden views, and either 2 double beds or 1 king- size bed, sleeping maximum 4 adults or 2 adults and 2 children.
All Inclusive includes: a welcome drink upon arrival. Meals and drinks at 10 bars and restaurants, plus casual dining options in the open-air eateries. Domestic and international premium liqueurs. Personal concierge in pool and beach areas. 24-hour room service.
Modern 1 Bedroom Resort Residences enjoy a separate living room with double sofa bed, and a full kitchen, as well as 1 king-size bed, sleeping 2 adults. These rooms are also available as a Swim Up Residence, where you can dip into the pool straight from your patio.
2 Bedroom Resort Residences feature a master bedroom, living room with double sofa bed and a second bedroom with 2 double beds (or 1 king-size bed), and a full-size kitchen. These rooms are also available as a Swim Up Residence, where you can dip into the pool straight from your patio.
1 Bedroom Penthouse Resort Residences have their own rooftop lounge area complete with a pergola, barbecue grill and a whirlpool tub.
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*.
Daily and nightly entertainment.
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.
Butlers in the pool and beach areas. 24-hour room service. Dry-cleaning/laundry services*. Babysitting service available*.
Guests staying in the Mexican state Quintana Roo are required to pay a travel tax of $11 per adult (over 15 years old). The payment can be made prior to travel, upon arrival or during your stay, as the tax will be imposed upon departure. There is also an additional Environmental Sanitation Tax of $4٫25 USD per room, per night that will be added to your hotel bill (payable locally, subject to change).
* Denotes local charge.
Based on 17925 reviews
Rating summary
Location
Sleep Quality
Rooms
Service
Value
Cleanliness
Traveller rating
Excellent (12940)
Very good (2678)
Average (1124)
Poor (545)
Terrible (642)
Shocking dinner situation!
Jan 25, 2025jcrm74
Absolute shambles of an all inclusive resort. Come here if u don’t want to eat! No buffet restaurant in the evening which is fine but considering you can’t make a reservation for any restaurant and have to wait 2hrs then there should be other options. We are currently fly sat waiting to eat at a restaurant with no bar open so we had to go and get… Read more
Absolute shambles of an all inclusive resort. Come here if u don’t want to eat! No buffet restaurant in the evening which is fine but considering you can’t make a reservation for any restaurant and have to wait 2hrs then there should be other options. We are currently fly sat waiting to eat at a restaurant with no bar open so we had to go and get a ‘can’ of beer from our room. Just how I want to spend my Saturday evening on holiday….not!!! Never again….5* absolutely not! Read less
Lovely family holiday!
Jan 25, 2025Inspire41607111231Chatham, United Kingdom
Just returned from a lovely holiday at the Fives with my family. The staff truly make your stay wonderful, especially if you are generous with tips (you never feel obliged to tip you just want to because they are so lovely) I had been reading the reviews before I came so was fully prepared for the wait times at the restaurants, however we have a… Read more
Just returned from a lovely holiday at the Fives with my family. The staff truly make your stay wonderful, especially if you are generous with tips (you never feel obliged to tip you just want to because they are so lovely) I had been reading the reviews before I came so was fully prepared for the wait times at the restaurants, however we have a small baby so suited us to eat early. The longest wait we had was an hour but we sat down and got a drink whilst we waited so it didn’t bother us. I would say though, had the buffet been open it would have solved a few issues for guests. Although saying that, I was glad the buffet wasn’t open as we got to experience the amazing al a carte restaurants in the hotel! The resort is beautiful, I was worried it would get very samey after 10 days but they are enough pools and the beach to try different spots each day. The drinks were lovely, premium spirits and loved the frozen cocktails! Our room was lovely and spacious, central to the beach and main plaza, maids came every day to make beds and clean rooms! Breakfast in the buffet was very good, lots of variety! When people say the ice cream isn’t free, they do have mr whippy style vanilla or chocolate which was free it’s just the different flavour scoops you pay for. The Breeze burger down the beach was our favourite, the burgers are to die for! Overall, a wonderful stay! Thank you Fives Read less
Relaxing Couples Vacation
Jan 25, 2025Passenger09552291643
We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to The Fives this January. We traveled through our timeshare exchange and enjoyed a whole week on the beach relaxing. Food: The food options, while limited, are extremely delicious. There is always two buffets for breakfast, several lunch spots for a healthy lunch, and three dinner spots. While the buffet was not… Read more
We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to The Fives this January. We traveled through our timeshare exchange and enjoyed a whole week on the beach relaxing. Food: The food options, while limited, are extremely delicious. There is always two buffets for breakfast, several lunch spots for a healthy lunch, and three dinner spots. While the buffet was not available during our stay for dinners, we were able to try all restaurants and really enjoyed all of them. The only downside is long lines. If you are coming in a couple, you may have less of an issue but it seemed to be a challenge for large parties. Our recommendation is arriving for dinner around 6:15-6:30 and being prepared to wait for 30min-1hr. Sometimes we were served right away and other times we had a wait. We weren’t in a hurry so it was no bother for us. Pools: We loved the adults only pool which is heated and provided nice warmth during the rainy weather. It was also right next to a great lunch spot. Activities: we participated in Mat Pilates, an Ice Plunge, Tennis, as well as an ancestral steam bath ceremony. We loved the variety here provided by the resort. Read less
First time in Mexico
Jan 25, 2025Teresa G
Lovely hotel & staff were great but on arrival you have to pay a deposit yet I’m still waiting to receive back and we left on 21st January which I was told I would receive back on leaving. You also have to pay for room service. No buffet restaurant in the evening so if you’re not at a restaurant by 5.30pm there might be a wait if you even get in.… قراءة المزيد
Lovely hotel & staff were great but on arrival you have to pay a deposit yet I’m still waiting to receive back and we left on 21st January which I was told I would receive back on leaving. You also have to pay for room service. No buffet restaurant in the evening so if you’re not at a restaurant by 5.30pm there might be a wait if you even get in. Also was no food on arrival in the evening. We took a 2 year old and there was barely any food he could eat very limited unless they like pizza or burger and nowhere done fries/chips. Grounds beautiful staff everywhere working hard all the time. Room wasn’t cleaned everyday only bed being made. Would definitely go back to Mexico but not this hotel the food service is a let down. Read less
Avoid!!
Jan 23, 2025norn_iron89Belfast, United Kingdom
Currently in Mexico, had to change our hotel our experience was so bad, and had to pay TUI an extra £1200 for the privilege to do so!! However we thought we would salvage the last few days of our trip. The food situation is shocking, arrived at 7.30pm, and just wanted a quick bite before bed after a long flight. Went to the Italian and were told… Read more
Currently in Mexico, had to change our hotel our experience was so bad, and had to pay TUI an extra £1200 for the privilege to do so!! However we thought we would salvage the last few days of our trip. The food situation is shocking, arrived at 7.30pm, and just wanted a quick bite before bed after a long flight. Went to the Italian and were told there were 100 people in front of us and they could not take any more. Went to the Sea Olive and were told to come back in 20min. We did so, and waited a further hour. When we asked we were told there were still 3 families in front of us. We gave up and went back to the main plaza thinking we could get pizza at the stand there - were told this would be 50min. Went to Thai restaurant, this would be an hours wait. There were no other restaurants open Absolutely disgusted we went back to our room and ordered room service which took over an hour and was not even nice food. With a young baby who needs to eat at certain times we decided this was not the place for us and are now in the Riu Palace Riviera Maya - vast improvement!!! The rooms were also more like self catering apartments - definitely not 5 star! Plugs hanging off the walls The hotel itself is very spread out. Not what you imagine from 5 star all inclusive in Mexico. There are plenty of other nice hotels in Cancun, don't waste your time and money with this one! Read less
Shocking dinner situation!
