The Fives Beach Hotel & Residences Review: Beautiful Grounds, Outstanding Wellness, but Is It Worth it?
"Things are seldom what they seem." W.S. Gilbert
7/13/202614 min read
During our eight-week Cancun resort research project, we stayed at five Hyatt Inclusive Collection resorts before arriving at The Fives Beach Hotel & Residences in Playa del Carmen. By the end of our stay, one thing became very clear: The Fives is unlike any all-inclusive resort we had experienced.
That uniqueness can be both a strength and a weakness.
The property itself is beautiful. The wellness program is one of the best we encountered anywhere in Cancun or the Riviera Maya. Wildlife roams freely throughout the grounds, the gym is outstanding, and several restaurants exceeded our expectations.
At the same time, this was also the first all-inclusive resort we visited in Mexico that didn't consistently feel all-inclusive. That doesn't necessarily make it a bad resort, but it does make it important for travelers to understand exactly what they're booking.
First Impressions
Our first impression was not the one we had hoped for.
We arrived around 2:00 p.m., knowing that official check-in wasn't until 3:00. Like many travelers, we fully expected our room might not be ready. What surprised us was the complete unwillingness to check whether one happened to be available.
Instead, guests simply wait.
Since the lobby is open-air rather than air-conditioned, that meant sitting in the afternoon Riviera Maya heat watching the front desk staff while hoping for good news. Miraculously, when 3:00 p.m. arrived, every room suddenly seemed ready at exactly the same time.
Perhaps it was an incredible coincidence.
A Beautiful Property... Much Larger Than We Expected
One thing The Fives absolutely gets right is the landscaping.
The grounds are lush, tropical, and meticulously maintained. Throughout the day we saw employees trimming plants, sweeping walkways, and caring for the beautiful common areas.
The wildlife was one of our favorite parts of the resort.
During our stay we encountered spider monkeys, white-nosed coatis, and Central American agoutis wandering naturally throughout the property. Seeing wildlife become part of your morning walk to breakfast is something that never gets old.
The resort is also enormous.
Although The Fives is technically beachfront, many guest rooms are located well inland. The blue dot on the map above shows where the first building is for the resort guests. The residences are closer to the beach. Depending on where your building is located, walking to the beach can easily take eight to ten minutes. Shuttle carts circulate throughout the resort approximately every fifteen minutes, but with such a large property and so many guests, they can become busy during peak times.
We'll include a Google Maps image in this article because seeing the layout helps explain just how spread out the property really is.
Rooms
Unfortunately, the rooms didn't leave the same impression as the grounds.
Compared to the other resorts we visited during our Cancun project, our room was among the smallest and most basic. The décor felt plain, with little personality or sense of place.
Housekeeping, however, deserves tremendous credit.
Fernando consistently kept our room spotless throughout the week and always greeted us with a smile.
Our biggest frustration wasn't actually the room itself.
It was the broken elevator.
We were assigned a room on the fourth floor, which meant carrying our luggage up four flights of stairs on arrival. While mechanical issues happen, what became frustrating was being told every day that the elevator was expected to be repaired "tomorrow."
Perhaps climbing four flights of stairs several times a day was simply one of the resort's hidden wellness programs. If that was the goal, we definitely got our cardio in.
By the fourth day of our seven-day stay, staff finally offered to move us to another room. By then, we had already unpacked, settled in, and decided it simply wasn't worth moving.
Honest communication from the beginning would have made that situation much easier to manage.
Wellness: The Hidden Gem
If there is one area where The Fives genuinely stands apart from most all-inclusive resorts, it is wellness.
The wellness team offers an impressive schedule of activities throughout the week, many of which are included with your stay.
Fabilla, from the wellness team, leads several outstanding experiences, including cacao ceremonies and sound healing sessions.
Guests can also participate in yoga and Pilates classes, while traditional Temazcal ceremonies are offered twice each week. Saturday sessions are complimentary, while Wednesday sessions carry a small additional charge.
For travelers looking to incorporate wellness into their vacation, this is one of the strongest programs we experienced anywhere in the region.
Fitness
The fitness center was another pleasant surprise.
It is one of the best-equipped gyms we visited during our two months in Cancun and, unlike many all-inclusive resorts, it remains open 24 hours a day.
For travelers who enjoy early morning workouts or late-night training sessions, this is a significant advantage.
Dining
Food at The Fives was a bit of a tale of two experiences.
Breakfast
Breakfast at the main buffet certainly offers variety.
Unfortunately, it also offered one of the busiest breakfast experiences we encountered anywhere during our trip.
There were mornings when it felt like all five senses were being tested—and not necessarily in a good way.
Families with young children filled the dining room, and while the energy may be perfect for some travelers, it wasn't the peaceful breakfast atmosphere we personally enjoy.
Adding to the challenge, arriving later in the morning meant many dishes were no longer being replenished. Food often became cold or picked over.
Fortunately, we discovered a much better option.
Brasserie serves a smaller breakfast buffet that quickly became our favorite morning restaurant. The food quality was noticeably better, the atmosphere was calmer, and breakfast became something we genuinely looked forward to.
Lunch
One surprise was the absence of a traditional lunch buffet.
Instead, guests choose from several smaller restaurants located throughout the property.
While the food itself was generally good, the concept wasn't always convenient, particularly considering the size of the resort.
Dinner
Dinner was where The Fives performed much better.
Koh Thai was excellent and became one of our favorite restaurants.
Oka Sushi offered an impressive variety of sushi and sashimi.
Brasserie also became one of our favorite dinner spots thanks to its dual menus. The Mexican menu featured excellent tortilla soup and chicken enchiladas, while the French menu included one of the better ribeye steaks we enjoyed during our stay.
Italian night at the buffet was another pleasant surprise. Our only recommendation would be to arrive when the restaurant opens, as dishes were not always replenished later in the evening.
Pools and Beach
The beach was unfortunately impacted by significant sargassum during our stay.
As we've mentioned in our other Cancun reviews, sargassum is a regional issue rather than a resort issue. Still, it undeniably affected the overall beach experience.
World Cup... With a Cover Charge?
We happened to be staying at The Fives during the FIFA World Cup, when Mexico was playing England.
Naturally, we assumed the resort would turn it into a fun event for guests.
Instead, we discovered that many of the best seats at the Sky Bar required an additional $30 per person charge. They tried to justify this charge by saying it bought you a bottle of wine, despite alcohol already being included with our all-inclusive package.
Other resorts we visited embraced the World Cup by creating complimentary viewing parties for all guests. The Fives took a different approach.
It wasn't about the thirty dollars.
It was simply another example of the resort feeling more transactional than we expected.
The Biggest Surprise
One of the biggest adjustments for us was understanding that The Fives is both a resort and a residential community.
Some guests own residences or something along the line of a “Time Share,” even though they don’t call it that.
Some guests are on vacation packages.
Some guests have premium memberships.
As a result, nearly every menu displays prices, and guests often find themselves asking, "Is this included?"
Simple things like iced or flavored coffees required an additional charge and must be purchased separately from the coffee shop.
Premium members received noticeably different treatment throughout the resort.
None of these things are individually significant.
Together, however, they created a feeling we never experienced at the other all-inclusive resorts we visited.
For the first time in Mexico, we found ourselves saying:
"This doesn't feel like an all-inclusive."
Who Is This Resort Best For?
The Fives Beach Hotel & Residences is probably best suited for families, wellness-focused travelers, and guests who appreciate large resort communities with condominium-style accommodations.
Travelers looking for a lively family atmosphere will likely enjoy the energy.
Couples seeking a quiet luxury experience similar to Zoëtry or Secrets may find the atmosphere much busier than expected.
Final Thoughts
The Fives Beach Hotel & Residences is not a bad resort.
In fact, it does several things exceptionally well.
The grounds are beautiful, the wildlife creates a unique atmosphere, the wellness program is among the best we've experienced, the gym is outstanding, and several restaurants delivered excellent meals.
At the same time, the resort never quite matched the expectations we had before arriving.
The combination of a very large layout, membership distinctions, numerous optional charges, and a family atmosphere much busier than anticipated made it feel very different from the all-inclusive experience we were expecting.
Would we return?
Probably not.
Not because we had a bad vacation, but because there are other resorts in the Cancun and Riviera Maya area that better match the travel style Crystal and I enjoy.
That said, if you're traveling with children, enjoy wellness activities, appreciate abundant wildlife, and don't mind a resort that operates a bit differently from a traditional all-inclusive, The Fives may be worth considering.
If you're unsure whether The Fives Beach Hotel & Residences is the right fit for your vacation, contact Tacks Travels. We'd be happy to help match you with a resort that best fits your travel style, expectations, and budget.
During our eight-week Cancun resort research project, we stayed at five Hyatt Inclusive Collection resorts before arriving at The Fives Beach Hotel & Residences in Playa del Carmen. By the end of our stay, one thing became very clear: The Fives is unlike any all-inclusive resort we had experienced.
That uniqueness can be both a strength and a weakness.
The property itself is beautiful. The wellness program is one of the best we encountered anywhere in Cancun or the Riviera Maya. Wildlife roams freely throughout the grounds, the gym is outstanding, and several restaurants exceeded our expectations.
At the same time, this was also the first all-inclusive resort we visited in Mexico that didn't consistently feel all-inclusive. That doesn't necessarily make it a bad resort, but it does make it important for travelers to understand exactly what they're booking.
First Impressions
Our first impression was not the one we had hoped for.
We arrived around 2:00 p.m., knowing that official check-in wasn't until 3:00. Like many travelers, we fully expected our room might not be ready. What surprised us was the complete unwillingness to check whether one happened to be available.
Instead, guests simply wait.
Since the lobby is open-air rather than air-conditioned, that meant sitting in the afternoon Riviera Maya heat watching the front desk staff while hoping for good news. Miraculously, when 3:00 p.m. arrived, every room suddenly seemed ready at exactly the same time.
Perhaps it was an incredible coincidence.
A Beautiful Property... Much Larger Than We Expected
One thing The Fives absolutely gets right is the landscaping.
The grounds are lush, tropical, and meticulously maintained. Throughout the day we saw employees trimming plants, sweeping walkways, and caring for the beautiful common areas.
The wildlife was one of our favorite parts of the resort.
During our stay we encountered spider monkeys, white-nosed coatis, and Central American agoutis wandering naturally throughout the property. Seeing wildlife become part of your morning walk to breakfast is something that never gets old.
The resort is also enormous.
Although The Fives is technically beachfront, many guest rooms are located well inland. The blue dot on the map above shows where the first building is for the resort guests. The residences are closer to the beach. Depending on where your building is located, walking to the beach can easily take eight to ten minutes. Shuttle carts circulate throughout the resort approximately every fifteen minutes, but with such a large property and so many guests, they can become busy during peak times.
We'll include a Google Maps image in this article because seeing the layout helps explain just how spread out the property really is.
Rooms
Unfortunately, the rooms didn't leave the same impression as the grounds.
Compared to the other resorts we visited during our Cancun project, our room was among the smallest and most basic. The décor felt plain, with little personality or sense of place.
Housekeeping, however, deserves tremendous credit.
Fernando consistently kept our room spotless throughout the week and always greeted us with a smile.
Our biggest frustration wasn't actually the room itself.
It was the broken elevator.
We were assigned a room on the fourth floor, which meant carrying our luggage up four flights of stairs on arrival. While mechanical issues happen, what became frustrating was being told every day that the elevator was expected to be repaired "tomorrow."
Perhaps climbing four flights of stairs several times a day was simply one of the resort's hidden wellness programs. If that was the goal, we definitely got our cardio in.
By the fourth day of our seven-day stay, staff finally offered to move us to another room. By then, we had already unpacked, settled in, and decided it simply wasn't worth moving.
Honest communication from the beginning would have made that situation much easier to manage.
Wellness: The Hidden Gem
If there is one area where The Fives genuinely stands apart from most all-inclusive resorts, it is wellness.
The wellness team offers an impressive schedule of activities throughout the week, many of which are included with your stay.
Fabilla, from the wellness team, leads several outstanding experiences, including cacao ceremonies and sound healing sessions.
Guests can also participate in yoga and Pilates classes, while traditional Temazcal ceremonies are offered twice each week. Saturday sessions are complimentary, while Wednesday sessions carry a small additional charge.
For travelers looking to incorporate wellness into their vacation, this is one of the strongest programs we experienced anywhere in the region.
Fitness
The fitness center was another pleasant surprise.
It is one of the best-equipped gyms we visited during our two months in Cancun and, unlike many all-inclusive resorts, it remains open 24 hours a day.
For travelers who enjoy early morning workouts or late-night training sessions, this is a significant advantage.
Dining
Food at The Fives was a bit of a tale of two experiences.
Breakfast
Breakfast at the main buffet certainly offers variety.
Unfortunately, it also offered one of the busiest breakfast experiences we encountered anywhere during our trip.
There were mornings when it felt like all five senses were being tested—and not necessarily in a good way.
Families with young children filled the dining room, and while the energy may be perfect for some travelers, it wasn't the peaceful breakfast atmosphere we personally enjoy.
Adding to the challenge, arriving later in the morning meant many dishes were no longer being replenished. Food often became cold or picked over.
Fortunately, we discovered a much better option.
Brasserie serves a smaller breakfast buffet that quickly became our favorite morning restaurant. The food quality was noticeably better, the atmosphere was calmer, and breakfast became something we genuinely looked forward to.
Lunch
One surprise was the absence of a traditional lunch buffet.
Instead, guests choose from several smaller restaurants located throughout the property.
While the food itself was generally good, the concept wasn't always convenient, particularly considering the size of the resort.
Dinner
Dinner was where The Fives performed much better.
Koh Thai was excellent and became one of our favorite restaurants.
Oka Sushi offered an impressive variety of sushi and sashimi.
Brasserie also became one of our favorite dinner spots thanks to its dual menus. The Mexican menu featured excellent tortilla soup and chicken enchiladas, while the French menu included one of the better ribeye steaks we enjoyed during our stay.
Italian night at the buffet was another pleasant surprise. Our only recommendation would be to arrive when the restaurant opens, as dishes were not always replenished later in the evening.
Pools and Beach
The beach was unfortunately impacted by significant sargassum during our stay.
As we've mentioned in our other Cancun reviews, sargassum is a regional issue rather than a resort issue. Still, it undeniably affected the overall beach experience.
World Cup... With a Cover Charge?
We happened to be staying at The Fives during the FIFA World Cup, when Mexico was playing England.
Naturally, we assumed the resort would turn it into a fun event for guests.
Instead, we discovered that many of the best seats at the Sky Bar required an additional $30 per person charge. They tried to justify this charge by saying it bought you a bottle of wine, despite alcohol already being included with our all-inclusive package.
Other resorts we visited embraced the World Cup by creating complimentary viewing parties for all guests. The Fives took a different approach.
It wasn't about the thirty dollars.
It was simply another example of the resort feeling more transactional than we expected.
The Biggest Surprise
One of the biggest adjustments for us was understanding that The Fives is both a resort and a residential community.
Some guests own residences or something along the line of a “Time Share,” even though they don’t call it that.
Some guests are on vacation packages.
Some guests have premium memberships.
As a result, nearly every menu displays prices, and guests often find themselves asking, "Is this included?"
Simple things like iced or flavored coffees required an additional charge and must be purchased separately from the coffee shop.
Premium members received noticeably different treatment throughout the resort.
None of these things are individually significant.
Together, however, they created a feeling we never experienced at the other all-inclusive resorts we visited.
For the first time in Mexico, we found ourselves saying:
"This doesn't feel like an all-inclusive."
Who Is This Resort Best For?
The Fives Beach Hotel & Residences is probably best suited for families, wellness-focused travelers, and guests who appreciate large resort communities with condominium-style accommodations.
Travelers looking for a lively family atmosphere will likely enjoy the energy.
Couples seeking a quiet luxury experience similar to Zoëtry or Secrets may find the atmosphere much busier than expected.
Final Thoughts
The Fives Beach Hotel & Residences is not a bad resort.
In fact, it does several things exceptionally well.
The grounds are beautiful, the wildlife creates a unique atmosphere, the wellness program is among the best we've experienced, the gym is outstanding, and several restaurants delivered excellent meals.
At the same time, the resort never quite matched the expectations we had before arriving.
The combination of a very large layout, membership distinctions, numerous optional charges, and a family atmosphere much busier than anticipated made it feel very different from the all-inclusive experience we were expecting.
Would we return?
Probably not.
Not because we had a bad vacation, but because there are other resorts in the Cancun and Riviera Maya area that better match the travel style Crystal and I enjoy.
That said, if you're traveling with children, enjoy wellness activities, appreciate abundant wildlife, and don't mind a resort that operates a bit differently from a traditional all-inclusive, The Fives may be worth considering.
If you're unsure whether The Fives Beach Hotel & Residences is the right fit for your vacation, contact Tacks Travels. We'd be happy to help match you with a resort that best fits your travel style, expectations, and budget.
info@allinglobaltravel.com