The Fives Beach Hotel & Residences
The Fives Beach Hotel & Residences is the flagship of the Fives group, a 662-room property at Access Xcalacoco in Fracc. El Limonar, which sits just north of downtown Playa del Carmen rather than south of it. The official site puts it 40 minutes from Cancun airport and 10 minutes from the town center. What separates it from the big Riviera Maya all-inclusives is the accommodation: the One, Two and Three Bedroom Residences have living rooms, dining rooms and fully equipped kitchens, and the penthouse versions add private rooftops. Two Bedroom Residences take up to eight people and the Three Bedroom Presidential up to ten, which makes this one of the few all-inclusives where a multi-generation group can share one unit without splitting across buildings.
Traveler Insights
Pros
- +The Residence suites are real apartments, not oversized hotel rooms: a One Bedroom Residence is 710 sq ft with a full kitchen of fridge, stove, oven and microwave plus a living and dining room, the Two Bedroom runs 1152 sq ft and sleeps up to eight, and the Three Bedroom categories take up to ten
- +Swim-up residences come in one, two and three bedroom sizes with the pool reachable straight off the balcony, and the penthouse categories add private rooftops with whirlpool tubs, up to a 3,229 sq ft Presidential with a rooftop barbecue
- +Eight pools, 14 restaurants and gourmet corners and six bars on one property, which is why guests describe the layout as a village rather than a resort
- +The Spa by The Fives spans more than 15,000 sq ft overlooking a cenote, with 11 treatment rooms including a couples suite, a bridal suite and a children's suite
- +Family logistics are better covered than at most resorts in this band: Aluxitos Kids Club for ages 4 to 12, a Teens Club with its own alcohol-free cocktail bar at Bar Palmas, children's menus, and loaner baby gear on request including stroller, crib, bottle warmer and sterilizer, monitor, baby tub and high chair
- +Real range in the dining rather than the same menu in five rooms: Yucatecan cooking at Chechen & Chakah with a Saturday regional brunch, French at La Brasserie, Thai at Koh-Thai, sushi at Oka-Sushi, ceviches and tiraditos at Muelle Ocho, vegan and vegetarian plates at Lizzards built by a wellness chef, and pizza and burgers down at the beach club
- +A 24-hour gym with new equipment and instructor-led HIIT, functional, core and flexibility classes, plus a rotating wellness calendar that runs temazcal and cacao ceremonies, sound healing, breathwork, guided walks and an artisanal perfume workshop
Cons
- −The resort does not take restaurant reservations. Its own FAQ says so and tells guests to check each venue's hours and arrive early, so popular dinners mean queuing at opening rather than booking a table
- −Sargassum is the real caveat on this coast. 2026 was the worst season on record in Quintana Roo, with more than 100,000 tonnes cleared from state beaches by August, and Playa del Carmen was still taking new landings in the first week of October 2026. Check conditions close to your travel date rather than assuming
- −Guests through mid-2026 described sandbags along much of the shoreline that you climb over to reach the water, with roughly 15 yards of clear entry, and crews burying weed by hand through the day
- −Sea urchins have been reported at the water entry, so water shoes are worth packing rather than optional
- −Several things read as included but are not: 24-hour room service carries an $8 service fee per order, Bali beds on the beach and at the pools cost extra, the Casa de Rosa interactive cooking-class restaurant is an extra service, and airport transfers are charged even when you book direct
- −The cheapest category undercuts the whole residence pitch: the 527 sq ft Deluxe is a conventional hotel room with two doubles or a king and no kitchen, so book a Residence if the apartment layout is why you are here
- −The One Bedroom Swim Up Residence does not allow minors and caps at three adults, which catches families who assume the swim-up categories are the kid-friendly ones
- −Quintana Roo's environmental sanitation duty is collected at check-in and is charged per guest in Solidaridad, the municipality Playa del Carmen belongs to: 35.19 pesos a night for the first guest, then 23.46, 17.60 and 11.73 for the next ones, repriced every February 1
The property's own amenity list gives eight pools, 14 restaurants and gourmet corners, six bars, a tennis court, a basketball court, a game room and a 24-hour gym. Dining genuinely varies: Yucatecan at Chechen & Chakah, French at La Brasserie, Thai at Koh-Thai, sushi at Oka-Sushi, Caribbean ceviche at Muelle Ocho, vegan and vegetarian at Lizzards, beach pizza at Oriola and burgers at Breeze Burger, with Natura Day Club & Grill set aside as the adults-only area under the mangroves. The group's showier tasting menus belong to sibling hotels, not this one: Santa Sirena's six-course menus are at The Beachfront by The Fives and the Mexican omakase at Kiin Rooftop is at The Fives Oceanfront Puerto Morelos. The one structural annoyance is that none of the restaurants take reservations, which the resort states plainly, so dinner means arriving when doors open. Sea Olive is slated to reopen as an Italian trattoria and pizzeria, but the official site still writes that in the future tense, so treat it as planned.
This works best for families and groups who want space, a kitchen and the ability to spread out, and for travelers who will use the property hard across its pools, spa and activity program rather than sit on the sand all week. The beach is the thing to research before booking: sargassum made 2026 a record year on this coast and Playa del Carmen was still getting landings into October, so pack water shoes and plan on pool days as a real possibility. Couples who want a quiet adults-only version of the same operation have it next door at The Beachfront by The Fives, which is a separate hotel. Restaurants here are limited to guests and day-pass holders, the resort does not take pets beyond service animals, and the property runs public events through the year including a Mexican kermes night, a Super Bowl beach party and the annual Wine Fest, whose 11th edition is set for October 17, 2026 at the neighboring Distrito Xcalacoco Beach.
Common Questions
Do the restaurants take reservations?
What is the beach like, and how bad is the sargassum?
Do all the rooms have kitchens?
What is included, and what still costs extra?
Is this a good resort for families with young children?
Where exactly is it, and how do you get into Playa del Carmen?
Restaurants (13)
| Type | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| Mexican | Mestizo, Chechén & Chakáh, Casa de Rosa (extra charge) |
| Italian | Arezzo, Oriola Pizzeria |
| Japanese & sushi | Oka-Sushi |
| Asian | Koh-Thai |
| French | La Brasserie |
| Caribbean & local | Muelle Ocho |
| American & grill | Natura, Breeze Burger |
| Plant-based | Lizzards |
| International & fusion | Flavours |
From the resort's own dining pages. Only restaurants the resort lists are shown. Venues marked "extra charge" are not covered by the all-inclusive rate; the others are, per the resort.
What's nearby
25 min drive · 11 mi
15 min drive · 6.3 mi
Playa Mamitas13 min drive · 5.7 mi
20 min drive · 9.8 mi
Xcalacoco Beach2 min walk · 0.1 mi
El Camaleón Golf Course10 min drive · 3.4 mi
More things to do (15)
- Xenses · adventure park20 min drive · 9.8 mi
- Playa 88 · beach12 min drive · 4.5 mi
- Punta Esmeralda Beach · beach20 min drive · 4.2 mi
- Museo del Chocolate · museum12 min drive · 5.5 mi
- Parque La Ceiba · nature13 min drive · 5.8 mi
- Frida Kahlo Museum Playa del Carmen · museum13 min drive · 5.7 mi
- Playa del Carmen Fifth Avenue · town13 min drive · 5.8 mi
- Voladores de Papantla (Parque Fundadores) · historic site13 min drive · 6.1 mi
- Xplor · adventure park20 min drive · 10 mi
- Playa Maroma · beach20 min drive · 9.0 mi
- Cenote Chaak Tun · cenote20 min drive · 8.0 mi
- Iberostar Playa Paraíso Golf Club · golf25 min drive · 11 mi
- Delphinus Riviera Maya · adventure park25 min drive · 11 mi
- Puerto Morelos Botanical Garden · nature30 min drive · 17 mi
- Dr. Alfredo Barrera Marín Botanical Garden · nature30 min drive · 17 mi
Amenities
Show 10 more amenitiesShow fewer
Style & Rooms
Atmosphere
Room upgrades
Seaweed & sargassum
Playa del Carmen gets sargassum, typically worst May through August.See the month-by-month guide →Google Reviews★ 4.6 · 11,459 reviews
“This resort is great - it’s a big resort, with lots of beautiful, well taken care of grounds! Upon arrival, we were checked in quickly & our room was absolutely amazing! Gorgeous view of the jungle & a clean, spacious room. Our favourite restaurant...”
“From the moment our family arrived at Five Resort Hotel in Playa del Carmen, we felt genuinely welcomed. The staff was friendly, attentive, and always willing to help, making both adults and kids feel comfortable right away. The resort has a fun, rel...”
“Our family of 4 have loved our time at The Fives hotel celebrating our son’s 21st birthday - everything has been perfect. Staff at the hotel are so helpful and can’t do enough to ensure that everyone is having a great time and is being well looked af...”
