The Reef Playacar Beach Resort & Spa

Room was nice, however it was next to the theater so it was loud at night. Food was limited and mediocre at the buffet. No poolside service. Seemed like they were short staffed everywhere. The snack bar food was awful and it took about 40 minutes to get a pulled pork supposedly ( the meat was cut into chunks) and cold French fries.

The entire resort is spotless and very well maintained, including the beach. Staff were friendly and helpful. Only complaint was that coffee/cappucinos in lobby bar was not free, but was in main restaurant which made no sense

Yes

Check in fellow was friendly. Room/bathroom small but adequate. Beds were rock hard, the worst we've experienced in Mexico. Good a/c and water pressure. You get 6 cans of pop (no beer) in your mini fridge at the beginning of your stay and that's it; if you want more it's 45 pesos (approx $3.50 CAD) per can - a pretty crappy policy for an AI resort. The thatched roof over our balcony kept falling, rendering our balcony dirty, wet and useless 3 days of our 7 day stay. Buffet selection (including salad, fruit and desserts) was quite limited and "hot" items were never more than barely warm. The only actually hot food we had from the buffet were our made to order omelettes. Buffet service was very good. The buffet seating area is pleasant, especially the open air area. The Italian a la carte was quite good; soup was only lukewarm, but entrees were warm. The Mexican a la carte was a fail for all 4 of us. The snack bar selection is very good and, since food is made to order, it was warm. There were sometimes long waits for drinks at the pool bars. The pool areas are nice, but not overly busy. Beach is wide and beautiful. There are some trees, and also umbrellas for shade. You had to be out there really early (by 7 a.m.) to get a decent spot where you wouldn't be constantly chasing shade. The ice cream parlour is in a pretty spot and the ice cream was decent. Check out guy was dismissive, like we were a bother. Caribbean weather is too variable, only 3 nice days. PV it is next year.

Rooms were nice. Staff was great. Amenities were good. Resort location was great. The only complaint was children playing in the hot tub. They also had drinks in the hot tub along with water toys.