Reef Club Yucatan Spa Beach Resort

My stay at Yucatan was great!

Service:The bellhop brought our luggage straight to the suite. The maid did not arrive on time.We were out until 8 pm.and the maid had just arrived.She quickly apologized and changed the sheets on time.Cleanliness:Dirt,sand,and the occasional spider.Plus,a wasp hive and a bee hive were right outside our suite.Location:Great is all I can say.Value:Great!It only cost $600 because we had half the Airmiles needed for the trip.The Lobby:A guest Spanish-cursed us but apologized.Rooms:Loud music from next door,and fear of bedbugs.Although we slept with long pants and long-sleeved tops whose sleeves/legholes had masking tape put on them to hide any skin,it was fine.Although I recommend washing everything thorougly after arrival (including the luggage.)

We spent the day at this hotel while our cruise ship was in port. The hotel is beautiful and clean - just like website shows. We took our own taxi to the resort, so we got their about 2 hours before the cruise ship trips. We also got to stay as long as we wanted, instead of the usual 2 hours. The drinks were fabulous. We rented a wave runner for a n hour for $100 and had fun jetting across the water. Snorkeling is not that great because water is cloudy because of sandy bottom. Pool was clean and cool. Played pool volleyball and lounged al day. Waiter was coming by every time our dink got half way empty. Food was so so outside - never tried the restaurant inside. Locker room was clean. Overall - the best place we saw to go in Progreso.

Nice place good plain food Very helpful staff Very Quiet

They call this a beach club cause they sell day passes for beach and all inclusive They also have a deal with all the Cruise Lines

that dock in Progreso . This was good and bad But they were only there from 11AM to3PM three times. So we got to party for a little while with them then had the whole place to ourselves.

There was only 5 to 20 people there all week!!!!!!!!

Talk about service!!!!!!!!!! The staff bent over backwards to help us at every chance, We came back from a walk on the beach and they came running with fresh drinks for us!!!!!!!!!

All alone out there very isolated ,Shopping 45K in Progreso

no busses Taxis very expensive,sugest rent a car if you want to leave the resort

One more thing , We used RCI ,traded for the week and had to pay for the all inclusive plus plane and transfers WAY more expensive than a package deal. People walked in and payed less for room and AI than we paid for AI 78.US each per day

Despite reading reviews prior to our departure, we had an excellent experience at the Reef. Staff was amazing as far as going out of their way to please. Took three tours from the Reef and they were all very good experiences. Beach was beautiful & easy to walk as it was firm sand. Would recommend it to anyone.

We went there to get away from it all and we found exactly what we wanted.

You can't beat the views ,streches of unspoiled beaches or the personalized, friendly service

They go out of their way to please their guests.

If you like fighting crowds on the beach and spending tons of money on overpriced souvenirs makes you feel like wealthy Gringo - this is not the place for you.

If you got spoiled kids that can't entertain themselves and constantly whine that they are bored - this is not the place for you.

If you are afraid of pool water that is a touch cooler than a bathtub - this is not the place for you.

If you are used / or pretend that you are/ to dine on caviar and champagne - don't go. Their food is just regular food ,buffet or a'la carte , with local twist to all the dishes.

So if you don't like Mexican food - this is not the place for you.

Better yet - don't go there at all !!!

We want to be sure that the next time we go they will have a room for us .

HAHA,its Dave, I was the guy that was taking the pictures of all 27 of you guys before you left,glad you had fun.

Myself,wife and 6 year old son had a great 2 week holiday there dec.25-jan 8,very relaxing.

Food was great,the best i've had at any all inclusive i've stayed in Mex.,Jamaica and of course Cuba, even better then most i ate in Waikiki,but not Maui....so that says alot about this place.

The staff and my wife hit it off well,she was even on the staff teams for sports and stuff,even greeting the new years eve crowd with the staff,tears when we left,those handfull of girls work hard there,but are always happy,Morales,Belanne,Fernanda,Sonya,Abby,JayZ,etc.. won't forget them

Weather was hot,the wind was a nice break actually.

Oceanview upgrade is cheap and highly recommended,we had to stay in a non oceanview on the first night and then switched,much better room as well as view.

The kids club is fantastic,my son had a great time hanging out there and let my wife and I relax,really great.

The only complaint i have is the main bar closing at 7pm,have not seen such before at a resort,poor Jose at the bar even compained with me as he said the tips were better then at the disco bar which he got switched over to after 7.

For the Cancun party crowd this is not the place,but for the crowd looking for a relaxing holiday with great food and a fantastic staff,you can't beat the reef yucatan,great holiday!

A large group of 27 stayed at the Reef Club from Dec. 28-Jan. 4 2007. We had an amazing time. If you are young and are looking for a party resort this is not the place. If you are interested in relaxing by the pool and enjoying the superb mexican weather, then this is the place. The staff is AMAZING! They are more than happy to fulfill your every need. Many of the reviews that we read before we left commented on how cold the pool is, how windy it is and how the beach is horrible. It is windy at the Reef Club. However you have to remember that it is usually 28 degrees or warmer so the wind that is blowing is extremely warm. The pool is chilly but if it were any warmer it would not be refreshing. All 27 people we were on vacation with went in the pool so how cold could it be. The beach infront of the Reef Club is very clean and they work hard to keep it that way. The ocean is not the clear blue ocean that you imagine it to be, but the water is warm and people were swimming in it. The resort is isolated so if that is what you are looking for than it will meet all your expectations. The food was good and the staff really make an effort to make dinner time special.

All in all this is an excellent resort if you are looking for a relaxing getaway with amazing service from the staff.

I was at the Reef Yucaten in February for 1 week and returned again in March for 2 weeks. This is a quaint smaller resort ~~ quite isolated ~~ but thats what we wanted. We were able to relax with our books, swim, enjoy great breakfasts and sample the different theme nights. The regular buffet was fine ~~ we were well fed, never went hungry. Once we discovered the coffee latte, they became a start for our morning and ended our evenings. The rooms were standard ~~ we upgraded to ocean front ~~ for the amount of time one spends in their room, it was more than sufficient considering this was a 3 1/2 star canadian rating. We have stayed at a 5 star and our rooms have not been as nice as the Reef.

The staff were FABULOUS!! They love the canadians and looked after us so well. I am sure the American and European tourists were treated as equally. The resort did cater to a major tour operator out of Toronto. From Oscar, to Marta, Abby and the animation team, we came away with many pleasant memories and will not hesitate to return to the Reef or recommend it to family and friends.

One little setback was the winds.....I think it should have been called Windy Reef as by a certain time in the afternoon the winds were strong. Mind you sometimes, it was most welcomed at times as we need the breeze to cool us off ~~ apparently that part of the Yucatan is subject to this type of weather ~~ so don't fret about your hair do's as they just won't happen on those windy days!!

We toured Merida and Progresso and found a neat Canadian restaurant called Casa Isadora.....they served awesome hamburgers, fabulous margueritas and ambience and conversation with the owners were quite interesting and informative. We learned a lot from them about Merida and Progress too. We returned another day for a feast of their great burgers!

The Reef hotel grounds are well kept and very pretty. The beach area is very clean but I was a little nervous swimming in the ocean as it was a little murky. You could walk for miles and collect shells that the surf would bring in each morning. And the sunsets are romantic and memorable. Unfortunately the pool was not heated.....that would have been a bonus especially in Feb. when the weather was a little inclement.

If you are looking for a laid back holiday, check out the Reef!

The Gibsons

Toronto

We had a great time here. The rooms were clean and roomy. We were close to the private beach & huge pool. All in all - this would be a great stay for a family with children, couples or someone flying solo. No complaints -

I flew into Merida airport on March, 15, 2006-I flew back to Toronto on March, 22, 2006. I don't know what the guy 2 reviews down is talking about because every night there was a different show which included very nice Mexican danceing. There was different water sports i played every single day like water-Volleyball and Water polo. After the dinner and show there was a "disco" so to speak, it was a lot of music that is good to dance to, as an added bonus there is an open bar until 2 a.m. We also went fishing with 3 other guys and 2 Mexican fishing guides. One of the guys fishing pole broke while we was pulling in a big fish, so he had to pull it in with his bare hands and a spool of 8lbs fishing line!

When we brought it in it turned out to be a young Manta-Ray, about 50 lbs. Staff are very nice, and join into the activities on each day, and danceing everynight. All-in-all I had a very nice time.

We just got back from Merida and had a great time!!!

We have never been to an all inclusive resort before so we weren't sure what to expect.We are so glad we went. A wonderful place with great people, good food and great fun.

The hotel is about an hour bus ride from Merida and 30 minutes from Progresso. It is the only resort around which was nice. It was very quiet, I think the people on our plane were the only group there!We paid an extra$60.00 US for an oceanview room and it was well worth the money.

We were on the third floor with a great view. There was a safe in the room free of charge but it was wet as the air conditioner was right above it. The beds were quite hard and uncomfortable but that's really the only negative thing I have to say.

The food was good, the had a different variety each night. They do not have bottled water, I knew this from previous reviews so I made sure to bring some with me, but they do have water coolers around. They had theme nights on Tuesday and Thursday were we all ate together in the theatre which was set up like a banquet hall(very nice)and a show to follow.

The staff ther were absolutely the best. They went out of their way to get or do anything for you. Our kids as well as my husband and I got to know the activity staff very well, they knew us on a first name basis.

Each night they staff put on a show and have the guests particpate in one way or another, it was quite funny.

They do offer day trips and there is a car rental place on site if you want to go yourself.

The beach was cleaned each morning by the staff but the water isn't the clearest. We mostly swam in the pool, which was cool, but it was refreshing as it was so hot.

I definteley recommend this hotel and we are already planning to return next year.

Trip memeber stoney creek ont.

The Yucatan Reef is one grrrrrrrrreat place to

stay. The few little things that dont make this

hotel a 5 star, the staff (everyone of them) the

people mostly from Ontario and the hospitality,

make it a 5 star. My wife and I would go back

in a minute. For those who where there between

01 18 06 to 01 25 06, Im the crazy Canadian who

jumped in the arena at the bull fights and

fought the bull. My wife and I say hola to you

all. Nascar

We stayed at the Reef Yucatan for 2 weeks in January!! What a great 2 weeks!! The most relaxing vacation. It was in the middle of no where, but that was the good part. No one bothering you to buy stuff! The animation team were the best. Different shows every night made it very exciting, very entertaining. And during the day the animation team played games and sports with whoever wanted to play. The kids club was also excellent. Our room was niceley cleaned every day. All the staff were exremley friendly all the time! Most spoke good english. It was very easy to talk with them. The food was good. The water in our room was purified. I would definatley recommend this hotel. If you want total relaxation, this is the place to go. We would definaltey go back!

What a great place to get away and relax. The resort is about 25KM from Progresso, fairly isolated, which is nice. Miles of beach, a well layed out, well decorated, smaller resort (about 150 rooms). We upgraded to ocean front and had a great view. The food was good, some limited resort-run activities if you wanted. Staff was excellent and the local tour people as well. The people staying here are split 50/50 between Mexicans and those from other contries which made a nice mix, and a great New Year's Eve. The rooms were average, but clean and fairly well maintained. If you're looking for a relaxing, uncluttered get away, with the option for some tours inland this is the place. If you want the night life and bustle of a big resort, go elsewhere. If your into fishing, try the local fishing boats, a different experince (optional spear gun fishing for sharks).

I was just thinking about where we should go on our next holiday and the

reef keeps coming to mind!!!!! We made the trip to Merida (Airport), I

know what your thinking, where is that ??

Well it is on the gulf coast of Mexico in the Yucatan Peninsula, the reef

Yucatan is about a 45 - 60 minute bus ride from the airport through the

Mexican countryside. Once you hit the coast at Progresso (Port Town) the

Cruise ships visit there twice per week, I think tuesday & thursday, you

drive along the coast for about 20 minutes. there are beautiful beach

houses scattered along a virgin beach. If you are looking for perfect

groomed sand beaches do not go here. if you like natural white sand beaches

and a quiet 4+ hotel go to the reef yucatan. the staff was amazing, the food

A+++, 2 restaurants to choose from every night. With staff willing to help

at every turn. the Disco was quiet at night which was OK by me because we were so tired at night we fell asleep by 11 PM anyway. There are a lot of

things to do. we did a few tours such as theCaves Tour, motorbike rentals

and the mini ruins,we went to progresso and Merida on two different days. Both towns we're very safe and clean by Mexican standards. What a great place to shop as well. Give the Reef yucatan some consideration it was great I would go back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We went to the Reef on March 9th...on a last minute package and got a great deal. Not knowing anything about Merida...we were a "little" concerned about what we were going to find! We even asked our travel agent if there was water in the pool...what was wrong with it..ect. We were so amazed at the beautiful grounds and accommodations..we were able to upgrade to an oceanview main floor room on the beach...fabulous. the staff is outstanding, very friendly and accommodating. My 8 year old grandaughter loved the kid's club ..and was even included as a background dancer in the stage shows...costumes, make up and all...she was over the moon. We felt very safe, the beach is nice..no vendors at all. It feels like your own special spot. There are hammocks at the beach and lots of loungers and tables there atnd at the pool. Nothing ever seems crowded, the restaurants are very good, with theme nights and a BBq area too. No concerns about water or cleanliness. we were very pleased and had a wonderful time. We will definitely return.

We have considered keeping this our little secret...lol

We heard about this place from another couple we met on our recent trip to the Yucatan and also saw an add for it in the Yucatan Today magazine. We missed the beach when we were in Merida so thought we'd do a day trip up to the coast and check the place out. To get there is pretty easy, head north from Merida into Progresso, then head due east along the coastline until you see the sign for the resort. It's maybe 1 to 1:15hrs from Merida. They are an all-inclusive resort and offer daily and overnight specials. We stayed there for the night since they had a pretty good deal. Basically, for 995 pesos/pp (~$75US pp), you had a room on the beach, all inclusive. The real value was that if you get there around lunch time 1pm, lunch and dinner that day are provided, and so is breakfast and lunch the next day.

The resort is small compared to riviera maya standards, and very quiet. so come here if you plan to relax and not party. The beach is nice, very calm and shallow water. you can rent jet skis for 350pesos/30mins (cheap compared other places) and use their kayaks for free. The drinks are good, made by friendly bartenders who offer to fill your glass the moment it is empty. We were the only 'gringos' there, the few other people staying all looked to be locals. The also host conventions and company outings, we got a laugh watching a company team building event being held there. laughed more later that night when they all sang kareoke :)

The pool area is nice, once again small in comparison to other resorts. we enjoyed our time there, nice to check out the atlantic coast of the peninsula, and interact with the locals. There;s a lot to see nearby as well. There are some mayan ruins a couple miles away, plus bigger ones just north of Merida. The countryside is very different as well, think marsh and wetlands. Lots of bird life. Stop at Motul on the way back to Merida if you can and take a carriage ride to their cenote, nice swim.

Oh, and there is a spa onsite at the resort. They offered reasonably priced treatments including a 800peso couples massage for 50mins, which also added to our relaxed frame of mind :)

We were there on a excursion from Carnival Cruise Lines in June of 2008 and were pleasantly surprised at how nice the hotel and surrounding area was. We lounged on the beach, rode the banana boat, played some volleyball, ate the wonderful mexican buffett and swam in the pool. Overall, this is a very nice place and I would recommend it to anyone that would like to relax and take in the Mexican culture.

My two daughters and I spent 2 weeks in the Yucatan and the last 4 nights at the Reef Resort. We had a very busy vacation in Merida and Campeche and many points in between. The idea when we booked this hotel was to unwind for a few days at the beach before heading home. I can see why some would not like it here but for us it was perfect. Yes the resort is isolated but I did not want to go anywhere after all of our touring. The beach is almost deserted and since it was low season, there were very few people at the hotel. The ones that were there were mostly mexican families from Merida that gave me a great opportunity to practice my Spanish. ( Hola mi amiga Ally ) My 11 year old found the pool and childrens areas entertaining and we collected dozens of shells on the beach. The staff were great and I found the food to be very nice with a good variety at almost every meal. If you are looking to party the night away you should be 4 hours east of here at Cancun. If you are looking for tranquility, long uninterupted natural beaches, decent accomadations and friendly staff then this might be the place for you. P.S. I did find the wind too much the first day but on the rest it was better and if you spend early mornings on the beach when it is calm, you can always have a siesta in the afternoon when it picks up.

We have stayed at this resort twice. Once just my husband and I and once with our 6 year old son. Both times we had a great time! Keep in mind this is not a resort for those who are beach people. The ocean is not crystal clear but the sand is beautiful and white. My family spent most of our vacation on the go. The Cenote (underwater caves) trip was by far the best! You can swim in crystal clear water. Just getting to the cenotes if half the fun. You are taken to the cenotes by antique wooden buggy type cart pulled by a horse. It's about an 1/2 trip into the woods but you are rewarded by a refreshing swim in three different cenotes. What a great day!

When you first get to the hotel make sure you book a car for a few days. The resort is in a remote area and a 1/2 hour car ride to Progreso (which is a nice small town that the cruise ships come into port 2 times a week). Back to the cenote trip, you really got to hook up with Manuel, Noel and Oscar, they run a home grown tour group that run out of the hotel "La Iguana Maya Tours" these guys are fantasic. They will show you true Mexico. Tell them Kim send you, lol. They took me fishing too.

Anyhow, on our rented car we put over 700km on it and went everywhere. We saw ruins, Loltun Caves, small villages and felt very safe. The people in this area of Mexico are very friendly. They do not speak much English in this area which is half the fun. We came knowning just where we wanted to go. Had lots of maps and started early in the morning out on our adventures.

The hotel itself is very nice, service is fantasic! Many people both times when we were there did not like how remote the resort is and the ocean but if you want to see true Mexico this is the place for you.

Booked lastminute due to a hurricane flattening our hotel in Playa Del Carmen, like the day before!

Arrived not knowing what to expect, Hotel very isolated some would say secluded. Practically empty, 4-8 familes, but had a nuns convention there too.

On the up side: food was great, staff service was excellent, room was spacious and clean (from our room you could listen to waves on the beach as you went to sleep) the pool was splendid.

On the downside, you are isolated, apart from Xcambo ruins and the local fishing viilage (45mins walk away) there's not much to do even though the entertainments team do try, guess the lack of atmosphere is effected by the number guests.

On the odd side they seem to have passing coach parties that pop in for drinks and a swim about mid-day and are gone by 3, confused the heck out of us.

Were certainley left more chilled than we arrived and wouldn't have missed it for the world.

I stayed with my family (all of us are adults) at the Reef Yucatan in December 2005, for a few days before Christmas. I was a bit worried about what to expect because the resort was listed as a 3-star on some websites, and my mother was explicit about only wanting to stay at 4-star hotels during our tour of the Yucatan, but I booked it anyway because it had received good reviews and the photos looked nice. I am very glad I did.

The rooms were modest and comfortable, and we were given an excellent location in the resort - both of our rooms had patios overlooking the ocean, and we left the sliding door open at night and fell asleep to the sound of crashing waves. You could walk directly out the sliding door on the first floor room to the beach about 20 feet away. When we arrived, everything was clean, except the back of the bathroom door, which looked pretty stained and dirty; however, I went to take a picture of it just before we left, and it had been cleaned, I guess after we arrived. Other than that, the only complaint I had about upkeep was that guests would take the glasses from the dining room and bar and leave them all over the property. There were about 10 of them on the floor outside my room when I arrived. Also, it may help you to know that the buttons on the phone to call housekeeping, front desk, etc. did not work. You just have to dial 0 to get anyone.

The food was very good. They had fruit, salad, make-your-own sandwiches, and great entreés; we loved every meal we had. Also, nothing made us sick, and we had ice in our drinks every night. They have filtered tap water throughout the resort. We were there in December, so the pool was a bit cold to go swimming (until the day we were leaving, of course.. so we stayed a bit longer and jumped in). The pool and the rest of the grounds are beautiful. The beach is awesome for shell collecting, but too much seaweed to enjoy swimming. There are millions of shells. I spent hours walking and taking photos. We came back with a huge shell collection.

I don't know much about the area, except to say that it is somewhat remote. We didn't spend much time in the closest town (Telchac Puerto - about 20 mins away) because we wanted to relax at the resort. We did take a couple trips out to see some local sites, the ruins of Xcambo are nearby (small, looks kinda fake, but fun nonetheless), and there is a marsh across the street that had a ton of flamingoes.

My sister and I did get massages, I got the hot stone treatment. The women who worked there were great. We also got pedicures. The spa has great services, but it's not cheap. The workout room is pretty much nonexistant, there are a few machines but they're old and I think most are broken. They do have a room with computers for checking email, and high speed internet for a small fee. There is a kids' clubhouse/playroom type thing that looked like it'd be great for kids under 6 or so. The nightly show was pretty silly, but fun if you have a few drinks at the bar. There's not much choice of anything else to do anyway.

One last thing I'll mention is that there was practically nobody there. I'd say there were about 5-10 families staying there at the same time as us, and the place is HUGE. It was kinda cool having the whole place to ourselves. There was one day when it seemed like a tour bus had stopped through or something - all of a sudden there were tons of people at the pool, beach, and bar.. but then all of a sudden they were gone and it was quiet again. It was a bit strange, but not a problem at all.

I would have said it was neutral compared to some of the places we've stayed at before, but if your vacation budget has changed due to having children and you want a cheaper but cheerful experience, this is a great place. It wasn't the best place we ever stayed at but it was fantastic for what we paid and above satisfactory for what we needed. If you have kids to keep occupied, the kids club at the Reef is the best I've ever seen - larger and more activity than most of the better hotel chains. The enclosed kids area allows parents to pull up a lounger and watch from within - if your kids are a little older and don't require as much supervision, the main pool is just on the other side of the fence so you can keep an eye on them from the other side. There is a playground, a basketball court, a sand play area and a kids' pool in this enclosed area that can only be accessed from the kids club which is a large building filled with activities, crafts, a stage area and dressup clothes, toys (mostly beach toys and water wings/preservers that travellers left behind), a tv room with tables and chairs, kind of like a classroom (bring your dvd's their English videos are limited - be nice and let them keep some if you want) - we would generally put something on and let the kids eat their lunch in there. The staff is very lenient with what you do as long as you are courteous and don't make a mess. We went to a Riu Palace last year that wouldn't let my son in to the kids area because he was 6 months too young, even though I was willing to supervise him myself. Here they are so pleasant and just want everyone to have fun - you could even go in there to entertain a small baby, nobody would mind.

Also, it's true there's not much to do after the short nightly entertainment but for parents it's ok because you're usually going to bed with your kids that time anyway.

I too had my share of complaints (very minimal drawer space for clothing, could have used a mini-fridge or easier access to water) but the hotel was clean, the food was edible and dare I say always tasty and the staff friendly. Hopefully they will do well in revenue and be able to put on better shows, maybe open another restaurant with more variety, that would kick it up a notch. But if you are looking for a clean, happy, pretty place that's good for kids and won't break the bank, this is it. It is better value for your money than most places. It's small and safe - after a few days you'll recognize everyone who's staying there. The beach is actually quite nice, you could certainly lay there and the water is not as bad as some make it sound. We saw them clean the beach every morning. The kids got a kick out of the seashells and incorporating them into their sand castles.

I went with my sister's family and we met a really lovely family from our area. It's been a month since we got back and the kids are freaking out missing eachother. We'll be seeing them this weekend and we're all very excited.

There was mostly families with young children and lots of seniors. I wouldn't recommend this for younger singles and couples, there's just not enough action for ya.

Not sure where some of the people below stayed, but their info isn't all that correct.

- Ocenview upgrade is $60USD, posted right at the counter

- The pool is not cold, tons of people were in it and there were no complaints. I would say 76-78F at least... I guess when it is 100F the water feels cool when you first get in, but a minute later it is perfect.

- Bottled water, they give you 2 bottles, but you can refill them for free from the coolers at the pool bar, main restaurant and disco

- Far from middle of nowhere, it is beside the town of Telchac Puerto and just down the road from Progresso, with some 46,000 residents. Not exactly small...

- Maintenance seemed up to date to us, not sure what problems people had. The cigarette butts and glasses around the pool are from the lazy slob guests.

- There may not be hairdryers or clothes lines (never seen that in a hotel room myself) but they do have face cloths, kleenex and soap - contrary to what others have said.

- The food IS repetitive, though it is pretty good... not great, but not bad. And yes, there is very little Mexican food, to our dismay, but we have been to a 5-star resort in the Mayan Riviera that had even less traditional Mexican food.

- Yes, there are speed bumps, but they are always well-marked. Mexico likely has more speed bumps per capita than anywhere else... This area is nothing, try some of the more major urban centres - we've travelled a fair bit in Mexico and can attest to this.

- There were basically no bugs whatsoever when we were there, a week after those below.

- The wind is strong, especially after lunch. Morning is calm, but then it picks up to near gale force by dinner. But it is a warm wind - and much appreciated when the air temp is 100F!!! It does not smell, that is the ocean and the vegetation, nothing major or nasty whatsoever.

- There is a tiny bit of seaweed on the beach, but there are tons of shells, everywhere, getting many feet deep east and west of the hotel.

- There isn't much to do at night, pool bar closes around 4-5 and then nothing until dinner at 7. After that, the disco or staying in the restaurant. Pool bar should definitely stay open longer. But they use it for the a la carte restaurant four nights, likely why they close. Changing the a la carte to the disco would work much better.

Now, on to our review. We want this to be thorough, so please bear with us. There seems to be a lot of half-truths and mistakes and we want to be sure to cover everything and give you a full and honest opinion. We stayed March 29th to April 5th, 2006.

ROOMS:

Actually pretty big, we were impressed, you don't feel cramped. A/C works very well, keeps the room comfortable. We were on the 3rd floor so we never had bugs to worry about. We recommend the room we stayed in, 1410, as it has a great ocen view, plus it is on the corner and overlooks the activity pool and most of the grounds as well. Nice balcony to sit in the sun if you don't feel like joining everyone at the pools. Was a little dated and could have used a fresh coat of paint, but nothing major. There is, though, pretty much nowhere to put clothes. There is a closet with a few (6) hangers, but no shelves. Plus, the little dressing table they give you only has 3 small drawers, not enough for 2 people. My wife wound up using the hangers and drawers while I pretty much lived out of my suitcase. That is our only real complaint about the room. Bathroom was good, not that huge, but easily large enough. Shower was good, lots of pressure and always hot water. Showerhead is a little low, though, making me (at 5'11") have to squat a bit to wash my hair. Perfect for my 5' tall wife though. :) Maid was good, always kept the place clean. Beds are quite hard, pillows not so great either. Most mattresses at hotels are firm, but these were quite hard and the springs were a little irritating. But, with lots of activity, fun, sun, booze, etc. you will have no problems sleeping - I know we never did!

GROUNDS:

Very nice, well kept and pleasant. There was always someone puttering around doing something. They were laying some new topsoil when we were there. They DO clean the beach every morning, but the wind did manage to blow more seaweed in by the end of the day. Rooms were kept clean, restaurants always very clean as well. The wind did tend to blow empty plastic cups around and cigarette butts right out of the ashtrays, but they were never there the next day. Lots of sun and shade, something for everyone. Lobby is nice, with a fountain and very high ceilings. Comfortable seats around the lobby and always a nice breeze. No bugs, only one iguana that we saw and a few little geckos. Birds everywhere, if you like birds, this is the place for you.

POOL:

Not sure what everyone's problem was, but the pool is nowhere near freezing. Likely because of the blistering hot temperatures (36-38C like 100F) and being in the even hotter sun, made the pool feel cool when you first got in. But after a minute, it was perfect. We went swimming at least once a day, as did many other people. Never a problem to get a game of pool volleyball or waterpolo going. I would guess the pool is around 76-78F or so, not cold at all. It was clean and enjoyable. Sometimes a problem getting a spot when there were no tours and everyone was at the resort, hard to find a good spot to sit in the shade around the pool. A minor complaint, didn't bother us much at all. Sometimes a waiter would come by and take drink orders, but that was not very often. But since the pool bar was only 10 feet from the pool, it was not a major trip to get a fresh beverage.

BEACH:

Since we are not big beach buffs, this did not concern us that much. But yes, the beach is very shelly, cannot believe how many shells there were. Could still walk around in bare feet, but some would not like it. And there was seaweed, not a major surprise being on the ocean and all, but it was just a little here and there. Water was a little murky, but that is likely due to the wind and waves churning up the sand which is something you'll see in Aruba, Bahamas, etc - anywhere on the ocean that isn't protected by a wind block or reef to keep the water calmer. Always people going in, so it could not have been that bad. Went in a bit ourselves, not as cold as people said. By the afternoon, though, it was almost unbearable on the beach due to the winds. After noon, winds would pick up until they were so strong before dinner, can see why people did not like it. It is a lot stronger than we had expected. But, being on the coast - on the ocean - this is to be expected! Go up to Sauble Beach or Wasaga Beach in Ontario and you get a fair bit of wind - it is normal! And it was nice to have a breeze, since it was really damn hot there! The wind made sitting out in the sun bearable.

FOOD:

Not bad, not great. Have had better, have had worse. Standard fare for a smallish resort that is not an expensive 5-star. Both my wife and I are fairly picky eaters and we never went hungry. Breakfast is standard, with custom eggs and omelettes made to order, plus french toast and pancakes, potatoes, fruit and other items. Coffee, tea, juices and purified water from a large jug cooler (like what we have in offices). Lunch was a choice between burgers and fries/pizza/nachos/salads at the pool bar or the buffet at the main restaurant. A couple of times they had nice Mexican lunches, with tacos and fajitas, but mostly similar stuff as to dinner. Dinner had a few themes, though it was mainly a pasta bar on Italian night, that sort of thing. Oddly enough, their pasta was really quite good, having had terrible Mexican Italian before. The a la carte restaurant was not bad, though nothing spectacular - but we might have made poor choices. We chose an appetizer that was basically melted cheese in a pot with mushrooms to spread on little flour tortillas and then cheese soup and finally a main course of chicken for my wife and pork for me. We think we ate too much cheese and were over-stuffed. Compared to a 5+ star uber-resort we've been to - this was not as good as their a la cartes, and their buffet was larger, but not much better than the Reef's. My wife is highly allergic to shellfish and we never had a problem with cross-contamination here, after having her get horribly sick at the 5+ uber place. All in all, can't complain about the food, though a little more variety and some more authenic local food would have been nice.

SERVICE:

First rate, simple, as that. Better staff here than at the 5+ star expensive place. Everyone was nice and friendly, they were not hunting for tips, they seemed to enjoy their jobs and wanted you to have as good a time as possible. With a place this small, they have nowhere to hide, so I think they are more accountable. Also, since it is small, they get to know you better, as you get to know them. They really helped make our stay as good as it was. Only name I remember is Moises, one of the big guys behind the front desk. He drove on one of our tours and he is funny as hell. If you do go and you do see him, make sure to yell "topes" to him, it makes him giggle like a schoolgirl!

TRIPS:

Much better prices for trips here vs. elsewhere we have been. Lots of different options, both through Sunquest and Noel with La Iguana across the lobby. We did 2 tours with La Iguana and one with Sunquest, all were great. You can go to about 8 different ruins (we went to Xcambo, Dzibilchaltun, Labna, Kabah, Xlapak and Uxmal - wish we had seen Izamal and Sayil) as well as the towns of Progresso (not worth it) and Merida (wish we had gone!). You can go swimming in a cenote, see a bull fight, rent scooters and cars, it is almost endless. Everything is reasonably priced. Most tours start between 8am and 10am, not sure what people were complaining about heat of the day. Sometimes the destinations were a fair drive, so you could end up arriving at 12 noon, but such is life. Almost any time of day was DAMN HOT there, so wear a hat and bring water.

SUMMARY:

We liked it. A lot. Go there. Now.

P.S. Hello to Butch and Jean, hope you take a MexMush tour, we know you'll love it!

My boyfriend and I stayed at the Reef Yukatan Jan 18- 25. We weren't sure what to expect, seeing nobody we knew had even heard of Merida. We took the chance and glad we did. Once we got there we payed ($50 US) to upgrade to an ocean view room(well worth it). The rooms were clean, large, and bright. We rented scooters through the hotel and went off on our own journey through the town. There was not much to see. We also took a day trip to go swimming in the caves, it was beautiful. We found the day to be a bit long and was ready to go back to the hotel after a few hours. The hotel was very clean as well. The pool was blue, water couldn't be cleaner, unfortunatley the water was so cold we did not go in, neither did too many other people. The food was the best food I have ever had at a resort. Every night was a different theme (chinese, mexican, italian, international etc) we looked forward to eating dinner. Also, the lunches offered were good as well... burger, fries, pizza, nachos etc from the pool bar/restaurant and then more inside the buffet restaurant. There was plenty of bottled water, and we heard no complaints of people being sick. The ocean water was foamy, lots of seaweed, but the hotel staff tried to keep it as clean as possible. This hotel was in the middle of nowhere, very secluded, like a paradise. We enjoyed this vacation, we would recommend this resort, but we would not go back as we saw all we needed to see, wanting to try somewhere new!

This is more a review of the reviews! Had we read the review from Newmarket and Oakville prior to our trip on March 22 we may not have gone and we would have missed out on a most enjoyable week We found the garden maintenance to be A1 also the beach. The food was good with plenty of variety each day. No, there was not salmon etc but neither was it a 5 star resort. Why buy water outside the hotel when it is free inside. Is it a problem to carry it yourself? On our trip to Xcambo bottled water was supplied free and we never saw a bug for the whole week. Tours started at 8 am - is this late in the day? Progreso was a grubby little town of no particular interest and Merida held our interest for two hours only. Renting a car would allow you to see more but who needs to drive in the heat through such desolate scenery. This was "trip advisor" talk. We had a great time with the friendliest, most helpful staff we have encountered anywhere. Big a/c rooms cleaned daily in a tropical oasis setting. We arrived to find one bulb burnt out and we had a problem with the front door lock. We reported this to the desk and they were fixed in one half hour. Jose, the local rep, was most helpful and courteous during the whole stay. Some of the day trips were too long in our opinion but you cannot please everyone can you? Burlington Canada

We totally enjoyed our stay at the Reef. The resort is small and is very easy to handle, so is immediately relaxing. You do get to know most of the staff by name within a very short time and make friends with a lot of the guests. The beach stretches for miles and is kept clean but it is windy. Fantastic for collecting seashells. The rooms were very clean and the food was fantastic. Better service and food at the Reef then some 5 stars we've stayed at.

It is isolated as stated in a few of the other reviews but we took a number of trips into local towns. Went to nearby Telchac Puerto for a fabulous lunch at Villa Del Mar and got a ride into Progresso for a day where all the shopping was done thru vendors from our table in the restaurant, the guys really enjoyed this. This was during Carnival and we got to enjoy a lot of the festivities, parades and total relaxation.

Would highly recommend the Reef, as a 3 star resort you definitely get more than you pay for.

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this resort. We just wanted relaxation so did not sign up for any of the trip excursions offered. Others who took the tours all came back pleased with their choices. This resort is good value for the money and must remember that. The rooms and grounds are kept immaculate, and any problems with your rooms or anything else are dealt with immediately. We emailed a request before hand for an upgrade to oceanview and were answered immediately. There is a small fee of $60 per week or $90 for 2 weeks. You will not be sorry if you do this. The breeze that came off the ocean made it so we didn't need to put on the airconditioner once. Staff are the friendliness we have encountered anywhere, and we have travelled worldwide and for many years. Because this resort is small you get to know other guests and by the end of the week you feel as if you are in your own little community away from home. They have a great child's play area. Parents were pleased. You must supervise your own children if they go in swimming. In this enclosed area they have lawn chairs on grass under shade for parents to watch their children at play. Better than I have seen at larger and more expensive resorts. The food was very good. Remember, this is a Mexican owned resort and there will be a lot of Mexican food on the menu. They are very accommodating at offering either roast beef, roast turkey breast or roast pork each evening. Always, fresh fish or chicken can be cooked before you. Lots of fresh fruit, jello along with a few choices of desserts (dessert menu not large). Theme nights were great. Even Chinese food one night. Most evenings they offer Karoke at one bar for those who love to sing. Children were always able to find something. Hotdogs not too good, hamburgs at the pool bar were good. The resort is remote, one hours drive by coach from the airport, but we didn't mind. Try the spa. Excellent prices for massage for two.

We,(a party of 8 Canadians aged 33 to 53), loved the Reef Club Yucatan, but it is not for everyone!

The ocean was disapointing during our stay, (mid Jan./ 06 to Feb./ 06), too cloudy & rough for swiming or snorkeling, although the beach was good for long walks. (TONS of garbage away from the resort though, since it is a very isolated hotel there are no neighbors to help clean up the beach. We were told that this situation was unique to this year due to an extensive storm season, repeat guests DID say that the beach and ocean were beautifully clean other years).

The pool was fun but very C O L D !!

The food and rooms were good, not great, but the staff , led by Martha Cruz- Customer Service Manager were OUTSTANDING!!

Trips from the resort were very reasonable compared to other resorts that we have stayed at -eg. 1/2 day fishing only 35.00 U.S., Plus they serve you and your friends your catch if you wish- in a very attractive and appetizing manner!

Free bus trip to Merida on Sundays- good for shopping & seeing the sights.( approx 1 1/4 hrs away )

Progresso is only about 30 minutes away by car - lots of shopping and restaurants on the beach etc.

Eco tourism is also quite good, we went to Rio Legatis- approx 2 3/4 hrs - and saw 700 wild flamingos, alligators etc. only about 40.00 U.S.

Biggest complaint--- they were only giving 6 1/2 pesos for a Canadian Dollar at the resort-- should have been at least 8 3/4 to 9.

Bottom line- we got a great deal and would go back for same. Don't expect the warm Caribbean and you won't be disappointed!

The Reef Yucatan is a very nice hotel located along the Gulf of Mexico. The city of Merida is approximately one hour away. Although this hotel is located in a somewhat remote area, it is near enough to everything to take some amazing tours, which the Sunquest reps or La Iguana tours would be happy to discuss. It is a beautiful setting for just relaxing as well, if that is your pleasure, but the beach is less than perfect. It is also fairly quiet at night so if you want exciting night life, go to Cancun.

We found the staff to be extremely accomodating and the local Mexican people to be fun, laid back and helpful.

The hotel itself is very well maintained, clean and decorated in a Mexican theme with beautiful palm trees.

The food was excellent, they have a different theme every night, everything from Canadian to Caribbean to Italian in a wide variety. We could even drink the water here.

We took several tours with Sunquest as well as La Iguana Tours who are located in the hotel lobby. We did things such as swam in Cenotes, shopped in Merida and Progreso and visited many nearby ruins, one within walking distance. The La Iguana guys are absolutely amazing, even organizing custom tours for us when we felt we wanted something extra special.

This vacation was not only exactly what we wanted, but exceeded our expectations. I would recommend this hotel to anyone wanting to come to Mexico.

well where to start!! My wife and i went to the reef on jan 18 06, they just had what is called a norster (i think that is what it is called) so the fisrt couple of days were a lil windy. But after that it was nice, the staff is amazing Miguel who won the football pool that me and a couple of guys started won the pool everone was very hppy for him, the service is great you want it they get it ,you want a drink on the beach or in one of there many hammoks on the beach the will bring it. the staff when you tip don't even look at the tips they put it into thier pocket and say thatnk you unlike some resorts i have been to where they look then say thank you and if it was big enough they smile. No shortage of smile here.

Food waqs great what ever you want they have it, couple kids on resort while we were there all kids well behaved and not one complaint from anyone else from the other people,

I had a good time and i would go back cause i like to make my own fun and once you start other people join in

ent. staff great shows funny and enteraining.

If you want a hotel a lil secluded and quiet this is the place i really enjoyed it

Jeremy

We stayed a full week. Unfortunately this was also the week of the "northern" as the locals described it. The wind blew constantly, day and night. It was much cooler than we had anticipated and really needed long pants and a jacket. We were hoping for hot and swim suit weather. We just picked the wrong week. The staff were very gracious, kind, considerate. The food was plentiful but I am a picky eater so didn't enjoy all the local flavors. The rooms were clean. One thing that would have been nice was to have bottled water in the rooms. There was none and you could not use the tap water for drinking. We had to go to Merida to buy bottled water. If the weather had been nice it would have been a pleasant relaxing week sitting on the beach or at the pool but it was just too cool for that so we would load up in the car and travel to Progreso or Merida to shop. But valuewise........it was a great bargain.

We stayed at the Reef Hoel on 10/27/2005 for one night. We arrived along with 700 or so other evacuees. We arrived here at the Reef after a 250 mile 7 hour long buss ride fro the El Dorado Royale in the Mayan Riviera. When we arrived, the workers were waiting happily to greet us. They checked us in and showed us to the bar/gameroom. They had pool tables, air hocky tables, a big screen tv, a dance floor and a stage. They will make you any kind of drink your heart desires. When we were taken to our rooms, we were just so happy to have a bed to sleep in. The rooms are average. This is not a resort. This is an all inclusive HOTEL. It is fine for someone who does not want to sit in the room all day. I say this because we came from a 5 star Resort that was much different. But if you want to sit out on the beach or swim in the pool all day, this place is the place. It sits out in the middle of nowhere and very secluded. They started to build a hotel next door but it lookes like they just stopped. The beach lookes to be beautiful when the wind is not blowing 80 miles an hour. The beach was eroded about 2 feet. I am sure they will get this cleaned up though. They have a shaded area so you wont get baked in the sun too. The pool looked like the ocean with white caps with the wind blowing so hard. It is really pretty too. They have chairs all around it. They have a place in the corner to get your hair braided and a spa with everything you could image from a hair cut to a deluxe massage. I wish I would of had time to enjoy some of these things. The people here are all very nice. The beds though are short and hard. I think they cator towards the Spanish. I am short so this didn't bother me but my husband is 6 feet tall and his whole foot hung off the bed with his head about a half an inch from the head board. It didn't matter though. It was better than sleeping on the floor.

I must say, having travelled as much as I have, I was a little leary about going somewhere that NO ONE had heard of. I searched the web and found a couple of so-so reviews. I would like to add to them IT WAS GREAT!! I went in February with a friend, and we had so much fun. It is very secluded, and the tours are all about 3hrs drive to get to. If you want to RELAX this is the place. the service was exceptional, if they didn't have it, ask, they'll get it! The food was all very good, and the same goes, if they don't have it, ASK!. The entire staff was more than helpful, and were quick to remember what you liked and didn't like.

I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who is going away to party alot. The disco is pretty quiet, but my friend and I made our own fun. All of the staff stayed with us and we all danced until closing.

There are jet ski's and kayaks to use in the ocean, but until April, the ocean is quit rough. It's windy as well, but with the high temps, it was a welcome wind. The beach goes forever, and the Reef is the only hotel for miles. It is very safe, and I would definately return. We made some great friends with the staff whom we are still in touch with by e-mail.

The resort is just recovering from a devastating hurricane (3 yrs ago) so things are just getting up to speed but I have NO complaints. I'm trying to think of anything negative, but I can't.....

I went with my boyfriend back in January 2007. I would go back, especially for the money we paid. The real great thing was the staff - extreamly outgoing and friendly. We even got a towel folded animal every day we were there! The food is fantastic (very Mexican - not for those on the "ZONE" diet). The not so good part of this resort, is the beach and the water. Lots of shells and seaweed. The water is not clear. But you can tan by the pool - which on hot days, is rather nice actually. The water by the beach is not recomended if you want to do water sports. the resort is highly recommended if you just want to sit around, take a few trips (which are endless if you do it right), and just RELAX! Not for those wanting a club scene, or many other singles. You are better off going to Cancun if you are in Mexico. But I loved Reef Club Yucatan Hotel and Spa Resort. The drinks were great - we got wasted a lot. The main secret for this place to remember is to tip. And tip a lot. Not like $10 each time - but $3 day or so, $1 each time you go to eat, and a couple of bucks to the bartenders - then you won't get the watered downed drinks. The night entertainment is not that great until the last night...then it is pretty cool. The shopping trips are a must, and don't forget to haggle - it's fun actually. With this resort you go to this place to relax, get absorbed in Mayan Culture, survey the abandonned hotels next door, tan by the pool and if you are as lucky as we were, meet some great people!

My wife and I stayed at the Reef Yucatan for 2 weeks in February. It was great value for the price and the best vacation we have taken down south for many years.

All of the staff were just great when you interacted with them. The food was good, with a reasonable variety, the rooms were neat and tidy and cleaned daily. Some rooms do require refurbishing but like the Islands it is very difficult in such a humid climate. The 'wait' staff could not do enough for us, we asked for some special items and never were asked to pay anything extra. Bottled water was free but we did buy some if leaving the premises and at $1.00 a litre could not complain. The drinks were free and we thought the nightly entertainment, put on by the 'ANIMATION TEAM' was great. Certainly not Vegas but we did not expect Vegas. Our main complaint was that the pool water was cold but once in, it felt fine. The Ocean was a disappointment as the sand was constantly churning up and the seaweed smelled terrible. We made many friends at the resort and continue to correspond with them and with some of the staff. We would recommend this Hotel if you are not looking for a five-star.

Some background: this is our fourth trip - twice to Riviera; once to Huatulco and once to the Progreso area.

Hotel: The service is wonderful - very friendly. Facilities are nice. We would rate it approximately three stars. Maintenance is not totally up to date, along with general appearance (cigarette butts around the pool, glasses laying around). Inquire about a safe when you check in....some rooms did not have them, didn't seem to be particular to a special room or not. Speaking of which, be prepared to pay $55 dollars extra for ocean view upon check in and should you wish. There is a wonderful breeze there all night long. There is no mini bar - you must buy bottled water if you are going outside the hotel - the water at the hotel is drinkable. There is, however, a cooler with water located in the pool bar which you can refill the two free bottles the store drops off to your room. There are no blow dryers in the rooms. There are also no clothes lines either.

Hotel food: After a couple of days, it is repetitive. Very few changes each day. There is no shellfish or seafood......just fish. No shrimp, lobster, etc. Closest you are going to get to shellfish is squid ceviche. There is an a la carte night however steaks, shrimp cocktail are extra ($9.00 for cocktail, various for steaks $15.00 +). The rest is similar food to the buffet every day.

Tours: There are lots of tours available......unfortunately, they usually start late in the day and it's very hot then. Our advice; rent a car ($55.00 per 24 hours), get an early start and drive the highway both towards Telchuc and Progresso. There is lots to see; lots of restaurants (again, ceviche is very common, along with fried fish). If you do not like fish, this is a bad area for you. Lots of beer avaialble, of course. Try chilada (salted rim, lime juice, beer) - it's a little lighter than a beer in flavour and a bit more refreshing. There are local ruins to see for a donation (Xcambo) just up the road from the hotel; lots of fishing villages which are interesting early in the morning to see the catch come in; and the flamingo observation tower (no charge) just up the street as well.

The market tour to Merida on Sunday is very crowded, and there are lots of "made in China" stuff - you only get approximately two hours in Merida which is not a great deal of time once you figure out what's where. Better to either go in on your own; or for a longer stay, not on market day The cathedral is well worth seeing, as is the government buildings with their beautfiul paintings, particularly Maya feet and Sisal hands.

The tour to Progreso is nice, the malecon is amazing - make sure you have a shrimp cocktail and a beer somewhere along it!

Be aware, this area is desolate; the towns are small, usually consisting of town square, variety store and fishing boat area. Be careful - there are VERY LARGE speed bumps going into and out of, each town.

XCambo has A LOT OF MOSQUITOES, wear bug repellant when you are there.

The nightly shows are ok, on the smaller, more eocnomical side should you be accustomed to more elaborate shows.

The weather is hot and windy. There is also a smell which comes with the north wind, smelling vaguely of stems left too long in a vase only quite a bit stronger. It is the vegetation rotting along the salt pools but it can be quite strong. Weak stomaches are not good.

Also, the beach is nice, there is a layer of a kelp sort of substance which you have to walk through and there are lots of shells. It can be quite rough but it is beautfiul and very natural, not manicured like the riviera.

Stayed at the Reef Yucatan March 15th for a week..its a small resort of about 150 rooms....the resort iftself is lovely - lots of palms trees and great pool area....Beach is okay - lots of seashells but ocean was not too great - weedy - staff does try to keep the beach clean - lots of sports for the active people, volleyball on the beach - water polo - bingo around the pool - our only complaint was at night there wasnt much to do....they have theme nights of entertainment in the hall - mainly kid oriented (and the kids loved it) but after that there wasn't really anywhere to have drinks - snack bar by the pools closed early so you either had to sit in the lobby or in the disco which is part restaurant and entertainment area...no music outside in sitting areas at all...rooms are kept clean but bring your own soaps - we had to ask at the lobby to request more after the rooms were cleaned. Food - not great- we are not picky eaters and have been away many times...buffet is changed nightly but breakfast and lunch are mainly the same....we felt we wanted more authentic mexican food and they didn't have too much...all in all I would recommend to families with small children...lots of things for them to do....its really really windy here but you need the wind because it gets really hot!!!! Took a trip 1/2 drive into Progresso and an hour to Merida - worth the trip to Merida - but go for the day - lots to see and the 4 hour trip from the hotel is not enough time...rent a vehicle - cheap!!! 35.00US for the day for a car....book as soon as you get there for the trips - they go fast....Maybe we were spoiled from going to five star resorts but if you want a nice vacation and atmosphere and just want to lie around - good place to bring your kids - lots of other kids there....A few of us were feeling alittle sick from the food which is rare for us but all in all everyone found something they liked to eat....rooms are pretty plain - 2 channels in english but hey you are not there to watch tv anyhow right!!

Nice facilities, fabulous cocktails, lovely beach but NO guests !!!! Maybe it was just a slowtime ( december?) but the only other people there were there for a convention, and only for the day.

The food was just ok. The staff was ok too.

Dont missa day trip into progresso for beach and Merida is charming too. The ruins have an amazing green / blue private spring to swim in. there are no tourists there. You will have the place to yourselves.

The Reef club Yucatan was a very nice hotel. The grounds were well keep and the room's are not that bad they are bigger then what we had stayed at in the past. The food was ok we never did get sick. The server's there are so great and friendly. I think this is the perfect place for a family to go and I wish that I would have brought my two kids here we never visit a hotel more then once. Yes the pool is extremly cold. The weather is very windy and cold at night you need to bring a sweater and a couple of pairs of jeans. The entertainment could use some work there was one night where everyone was having a great time and all of a sudden they stopped and took everything away that was a fun night. If they would have things like that every night people might have stayed up pretty late instead of going to bed a 10pm. Since this place is so far from everything they need more things for people to do they get board and crazy. Also they need to have a late night snack bar for the people that want to stay up and party the hang over the next day is bad and it is always nice to have the option of eating. The shows need to have more of the crowd involed yes they did but they need to have more and better prizes as well.

We met some really nice people from different parts of Ontario and they were really fun. We went on some great adventures with them becuase we closed the bar and had nothing else to do. The waiter in the late night bar named Allen was really good to us and during the day a waiter that want's to be on the contender was really good. They made themseleves outstanding with there service not saying that everyone else wasn't good they were just at our side all the time. Tip these people here they are very poor and look forward to us coming. Oscar was great with talking in English and giving us information. I would like to rate this place as I see it we travel a lot and have at every star.

Service: The best even better then a 5 star (there isn't many people there to serve because they find things to do)

Room: Very big but you need to bring a face cloth.

Food: The food was ok actually it was pretty good. The only thing you have to get there fast before eveything is gone. Needs a night time snack bar.

Gounds: Very nice and well kept.

Beach: Sucked! Nice to sit on but not go in.

Seashells are always around which made it great to look for differnet ones.

Pool: To cold needs a heater.

Shows: Need a little work but they are great for something to do. They need to have some games that people can borrow like board games. The volume also needs to be turned down so people can stand being in there.

All in all we had a good time I don't mean to bash this place they just need some work. Also for something to do you can walk down to some of those hotels that are not in working order they are a little spooky and the one close to the Reef would be awesome if someone would buy it and fix it up. We had fun in these hotels and taking some pics of the spooky one. We got this hotel for a great deal and we wanted a cheap deal and this was the place to go and get away and relax and have some drinks and sun. That is what we got and had fun doing it as well. Thanks to the tall and spark plug for the fun time and the adventure's that is what made the trip.

My husband and I booked this as a last minute deal as well -- Jan 11-18th. (Hey Oakville...nice review! You didn't mention the pizza from the gas station??)

Good points

1/ hotel grounds are quite beautiful; beach area with hammocks were nice

2/ staff is just amazing - this would be one of their big selling points

3/ food was good - buffet definitely adequate

4/ small hotel-not even 150 rooms so you keep running into the same people and end up getting to know quite a few of them (and make great friends like Shelley and Kramer!!)

Not-so-Good Points

1/ the wind, always present - sometimes quite gusty and made for cool nights. this is not an exaggeration - it is windy there ALL the time.

1/ hotel is basically in the middle of nowhere (some may have put this point in the first list)

2/ this is definitely not the place to be if you want to party it up -- even a little bit. A group of us made our own parties and that was fun, but would be nice to have something going on. The disco is so big and the two or three tables of people in it at night just never had a real "entertaining" feel.

3/ the rooms are pretty bad, altho I really liked our shower. It was huge and we never ran out of hot water. the room was huge and there wasn't really anywhere to unpack & put your clothes. We had a dirty footprint above our headboard that freaked me out a bit at first and we had tiny little bugs that would go in & out the outlet by the bed-this also freaked me out a bit but they were on my husband's side & didn't seem to bite so, oh well.

4/ the ocean is not nice for swimming-but I'm more of a pool person so it wasn't a huge deal for me

Anyways, all in all we had a nice vacation, I just would not go back to this particular hotel OR this particular part of Mexico.

My fiance and I headed off to the Reef Club Yucatan this past January 2006 on a great last minute deal. We were looking for somewhere hot and secluded, and we found what we wanted with a few exceptions. First things first. We have never stayed anywhere less than a four star resort. This resort is definately NOT a four star. We give it 3.5 stars (as does the Sunquest brochure):

Hotel - Secluded. Nice grounds. Nice looking buildings. Nice lobby, etc. Abandoned hotels around the Reef Club make for not-so-nice surroundings.

Rooms - Older but clean. Mattresses very hard. Pay $60 US at check-in and get an Ocean View room - Definately worth it!!! However, these rooms are limited in numbers.

Ocean/Beach - Not-so-nice. I keep reading people write about the length of the beach and how it goes on forever. This is not true. It is only about a 20 minute walk from one end to the other. You can cross over to where the abandoned hotels are and continue walking there, but the beach is very dirty and not very nice to walk along. The water is also very murky and brownish. My fiance and I LOVE the beach and always play in the water. This is the first trip that we hung out mostly by the pool. ONE PLUS* You can take a $10 cab ride to Progresso Beach (30 min drive) and it is very nice. The water is also nicer, there are beach front bars and shopping vendors. (Check out Buddy's on the Beach! Great bar area on the beach owned by Swedish people, I think).

Pool - Nice looking pool area. No cushions on chairs which makes for a not-so-comfortable lounge. Pool water is VERY COLD!!! This was weird and I just dont understand why they wouldn't bother heating it. It was a common complaint around the pool area. However, the weather was hot and beautiful so everyone jumped in anyways just to cool off.

Entertainment/Activities - Nightly shows were pretty dull. Some people really liked them though. No water activities other than volleyball and aqua aerobics. No motorized water sports. No sailing. No boogie-boarding. Tennis courts are nice.

Food - Impressive. I was expecting the worst but was pleasantly surprised.

Tours - Check out Iguana Tours. A bit off the beat-and-track. Fun and adventurous. Underground sink hole lagoons, horseback riding, scooter rentals etc. Sunquest tours are more tame, but they do have a good one into Merida on Saturday night which is a lot of fun! Mucho tequila!

Service - If you tip, they will serve. And they will serve you like the Kings and Queens you are. Do not be cheap. These people are willing to bend over backwards to make you happy. They will bring drinks to you on the beach, by the pool and even to your hotel room! Please be appreciative.

Other hotel guests - Friendly Canadians. We met some great people! If you make the best of this resort, you will have a great time!

My husband and I decided at the last minute to go for a vacation. Reef Club Yucatan was at the right price at the right time for us. Staff could be rated as 5 star. The rooms need a lot of work, wouldn't give it more then 1 star. Rusted faucets, old towels. NO BOTTLED WATER, no tissue paper, no wash towels, no brochure indicating services available from the hotel.

Food was adequate. Ground kept beautiful, specially at night. Pool was nice but very cold. Beach was dirty. Water not inviting to swimm. They should compare a 3Star hotel in Cancun or Puerto Vallarta with theirs.

Gerd & Elizabeth Fiebig

The Reef Yucatan it is not to be recommended except to your worse enemies. We got a great beach front room, large, with a veranda, AC, 2 double beds, and the employees were invariably courteous and helpful.

However, the place has 2 big problems: first, the wind, that increases during the day , reaching hurricane speed around 4-5pm, and only abates in the evening. So the beach is an option only in the morning, otherwise one gets sandblasted. Secondly, and worse, it is not only a hotel, but also a beach club. Anyone can pay a fee and spend the day. So, at 9 am every day, 10-15 buses arrive and disgorge dozens of day-trippers at the entrance, and the hotel turns on the very loud loudspeakers by the pool. Mayhem ensues. The music is elderly-e.g. Petula Clark's "Downtown", The Village People's "YMCA", BeeGees- and deafening. The day-trippers are either loud spring break kids from the US or equally loud local families. The food is bland and generic buffet fare -almost nothing local-, except for the excellent fruits, and the all-included drinks, as well as the coffee, are watered down. At least the beer is not adulterated.

Fortunately we had rented a car, so we left the hotel after breakfast, did lots of quiet tourism on our own, ate delicious food along the coast, and returned only after the hordes were gone.

The food was luke warm at best.Not so nice.We upgraded our room,now we have wash cloths.That was nice.Walk into the ocean twenty feet,then mud & slime up to your ankles.Not so nice. My friend went to the hospital for two days, severe barfing & runs.Not so nice.The staff took him to the hospital.That was nice.I have traveled to many resorts,some good some bad.This one.Not so nice.

A group of us travelled to this resort for a March Break getaway. This whole trip had it's up's and down's. The flight on skyservice from Toronto was a great flight and we got in early. 40 mintues early to be exact. The bags were waiting and despite completing paperwork on the plane, more paperwork was required to be completed prior to going through customs. Make sure that you carry a pen, or you will need to wait patiently for someone to finish and then borrow it from them. The airport in Merida is clean and was not busy. Despite arriving so early, the buses were there waiting for us to take us to the resort. Make sure that when you get on the bus that you get a spot as far away from the toliet as possible or you could be smelling it the entire trip to the resort. The staff is there to greet you and place your wristbands on. With the resort being so remote, it was surprising to have to wear them. After getting checked in, we were not in an ajoining room with the kids, same floor, but seperated by a room, we discovered that they don't have any dressers to put your clothes away in. Living out of a suitcase is not my idea of fun. A few things were missing off the walls, but to our daughter's delight, we were right by the tennis courts. We have travelled in Mexico quite a few times and this is the second resort that we have been to that has not had a heated pool. Being with kids ranging in age from 5 - 14 they didn't care what the temp was of the pool. Please make sure that you bring goggles and other inflatable toys for the kids to play with. By late morning the sun had time to warm the pool a bit and it wasn't all that bad after the first few minutes and you could spend time in there. The little local store appealed to the smaller children with lots of candy and snacks. So make sure that you have enough smaller bills so that they can shop in the store. The other thing that they have was bottled water. If you are able to bring your own drinking bottle with you, there was always a larger jug right beside the pool side bar to help fill your water jug if you are not wanting to drink as soon as the bar opens.

Our room when we entered had a faulty doorknob which was quickly replaced and the air conditioning did not work. The pillows were also dirty and I had to take them to the front desk to be replaced. The ceiling fan was too noisy to leave on and the best way to drown out the TV from the next room was to leave your a/c fan on at the coldest temp all night. Don't mind David Letterman at night as long as I want to watch him and not listen to him through a wall. After the first night, the a/c was fixed. There was always lots of hot water for showers, but bring a face cloth since none were provided. Towels were always there and never had to take those to the pool. The taps say the water is okay, but best to still brush your teeth with bottled water.

There was a lady there at the pool each day to braid the girls hair, so if you arrive on the first day, make sure you get in line or you will wait awhile. She does a great job and is very reasonable for a whole or half head. We had done a half head on our daughter before arriving and ended up getting the rest done while there.

All the activities for the kids were great. The kids club was great and staff there treated your kids like long lost relatives. The bingo played in the afternoon was great but the prizes need to be something other than a pen or a lighter!! The vendors that attend the functions at the main hall have lots to offer and things that I could not find at the market in Merida. The vendors are there on the last night so if you couldn't find anything to your liking in town, you can still pick a little something up. The gentleman that paints the tiles is very talented.

The beach volleyball that was organized was fun and everyone was included.

The beach for the shells was great fun for the kids and we proudly have our collection in our bathroom at home. With all the shells collected each day it was an easy way to get them in the shower and clean them up, by having them "wash their shells". Even saw a live crab on the beach that was quite quick and travelled sideways.

The food was fine, my husband only got sick once, but he will eat anything that looks weird. Breakfast was good and the option of eating at the poolside BBQ or in the restaurant was nice. The a la carte dinner was very nice and the steaks that we purchased off menu were very good. It was a shame that we had waited until the end of the trip to use it since we as the group feel we would have paid another $15 US/person and gone back again.

The day trip to Merida was fun......just not long enough. Please make sure that you check all the times since there was 11 of us and we missed the time for a non-guided trip by one hour and ended up having to pay a staff member to drive us in. Picked up some jewellery, t-shirts and even a leather back pack which was burned the name of the Merida on it. Really nice touch. If your young children have not seen beggars in the streets, it will be an education!

If you like beer, blender drinks or mixed drinks all the time.....you are in luck. If you like wine. Bring your own, or send someone out to the local liquor store and get you something. The wine was horrible. Also if you only like Rye, bring it with you, they do not offer it. They will pour you scotch instead!!

Part of group rented the convertible VW bug that was there and they went into Progesso. They had a good time driving around but had to purchase a map from the store at the resort since the rental company did not provide one or speak english too well.

The biggest turn off for us was the tip baskets that popped up on the morning that we were checking out like bad weeds!! This was an all inclusive resort and we were informed at our manager's meeting the first night that if we wanted to tip for good service, this was okay. It was expected! From the survey left on our bed by the maid on the last night, to the activity staff coming to our next door neighbours room the last night (after a few drinks) and collecting a tip to all the baskets in the restaurant for our final breakfast is what keeps this resort as a 3 star resort. We didn't fly out until 12:30 (lunchtime), but had to leave the resort at 7am to get to the airport which is only 1 hour away. We didn't get a clear answer why we had to be there 4 hours before our flight. Sunquest says it's the hotel, the hotel says that it's the airport, the airport says they don't get involved. No duty free shopping there to replace the Rye our friend purchased on the way down, had to wait until we got on the plane. Shops in the airport are okay, and the kids loved the Burger King after a week of Mexican food. Just not enough to do there for four hours, so make sure you have enough things to keep the kids busy prior to boarding the plane.

We will not come back to this resort and feel that our evaluation of the resort is fair. At night is beautiful and through a small child's eye's it is great. We will miss the watermelon juice in the morning and looked forward to that every breakfast.

This was our first family trip to Mexico and we were very disappointed, our children are teens(15-19).

First, I would like to point out that the service was very good. The rooms were clean and the grounds were very cosy and kept tidy. The only two positive things at this resort.

This resort is situated in the middle of nowhere, totally isolated from the world.

The beaches are filthy, full of dead fish, broken bottles and garbage. Not one person swam in the ocean during the week we were there because of the murky smelly water. The water in the swimming pool FREEZING cold, something like lake Ontario in December I guess it would be very suitable for a polar bear, I'll pass.

Absolutely no activities on the beach due to the fact that the wind was blowing constantly, non-stop, for 7 days of our stay.

The food was not too bad (we are not picky eaters) but often cold and very repetative.

The day trip to the sink holes or caves was amazing! Worth every penny. Trip to Merida Sat. night, was okay.

If you are looking for a TOTALLY relaxing vac. with bed time at 9:00p.m. this is the place for you. For the night shows last 45minutes and then the resort is deadly quiet.(the night shows are the only excitement of the entire day)

We are a middle ages couple with three teenagers and every two years we take a family vac. This was our first disappointing trip, we would never go back to this resort!!!!!!

Overall, common facilities (pool, lobby, grounds, bars, restaurants, etc) were fine, however there were a number of specific items we were not pleased about. This facility is quite literally, in the middle of no where. Transportation back and forth to sightseeing areas requires too much time. Couple that with other abandoned resorts on the roads in the area that are in a complete state of disrepair, we felt very isolated. The beach had seaweed and a smelly foam on it - no one used the beach even though the resort staff made a significant effort to keep it groomed. After three days of eating the resort food we found it became very repetitive and often at dinner, they would run out of the daily special. Myself and quite a few others experienced moderate abdominal cramps by mid-week too. We all suspected the food as we only drank bottled water. Our room was not kept very clean either, and the beds are hard. I would not recommend this resort.

What a bad idea, my fiance and i (ages 25 and 31) went to this resort after reviewing the reviews. Everybody said it was such a great place ,ya ok???? We cried as we walked to the beach in dissapointment, i wanted to ship out and go back to -40 degrees back home. To the left of the resort was a beach full of garbage and dead fish not to mention a corps of a dead alligator swarming with black flies as well as an abandonned hurricane strickened resort where my fiance, a friend and i ran for our lives from a wild dog chasing us yikes!!! To the right of the resort was a smelly fishing village, yes!! just what i always wanted. Windy? how about hold on to something (but not your patio chair because those are already blown into the pool), the only time we felt the heat from the sun is when the wind changed directions. Ok enough about the good stuff lets talk about the food , sad but true this was simply dissapointing, the ceramic throne was my new bestfriend, lol not funny. Bring your own coffee , if you have an addiction to tim hortons you will get on your knees and pray for instant coffee. So after a day of bordum we met some cool people at the resort and started enjoying our stay, rented a Jeep and went to town where we ate fish head soup at a local bar. Can you believe its legal to drink in the jeep and drive with no seat belts (crazy living). if your into the culture part of Mexico take the tour to chichenizta if thats how you spell it, pretty cool place , lots of barganing there. Back to the resort , the pool burnt my eyes, can you say to much chemicals, oh, did i mention you need a dry suit to swim in the pool brrrrr! freezing.

All in all, the trip was sort of a disappointment but, we did meet some great people and made the best of it.

We were spoiled with the resort in Cancun the year before so our expectations were high. Would not suggest spending your money here , find a place in cancun, Oasis Playa was our choice.

My family and I booked an all inclusive vacation to the Reef Yucatan in Merida. It was our first trip to Mexico. We arrived there with great expectations, but unfortunately we were greatly disappointed.

Although the hotel is very nice and everyone works very hard to keep it clean it is basically in the middle of nowhere, away from towns and other resorts. It is surrounded by spooky, abandoned hotels which made us feel very isolated. There is nothing within walking distance. Transportation back and forth to sightseeing requires too much time and cost a lot of money.

The beach is very dirty, and not very nice for walks. It is full of garbage, dead fish and seaweeds. The ocean is very murky and smelly. There is absolutely no entertainment available whatsoever, rather the odd afternoon bingo or ping pong. There is no watersports available, and due to the fact that the wind is always present, beach life in non existing.

The pool is nice but the water is freezing. I do not understand why they don't heat it up knowing that swim in the ocean is out of question. During our stay all quests were just sitting by the pool, wishing for the water to get warmer or the ocean to get cleaner.

The nightlife at the resort really suck. They have one show every night, which is quite entertaining but that is all. Then there is the disco, which is not really happening.

The food was ok but very repetative, and the other thing is, you have to get there before it is all gone.

The staff is very good and service is great. If you want something, they will get it, and they always have smile ready for you.

Overall, we've made the best of our vacation but I would not go back to this hotel or this part of Mexico.