Sunset Fishermen Spa & Resort

We booked our condo through the owner of one of the listings on Red Week it was a two bedroom penthouse unit with fantastic views and we did not have to purchase a meal plan. Everything was fabulous! The staff was fun, helpful, and not pushy. The beach was white and soft, the ocean the prettiest shade of turquoise. We also spent a lot of time in their pool and jacuzzi.

Definitely try the restaurants on 5th Avenue in the evening in the town of Playa del Carmen as that is the only negative with Fishermen's is that their food is only average.

I traveled with my parents, my husband and my 5 year old son in June of '08. My folks are partially handicapped, but this did not present a problem as there are only a couple of steps and they put us in 2 adjoining studio units on the bottom floor with a beautiful ocean view and beach access.

Best Things about the hotel—we liked the proximity to Playa del Carmen (PDC) as well as Akumal and Puerto Adventuras. The walk into PDC was quite lengthy, but we rented a mini-van and drove wherever we needed to get to. The hotel also provides one-way shuttle service into town. Not sure why they don’t provide service coming back???

The studio rooms we had were beautiful with tile and marble. There was daily maid service about 3 times a day. Always cleaning the room, bringing new towels, and providing turndown service. There was a small refrigerator, small cooktop, microwave and coffee pot as well as a beautiful ocean view. The room was as nice as any of the better hotels I have stayed in.

The pool area was beautiful. There were ample chairs. The pool and the grounds as well as the beach were always clean and well maintained. Probably the hardest working people in the resort are the grounds crew and the cleaning people.

The spa was wonderful. Both my husband and I had massages on numerous occasions and I had a facial. The service was great. Very nice facility. I would highly recommend the spa.

Worst Things about the hotel—Check-in was a nightmare. They hold you hostage without giving you your room key until you have had a chance to speak to an activity director. However, the woman was so busy we had waited for over an hour. We had asked several times for the key to our room and they said we needed to speak with Shakira. Finally we noticed our room keys on a table with our documentation and just took it.

Then since we had booked an extra vacation through RCI we had their meal plan. This was another negative. Had to wear a plastic wrist band the whole week to show which meal plan you were on (if any). The wrist band was only for breakfast. Then you get meal tickets for the other meals which can be used for lunch, dinner or at the snack bar. The staff was never sure what was included and what wasn’t. At the bar they kept trying to charge us (even coming to our room to sign for drinks) even though drinks were included in the price.

The buffet was just okay. Most things were over-cooked. But you could usually find something. The Italian restaurant was very good, but the selection was limited. After a while we were very bored with the food at the hotel. It was always the same thing day after day.

The service was not very good either. We were a party of 5 and they only had square tables and the staff did not want to bother to put 2 tables together, so we would end up at a table for 4 with an extra chair on the corner. The people who did not get the meal plan got the best service as I guess they felt they would get tipped better?

Some things that were just plain annoying—no glasses allowed by the pool area. It wouldn’t be bad if the cups provided were at least plastic, but they were Styrofoam. The water pressure from the shower head was so strong it actually hurt. Usually I would say good water pressure is a good thing, but in this case it was actually painful. The wristband and the meal tickets were just ridiculous. Staff couldn’t keep track if you gave them a meal ticket or not and then would ask for another one. There was no service at the pool as far as I could tell.

We had stayed last year at the Azul Hotel and Beach Club in Puerto Morelos. Everything there was superb, but it was 3 times the price of the Sunset Fishermen. You can view my review for that hotel.

Some things you might want to consider doing is going to the town of Akumal. You can rent snorkeling equipment for $10 and watch the sea turtles and other fish. Just as nice as Xel Ha without the big price tag. There is also a nice restaurant there where we had lunch. We also went to Puerto Aventuras which is a beautiful town with a Marina, shopping and that is where the Dolphin Discovery place is which is only 20 minutes from PDC.

All in all we had a nice time, and tried not to let the little things bother us. However, I would not recommend the meal plan. If you’re looking for a Gold Crown Resort with superb food and superb service, this is not it.

SO BEAUTIFUL FAMILY FAVORITE, THINGS TO DO FOR ALL AGES

The resort is truly lovely, and the service is amazing. Playacar is a pretty, quiet enclave with a large park and several small ruins scattered about; it is within easy walking distance of Playa del Carmen and all the shopping, dining, etc. one could want. Really special.

This is an awesome, quaint resort. The two years (11/03 & 11/04) we came here we were greated by Luis, the man does it all around there. And he remembered us! We love the guy! And his counterpart, Monica, was there in 2004 and we loved her also instantly.

We had "all inclusive" while there which also was great. The breakfasts were wonderful and every night dinner had a different world theme.

The town is just a 10 minute flat walk or a 5 minute flat bike ride. The ferry to Cozumel is right in town and easy to walk. The resort itself is on the beach surrounded by residential homes.

We were so worried for this resort & their employees last season while the hurricanes were beating up on Cancun. We do know they did close for many months & can't wait to go back to see how they all faired.

Highly recommend this resort.