REEF COCO BEACH

DIGGER · 12-03-2003

We are a group of four couples booked at the RCB in late FEB. After reading all the new reviews we are looking for positive reasons not to bail out on this resort. We have been to PDC on four other trips and had a great time. We are taking three new couples to this area and don't want to disapoint them.Would appreciate any input you could offer.

**Shammy** · 12-03-2003

Well, I personally can't give you reasons not to bail out on the RCB since I might be thinking about doing the same thing if I were in your shoes...
BUT....
Depending on what company you booked with, if you took the insurance and haven't made final payment yet, you can switch your hotel with no penalties at all. Check with your travel agent and ask if this applies to you.

SunBound · 12-04-2003

Digger

We just got back from RCB. We had a good time. Yes they are a new resort and need to work on things. But I didn't think it was bad.

Our rooms were good, clean. One day our airconditioning had a problem and before we got back to our room it was fixed.

Some of their front desk people I think don't understand some english, but everything we needed was taken care of.

The food was good. The buffet restaurant had different choices on the tables as far as vegetables, rice, meat, Salad, Fresh fruits. Also there was always something being cooked at the back of the restaurant. For Breakfast they made to order omelets, egges cooked as you wanted. At dinner different things such as steak, chicken, pork chops, ribs, for the American Thanksgiving they had Turkey. There is pasta. and lots of dessert choices. There are two specialty restaurants, the Italian one is your best bet, but it is sometimes difficult to get reservations. (You had to be there at 7:00 in the morning in order to reserve for that night), the latin restaurant, the food was ok but the service was bad.

Someone had compained about the size of the ropped off swimming area, but the reason it is smaller is that the reef is so close. You can go outside of the swim area. The boats that are tendered just out from the resort are all the charter boats the marina uses for excursions.

Play del carmen is within walking distance or it is a $3.00 cab ride into town.

The road into the resort is really ruff right now, but that is because they are still building a condo complex right down from RCB. They have everything sitting there waiting to do the road as soon as they can.

I don't know about others, but our group had a good time. I think if you go into someplace looking for everything to be wrong, you will automaticly be bothered by every little thing.

I don't know if that helps at all. But what ever you decide enjoy your vacation.

Sunbound

DenverJoe · 12-04-2003

Sunbound, good attitude. I feel the same way. Some people just aren't happy no matter what.
I had a great time and would go back again.

charlie\'s angels · 12-05-2003

Ditto to DenverJoe and Sunbound. You make the best of your vacation.
Couple of cervasas, chilling by the beach, soaking the rays - what more can you ask for.

We had an awesome time...

J&E · 12-07-2003

YES, we all have to and did make the best of our holidays.....good or bad.....but those of us that did not have great experiences should NOT be classed as people who like to complain about everything LITTLE THING.......this is what these message boards are for......for people to be INFORMED about EVERYTHING ......FACTS ARE FACTS........ people then can make an informed decision before going to a resort....

andy766 · 12-07-2003

The place is new and your getting a special rate. The staff is probably overwhelmed by all the demands of the clientel. I've had bad vacations. They can't all be good. You can't blame anyone about the weather or a growing pains of a new resort.

J&E · 12-07-2003

then I guess we've learned a valuable LIFE lesson.....DON'T GO TO A NEW RESORT ......no matter how great the deal$$$$$$.......especially for a very SPECIAL occasion......lesson well learned.....hopefully others out there will remember this when making your travel plans....p.s. we never complained about the weather.....

DIGGER · 12-07-2003

Hi We did not get a special rate, only a group discount for booking early.We just thought a brand new 5* resort might be different and exciting.My wife and I are prity open minded but are conserned for our friends who have not been away or to this area befor.Like I said befor we have been to PLAYA DEL CARMON many times and love the area.We just don't want to disapoint anyone.Hopefully soon we will see a lot of positive reviews as the resort gets more established.

Antonia · 12-07-2003

I agree with J&E 100%. I've been to Playa del Carmen twice before and have never encountered what I encountered at the RCB. I have nothing but excellent and positive things to say about the Iberostar Tucan and Barcelo Maya. That side of Playa del Carmen is like a paradise. Food, service, grounds, room, etc. were all top notch. It is unfortunate for us, but our experience at RCB was not pleasant. This is NOT A 5 STAR HOTEL and should not be advertised as such. There was absolutely nothing 5 star about this place. And yes, we tried to make the best of our holiday. It appears that some people had better experiences than others and for those of us whose experiences were not all that great shouldn't be classified as complainers or people that are never satisfied. Some of us had real legitimate reasons for not being happy with RCB. I would never ever return to the RCB and if asked, I wouldn't recommend it. This hotel should be downgraded to a 3+ star for the time being. Maybe all the RCB needs is some time to improve certain aspects of the hotel.

andy766 · 12-08-2003

J&E, What I meant about the weather was a generalization. I know you never complained about the weather. It's sad to hear when someone works so hard for a vacation and it turns out the way it did. I've walked by RCB resort many times and no way is it a 5 star. Does not come close to looking like a 5 star resort. The Gala, Royal Hideaway and RIU Palace are 5 star resorts close to Playa. From the entrance of these resorts to the grounds they look 5 star. RCB looks very basic. Most times that's all people can afford for a clean room, nice beach pool and decent food.

12-03-2003	#1 (permalink)
DIGGER lost on fifth Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Courtice Ontario Posts: 15	REEF COCO BEACH We are a group of four couples booked at the RCB in late FEB. After reading all the new reviews we are looking for positive reasons not to bail out on this resort. We have been to PDC on four other trips and had a great time. We are taking three new couples to this area and don't want to disapoint them.Would appreciate any input you could offer.

12-05-2003	#5 (permalink)
charlie\'s angels sandflea Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 8	Ditto to DenverJoe and Sunbound. You make the best of your vacation. Couple of cervasas, chilling by the beach, soaking the rays - what more can you ask for. We had an awesome time...
$charlie\'s angels is offline$

12-07-2003	#6 (permalink)
J&E lost on fifth Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Guelph,Ontario CANADA Posts: 12	FACTS ARE FACTS YES, we all have to and did make the best of our holidays.....good or bad.....but those of us that did not have great experiences should NOT be classed as people who like to complain about everything LITTLE THING.......this is what these message boards are for......for people to be INFORMED about EVERYTHING ......FACTS ARE FACTS........ people then can make an informed decision before going to a resort....

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12-03-2003	#2 (permalink)
Shammy Travel Insurance Tester Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: The Joisey Shore Posts: 12,302	Well, I personally can't give you reasons not to bail out on the RCB since I might be thinking about doing the same thing if I were in your shoes... BUT.... Depending on what company you booked with, if you took the insurance and haven't made final payment yet, you can switch your hotel with no penalties at all. Check with your travel agent and ask if this applies to you.

12-04-2003	#3 (permalink)
SunBound lost on fifth Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: London, Ontario, Canada Posts: 10	Digger We just got back from RCB. We had a good time. Yes they are a new resort and need to work on things. But I didn't think it was bad. Our rooms were good, clean. One day our airconditioning had a problem and before we got back to our room it was fixed. Some of their front desk people I think don't understand some english, but everything we needed was taken care of. The food was good. The buffet restaurant had different choices on the tables as far as vegetables, rice, meat, Salad, Fresh fruits. Also there was always something being cooked at the back of the restaurant. For Breakfast they made to order omelets, egges cooked as you wanted. At dinner different things such as steak, chicken, pork chops, ribs, for the American Thanksgiving they had Turkey. There is pasta. and lots of dessert choices. There are two specialty restaurants, the Italian one is your best bet, but it is sometimes difficult to get reservations. (You had to be there at 7:00 in the morning in order to reserve for that night), the latin restaurant, the food was ok but the service was bad. Someone had compained about the size of the ropped off swimming area, but the reason it is smaller is that the reef is so close. You can go outside of the swim area. The boats that are tendered just out from the resort are all the charter boats the marina uses for excursions. Play del carmen is within walking distance or it is a $3.00 cab ride into town. The road into the resort is really ruff right now, but that is because they are still building a condo complex right down from RCB. They have everything sitting there waiting to do the road as soon as they can. I don't know about others, but our group had a good time. I think if you go into someplace looking for everything to be wrong, you will automaticly be bothered by every little thing. I don't know if that helps at all. But what ever you decide enjoy your vacation. Sunbound

12-04-2003	#4 (permalink)
DenverJoe very sparkly Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: The name says it. Posts: 27	Sunbound, good attitude. I feel the same way. Some people just aren't happy no matter what. I had a great time and would go back again.

12-07-2003	#7 (permalink)
andy766 beachaholic Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Vermont Posts: 342	The place is new and your getting a special rate. The staff is probably overwhelmed by all the demands of the clientel. I've had bad vacations. They can't all be good. You can't blame anyone about the weather or a growing pains of a new resort.

12-07-2003	#8 (permalink)
J&E lost on fifth Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Guelph,Ontario CANADA Posts: 12	then I guess we've learned a valuable LIFE lesson.....DON'T GO TO A NEW RESORT ......no matter how great the deal$$$$$$.......especially for a very SPECIAL occasion......lesson well learned.....hopefully others out there will remember this when making your travel plans....p.s. we never complained about the weather.....

12-07-2003	#9 (permalink)
DIGGER lost on fifth Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Courtice Ontario Posts: 15	Hi We did not get a special rate, only a group discount for booking early.We just thought a brand new 5* resort might be different and exciting.My wife and I are prity open minded but are conserned for our friends who have not been away or to this area befor.Like I said befor we have been to PLAYA DEL CARMON many times and love the area.We just don't want to disapoint anyone.Hopefully soon we will see a lot of positive reviews as the resort gets more established.

12-07-2003	#10 (permalink)
Antonia sandflea Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 7	I agree with J&E 100%. I've been to Playa del Carmen twice before and have never encountered what I encountered at the RCB. I have nothing but excellent and positive things to say about the Iberostar Tucan and Barcelo Maya. That side of Playa del Carmen is like a paradise. Food, service, grounds, room, etc. were all top notch. It is unfortunate for us, but our experience at RCB was not pleasant. This is NOT A 5 STAR HOTEL and should not be advertised as such. There was absolutely nothing 5 star about this place. And yes, we tried to make the best of our holiday. It appears that some people had better experiences than others and for those of us whose experiences were not all that great shouldn't be classified as complainers or people that are never satisfied. Some of us had real legitimate reasons for not being happy with RCB. I would never ever return to the RCB and if asked, I wouldn't recommend it. This hotel should be downgraded to a 3+ star for the time being. Maybe all the RCB needs is some time to improve certain aspects of the hotel.

12-08-2003	#11 (permalink)
andy766 beachaholic Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Vermont Posts: 342	J&E, What I meant about the weather was a generalization. I know you never complained about the weather. It's sad to hear when someone works so hard for a vacation and it turns out the way it did. I've walked by RCB resort many times and no way is it a 5 star. Does not come close to looking like a 5 star resort. The Gala, Royal Hideaway and RIU Palace are 5 star resorts close to Playa. From the entrance of these resorts to the grounds they look 5 star. RCB looks very basic. Most times that's all people can afford for a clean room, nice beach pool and decent food.