Azul Fives is a family-friendly beach resort located about ten minutes north of central Playa del Carmen.  Photos first and then our thoughts/reviews below.  Back to Mexican Resorts.

Size:  Azul Fives offers 360 contemporary suites, 4 gourmet restaurants, and a Vassa Spa and Fitness Center.

Star Level:  In terms of service and overall property, we would rate Azul Fives a solid 4.5 star.  It is a beautiful resort.  This rating, however, is based on two separate site inspections of about two hours each.  We have not yet stayed throughout the day, nor have we stayed overnight, so please keep that in mind as you read our review.

Category:  This resort is very lively and fun.  There are a lot of activities and fun things to do, whether on land or in the water.  The resort does especially well with little children and teens, however, there is a little gap in between for children ages 8 – 12.  This age group is lumped in with with the younger children, so unless your child enjoys playing with little children, he or she may find themselves a bit bored at their Kid’s club.

Beach:  The beach at Azul Fives is very pretty.  There are soft sandy areas to swim in, but there are also rockier sections.  It is best to swim with water shoes on to protect your feet.

The one downside about this property is that many of the accommodations seem to be located a bit too far from the beach.  All of the rooms/suites were built in one area surrounding the meandering pools, but a distance from the beach itself.  Here is a Map of Azul Fives that may give you a good perspective of how the resort is laid out.

You can walk either way down the beach if you like to stroll on the beach.  The Viceroy Resort sits on one side of Azul Fives and Sandos Caracol sits on the other side.

Rooms:  This resort offers beautiful 1, 2, and 3 bedroom suites, some with private penthouse rooftop terraces and jacuzzi tubs.  The rooms are all very spacious, well decorated, and comfortable.  They offer 24 hour room service, a huge plus especially when you have children with you.  They also offer many baby amenities, so you don’t have to pack too much.  For example, they have cribs, playpens, bottle warmers, baby food, strollers, toys, and so much more.  The only downside about the accommodations is the distance to the beach, but as long as you are aware of that and don’t mind, this is an excellent family resort.

Activities:  Azul Fives has a daily activities program, nightly entertainment, a gym, tennis court, basic Spanish lessons, table games, chess, ping pong, snorkeling, scuba diving clinics, three swimming pools, and one pool for children, and an all-service spa.  The resort was very active when we visited, and there were many people down by the main pool and beach area, enjoying the views and fun.

Nightlife:  This property does have nighttime activities and entertainment, but we were only here during the day, so we are unable to speak to this.

Dining:  I have to say that the dining at the Karisma Resorts has been some of the best we’ve had.  Their presentation, quality, and taste of food excels, and we really appreciate the efforts they’ve taken to make dining a gourmet experience.  We also wanted to mention that the Karisma Resorts have their own Greenhouse, located at El Dorado Royale, where they grow many of their own ingredients.  This contributes to their culinary success and we do not hesitate to recommend their dining.

Overall:  Overall, we believe Azul Fives is a lovely resort.  It is clean, contemporary, and offers a great culinary experience.  The rooms are outstanding, well decorated and spacious, and they have put a lot of thought into the amenities they offer.  The only downside to this resort, at least for us, is the distance from lodging to the beach and main pool areas.  Otherwise, we really enjoyed this resort and would highly recommend it for families.