By far the best unit at El Faro. Gorgeous view of the beach from the balcony and private plunge pool. Easy community pool access and beach access from the side patio. The community’s infinity pool is gorgeous! You can even get a massage poolside. Easy, close walk to many restaurants, bars, and shopping. Also convenient taxi service on the corner for any farther excursions you might want to take. Inside the condo, the amenities are comfortable, modern, and clean. We appreciated the water jugs provided for our use… and the beds were very comfortable. We slept great! The bathrooms could use some sprucing up… new grout and mildew/rust removal would make a huge difference. Also there were tiny ants on the kitchen counter, but we learned not to leave food uncovered and the ants stayed away. Truly could not have asked for a more relaxing, pleasant, beautiful stay.

You couldn’t get a better location! This condo is ON the sand. It’s spacious, convenient and absolutely beautiful. Management was great and so sweet and accommodating when my daughter and I were sick on travel day. They allowed us to check out at 2pm so that we could rest! Thank you for a great stay!

My family & I stayed in this condo for a week during our vacation. It offers beach front and pool views! Our favorite amenity was the private plunge pool overlooking the Carribean. Thanks for a wonderful & safe stay!

Located right by the pool on one side, and borders the beach on the other. Owner is very responsive, had a great time! I rented three units for this week. THis was the best of the three by far.

This property is the best of both worlds ... it's ON THE BEACH and walkable to town for dinner and nightlife. We will be back! :)

El Faro is the nicest place right on the beach in downtown Playa. Able to walk everywhere for shopping, coffee, restaurants, groceries. No car needed. Reef 101 is ground level end unit with view of ocean from every room except one bedroom. Beach area is kind of narrow in front of El Farro so will fill up with people especially on weekends. Many hotels are set back a block or two from beach and those people come to the small public beach area in front of El Farro. It provides lots of people watching opportunities but will get noisy at night with some groups partying late into the night right in front of unit. When doors and windows shut unit is pretty sound proof. Nice place for a week vacation. Some guests in other units are there for 1-4 months and will some will selfishly take the best pool chair spots everyday all day long. Weather was same 85 degrees with sun/cloud mix and no rain everyday. Air conditioning in unit was essential for sleeping at night. March 2022.

This was our 3 time staying at El Faro and the 1st in Unit 101. Breathtaking view or the beach and the ocean. We loved it and will stay here again.

Reason of our trip was for my son’s 21st bday , I’ve always stayed in beachfront hotels but this place was literally 2 steps from the sand, legit ocean view, my experience will forever change in the room I stay moving forward. The tranquility, seeing the sunrise and set was magnificent! Perfect choice

This property is in a prime location- right off 5th street with quick access to shops and other activities. The beach front access and view were amazing! My husband and I had a wonderful time!

We really enjoyed our stay. Having the pool and the beach right off the condo deck was amazing.

We had a great time at Reef 101! The location is perfect! Steps from the pool and the beach! Everyone working on property was friendly and helpful. Roger was responsive and efficient! Security guards were always present. We felt very safe and recommend this property! We will be back!!-Bonnie H

We stayed 1st week of June, 2021. This property is exactly as shown. The location, beach front walk out is fantastic. Everything was a short walk including the ferry to Cozumel. Amazing restaurants are a short walk away. The seaweed was bad but it is everywhere right now so we used the lovely pool daily. Security was amazing. Booked a snorkel trip right on the beach. There was a pop bar right beside unit that had great drinks.

One of the best accommodation options in downtown, with an amazing location convenient to all of the restaurants and shopping, while still being right on the beach. The infinity pool and deck create an unobstructed view, with limited solicitation. The beach is about half the size of what it is in the listing pictures, which is still plenty. The only two cons that we encountered were the noise late night beach goers and El Faro "residents", and the overwhelming amount of sea grass that they are currently having wash ashore. It is significant, and does affect the overall scenic quality. Otherwise, a great stay, with a great staff, in a super comfortable space. Would absolutely stay here again.

First off this is a really nice unit located right on the beach with 2 patio areas. The view is amazing every morning when the sun rises. You walk out the door and you are at the pool or the sandy beach it doesn't get any better than that. The unit is comfortable with nice bed mattresses and linens. Kitchen is well fitted for your stay and has a view right out to the beach and ocean. Access to groceries and restaurants are all within walking distance. Cabs right out by the front entrance to El Faro. You're just blocks from the famous 5th Avenue. The security personnel at El Faro are awesome and they make you feel safe day and night. But being right on the ocean in Playa del Carmen has its issues. It is a busy beach, day and night! Noisy especially weekend nights way into the next morning. I knew this going in, we have stayed at El Faro before. Reef 101's location trumped the noise for this trip as did the price for unit! The sour part of our stay is this unit seeps water in under the floor in the kitchen area during rain storms. I am not sure how others resolve it but laying out all our beach towels onto the kitchen and hallway floors worked. I had to stay up to wring them out in the sink every 30 minutes until it stopped coming in around 830 am. I had to wait until 900 am to notify the property manager who then showed up at 1015. A repair guy from the property management arrived around 200pm and took out the dishwasher but it was working okay. He told me it must of been water seeping in from the rain the day before. They even checked the unit above due to amount of water. It did it again the day we left. Why a only a 3 star? Property Management team had a few issues on communication with me even though Benjamin filled in for our guy on the flood day. Unfortunately I never saw anyone before or after that. Do not expect a warm fuzzy from owner. I only had one contact and that was for ID's needed prior to arrival at front desk. It could of been a computer generated communication. The flooding is another lost point. I shouldn't be wring out towels throughout the night trying to keep the place dry. You can't imagine the humidity in the condo for a couple of days after that. Final issue for this stay was the pool was half full for 11 of our 14 days due to a repair and dailey on site construction noise from jack hammers to grinders to skill saws. Maybe that is why we got a great price. I thought it was due to COVID ?

Beautiful property and perfect place in paya del carmen.

This is a great condo. Exactly as its portrayed in the photos. El Faro is a great location in Playa and this is the best condo in the complex. Its the "cat-bird seat". Balcony with the private splash pool was so awesome. We spent time watching the sun rise/set & the people watching was endless entertainment. The unit itself was perfect for 4 people. If you have the mater bedroom you can watch the sunrise from the comfort of your bed! We loved this place and would highly recommend it if you want to come to Playa and be in the middle of the hustle & bustle.

The unit is large and the floor efficient. The patio opened to paradise. Restaurants, shopping, a block away. The beach outside the door. Amazing!

Everything was super nice!

Pictures don’t do justice, you must come here condo is awesome, beach was closed due to Covid and 5th street was ALL closed, but I’m sure it will be all fixed by next year!! Overall it was great time

Nice property, great location. The clubs down the block can be loud at times. Otherwise nice place to stay!

What a great room and property! We enjoyed our stay at the El Faro. Our stay in Reef 101 was absolutely wonderful. A great condo with everything you need and the best part is the beach is right outside your door. Wonderful views and attentive staff. A great location for accessing everything you need such as groceries, beverages, restaurants, bars, and shops. We look forward to our next stay at El Faro.

Took my wife and two boy, both under 5 y/o, here and couldn't be happier. Susan at Play Luxury Rentals, the Mexico based property mgmt, and condo we're all perfect for us. We will probably rent this unit again. (El Faro seemed pretty great in general)

Beautiful views and perfect location. We traveled with 2 girls (ages 8 and 9) that had the greatest time playing in the pool and building sand castles at the beach. The only down side, which is outside the control of the property managers, was so much algae in the ocean that made it impossible to bathe or even walk on the beach.

Great room, great views, clean, well maintained, good security. No issues. Bob L

Beautiful panaramic view! A block from 5th Ave. so easy access to restaurants and/or bars. Grocery stores and Walmart within walking distance. Condo comes well equipped with kitchen items. You will use your bath towels a few times as they only replace mid week at no charge along with TP. Pool area always clean and the property's security available for any needs and to shoo away anyone not renting there. Lol, that doesn't work for the raccoons that visit on the lanai area at dusk! Somethings need repair or replacement such as table and chairs outdoor. Second bathroom has issues with door unable to close and fan not working. Living area rug is very dirty. Beds are a little hard for my taste. The public beach area is right in front so bewarey of late night/or early morning groups. Most entertaining. We enjoyed the property and the location! Would recommend highly if your ok with those few issues mentioned.

Location was great. Condo was nice. Loved being right by the water.

Didn’t need any service but front desk was very nice and helpful

Went here with our 9 month old and our mother in law and we really enjoyed the location. It is a block off of 5th Ave so you are right near all the shops and restaurants. The condo is roomy and is very clean, and the patio that wraps around the condo is amazing! The entire complex is very clean and the pool is very nice. The staff were very helpful as well. We would recommend this place.

We stayed in condo Reef 101 for a week this past July. We very much enjoyed our stay in the condo because of its location (in the center of town) and the unit's location on the beach. We woke up every day to the sounds and sights of the ocean. El Faro Residences is very well maintained, has a great pool (warm at times) and has a vigilant security staff who makes sure those who don't belong stay off the premises. El Faro is on a public beach so there is a lot of traffic of tourists, locals and peddlers wanting to sell you everything from food to tour packages. If you don't mind being a part of the beach scene then you're fine. If you want a quiet resort where no one bothers you, then El Faro may not be for you. The condo itself is very clean, has lots of towels and filtered water and has a well stocked kitchen. It was perfect for making basic meals. It definitely could use some more TLC since the furniture is a little outdated, worn and a bit abused. I would redo the living room set up to make it more cozy and inviting. There is a beach club to the right of the condo which does play music though never to the point where we were annoyed. My family and I really enjoyed our time in the condo and do recommend it for future renters. As for Playa del Carmen...it is not the place I remembered 16 years ago. It is now more like Cancun rather than a laid back hippie town. We tried our best to hit the more local and low key restaurants in town as 5th avenue is the equivalent of Times Square in NY. There are also some hipster hotels which were very cool to grab a drink and get some A/C. Marley coffee is the most notable for me. Take the first right out of El Faro - the avenue below 5th avenue - for a good local grocery store and fine local and upscale cuisine. We had a wonderful dinner at El Fuego restaurant in the Mahekal resort (20 minute walk from El Faro). The best excursions for us was Xplor Park which was AMAZING and Tulum. Though Tulum is not cheap, it is beautiful and does have the laid back vibe that Playa no longer has. That will be my next stop in Mexico. Thank you El Faro for giving us such a great vacation!

We had a wonderful time at El Faro, views of ocean out almost every window❤ Condo was in good condition. Pool was nice but needs to be redone which they plan on in October we heard. Felt very safe as security is always around and friendly. Just so you know there will be people on the beach in front of this unit it seems to be a hangout out of the sunshine in a cove area, but you don't see them unless you look over your patio. Comfortable patio furniture!

Second time there, and definitely will be more times! everybody is nice, every day massage by the pool, gorgeous view, new fridge, stove and microwave, close to all you can image for your vacation, I will recommend to all to rent this condo. Thanks to the manager Susan Mattingly

We have been visiting Playa Del Carmen for 15+ years. We have now found another great Property Manager, Susan Mattingly and another great place to stay, El Faro Reef #101. Susan was amazingly responsive answering e-mails within a very short period of time. She was accommodating, and her assistant, Yesica was amazing as well. We highly recommend dealing with Susan and Yesica.