RIU Lupita - All Inclusive

The hotel is very nice and the staff is very friendly. I was impressed by their food at the buffet and at the specialty restaurant. Bus transportation every 1/2 hour to Play or the beach was also a plus.

We've been to about 20 3+ star all-inclusives over the years, and this is one of the best. Good food, with few exceptions (there are always exceptions on a buffet). About 300 rooms, in one-, two-, and three-story units spread out on a nice secluded site. It's not on the beach, but a free bus runs every half hour from 7:30 am to 6:45 pm to another RIU waterfront property where all typical amenities are available. Free in-room minibar includes beers, sodas, and 4 liters of booze. They really do a great job with their resources!

The hotel is conveniently situated a short taxi ride from the famous 5th Avenue strip and beach. The food was very good and diverse. The bartenders made very good drinks and were friendly even when dealing with many guests at the same time. The entertainment was great for the kids and for adults as well. I do not recommend this hotel to adults who are looking to get drunk in a spring break type atmosphere. This hotel is family oriented and it was improper of some drunk young adults making extreme noise and damaging property. The beds were very stiff and hard to sleep in our opinion. However, the bunk beds for kids were great!

We were looking to stay in Play Del Carmen on the cheap and Riu Lupita was great! Friendly staff, great food, and clean rooms! The location is not directly on the beach on the beach, but is just a short five minute drive. They also have a shuttle available to take you to the beach club. The great thing about his hotel was that you still are able to use 3 other Riu hotels in the area! You can use their pools, beaches, and even buffets! It was great pool hopping and checking out the other resorts.The buffets were great with a large selection and something for everyone. They also had a pretty well stocked bar and a ton of fun cocktails. This place is an excellent hotel for the money, and if you're looking to stay on the cheap without sacrificing service, or quality I would definitely recommend this hotel!

When we booked the RIU Lupita, we were expecting a 3 star hotel, which is what we got. Even with those expectations, we were disappointed by a number of things: - Distance to the beach: we were aware that the Lupita was off of the beach, but it was more inconvenient than we anticipated. Having to lug everything to the beach, including towels, was a pain. Because the last shuttle runs at 645, we had to take a taxi back to the hotel at night. - Food: the food was mediocre at best. There is way too much fried food and minimal healthy options. When we travel to a foreign country, we want to experience the local cuisine, the Lupita was not a good place to do that. We did find some fantastic authentic restaurants in Playa, such as El Fogon. While the sit down restaurant at the Lupita is better than the buffet, it is a set menu that did not change while we were there and it takes about 2 hours to get through dinner. - Activities: Our main reason for choosing an all-inclusive for this trip was b/c were active travelers and liked the variety of activities that were included. What they fail to let you know is that you can use the non-motorized watersports for only an hour per day. In addition, if you want to use the catamarans or windsurfing equipment you have to pay for a lesson on how to use them. - Noise: our room was in a noisy location. - Beach Club: Although in the hotel's description it says the beach club has towels, they do not. You have to lug them from the hotel. You also cannot get towels from the other RIU's. The food choice at the Club was sparse. The first day we arrived there was no food available by 3. They turn the drink machines off early as well. - Use of Other RIU's: We spent most of our time during the day at the RIU Playacar, which was nice. But when you arrive at the Lupita they give you a sheet telling you that you can use the other RIU's, but you cannot eat there. I had read many reviews that said you were able to eat there, but it specifically said, other than snacks, that you could not. - Customer Satisfaction: While the bar and wait staff at the Lupita were great, the management was lacking in customer service. On the few nights when 2 members of management were present at the Lupita, they spent more time standing around socializing w/ one another and other staff, than speaking w/ guests and making sure they were content. We were unhappy our first day there b/c after traveling all day, we went straight to the beach w/ the expectation that we could get food and towels at the Beach Club, and neither were available. When we returned to the Lupita we complained at the front desk and were told that the 'director' would come and speak w/ us at dinner. He did not show. We had one particularly negative encounter w/ the 'director' of the Lupita, regarding an issue that could have been easily resolved. A group of us were playing pool volleyball around 7pm, when someone came and took down the net. Everyone was disappointed so I went to find someone to talk to about getting the net put back up. A member of the entertainment staff took me to the director, who chose to speak through him, rather than directly to me, although he spoke English. His reasoning was that he was the director and made the decisions, and that they took it down b/c dinner was starting. In my opinion, a hotel is in the business of customer service, their job is to make guests happy, so they return. This was a simple matter that could have been easily resolved, but the 'director' clearly doesn't understand that his job is dependent on customer satisfaction. We enjoyed our trip Mexico, but were disappointed by these various things at the Lupita. We would not return to the Lupita.

Great Value!! Me and my husband stayed at the riu lupita 7/29-8/04 and let me just say we had an excellent time!! we are 21 and 23 years old but there were kids, families, and singles, great for anyone! Our second trip to mexico and both times exceptional. First time was at the catalonia riviera maya and we really didnt think this hotel was going to compare but it was just as great! This hotel is not on a beach but only 10 minutes away and the free shuttle comes every 30 minutes. We enjoyed the shuttle ride every single time! One of the other hotels they give you access to the yucatan was great as well! we spent alot of time there and on the beach. food was good! i dont know if we just had a bad ac unit but the room was really hot, we had to move our bed completely infront of the ac to even feel the air, but i slept fine after i did that =] if your into adventure and want to get sweaty and work a little, the coba extreme excursion is alot of fun!! they take you to a real mayan village, take you through the jungle where we saw lots of spider monkeys, you repel into a cenote, kayaked, bike ride (bring 30 pesos), you do a 700 foot zipline, and climb a huge mayan ruin (like 200 feet up)! the most workout ive had in awhile but it was amazing! our friends booked coba through the hotel and spent 120$ each, and me and my husband went to 5th avenue and spent 130$ for both of us! so if u plan on doin ANY excursions get them through 5th ave. much cheaper! anyways our stay was amazing we would definately visit again!

The hotel was a 35 minute walk to the beach or you could take a hot shuttle. There is only two places two eats and the food is terrible! It was hard and tasted like leftovers! The rooms were dirty and did not have locks!! The beds were very hard too! There were stray cats all over the hotel. Stayed one night before we paid the extra $400 to upgrade to a MUCH nicer Riu!

I had a really nice experience at the Rui Lupita! I felt that I received a really good deal for this all inclusive resort. The hotel grounds were nicely manicured and the staff were all so helpful and gracious (top notch service), plus the never ending buffet of food was always very good as well. The hotel is also located very conveniently to the 5th avenue and beautiful beaches – just a 5 minute shuttle ride! It was also very easy to sign up for side trips. I did a snorkel outing, and two different trips to see the Mayan ruins. I would stay here again.

Hotel was very nice, staff very friendly and ready to help with anything you needed. Beach was a small distance away, just a pain to take a bus. Nice to be able to visit other sister properties. Overall a nice experience.

Our stay was great. The location was perfect a little slice of the jungle and about a 5 minute complimentary shuttle to the beach. I had heard mixed reviews about this hotel, but we took the chance. WOW- Talk about customer service. It has a largely European clientele, but don't worry all entertainment was available in Spanish, French, and English. Most servers offered the same options for language. What a great experience!