RIU Palace Riviera Maya All Inclusive

Great location right on the beach. Staff is friendly, pool is great and grounds are beautifully maintained. Food quality is average. Limited room service menu.

We just returned from a 1 week getaway to this resort. The grounds are absolutely beautiful. The beach was magnificent. The rooms were average, though kept very clean by housekeeping personnel. The only annoying thing was that we had to make restaurant reservations in person, every day or else we would have to eat at the buffet- this kind of took the fun and spontaneity out of the evening b/c there were only 2 seating times available for each restaurant 6:30 and 8:30. We brought our baby with us, he's too young for kid's club activities and it didn't really look like there was much at the resort that was geared toward young children.

We stayed Aug 18-25, 2012. First off (which we didn't know), hotel is located within a large gated area of resorts and private residences, so it is extremely safe - go with confidence. Hotel was quite full, but never felt crowded. There were no waits, no lines. Staff was very friendly and catered to our every need, we never heard 'no' throughout our stay, but on the last day (Friday) they made it look like they were doing us favors any time we asked for something. We got a feeling that hotel instructs their staff to cut down on things the day before the crowd changes (assuming most people travel weekend to weekend). Hotel grounds were impeccably maintained. Layout of the hotel is excellent - pool is neither right in front of the hotel, nor right on the beach. They have palm trees planted on the beach instead of umbrellas, which makes it so much more enjoyable. Pools are excellent, and there's a swim-up bar, but as the week progressed pools became less and less clean. Beach is quite nice with many shallow spots and clear water, but the sand is not as clean as you'd expect coming from the US (cigarettes, for one, everywhere). Salespeople on the beach didn't bother us that much at all. There are all kinds of water activities within couple of hundred yards. Hotel rooms were the only letdown. They're just ok, we expected something better. Rooms on the ground (basement) floor were extremely musty, we changed our room to 2nd floor which was much better. In-room bar and refrigerator were stacked every day, no problems there. We didn't try any specialty restaurants because we had two small kids, but their buffet-type restaurants were adequate with plenty of variety. Drinks were definitely watered-down, just like anywhere else, but that's what you get in an all-inclusive package. They had some fun daily activities by the pool or on the beach. Nightly entertainment in the open square was quite good, but their in-house theater 'production' was a joke, middle-school grade stuff at best. In conclusion, besides the rooms there's really nothing horribly bad about the hotel. But one thing that's noticeable coming from the US is that, as friendly and courteous as staff tries to be, you somehow feel that it's not genuine, which brings down the classiness of the hotel. I would put it somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars.

Overall we had a good time at this resort. The beach was beautiful and it wasn't too crowded for the time of the year. However, we had mixed feelings about certain things. It was nice that drinks were readily available but we sometimes felt pressured to always be drinking alcoholic beverages. The staff were wonderful and polite but were uninformed about some things in the area. For example, they did not have schedules of the two churches in Playa del Carmen and were unable to provide them for me. When they did provide me with a schedule, it was wrong. I would have thought that to be very important especially for the people who want to attend services. The food was ok with some plates being exceptional and others being much to be desired. The room was clean and very comfortable. In the end, we enjoyed our stay although compared to other trips we've taken to the PdC, this was not the best.

There's nothing bad to say about this place, it is superbe!! The food is very good. I've been to buffet style all inclusive resorts before and the food typically is pretty bla. but NOT HERE.. Every meal is well prepared and better than I would have expected. The activities are abundant and throughout the day, so nobody gets bored. The pool is well maintained, and the beach is just a few steps away. Nighttime shows are fun, and easy to attend for adults and children. I highly recommend this place. The only negative, which isn't on the motel is on the Taxi service to/from the motel. It's unfortunate that Cancun doesn't' do something about it, because the very first impression of the place is that we were getting ripped off with the taxi ride. There's obviously a problem there.

Great overall hotel- loved the food - the restaurants were good- delish food- the buffet was good too- people complain about the food getting boring- but it was good and very large selection- breakfast buffet was the the personal best . Will go back in a heart beat the beach is beautiful and service is great- loved the hotel

This is a nice property. It's not super huge, which was nice with the kids. No really long walks to meals or beach. The included meal buffet was very solid with a variety of choices. The restaurants were good too. But, it was a hassle to make a reservation. Location is nice for two reasons: 1) not too far from the airport 2) easy access to the town of Playa del Carmen

The hotel and staff were very good...but the beds were hard as rock...they need some updating thankfully did not bath their only showered ....entertainment staff was excellent ... Needs to have dancing or something in evening for younger crowd ....overall 4 stars beach was beautiful ....very difficult to get change

Loved the location, could walk 15 minutes to Playa. The staff was terrific...from the waiters and bartenders to the "entertainment staff" everyone was friendly and eager to please. The restaurants were delightful with several (the Japanese, Fusion and Mexican) that exceeded our expectations. The shows every night were very entertaining.

Truly a wonderful experience for our family (daughter 19 and son 15) from the moment we entered until we left. Facilities, Food, and most importantly THE PEOPLE at RIU Riviera Palace were absolutely fantastic. Never once had any cuisine issues and every person we met was warm and welcoming. Rooms were sparkling clean daily and mini suite aspect was perfect amount of space. We are planning another trip and including about 10 additional family members next time. Enjoy your trip!