RIU Yucatan - All Inclusive

Just got back, first time in riviera maya and playa del carmen. Hotel was in a great location in what almost seemed like a gated community and had security checkpoints at all exits out of the community. Food was decent for all inclusive though they could do a lot better w lunch and missing a real post lunch pre dinner snack bar. Staff was great and although didn't always have the answers always tried to help. Rooms were pretty decent but the safe was very old school (steel box a the sort of lock that comes w the key to open). Maids were great and any room request was fulfilled almost immediately. Nightly shows were a very pleasant surprise as the entertainers always dif a great job. Overall good experience.

Issues with electricity/air conditioner, overall rated 1.

Overall, we enjoyed our stay here. Service was good and the place is well maintained. This hotel is equivalent to a 2 star hotel in the United States. As a true 2 star hotel, it deserves an overall rating of 3 out of 5. The furniture and the bathrooms could use an upgrade and a remodeling. We enjoyed watching the monkeys on the trees around the hotel. Hotel layout is unattractive and somewhat similar to old Soviet style apartment blocks.

Riu Yucatan provides a good value to the vacationer. Location is excellent, so close to Playa Del Carmen but removed from the yahoos in town. Having said that, we did encounter loud/drunk individuals at the resort (singing and yelling at 3, 4 and 5am!) and the staff appeared indifferent to the noise. The food was o.k. with the Mexican restaurant being the best. Mixed crowd from Mexico/Europe provided great people watching opportunities. Beach is wonderful. Be careful at the buffet . . . food-crazed humans appeared to forget manners as they stampeded through the food lines running into others without regard or recognition. With these few criticisms aside, we had a wonderful week at the resort. Definitely a great value for your money! Next year, however, we will look for a more quiet and remote resort.

The location was amazing, the staff was great. Had such a wonderful holiday! The food was not good and the beds were really uncomfortable but those things didn't really matter because everything else was so good. I would definitely recommend this resort and I would absolutely go back! Felt very safe and welcome.

My wife and I have been going to Playa del Carmen every year now for about 10 years. We've stayed at a few different resorts but the last few times we've gone to Playa we always stay at the Riu Yucatan. It's in a perfect location and is always very clean. The biggest reason my wife and I always go back to the Riu Yucatan is because of the swim up bars. If you want to have a good time you need to stay at a place with swim up bars and the majority of hotels in Playacar do not have swim up bars. The food isn't bad; it's just the same stuff every day so make sure you sign up for the restaurants (there are three different restaurants), or go downtown for a couple of dinners. Staff is friendly and helpful. Try to get a room in buildings 4 or 5 which is a bit closer to the beach and swim up bars, but if na during the daytime then you want to stay in buildings 7 or 8 which are further away but quiet. It's a long walk to town from the Riu Yucatan but a cab ride is about $5-$7 depending on how many people you have in the cab. You can find cheaper deals at other all inclusives but you get what you pay for. For my wife and I, we love the swim up bars and will pay a little bit more to have more fun and you can never go wrong with the Riu Yucatan.

food was wonderful - staff were wonderful - only thing I would change would be the inability to be flexable. Not willing to change rooms even with prior request to check in - will not tolorate any horseplay - if with teenagers may want to find another place.

Nice beach, friendly staff, choice of trips, clean room, quick service, easy access to everything. Could use better menu, not all foods equally edible, some very good, some not so. Mosquitoes. Beware of mosquitoes! Wireless in the main reception area only, not in rooms. "10 minute walk to town" is more like 25 minutes, but safe area, makes a nice walk or a jog.

If you just want to relax on a perfect beach this is the place. The property is small so your room is close to the pool, dining, shows, and the beach. Everything you want without the fancy prices.

We only ate dinner at one restaurant at the resort once. It was their Steak House. They have a lot to learn about a steak house. They tried to make if look and feel like a five star restaurant. The steak was good but the rest of the meal was poor. The buffet for all meals was very good. Lot of variety and very good quality. We ate all our meals there. No wait staff at the pools or the beach. I know that sounds lazy but other resorts in Mexico provide that service. The Solaris for one. The alcohol quality was very poor. Mixed drinks were bad. Stick with the beer. The staff spoke almost no English at all. I was quite surprised. We have been in Mexico several times and most staff members spoke some English. I did not find the staff members unpleasant but they did not go out of their way to be real friendly. On the good side. The beach is huge and beautiful. Plenty of beach chairs and lots of beautiful blue water. Plenty of bars. Two swim up bars. Pools were nice and clean but got really hot in the afternoon. The one thing I did not like was the open air check-in/lounge. There was nowhere to go to have a drink and converse in an airconditioned environment. No lounge entertainment at all. There was a bad at nite by the pool. But again, no place to get really comfortable. My final assessment is that I would not go back to this resort. Lots of Europeans, mostly Germans and they are not a friendly lot. The English people were great. Very friendly. Don't know what bug crawled up the German's butt, but they are down right rude. The resort was OK but not great. Next time back to the Solaris.