Name: Riu Playacar
Address: Av Xaman-Ha, Lt.1, Lt.1, PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Condominio Playacar
Telephone: +529848772300
Price range: from £0pp (7 nights includes flights and transfers)

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Beach

The location and amenities were perfect! The staff were so kind! They made our anniversary dinner extra special! We just asked for a reservation and instead we walked to a decorated dinner table-with a beautiful cake 😍!  

Amazing place for quick getaway!

It was our 25th wedding anniversary, when we got to our room they had decorated our bed  with rose petals and beautiful love swans, chocolate covered strawberries and a bottle of sparkling wine. There was a lot to keep your entertained from aqua fit with Iur amazing instructor JESUS, the was a coconut party, live shows by the beach and in the evening, pool foam party, ballon fight and much more. The food was amazing and also were the drinks. They would come around the pool with ice cream and mangos. We will definitely will be coming back!!!!!

We had a blast !!!!

Overall, a pleasant and enjoyable stay at the Riu Playacar and I would recommend this hotel to my family and friends. My boyfriend and I stayed here for 2 weeks in May. Having stayed at several Riu hotels in the Canary Islands, I picked the Riu hotel as they are a reliable hotel chain. the Riu Playacar did not disappoint. In fact, this hotel was better than previous Riu hotels I have stayed at in Europe. 
Below is an honest review, highlighting what we enjoyed during our stay and what could do with being improved. 

Food 
Breakfast was definitely the best meal of the day: they had every choice you would want for breakfast. Full English (sausages, beans, hash browns, bacon etc); fresh pancakes; omelettes; fresh fruit; pastries; and lots of types of soft drinks. This was one of the best places I have stayed at for breakfast. 
Lunch and dinner offered a nice variety of food, and we always had a nice meal. The food was hot, and regularly restocked. 
To improve in the buffet restaurant, it would be good to not have dishes stacked behind eachother: this made some dishes difficult to reach and meant that you had to lean over the food to reach the option behind. This also often resulted in the tongs being very hot as they were under the heat lamps. 
The Al a carte and themed restaurants were nice to have for a change of scenery, although we found the main buffet to be better at times. Other hotels in Mexico probably offer a lot better Al a Carte options but we still enjoyed the food. We really enjoyed the Asian themed buffet restaurant. 

Drinks 
The hotel has lots of choices of cocktails - you name it, they can make it. Nice to have the option of fresh fruit smoothies too, and the iced coffees were delicious. An added bonus for us was the pina coladas severed in coconuts at the beach - a real Caribbean experience. 
However, a big let down for us was that the soft drinks (e.g. Pepsi, Fanta, sprite) were always flat. Some were also not branded and tasted like cheap alternatives, e.g. the Fanta was not Fanta but just tastes like Orange juice. When at a 5 star resort, you want good quality soft drinks, and this has always been the case when staying at other Riu hotels in Eurpoe so we were disappointed with this. However, they do provide bottles of pop in your mini fridge which were fizzy so this provided a good alternative. Overall, the drinks choices were very good. 

Cleanliness 
Overall, the hotel was clean. The staff work very hard to keep on top of this. Public areas were always well maintained. 

Bedsheets and towels 
This was the biggest let down of the holiday, and something that could potentially deter me from staying at the Riu Playacar again. Our bedsheets got changed several times throughout our two week holiday. However, every set we had had marks on them. Whether this be lipstick stains or just general dirt / discolouration, we found obvious marks on each. On our first day, as soon as we got to the room, we asked for our sheets to be changed due to there being several marks on the sheets. They did this straight away, but this was an issue throughout the holiday. I had to trust that the sheets were clean and just stained, but this was disappointing. The same goes with the bath towels, and pool towels. 

Entertainment
The entertainment at this hotel was brilliant! The effort the staff go to to ensure people have a good time is commendable. Whether they are offering a circus show on the beach, with acrobatics and performances, to a pool party or live show on an evening, the Riu Playacar really go above and beyond. We enjoyed all of the entertainment and thought this was appropriate for all ages. A real selling point for this hotel. Well done to the staff!

Location 
The location of this hotel is great, and definitely better than other alternatives in Mexico. The hotel is located on a beautiful beach with clear water and white sand - beautiful! It is also walking distance from Playa Del Carmen, which is nice for a change of scenery and to experience the more traditional Mexican experience. We are out in Playa Del Carmen once but actually preferred the food in the hotel! However, it is important for me when on holiday to be able to explore and leave the hotel so this was great for us.

Excursions
The excursions, whether via Tui or an external provider, were good but very expensive. We did 4 trips: Coco Bongos; Chichen Itza; Isle of Mujures; and Xplor and they were all over £100pp. Be prepared to spend a lot of money if you want to explore Mexico! 

Overall a great stay. Thank you Tui and the Riu Playacar.

An enjoyable 2 week stay at the Riu Playacar.

Having stayed here before renovations I have to say I preferred before it was more authentic .Staff and food amazing especially Froy in lobby bar I think hotel could benefit from having an air conditioned bar with comfortable seating as the heat and humidity were relentless 

Lovely

Very good week of vacation. Only thing: need more variety in the buffet along the week, but the quality and flavor was great

Happy vacation

The Riu Playacar All Inclusive is a great hotel located just in front of the renowned Playa del Carmen beach, worldwide famous for its crystal clear waters and soft fine sands. A diverse selection of shopping areas featuring shops, cafés, bars and restaurants are to be found in the vicinity. This family friendly beach resort hotel offers a variety of services and activities and provides a warm and professional service.

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