- Mexico Holidays
- Playa del Carmen
- Riu Yucatan
Charming colonial-style architecture meets one of the most beautiful beaches of the world – the Riu Yucatan close to the famous holiday resort of Playa del Carmen on the Mayan Riviera is a fantastic Caribbean oasis. It is surrounded by tropical gardens and a wonderful pool landscape and enjoys a white sandy beach, crystal-clear water and limitless excellent services.
Just back from a 10 night stay and an honest review. Our room in block 3 faced directly on to building works at an adjacent resort, no chance during the day to have a relaxing time on the spacious balcony. We could have asked to move but we didn’t as the room was a decent distance from the evening entertainment, which we could still hear, got to love karaoke! The facilities in room were adequate. The staff were brilliant, especially the entertainment team and lady at coffee station at the Cancun bar. Food - hit or miss. Would definitely recommend steak at the Italian, much better than the steakhouse. The steakhouse service seemed off, either too quick or too slow, presume it came down to how many people were waiting. Pepe’s was also great option at lunchtime and for afternoon snacks. The hotel itself is right on the beach which was lovely but we all had insect bites after spending time there so ended up at the pool most days. If you are looking for lively entertainment, fun atmosphere and not too bothered about gourmet meals you’ll love this. If you are looking for a quieter, relaxing stay, maybe look elsewhere. Final point, there is also lots of wildlife but please don’t feed them, other half had his lunch stolen from his hands and he was not alone. They are very cute though.
Okay so first of all evening entertainment was the worst I have ever seen in my life queen tribute was dreadful didn’t look like queen didn’t even dress like queen it was 5 people just singing together no drums, guitars nothing not even dressed like queen. Then the Michael Jackson wow that was bad don’t sing a note was all lip synced for a 5 star hotel you expect better need to rethink there entertainment. Right onto hotel facilities they were good all around really nice location plenty of bars and food places. Onto room it was clean and nice but extremely outdated shower pipe kept coming loose from the shower head which caused it to leak all the time was really annoying nice to have mini fridge filled up all the time and it was kept clean well but the staff. But this not a 5star room or hotel. Food was not that good at all plenty of choice but most of the buffet food was cold or stale like it’s left too long, for the restaurants steakhouse was okay steak was always too fatty and when asked for medium it comes well done even if you asked for rare it came well done, Chinese was awful they should just crap it nothing Chinese about it and all hot plate food that was horrible and cold, Italian would be so much better if they added cooked to order starter and desserts not just the mains, and for the Mexican it was okay. The hotel and room were kept clean and tidy so over that was good. Okay first thing for me was the lifeguard presence or should I say lack of it I was there 2 weeks and in the pool every day I didn’t see a single lifeguard watching the pool at all until there was a storm then they came out of nowhere to empty the pool this is really not good as there was a lot of kids in the pool and anything could happen at any time and there wasn’t one in sight they really need to address this issue. Bar staff was good and if it wasn’t for (Brian Lee) the entertainment team experience for me would of been non existent so hats off to him he want above and beyond to getting us involved and us having a good time. Also big shout out to angle the waiter he was the best whenever I went for food so thanks to him too.
Ok so this is a really mixed review - staff cannot fault them they work so hard & always happy. The pools - we didn’t use the quiet pool - the family pool had so many tiles coming off, small cut on foot however there are ample of sunbeds available no matter what time you get there, the activity pool we used a few times but someone must have been losing their extensions as we were constantly covered in long brown hair it was awful. But entertainment was brilliant as were the team. The rooms - these need a serious upgrade the shower was awful the water trickled out and constantly changed from hot to cold, the drainage in the sinks is so blocked - the doors are not sound proof so when someone is screaming down the microphone forget sleep! Just suffer with jet lag. The door to the shower is completely see through and in an open communal area of the room. When we booked the holiday we booked 1 family room (4 of us) once we booked and paid it said 2 rooms, I contacted the hotel and explained we are a family of 2 adults & 2 children and they explained we would have an interconnecting room, once we arrived we were told it is 2 rooms and not even together so I had to stay with my daughter and my husband with my son in seperate rooms. Food - cannot fault the food plenty of choice available for breakfast lunch and tea - your WiFi covers you across all the neighbouring Riu hotels so that helps if you visit them. The hotel is due a re furb and it really does need it especially the rooms so hopefully it will improve! Also there is no lift so when you are out on second floor up 4 flights stairs with 4 - 25kg suitcases this is a workout! There is also nowhere to escape with air in apart from your room, the Tequila has a lovely sports bar if you need to cool down and unwind not here. I’m definitely not saying avoid it but would definitely choose a different nearby RIU hotel over this one. If you want a sunbed overlooking the beach you need to be there 6am latest. Expect more from a nearly £8000 holiday.
We had a wonderful time at Riu Yacatan and I was very happy with the overall experience! This hotel is a medium sized resort which we enjoyed- no train/golf cart ride needed to travel between the room/pools/beach which was fantastic!!!
The rooms were clean and spacious. The bathroom has a water closet and the shower/sink are in an open concept area with a glass shower door which is a bit awkward if you’re sharing a room with a shy friend. We were in the hotel block closer we to the lobby and smaller pool which was nice and quiet.
Friendly staff greeted us every morning, bartenders were attentive, the food was excellent at the buffet with so many options. À la cart restaurants were great (no reservations or limit on the number of times you choose to go) but I prefer the buffet because I like the variety. You will not go hungry at this resort (breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack bars including midnight snacks in the lobby by the 24hr bar).
This hotel is great for families, couples and friend groups with activities for everyone throughout the day. There is a quieter pool near the lobby and two larger pools near the beach plus a hot tub and a pool bar. The beach is beautiful with a lot of lounge chairs. Nightly entertainment is provided at the main stage and there is a dance club at their sister hotel across the street.
We had to arrange our own airport transfers which was different from our previous experiences and was an extra expense but it worked out. The hotel is about a 45 minute drive from the airport. The week flew by!
Good morning, I’m an Italian woman, I stayed at the Riu Yucatan this year between late July and early August.I’m looking for Bryan, a guy from the entertainment team; he wears a small ponytail and runs the games and occasionally bingo. I didn't get a chance to see or say goodbye to him, so I’d really appreciate it if someone could give me his contact details. Thank you.
