Riu Dunamar - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

4830 reviews

• 

  Solid choice but maybe not for pool people with just older teens

  First, I got an amazing deal on Black Friday for a last minute trip right before Christmas for a highly reviewed property and I was grateful. And given the great price I got for this time of year, the property was great! It was my husband & I and are 2 teens children, 16 yo son & 18 yo daughter. Free Riu transfer was great btw and we had no issues and didn't have to wait very long at all. Not sure if that was just good luck though compared to other reviews. Service was great every where. On par with many higher class AIs in Cancun. Gustavo on the beach never left you empty handed which is crazy to me trudging through that sand back and forth. The front desk was great at trying to find the best option available to get us close to our kid's room. Upgraded us to partial ocean view rooms 3 doors down from each other which worked fine. I wouldn't have paid for the partial ocean view though. It was only if you went out to the balcony and leaned way over could you really see it. And you are then facing towards the main outdoor stage in the middle as well and can hear the entertainment through the night...but we still didn't have a problem sleeping. Rooms were always clean and restocked. Keep in mind there is no body lotion provided so after all that sun you will want to bring your own. Buffet was actually really good. Lots of choices being freshly restocked all the time. And yes, like the other reviews if you have been there more than 4 days it does start to get a bit repetitive and doesn't really change. We tried all the restaurants and we really liked the italian & asian restaurants. The other reviews are true, these are not like the other higher class AIs that have true sit down and serve you 3 courses type of restaurants. The Italian & Asian restaurants were more like specialized small buffets and honestly worked out just fine for us! I can see how it basically streamlines the food prepared/needed and service goes faster and they can seat more families in one night. But the food tasted great, the cooks are right there constantly cooking and putting out fresh food too. Instead of spending 2.5 hours at a restaurant, my family got to eat good food and get out and spend the rest of the night in the sports bar playing pool and cards. With our teens it worked out just fine! Maybe not my ideal AI vaca for just hubby & I though because I do enjoy a good upscale dinner. Beach was amazing. Lots of loungers left even when the beach seemed full of people. This time of year was big rolling waves which my older teens loved BUT please don't even attempt to wear your sunglasses. We lost 2 pairs to the ocean lol. It did get too windy our last couple days due to storms further out so that kinda sucked for us having to move in to the pools but can't blame the hotel for mother nature. MAJOR CON to me any way.... So yes Rui Dunamar has lots of pools but they are all pretty small. The best pools to us were the "adult pools" with built in tables and benches. My 16yo son is 6'5 and mature bc he has a 18 yo sister. He was not allowed to sit with us in those pools. He's a bit of a rule follower and he was fine with it BUT I watched countless families get scolded for having their older teens try to sit with them in the adult pools. I felt terrible for a couple that was older (maybe late 50s/early 60s) with a probably 17 yo daughter who just wanted to sit and enjoy their time at the table in the adult pool and were told by security that she can't even sit on the side of the pool beside them. Like it just started getting SUPER weird how many times I saw security swoop in. I don't know what happened in the past for them to be so weirdly strict BUT they definitely were NOT policing older teens (but under 18) from drinking alcohol...JUST from sitting in the adult pools. I consider it a major down side to this resort if you ONLY have older teens. They charge kids from 13-17 as adults but they have the same colored band as the 5 year old kids. And the only pool that isn't over-run with 5 year olds is a very small deeper pool with a volleyball net which was very cold. Yes 13-17 can use the water slides but that gets old quickly. They are never allowed in the night club and even the RIU afternoon pool party at Riu Caribe that they were trying to get everybody to take a free bus to was for 18+. Sooooo....if you are pool people with only older teens under 18 you might want to keep all this in mind. I would still consider RIU Dunamar a very solid choice if we could have stayed at the beach the entire time and especially at this price point!

  Dec 28, 2025
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  Excellent service, food and programs

  It was our first time staying at Riu Dunamar. We were all happy with our stay there to the point that we didn’t want to leave this place. We definitely recommend this place to everyone.

  Dec 28, 2025
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  Do not reccoment

  We were looking forward to visit Riu Dunmar based on their ratings (which dropped since we made the reservation), but unfortunately, it was a great disappointment. First, their rooms with 2 beds that are classified as "double" are actually twin size and not double as expected (equivalent to full). On the bright side, the beds are rather comfortable. Also, we noticed a window in the shower that goes on the other side of the bedroom, which is totally see through. It would have been a great concept for an adult only result, but considering it's supposed to be child friendly (and there are LOTS of kids here), I deem it highly inappropriate and disturbing. When I asked the front desk about it, they said that all the rooms have it and offered to cover it up. They said they'd send someone over in 20 minutes, and finally after 3 hours it was "fixed" by grabbing one of our large towels and putting a large painting over it to cover for about 60% of the see through window (there's absolutely no way to avoid seeing the person in the shower). In addition, because of the see through window, when someone uses the bathroom in the middle of the night, the light reflects on the entire room. The buffet was absolutely awful and made my husband sick. It feels dirty and poorly managed. Once they open, it doesn't seems like anyone is keeping up with cleaning throughout the service time. Essentially it's a glorified buffet you'd expect at a Chinese restaurant or on a (poorly managed) campus cafeteria. Yes, there is a variety, but it tastes bad. My husband also got sick from the food on two separate occasions and spent 2 days throwing up. There's nothing authentic or special about the food. The buffet is also the only option for breakfast. The go-to snacks by the pools and at the sports bar are hot dogs, hamburgers and sandwiches, which don't taste good (equivalent to what you'd get at a gas station quality wise). The sports bar has the leftovers, and none of it is fresh. We tried the steak house and it was not a good experience either. The steak was fatty, very thin, not cooked to the way it was ordered, and the service was very poor. The sides included broccoli, which was well made but with cinnamon seasoning (why??) and the potato wedges (whole mini 5 of them) were over-seasoned. I noticed that many people were adding salt and pepper to their food, which means the basic spices were lacking. We ordered cheese sticks as appetizers and by the time we got them, they were all cold. The waiters were running all over the place (I think there were only 3 or 4 in service total), but honestly, the manager still had to pick up the slack behind them as they were not clearing plates or even bringing the drinks as requested. The Kulinarium restaurant was ok, but really not that great either. They failed to cook the steak to order and the dessert was false advertisement because what was ordered was supposed to be mousse consistency but instead was some type of gelatin. The salad was the only decent dish and service was nonexistent. The Italian restaurant was the best, but unfortunately with just 5 main dishes to choose from, the 3 we tried were just ok (salmon dry and overcooked, the seafood pasta didn't have much seafood, and the lasagna was bland and underwhelming). The best part was the salad bar, which included a great selection of cheeses, breads, a wide array of fruit and even a vegetarian option. Their service was also very good and attentive. The Asian restaurant was decent but not amazing. The eggrolls were good, and the chicken skewers were excellent, but the food was in a buffet style and ran out within less than 30 minutes of opening and took awhile to refill. Service was very good and attentive overall. The saving grace of all the restaurants was Roberto, the manager. He was the hardest working person in all the specialty restaurants (he rotated every night) and made us feel welcomed where ever we went and made sure we had a spot. In the gift shop I wanted to see a piece of jewelry and asked for help since there was no attendant there. There were 3 workers standing around doing absolutely nothing but they couldn't/wouldn't help me because it was only a specific person who's designated to help at the jewelry counter and she was already busy helping others at the sunglasses stand. That made me wonder what are the other workers supposed to do if they're incapable of assisting the customers with two of the major ticket items?! The day before we left, I slipped in the rinsing area when I was trying to wash off the sand from my feet. It was across from the towel stand and in between the two pools, with several employees around, and yet no one bothered to help or check when they saw me fall. Considering it's a high traffic area and a major lability for the hotel, I'd expect someone to take notice when the guest slips in a wet area. In comparison to other all-inclusive facilities, this one was mediocre at best. There were pools, beach and a bar. The slides were fun for my kid, but the area is too small in my opinion and needs to be expanded to accommodate additional seating. The people at the water activities cared more to stare at their phones instead of telling us about water activities. I wish there were more things to do, especially family friendly (maybe board games or a designated play area); 2 pool tables aren't enough entertainment wise. The staff is polite (except one girl at the front desk who couldn't care less and wasn't willing to listen), but there's a lack of initiative and a general lack of effort to provide a quality experience. For an all-inclusive resort that relies heavily on tips, there is very little motivation or justification to give them. Overall, it was extremely disappointing and I will not step foot in this hotel again. In fact, I considered an early departure and would have done it if the airfare cost wasn't significant.

  Dec 27, 2025
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  Mixed experience with some highlights

  We recently stayed at the Riu Dunamar in Mexico and had a decent stay overall, though there were some notable drawbacks. Pros: - Rooms were very clean and well maintained - Staff were friendly and hardworking - The beach was beautiful and clean, with plenty of space to relax - Grounds overall are nicely kept Cons: - Food was fairly average and repetitive, with limited options for guests with celiac disease - The main pool was often dirty by afternoon, with used plates and food left around lounge chairs for hours - Entertainment at night was extremely loud and sometimes went until 11:30 pm, making it difficult to sleep - Not enough bathrooms throughout the resort - Only one elevator, which caused long waits, especially during busy times Summary: While the resort has strong points—especially the staff and beach—the food quality, cleanliness around the pool, and noise level at night took away from the experience. With better food options (especially for dietary restrictions), improved pool cleanliness, and better noise control, this resort could be much more enjoyable. If you want a sophisticated, more upscale experience that doesn’t cost much more, stay at the Riu Palace next door.

  Dec 27, 2025
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  Wonderful time spent

  First I thank Katia at RIU Class Customer Service! You gave us an awesome room location!! 4035! You are awesome! We are very fortunate to be able to vacation several times a year, and many of those times are spent in Cancun and the surrounding areas. We do love the RIUs so when I was looking I was thinking we've been to the ones in Cancun several times over, and I saw the Palace and the Dunamar in Costa Mujeres. It's about the same distance from the airport as Playa Del Carmen, only in the opposite direction. I am always looking for the perfect beach to go along with the buffet :) so when I saw this one I read some, let's say less than desirable reviews. We just got back from 4 nights, and I couldn't be happier with the time we spent there! I had seen some reviews about mosquitos, and I will say yes, my son said he got 2 bites, and my wife killed one that was trying to get her. That was it for our experience, and we were out in the morning, all day, and were out again late at night. The food was fresh and plentiful, and readily available, as they are. The place inside and out was clean, and it was quiet, just the way I like it. Prices are much higher now than they have been, but this one was the most reasonable by comparison that I found. The beach was soft sand and not alot of seaweed, it was alittle rough as it was windy most of the time we were there, but we made the best of it. I don't know if it is normally calm water there or not, but it is turquoise blue. There are no reservations necessary for the restaurants, and that is so nice, but can lead to some issues if your heart is set on the steakhouse for instance, because you have to get in line 5:30pm, it opens at 6pm and fills up fast, but the buffet is terrific, and the Asian and Italian are just as good. They also have a very cool waterpark attached to the hotel, one for adults and older kids, and then a really nice one for the younger ones too. There are several pools, all very clean. There is alot of seating around the pools and at the ocean, but when we were there, I was surprised that they were all filled up. The entertainment we felt was lacking a bit. We felt it to be more family friendly, more quiet and not as loud and party like as some other hotels in let's say the hotel zone. There is alot of walking to do here as well, we were on the 4th floor and took the steps mostly. In some of the other RIUs you struggle with having to wait for elevators, especially at peak times, but it was just quicker for us to walk the steps because the elevators were a bit farther away. The property is large, but beautiful and clean. We really really enjoyed it here, it was very relaxing. Lastly I would say that the workers were nice, not quite as friendly as alot of others I've encountered in and around Cancun, but no one was not nice, just not as outwardly friendly, and it did seem to us that maybe they needed some more help. These are just some of our observations. In my opinion, if you like the RIU hotel chain, and want a relaxing vacation, and one that is a little further from the hustle of the hotel zone, this would definately be one I/we would recommend.

  Dec 24, 2025