Riu Palace Riviera Maya

Excellent hotel. Friendly staff. Food was ok. Great entertainment for kids. Love the pool and the beach. However, did not like that there was a charge of $20 Mexican peso per day payable at check in. They do not accept US currency. About an hour from airport. Overall, we had a fantastic time.

My fiance and I stayed at Riu Palace Riviera Maya in March 2018. We absolutely loved our vacation. Everything about the resort was perfect. When we checked in, we were greeted promptly by a friendly staff member with a nice cold drink. They gave us a map of the property, info on the restaurants including the hours of operation and the dress code, a nightly entertainment schedule and answered any questions that we had. Our room was originally assigned on the third floor, but after climbing the stairs a few times, we asked to change rooms. The front desk staff had no problem switching our room for us which was great. There is an elevator, but it's located towards the front of the hotel and the beach and pool are in the back, so it's not convenient. The rooms are very nice, the bed was comfortable, the air conditioning worked well, there is plenty of room, and a walk out balcony. The food here is better than any resort we've ever been to. Our favorite restaurant was Chili's Steakhouse, but even the buffet was really good. There's definitely something for everyone. I really liked the fact that no reservations are required at the restaurants and we never had to wait in a line. The pool is huge and very clean. We didn't really stay at the pool much, but when we did it was a lot of fun. There are plenty of activities such as water aerobics, pool volleyball, a pool party and different types of contests. We also enjoyed being able to lay around and have our drinks delivered to us. We spent more time at the beach because we can't do that at home. The beach was beautiful and the staff works hard to keep it clean. There was some seaweed, but the staff worked on cleaning it up each morning before people were getting in the water. There was only one day where the seaweed was so bad that they couldn't keep up. The servers on the beach and around the pool worked really hard to make sure you never had to wait long for a new drink. They were often running back and forth to and from the bar. The bartenders were all great as well. They get to know you and remember your favorite drinks. They make great drinks and they aren't watered down at all. We loved the area in which this resort is located. It's in a gated community and we felt very safe. There are 5 other Riu resorts in the area and you have access to all of them for lunch, drinks, swimming and activities. We made a day of walking to all of the resorts and checking out the layouts, pools, bars and activity schedules. Most of the nightly entertainment shows were pretty good, but on nights that we weren't interested, we just walked to one of the other resorts. The entertainment staff here works really hard to make sure everyone is having fun, but they aren't pushy at all. Overall, this was the best all inclusive vacation we've ever had and we were already planning our next trip before we even left to come back home. Although all of the staff was wonderful, I would like to give special thanks to Carlos O. At the buffet (he remembered when our last day was and sat us at a beautifully decorated table for our last meal before leaving for the airport), Fabian and Gustavo at the sports bar, Joe at the pool area, Yami in entertainment, Lorenzo at the front desk and Rodolfo in room service. They all went above and beyond to make our trip special.

This was first family trip to Mexico, and Riu didn't dissapoint! We booked a 4 day trip; word of advice, use the front and back days as travel only days- flight options/ times suck! We had two days of beach, food, drinks, great service, CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN facilities! We walked to neighboring Riu's and others nearby (Wyndham, etc), and Riu Riviera Maya and Riu Mexico were by far the two best in Plyacar! The food was amazing and my only complaint was our youngest forgot good "dress" shorts so we did not visit specialty restaurants. Don Manolo buffet was amazing for breakfast and dinner. Chillis (not the franchise) was great lunch, and servers are top notch! Tip em well ($1 for drinks and $5 for table service) they deserve it! We did the Chichen Itza excursion and it was amazing! Warning, it's a 12-13 hour day with 6-7 hours of bus time. But, the guides and scenery are a once in a lifetime experience! There are WAY TOO MANY junk vendors at the archaeological site though! Still, it was well worth it! The beaches are beautiful white sands and clear-ish waters. When we went (March) it was pretty choppy seas and lots of sea weed. Not much snorkeling chances and snorkeling trips are $40/ hour! Activities at sea are VERY pricey so if you wanna dive or snorkel bring a few hundred extra cash! But, you can reserve boogie boards for free, which the kids really enjoyed! WHEN we go back, we will stay a couple more days! EXTRA TIP.... get up early AM to reserve your beach or pool chairs, they are gone by 8 am!

The hotel was really nice. The buildings were beautiful. The only issue was the water pressure in the shower. It was very low. The water pressure at the spa was great. Showered there several times. The pool, beach, bed, food were really good. The service was amazing. The staff did everything possible to make it a wonderful stay. GOOD JOB.