What We Love

  • The resort is tucked away inland with four swimming pools, day and night entertainment, several restaurants and bars.

Things to Know

  • The resort includes a diverse collection of essential and entertaining amenities. 
  • Your centralized location will allow you to get out and explore Playa del Carmen whenever you like. 

Resort Details

You don’t have to go far for delicious food and drinks, these options have you covered.
OnSite Dining
  • Various Bars / Lounges
    - La Veranda
    - La Fiesta
    - Sports Bar 24
    - Coco´s  bar
  • Various Restaurants
    - Rosa Roja
    - Bamboo
    - Rinascita
    - Black Cow
    - Beach Club

    Consult the hotel upon arrival for hours of operation and dress codes.
Treat yourself to everything that this resort has to offer and more.
On-Site Amenities
  • 24-hour front desk
  • Accessible facilities
  • Babysitting,Offsite†
  • Baggage hold
  • Bell staff/porter
  • Children programs
  • Children welcome
  • Children's play area
  • Concierge desk
  • Elevators Not Available
  • 24-hour front desk
  • Complies with Local/State/Federal laws for disabled
  • Babysitting, Offsite†
  • Baggage hold
  • Bell staff/porter
  • Children programs
  • Children welcome
  • Children's play area
  • Concierge desk
  • Elevators Not Available
  • Exercise gym
  • Free high speed internet connection
  • Free parking
  • Gift/News stand†
  • Golf, Offsite†
  • Housekeeping - daily
  • Laundry/Valet service†
  • Lounges/bars
  • Meal Plan Type: All Inclusive
  • Non-smoking rooms available
  • Pool
  • Restaurant
  • Safe deposit box
  • Sauna
  • Spa†
  • Tennis court
  • Tour/sightseeing desk
  • Water sports†

† Fees may apply

Whether a land lover or a water sports fanatic, you’ll always have something fun to do.
On-Site Recreation
  • Children's pool
    There is 1 children's pool on-site.
  • Children's program, onsite
  • Fitness center on-site
  • Hot tub
    1 outdoor hot tub.
  • Motorized Water Sports †
    Jet ski, parasailing, waterskiing, diving, deep sea fishing, etc.
  • Non-Motorized Water Sports
    Windsurfing, sailing, kayaks, snorkel gear, body board, one introductory scuba lesson in the pool, paddle boat, others.
  • Pool
    There are 5 pools on-site.  This property has swim-up bars.
  • Sauna
  • Spa †
  • Tennis court
    There are 2 tennis courts on-site. There are 0 lit tennis courts on-site.
Off-Site Recreation
  • Beach
  • General †
    Access to Pickleball Court at Riu Palace Mexico 
  • Golf †
    A golf course is located within 1 mile of the hotel.
    This hotel has negotiated a special agreement with Riviera Cancun and Hard Rock Golf Club Riviera Maya golf courses to provide preferential conditions and additional value to our guests.
On-Site Attraction
  • On-site Entertainment
    Access to weekly theme parties for everyone

† Fees may apply

Guest Reviews from CheapCaribbean Customers

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

TRI_LOGO_ANCILLARY_4.5 12495 reviews
  • TRI_LOGO_ANCILLARY_ 5.0 star tripadvisor rating
    Brilliant stay

    Had a fantastic stay here with my wife for our 10th wedding anniversary The hotel food and restaurants were fantastic (we loved the italian) Plenty of pools to chill in and a great convenient buggy to take you down to the beach (2 mins away) where can use the other Riu dining facility and bars The neon and white parties are a must attend events The staff were friendly and very attentive Would highly recommend this hotel

    Jul 06, 2025
  • TRI_LOGO_ANCILLARY_ 3.0 star tripadvisor rating
    Hot pools, buffets, and seaweed beach.

    Staff was super nice. There were a lot of fun activities throughout the resort! But unfortunately the seaweed at the beach was horrible. We couldn’t even get into the water which isn’t the staffs fault at all just really unfortunate. It didn’t used to be like this a few years ago. Most of us (as in most the people at the resort) decided to go to the pools instead since the beach was a bust, but the pools were so warm it felt like bath water. I would go into the pool to get refreshed but i would just feel hotter being in there. I tried every pool they have here every single one was super warm and gross. All the restaurants here are buffets unfortunately and they didn’t have one mexican restaurant which really through me off. Overall the stay was okay. Staff is great, rooms are clean but everything else wasn’t as good as i expected.

    Jul 06, 2025
  • TRI_LOGO_ANCILLARY_ 3.0 star tripadvisor rating
    Lively Party Hotel

    Been to this hotel several times. 3 times before the refurbishment and this is the second visit since the refurbishment in 2018 The staff are still amazing, from the gardeners, cleaners, bar staff, waiters, reception and animation team and any other employee group i have missed out. Can't fault their friendliness. They all work long hours, especially the animation team, who seem to be on the go 24/7 trying to keep everyone entertained. Rooms are getting in need of some new refurbishment but were always clean. Air con was good and the large ceiling fan was a godsend in the heat and humidity. There is a toilet and separate shower cubicle, although the shower has a glass see through door. Bear this in mind if sharing with friends. There were also 2 sinks. Also in this area, you have a wardrobe with hangers and a digital safe inside, along with an ironing board and iron. There is a large golf umbrella too. You also have a fridge stocked with soft drinks, beer and water. Also you have a cabinet with bottles of rum, vodka, whisky and tequila, all on optics, so help yourself whenever you like. There is also a coffee making machine but no kettle for tea, so bring one with you. There are 2 queen size beds that are pushed together but they can be pulled apart if needed. There are 5 pools, including a kids and an over 18 adults one with a swim up bar. They also have a quieter pool. The beach is about a 6 minute walk directly across the road and through the Riu Yucatan arched walkway. Alternatively, they run an extended seated golf cart every 15 mins to and from the beach. You can use the beach restaurant for your lunch while there, Please be aware, the Caribbean have been suffering with an unprecedented amount of sargassum hitting their coastline. This June has seen the worst in their history. Although the hotel staff work tirelessly to clear it, they are fighting a losing battle. It's not the hotels fault, just mother nature at her worst. Because of this, the red flag was on display every day. People were out in the sea and we did venture out but it wasn't pleasant. The odour from the sargassum and a very strong undercurrent made it very difficult for us. The hotel has a main buffet restaurant with an amazing selection of hot and cold foods, including many cakes and pastries. Although very repetitive, you can vary what you eat daily. They also have speciality restaurants for the evening. An Italian, Steakhouse and an Asian. No need to book. just turn up for availability. During the day they also have a poolside BBQ grill, open 12.00pm - 4.00pm. You can never go hungry, as they also have a 24hr sports bar that has a selection of sandwiches, burritos, nachos, pastries and fruit. So if you feel peckish at 3.00am, pop down and grab a snack. Entertainment is on all day every day. Darts, petanque, table tennis, volleyball, pool volleyball, water polo, bingo , Spanish language class and RiuFit classes. The list goes on. Something for everyone, adults and kids alike. Entertainment every evening. Starting with a Riu Kids show and the Riu Showtime set, which changes nightly. Friday nights are Riu Party nights. Now, the not so good bits we experienced in our three weeks at the hotel: I gather, because of the issues with the sargassum, many guests were not using the beach. This meant the pool areas were very busy. This time round we opted for a 3 week chillout. We've seen and done most of the excursions Mexico has to offer on previous trips. We usually visit in November but thought it would be quieter in June. How wrong were we. On previous visits, you could always find a sunbed anytime throughout the day around any of the pools, especially the quieter one, that always had loads of spare beds, as most people opt for the activity pools. The first week we managed to get sunbeds around the quieter pool at midday and after. By the second week there was a massive influx of guests. I wake up around 5.00am every morning and i sit on the balcony watching the hotel wildlife. By the second week, i started seeing guests putting towels on sunbeds around the pools before 8.00am and before 10.00am all sunbeds were gone. As the days went on, the towel brigade got earlier and earlier, until i watched people putting towels out at 5.30am and nearly all the beds gone before 8.30am. By the second week the quiet pool was anything but. It was full of noisy people playing with footballs and using floats etc. The pool was not big enough for all of this. Also there were some very drunk people swearing quite loudly and at one stage, someone very drunk had their shorts pulled down getting out of the pool. There were lots of young kids about. In the buffet restaurant, it seems that the waiters now have a lot more tables to look after on their sections. This resulted in tables not being cleared quickly enough and drinks not replenished. I cleared our table on several occasions. It's clear there are not enough staff to cope with the volume of guests. The staff are on the go constantly and we saw them trying to train up new members while still attending to their sections. The evening entertainment wasn't the best to be honest but the crew do their upmost to put shows on every night and work long hours whilst trying to rehearse in between. There were lots of moments in the shows where no one was on stage, as they were all off changing costumes and some acts ended, leaving the audience in a dilemma as to whether it had finished and they should clap or not. Friday nights are party night. Either a neon party or white party. I would call it more of a rave. Coaches bring in guests from the other Riu hotels in the area. They remove all seating and put in tall tables for your drinks. They set up pop up bars and cram thousands of guests in. If its not for you, then its best to pop over to the Yucatan or Playacar hotels for a quieter atmosphere. Really they should be advertising and selling this hotel as a lively party hotel. Pool foam parties, pool drinking comps and Friday night raves. We used to love this hotel and no, we are not party poopers. We love loud music, but not loud enough to burst your eardrums and strobe lighting that blinds you. We also love cocktails and shots and lots of them but we do know how to behave, many people didn't. We saw people throwing up, falling over and apparently people had thrown up in the swim up bar pool too, but we didn't witness that, we were told by another guest. I would expect that in the middle of Benidorm or on an 18/30's but not here. The Riu Tequila has changed a lot over the last few visits, unfortunately it's no longer for us. The staff are great and we've made some nice friends over the years. We'll still continue to use Riu Hotels, just not the full on party ones.

    Jul 05, 2025
  • TRI_LOGO_ANCILLARY_ 5.0 star tripadvisor rating
    Honeymoon stay

    Excellent hotel. Great service at all times. Stayed for 2 weeks, meals in buffet often very repetitive but vast amount to choose from do you can mix it up. The white and neon parties were fantastic. We only stayed round the pool with the pool bar and it was pleasant. Lots of seaweed unfortunately but staff work hard to clear it as best as possible. Overall a great time and would definitely go back there again.

    Jul 04, 2025
  • TRI_LOGO_ANCILLARY_ 5.0 star tripadvisor rating
    Book ir 5 star all the way except Jacob!!

    I never write reviews. However, we got back to the UK on 1st of July 2025. Let me tell you, the staff are absolutely amazing they go beyond your expectations, and it was bloody brilliant. Firstly it was my wife's 50th she had no idea about the holiday, hotel or where we were going, I rang the hotel about a month before arrived and asked them to decorate the room. When we got there, it was covered with balloons, champagne, and congratulation cards, which started our holiday off to a flyer. Also, let me tell you, fellow Southern people, Newcastle fly direct, and I've never in my entire life met a better bunch of funny, friendly, and just brilliant people ever. The food was bloody brilliant, and the drinks are all top branded and not watered done at all. I would recommend this hotel to everyone, ok, it's not on the beach and the buggy that takes you stinks of 2 star petrol, this is probably the only fault I can find. Me, my wife and son had the best time, so book it and enjoy the Mexican hospitality they're wonderful! Also my room had a couple of accidents and they didn't say anything 😒. It's was the alcohol!!! The tequila for making my families holiday absolutely the best. Xxx

    Jul 01, 2025
Hotel Advisories
  • AdvisoryStudent Groups/Spring Breakers (either groups or individuals, regardless of age) are not allowed at any time during the year. Guests disturbing or generating complaints from other guests or hotel may be removed from the property, at their own expense. Parties in rooms are not permitted.
  • AdvisoryThe state of Quintana Roo will be charging a sanitation tax of a minimum $33.94 Mexican Pesos, per room per night. This amount is not included in your vacation price and will be collected at your hotel. This fee is subject to change at any time without notice by the hotel.
General Policy
  • Check In: 3:00 PM
  • Check Out: 11:00 AM
  • Minimum Check-In Age: 18
  • General Policies:

    Check-in Policy - Deposits or credit/debit card hold authorizations are not requested at check-in. "Minimum age of 18 is required for check-in, an ID/Passport will be requested upon arrival.

    Convention Policy : Groups traveling together can book this property for their stay taking advantage of group benefits such as 6th or 11th complimentary guest, Group dinner reservation, One complimentary cocktail hour with a selection of appetizers, One complimentary massage for the group leader, Complimentary room upgrades to the next category, Fruit plate and bottle of wine for the VIP, Private check-in when arriving together,  Welcome sign. Applicable with Wedding Collections and Social Packages. Consult terms & conditions.

    Hotel Spring Break Policy - Student Groups/Spring Breakers (either groups or individuals, regardless of age) are not allowed at any time during the year. Guests disturbing or generating complaints from other guests or hotel may be removed from the property, at their own expense. Parties in rooms are not permitted.

    Transfer Policy - A price may display when children stay free, if your vacation includes transfer to your hotel.

    General Information - Room taxes and service fees are included in vacation price.
    Minimum night stay restrictions may apply. Reservation changes may not be permitted unless authorized by the hotel.

    One person of 18 years or over in every room.  No student groups under 21 all year long.

    Minimum check in age is 18 (Jan. - Feb.) (May - Dec.) Minimum check in age is 21 (Mar. - Apr.)

  • Pet Policy : Pets Not Allowed
  • Early Departure Policy
    • Early Departure Penalty:1 NightApplies: Sunday - Saturday 04Jul24 - 23Dec26
    • Early Departure Penalty:2 NightsApplies: Sunday - Saturday 24Dec25 - 30Apr26

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