Riu Palace Riviera Maya - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

8516 reviews

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  Lovely holiday but not conducive to any peace & tranquility!

  May 2025 We had an amazing holiday staying at the Riu Palace. It was our first time in a Riu hotel and in Mexico. There were lots of pros, but unfortunately also a few cons to this hotel. Pros: The biggest pro was the absolutely amazing and extremely hard working staff - bar, reception, cleaners, gardeners, restaurant waiters and the amazing beach waiters etc. They were all so attentive and friendly. The cleanliness of the hotel and our room was pristine. Cleaning staff were always around day & evening. The grounds were immaculately maintained and absolutely beautiful. The food options in the restaurants and buffet were fantastic and really excellent quality for an all inclusive hotel. The beachfront location was a big draw for us and lived up to expectations with a lovely beach of white sand, palm trees providing the natural shade and stunning turquoise sea. There was seaweed but we had been warned of this. It did not worry us. Efforts were made daily to clear it but this was a thankless task. Evening entertainment was fun and a good standard generally for a hotel. It reflected the energy and vibrancy of Mexico and Latin America. The dancers were brilliant. Cons: Noise! Everywhere! The acoustics in the lobby area and Daiquiri bar, coffee shop & Italian restaurant were awful. Although spectacular and palatial with high ceilings & marble, this did not allow absorption of sound- general chatter and people noise. It wasn’t conducive to a relaxing drink or meal. Our biggest criticism was there was no escaping the entertainment during the day. Although supposedly based around two of the pools, it was loud in the other pools and on the beach. There was constant music (which wasn’t so bad) but also microphone and tannoy ‘hyping’ everybody up. At one point this was conflicting with a beautiful wedding on the beach! Having the option to get away from this for some peace and tranquility at times would have been relished - there were lots of older couples and young families at the hotel and don’t all want to be involved! The Riu Palace seemed to have a very mixed identity - a beautiful and luxurious 5 star experience vs what used to be a ‘club 18-30s’ more brash style holiday. Nonetheless we had a fantastic holiday - thank you.

  Jun 13, 2025
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  Absolutely Wonderful

  From the moment we arrived at Hotel Riu Palace Riviera Maya, the experience was nothing short of exceptional. We were greeted with warm hospitality and a welcome cocktail, instantly setting the tone for a relaxing, luxurious stay. Check-in was seamless, and free parking just outside the hotel made arrival even easier—though be prepared for a short walk and slight incline to the main entrance. The cleanliness of the resort truly stood out. Every corner of the property is meticulously maintained, with staff constantly at work to keep everything spotless. Even after a rain, we saw workers mopping the outdoor common areas—an impressive testament to the resort’s commitment to excellence. Our room was immaculate, and the level of service throughout our stay was simply unmatched. The dining staff went above and beyond, always attentive and anticipating our needs—our glasses were never empty, and every meal, whether a la carte or buffet, was delicious. The variety and quality of food and drinks were outstanding, and having access to other nearby Riu properties was an added bonus. This is all-inclusive done right—flawless service, pristine surroundings, and a truly welcoming atmosphere. We’ll absolutely be booking again.

  Jun 12, 2025
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  First time staying at the Riu

  From the staff to the food everything was great. We stayed at the Hilton last year and the Rui resort was by far superior. There’s not a lot I would change from the room to the service. The only thing I wish was the room service menu at night was a little bigger with more options but those are 1st world problems. All in all we plan on booking another family vacation in Mexico and the Rui will always be an option. Thanks again.

  Jun 12, 2025
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  A Great Holiday

  Wow what a lovely Hotel. As to not miss anything out I’ll review each by area RECEPTION As you walk in from the outside heat you are immediately hit with how the air con keeps this area feeling fresh and cool. To the right is where you check-in/out with ample amount of staff to assist you. We were helped by Alexandra who was very good and when we’d returned after going to our room and had trouble logging on to the WiFi she helped us logging on. I had e mailed in advance stating it was our 10th anniversary and if they could do anything extra for us we’d appreciate it, well we got an upgraded room which was lovely. On the left as you walk in is The Italian restaurant and further down the walkway is the 24hr Sports bar. The decor also hits you as being palatial as you first walk in. There is also a Drinks Bar and a Coffee bar on this level and just behind where you check-in are some toilets ROOM Our room was on the 1st floor and faced inward towards the gardens and fountains. We had a great view. The room has a stocked fridge with water, soft drinks and Beers. This was topped up but only as we requested, I thought it maybe done automatically but it was easy enough to order stuff via the App. The layout of the room was really good with a good size bath in between the Large bed and the wash/shower area. Ruth was our maid who kept the room looking fresh everyday and most days left us a towel animal on the bed. POOLS There are 5 pools altogether including a children’s one and a swim up bar one. Entertainment is offered each day around the main 2 pools altogether including which includes a Foam Party which really was a lot of fun, especially for 2 old codgers! ENTERTAINMENT TEAM The entertainment team really are hard working and work a long day. They are led by Ricky but others including Alberto are always ready to chat and please. The fact they tend to announce things in a few languages is hard work enough. RESTAURANTS There are about 5 restaurants apart from the buffet one and we tried them all. Although the menus in them are limited in what they offer the food is always good quality The buffet is where breakfast is offered each day and there is a very good choice of different foods. We got to know Lorenzo at breakfast and we’d mostly come down to our table all set up with a pot of tea and pot of coffee along with Orange juice each. A couple of times he set it up with Champagne as well. We will miss Lorenzo BEACH The 1st week we spent on the beach which when you get use to telling the beach sellers “No thank you” is a lovely beach with nice sand. When we were there seaweed was a daily problem but each day they tried their best at clearing it with a Tractor etc. Some events take part on the beach and we noticed a few weddings going on too HOTEL NIGHT TIME ENTERTAINMENT There’s 2 areas on the Plaza that have things going on. The resident band play on the central stage while special shows line The Queen show , Abba and Michael Jackson show take place in what they call the theatre stage. Once a week there’s either a White Party or Neon Party which takes place down the road at the Tequila hotel. We went to the White party, which was great fun but with a few hotels guests in attendance and the fact that due to its design doesn’t have Air Con we left after 2 hours as it was too hot. We didn’t go to the Neon party based on what I’ve just said BAR STAFF These people also are at it non stop taking peoples orders and delivering them to your table. They deserve any tips they are given. This includes daytime when they bring you drinks wherever you are around the pool or on the Beach. Enrique served us so well the week we were on the beach PLAYA DEL CARMEN- 5TH AVENUE This is really a warning which our TUI rep never warned us about. We got a cab in and within 10 seconds we were approached by a chap saying he was a waiter at The Rui Palace and although we didn’t particularly recognise him there is the thing where some of the staff look similar. He wanted us to visit his granny’s shop just down the road. I stated from the off we won’t be buying anything as we were in town just to browse . When we got in the shop he tried selling us stuff. We walked out politely but not before he said he’d see us at breakfast, 5 minutes later a similar thing happened again with a different waiter!! The penny dropped with us that it’s our wrist bands that give away where we are staying. We think people should be advised to bring a covering for the hotel bands like a wrist sweat band or something similar. We felt uncomfortable in 5th avenues as the shop owners are just as bad as in Turkey maybe worse. I even got offered some Charlie and I don’t think it was the ladies perfume!! lol. So take a wrist band each OVERAL We would return here at a heart beat but it’s more expensive than our usual holidays…. But never say never

  Jun 11, 2025
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  Retirement holiday

  The hotel is beautiful and loved the layout. Pros Hotel room is great and bed so comfortable. Cleaning staff keeps the room spotless with fresh towels, bedding and not forgetting the towel art. They do appreciate the tips we left. Pools were not busy our first week but became busier the second week. There were college/university big groups along with weddings. Could always get a sun lounger at 8.30/9am. Waiters always going around for drinks requests, again appreciate the tips. Buffet restaurant had meat/fish/pasta/pizza/mexican/asian food stations then the salad/dessert/fresh fruit/ice cream stations too. The staff are amazing, but shoutout to Dayana in the Daiquiri bar, Mendez and Carlos at breakfast and Rosena is the Steakhouse. Cons Al a crate restaurants are a hit or miss. The menus in Krystal Fusion and Japanese, we did not use, as very little choice when you have a fish/shellfish allergy. Steakhouse was lovely main and desserts but started is lacking choice. Italian was ok but nothing very “Italian” with starters and desserts. Mains were ok but nothing exciting. Mexican was very disappointing, starts all fish based then tortilla soup that was bland. The mains were very bland too and we didn’t stay for dessert and just went to the coffee bar and got a slice of cake - Red Velvet for me and Carrot cake for himself. Would I go back, yes but hope they take on the feedback re the restaurants

  Jun 11, 2025