Riu Dunamar

Visited towards the end of June with family, from what we saw prior to the trip we were excited and had read both positive and negative reviews but ultimately decided to do our own thing and see how it went. The beach is stunning, yes there was some issues albeit minor with Sargassum but they are doing something to try and clear it at various times of the day but it’s not overwhelmed, the water can be choppy due to the area being open to the sea but it’s still very much useable. Buffet: Good options, changed between lunch and dinner, kids options with burgers, hot dogs, nuggets, chips. Mexican options, chicken, fish, pork, pizzas, pastas, vegetarian, gluten free options, desserts, ice creams, chocolate fountain. Breakfast has a wide variety such as waffles, pancakes, omelettes, sausage, bacon hash browns, fruit, yoghurts, cereals. A La Cartes: Bamboo - Oriental/Asian served buffet style Pompeya - Italian/Med, starters & Dessert served buffet with mains ordered Kulinarium - more fancy foodie type dishes La Brasas - Steakhouse, order from menu Note: There are no kids menus at the à la carte restaurants, which is not great for kids wanting their type of food, often seen parents in à la carte then followed by buffet as kids didn’t like the likes of steaks. Cleanliness: plenty of staff around cleaning up, all through the day but some guests let themselves down, leaving plates with food lying around for birds to come onto sun loungers and after hours leaving drinks cups, beer cans lying around at loungers on the beach rather than clearing their mess up after themselves. Kids Club: It felt like this was a tick box, if your kid isn’t there at the start of the advertised activity they are not allowed to join during the session and nothing really happened outside of the advertised activity which can be spread out with hours between them - starting at 10am and last activity around 4pm. Kids disco every evening for around 20-30 mins tops and it was pretty repetitive - 1 song, 1 game, mascot comes out for a song, the end….then sit around waiting for the next activity which is usually a live band then whatever entertainment was on for 45 mins, then the band again to end the night at 10.30pm Party nights: Wednesday rotate between white party and neon party, hotel goes effort for this with face painters, balloons - like a big rave - other local Riu hotels are bussed in which makes the place busier, not really kid friendly as guests from adult only hotels are coming to party and the staff are dressed towards an adult side of things. Day parties: Adults can go to Riu Caribe on Tuesdays (Jungle Party) and Fridays (Pink Party), from 2.30 to 7pm, hotel arranges buses and it feels like all animation staff are diverted towards this, encouraging guests to go rather than entertaining those staying behind. Service at the pool bar, Lobby Bar, waiting staff in restaurants were great, sports bar was a different experience and felt like a chore to serve even after tipping on the last round. There is no room service, if you want food after restraunts close then you’re left with pre-made, refrigerated, hot dogs, burgers, sandwiches, some chopped fruit and bananas. The microwaves are provide but are in poor state of repair with glass dishes broken and instructions for cooking times inaccurate as following them meant food was still cold. nacho machine with some not so nice cheese sauce. Basically the above is an embarrassment for a hotel that claims to be 5 star, when the hotel next door - the palace Costa Mujeres, is also a 5 star and offers room service. In summary: Riu Dunamar is not a 5 star, it may be given this years ago by Riu and since then they’ve cut back their offering but being honest it’s 4 star at best, comparatively it’s on par with a hotel in Lara Beach or Belek in Antalya - Visually nice, but lacking and not worth the hefty price tag, our last stay in Cancun offered us more for less, so this hotel advertised as “Platinum” by TUI with a premium price tag and the hotel advising 5 star, felt like a disappointment

An extraordinary family experience that’s well worth it. Superb food with a breathtaking variety. Welcoming and polite staff who truly care about our satisfaction. All the bartenders are amazing, but Miguel is our favorite—whether at the pool or at the poolside bar, he’s simply phenomenal and goes out of his way to ensure we have a great time. Highly recommended, and we’ll definitely be back.

This was an amazing experience for the family. We celebrated graduation and birthdays as well as the family first international vacation. There was something for everyone at all times and because we were in a safe resort space the teens were always off by themselves and the adults managed the 7 and 4yr old activities. So fun all around. Thank you so very much for an amazing experience

We have stayed at a number of Riu hotels but this one tops the list! Stayed for 2 weeks and had a fabulous time. The staff were very helpful and friendly. Our room was kept very clean and the staff were cleaning constantly cleaning the communal areas. We had a wonderful sea view room. Food was excellent and always hot, which is unusual for buffet food on holiday! The Reception team were very helpful and often sent notes to our room asking if we needed anything to contact them. We were impressed with the pool bar service, staff would come round with a little covered cart full of drinks and ask if you needed one. It is a way out from Cancun centre but taxis were easily available to get there. All in all I would highly recommend the Riu Dunamar.

Mom's 65th bday. We all had a great time, I wish however, that there would have been more Mexican food available.. chiles rellenos, chilaquiles, sopa de tortilla, stuff like that. But overall, everything was excellent.