Riu Playacar

I was there for 4 nights in mid March. They initially booked me into a partial ocean view room, which was lovely. But I was quite surprised the next day when I got an email asking if I wanted an Oceanview Room. Room was clean and tidy, and was purple themed. For the next 3 nights I was treated to an amazing view that I will never forget. This hotel has a shopping plaza with a Starbucks across the street. About a 30 minute walk to Playa Del Carmen and there’s also Mayan Ruins on the way that were very interesting. I went for a hot stone massage at the spa which was incredible. My only complaints are that they have no breakfast options down near the pools, you have to walk up to the the main buffet near reception. Also, there is no room service available. Otherwise, great resort and I will be back.

This Riu Hotel is in Playacar, an enclosed gated community. It is a traditional All-Inclusive hotel. The rooms are spacy, clean and minibar included in the price. It has a buffet restaurant, Mexican, Steak, Italian and Asian Restaurant, which is not recommended if you expect traditional Asian food. The rest is okay and slighly above the average all inclusive food. The staff is very friendly and drinks are very good. It has three smaller pools, one of which is a hughes pool bar. Shows are quite okay and every friday there is a mega Riu party in the neighboring hotel. The beach is great. If you like diving, go to the dive center at Riu Yucatan. 5 min walking. Saves you paying commission at the reps in the hotel.

This is a small hotel with few facilities. It is half a kilometre long leading towards the beach and is not wide. There are 8 blocks of rooms with 3 floors and no lift. There are approximately 40 steps to get to the top floor so not difficult. There are 2 pools you can swim in and one pool purely for drinking at the swim up bar. There is no sports bar so you have to walk over to their sister hotel but they did show all the English football. You can access 3 other hotels in the group but not Riu Palace. We would pay extra and stop at the Place in future. The rooms and common areas are spotlessly clean. Some state the decor is dated but it is perfectly ok and freshly painted everywhere. Beds are very comfortable. Maid service is excellent and we ended up with a menagerie of towel animals. There is no shade on the beach apart from the palm trees, so you have to constantly move the beds, but the beds are comfortable and it didn’t matter when you went down you could always find somewhere with shade. The biggest problem for me was the noise. The music near the pool is very LOUD at times and there is no escape as it’s such a small hotel. I felt their security did not control the noisy young Americans who were continually served drinks whilst being loud and rowdy. There was an early arrival of sargassum (seaweed) and the hotel worked tirelessly to clear this with tractors and lorries. They did a really good job. The food is good and you can attend any of the specialty restaurants without booking which we liked as you’re not restricted to a time. There is a row of shops directly opposite the hotel who allow you to browse. You can take a taxi to 5th Avenue where there are more shops but they are more pushy. You can get a ferry there to Cozumel. Take some local currency. You have to pay a hotel room tax of approx £18 per week and a departure tax of £25 per person. Whilst the hotel is not tiny by any means I personally prefer a larger space as you can always find a quiet corner. The staff are excellent.

Fantastic hotel and location. Staff are amazing and work tirelessly to keep the resort spotlessly clean. Tried all the restaurants and the only negative is that the staff are over worked. The beach is stunning. Out of the 7 days I was here on only 2 did I see any seaweed. 30 min walk into the main strip of 5th Avenue, an absolute must if staying in this resort. No issues getting sunbeds. Yes people do get up early to reserve them but from my experience there really is no need. A great hotel and would highly recommend if you are considering coming to Playacar.

Booked through TUI – not my first choice, but options were about as limited as sunbeds after 7am. Standard 2-hour wait for luggage… I think my suitcase did a separate holiday. Arrived at the hotel – to be fair, first impressions were good. Nice room, close to the pool, and quiet at night (mainly because everyone’s exhausted from the sunbed Olympics). Food rundown: Mexican restaurant – I’ve had spicier ketchup. Steak night – finally, some flavour turned up. Italian – solid, no complaints. Asian – surprisingly good. Main restaurant – dependable, like a safe pair of shoes. Bars – excellent… mainly because they never stop serving. Service? Well… Americans tipping like they’re funding the local economy, but it makes absolutely no difference. You can wait 1 minute or 10 – it’s like a lucky dip. I tipped modestly… mostly out of British politeness and mild panic. The beach? Ah yes… if you enjoy exfoliation by nature, you’re in luck. Seaweed everywhere. The sea itself was basically a giant body scrub – didn’t need the spa. Sunbeds deserve their own review: Up at 7am to claim your spot like it’s the Hunger Games. By 10am? Congratulations, you’re on the seaweed section with a view of regret. Location is great… until you step outside. Shops = expensive. 5th Avenue = professional-level wallet extraction. Taxis = priced like you’ve hired them for the day… even if it’s 5 minutes. All that said… 3 stars. Because at the end of the day, you’re paying for guaranteed sunshine and drinks that never stop. Would I go again? Only if I’ve trained for the sunbed sprint and packed seaweed-resistant flip flops.