Riu Ventura

We had a great time at this resort! The rooms were clean, modern and big, the swim up pool was an amazing addition! The food was great, we especially enjoyed the steakhouse and the italian restaurants. The bar at the lobby was the one we frequently went to, and they were super warm and friendly :) A few cons: - One of the cleaning crew insisted on going inside our room even with the red “Do not disturb” sign on the door, which was really weird. - The ocean had sargassum, which we anticipated, but we did not anticipate the smell that it emitted. We could smell it all the way to our terrace/swim up pool, but that’s something beyond the control of the resort - The chicken wing buffalo sauce that we got in the sports bar was a tad salty Apart from those minor things, everything went well and we had the time of our lives!

The overall view of the resort was nice. Everything was clean and appeared to be new. The service was for the most part good. The food was lacking. Our group struggled to be satisfied for dinner nearly every night. It was just not the standard we are used to from other RIU stays. The nightlife and shows were also lacking. The productions were not as good as we have seen at other RIU resorts and not many people attended.

Very clean and well managed property. Staff were very attentive and very friendly. Entertainment was amazing throughout our stay. Food was great as well. My family had a amazing time.Thanks Riu Team.

OCEAN: We stayed for seven days at the end of September. On five of those days, there were big waves mixed with seaweed and sand. It was impossible to swim because the waves came in sets of three or four, one after another. POOLS: The resort boasts that it has six pools, but one is a swim-up bar pool filled with concrete tables and chairs where people sit all the time. They also never seem to get out to use the bathroom. Another is a tiny kiddie pool, only a few inches deep — probably intended for toddlers. The third pool, on the sixth floor, is adults-only. It’s narrow and only about three feet deep. I’m not kidding — it’s basically a puddle. Since there’s a bar next to it, people stay in the pool for hours without getting out to use the bathroom, even though the restroom is right there. That leaves only three pools on the ground floor, and they’re tiny and always packed. Guests are squeezed in like sardines. Why in the world did they make the pools so small? I could understand if there wasn’t enough space, but the resort has a large property. Keep in mind that this is a family resort with more than 700 rooms. That means there can easily be at least 1,000 guests at the hotel at any given time, and they all spend time at the pools or bars. That brings me to my next point: the locals. LOCALS: About 90 percent of the guests were locals. Did they pay the same $300 per night that I did? I doubt it. The practice of filling empty rooms with local guests, most likely at discounted rates, is widespread in the Dominican Republic, but in my 15 visits to Mexico, I’ve never encountered this. Don’t get me wrong: the guests were nice and polite, but many brought a lot of family members with them — children, grandchildren, and grandparents. Everything was packed: the pools, restaurants, and bars. I also noticed that local guests rarely left tips after being served. It’s ironic, because local employees appreciate tips, but when locals go on vacation, they don’t tip. RESTAURANTS: The resort says it has five restaurants, but two or three were closed every day. The remaining restaurants were quickly roped off because they filled up so fast. That left the buffet, which also filled up very quickly. We could always find a table, but it wasn’t easy. The food was OK. We liked the buffet at the Italian restaurant, Remini. ROOM: The room was good, and the air conditioning was perfect. The TV didn’t work at first, but they eventually fixed it. ENTERTAINMENT: There was no Michael Jackson show, circus show, or magic show. We had a mariachi show twice in one week, a silent disco, and a diva show. BOTTOM LINE: We’ve stayed at all the Riu resorts in Cancun and Costa Mujeres, except Riu Kukulcan, and Riu Ventura is our least favorite.

Really very impressed with the quality of the hotel and the location. Rooms were of a very good quality with plenty of room, maybe one extra set of drawers would be great but managed perfectly well.. The cleanliness in all areas was of a very good standard, The staff in all areas were excellent, friendly and did a great job and made it a really good experience. Have stayed in many Riu hotels, palaces and this one is right up there with the best.