Riu Yucatan

Hotel was amazing, could be 5 star with little improvement..

We have just come back from our honeymoon here and it was also our third time at Riu Yucatan. This is honestly one of the best places on earth. The staff are incredible and cannot do enough for you. The rooms are beautiful and are cleaned daily. So many options for food and it has been amazing each time. Always brilliant activities and entertainment going on. If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would.

I had a really nice stay at the hotel and enjoyed a very relaxing vacation. The atmosphere was peaceful and quiet, which was great for resting. The staff was exceptionally polite and attentive, always ready to help. The room was clean, and the whole hotel was well maintained. The only small downside for me was that I would have liked a few more parties or evening entertainment activities. I would gladly come back again. Highly recommended!

We returned last week after spending 2 weeks here. I read a review and agree, this hotel doesn't know what it's identity is, the children's pool is in a corner behind the BBq spot, it's a size of a puddle. Is it an 18-30 hotel?, if you drink alcohol it's a winner. Be warned there's no lift, we were in block 3 on the 3rd floor, room was clean, basic, not sure why in the bathroom there are 4 bottles of spirits. Beds were comfy. We stayed around the quite pool, main pool was way too busy for us. We put our towels down around 6.30am, only because we're creature of habits and it was on the way to the gym. Plenty of Beds tho. Be warned, your whites will go green. Shame there's no staff taking drinks orders, it would be nice if the entertainment staff would nip up and let ppl know what's coming up for the day. ( beach activities or exercise) Beach began to settle more on our last few days which was lovely, shame we found drug baggies on the beach, on that note, if you go to 5th Ave be aware, we got offered weed, cocaine and heroin. ( not just once) Tui reps, 1 we found extremely dismissive, no listening skills, and what felt like judgemental. ( never saw them away from their desk) Starbucks is a 5 minute walk if you miss something familiar. On leaving, we checked out, paid our bill, staff member then walked away, no asking if we enjoyed ourselves, no, have a safe trip. We didn't feel staff cared, 1 staff member spoke to us 2 days before leaving, which was a shame. No one helped with our bags on leaving, thankfully we could handle them, it would be a massive struggle for some people, again reinforcing to us that staff wasn't that bothered. Would we go again? Sadly no, too big, too boozy, but that's an us thing

Dad and I stayed here for a week, as a chance to get away after Mom passed away. We needed a week of relaxation so we thought an all inclusive was the best way to do that. Overall we got what we needed, and enjoyed our week away. There was quite a bit of good and some bad, so I'll go through my thoughts. The Room: It was a good size and the beds were comfortable. It's too bad the two double beds are pushed together, but it didn't have a huge impact for us. There was a good amount of storage in the room, and the balcony was a nice size. The mini-fridge worked well, They were really good about leaving lots of bottles of water, as you can't drink the tap water. our safe stopped working at one point, but someone from maintenance came quickly and replaced the battery. The shower and toilet are very awkward. The shower stall doesn't have frosted glass, and since there's no door between the bedroom and bathroom, you are basically showering in the open. Since it was just two of us, Dad or I could just look away while the other showered, but I imagine a large family or group of friends would find it awkward. Also, make sure you close the curtains, otherwise your neighbours can see right into the shower. There was also a musty smell from the toilet. It wasn't very pleasant. The paint in the rooms was also a bit flaky and could use a touchup. But that wasn't a big deal. The Beach: The beach was nice and there were a lot of chairs. We sometimes had trouble finding two chairs together, but we'd usually find two separately and drag them around. The seaweed (sargassum) was pretty awful the week we were there. It wasn't bad to walk over, but it was all in the water as well. It would float around and I got a few scratches from it. It's absolutely no fault of the hotel, and in fact they worked really hard to clean it up as best they could. But if you are a beach person, you should check the projections for the time of year you plan to travel. The Pools: The main pool was what it was... crowded and full of action. We didn't spend much time there, as there was never any available chairs. I wish the main pool was open later, till maybe 8 or 9pm, as the sky would actually get really beautiful at that time, and most of the people would move on for dinner. The swim-up bar was a big gross as people drink all day and don't get out... so you know what happens after a few hours. The quiet pool was nice, and was easier to find chairs as well. The pool is a bit boring, as it's just a rectangle... doesn't feel very resorty... but it's a good option for those who want a quieter atmosphere. The staff at that bar were quite good, especially Juan. The Main Buffet: The main buffet for breakfast and dinner is attached to the main lobby. The area is very large, and has both indoor and outdoor seating. The food selection was very extensive, and had a lot of options. They were constantly replenishing food so if something disappeared, it wasn't long before more arrived. We especially enjoyed all the breakfast options, as you could eat something different every day of the week. Dad also discovered Cafe de Olla, which he just loved. Instead of regular coffee, this because his favourite way to start the day. We're going to have to try and replicate it at home. One improvement would be the signs indicating the food. Some of the signs were small and Dad had trouble reading the font. And some food had no signs at all, so we had to ask what it was. And some of the translations to English were not quite accurate. The Lunch Buffet: The lunchtime buffet is at a different location, by the main pool. It is also well stocked with lots of food options. Some things were standard and some rotated depending on the day. It could get quite busy, but we could still find seats without an issue, but it was nicer to go after 2pm when it was a bit quieter. The one unfortunate thing was I really didn't like the hamburgers. They were not great quality, and were always overcooked and dry. The Steakhouse: We went here on our first and last nights. The salad and cheese sticks were a nice appetizer, and the selection of sauces were good. They actually make a really good barbeque sauce, so I recommend trying it. Unfortunately on the first night, our steak was disappointing. It's advertised as a 12 oz ribeye, but it was really small, and quite fatty so we were only got about 5oz of food. It was also overcooked. When we gave it a second chance on the last night, we explained to the waiter that we found it disappointing on our first try. This time they brought us steak that was closer to a 12 oz ribeye, so it was an improvement. Honestly it still wasn't cooked well, but at least they used a better cut. The apple pie was cold though... would be better if it was served warm. The Italian: This was my favourite specialty restaurant. The beef filet with gorgonzola was quite nice. We came to this restaurant twice, as it's the only specialty restaurant that is open for lunch. The Asian: This specialty restaurant was also good. It's entirely buffet, but you can watch the chef cooking in the back. I don't eat seafood so the options here were limited, but I enjoyed what I ate. The chicken peanut satay was very good. The Mexican: This one was a bit disappointing, but wasn't bad by any means. I think because you are surrounded by really good taco places in Playa Del Carmen, this one just was mediocre. It's nice as an option, but I wouldn't go more than once. The Shows: I'm a bit picky, as I am a dancer and I go to a lot of shows. So the shows were not very impressive to me. Most of the shows (Divas, Michael Jackson, Abba) were tribute shows. The singers and dancers worked very hard though, so I appreciate the work and effort they put in to their performances. Now, the Mexican Folklorico show was really very good, definitely the best show of the week, by a long shot! The dancers were really excellent, and the singer was amazing. This show is one not to miss. There were also some bands and singers who performed in the theatre and lobby, and they were all pretty good. Service: The service at the resort was quite excellent. Everyone we interacted with was really good, and very attentive. The nice thing about this resort is that when you share your thoughts with the staff, they generally listen carefully and try their best to help you. We only had one interaction that was negative. One night, we'd run out of both kleenex and toilet paper, so I went to the front desk around 2pm to get some more. The man was quite rude, and was basically insisting he couldn't do anything. He ended up going to the public bathroom and giving me a half used roll of toilet paper, but he seemed like it was a real inconvenience. That was unfortunate, as it was the only bad experience. The staff in the restaurants were especially good, and were very attentive. You could help yourself to drinks, but they were also happy to bring you whatever you wanted. And if you ran out, they'd quickly ask if you wanted more. We would tip 50 pesos per meal usually, but the staff was very helpful with or without tips. Overall we had a good time. Like I said, we mostly just needed a week away from the grief at home, and a change of scenery. This resort was just that. We were comfortable in the room, and we felt well cared for by the staff. We would definitely return, although we'd try to time it when the sargassum isn't so bad. Otherwise, we'd be happy to return.