Riu Caribe Hotel

we have just got back from the riu caribe the staff were amazing but the rooms were in very bad condition doors were broke taps didnt work the hotel is shutting down soon to be refurblished a new riu is being built right next door so a warning it is a building site although this didnt affect us

2 readers found this review helpful

just got back form riu caribe and all i can advise is stop dithering and get yourself out there. great hotel ,great staff, great food and great drinks !!!!!we loved every minute of it.dont miss the Michael Jackson tribute show, absolutely brilliant.

19 readers found this review helpful

I read some of the reviews before i left and the bad ones made us feel a little apprehensive. however after visiting the riu caribe i now understand that the people who have written the bad reviews were the kind of people who were expecting a £5000 holiday for half the price (aka snobs!!)
Our time at the Riu Caribe was absolutly fantastic!
Firstly the hotel itself was beautifully layed out, the lobby was jaw dropping! it is set out like a jungle theme and really gives you the feel that you are in Mexico! Our reception was very warm, we were all sat down, given a free drink, room keys etc. (I just wish i knew that you get a free beach towel service after us packing 4 towels lol) the room was very nice, it was basic but pleasant (They all pretty much are basic in this part of the world unless you spend an unessasary fortune) there was a mini bar and spirit dispencer which was pretty cool!! The balcany was quite small but the veiws we had of the sea and the laguna were amazing! the beds werent the most comfortable but they did us fine and the double size beds were big enough for both of us and an extra person!!
The resturants were fab the main buffet resturant was the only one you didnt have to book and for the others (steak house, asian and mexican) you did have to book (Booking opened at 7.30 but we were fine booking our seats at 9.30 every day!!) There was also a pizza bar by the beach where they made a pizza for you on order this was great and every day when we got there the bar man had already poured us a drink as he got to know our faces!! there were waiters on the beach and by the pool and these were great, yes the cups were small but in most hotels in this part of the world they are small! the pool was extreemly lively and the people providing the entertainment were also the people who provided the entertainment on the night (very hard workers!) and were very friendly!! The entertainment on the night wasn't the greatest but it never is where ever you go and yes you did have to walk back to the lobby after your drink (100yards!). They also do trips to the clubs, a different club every night, which gave us a lot of sence of security going with the hotel! I also did scuba diving through the hotel and the instuctor was fantastic and it was relatively cheap and they also let my girlfriend on the boat free of charge!!
If your planning to do some of the trips there then make sure you see Chichen Itza this gives you a sight of real mexico and an introduction into the history of the mayas!
Also the pirate ship is a great night with some fun surprises!
Cancun was great and next time we visit the caribean we will definatly be looking to stop in a riu hotel!!

4 readers found this review helpful

Reading all the bad reviews and I cant understand them at all the hotel was fantastic, we felt safe, looked after and very comfortable. We left money, mobiles and ipods out in the hotel room whilst we weren't there and the rooms were cleaned, mini bar topped up and nothing at all went missing.If you are concerned there is a safety deposit box. Also a comment said about there being no waiter on the beach and there's a large set of stairs to go to the bar to get your drinks, well there is some stairs... about 15. Now the staff are amazing, very happy people. Also the entertainment staff are the best but to enjoy it further you have to join in. The food is outstanding, alot to choose from and I have to seriously recommend the deep fried ice cream pudding from the shangrila restaurant. I cannot have one bad thing to say about the holiday or the hotel or the staff whatsoever and I have booked to go back June 2009.

2 readers found this review helpful

The perfect holiday.My wife and myself had the most fantastic holiday ever. It was our first long haul and we enjoyed it so much that we have booked again for next year.We made some very good friendly people from Canada,USA and England and hopefully will meet up again sometime. The food was very good in any of the resteraunts and the bar staff and entertainers were hard worked but always had a smile on their faces. The hotel lobby area just amazes you from the moment that you enter the hotel. Downtown Cancun is only 5 minutes away buy bus,which run 24 hours. Coco Bongo and Senior Frogs are a must to visit.The only regret was that we didnt swim with the dolphins but we will put that right the next time we visit.
Ive read through a few reviews and the ones that say that the beds are hard must be having too many early nights because we couldnt get out of them.

1 reader found this review helpful

I have got got home from a 2 week Holiday at the Riu Caribe Cancnun. Once we arrived at the hotel we got ushered into a room to collect our bands and keys etc not a very warm welcome for a start.
The hotel overall was extremely clean and our rooms were cleaned to a very high standard every day. Towels and bedding were changed every day. The staff were lovely and couldn't do enough to help although the security guards were extremely strange but i will come to that in a bit!
We had a room with 2 double beds in. Both bed bases were too small for the double mattress on top which was unacceptable. We complained but they had no where to move us.
Food was amazing with a wide selection for all tastes. The 3 Restaurants you can book seperatley aren't worth the bother as they were not very nice! You will see this yourself as they are mostly empty, however the hotel drum it into your heads you need to book at 7.30am in the morning! Pointless!
The entertainment in the evening is held in the theatre and ended most nights for 10pm. You then have to come to the lobby to finsh your drinks etc. I personally prefer the entertaiment to be somewhere you can sit down and relax with a drink and not keep moving from place to place.
My mother-in-law woke one night to find a security guard in her room saying she had left door was open! Very strange for someone who definately locked the doors and checks them before going to bed. We believe the security had let themselves in. A couple of nights later after me and my partner had been in bed for a good 3 hours i woke to a knock at the door. When my partner answered it, it was a security guard patrolling the corridor. He said he was checking the room! Strange again as we had been asleep for 3 hours.
The room has optics and a mini bar but no tea and coffee making facilties. No room service either so you have to go down for drinks/food etc! Not acceptable when your feeling under the weather!
Overall i personally would not recommend this hotel to anyone. I was extremely disappointed after all we paid to stay there. Our holiday overall to Cancun was good but i am in no rush to return. Cancun caters for the Americans only.

6 readers found this review helpful

I have just got home from a 2 week holiday with my boyfriend at the riu caribe, it was the best holiday of my life i am sure i did not visit the same hotel that these people are moaning about!!!!!!!
The hotel was spotless people always cleaning day and night, staff was so helpful and could never do enough for you! nothing was to much for them.
food was very good breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The bars was always fun to be at as something would always be going on for example a singer or sports in the sports bar.
The hotel put on a show every night, there was entertainers working long hours everyday getting people involved in all sorts of games.
The entertainment team was so friendly always up for a laugh and a joke.
The rooms was always spotless the maids cleaned our room everyday and was always friendly.
The hotel went to a different club everynight which was very good as u paid in the hotel they provided free transport and vip area the the club.
The hotel also has a spa which is very cheap, we both had massages and i had manicure and a pedicure.
It was my birthday while we was on holiday and the hotel delivered a card and a fruit bowl to our room while we was out.

Cancun itself is a beautiful country, while we was there we swan with dolphins, went to coco bongos the most amazing show i have ever seen.
We both cant wait to go again!!!
please make up your own mind about this hotel and dont judge it on other peoples reviews because u obviously cant please everyone!!

3 readers found this review helpful

We went to the Riu Caribe in 2006. We loved everything about it. We had a room with a glorious view and everything was clean and tidy with the maids coming in every day. Although there is no obligation to tip - these people are on a pittance and work VERY hard - a little appreciation never goes amiss.
Our bed was a little hard, so we asked for and received a mattress topper within half an hour.
We have since stayed at the Riu Cancun in 2007 and the Palace in Playa del Carmen in 2008.
As a couple in our forties, we found the Riu Cancun a little too lively for our taste. The hotel and amenities were fantastic, but a little too near the action for us. We had gone for a rest.
The Palace on the other hand was TOO quiet!!! A bit too far away from everything, but as a Riu Palace, it was out of this world!
We have booked to to back to the Riu Caribe next year and are taking some like-minded friends. The Caribe is just far enough out of the main action to be relaxing, but the bus and taxi services take literally minutes to get where you wnat and are very reasonable.
My main bugbear about these holidays however has been the amount of litter on the beaches created by smokers. They use the sand as one big ashtray and have no respect for others. I defy the staff to keep it clean. Maybe some signs and more bins would be an idea - plus a little respect from the smokers in question.

4 readers found this review helpful

DO NOT TRUST THIS HOTEL! me and family went for two weeks, it was a lovely place with lovely weather but the security gaurds are corrupt thieves! me and my brother stayed in our own room and one night we found out that the security gaurds came into our room and stole our money! we know this because some of our family were staying in the room next to us and they saw them go in. we reported this to the local authoritys but they just didnt care. why, because the police said they knew the security gaurds and werent interested in making an investigation. it doesnt get more corrupt than that. dissapointing as this sounds, the cleaning and food is marvelous and the entertainment is outstanding (if you get involved). Be aware of their selling techniques. there is a reason for the safe, be sure to use it and hide your wallet if not in the safe. corrupt! go at ur own risk

4 readers found this review helpful

I would just like to say that i went to his hotel on my honeymoon back in october, and can't beleive the bad comments. The service was brillrant and food outstanding, there was even actives in the day and music at night. had the best hoilday ever so much so that i've booked to go back this october again and this time i'm bringing the whole family children and grandparents, thats how much i trust this hotel and i know that i'll have just as good a hoilday at the rui carbie this year as i did last year.