Riu Yucatan Playacar

a man with nice shorts and a good looking shirt was denied entrance to the buffet while a man with dirty bib overalls and a solid white t-shirt with the sleeves ripped off with armpit hair hanging out was allowed in, if that isn't enough if you want a drink on the overcrowded beach you had to walk nearly half a mile to get a very small watered down drink, the room service left us without toilet paper and dirty ice buckets, (They did make the bed) Having visited the Mayan Rivera and Cozumel on "Many Occasions" this place was the worst. e-mail me and I will give you the good points also, however the bad outweighs the good.

Here I am, extremely excited to be going on vacation again to wonderfully warm Mexico. We left on January 30, 2003 and returned February 6, 2003. We had a group of twenty-one people on this trip. Here is my story: When we arrived to the RIU Yucatan on a Thursday at about 10am, it looked very nice. The lobby was huge and had nice decor. The check-in process went pretty smooth, which I was happy about since I wanted to get down to the beach ASAP! After getting our keys and "towel cards", we were directed to our room. On the way to our room we noticed awful smells, kinda like sewer and/or vomit. I was glad our room was odorless. We were told we had a mini bar in our room and it was stocked every other day. UGH! We did have four bottles of Corona, four Pepsi's in glass bottles, bottled water and soda water in the fridge. The "mini bar" was actually four bottles of booze: Rum, Tequila, Vodka, and Gin. The name brands were completely unknown and we had never heard of them. The rest of the room is just standard. We unpacked our things and headed straight for the pool bar, which is on the way to the beach. WHOA! It was a pretty long walk to the pool, and let me tell ya, the awful smells were all over the resort! It was disgusting! When we got to the pool, there were lots of chairs available all around the pool. I was glad we remembered to bring our "towel cards" to get a towel, it would not be a nice walk all the way back to my room. We decided to get in for a drink at the pool bar, but couldn't - WATER IS WAY TOO COLD! We just grabbed a drink at the bar at the other end of the pool. To our surprise, all the bars on the resort property used this "unknown brand liquor" except the Kaluha, which we all know. Around the pool was also what we thought was a hot tub - NOPE! Just a cold bubbling tub with absolutely no heat! No biggie though - it's hot outside and we won't need it! We made our way down to the beach, drinks in hand. The beach is very nice, but the chairs are all taken up close to the water. Pretty long haul to bring one down from the shady/tree section! If you get there before 10 am though, your chances of finding a decent chair in a decent spot are pretty good. The beach is also the place to see topless women and men in Speedos. Mostly women that should be covered and men that should have way more on! You could also get the windsurfing, snorkeling and boogie boards down at the beach - all for free, but only one hour a day! Later we met our group in the bar next to the pool. We were all having cocktails waiting for the "entertainment" to start. Their form of entertainment varies from mine considerably. They brought kids up on stage and entertained them for awhile, then started singing and dancing American songs with their very heavy Spanish accents. One night was Michael Jackson, one was Ricky Martin - the other nights we didn't stop to see what was going on. The food was a huge buffet with lots of things on it. Some I knew what they were, some I had no idea. Every night the food at the buffet was the same for dinner. Every morning was the same for every breakfast. (I had them make me an omelet EVERY morning) Boring and it got a little upsetting to the stomach day after day. I was glad we could make reservations at one of the other two restaurants the had: a Steakhouse and a Seafood Place. It did take us four days to get a reservation though, since you had to get up at 6:30am to make the reservation, which we did not know. You see, they only serve 40 people a night in these restaurants, out of the maybe 1000 that are there. You needed to be first in line and only on the day of to make the reservation. We decided on the Seafood Place. Not a buffet, but waiters serving you. You had a choice for dinner between three things: Stuffed Crab AuGratin, Grouper, or Salmon. My husband and I chose the crab. We started with appetizers of shrimp, and a couple of other things that I am still guessing over, then bean soup, then dinner. Oh was I excited to be eating something different! We dug in only to find out that we were eating Stuffed Krab - imitation crab, crab with a "K"! Yes, imitation crab on a real crabshell to make it look better. I was deeply saddened. Dessert was some kind of pudding. All meals after this one were eaten off premise. We went to downtown Playa Del Carmen to eat unless it was just grabbing a muffin before heading to the beach. Later in the week, they started painting the resort which was actually a welcomed smell after the vomit/sewage smell we had for days! One of the guys in our group had his shower ceiling painted without being informed. The humidity from the hot shower dripped paint on him! The "disco" was the bar that was open late and played music loud. Smelled so bad in there is was always empty. We did have use of the other RIU resorts close by, so we decided to go to the disco at the RIU Tequila. It smelled just as bad, but did have people inside and was much bigger than the one in our resort. We tolerated the smell and partied! Our rooms were never cleaned before 5pm. The three phone calls I received never got through to me and I never received a message. Americans are the minority and Europeans are all over the place! The floors throughout the resort we always slippery due to the humidity, and with tennis shoes on, I fell on my butt! We paid $1500.00 per person and that included airfare and transfers

Vacation completed on January 25, 2003 That was the hardest line to write in this entire summary. For the week of January 18th through the 25th, my wife and I had the pleasure of staying at the Riu Yucatan hotel. Although we are not seasoned travelers we definitely know quality when we see it, and we saw it. I will do the same as some previous people have and break the summary in to four categories. 2 thumbs up 1 thumb up 1 thumb down 2 thumbs down Background information: We were part of a group of 25 people, we were celebrating the marriage of my wife's father and the group for the best part was a mature group. We are a married couple in our early 30's and my wife at the time was 5 months pregnant. We had the concerns that you always have when travelling, quality of food, water, and appropriate activity. Reality is common sense prevails, follow the simple rules provided by your tour group and you will be fine. In our entire group one person got ill and that was a case of sunstroke. Put a little too much alcohol together with great weather and look out. We traveled via Sunquest Tours and things only got better from there. 2 Thumbs Up · Being the manager of a Customer Service group for a large office furniture manufacturer, I know a bit about quality service. I also realized I could still learn a great deal. The entire staff was beyond excellent. Special comments go to Maria DeJesus Castilo (Cancun Bridal), Lissette Gongora (Sales), Roger (our Sunquest Rep), Leo in LaHacianda Kitchen, James with the entertainment group and finally the person with the greatest smile Patricia at the beach bar. (I did see some of the messages others posted, I suspect it is more a case of respect the service provider and they will treat you as platinum. Abuse them and you will only get gold service) · Facilities, Rooms were clean, and the daily towel characters were nice. The fridge was restocked every 2 days as identified, restaurants were exceptional and the food options were great, beach was kept clean and the chairs were plentiful · Food, Breakfasts and dinners were exceptional. The buffet always had something special; the pig was second to none. The steak restaurant was well received with the Top Sirloin the best recommended. Try the fried Bananas at breakfast, they will kill the waist line but pleasure the mouth. · Nightly entertainment, considering the fact that the shows are put on by the same people that keep you entertained all day, they were excellent. It is not Broadway, but they have a great deal of fun doing the shows and if you get into the act you will too. Strongly recommend seeing the Myan group if they are performing, keep the kids up for this one if you have any. · Drinks, if you are going on a vacation to get drunk this is not the place to do it. However, if you want a few drinks and a good laugh this is right up your alley. Remember to ask Patricia to smile. · Did a half-day snorkel tour with Felix. His group was amazing. His sense of humor and willingness to point special things out made it all worth while. · Play a del Carmen, if you like to work a deal, this is the place to do it. Just remember for every good deal you make, somebody else might do better. 1 Thumb Up · Lunch Buffet, a little repetitive, food was very good but the options did not vary much from day to day. However the Pizza was the best, sorry mom but it was better than you make. · Daily activities, The activities themselves were excellent and the people running them were amazing, however I did find it difficult to determine what was going on every day. I do know that VolleyBall is from 10:30 and again at 3:30. Wake up James · Took the trip to Tulum which was amazing, however was not warned about the washroom conditions. This is probably a result of not being well traveled, but take your own paper. 1 Thumb down · The pool was not heated and as they had just experienced a cold snap the water was cool. However, the Ocean was better for swimming. 2 Thumbs down · The airport, we arrived with a number of other planes, this resulted in a great deal of time going through the entire process. However, you soon forget this once you get to the hotel. Recommendations · Tip the people a bit up front, they will remember that for the remainder of your stay, then reward them for their quality at the end. · Look at the hours the people are working, appreciate the fact that they work harder then most of us, and probably do it for a great deal less income. · If you can speak the least bit of Spanish they will reward that with a great smile. · Your attitude will be infectious, make sure you want to enjoy yourself. · There is topless people at the beach, but as a Canadian, after about half an hour you forget about it. PS. Both my wife and I would be willing to share additional information with anyone. Please contact us at robhil22@hotmail.com and subject Riu Yucatan. If you have had a similar experience elsewhere let us know, as this has changed how we view time off. Rob Hilton Manager, Customer Service (416) 661-1577 ext. 2417 (416) 661-4803 fax

My husband and I and our best friends just returned from the Riu Yucatan in Playa Del Carmen on January 19, 2003. The hotel is fabulous, from the room to the service to the food to the entertainment! I could not think of one negative thing to say even if I tried! My only downer on the trip was the weather - a little cool and cloudy for Mexico - and obviously out of anyone's control! My recommendation is to stay at the Riu Yucatan, with or without kids, as it is very accomodating to both! We are returning next year with our kids to give them an awesome holiday! Guaranteed you won't be disappointed!

We did not to know what to expect. This was the first time we had traveled to Playa del Carmen. The service that was offered was the best we had ever had at any resort we had been to. We loved the entertainment, the food was top of the line. Our first night when we arrived til the last night, they were always willing to make you happy. I would highly recommend this place to everybody who is going to this area. I would say this is a top notch place.

I went to Playa Del Carmen in the summer of 2002. I found the Yucatan to be most delightful. It is definately the best hotel I have ever stayed in. The staff were very friendly and did everything to make sure you enjoyed your stay. Even when the shower ceiling fell in, they were quick to move us to a different room. I did object to having to sit at the same table every night but that meant we alwatys got our favourite waitress. The layout was fine and I enjoyed being in the middle of such beautiful scenery. The beach was fantastic, really white sand and clear water. The entertainment team were excellent, they always had some form of entertainment in the evening. I would definately recommend the Rui Yucatan to anyone wanting to go to Mexico. I would most definately go back.

Returned 1/9 after a weeks stay at RIU Yucatan and what turned out to be a wonderful vacation. Found the staff and services the most outstanding thing about Yucatan. Additionally, RIU Tequila and Playacar are within walking distance and their services, except for dinner were also available. Bar service at the three hotels varied with Playacar #1, Tequila 2 and Yucatan 3. Liquor quality and quantity was a major topic in other reviews for these hotels. In my opinion, unless you are an expert the difference in brand is not a factor. Most of the liquor served at RIU's was made in Mexico. For the majority of tropical and special drinks served this does not matter. The size of the drink glasses is probably 6 oz but there is no limit in how many times you can come back. The buffet at Yucatan was excellent evry night and the variety of dishes excellent. The two nights at the specialty restaurants (steak and fish) were also outstanding. You are required to reserve for these spots starting at 0700 of the day desired. However, on two occasions, we were told the the restaurant had been reserved by a group ahead of time and was closed out. If this happens, complain bitterly and ask for an advance reservation on another day. This works! Another complaint was relating to bad odors in the rooms. We stayed in 7115 on the ground level with an outside patio and found none of this to be true. The air conditioning and fan worked flawlessly. The beds seemed to be a little harder than we were accustumed to, but after a full day we never had trouble sleeping. The area in which the hotels is located is in a gated private community and walking to Playa del Carmen never seemed to be at risk. Normal walking time 30 minutes. The beach at Yucatan was not strewn with butts but was crowded close to the waters edge. Lounges do become at a premium after 1000 but if one searches, one can usually be found. Be prepared to see topless ladies becuse they will be there at all age levels. Can't say enough about this whole vacation

Took the family (wife and 2 teenage girls) down over the XMAS holiday 2002. Facilities =B+, food=B (Main resturant =B+ Steak Resturant=B, Fish Resturant C+), Staff=A++, Beach (Nude!- But there are sometings you just don't want to see)=B+, Pool= B+. What other place can you go to where ther are monkeys and Tucans in the trees outside your window . We all had a great time The only down side was the openess of the alcohol. There was no age restrictions (at least that I observed). PS: Don't look for any call brands on the Booze

My family, (wife, 3 children) and I just returned from a week at Riu Yucatan from 12/20 - 12/27/02. This is about our 7th trip to Mexico. We have stayed at the Riu Tequila, Iberostar Tucan, Carribean Village as well as at hotels in Cozumel, Cancun, and Peuto Vallarta before and knew what to expect. The beach as we knew was wonderful and the location is great. The beach has more depth than the beaches in Cancun and are much prettier. Seems to me to be less windy. Also much for topless here. Could go for long walks on the beach sans top if wanted. The grounds are very well kept. The buffet restaurant was not as good as the Riu Tequila's. There was more waiting and the quality was not there. Food definitely much better at the Iberostar Tucan. Quality of the drinks is poor. XX beer is their standard. Hard liquor is poor quality. Definitely never order a martini. Room service is non-existent but there is a fridge that they are supposed to stock every 2 days. Had terrible problem getting this stocked. Had to make 4 phone calls and "discuss" with the manager twice the same day just to get supplies brought and by then we were in bed. Service in the steak restaurant was pathetic. We left after waiting so long for service that we couldn't stand it. If you get a great deal, do not expect 5 star accomodations, can handle hoardes of people in line for food, like really cheap wine out of a barrel, and find that the location and beach (topless allowed) are more important then you will be happy here. It is not posh by any standard. Except for the really cheap wine I am usually happy with these circumstances. The management really annoyed us this trip and that is unusual. The Apple tours we took were a bit disappointing as well. We booked the day trip to Chichen Itza and a swimming with the dolphins trip through the Apple representative at the hotel. Despite very clear instructions on our registration slip, they sent the bus to the wrong hotel and we waited 40 minutes past our time to get picked up. They make you feel like an idiot, as you never know which bus you are supposed to get on, have to keep asking "is this our bus?" and repetitively be told to wait. This shortened our time at the ruins. We all enjoyed the Mayan ruins and felt that we learned a lot. Two days later when I approached the Apple reps about this mixup, none of them claimed to know anything about it. I was told that I was not running the company so I could keep my brilliant advice about how to provide better customer service to myself. Similar situation with the dolphin trip: van late, never know which is yours, missed the return van because dolphins were not cooperating, had to take a taxi home (actually two of them) adding to the cost. The ever-helpful rep just said that he would look into it. As we were leaving the next day it was not a lot of help. My advice is to shop around for prices, if the location is reasonable close, take a cab on your own. You will not waste a lot of time, get there when you want, remain in control, not feel like a fool, and enjoy yourself more. Avoid the Apple reps and their orientation tours, they are just trying to sell you trips and excursions. Check out their prices and a few others. Get them to give you details. Cabs are always a good deal. Cheap ($5 or fifty pesos to hotel to Playa del Carmen) and always clean and friendly. Will keep trying to find the perfect resort or wherever the best deals send me.

This is a His and Hers review - mainly because we have different perspectives on what we want from a vacation. We visited the Riu Yucatan hotel in early December 2002. We are both in our 30's, no kids, and neither of us are real party animals! HIS: First, I should point out that this was my first package holiday since I was around 12 years old. My normal vacation involves backpacking, adventure, and never quite knowing where my bed will be that night! If I was the package holiday sort of person then I don't think I could have wished for more out of a vacation than a stay at the Riu Yucatan. I was a little forewarned because I had read the comments on Trip Advisor and I have to say that I couldn't fault any of them. In the UK a few years ago we had a TV sitcom programme, called Hi-De-Hi, centered around a 1950's holiday camp. The Riu Yucatan reminded me of this so much (and all the English readers of this site will know EXACTLY what I mean!). The staff work flat out to ensure there is always something going on throughout the day/evening - beach volleyball, water polo, shooting, aqua gym, boules...etc, etc. And with the frequent tannoy messages I was almost expecting to hear "And tonight, in the Hawaiian Ballroom..." The buffet-style food was good. As a vegetarian I was a little concerned that I might not find something to suit, but my fears were groundless. There was plenty of fresh fruit and salad, but a word of caution - if it isn't obviously vegetarian then treat it as suspect. There was an irritating habit of putting ham into all sorts of dishes that I've never seen ham in before. And that smell as you walk into the dining room - yuck! Four days into the vacation and I was holding my breath when I went in. Yes, they do love frying food there. I'm not a sit-by-the-pool sort of person, but fortunately I was studying for exams and was quite happy to sit in the shade and read my books. There is always the chance to leave the hotel and explore the locale. Out of the main gate and turn right and it's a half hour walk to Playa del Carmen, a somewhat stark contrast to the groomed area of the resort hotels. The bus station is a handy place to find and the buses are a much better - ie cheaper! - option than the tours. A word of warning - we wanted to go to Xcaret (the nearby eco-park) and rather than pay for an expensive tour from the hotel I decided we should try walking. First, it was a little further away than I thought, and second it wasn't such a good idea to try walking down the freeway. We got about 200 yards before we were picked up by the police! Having said that, they were rather kind and gave us a lift to Xcaret (no doubt muttering 'loco gringo' under their breaths). It was the highlight of my week as it was much more the sort of thing I was accustomed to on my backpacking trips! I'd advise you to save yourself US$30 and walk to the bus station (less than US$3 bus fare and the first bus left at 9.20am). Oh yes, and before I forget, the monkeys! The hotel grounds are lush and tropical and home to a variety of monkeys/apes. The larger ones will let out blood curdling howls around 6am each morning, and if you didn't know that was what it was you could be having rather worrying nightmares! Personally I thought they were great! All-in-all I was quite happy with the Riu Yucatan, but package holidays are not my cup of tea really. Now where did I put that backpack? HERS: Landing in a tropical downpour didn't bode well. Spending two hours trying to get through Customs didn't bode well either! But arriving at the Riu Yucatan and being greeted by persons with cocktails on trays, and entering our room within 10 minutes of arriving made up for it. The room did smell musty (as another reviewer commented) - this I think is due to the fact that Mexico was never dry whilst we were there. This did not take away from the spaciousness and comfort of our room. The staff were always smiling and quick to say 'hello' and in particular the maid excelled at making animals out of towels. This was a rather pleasant little quirk. The hotel and grounds were ideally placed right next to the beach (an advantage over the Riu Tequila). When we got the weather the pool was relaxing and atmospheric. As the hotel wasn't full there was plenty of space, but I could see problems if everyone had wanted to go down to the pool at the same time. I must mention Mario the pot man - this isn't anything to do with drugs! He ran a stall where you could paint your own pots which is something I found very relaxing and theraputic. For the more energetic if you are going to go swimming with dolphins at Xcaret I would highly recommend it. I thought it was a nice week long vacation. The weather was a bit of a downer but didn't restrict us too much. If you don't want to stay at the hotel there are lots of things within reasonable distance.