Riu Palace Riviera Maya - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

8635 reviews

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  Amazing vacation in Playa Del Carmen

  We loved our week at RIU Palace Playa Del Carmen. The food was often great and always good. The Italian restaurant was our favorite dinner place. The expansive breakfast buffet had a wide variety of food including custom made omlettes. The staff was excellent. Particularly the head waiter at the breakfast restaurant and the bartenders at the inside bar. The water was clear and the weather was perfect. We enjoyed going out on the catamarans several times. The tours through Destination Services made it an incredibly memorable trip. It was helpful that they have a 24 hour buffet because one night we returned late after a tour. There is so much history in this region worthy of learning more about.

  Dec 28, 2025
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  Great hotel and excellent service.

  Our recent 11-night stay at the Riu Palace Riviera Maya was, overall, a very good experience. The hotel itself remains excellent, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there. Although the property was recently renovated, we did notice that the rooms are already starting to show a little wear and tear. Additionally, there was a significant diminish in the Christmas decorations compared to previous years, particularly on the night of December 24th. While they were certainly not bad, they just weren't as elaborate as what we have come to expect from past visits. The true standout of our stay was the exceptional service. Our particular congratulations go to Sr. Mendez and Carlos at the Don Porfirio restaurant for their fantastic hospitality. At the Japanese restaurant, Fernanda was absolutely great; she was incredibly attentive, professional, and made our dining experience truly special with her warm personality. Furthermore, Claudia at the bar was fantastic and consistently courteous every time we saw her. We look forward to returning to the Riu Palace Riviera Maya in the future.

  Dec 27, 2025
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  Solid All Inclusive Experience

  My family and I greatly enjoyed the resort. We were able to get connecting rooms which is a big plus for us. All of the restaurants were good...not great but with a family, you know we have picky eaters and everyone was happy. The main buffet restaurant has lots of choices for breakfast and dinner and the lunch buffet by the pool is more than adequate. The other restaurants we ate at were quite good and the big plus for us is that we didn't need to make reservations and it's first come first serve. We had to wait about 30 minutes at each restaurant which is fine. The pools are great, the bars and overall service are top notch. The nightly entertainment was also good. We enjoyed the neon party which happens on Thursday nights at their RIU Tequila resort. They bus you there and you can stay as long or as little as you'd like. I'd recommend this to any family looking for a solid all inclusive experience.

  Nov 24, 2025
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  Beachfront hotel is fairly commercial touristy area of Mexico .

  Beachfront hotel around 50 minutes from the airport . So to start with positives , good choice of a la carte restaurants although some distinctly better than others (Japanese was excellent , steak restaurant everything tasted like burnt fat off the grill ) . Sometimes have to wait but longest wait time as around 50 minutes so given number of people here that’s not too bad . Breakfast buffet is outstanding with every choice you want and more . Lunch Buffet also decent and you could eat something different every day for 9 days and still not exhaust all the options . Drinks are ok , absolut vodka branded baileys but cocktails are all very brightly coloured and made from syrups so tasted artificial and not the best . Mango margarita with extra shot of tequila was however a good drink . Beach is really nice particularly first thing in morning at sunrise and pool areas are big and busy . We had ocean front junior suite and room was good although feint smell of damp . The negatives - there is no quiet areas around the pool everything is deafening volume wise and whilst entertainment team do really try to entertain it’s all a bit much and feels constant . If you want a quiet relaxing break probably don’t choose here . Also they offer free pick up but you end up waiting for other people and then drop off at multiple hotels so a 50 minute transfer took 1 hour 40 . My advice is get a taxi for 1400 Mexican peso and you will be here in a fraction of the time . The staff here all work so hard and the hotel is very clean and well maintained . So overall a Mixed bag but good value given price point .

  Nov 23, 2025
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  Great hotel in a great location and wonderful food.

  My wife and I have just left after 11 nights at the Rui palace riviera maya hotel, and we had a great time. The location is great, hotel is on Playacar, a gated complex within the town playa del carmen, which is mainly hotels and some private residences. 300m from the hotel are some local shops, bar, tattoo place and a Starbucks. You can easily walk into playa del carmen, about 25-30 mins, and they offer free walking tours in the town. Cover your hotel wrist band though or you will see a lot of “your waiters from last night”. The hotel itself is clean and well presented. Our room was spacious, with a big bed, couch area and terrace. Having the bathroom (not the toilet) in the room and not separate is a little odd mind. We got towel animals left on the bed every day, very cute. The hotel has four pools, but you have access to 4 of the other 5 hotels, so plenty to choose from if you wish. The beach is right next to the pools, so not really a need to choose between the two. Hotel staff are great and friendly and entertaining. They will come round and offer drinks poolside and take orders, although this isn’t that often. You don’t have to tip anyone, but it’s appreciated. The food was excellent, particularly the steak restaurant, no limit on attendance to the ala cart restaurants, and you don’t have to book, most we had to wait was about 30 mins. And the buffet was great. They ask for trousers and shoes at two of the restaurants, but this is not enforced. All in all, it was a great trip, entertaining and engaging staff, and great food. Take pesos, not dollars.

  Nov 20, 2025