Riu Playacar - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

8824 reviews

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  Fabulous Riu hotel

  We had a fantastic two week holiday at RiuPlayCar. We are a family of four including two teenagers. This is a lovely hotel, with everything we needed for a very enjoyable holiday. The rooms were big and quiet, with the beds (and pillows) being huge and very comfortable. There was a huge choice of food, all really good with live cooking stations as part of the massive buffet, also 3 restaurants - the streak and Italian restaurants were excellent with no surcharge and you didn’t have to book. All the restaurants were very clean, we saw staff gelling their hands, and any dropped food was cleared immediately. Although the main restaurant is a buffet service for food they provide a drinks service, decent enough wines etc. All the staff on the resort were lovely - really helpful and polite, from the restaurant staff and the bar staff to the entertainment team, cleaners and reception team. We liked the fact the reception team called a few times to check we were satisfied with everything. The pool areas were very clean (again staff cleaning spillages immediately). All areas were very well staffed which meant we were served quickly. Bar staff brought round trays of drinks both poolside and to the sun beds on the beach, and would take your drinks order if you wanted something else (which was more than we expected when we booked). We were really impressed by the service. The daytime activities were good - daily bingo, weekly Mayan culture dance, also daily dance / various exercise sessions and volleyball on the beach so plenty to keep our teenagers (and me) happy. Also free body boards and kayaks. We read about the seaweed problem and although you could see lots came in overnight it was cleared early in the morning so it was fine to swim in the sea which we did every day . I did 4 dives and a reactivate dive session with two of the dives being in Cozamel (picked up from the hotel and speedboat over). I organised these through ScubaCaribe at the resort whilst I was there and again the ScubaCaribe staff were very professional and helpful, all well organised and they made me feel very comfortable as I was nervous about doing the dives after a long break from diving and also because I was doing them on my own. We have stayed at a Riu hotel once before which is why we decided to go with Riu again and it was definitely the right decision as the whole hotel experience was fabulous.

  Apr 11, 2026
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  Fantastic Family Stay in Playacar

  We booked this holiday through TUI Group as a family of four with two 12-year-olds and had a fantastic experience from start to finish. The hotel was spotless, with beautifully maintained, open and spacious grounds. Our room overlooked the main avenue leading down to the beach, which made for a lovely setting. The beach itself was excellent—soft white sand, seaweed cleared daily, and there were always plenty of sunbeds available. The beach access really sets this hotel apart, with stunning views across to Cozumel. The location within the gated community of Playacar felt very safe and was beautifully landscaped. There’s also a handy shopping area directly across the road, perfect for picking up gifts, plus a pharmacy and medical centre, which I used during our stay due to an ear infection. The staff were brilliant throughout—consistently friendly, helpful and attentive. The entertainment team were especially engaging, and our children loved getting involved in activities like boules, ping pong and other daily events. A special mention to Cairim from the entertainment team, who really stood out and made a big difference to our stay. Friday nights were a real highlight with the Neon and White parties at the sister hotel, Hotel Riu Tequila, just across the road. The silent disco at our hotel one evening was also brilliant fun for all of us. Food was very good overall, with plenty of variety. Our favourite restaurant was Jade, which stood out for both food and atmosphere—there really is something for everyone. There were quite a few American guests during Spring Break, along with some English and other nationalities, which created a lively and varied atmosphere. Getting around was easy, with taxis always available outside the hotel on fixed tariffs. Top tip: if you’re travelling with children, consider booking a rollaway bed directly with the hotel. We found it essential—without it, sleeping arrangements would have been quite tight. Overall, we loved our stay and would highly recommend this hotel to families looking for a fun, relaxing getaway

  Apr 09, 2026
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  Gorgeous resort

  I was there for 4 nights in mid March. They initially booked me into a partial ocean view room, which was lovely. But I was quite surprised the next day when I got an email asking if I wanted an Oceanview Room. Room was clean and tidy, and was purple themed. For the next 3 nights I was treated to an amazing view that I will never forget. This hotel has a shopping plaza with a Starbucks across the street. About a 30 minute walk to Playa Del Carmen and there’s also Mayan Ruins on the way that were very interesting. I went for a hot stone massage at the spa which was incredible. My only complaints are that they have no breakfast options down near the pools, you have to walk up to the the main buffet near reception. Also, there is no room service available. Otherwise, great resort and I will be back.

  Mar 29, 2026
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  Classical All-Inclusive

  This Riu Hotel is in Playacar, an enclosed gated community. It is a traditional All-Inclusive hotel. The rooms are spacy, clean and minibar included in the price. It has a buffet restaurant, Mexican, Steak, Italian and Asian Restaurant, which is not recommended if you expect traditional Asian food. The rest is okay and slighly above the average all inclusive food. The staff is very friendly and drinks are very good. It has three smaller pools, one of which is a hughes pool bar. Shows are quite okay and every friday there is a mega Riu party in the neighboring hotel. The beach is great. If you like diving, go to the dive center at Riu Yucatan. 5 min walking. Saves you paying commission at the reps in the hotel.

  Mar 28, 2026
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  Nice hotel shame about the noise

  This is a small hotel with few facilities. It is half a kilometre long leading towards the beach and is not wide. There are 8 blocks of rooms with 3 floors and no lift. There are approximately 40 steps to get to the top floor so not difficult. There are 2 pools you can swim in and one pool purely for drinking at the swim up bar. There is no sports bar so you have to walk over to their sister hotel but they did show all the English football. You can access 3 other hotels in the group but not Riu Palace. We would pay extra and stop at the Place in future. The rooms and common areas are spotlessly clean. Some state the decor is dated but it is perfectly ok and freshly painted everywhere. Beds are very comfortable. Maid service is excellent and we ended up with a menagerie of towel animals. There is no shade on the beach apart from the palm trees, so you have to constantly move the beds, but the beds are comfortable and it didn’t matter when you went down you could always find somewhere with shade. The biggest problem for me was the noise. The music near the pool is very LOUD at times and there is no escape as it’s such a small hotel. I felt their security did not control the noisy young Americans who were continually served drinks whilst being loud and rowdy. There was an early arrival of sargassum (seaweed) and the hotel worked tirelessly to clear this with tractors and lorries. They did a really good job. The food is good and you can attend any of the specialty restaurants without booking which we liked as you’re not restricted to a time. There is a row of shops directly opposite the hotel who allow you to browse. You can take a taxi to 5th Avenue where there are more shops but they are more pushy. You can get a ferry there to Cozumel. Take some local currency. You have to pay a hotel room tax of approx £18 per week and a departure tax of £25 per person. Whilst the hotel is not tiny by any means I personally prefer a larger space as you can always find a quiet corner. The staff are excellent.

  Mar 25, 2026