I booked this vacation hotspot based on Tripadvisor reviews, YouTube videos, and location to the beach. I'm very happy with our selection as everything has been perfect. The property is very clean and well kept. Food is very fresh and having an abundance of fresh fruit, and vegetables at every meal. The beach is cleaned daily by a tractor picking up seaweed and trash. Our room was very clean and faced the ocean, which let us watch a lot of sunrise and sunset. People have been very kind. I would recommend tipping people a little bit more. I feel there's not enough going on here for all the work they do. The property is in great walking distance to other Riu locations. You can pop in and see what's going on. There's a great little shopping center across the street for knickknack and souvenirs. Really enjoyed our time here. I would highly recommend staying here. read more

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Solid, not too fancy option. Accommodations are simple but clean and nice. Lots of entertainment options, a good layout and a GREAT beach. Salt water pools are a nice bonus, tho sometimes the swim-up bar can get a little rowdy. Several decent places for food, and a variety of options throughout the day, with selections rotating a bit throughout the week. Nice to have access to the other Riu's, too. read more

Average place to stay. It was 54 steps to get to my room. I wasn't feeling that. Welcome drink was said to be tequila but, it tastes just like punch. The view was beautiful. It was called oceanview but, more like pool view. None of the Oceanview rooms had double beds as we were told when booked. I didn't experience any rude staff members. Liquor in the rooms were definitely bottom line. The restaurants varied. There was Italian.....I didn't care for the lasagna There was Asian.......I loved the shrimp tempura There was the Steakhouse...I loved the meal that was for two people. It included shrimp, steak, chicken, sausage, corn and broccoli. There was Mexican.....I didn't care for that at all. The morning breakfast buffet was average....bacon and fresh omelette did me well. They also had a place I think it was called Pepe's that has food midday and it was located down by the pool area. There was a swim up bar. It wasn't huge but, did have tables, stools and like a lounger in the water. Overall I enjoyed my stay. read more

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We absolutely loved staying at the Riu. It's a beautiful green, well manicured hotel. The pools are delightful, the staff is very friendly and accommodating! There are a lot of choices of food, and the drinks are plentiful! They also provide entertainment, which we did not go to. The last thing that I wanted to mention is the safety of Playacar. You have to go through guards and show them your reservation in order to come through the gates. The homes are beautiful in large in this area. Thank you Marisol for everything, you represent the company well! You are patient and professional! We will return!! read more

Hotel Riu Playcar - Our room 8313 - Hotels Near Me - Playa del Carmen, ROO

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Easily the worst resort I have ever stayed at in Mexico. You are better of staying at a hostel or random motel 6, though you will probably get a mixer room and service. Where do I even start. There moldy mattress? Terrible gas station quality food? Diseased looking hot dogs in a fridge that they pass off as the 24/7 snack bar? Or perhaps the facilities that are all closed? Lets go to beginning. They promised to pick us up in a shuttle from the airport. We got a confirmation from the hotel and I made sure to confirm with the transport company a few days prior. Surprise surprise, they failed to book us transport snd were very confused at the airport. After we showed them multiple confirmations they 'found' us on page 2. We were promised a ride in 15 minutes. 2 hours and many promises later we finally got our ride along with several other unhappy travelers who all needed rides to other resorts. It took a very very long time to get to playacar. We barely made it before ALL the restaurants closed at 10 PM. With a few minutes to spare we went to the asian restaurant near the lobby. The food was bitterly disappointing after a whole days travels. The fish was old, everything was fried and greasy, and overall tasted worse than day old Ihop. The only palatable food was the fruit. After our dinner we got our room assignment. At first it looked pretty bad. Like a poorly maintained motel in the boonies. After looking around some more we noticed black spots on the pillows. That lead me to start looking around. The mattress was disgusting. It has mold and stains everywhere. The curtains were shredded and stained. The wallpaper was dirty and sticky. The wall paint was peeling and dirty ask over. Ask the fixtures were rusty. The entire place was just filthy and disgusting. I've honestly never seen anything that bad and I have traveled a lot to some very poor areas of the world. This place was bad. They should be ashamed. We went to bar to try and drown out the bitter disappointment, but lo and and behold they have a new rule, as of two days ago that no alcohol is allowed after 11pm. We had enough at this point and went to talk to the front desk. Adrian kindly promised to email the Riu services, since we booked on the riu site, and help us out in the morning. He didnt. Every promise at this hotel was broken and not honored. Every shred of blame always deflected on someone else. In the morning we told a lady we wanted to cancel our stay. She didnt even ask why, just gave us a paper to sign. She said she coildnt help and we need to call The riu help line. At that point we had enough and just found another place to book. Not at all how I wanted to spend my vacation time. After finding a new place we called riu, and they of course said we need to talk to the front desk. Just pass rhe problem on. Seeing a pattern? We called them while at the front desk and made them talk to each-other. After a long while of arguing, a lady claiming to be the manager, supposedly Karen, finally agreed to a partial refund after being shown pictures of mold everywhere in the room. She refused to give me any proof that a refund would be made, and refused to show any info beyond her first name. Very professional. Tldr. Moldy rooms Horrible service Nasty gas station food Close early Horrific snack bar. Disgusting No accountability Worst resort of all time I would rather stay at a hoste All the employees here seemed miserable. read more

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This hotel is highly underrated, I think it's an amazing place to stay. It's on the smaller side, but don't let that fool you. Be aware it's not fancy or luxury but it will do the job. I highly recommend it, and here is why: The good: - it's all inclusive, food and drinks (alcoholic and non) are included. They have 3 theme restaurants (Steakhouse/Mexican, Asian, and Italian), and a main restaurant (the Palms) for breakfast buffet. I have tried all of them and the food it's pretty good, it has lots of options, and some have stations where they cook the food at the moment. - It's located in the same complex as other hotels, including other two Riu. This one is the smallest one, but it's still a pretty good size, you are a short walk from everything, including the beach. Also, there is like a bazar of stores in front that you can explore. - the service it's amazing. They keep the hotel super clean, and well maintained. All of them are bilingual (English and Spanish). - they have tours and tickets to different attractions around here (if you have time, Chichen itzá is one of the seven wonders, and Xcaret is a theme park). - Rooms are very comfortable, and spacious. I got the Ocean view and the view is great, specially for sunsets and sunrises. - Prices are mid range, but for all that is included, it's a good deal. The hotel is 24 hours service basically. You have full access to food, drinks, and the beach! You get a better deal if you reserve directly with them. It includes transportation from the airport, and insurance (although basic, it's better than nothing). - there are free chairs in the beach, and they have water activities some included and others at an extra price. - they have a full spa and gym. - it has two pools (I think) they can get loud during the day, but hey... it's part of the "vacation mode". - there is a mini bar in the room with sodas, water and beer included, it also has i self disperser with full bottles for Vodka, Rum, Tequila, and Gin (crazy huh) The not so good: - The beach tends to get busy after 11AM, so if you want to get a good spot, better get there early! - they don't have elevators, so if you have limited mobility make sure to tell them the moment you do your reservation. -Towels are included but are limited to one per person, so you may want to bring some extra. You can exchange them though at any time during the day! read more

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This hotel is just amazing everything that I have experienced is absolute perfection from room service to the food. Let's start from the time we arrived. When we came to the hotel friendly, amazing stuff welcomed us. They even took our luggage from the car and delivered straight into our room. Just because this hotel is 5 stars, we were allowed to go to 3 other hotels either to hang out or to visit their restaurants. This hotel has 5 bars. One of the most amazing one is the one at the pool. It's incredible how could they come up with the idea to build a bar in the pool. It had tables and chairs made out of granite that was installed in that pool. In that incredible hot weather is amazing to just get some refreshing cold drinks inside the pool(pictures are below). One time we went to the sea at night and there were people that was cleaning the beach and pool area. All in have to say is that those places are super clean. The beach has lots of beach beds to lay down. The staff is carrying around all kinds of drinks with or without alcohol. If you want to get some drink you can just ask and they will bring it to you. They have 5 different restaurant that are well served. I have never seen a person without a smile there. The servers are amazing. Those guys will be around you offering all kinds of drinks. The food is incredible they have Mexican American Asian Italian. I would highly recommend this place to anyone.. read more

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This hotel does not feel like a 5-star hotel at all. When I was doing my research online, this came up as a 5-star all inclusive hotel. I looked at the pictures and everything and it literally gave me the "wow, this place looks amazing!" I felt deceived when I arrived. As I was coming to this hotel, I came across Riu Palace and that one definitely gave me the feels of WOW just by looking at the outside. As I approached this hotel, I felt that the whole atmosphere was nice. Some parts of the exterior gave a really classy and upscale feel but damn, the rooms are straight up trash. The floors doesn't look and feel clean. There's constant flies and bugs being found in the room. I killed a couple days ago and it's still on the floor because the room service person doesn't even bother cleaning it. The towels smell old and musty. They're a little damp as well for a "new" towel. The room itself also smells old and musty. There are stains on the bottom of my bed sheet. I stayed here for 4 nights and it just felt dirty every time I came back into the room. I'm not going to lie; the customer service is superb here. They are so friendly, polite, & respectful. Although the rooms aren't the best looking and feeling, the food and customer service is great! I honestly feel like the presentation of the hotel is nice - the fact that it's next to the beach, it tops it off as amazing. Be sure to go out at night and walk towards the beach, they have chairs there and it just feels amazing and so nice. The exact relaxation that a vacation is suppose to make you feel is there. Overall, I don't think the rooms are up to expectation at all considering the fact that the pictures online made it look too amazing. Other than that, the experience is really nice. It gives a 3-4 star hotel feeling but 5-star customer service for sure. read more

I think for an All Inclusive resort, its good value. Don't expect the Ritz, but for the price, its better than staying at an AirBnB. We went in May 2022, and we found the hotel very nice, with more modern architecture and the staff work very hard to keep it clean. Hotel Riu have 5 other hotels, but I think Playacar has a more timeless and friendly vibe. We walked around Hotel Riu Palace and it feels exclusive, empty and sad....like it's trying too hard to look expensive. Riu Playacar is more lively, fun and family friendly. We have a 5 year old with us. Demographics: You will see more South Americans, Argentines, Columbians & rich Mexicans from other parts of the country. There were also lots of Canadians and Europeans. There were only a handful of Americans...the front desk doesn't even change US dollars, only Euros, Pounds and Canadian dollars. Food: Menu changes everyday, its a buffet so don't expect a Michelin star restaurant. We found that the food was good on weekends and dinner time; and we found a variety that everyone can enjoy. I think its more International food and they don't have much Yucatan dishes. They had a variety of tacos throughout the week, but the sauces were not hot enough. Its more for a mild palate ( baby mouth). Definitely kid friendly, my daughter looked forward to the chocolate fountain at dinner. There was a night were they had all kinds of cheese and charcuterie meats. However, not enough vegan or healthy foods were offered. But we enjoyed the tropical fruits every day. For a family traveling for a week, this is a huge deal! If would be expensive if we bought the variety of fruits we ate every day. If you come at the beginning of the buffet, you'll get better food. If you come later, you'll get not so great presentation...like leftovers. So just come early! Beach: Sargassum was every where in May 5-13, 2022; the beach was not swimmable. But we enjoyed the pool, and the kids area. The adult pool can be crowded, but we stayed on the kids area. We also went to Xelha to swim in the lagoon, and occupied our time with day trips. Alcohol: Just do shots if you want to feel something. But the drinks are weak, like other reviews say. Overall: The resort is nice and wholesome. But Mexico is a beautiful country, we explored Playa del Carmen and other attractions. We didn't just stay at the resort, that would be boring! We stayed at Playacar because of safety, no one hassling you to buy stuff at the beach or pool. Its clean and wholesome. The food is decent; we didn't get sick. Covid: During covid, staff were all wearing masks. At the buffet, staff also squirted sanitizer on your hand, before you enter. There is a clinic for covid tests in the Hotel, $25 US for a rapid test per person. Only the Americans were making a big deal about masks. There was one teenager that was cursing because she wasn't allowed at the buffet without a face mask. She came back with a mask from the front desk. Everyone else were complying. At the end of our stay, it seems the mask mandates was lifted, and reception stopped wearing masks. For an all inclusive flight+hotel+food its a very good value. We booked directly with Hotel not thru third party websites. For a family vacation, we had a great time. We learned a lot about Mexico and the Mayan culture and we appreciated what we have at home. We went to Chichen Itza, Tulum, Cozumel, Xcaret and Xelha; and felt Playa del Carmen was very family friendly especially if you stay at Playacar. read more

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I can't say enough positive things about Riu Playcar!! From the moment we stepped on the property my boyfriend and I were treated amazingly. Our flight got into Cancun around 10am and Playcar was about an hour south but the hotel allowed us to check in around 12 instead of the 3:00pm usual time. We opted for the ocean view room and let me just tell you, IT DOES NOT DISAPPOINT! Food and drinks: something for Vegan, vegetarian, keto and every other diet you could need. Breakfast: Buffet offers indoor and outdoor seating and every breakfast item you could ask for. A speciality coffee machine, a variety of freshly squeezed juices, and water with ice that has been purified. Lunch: pool lunch opens at 11:30 and has a variety of options from fruit to burgers. The main buffet opens at 12:30 and has a wide variety too. 4 specialty dinner places (aside from the delicious buffet option)- Mexican, Asian/Indian, Italian, and a steakhouse. The drinks are NOT watered down like other all inclusive resorts. They offer Dos XX and Dos XX ambar and a variety of wines and spirits. The beach is perfect... white sand and clear waters (yes, sometimes seaweed rolls in deep but they clear it out every morning). There are tons of chairs to relax on the beach and by the pools. Not once was there an issue with finding a chair to relax on with an ocean view. There are daily activities for adults and children. Although we didn't bring any tiny humans this time, we did see kids of all ages doing things with the RiuLand staff and it looked like a blast. They take great care of your children! read more

Hotel Riu Playcar - View from our ocean view room... worth the extra $100 total dollars! - Hotels Near Me - Playa del Carmen, ROO

Here at Riu Playacar now. Not a happy camper at the moment. Masks are required at buffets. I don't mind that at all. I own a restaurant. I get it. I have masks at the door for those that arrive without. Not here! we had masks this morning. They got wet at the pool. We were hungry. Pepe's was closing so we went to buffet. Not allowed in without mask. Ok. That's fine. Where are the masks. They don't know. Get the hell out. You don't have a mask. No food. Horrible customer service!!! There are too many resorts here with great customer service to put up with this. Thank you read more

The food sucks and the employees are rude and not very attentive. There is a one beach towel a day rule as well as the house cleaning being not very good. No room service unless you have covid. Not very good bartender service or server service. Go somewhere else to enjoy you vacation read more

Please read attached screenshots as my post was too long to be able to type due to the maximum character length. I have attached photos and a video as well. read more

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I'd like to give 4 stars but 3 is a bit more honest. Somewhere in the middle is the truth. I went in with VERY low expectations and was planning on dining away from the resort since it was already pretty affordable and we had our own car. The Bad: Booze - the hard liquor is all fake and has very questionable origins. Its defiantly not 80proof either. The bottles all look name brand but no question about it, THEY ARE NOT. Mixed drinks are still pleasant, but not good. Wine - Not sure what brand was on the label. The red wine was drinkable, not as good as two buck chuck but still consumable in a pinch. White wine was not fit for consumption. Desserts - Desserts were really underwhelming and the ice cream self scoop stations were disgusting with a single scoop handle swimming in a vat of multicolor water and ice cream. The coolers didn't keep the ice cream cold either it was soupy / nasty. Beds: King beds are two full beds pushed together separate sheets and everything. Rooms with two beds are the same as king rooms. My 8yo didn't complain much about the mattress. I was never comfortable. Sand: Lots of cigarette butts in the sand but not an obnoxious amount. The beach and beach chairs under the palm trees is pleasant despite the minor amount of sand trash. Beach Chairs: There are plenty. I found them mostly comfortable but they do need a good power washing. The Good: Service - The service was actually the thing they got right. Other than the check in representatives weren't very warm. Restaurant / bar staff are happy to take care of you and are interested in providing good service. Common areas - Dining areas, beach front, swim up bar, lobby are all in pretty good shape. Its an older resort but the green spaces are also well kept. Food - Its better than I expected. I had tacos that were pretty good. The Italian restaurant also did well. It wasn't fine dining by any means but it was all around pleasant. Some things were terrible but its a buffet, get something else if you want. Cleanliness: Most things were clean (despite being old). I'm pretty good about wearing my covid mask but the times I forgot they reminded me politely. I appreciated that they enforced policy. The neutral: The AC in our room was a bit noisy. Our last night there it started leaking onto the bathroom floor. While we set the thermostat to 20c it never budged from 23.5c. It was comfortable but not cool. COVID testing was in our building. I signed up online but didn't get a response as fast as I wanted. So I walked down there and was tested in minutes. A little more about the drinks: The booze is bad! Wine even worse. The Red Wine was drinkable if you don't mind bad. The white was (woof) not fit for consumption. The rooms have a cabinet with 4 bottles of booze upside down with a 1 shot dispenser on neck of the bottle. The top of the bottle has been modified to be refillable. Jose Cuervo is on the label of one of the bottles that can be refilled without being removed from its locked cabinet. Trust me Jose has never seen the inside of this resort. The alcohol will get the job done... Eventually. But its the same very questionable stuff everywhere in the resort. We're not big drinkers and most the time I get hung over even from 2-3 cocktails. I did not get hungover at this resort despite drinking more than I thought I would and was feeling pretty buzzed. In short: tastes bad but mixed its ok and while it'll get ya drunk it doesn't give me hangovers at all. read more

We stayed here in August of 2017. We started with a bad experience, but when the manager (Filiberto) came to resolve the situation, it got better very quickly. I was initially planning to go to the Hyatt in Cancun. My friend suggested Riu Playacar, because they had been there before. When we checked in, the rooms we had paid for (ocean front) were not ready, so after waiting almost 8 hours they put us in non-ocean facing rooms. After unsuccessfully trying to get results for 30 minutes, I was almost ready to checkout and go to the Hyatt. This is when the manager stepped in. He upgraded us to a suite for the night and said the rooms will be available the next day. He walked all the way down with us and made sure I was content. He came the next day with a porter, transferred our luggage, sent champagne and strawberries, apology letter and phone call follow up to make sure everything was ok. He called again the next day. He also gave my wife and daughter complimentary massage coupons. We saw Filiberto throughout our vacation, at the front desk, the restaurants, poolside, he was everywhere. He is such an asset to Riu. He changed our vacation from a nightmare to a dream. Now about the hotel and the food. The food was so good that although I don't like buffets in general, I was having a problem staying away from this buffet. They have theme based foods that they change to, so it's different every day. Also the daily cook-offs at the beach was so convenient. Being an all-inclusive, they were bringing drinks to the beach without asking, beer, margarita, coke, water juice,etc etc, someone continuously going around with a tray. If you like to drink, you'll be in cloud 9. They have a show every night, the guy that was running the show was hilarious. I suggest you go to the show each night (starts around 9pm). The MC was so talented (don't remember his name, it was something like Valentino) he was so good, entertaining 150 people every night. I'm a life long customer now. I'm planning to go back in a couple of years. I will definitely go back to Riu Playacar, all really because of the fast action of this one manager Filiberto. Actually next year I'm going to Spain and will definitely look for a Riu hotel wherever I find it. read more

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The hotel isn't really handicap accessible the rooms are terrible the electrical sockets are awkwardly located in the rooms. They advertised ocean front rooms but all you really see is the pool from some rooms and palm trees around the pool from others the food is terrible & it rained today and they offered nothing on the resort for patrons to do. This resort is a low budget pricey endeavor. read more

My family and I stayed at Riu Playacar for a week from Dec 39 2021 - Jan 5th. We had a total of 10 people and 5 rooms. There were good things about this place and a lot more bad things. I booked this resort because of the good reviews about their food that I saw online. Pros: -Right on the ocean -Market across the street -The Playacar gated area outside the resort is clean and safe Cons: -Outdated rooms -we booked a king size bed however they just put two full beds together and called it a king two separate sheets and everything. -Rooms smell and even more in the bathroom -AC in 3 of the rooms didn't work. Fan didn't work in one of the rooms. -Food was OK. It was nothing special! I recommend the Italian, asian, and Mexican restaurant. -the steakhouse was so gross!!! -Their hotel transfer sucks!!! Don't rely on it. Our flight was delayed and I kept calling the company to let them know and the lady kept hanging up on me. No one showed up to pick us up. They took us to the airport from the hotel and we were close to missing out flights. -Beach loungers are sooo uncomfortable -waited in line for covid tests for over an hour. They give appointment times but they don't use them. Also they don't send results until after 6pm. -No room service -Their 24/7 "snack bar" is BS. Nothing but crappy old burritos and hotdogs that people probably breathed all over. -Breakfast doesn't start till 7am so when we had to leave for our early excursion, we had to go get coffee and breakfast from Starbucks. NYE night was fun. They set up a DJ and big speakers near the beach. They didn't hand out champagne or anything that I saw. Overall, this resort was okay but it's definitely not a 4 or 5 star resort. I would say 2-3ish stars. If you're looking for luxury, this is not it! I would look elsewhere and spend the extra money. read more

We had a great stay at here! The food was great, the bar was great, and the entire resort was constantly being cleaned and sanitized. The customer service was awesome and they always went above and beyond to make our stay comfortable and safe! ADRIAN is the best! He always made sure our drinks were full and had a great personality and made us feel like family! There were plenty of activities to do and exercise classes that you can join. I will say the only con is the rooms are a little dated and very muggy but they still get the job done. We will definitely be back soon! read more

Our stay at Riu Hotels were always good except for this one, the food here was horrible. The restaurants they had were Asian, Italian, Steak House, Mexicano, The Buffet, and Pepes. Asian Restaurant: Consist of Japanese, Chinese, Thai, and Indian cuisine. It was a mish mash of everything and nothing was good. Noodles were sitting in pools of sickly sweet sauce, with overcooked veggies in it, the sushi was tasteless with no soy sauce or wasabi available. There was no difference between the Thai and Chinese food and very little of Indian food. Italian Restaurant: Just for something different we had lunch here, they had their buffet which consist of cold cuts, cheeses, and salads. We looked to see what they had for the hot foods and it was not appealing, the Pasta Carbonara was sitting in a watery cream sauce, and the pizza looked dried out. So we ordered from the menu, we both had the Lasagna Bolognese. It was a 2x2 inch piece of lasagna covered with shredded cheese on top. I took one bite and that was it, the food was not even lukewarm, they covered it with cheese because the top layer of noodle was dried out and hard. Steak House: We went there 2x, food was very good, Prime steaks were done perfectly and the platter for 2 was also perfect. Pepes: This burger shack by the pool served burger and fries at noon, they grill the burgers and it smell good but when i tried it, it tasted like a better then beyond meat burger. It didn't taste like a beef burger. Buffet: Breakfast was okay, but after a few days of the same thing it got a bit boring, dinner at night was okay too but you could see some of the foods were like 2 days old leftovers, we avoided anything that really looked like lunches leftovers too. No comment on the Mexicano because we did not try it. On our 3rd day, we both got sick from something that we've eaten. Overall the food could have been better. Our room was nice, we had housekeeping in to clean the room but it was not very clean, I could smell the dirty water they use to wash the floors. They always supplied us with not enough towels or face cloths so we always had to find them and ask for extra. I also noticed that they were in our room when we were not present because there was a big piece of bandage in our garbage can, I though my spouse cut himself, so I asked him, He said he did not, so for what ever reason they were there I have no ideal but nothing was missing. We planned a day in town to check out some shopping at 5th Ave. This hotel is located at a gated hotel zone, which was very secure. Our hotel was still quite a distance from the secured gates, we were told by the tour agent the cab ride to the gates is 150 pesos, and from the gates to town is 250 pesos which would be $30 Canadian. There is a van that can take you there free, but the catch is you have to go see this gem/jewellery store for about 45 minutes then they come back and pick you up. We went along with it, and it was a big mistake, so what ever you do don't fall for this free ride unless you want to waste your day looking at expensive gem stones and dealing with a sales person that takes you through the whole store trying to sell you something. It took 2 hours for this gem stone tour. Finally got to 5th avenue where all the shops are, and it was another mistake!!! the hawkers were so aggressive, everywhere you turned they are badgering you. You try to be polite and say no thank you and they get mad and make snide and rude remarks to and at you. We didn't even bother going into the stores for fear of more badgering, we just wanted to get the hell out of there. Finally our ride came back to pick us up, thank God!!! All in all, we will never be back. Food was bad, cocktails were so sweet it was not drinkable, red and white wines were close to the vinegar stage, only the rose' wine was drinkable. Housekeeping were not done right, sure the linens were changed, but the floors smell like they used dirty water to wash it. Staff was courteous and pleasant. There was more cons then pro for Riu Playacar. read more

After three refrigerator replacements, remote control issues, room upgrades provided. Staff lovely. Food mediocre. Deceptive late charge of 40 bucks. SEE fine print on Wall of flyers not clearly posted. Oh well. We ordered some martinis to make up for it. read more

Hotel Riu Playcar - Deception - Hotels Near Me - Playa del Carmen, ROO

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Hotel RIU Playacar is a true 3* property. I have stayed at multiple RIU Palace resorts all over the world and this was the first time staying at a "non palace". I wouldn't do it again. Don't get me wrong most people we spoke to thought it was great. But these people had never experienced anything higher so have nothing to compare it to. The food is similar at all RIU hotels I really don't see the difference. What is different is the service. The way you're greeted, spoken to and treated. At this hotel no one says good morning, good evening, can I help you? You fend for yourself- you must ask for help. From the bar tenders to the towel guys, no friendliness. It was so strange to us! We also believe in tipping everyone. No one at this hotel tipped, they're all from Europe, and from most said to us it they already paid and don't see the need to spend more they don't need a hello/good morning or the empty cups and garbage on the bar removed from in front of them in a timely manner. When I go on vacation I want it all, to be treated well, not to sit in front of garbage, when I say good morning someone says it back etc. if you want a great experience and like what the RIUs offer make sure you spend the extra and stay at a Palace it is -100% worth it. If you don't care about service, room upkeep and smelly pillows then go for the lower cost RIUs. read more

Just had an incredible 6 day vacation a Riu Playacar. I guess all inclusive will have its pros and cons PROS: -Excellent Service -Great Food -Close to activities such as Xplor and Xcaret CONS: -Horrible but beyond horrible Liquor.... only Jose Cuervo and Dos XX -Rooms smell due to climate Definitely worth your money if you have a family, but for someone young and looking for more fun I would recommend something else. The staff made everything so mu h better with their hospitality and attention to detail. read more

This hotel is the best resort ever!!!! I stayed here 5 days should have been more of a 10 day stay. The buffet is unbelievable

(What I communicated with corporate) Overall my fiancé and I thought the hotel (RIU Playacar) was great! This was my fiancé and I first time staying at a RIU hotel and were discussing how great the services were as we headed out of our room that afternoon to go eat at one of the restaurants at the hotel. As we were leaving the room my fiancé ran into a a beverage worker walking through the halls with a beverage cart. As we walked passed the beverage guy, my fiancé asked for a beer and noticed there was none of his liking so we continue on walking down to the first floor exit. As we get outside my fiancé noticed he forgot his sunglasses and I noticed I forgot my cellphone in the hotel room so we decided to head back up to the third floor to go grab our forgotten items and to our surprise there was the same beverage worker inside our room going through our things. My fiancé was furious and told him to get out, we first searched to make sure none of our items were missing and then went straight to the front desk and demanded to speak to the General Manager/Head Director Filiberto Santos. After having to continue to ask to speak to the manager we finally got escorted to his office and explained the situation that just occurred, we demanded he look up the last card that opened our door that was opened by a work. Mr. Santos did at that time and notified us that the worker would be fired and offered us a free 25min massage. At this point I am upset by the low gesture and ready to just continue enjoy what is left of my vacation. As the next morning approaches, we head to breakfast and to our surprise again there is another upset women at the front desk. As we approach the counter to get masks to be able to enter the breakfast area, the woman turns to us and states things have been taken out of her room as well. This trip was a huge disappointment because by the end I was starting to feel uncomfortable and unsafe. I am not sure how this company does background checks but the workers who have participated in this criminal activity have no integrity and should not represent this company. Heike Eichinger, After Travel Customer Care got back to me via email and stated " The employee stated that he was asked by you to refill the minibar with beer, which he did. At no time did he go through your personal belongings and/or did he search your room. As far as we know, you did not report any missing items while staying at the resort. Further into our investigation we understand that you feel that the treatment you have received has not been correct and you found the management team unhelpful while dealing with this situation. However, we were pleased to read that you received two complimentary 25-minute massages as a gesture of goodwill. We feel the hotel has done all that is possible to ensure a fair and reasonable closure to this matter." (My return response) Hello, So if this were the case that he was restocking the refrigerator, where was the cart he was originally walking around with? Because it surely was no where in site! Our refrigerator had no new drinks that were stocked by him, so that would be a lie that he was restocking our mini refrigerator! The next morning there were more guest complaining of stolen items out of their room. So that story is not adding up. I would hope a large corporation such as yours would have more integrity but apparently not. I am extremely disappointed and unsatisfied with RIU! This company thinks a 25 minute massage apparently makes their employees wrongdoings right is a disgrace! (If I could give 0 stars I would give them 0) Don't bring anything of value here. The woman who actually got things stolen was in tears and the hotel did nothing. Worst experience! read more

Fair warning this is going to be a long review. If you're anything like me and want REAL DETAILS, I got your back. CHECK IN: My bf and I initially booked Riu Tequila. Upon our arrival we were offered a free upgrade to an ocean view room. Little did we realize they were sending us to another hotel. So we get to Riu Playacar check in. They tell us the room isn't ready that's understandable it's 1230pm and official check in is 3pm. We come back at 3pm. Room still isn't ready and we were told another hour. We were a little frustrated but we understood. 4pm rolls around and they tell us it's still ANOTHER 45 MINS TO AN HOUR. At this point we're upset. Check in is 3pm and we didn't get a room until 5pm. Wasting precious vacation time and the front desk staff didn't care at all. We finally get a room. No ocean view like promised when we switched hotels. After about 5 minutes the front desk called and we offered the upgrade to the ocean view. Which we were promised from the beginning. I wonder if I hadn't wrote the hotel a strongly worded email would we have even gotten the ocean view room. ROOM: The rooms are acceptable. The bed is big. The view was great. We were on the first floor but we didn't see any elevators. So if you or someone in your group has mobility issues, request the first floor. The toilets barely flushed. We'd have to hold the handle for a long time and even then it didn't all go down. The AC worked well. The shower was fine but for our room the shower wall had a frosted window that was next to the bed. You could see where the water is slowly starting to do damage. DRINKS: so the drinks all tasted watered down to me or maybe very cheap alcohol is being used. I recommend doing shots if you want to feel something. If you have allergies be careful. At the swim up bar I saw bartenders reuse a blender without rinsing it. Our drink was made on top of left over Pina colada. FOOD: Very mediocre. The food will sustain you on your trip but its nothing to write home about. And we tried every restaurant they had. But one thing I want to point out is how the cooks were USING THEIR BARE HANDS TO TOUCH AND MOVE FOOD ON THE BUFFET PLATTERS. I saw this several times throughout our stay. Not a glove in sight. Even if it wasn't still a pandemic that's just disgusting. STAFF: Besides the initial check in debacle, staff was really nice and helpful. I have nothing negative to say about them. Hopefully this review was helpful. Would I stay here again...no. if a friend told me they were going to stay here, would I tell them heck no don't do it...not necessarily. It all depends on your priorities. read more

I have been in Cancun for the past three years but this is the first time in Playa del Carmen. So far I have enjoyed my stay here, especially Jonny, Elli, and Cesar they made sure I had a great time. They all remember my name during my whole stay, they are incredible! I would come back to see them again! Thank you guys! read more

Excellent place to stay for couples and families. The staff are friendly and do whatever they can to accommodate your needs. The staff are continuously cleaning. The Jade restaurant offered delicious variety of Asian dishes. The Palms was our favorite restaurant with DELICIOUS foods for breakfast and dinner. The turquesa serves Mexican dishes as well as steaks. We enjoyed our meals there as well. The Palms offers both indoor and outdoor dining. There are birds that will fly around the outdoor dining areas which I am not a fan of, but they keep the place clean, constantly cleaning food remnants off the floors to discourage the scavenger birds. Our room was as pictured on the website, very inviting and attractive. The shower was incredible with great water pressure and no problems getting hot water. Staff kept our refrigerator fully stocked and there were plenty of alcohol beverages to choose from. Our only wish was that there were a clock in the room! Entertainment was fantastic with different themes every night. We enjoyed every minute of our stay at Riu Playacar. read more

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Having a great time at Hotel Riu PLAYCAR. Citalic G. at the front desk helped with last-minute arrangements. She is great with customer service with a sweet personality. Location is right on the beach and I felt very secure down in Mexico. All the food and drinks are included. read more

We love Jesus from RiuFun. He is very kind, entertaining, and tentative. He is the boccia ball king.- Ella, Isabelle, & Owen

Very well liked this hotel, the food was AMAZING and so were the activities on the beach. The only thing I personally didn't like was the actual hotel room. It smelled really moldy most of the time. Room service was great and 24/7 bar was great as well read more

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We just returned there from having our wedding there aling with 48 guests. It was amazing. The Staff at the Playacar ws fantastic especially Patricia and Chilo from the pool bar. The food was great at all the resturaunts. The Asian and Itialian were our groups favorites but the buffet was also very good as well. Couldn't have asked for a better place to have our wedding. The only down side was our wedding coordinator we dealt with created a couple small things on our wedding day but it was nothing we weren't able to fix. read more

The hotel is pretty, clean grounds, nice pool, great beach BUT the food here is terrible. I was not a fan of any of the restaurants but if I had to choose one it would be the Italian restaurant. The buffet was terrible - every morning I would be positive that this time it would be better but that failed. We ventured off and would eat in town (so much for an all inclusive trip!). Next time I will pay more and stay at the Palace. I read more

The hotel itself is nice with great pool area and beach. You have access to two other hotels that are within walking distance. We decided Playacar was the best one for pool service. Great swimup bar and chair side service. They do fun pool activities throughout the day. The food was just "meh". Nothing special and be prepared to eat buffet cold food. The only place that had some promise was the Italian restaurant Traviatta. We only watched one show and were disappointed that it wasn't the Michael Jackson show as advertised. We wish they would have been clear at the beginning of the show that it had changed. The room was decent but be prepared for a loud sounding air blowing air conditioner all throughout the night. I also thought it smelled a bit musty. Oh and no elevator. No problem to be on the third floor except when coming and going with luggage. The location is about an hour from the airport but was nice because we could walk into downtown Playa Del Carmen and felt very safe walking. read more

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Hotel was great! The entire place was always kept very clean. The food was good and alway available. They have plenty of beach chairs on the beach which made it nice to have a beach day! Overall, we had a great honeymoon! We will definitely return. read more

I stayed here three nights over Christmas 2014. There were more pros than cons, but the cons may outweigh the pros. From the street, you enter the lobby, which as Caribbean hotels are, is open air. The staff was lovely, polite, helpful, and speaks good English. There is also a very small gift shop there and the main breakfast and dinner restaurant. Behind the lobby is the tennis court. The next thing on the path from the lobby is some trees and landscaping. Next are the six buildings that have the hotel rooms. There are three on either side of the sidewalk. Each building is three stories tall. There are no elevators and there are 20 steps from floor to floor. A bellboy took my luggage up to my third-floor room in building 4. The stairs have very pretty tiles, but use caution as the humidity causes the stairs to be damp, esp in the morning. The room was a nice size, and I had a west-facing balcony from which I saw some pretty sunsets. None of the rooms face the ocean. The rooms either face other rooms across the path or trees. If you want an oceanfront room, this is not the hotel for you. In the room, the bathroom was the biggest "con" for me. The step to get into the shower was the same height as my kneecap (I'm 5'6") and I had to lean into the shower and hold the bar in order to get in without falling. It was the same issue getting out (see photo). I've read other reviews where people said they slipped while in the shower. I took a nice hot shower my first night there and used caution, so I didn't fall, but the rest of my visit, I never got hot water - the other major con. I tried Wed before dinner, Thu morning and eve, and Fri around 10:30am. Nothing but cool, barely tepid water. I ended up sitting on the side of the tub and doing a "sponge bath" each time. Very disappointing. Once you pass the six hotel room buildings, you pass more vegetation, then the pool on the left and the entertainment space and another restaurant (light lunch and snack options) on the right. Then you reach the sand. There is a massage/manicure station and hundreds of beach chairs. (You get a towel card when you check in and the booth is by the pool. You give them your card and they give you a towel. Each time you turn in your towel, they return your card, If you lose your card, the hotel charges you something like 200 pesos.) I went down to the beach by 8am each day and had no problem getting a chair. Those who came at 10 or 11 were a little more challenged, but I think they eventually found chairs. A security guard will prevent you from setting your chair any closer to the water than the lifeguard chair. It's pretty far from the ocean, but for whatever reason, those are the rules. Don't count on the lifeguard to watch you or your family. He spent most of his time looking at pretty girls on the beach or talking to other employees. Every time I looked at him, he never was watching the water. Not once. The lobby offers free WiFi 24/7, to which you need a password. They should give it to you when you check in, but if not, just ask. No WiFi anywhere else, but you're on vacation. Stop worrying about email and Facebook! :-) The food was pretty good. Christmas Eve dinner was especially nice. They required a reservation the morning of for the two sittings, then had Santa, a Mexican snowman, and champagne in the lobby before and during diner. The ice sculptures and food displays were very impressive. The options were much more varied than dinner my other nights there. They really went all out. Also, the chef at the carving/saute station told me he has gluten-free bread and pasta if you need it. I brought my own bread, but it was nice to hear that was an option. I honestly assumed they wouldn't have a clue what GF was. The employees were very kind. I called the first night to request help getting the shower on (the thing you pull up to switch from bath to shower was stuck). The maintenance guy showed up within 10 min (at 8:30pm!) and he spent about 10 min getting it fixed, but was very nice. I called the front desk one day requesting more club soda in my fridge (they provide Pepsi, diet Pepsi, club soda, Sprite (or similar - I don't remember), water and beer). She called me the next day to ensure they're refilled it. I left a 50-peso tip (about $3) each day for the housekeeper, except Christmas day when I left 100 pesos. I think that's a way to ensure they do a good job on your room. There is a small plaza across the street from the hotel with a Starbucks and a touristy shop and a few other stores, but I didn't visit any of them. I went downtown one day and enjoyed the shopping there - both international chains (Zara, etc.) and local shops. Lots of choices if you're buying gifts for folks back home. Overall, I know I'm blessed to have been able to spend Christmas at the beach, but I probably wouldn't stay here again just b/c of the lack of hot water and the difficulty getting in and out of the shower. read more