RIU Yucatan

This place beyond exceeded our expectations. Starting with the staff each and everyone including the cleaning crew was always smiling friendly and constantly asking if we needed anything. The entertainment crew was so much fun and made you feel like family. There was so many things to do for my teenagers they enjoyed the trip I know the entertainment is played a huge part in this. The food we have been on a few all inclusive trips, tbh i was not looking forward to the food selection, but we did not have a bad meal ever. There were so many fresh made options and differently selection daily. The outdoor food was fresh, hot and easy to make different meals from the options. We made sure to try every resturant and each one was fine, my kids truly enjoyed the asian one and the buffet the best. I truly went into this trip with meh feelings and left beyond happy, I would not hesitate to stay longer and or return to this place.

Just returned from 8 nights away with my family - adult children and partners. This is mine and my husbands second stay at this resort and loved it. Great pools, by a lovely beach, fantastic food with lots of choice, drinks a plenty, again with lots of choice. The staff were lovely, and very friendly. And we absolutely loved the white party. My family had a great holiday - would highly recommend.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 We have just returned from a wonderful week at the Riu Yucatan for our wedding anniversary, and what a fantastic holiday it was! I'll try & sum it up without boring you all! Hotel: The hotel itself is beautiful, clean, and exceptionally well maintained. The lush tropical gardens are stunning and full of wildlife, which really adds to the experience. During our stay we regularly saw coatis, raccoons, those little capybara-looking animals (can't remember what they're called), lizards, and a variety of birds. The hotel is perfectly located within Playa del Carmen's gated resort area and located right on the beach. Rooms: The rooms are perhaps a little dated in places, but they are spotlessly clean and have everything you need for a comfortable stay. The air con worked perfectly (thank god!), the minibar was kept well stocked, and the housekeeping team did an amazing job throughout our stay. Staff: Without a doubt, the friendliest hotel staff we've encountered in Mexico! Everyone works incredibly hard and nothing ever seemed too much trouble. We'd love to thank every member of staff personally, but special mentions must go to Maria in the main restaurant, Moshan at the pool bar, and my personal fave, Santos at the swim-up bar..... "Hasta la vista, baby!" Food: The food was wonderful. There is such a huge variety on offer that even the fussiest eater would easily find something to eat! The buffet food was consistently fresh, hot, and regularly replenished, and the service was excellent. Of the à la carte restaurants, I loved the Italian the most, but all were nice. Overall: This has genuinely been one of the best beach holidays we've ever had. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Riu Yucatan and will definitely be returning in the future.

This is our fifth time in Mexico, and third time in a Riu resort. It’s tough to make an extremely critical review, as it acknowledges that what you paid did not equal what you believed you were getting. I will break down my review into components. Hotel grounds: The grounds were clean, and natural areas beautiful. The kids thought that the large rodent and raccoon like animals throughout were neat. The pools were small, overcrowded, missing tiles and in a poor state of repair. Swim up bar was small and not connected to other pools. The beach was absolutely amazing and well kept. The grounds in general were overpopulated without enough common space, pools, or loungers for the number of guests. Rooms: We’re small, and run down. Paint chipped off all furniture, sink cracked, vent hanging down in shower. The doors between adjacent rooms faced each other in a small access hall. The doors slammed whenever closed and were very noisy. Food: The food was by far the worst we have ever had at a resort in Mexico. The specialty restaurants were bland, meals weren’t anything more than plated cafeteria food, and service was poor in general. The exception to poor service was the Italian restaurant, where we got good service, but still bland food. After trying each specialty restaurant, we decided to only go to the buffet, as you could see what you were getting before committing to it. Drinks: Drinks at the bar were fine, with reasonable wait times. Entertainment: This is where our family opinion differs. I think that the entertainment was good, and I enjoyed the shows at night. Mid day entertainment and activities lacked compared to other resorts. Kids club was very friendly and welcoming. Safety: The resort, location in Playacar and area of Mexico seemed safe to us. We happily walked from the resort to Playa Del Carmen, stopping to take in some of the archeological ruins along the way. Overall: If you are looking for a resort to unwind on the beach and have a bunch of drinks, this might be for you. Don’t expect nice rooms, or food beyond basic cafeteria quality. This resort is not luxurious at all.

Best hotel and holiday i have ever had, Bar workers and restaurant workers were so friendly and love them always. Memo bar worker was so friendly , very funny good at communication and very good english. Always looked after me everynight and helped me with any issues i had. really think he deserves a payrise Fernando bar worker was so friendly and always smiling and very happy, looked like he wanted to be there. Dulce was so gorgeous and so happy, she really made me happy being very smiley and always having good communication and really caring towards everyone. In the snackbar nighttime in the italian restaurant, Angel the chef was so friendly really good at communication and really made me happy sitting talking to me and being really understanding with everything , and very patient despite the la gauge barrier. Finally, Ivan who worked in the snack bar was the most friendly and the most sweet and caring person ever. everynight he would sit , have a great conversation with me and get along really really well whilst also looking after me. He was one of the best people to have ever worked in the restaurant and i really think he deserves a payrise because despite having hoş own issues, he always showed a smile and was always able to make other peoples experiences the best ever ❤️

Beautiful Hotel, service, very clean. Fantastic Buffet!! The a le Cartes are a waste of time. The Italian and Shanghai do not live up to the nanes. Not good service in these restaurants. Chamber-maid service is cexcellent. There are two particular servers, Alexis Rodriquez and Angie who must be revognized for their service. They are amazing, work extremely hard with continous pleasant smiles. They represent the entire Riu Hotels best!! They should be commended for their service and representing the Riu Yucantan as one of the best hotels. On another note: of Racoons living on the grounds of the hotel, and also in the roofs. It is most disturbing abd frightening as they try to enter the rooms through the bathroom vents. Room telephones do not work very well. Wake-up calls were missed, not heard, resulting in late check-outs. I would return and recomend this hotel as one of the best in Mexico, especially if employees like Alexis and Angie continue to work there.

Great hotel, rooms are great, mini bar topped up daily, maid was great! Restaurants and bars clean, with super friendly staff! Food was good in buffet and À la Cartes! 😋 Animation team great especially Gustavo, Brian and Memo 😉 Happy times 🫶

Just finished a four night solo stay at Riu Yucatan that spanned Thursday through Monday. There was a lot to enjoy but this is a *very* quiet resort (at least when I went in June of 2026). Food was mediocre at best, but plentiful during the day, and the resort physically was nice - rooms and common areas are certainly outdated and there is no AC aside from in the guest rooms and indoor restaurants but there were four pools, one with a bar, beach access, bars all over the property open during the day, a cute little wildlife area, hammocks, and lots of places to sit and talk with friends. The most lively time was midday at the "party" pool where they would do water aerobics and dance classes in the pool. Otherwise, there was very little happening around the resort. There was some small entertainment option each night but, for example, the silent disco started at 8:30p. People finally started arriving and getting into it around 9:30p. The party had a HARD stop at 10:30p and everything was cleaned up, lights off, and people were sent away very shortly thereafter. There is one restaurant and bar open past 10p but the restaurant is a buffet of primarily leftovers from the day and the bar is, again, pretty much dead after 10p. Each Friday they have a huge party at the sister resort, Riu Tequila, which is walkable from Riu Yucatan, and I attended the White Party. It was a blast and was very well attended. I heard from some friends that there was a "club" at Riu Tequila each night, which makes me think that Yucatan is intended to be more quiet, since partiers are welcome to go across the street if they'd like. That was not advertised, though, so I only went to the other resort when invited by the friends I made that were staying there. While there was a massive variety of food, nothing I ate was outstanding. Honestly, very little of what I ate was even good. The buffets were not very clean but I think some of that is to be expected in environments like this. As others have said, be prepared to walk up three flights of stairs every time you need to go to your room. Another thing I found surprisingly off-putting is that they only let you have a single towel per person. As an all inclusive solo traveler I have stayed at many resorts and most allow you to take out essentially unlimited amounts of towels, mark down your room number, and it is no issue so long as you return them. Even being allowed to have one additional towel would have been helpful for me as I prefer to roll one up as a pillow and use the other as an actual towel. Aside from that, the actual towel exchange process was super easy. The drinks were generally very good, there is a scannable menu at all the bars so if you're not sure what to order/want to get something made the same every time you can use that. I did go off menu several times and in doing so, got wildly different versions of the same drink from bartender to bartender, but I had very few drinks that weren't made well enough. All that to say, I would absolutely come here again but only if the price is right. This is a budget all inclusive.

Amazing staff who work so hard are the highlight of this hotel for me. There are so many positives to this hotel, the staff, the food and the cleanliness of rooms. If you like beautiful bedrooms this is not the hotel for you. They are extremely basic but very clean. They need an upgrade and some TLC. The only air conditioned spaces are the restaurants. I think this hotel is crying out for a nice air conditioned lounge with comfy furniture and a bar. The staff really are lovely, so polite and helpful. There is plenty of food which is well cooked and a good variety. The drinks are great too. Cocktails are fab.

That was my husband’s first all-inclusive experience and he really liked it! There were a lot of things to like: - the area and rooms are very well maintained. The rooms could be a bit more modern but it didn’t impact our vacation at all. The room had everything we needed, it was always clean, we could restock mini fridge for free as much as we wanted. It was a bit cold in the room however and we didn’t figure out how to fix it. - we lived in building 9 - it was so quite. There were parties in the main building all the time but we didnt hear anything and were able to sleep well. I’m sensitive to noise so it was very important. - the area is also nice. A lot of green, cute wild animals and reptiles. Very clean as well. - food - we were satisfied. A lot of variety, big amounts - we gained a few kilos in just 5 days. - beach - very nice but the sea is shallow. Huge advantage was that they removed the seaweed every day so the quality of water was acceptable. We heard other hotels didn’t to it and it was impossible to swim (we visited in the beginning of the seaweed season). - you can also visit other riu hotels in the area - that was actually fun, to walk around and compare and eat there as well :)

We stayed for 8 days and 7 nights with 4 adults age 21-63. There are 3 bright spots at the Riu Yucatan. Number one is the activities staff. They are positive, energetic, and engaging. The other main bright spot is all the bartenders. They were accommodating, responsive, and personable. As a stretch, the 3rd best part is the availability of ice machines. Other than that, I would rate this hotel 1 star or less. One of my biggest concerns is the trustworthiness of the staff. When we checked in we were required to pay the environmental fee in cash. Then when we went to check out they tried to charge us again! What a scam! We also had an incident with security that definitely put their trustworthiness in question. In addition, the food is the worst we have experienced in over 30 visits to the Cancun area. Everyone of us got sick at least once, and some multiple times. The service, outside of bartenders and activities, was definitely subpar. Buffet service is just a minimum and sometimes not even that. We are tippers and still got flat ignored to the point I had to go get my own kettle of coffee at breakfast. And if you want a drink you will get it yourself. There is no table service anywhere…on the beach or in any bar. The beds are hard as a board. This is obviously a very low end budget hotel and I think it attracts that type of clientele as well. Everyday it was something rude. The other guests were quite disrespectful as we experienced one person sitting next to us at the pool play their personal speaker in competition with the activity staff music for quite a while. Another day, the person sitting next me played videos most all day with the audio quite load. Two other different guests on different days would reapply their spray sunscreen several times during the day while sitting in their chairs and I was sitting right next to them down wind of course. That stuff is quite challenging to get off your sunglasses. I also noticed that only about 20% of the guests left any kind of tip for meals or drinks. Maybe because the service is so bad they didn’t feel a tip was appropriate. Or maybe because of it being a low end budget hotel. Overall, we would definitely not recommend this hotel as there are so many other better choices.

We had an incredible vacation at Riu Yucatán, and the staff truly made the experience special. A huge thank you to the entertainment team: Chris, Gustavo, Yael, Fernando, Elian, Enrique, Brian, Ania, Mariel, Janet, Andrea, Lizbeth, and the entire crew. They brought energy, fun, and positivity every single day. Gustavo was phenomenal during the daytime activities, especially water aerobics and dance classes. His energy was contagious, he kept everyone laughing, and he made every activity feel like a show. Ania was amazing at night, always dancing with guests and creating a fun, welcoming atmosphere that got everyone involved. We also want to recognize some outstanding staff members. Betty at the morning coffee station always brightened our day with her positive attitude and warm smile. Mimo provided fantastic service in the evenings and was always in a great mood, while Carlos at the pool bar consistently took great care of us with excellent service and a friendly attitude. The food deserves special recognition as well. Honestly, it was some of the best food we’ve had at any Riu resort, including Riu Palace properties. The variety and quality were excellent throughout our stay. We loved that there was even an à la carte option available for lunch (the Italian), something we rarely see at all-inclusive resorts. The 24-hour food area was also impressive, with plenty of delicious options available at any time of day instead of the usual basic late-night snacks found at many resorts. Most importantly, everyone at this resort made us feel genuinely welcome and included. Between the incredible entertainment team, outstanding service, and fantastic food, Riu Yucatán delivered an amazing all-inclusive experiences. We can’t wait to come back! 🍹

Rooms were nice. AC worked great. No elevators so expect a lot of stairs if your on the 3rd floor. Resort is very small, everyday was ground hog day. Accommodates too many people to feel like a boutique but nothing to do. Pool bar was way too small to hang out so plan on getting your own drinks. Food was blah. I did not look forward to any of the meals. Drinks flowed freely. The staff did whip up a dessert for one of our party members birthday, which was much appreciated. Most of the staff were very pleasant and felt genuine. A few employees that stood out were Armando, Alfredo and Betty. Started to get some attitude at the front desk from a guy named Neri but he he changed his tune when he saw me look at his nametag.

Hotel was amazing, could be 5 star with little improvement..

This hotel is a bit confused, it doesn't know whether it's aimed at families or parties of 18 to 30's or adults. There is a kids club, but the kids pool is possibly one of the smallest and most poorly thought out I have seen, as a result kids are in every other pool available. The main pool is split into 2 with the activities taking place in one of these, including aqua fit, water polo and the foam party. There is a "quiet" pool but this is just a suggestion, there is no monitoring so it's pot luck if it is actually quiet or not. The pool bar is separate again and this is the only one that they don't let children in, and to be honest, I wouldn't go in there, it's a small pool with a lot of people at times and the water just has a permanent layer of scum, despite the best cleaning efforts. The other thing that should be noted is that whatever chemicals they use in the pools, particularly the quiet pool, turns everything green, from our swimwear to our hair and skin. This was mentioned to the hotel by a few different people, but I would advise not to wear anything white in there. Having said that, once home most of it did come out in the washing machine. The main buffet restaurant is open for breakfast and evenings, there is a decent selection to appeal to most tastes. Lunch is either in the margarita restaurant, which has a bit of choice or Pepe's which is tacos, chicken or burgers. There are 4 speciality restaurants, none of which required booking, we tried the steakhouse, very disappointed, the Italian, much better quality, and the Asian, again, much better quality. The rooms are big enough with plenty of storage but there is no door into the bathroom/beverage/dressing area, so if one of you is unwell, as often happens on holiday, you only have a door on the toilet for privacy. For some reason the fridge, coffee machine and optics are in this area rather than the main part of the room, which is a bit strange to me. The wildlife in the grounds are great to watch, there are plenty of notices about to tell people not to feed them, and for the most part people do adhere to it. The overall cleanliness of the hotel is great and the staff work hard, but everyone is pleasant and helpful. We did have a lovely time, but I doubt we will return to this hotel, and if this was my first experience of a Riu hotel I would probably think twice before booking another, but that's my opinion, I don't mind family hotels as long as there is an adult only area other than the pool bar which is what we have experienced in other places.

The rating of this review is solely based on the controls / meals in place for gluten free guests. Although the hotel DOES offer gluten free options in the form of bread, pasta and a couple of muffins, there is very little else safe to eat apart from the salads and fruit. There is signage above the counters displaying the allergies in each dish however these are sometimes incorrect and there is not a sign for every item of food. For example I asked a staff member which one of the cakes the caramel flan was as the sign didn't have the wheat symbol so therefore could be deemed gluten free, but after double checking I was told it contained bread! This is appalling as this type of uneducation can make coeliacs unwell. This is the situation at most of the counters, 12 plus items of food at best 8 signs When you try and ask the chefs if something is gluten free you don't get a concrete answer of yes / no almost as if they're unsure themselves. After a couple of days trying to figure it out myself, I spoke with the Tui rep who told me to go to reception and ask for an allergy card to show to chefs. However reception knew nothing about this and told me to go and speak to the restaurant manager each time I wanted something to eat. This is impractical and not to mention embarrassing as they are very busy making food for hundreds of other guests, they do not want or need some randomer asking them to make something fresh just for them. Towards the end of the holiday after experiencing symptoms for most of it, despite me trying my very best not to cross contaminate myself, I resigned myself to the fact that this hotel doesn't really understand the importance of cross contamination or correct labelling and you end up feeling like a hindrance to them.

Bullet points then I'll go into more detail Room 2/10 Pool 7/10 Poolside experience 2/10 Beach 9/10 Breakfast 10/10 Lunch 8/10 Dinner 7/10 Day Entertainment 10/10 Night Entertainment 10/10 Room: We are in block 2, first thing you notice is the door to the room its chipped, scuffed, grubby looking so that makes you uneasy before even entering. The electrics are quirky to say the very least if you turn the light and fan on near the door then the bedside light comes on but you turn this off at bedside the fan goes off. Uk adapters fall out the sockets so you need to prop a water bottle against them if you want to charge anything but the the water bottle catches the switch for fan so that turns off and so the cycle continues. The aircon is shocking you need the fan on the ceiling to be on to circulate the coolish air coming from the unit as its simply not powerful enough to cool the room. There is no separate door to the bathroom facilities so I hope your comfortable with each other's nakedness!! The only solid private door in the room is the one for the toilet ( I hope your small because Harry Potters cupboard under the stairs is bigger) There is one sliding wardrobe but the hangers are old plastic ones and the hooks bend so everything just ends up falling off the rail onto the floor. The wardrobe is in the bathroom area so again i hope your happy with nakedness because there is literally no getting around it. The furniture is dreadfully old, missing handles, sticking drawers it really is poor and substandard. A full overhaul is needed. New furniture, new tiles and a new design because no separate bathroom area is just not good enough. P.s the minibar and optics are also in rhe bathroom area. Cleanliness, the room is very clean and the staff do as much as they can but a phrase pops into my head " you cant polish a ****" The view from the balcony is just of the building opposite so we dont sit out there. Okay moving on... Pools there are 4 in total incompetency believe one near reception which is very quiet if you want to read and sleep the others are clustered together near the beach. They look lovely but I've not ventured into them and this is due to poolside culture, or should I say drinking culture. 80% of people in these pools don't get out all day!! They just sit in them drinking, sweating , eating( plates of food on the side of the pool 🤢) and I'll let you guess at the last one. The pool water is murky just the whole culture in this area of the hotel is vile. Drink as much as you can, be as loud as you can. The pool is also supposed to close at 6pm but I've been fully dressed for evening meal and people are STILL in the pool at 7.30pm. The staff can simply not keep this area clean if simple rules as pool closure is not being enforced. The beach is beautiful, I have spent all the time here, the sand is powder soft and the sea a refreshing temperature. Yes , there is a lot of seaweed but its natural and again the staff do what they can to clear it. If you're squeamish just bring some water shoes Breakfast is a 10/10. Absolutely loads of choices I'm a foodie so believe me when I say its good (waistline won't thank me) Dinner is buffet style and there is also Pepes grill. I really disagree with eating round the pool and at the pool side I think its just dirty and ill mannered. You should eat food at the table but again seems to the hotel of doing what you want. Dinner you have a choice of a buffet or the a la carte but in my opinion they aren't really al la carte just buffet food served to you. I think these should be a little more exclusive with food options different from that in the buffet. You don't need to book the al la carte either just turn up if they are full you'll get given a buzzer. Entertainment is fabulous. The staff work tirelessly from morning yoga, back exercises, water aerobics to fun poolside games they really do have a lot to offer. Foam party in the pool is so much fun thats on a Monday and lasts 1 hour so plenty of time to enjoy that. In the evening a different team is brought in for the evening show which is really good because they are professional dancers, singers and performers so the shows are polished and really really enjoyable I know I've waffled but I personally like an in depth review on a hotel especially when you're spending a large amount of money. All in all its 3.5 star hotel it certainly has potential to improve. Poolside rules need to be in place and ENFORCED. Drunk people need to be cut off. Not all people have self respect and a clear sense of what is appropriate so these individuals could do with a nudge ( for example last night at the main bar in reception area a couple walked through at 8pm in a bikini and swim shorts only. No one stopped them and asked them to put clothes on. This is the first hotel I've been to when this level of disrespect is allowed) The hotel is in need of some TLC with the rooms being a top priority. I've got the white party tonight so I'll maybe leave another review in the next few days

Excellent spot to go with your family. Super clean, food was over and above excellent, service was always done with a smile. Many employees like Bety and Manuel who served coffee and drinks early morning always were very pleasant. They took pride in their work. Let us not forget Eduardo, Alex, Manuel, Fernando, Dulce, night staff that were super efficient and attentive to the clientele making everyone exactly what they wanted. Bravo to the staff for keeping the place clean and super pleasant. The food service people in the buffet were super great too. I have nothing but praise for this place. I would definitely return and looking forward to my next time there. They are a real 5 star! Super great!