Hotel Riu Playacar - All Inclusive

Overall our experience was really good at RIU Playacar . However, if like us you are eager to visit as many of the excursions on offer through TUI please be mindful of the early pick up times ( earliest 5.30am ), if you given a room in one of the first couple of blocks nearest the entertainment theatre , as you are unlikely to get to sleep before 12.00am until the entertainment finishes. Due the open plan design of the blocks and concrete structures the sound level is very high from outside and within the building. The reception manager was very understanding and moved us to a block closer to the sea front .

his has been one of the most disrespectful experiences I have ever had at a hotel. While my brother and I were at the swimming pool, a local guest started insulting my younger brother for absolutely no reason. Instead of intervening or addressing the situation, the staff at the bar simply told us “no problem” and did nothing to stop it. What made this even worse was seeing the same staff members laughing and talking with the person who insulted us afterwards in Spanish. It was very clear they were joking about the situation instead of taking it seriously. As guests, that is extremely disrespectful and completely unprofessional. It gave us the very strong impression that if a local guest insults other visitors, the hotel staff will simply ignore it. That is unacceptable. Guests should feel safe and respected at a hotel, regardless of where they come from. The staff showed zero willingness to protect their guests or handle basic respect and professionalism. If this is how management allows their employees to behave, then people considering staying here should seriously think twice. Very disappointing and not what you expect from a hotel that is supposed to welcome international guests.

I love love love RIU playacar!!! This is our second visit to playacar and it is absolute perfection. Johnathan greeted us when we arrived checked us in swiftly and gave us a welcome drink. We were given room 7317 which is building 7, 3rd floor. This is close to the pools and above the restaurant. Don’t be worried about noise as it is very quiet and you don’t hear anything. 7317 is a large room it had a king bed and a sofa which turned into a bed. The room was clean, had the optics and the mini bar fully stocked. The 3rd floor is high and you are faced with the top of the palm trees. We did request to move rooms to block 8 this is purely because we stayed in block 8 previously and loved it. The Rooms in block 8 are slightly smaller as there is no sofa bed and some of the rooms have the interconnecting doors. We moved to room 8203. We preferred this as the balcony is lower and we like to watch the world pass by. The restaurants are great and the food is plentiful, well cooked and there is something for everyone. I have to make a special mention of Nestor, he is the best waiter and delivers exceptional service an absolute gentleman and credit to the hotel. The pools are lovely and we spend the majority of our time in the pool bar. The staff here was incredibly hard. They kindly filled our Stanley coffee cups with soft drinks and ice so we could keep them cold. I saw other ask for alcoholic theirs which the happily obliged . The entertainment team work so hard to keep the guests entertained. The foam party was great, aqua fit was good fun, the neon party and the shows were fabulous. The resort is beautiful, the grounds are so weak kept and maintained. You are able to use the facilities at Tequila and Yucatan. We walked over to both, watched a show a tequila and went to see the animals at yucatan. 5th avenue is a short walk 25 mins and there are plenty of souvenir shops and bars to go to. sometimes there are shows going on near the mermaids. You are able to get the ferry to Cozumel from here for 300 pesos. we felt really safe nobody bothered us and we wish we’ve done the ferry trip from here. This resort is centred in paradise. It is absolutely amazing. It has everything we needed from party vibes to completely relaxed. We have been twice and we will absolutely be returning.

Upon arrival at this hotel, the Reception staff were extremely welcoming In particular i would mention Leida, who thoughout my 2 week stay, was always available to provide advice and assistance I was also most impressed at the speed with which any problem in my room was fixed immediately by their professional In House Team of electricians, Plumbers etc This is a small hotel( compared to most of the others on this Quintana Roo coastline ); thus there were never any queues in the restaurants and bars; no advance reservations were required for any of the restaurants The long powder white sand Playacar beach was beautiful; any seaweed was swiftly collected by local teams each morning Sunbeds were in abundance, around the pools, on the beach and under the many palm trees; there was no necessity to " bag a lounger" with a towel at crack of dawn; there were literally hundreds of empty loungers, available all day long Food in this hotel is of the highest standard and there was a vast choice to suit every palate at every meal time Staff throughout the hotel are all very cheerful, happy and eager to assist in any way The sea was acceptable for swimming but not as warm as normal; this was due to December and January having been unusually cold The water in the pools was a bit on the chilly side but will soon warm with normal Playa sunshine Bike hire is available in the quaint local shops opposite the hotel and I thoroughly enjoyed my daily cycles around the area There is a Fitness Gym in the hotel, with pleasant views of lush tropical vegetation My thanks also to the hard working army of Gardeners who beaver away all day to maintain the beautiful tropical trees and beautiful shrubs I have stayed in literally hundreds of hotels around the world; this is an excellent hotel in every possible way and it would be a total impossibility for anyone to have any complaints

Dec 2025 2 adults 2 kids Rooms : ( Good ) Spacious, 2 double bed and 1 side bed, hot water at anytime and very clean. Could use more soundproofing, we could ear next door through the entrance door and footstep from above. Air conditioner could not even get the humidity out of the air, not working at all . Restaurants:( Very good ) Buffet, Italia and steakhouse are very good, Mexican wasnt tasty. Didnt try the japanese. Decent Snack bar by the pool, burger, cheese nachos with guac and pico and fries. Bars and Pools: ( Awesome ) Clean big pool with some slides for kids next to it, there are 2 other pools for adults. Drinks from bars were very decent. Chairs for every one even on dec 24th. Beach is playacar so very nice sandy beach.

Just returned from 10 nights at the RIU Playacar and cannot rate this hotel highly enough !! After a long day travelling we were met by very friendly staff and a very welcome drink ! Even though it was after 9pm the buffer was still open so we could eat ! Room was so lovely and spotlessly clean ! Cleaned every day to a very high standard and sheets and towels changed regularly which was really welcome ! Air con and ceiling fab worked amazing to keep us cool after the heat of the day ! The whole resort is spotless and all very accessible liked how it was a bit smaller than some other places but absolutely everything you need ! We tended to eat in the buffet restaurant mostly as the choice and quality was really fantastic!! I’m quite a fussy eater but I can honestly say I’ve eaten more those ten days than I’ve ever eaten on holiday !!!!! Staff mostly great only had the odd occasion we didn’t get served at the table we sat down at but the other great service made up for it !! Have to make a mention to Carlos who served us in a few of the venues and he was outstanding!!! So attentive and friendly he never stopped !! We spent every day on the beach but the entertainment team were fantastic they work so hard and always smiling !! Sorry if this is a long review and even at that there is so much more I could say !!! I cannot wait to return and want to thank all at RIU Playacar for making our holiday so so amazing !!!! It really is an amazing place !

Near faultless hotel. Immaculately clean, wonderful staff especially Jose who worked tirelessly round the pool but always with a smile as did all the staff. We had a slight issue as our room was an outside garden view room so although clean & well equipped we love sitting on the balcony watching the world go by. The hotel reception could not have been more helpful/accommodating and we were transferred the following day to an inside view room in block 8 which was just perfect and at no additional cost. Both The Asian restaurant & main buffet were our favourite followed by the steak restaurant. Sadly we were all disappointed with the Mexican restaurant-the staff were lovely & we felt embarrassed but left our meals and went to the buffet instead. This is the only area we felt needed improvement but it didn’t detract from our opinion of the hotel which was 10/10 and we’d return in a heartbeat

My wife and I have spent several vacations at RIU Playacar in Playa Del Carmen, and each time has been wonderfully relaxing and just plain fun. We have also visited several other all inclusive resorts and Playacar is by far our favorite! Great food choices, cocktails are excellent and great service. We have taken our kids, my wife's elderly mother and aunt and went with several friends, The place is always immaculately clean, service is always great, prompt, and a staff striving to please the guests. The employees always make it their mission to make sure each guest enjoys their stay and go home with great memories. The hotel is family friendly, lots of activities and fantastic shows, and things for the kids daily, including kid's shows prior to the regularly scheduled nightly shows. And, 5th Avenue after a short cab ride or brisk walk, is a very enjoyable experience! It is the perfect getaway!

Just returned from a fantastic 11 night stay at the Riu Playacar. As it was our second visit here we didn't lose any time finding about the pools, restaurants and bars etc which certainly helped. Food wise we enjoyed the breakfast and our lunch was a mix of pepe's by the beach and the main lunch venue. Our evening meals were mostly spent in the ala cartes which were a mix of full/part buffet and full table service and generally all the food options were good enough. I can't comment on dietary requirement options but if you're just fussy/ picky I'm sure you'll find something to nit pick about but what can't be criticised is how hard the food and beverage staff work so tip when you can as it was always appreciated. Cleaning staff did a great job and will make a special effort to jazz up your room if it's someone birthday. Entertainment wise through the day there was always something going on but if you just wanted to sunbathe you'd be left alone. Went to one evening show which was a house band and a mariachi group which was good. Our room was 4210 and you could hear noise in the early hours from the next door hotel but as we faced the inside rather than out it might not have been as bad as other rooms. TV channels 32 to 40 were almost constant hollywood films and there were loads of sports channels all English speaking. 25 minute walk or a 150 peso taxi ride into fifth avenue with loads of shopping and bars etc. Sellers can be a bit in your face but just be polite and you'll be okay. Oh and we were fortunate enough to see very close up a monkey and it's baby next to the nearby Riu Yucatan hotel. The parent stole a couple of bananas from me but was very gentle and it wasy lovely to see them eating them before walking off. Will likely go back. Cheers

If you are a smoker be prepared to walk hundreds of metres to smoke a cigarettes since is not allowed anywhere even if you wipe and not even from your balcony. Life guards/security are rarely by the pool area but they ask you not to smoke or wipe even if there is no one around you within a ten metres radius. Besides that they hardly do any work (if you are looking for extra umbrella you could be waiting for an hour or more before you see one of them ) Besides reception (in some cases) all the staff are very helpful and nice. Drinks were very good and your room’s mini bar is filled with all sort of alcoholic drinks, food is good, although only a few options are great. The Italian restaurant has a good fillet but the rest is far from being Italian; what they called cassata siciliana was an insult for Sicilians ( they just make some names up randomly). The animation team and daily activities are great but most of the nights show were poor. Pool closes at 8pm but pool bar at 6pm (where is the logic in that?). Although we had right to free transportation they refused it on our way in because was not from the airport and and also on the way back because we did not ask for it 3 days ahead which absolutely no sense! There is a private beach but you either walk 10 min to go there or wait for the golf cart that only work from 9 to 13 or 15 to 18.