Hotel Riu Playacar - All Inclusive

It's a no from me...here's my review: The good.... - Its great to have access to the speciality restaurants with no requirement to book. - Room and balcony was spacious - though our view was 100% hedge :( - Clean and tidy grounds - Good air con - Plenty of loungers in Sept - Plenty of choice in the main buffet. The fruit was delicious - Good location, on the beach with a 25min walk into town - It's quiet in the evenings, small amount of entertainment around one bar full of drunks and limited seating, sitting in the lobby felt soleless and very warm - Mini bar filled every 2 days (though take your own snacks for your room as you dont get any dry snacks if you're peckish) The not so good.... - No heads up on check in on an app to help support the stay - Recently renovated apparently, it looks kinda scruffy to me - Didn't use the pools as far too many people complaining about the rashes they had from people partying and peeing - use the loo you animals! - Items being stolen from around the pool, I shouldnt have to take my backpack when I want to swim - Constantly being asked to buy things on the beach, rarely 5mins when past and another one comes - The seaweed. Whilst i knew it would be bad, I didnt expect to see 3 tractors for hours on end making the noise and enhancing the smell. It just spoilt the beach experience, and of course impacts swimming. Be mindful when booking in those Summer months - Lack of drinks service from the beach. Only one offering of a drink throughout the week, I asked for 2 cokes for my partner and I from the waitors full tray, advised I could only have 1 incase someone else wanted coke...really? - Limited snacks and the drinks tasted very watery. - Asian restaurant - great starters, the rest was nasty - No lifts in block 8, it was sad to see elderly peple struggle with the steps We had a cheap week with Tui - £813 for the week, and thankfully we got a huge amount back from a delay, but honestly I'd have been so damn disapointed if we'd paid more. We've travelled to Egypt all inclusive many times and its 1000% better in every aspect. Sorry to say its a 3 star in my eyes.

The staff was wonderful. The only thing that all the floors were wet and slippery. It was a hazard. Everything else was great!

When in Cancun previously my husband and I stayed at Riu Riviera Maya and that was top tier but this time we traveled with family so I chose Playacar for the value. The customer service was 3 out of 10 and the food was a 7 out of 10. This property had no elevator and the towels hanging outside of the rooms was giving Myrtle Beach. I pretty much got what I paid for and that was nobody’s fault but mine. I would not recommend this property

Very friendly staff - area was convenient

Stayed at the Hotel Riu Playacar in July for 10 nights. On arrival to the hotel, we were amazed at the huge lobby and reception area. Our room was towards the end of the hotel, overlooking a beautiful sea and pool view. The only negative is that there are no lifts in this hotel, and our room was on the top floor (2nd) and had to walk around x8 separate flight of steps. It wasn't too bad as it was good exercise to burn off some of the all inclusive food! The room was huge and quite plain, i.e. white walls with no pictures of paintings, which I'm not bothered about. Toilet is separate to the bathroom. Shower is large, and we had two sinks (his and hers style). We had a king size bed and also a sofa bed, large dressing table with drawers for clothes and belongings, TV above this and a cupboard with plenty of hangers for clothes. Inside the cupboard there was also an iron and board + free safe. The balcony was big, with two chairs and a small table. The room also comes with a mini fridge fully stocked up with cans of beer, pepsi, 7up and water bottles, all included in your stay and topped up every second day. There is free WiFi across the resort and strong connection everywhere. There are many bars across the resort and selection of drinks + cocktails is very good. There were no physical drink menus, the hotel is very keen on guests scanning QR codes on their devices to access menus and using the RIU app for entertainment and all other things. Beer was XX lager, I was disappointed not to have Corona but the beer was still nice. Many branded spirits, for example Captain Morgan spiced rum. Make sure you try the spicy mango tequila shots and michealda. There are x2 swimming pools, both big sized. One of them is used for activities such as foam party, water polo and water aerobics. The other is general. There is also a small kids pool with small slides and fountains. Sunbeds are plenty around the pool area and beach which is a few steps away from the pool. There were guests reserving sunbeds especially around the pool from as early as 6/6:30am which was very annoying. There are a lot of choices for food. Breakfast is served in the main buffet and it's the same options everyday. Cereals, fruits, all types of eggs, bacon, sausages, pastries, even Mexican tacos with chicken and eggs which I tried and got addicted to. There is a snack bar beside the pool bar everyday which serves beef burgers, hot dogs and nachos. Lunch is served in the buffet beside the pool. The choice of food was the same most days, but they varied the pizza toppings and pasta dishes each day. The pizzas here were so good, very cheesy and deep pan. Some wild toppings which I've never thought of before but they all worked. Dinner is served in the main buffet (where breakfast is) but you also have the choice of the Al a carte restaurants. The hotel does not limit you on number of visits and no need to pre-book which is excellent. We tried the Asian but were not impressed. We also tried the steak house one night which was good, apart from my chicken ceaser salad where I found a live black beetle crawling inside. When I showed the waiter, he was quick to take it away but did not bring a replacement. The buffet at dinner was where we spent most of our dinners, plenty of choice for meat and vegetarian. Never a day went by where we were stuck for choice. The staff were incredible, very hard working. I was most impressed with the cleaning and maintenance staff. The hotel is immaculately clean, and this is a credit to the cleaning staff constantly making sure they keep this a clean 5* resort. The maintenance staff also, painting walls, trimming palm trees, watering the plants etc. The bar staff as well, with the amount of guests constantly ordering drinks, each making hundreds of drinks, cocktails fresh and not premade, all bar staff working with smiles, talking to guests and having a good time. The entertainment staff as well do not bother you if you don't want to participate in activities. We took part in the water aerobics and I played beach football most of the time. Be sure to download the RIU app where you can see a daily itinerary of entertainment. The evening entertainment was okay, couple of shows were very good, the rest were your usual holiday type shows. We particularly enjoyed the international night with dances from across the globe, being Indian we really enjoyed the Indian performance. There was also a silent disco which was great fun. We also went to the Tequila for the White Party and Neon Party which was full of fun vibes. The beach was really nice, soft white sand and plenty of sunbeds. Unfortunately there was a lot of sea weed and the start of our holiday which meant we couldn't get into the sea. But the staff work tirelessly to clear it and towards the end of our trip we got to spend a lot of time in the sea. Would I return here? Yes, 100%. Happy to answer any questions from guests interested.

When we arrived at the hotel, I was initially taken aback. Having stayed in more visually striking and luxurious hotels before, the simplicity of the reception area felt a little underwhelming. It was modest and functional, lacking the grandeur or decorative flair you might expect from a high-end resort. However, my impression quickly changed. The location was absolutely perfect—just steps away from both the pool and the sea, making it incredibly easy to enjoy the water whenever we wanted. I had read several reviews mentioning seaweed along the shoreline, so I was a bit concerned before arriving. But we were extremely lucky—during our stay, the water was crystal clear for several days, with no seaweed in sight. It was beautiful, refreshing, and ideal for swimming. It really felt like we caught the best of the season. Dining was another highlight. The ability to walk into any of the hotel’s restaurants without needing a reservation added a wonderful sense of freedom and ease. The food was varied and enjoyable, and the relaxed atmosphere made every meal feel like part of the holiday. Our room was spotless—well-maintained, thoughtfully arranged, and equipped with everything we needed for a comfortable stay. The housekeeping team clearly takes pride in their work, and it showed in every detail. A huge thank-you to the entertainment team—Sexy Billy 😊, Jazmine, and Angel—who brought so much energy and joy to the resort. The bar staff were also fantastic: quick, friendly, and always smiling. I wish I could remember everyone’s names to thank them properly. Despite the simple first impression, the overall experience was outstanding. The combination of cleanliness, convenience, warm hospitality, and lively entertainment made for a truly enjoyable holiday. I left feeling very happy with my stay and would definitely consider returning.

5th stay in 2 years. Staff amazing, already missing our favourites although everyone is truly brilliant. Looking to book again for early next year. Highly recommend. Can’t fault the hotel, super layout, large clean rooms with wonderful housekeeping. All restaurants excellent.

From start to finish excellent on all levels. Room in block 8 overlooking the pool exceptional, service from all resultants great, especially the steak house, all bars were quick with the service, service on the beach/pools spot on. Entertainment/branded drinks are the only thing that seem to went a bit downhill but not enough to dampen this holiday. Recommend this to anyone.

Need more even entertaining and variety of food options.

Wow! Best all inclusive ever. What a beautiful hotel well laid out great ambiance very relaxing! The Rooms are beautiful very spacious and well equipped it was a nice bonus to have stocked mini bar with optics which you can have restocked via the excellent app. The food is great loads of choices which is 24 as is the drinks which are all branded never drank so many different cocktails. The entertainment is fantastic overall the entertainment do an awesome job getting everyone involved would totally recommend and would definitely book a Riu hotel as I never stayed in one before!