Hotel Riu Playacar

denisj809 wrote a review September 2025
Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Scotland

Love Riu

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!

Date of Stay: September 2025

billsE5571VS wrote a review September 2025
Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England

1st class stay

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.

Date of Stay: August 2025

carolgL9227WM wrote a review September 2025

Returning happy guest

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.

Date of Stay: August 2025

OksanaFF wrote a review September 2025
London, England

Great Holiday

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.

Date of Stay: August 2025

BigBoss1 wrote a review September 2025
London, England

Riu Playacar Great Experience

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.

Date of Stay: July 2025

helsbels0801 wrote a review September 2025
Chester, Cheshire, England

A long way to travel for an average holiday

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.

Date of Stay: September 2025

523ang wrote a review September 2025
South Shields, Tyne and Wear, England

Amazing !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Booking for next year

This was our first time in Mexico and oh my god, it was more than we could have imagined. From the ease of access of the transfer to the welcome of the staff when we arrived was excellent. Introductions and Sangria at check in and after explanation of the hotel and where we were, our bags were loaded and off we went. The room was beautiful, modern, well kept, airy, with excellent air conditioning and fully stocked optics of whisky, rum, vodka and gin and an ice machine at the bottom of the stairs outside the room.
The pools were amazing, catering to all. The swim up pool was exceptional. Ho-Hey worked harder than any man could...as the others did but he was exceptional and remembered you're drink from the first time told. The bar was clean and well kept. Food was available throughout the day, whether by a restaurant or buffet meal and the food was beautiful, varied, catering for all, with little extras thought of.
The staff were astounding, attentive and nothing was a problem for them..
Yoga every morning in the grand foyer for those who wanted it and ..forgive me I have forgot his name but he encouraged all to get involved.
other RUI hotels for use are in 5 min walking distance and offer a different but also good showcase of what RUI hotels have to offer. The RUI Yukatan has monkeys to offer in a mini forest where they come and eat from you.
Bouncing music and pool bar fun for all ages and night time entertainment was brilliant!!! RUI hotels are always the best BUT this was astounding.

Date of Stay: September 2025

Reece873 wrote a review October 2025
Birmingham, West Midlands, England

Brilliant hotel

Went to Rui Playacar in May 2024, loved it so much when we got home we booked it again May 2025 for three weeks. Met up with loads of people who were repeater visitors from the previous year. Thought it wouldn’t be as good as last year but it was even better. So booked it again for May 2026! That’s says it all really as we are quite fussy to pleased. Our only complaint was that the swimming pool was too warm in the afternoon. Everything else brilliant. 😊😊
Cancum airport can be a bit of hit and miss though, but coming from England you should be used to that😂

Date of Stay: May 2025

MM_013 wrote a review October 2025
London, England

Lovely Hotel

We stayed here in September and were pleasantly surprised. The whole hotel was very clean, and staff could be seen constantly cleaning throughout the day. All of the staff we encountered were friendly, patient, and accommodating – especially considering the language barrier.

The food was generally good, with most dishes seasoned well. At times it did feel a little repetitive, and if I had one complaint it would be the labelling. Some dishes weren’t labelled clearly, or at all, which can be an issue for those with dietary restrictions. For example, I don’t eat pork, and although I check labels carefully, one time the potatoes didn’t list pork but did contain some once I had them on my plate.

The beach is absolutely stunning, and the sunrises alone were worth getting up early for. The local wildlife was also plentiful and lovely to see during our stay.

I didn’t catch many names, but I’d like to give a special mention to Gimer, who took great care of our room, and Tina from the entertainment team, who made the activities fun and welcoming.

This was our first time in Mexico, and hopefully not our last. A big thank you as well to the TUI rep, who was very helpful throughout our stay.

Date of Stay: September 2025

Jacques405 wrote a review October 2025
Bakewell, Peak District National Park, England

Lovely Hotel

This is a lovely, well-maintained Hotel. The grounds are kept very tidy and we enjoyed the local wildlife – agoutis, coatis and a couple of iguanas. The Hotel has an ideal location next to a beach with coconut palms and a lovely warm sea. WiFi around the Hotel and within the room is excellent, as is the air conditioning, which stays on even when the key is removed. As the Hotel is located within a gated community, we felt perfectly safe and had no problems. Food in the various restaurants is varied and excellent. The staff are friendly and they all work extremely hard, but always have time to say “Hola”.

As a couple in our late seventies, with all the activities, entertainment and loud music, we found the Hotel lively and noisy and we didn’t have the quiet relaxing holiday, we now enjoy. However, if you like friendly staff, endless cocktails, good food, hot days and nights and plenty of things to do, this is the place for you.

Date of Stay: September 2025

Brasso4 wrote a review October 2025
Matlock, Derbyshire, England

Another fantastic holiday

This was our 2nd time at the hotel and won't be the last, when we visited last time I travelled with my husband and this time there were a party of 6.
On arriving at the hotel you are welcomed with a drink, check in was very easy and the bellman loaded our cases on his trolley and took them all to our rooms. We had 3 ground floor rooms next to each other which was great, the rooms were very clean, the air conditioning worked well, Wi-Fi great and had everything in them that what we needed.
The staff work extremely hard all day and night, keep the hotel spotlessly clean and the bar staff keep the drinks flowing. The housekeeping team kept the room clean and the man who fills the fridge kept the fridges well stocked. All the restaurants had excellent food and a different variety of cuisines for everyone's taste, the staff in the restaurants clear your plates away as quick as possible and the waitress Anel deserves a mention as she was always happy to have a chat if she had time.
During our holiday we had to visit urgencies due to a small incident. The reception staff, doctor at the Yucatan, the staff at the hospital and the TUI reps were brilliant and made sure we were all alright on the rest of the holiday.
The pools are lovely and warm, the sea was clear and beautiful to swim in and whilst you are sat around the pool one of the bar staff come round clearing cups and taking orders for drinks to be delivered to your sunbed - great service.
Finally the animation team were great with their entertainment and a shout out to Jesus he made our holiday as he tried to get us involved even though we weren't much good at the activities! the white and neon parties are great at the tequila.
My parents went with us this time and found it quite loud as they enjoy very quiet and relaxing holidays now as they are in their seventies and they would not return. The rest of the party would definitely recommend and return back to this hotel and looking forward to booking again soon.

Date of Stay: September 2025

Alycat79 wrote a review October 2025
Warwickshire, England

Relaxing stay right on the beachfront

This was our fourth visit to the Playacar resort area since 2008. We tend to go back every 4-5 years because we love it there - the beach is stunning! It’s a relatively quiet and relaxing resort, within walking distance of Playa Del Carmen (about 30-40 minutes) along the road or the beach depending on tide times. There are a few taxes you need to pay before travel / at the hotel when visiting this area of Mexico. They are not particularly expensive or a problem but you just need to be aware of them in advance, that’s all. You can easily go on lots of great excursions from here too on bus or boat. We have visited the ancient Mayan ruins at Tulum, which was amazing and went to a lovely and relaxing beach there after. But we are quite lazy really so haven’t ever been on any of the other excursions as tempting as they sounded!

We have stayed at Riu Lupita and Tequila previously, both of which were nice at the time. If staying at Riu Playacar, you can also use the restaurants, bars, pools, sun beds and other facilities (all inclusive) at Tequila and Yucatan (both a short walk) during the daytime, which is great. We have stayed at this hotel on our last 2 holidays there and loved it. The staff are welcoming and the service in bars and restaurants was always good. Everything in the rooms is included, with no hidden extras. On both occasions our room was cleaned daily, spacious and comfortable with a selection of different pillows. In the main it was quiet, with only some noise from other guests returning from the bars but not after midnight or anything like that. This time our shower wasn’t very powerful although still adequate. There didn’t seem to be a general problem with water pressure but the hose / head looked quite old, so could have done with being replaced.

The food and drinks were lovely and fresh with good variety. We didn’t try any of the a la carte restaurants on site as we love a buffet! So can’t comment on those. This place is great for wildlife lovers - saw some colourful birds, iguanas and raccoons. There was also a little monkey walking through the reception area a couple of mornings and he even joined us for lunch one day in the outside restaurant! He was very cute but his table manners needed a bit of work. Everywhere in the grounds were these cute little Agouti creatures - saw some with baby ones a couple of days. Adorable!

I didn’t use the gym because I’d accidentally forgotten to pack all my spandex and lycra but my partner did and said it was good. Although it does start to get busy after 6.30am and you may have to wait a little bit for the machine or pair of weights you want to use. There’s lots of sports activities here if you like that sort of thing - volleyball, soccer, jet ski etc. The entertainment team are good fun too!

We loved this hotel and would definitely return again in the future. Very relaxing holiday with only 10 minutes of rain in 2 weeks! Land and sea temperature was just right at that time of year.

Date of Stay: February 2025