Hotel Riu Tequila

C2382HCjackh wrote a review September 2025

Riu Tequila

My partner and I both in our mid twenties have just returned from an 11 night stay at the Riu Tequila, Playa del Carmen and have a wonderful holiday. Staying from the 10th September.

The hotel itself has a great location, with nice grounds, we were staying in block 31 which was a little walk from reception, with a ground floor room. The room itself was quite large in size, clean, had a shower, large bed and balcony. We initially had issues on day 1 with the toilet not functioning, but after reporting this through the riu app, was fixed within an hour. The room was kept clean throughout the stay, and the aircon was fab to return too a cool room from the heat!

The pools of which there a couple to choose from, were on the whole clean, decent in size, and there was a choice of the more ‘party’ pools where games and activities were held, or just lounge around pools. Sunbeds were ample and we never had an issue at any time of day. Food available throughout the day from the pool snack area was limited but ok, but gets a bit restricted after a 12 days, but this is the same everywhere. The drinks, well, the staff throughout the entire hotel work extremely hard, and none harder than the bar staff who will attempt to make you any drink you like and always a smile on their faces. We had no issue getting places round any of the bars at any point of day, but can be busy around the entertainment area in the evenings, which is to be expected due to the size of the hotel.

Food; lots of choice in the main buffet area, and appeared to cater for all, my partner can be picky but always managed to find something suitable at each meal time. Breakfasts had a huge variety and something for everyone’s taste. I can’t go any further without highlighting ‘POLO’ who was one of the workers in the main buffet, what an absolutely credit he is to the Riu Tequila, he made part of our holiday, ensuring we were always greeted with a smile, a handshake, a greeting, our regular drinks, and sometimes even table decorations for us. All the staff work incredibly hard, and we could see a number of other staff members doing the same for there certain area of the restaurant, but he looked after us amazingly all holiday. Thank you Polo.

The other restaurants, we found the Bamboo Asian Restaurant the choice was a little limited, but what there was was tasty and enjoyable, the same for the Steakhouse with burgers, steaks, and chicken available. For us the italian was the stand out, with a huge variety of starters and a lovely a la carte service main meals, we went here three times throughout our holiday and had no faults.

The hotel is secure, safe, has a reliable complimentary shuttle cart down to the beach, where there are again more food choice, and lovely sunbeds on a stunning beach, however we did see the difference with the seaweed. There were also activities such as paragliding and jet skiing available, however we were quoted a much larger price on the beach, than we were at the ‘water sports hut’ next to the towel hut at the Tequila. When we booked here we had no issues and all went swimmingly. The hotel complex itself has a lovely 5km - 6km walk round a secure grounds, past all the other resorts and a beautiful golf course which is perfect for a stroll or runners alike. The gym was also available, clean and had treadmills, free weights and a couple of resistance machines. The parties on friday are a good time to meet others and were good fun, but we did not go to ‘Pacha’ the nightclub on site at any point. The sports bar was a little disappointing as it did not show live international Cricket, and the snacks available inside weren’t great, However there are other options such as toasties, burgers etc to be heated up 24/7 for any late snacks.

Overall, the hotel was lovely, staff are incredibly hard workers and never pester for tips, but equally really appreciate them, we had no issues with the food, and drinks were plentiful, the location was great with fifth avenue just a 30 minute walk down the road, or in informed by friends a taxi fare of 150 pesos. The chichén itzá tour and Coco Bongo are also well worth a visit if you get chance.

Date of Stay: September 2025

bald-black-god wrote a review September 2025

Be very aware the security team will NOT help you and do not have customers care in mind on any level

Please stay safe when staying here as you will get NO help or support from the security team here they are as likely to insult and belittle you in front of other guests, most are ok but one in particular is so unprofessional it beggers belief

Date of Stay: September 2025

Sherpa40064462865 wrote a review September 2025

Nice resort clean SUPER FUN! but food is basic

Food is ok you will not die of hunger but quality is basic not wow... and restaurants too its not really "restaurants" more of buffet i didnt like it so we stayed for the buffet only. Its not disgusting honestly its just ok. Great thing is that they have gluten free option and all allergens are written its a very good thing! So its allergy friendly! Drinks are good beach is nice only negative point is that they dont have any umbrellas or anything to have some shades! Theres one big tree and all the birds are shittin on you... so bring your parasol (especially if u have kids..) the walk to the beach is short and under the shade nothing to complain about its 5m walk or you have a golf cart to bring you not a big deal on this point. The employees are nice the room is clean and AC is working well. The entertainment and activies are A1!!! I was surprised how they alll well organized the shows everything are amazing! Pools are ok
Only thing i didnt like is their grill option durinf the day because except the buffet on the beach (which was great!) the options near the pool are not good (hor dogs and burned burgers) but its not a big deal. We loved our vacations. And you you have a mall plaza 5m walk as well to exchange money or shop nice things and a pharmacy!

Date of Stay: September 2025

LizofLewes wrote a review September 2025
Lewes, East Sussex, England

Fabulous international hotel - a great base from which to explore the Yukatan Peninsula

Lovely rooms in villas (blocks of about 16 rooms, some of which were designed to interconnect with a single front door if needed). Ours (in block 13) had a balcony facing toward the central pool area, but there was a "jungle" area between the two, which gave a lot of privacy as we were on the top floor. It was also a great place to watch the local wildlife (especially coatis), though it was noisy towards the end of the afternoon. The rooms had enough space and enough storage for the three of us. There was an extra bed in the room for our daughter and it still didn't feel cramped. The main beds were small doubles (not really big enough for adults to share one bed, but lovely for individuals). The beds were comfy and the aircon was a godsend.

The bathroom area was lovely, with twin sinks, a shower and a separate toilet cubicle. The downside is that there wasn't any privacy apart from in the toilet cubicle - the design is basically open plan between the bedroom and bathroom areas and the shower door is glass. This meant that whenever our teenager was changing or using the shower we needed to go out of the room / onto the balcony to give her the privacy she needed. On the last day I thought of using pegs to fasten a towel to the shower door, but that would only have been useful for the time in the shower, and not for changing.

We loved the optics in the room, and the fridge stocked with soft drinks and beers. We enjoy a drink or two while getting ready for dinner and it was brilliant to have this available in the room (and regularly stocked up). Likewise, the coffee filter machine was great - and we asked for some milk in the sports bar and they gave us a whole carton to keep in the room. The sports bar was wonderful for 24 hour snacks and drinks - this was so helpful for the days when we were getting over jet lag and when we needed to get up early for trips.

The food was amazing - lots of variety and excellent quality. The main restaurant was huge (and consequently quite noisy), but it was possible to eat in the a la carte restaurants as often as you liked - and you didn't need to book - if they were full, you would be sent away with a buzzer (which, in our experience, called you back much more quickly than anticipated - ie. a 20-minute wait, not 40 minutes). We went to the grill, the Italian and the Asian restaurants - the latter was best for my vegetarian daughter - the grill didn't have any main course she could eat (but they brought one in from the Italian next door) - the steaks in both the grill and the Italian were excellent for the meat eaters in our family. The wine in the restaurants was good - bottled, mainly from Argentina, I think.

We didn't really see much evening entertainment, preferring to play cards etc in the lobby area (or going back to our room to take in a film – we had brought a laptop and an HDMI to HDMI cable with us, so were able to watch Netflix and Disney+ on the fabulous big flatscreen TV in our room). We walked through the lobby when the neon party was kicking off and it looked great fun - just not what we fancied.

The daytime entertainment was excellent, with pop up shows before lunch - eg. circus or mariachi by the pool - and daily exercise classes and games. I was pleased to note that all drinks served at the pool were in recycled reusable cups. Pool bar staff cleared cups and brought drinks to guests at their sunbeds (if requested) and occasionally a trolley bar would come around the pool for poolside drinks (and sometimes even ice cream) service. Whilst the staff cleared up cups, they didn't really clear up other rubbish and guests weren't too great at clearing their stuff away either, so the pool areas weren't always as clean as I would like. Whilst talking about the pools, there is an issue with sunbeds at the Tequila. There aren't enough, so if you're getting up after 8/9am or so it's best to head to one of the other hotels that guests can use (Playacar or Yukatan) or to the beach - in those places there are plenty of sunbeds (and you can eat lunch there too - the only problem with leaving the Tequila is you lose access to the hotel WiFi, but that's not necessarily a bad thing). We did aqua-gym classes at both the Tequila and the Playacar (both great) and watched the foam party at the Playacar.

We were there in August at the height of the sargassum season, yet the hotel beach staff did an amazing job of clearing the beach. On some days the water was clearer than others. This didn't matter to us that much as we prefer using pools to the sea generally, though the pools were all very warm (too warm in my opinion), which wasn't as refreshing as the sea.

We went on some trips and this really made our holiday - to get more of a feeling of Mexico's incredible history and geography. We chose two organised trips - one which included Chichen Itza and a cenote and one to Sian Ka'an nature reserve (where we had a boat safari through the mangroves, saw pelicans, a dolphin, sea turtles and crocodiles). We also travelled to some other cenotes independently.

Date of Stay: August 2025

800royr wrote a review September 2025

Second visit

This was our second visit and well worth it👍
Everything about the hotel is great entertainment,food,pools,beach and most of all the staff who are all helpful and polite .
Thanks to all at the Tequila we will be returning next year☀️☀️🎉🎉👍👍

Date of Stay: September 2025

Nickrowley1980 wrote a review September 2025
Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England

Birthday holiday

This hotel is lovely friendly staff are always asking if you want to join in any games
There was a foam party around 11am
Music playing which great
They come around the pool which a drinks cart and some. Times ice cream as well
There are lots of sun beds
But like in majorca Tenerife gran Canaria etc
You get the sad people that get a sun bed by putting s towel on it and then you don’t see them till mid afternoon
But there are plenty of sun beds and you get cards to get towels
The food is ok but it’s basically the same every day.
But you have plenty to choose from
The out side grill is basic burgers fires and hot dogs and that’s every day
They have to nights which is a big party a white night and a neon night they are great nights to attend
The stake restaurant and Chinese restaurant are lovely to go to

3issues we have is
The fridge isn’t stock up and nether is the coffee packs in the room
And the other is the beach is over the road at the other hotel which is a 5 minute walk not to bad but there was supposed to be transport which we never saw
And the bathroom is open which if you are a family with an older daughter or son
or come with a friend it can be a bit tricky when getting changed

But this is still a great hotel and I would come here again. As the staff are lovely and friendly and want to you join in with the activities and
There is wide life around the hotel which is nice to see

And we did go to 5th avenue but after about 15th minute we left as everyone kept saying I work at hour hotel I’m your bar man I’m your waiter
This is my nabs business
We kept saying know but you where jumped on
I think they think a white person a English person there rich
So we just got a taxi back
I was told to go to Walmart as it’s cheaper there
But we just stayed in the hotel after that

Date of Stay: September 2025

Q4408EMjulied wrote a review September 2025

Excellent hotel

Fantastic hotel at RIU Tequila. It is a lively place. The staff are really friendly and helpful. The hotel and rooms are spotless. We couldn't fault the food and there was plenty of choice in the main one. The other restaurants offered Italian, steak house, and Chinese, which was a buffet. Our favourite! Lots of choice. We also had access to the Yucatan and Playacar. To get to the beach there was a buggy laid on whoch ran every few minutes. Although it is a short walk.

Date of Stay: September 2025

td402017 wrote a review September 2025
Cornwall, England

Lovely hotel and perfect for a family gathering

Wonderful hotel with lots of food and drink choices. The beach here is amazing and the wildlife adds to the ambience. We had a fabulous time celebrating our dad’s 75th birthday and have been to this hotel several times previously so knew what we were getting. Fab time

Date of Stay: November 2024

Ringading00 wrote a review October 2025

Fabulous stay at Riu Tequila

My daughter (18) and I had a fabulous stay at the Riu Tequila.

We had been due to go to a different resort, but our booking had been changed (due to building works).

I had a couple of reservations (road, beach umbrellas) prior to arriving, but was delighted by the whole experience at the Tequila.

The outstanding, caring staff were wonderful, & absolutely made our holiday. Big shout out to Julio, our wonderful waiter in the outside seating area of the buffet, who was consistently friendly, welcoming and made eating there a treat every time. Also to Luis on the entertainment team, and Marcial in the Oriental restaurant, who went above & beyond to meet my dietary needs.

The rooms were well-appointed and had all we needed. I had been worried before arriving that we would be allocated a single double-bed (!) due to disappointing communications with Tui (our travel agent), but on arrival we were fine as I think all rooms have 2 doubles. There was plenty of storage and hot water with decent shower pressure.

The buffet was huge, with so many options, and really fresh. It constantly changed, and there was something for everyone - from vegans to the most-hardened carnivore! I have a food intolerance, and the staff were great at checking things didn't have bell peppers for me. We went to the speciality restaurants too, but could have happily stayed in the buffet for 2 weeks without getting bored!

Massive range of cocktails, and the bar staff were efficient at delivering, even when there was a rush on!

Pools were well-maintained (seemed to be cleaned every night, which was reassuring), but busy. I preferred the beach - however there were no beach umbrellas, only palm trees. I had bought one with me (Decathlon - buy the spike to go with it!), but I think the hotel should consider adding these at the beach - it's HOT! (Hence removing a star on my review - harsh, I know!)

I had been concerned about having to cross a road to the beach, but this was not an issue as it wasn't busy. There was a safe path through to the beach between 2 hotels, & you could get drinks, snacks, ice creams during the day from one of those (maybe both...?)

Plenty of varied entertainment, & we had a lot of fun at the white and neon parties. (Don't worry if you can't find a neon outfit!) The housekeeping team were amazing at mopping up spilt drinks so people didn't slip over...so thoughtful.

I was also really impressed by one young manager who I saw popping up throughout my entire stay, checking things were running smoothly & people were happy.

Keep up the great work, we'll be back!

Date of Stay: July 2025

ianwM449AU wrote a review October 2025
West Lothian, Scotland

Good holiday

This was our second visit to this hotel. The grounds are kept and looked after immaculately.
The housekeeping staff work very hard to keep rooms and corridors spotless.
The bar staff work really hard to please everyone with drink services especially coming round pools taking orders and pushing a drinks cart all are friendly and have a smile for everyone. Also the staff coming round the pools with a cart with ice cream & ice lollies which is great.
The only downside was the in room bar fridge/ optics service which you can request on the app and you get a reply saying your request has been done & has not but was fixed by the lovely reception staff immediately.
Food in the buffet has a very good variety and plenty of options for everyone and of a good standard for a buffet. The only let down is that it is a 7 day menu and we were there for 14 days but not really a complaint.
A la carte restaurants Mexican poor never went this year as last year the food was so bland, the Mexican food in buffet was really delicious.
Steakhouse is decent
Italian starters are plentiful with lots of choices but main courses a bit poor lasagna cold & under cooked, chicken pasta was undercooked, steak was not very pleasant but the salmon was delicious.
Asian restaurant sushi and starter bar are fantastic. Plenty of choices in main courses all cooked well and tasted delicious well done to the chefs, this was our favourite. All in all I think the steakhouse and Italian could be doing with a revamp of the main course menu ie new dishes as they haven’t been changed in a few years.
What we found so surprising was the way some of the Mexican guests talked to and treated staff and other guests which was very rude with no respect for the hotel, staff & other guests, leaving food mess round the pools on outside tables etc for the coaties to get leaving the staff to clean up that mess, dropping food/ drink on floor and just moving away to another table and treating the hard working staff like servants.
The white and neon parties are fantastic as well as the daytime pool parties, coconut parties etc. The entertainment staff work so hard to entertain guests and interact with guests.
Overall I would highly recommend this hotel

Date of Stay: September 2025

82nikkig wrote a review October 2025

Disgusting

AVOID!!!

Me my girlfriend and another 2 guests at the hotel were sexually assaulted by the hotel staff. Hotel staff useless at helping as were police. AVOID at all costs.

Date of Stay: October 2025

lauralE8600AC wrote a review October 2025

Huge disappointment!

This was our fourth time visiting Mexico, and sadly this hotel was our least favourite we’ve stayed at the Bahia Principe before and much preferred it.

The positives first:
The grounds are beautiful, always kept spotless, and it’s lovely seeing the wildlife around it never failed to make us smile.
Felix and Guellimo in the buffet restaurant were absolutely amazing such genuine, friendly people who went above and beyond and are a real credit to the hotel.
The pool next to the main bar pool was lovely and we met so many great people there who really made our holiday.
When the weather cleared up it was super-hot and the beach at Yucatan was stunning with hardly any seaweed.
Rooms were spacious, the towel animals were a lovely touch, and the minibar team were very quick to replenish when requested through the app.

Now for the negatives:
The on-site shop was a total rip-off they sold us a broken vape and refused to exchange or refund it. Reception said someone would call us but nobody ever did, and it felt pointless chasing.
We had a group of young guys staying opposite us who were constantly screaming, running in and out of rooms and banging doors all hours of the night. One even tried to come into our room drunk at 3 am. We called reception multiple times but nothing was done.
We were warned by other guests to avoid the swim-up bar pool as it keeps getting closed due to people vomiting in it we saw it taped off twice during our stay, so we avoided that area completely. It’s definitely the party pool, and people were drinking and shouting there until around 9 pm every night.

To be honest, at times it felt like a posher version of Benidorm everyone seemed drunk from morning until night. I’m all for people enjoying themselves on holiday, but this was excessive. It felt like the entire atmosphere was built around drinking and being loud, rather than a healthy balance. In other Mexican resorts we’ve stayed at, there’s always been a nice mix of relaxing and partying this was just full-on chaos most days.

The buffet food was nice but very repetitive, and the à la carte restaurants were hit and miss the Asian was good but the steakhouse was average. You can’t book tables in advance, so it’s just luck or a long wait.
We also had cockroaches in our room and a snake on the balcony we called reception for help so we could safely access our things, but nobody came. I completely understand wildlife is part of the environment, but a bit of assistance would have gone a long way.
We had several days of heavy rain (understandable for September), but even allowing for that, the overall experience just didn’t live up to expectations.

Overall:
We’ve always wanted to stay in a Riu but honestly this was the most disappointing trip we’ve had in Mexico. Bahia Principe is on a completely different level. This time it felt like staff wanted tips just for saying hello and while we always tip generously for good service, this felt excessive.
We’ve raved to friends and family for years about how amazing Mexico is, even brought four relatives with us this time, and ended up feeling embarrassed that it didn’t live up to what we’d promised.

Date of Stay: September 2025

Mylittlewitch wrote a review October 2025
Tyne and Wear, England

Great 2nd visit

Another great visit! Contacted ahead of travel to ask for same room as last year and they were happy to help. Overall still fantastic was quite a bit livelier than last year and a few more wheel chair casualties being wheeled away from party pool didn’t affect our enjoyment though and quite funny to see! Grounds still immaculate and all the lovely animals still living happily in grounds. Neon and white parties as good as ever. Will be booking again

Date of Stay: September 2025

M-22201 wrote a review October 2025
Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England

Realistic review… 3 1/2 stars

We spent 11 nights at the Riu Tequila, this was our first trip to Mexico. We always say your holiday is what you make of it and we had a nice time but would not return or recommend this hotel to our friends or family.

Positives -
Grounds very nice.
Wildlife - Coatis, iguanas, birds, rare sighting of a monkey on two occasions.
Buffet restaurant - nice, good variety although feels repetitive after a week.
Restaurants - 3 choices which you can go to as many times as you wish during your visit! We liked the Italian and steakhouse! Didn’t enjoy the Asian.
Beach - Lovely beach, we did a few early mornings for the beautiful sunrise and swimming…. the sea was warm at that time too. (Highlight of the holiday for us)
Staff around the hotel work very hard, cleaning lady left animal towels in our room each day which was a nice touch.
Room - Just fine, could do with a refresh but bed was comfortable, air conditioning good! Optics and replenished fridge (just request via app)
Drinks - Branded drinks available just ask for your brand otherwise you will get the local variant.
Entertainment - Enjoyed White night, retro night was really good!

Negatives
Clientele - This let it down for us, it is a glorified Benidorm.
Party pool - We dipped in and out a few times and in that little time we saw the pool taped off twice. Young adults behaving like idiots. A large elderly man needed to be helped out of the pool for being too drunk, this took 5 people to do this. A man was being sick at the side of the pool and security had to take him in a wheelchair to his room.
Another man had to be helped by his partner as he fell over numerous times, again too drunk.
There is an awful sick smell that lingers around this pool too - it must be in the drains!
What could be a little bit of fun is spoilt by those who take it too far.
Quieter larger pool - Hispanic families in this area are so loud and feel the need to shout/scream at each other in general conversations, they let their children unnecessarily scream all day. No one wants to hear this.
Smoking areas - People don’t seem to want to use these areas as rules don’t apply to them.
Rooms - We asked for a quieter room but I don’t think this is an option at the hotel. The room doors don’t close without a loud bang and unfortunately people are in and out of their rooms at all hours so this is constant. You can hear everything that goes on and one night we had to report someone as it was so excessive.
Unfortunately some people at this hotel don’t have any consideration for other guests.

Tip - Mosquitos were relentless and no products I purchased from home helped! Purchased ‘Off’ from the local shops which definitely improved! Be aware that the humidity is very high and can be very uncomfortable if you are not expecting it.

Date of Stay: September 2025

L7168WJclaireh wrote a review October 2025

Disappointed

Booked for three adults one been a 85 year old and when arrived put us in a double room, expecting us to share 2 beds pushed together. When complained could only give us a pull out bed in room for night, another room would not be available until next day.
I could not fault cleanliness of hotel or food and staff but however had to ring reception on couple occasions to fill coffee and soft drinks up.
Entertainment was terrible on a evening, I would definitely not return to this hotel, very disappointed as this holiday was for my mother's 85th Birthday.

Date of Stay: October 2025

davedS7422TP wrote a review October 2025
Brantford, Ontario

Find somewhere else

Check in took hours and then I was told I had to wait longer. Just give me any room, I don5care. Having to take my luggage and find my room. I was put in a room next to the kids pool who scream all day long. They are constantly making announcements all hours. The food is a one out of five. The room is clean but the air conditioning was terrible. I got the room down to 26C once. The bartenders were amazing but either I built up a huge tolerance for alcohol or there wasn't any in the drinks. Can't wait to go home and never return

Date of Stay: October 2025

R0sie99 wrote a review October 2025

Amazing 11 days at Riu Tequila :)

Our first time to a Riu hotel and first time to Mexico and we were blown away! From the moment we arrived the staff was amazing from the swift check in and taking our suitcases to our room, the cleanliness of the room, the welcome bottle of tequila to go with the fully stocked mini bar! The waiting staff could be hit and miss but our go to people were Laura and Rangel, superb service every time. We were over in block 31 and far enough away from the entertainment noise. The noise is there, especially at weekends when the hotel bursts into life but we experienced no problems and it didn’t affect us - but it is the party hotel and they do like to party! Entertainment was great and during our stay we had the neon party and the white party to keep us busy. The effort that is put into these parties is amazing . We did 3 excursions - Sian Ka’an, Holbox, Chichen Itza. I would recommend all 3 but if you can only do one - Holbox is pure paradise!
There was no problem getting beds by the pools but we spent our free days at the beach, just beautiful 😍
I did not enjoy 5th Avenue, it was 150 pesos in a taxi to get to the start of it and from the moment we arrived we were hassled to go in the shops, it wasn’t an enjoyable experience especially in the heat. I bought my gifts from the stalls on the complex 5 minutes down the road from the hotel (walk out the hotel and turn left).
No problems with any of the staff, our room was kept spotless and if you do need anything you can request it through the Riu app.
Weather was hot, a few thunderstorms in the evenings but they didn’t affect our plans and they were amazing to watch.
Brilliant holiday all round…. I would return to this hotel if there weren’t so many other places I want to visit. Choosing RIU in future where possible :)

Date of Stay: October 2025