RIU Palace Riviera Maya

What an amazing resort Thank you to Alexandra our stay was awsome and to Andreas in the entertainment team so much fun you energy is off the charts getting people to particapate seems easy for you. Cappaccino bar really good coffee and service. Beach is ok but the pool side is where it's at.

We’ve been coming to the Riu hotels for at least 15 years. We’ve been to many all inclusive resorts in different countries to include Playa Del Carmen, Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Costa Rica, Jamaica and The Dominican Republic. The Riu Palace has always been our choice, combined we’ve visited different locations at least twenty times. The resorts are always clean and the staff is friendly in Mexico and Costa Rica. As for Jamaica and The Dominican Republic, the staff was not friendly or well trained. The servers ignored guests and some didn’t even acknowledge us, tipping generously didn’t help. I will say this trip to the Riu Palace Riviera Maya we were disappointed in the menu changes. Our favorite beef selections were taken off the menu in some restaurants and the cuts of meat weren’t what you’d expect in the Palace. The buffet has gotten smaller with less choices over the years too. The new “ Elite Club” has probably taken the place of what was the standard for a 5 star resort. We realize inflation has affected the world and cuts are inevitable to stay competitive. Unfortunately our family realized it’s time to try another resort.

This was our second time staying at the Riu Palace Riviera Maya (first visit in september 2023)

We checked in online before arriving using the Riu App - something which I find makes the process a lot smoother, we were checked in and brought to our room very quickly. We were delighted that our request for a room close to where we were last time was accommodated.

The service was absolutely impeccable always. A few shout outs need to be made here. Lorenzo at Breakfast - he was always there to greet us, knew exactly what we wanted to drink and would always pop by to see if we needed anything else. We occasionally saw him at lunch too which was really nice. Mariluz at Lunch - what a wonderful woman, and always had a smile for everyone. Her attention to detail was amazing. Gustavo & Cielo at Dinner - We saw them most nights and knew exactly what we wanted without asking for it. Cielo especially is the most lovely person, a real joy to talk to. Erick at the Steakhouse - The amount of times we ate here because the food was amazing! And Erick was especially fantastic.

Special mentions need to be made for Fabian and Elias at the Pool Bar, these guys work HARD. These guys were already making my drink for me before I even had a chance to ask for it. Really really nice guys and a credit to you.

Even if I’ve only named a few - every single staff member from reception to maintenance to housekeeping would always greet you with a smile and everyone works especially hard to keep the resort beautiful.

Staying at this hotel means you can use the other Riu’s in the area (except Riu Lupita) in my opinion not really worth it - we had lunch in the newly reopened Riu Palace Mexico but we preferred it here.

Food & Drink - I honestly did not have a bad meal at all in any of the restaurants, in fact Yashima really redeemed itself this time around as on our last visit I was really unwell afterwards. The steakhouse was 100% our favourite as we probably visited 4 times over 12 days. The lobster is amazing. Even the buffet was fantastic. Drinks were ALWAYS good, infact if you ask them nicely they’ll even be happy to make you something off-menu. Claudia in the reception bar is lovely. And the coffee bar is also exceptional, was nice to head up for a tea during a rainy spell.

Just something to note: Now, we were aware of the Elite Club before coming as when we were booking we saw a new room type - were prepared for the changes.

It’s a bit sad that our favourite pool from last time is now part of the Elite Club. Especially as I love to relax by the pool. As a result of the Elite Club the other pools are now a lot more crowded, and to be honest I don’t want to be around a pool where the music is blaring constantly or the entertainment is happening. I did go down to the beach a lot, but this was also annoying due to the constant speech from the beach sellers. The Elite Club in my opinion is a very big price hike and it’s a shame you can’t upgrade for a smaller price for certain elements (such as pool access). As the price difference vs. all the elements is just simply not worth it.

Aside from this, the resort is still worth a 5 star review - as that is just a personal expectation.