Sign in with Facebook
Hotel Class: 
5 Stars - 6 Reviews and 1746 Opinions
Avenida Xaman-Ha Manzana 3 Lote 4, Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, 77710, Mexico
Check Rates and Availability
of people enjoy staying here
1752 Opinions
profuselycool
User Rating
the Riu Palace was a typical all-inclusive setup. About 20 buddies and I went down there for our senior spring break trip. it's basically just a week of nonstop beer/mixed drinks. The Riu is only a $5 cab ride to downtown playa, and you can split it 4 ways, so I'd say location is great. If you're an adult looking for a quiet, beautiful location, DO NOT GO HERE. People kept complaining to the front desk about the noise. Unfortunately, when you place hundreds of teenagers in an all-inclusive setup, it's going to get loud.
Anita_Porec
User Rating
This hotel is the best out of the 5 RIU properties on the beach.
The food is very good, although it seems to be the best at the buffet. The beach is probably the nicest out of all the hotels on that strip.
Accommodation is great and very, very clean.
Riu Palace Mexico-All Inclusive Photo: Riu Palace Mexico
AZPDC
User Rating
We stayed here for a week in December 2006. All said, we loved the RIU Palace Mexico and would return in a heartbeat. Great service and best beach in town.
Unique Quality: The lobby is over the top gorgeous and checkin was quick and easy. The meals were excellent and varied at the buffets. Great selection of salads, fruits, hot dishes and desserts. Every night's offerings had a different theme (Italian, Seafood, Mexican, etc.). The other restaurants were just okay. Try room service. Food service was impeccable. None of the rooms are really on the beach or have much of an ocean view. Although they are spacious and clean. The minibar is well stocked and free. A small tip ensures your favorite beverages are plentiful. The main pool is nice with a swim up bar. Take an aerobic swim class. The spa is nothing special, but you are able to get a massage on the beach. Drink service is also available at the beach. The night time entertainment if fun, professional and the Vegas style lounge is cozy and the drinks flow freely. You are also able to visit and dine at the other nearby Riu hotels. The RPM jewel is their beach, which is arguably the best in PDC. It's lined with date palms and hammocks. Security keeps the local beach vendors at bay. Try the outdoor restaurant near the beach.
Riu Palace Mexico-All Inclusive
2 more images
LauraBBX
User Rating
Helpfulness
This place was amazing!! Not exactly cheap but it was so worth it, you get what you pay for! It's a beautiful resort, all inclusive, top shelf drinks, yummy food, GREAT service. It has 2 swimming pools, a children's swimming pool, jacuzzi, a swim-up bar, 5 restaurants,in-room liquor dispenser & minibar, tennis courts, big rooms with balcony, daily activities & entertainment in the evenings: usually live music followed by a show. It seemed more like a family place to me, because usually by 11pm the nightly entertainment is over & it's definetly not a party place. There is a club across the street @ Riu Tequila resort, but I only went there once, did not care to go back....however, downtown is a $5 taxi ride away & there are many clubs over there, many right on the beach. This is a beachfront resort as well. There were many couples & many Europeans at the time I went there. I highly recommend RIU Palace MExico & I can't wait to go back!!
Riu Palace Mexico-All Inclusive
2 more images
ageless_mind
User Rating
All the drinks and food you can take. The resort provided enough of what we might need for lounging around and being happy with no worries. Being able to take off to more local and less tourist-type places was easily accessible. But for staying on the beach and sunnin', this was perfect
Riu Palace Mexico-All Inclusive Photo: bar by the pool
Vallelde
User Rating
Helpfulness
Looking on VT I was surprised not to find anything about the Riu Palace. We have been to Playa for the past five years over April vacation. The last two having stayed at the Riu Palace. All of our other hotels were beautiful but the Riu was extrodinary. Service was personable and wonderful. Maids, bartenders, front desk people all remember your name. Room is huge and clean. Lovely balcony large enough to sleep on. The first year we had a suite which was like a small cottage. Sitting area, huge walk in closet, seperate room for wet bar, alchohol dispensers (all inclusive resorts!). Last year we had a standard room which also was massive. Seperate seating area that you walked down a couple of steps to get to. Food is wonderful and waiters are very professional. Grounds and beach area are beautiful and nightly entertainment is fun and family appropriate. Once or twice a week vendors from the city come with their silver, leather, ceramic wear, etc. and set up around the pool and dining area. Lovely and not at all pushy. Beware though, you will pay more here then in the city which can't be missed. $5 set cab ride into town. Cabs are everywhere. Walk around Playa for lots of great sites and buys. Do not pay full price for anything. Start at half of what they want and work up. You might have to walk out but if they want to sell they will follow you. Lots of cute and inexpensive places to drink and eat. Most resorts in Playa are all inclusive which is the only way to go. Don't miss the lovely shopping village across from the Riu Playacar. Entertainment and some really good deals. The Riu is a chain so there are four hotels in Playa that you can enjoy if you stay at the Riu Palace. You can eat, drink and enjoy the others. You will want to spend all of your time at the Palace as the difference in quality is noticeable. The Palace is the flagship there so if you stay at the other resorts YOU CANNOT enjoy the Riu. Only have access to the others if you are at the Palace. Enjoy!!
Sort by: Most recent | Most helpful
1 - 6 of 6
For the money, the Riu Palace cannot be beat. We have returned there numerous times and have met many of the staff. The only comparison at this time would be the Royal Hideaway (best food we ever had at an all-inclv.) Beach, rooms, staff all top notch. Mariam at the lobby bar pours a mean Jack & Pepsi !!
Just returned from a vacation last week (Mar 27 - Mar 30) at the Riu Palace in Playa del Carmen. The vacation package was purchased through Funjet and included the "All inclusive" Riu Palace. Overall, I was very impressed with the Riu Palace, and would definitely return for another vacation, the only thing different I would change is that I would stay longer. Prior to the trip, I did a tremendous amount of research into this hotel, and found the TripAdvisor website very helpful. All of the reviews I read prior to my trip very completely accurate. Here's my detailed review: Hotel Grounds - the hotel grounds were absolutely beautiful, and immaculately maintained. The tile walkways were ALWAYS shiny and clean. The landscaping was beautiful and perfectly manicured. In fact, I could not figure out when they did their maintenance, because I never noticed anyone during the day "touching" things up. I did not see one piece of trash or a dead flower bloom on a plant the entire time. It was amazing. Hotel Interior / Rooms - the lobby is breathtaking. The marble floors are gorgeous, and the decor is very ornate and beautiful. I considered the room to be very large, and liked the way the sleeping area was separated from the TV area. The beds are very firm (which I liked), and the pillows were very flat (I was not crazy about them, but used several and that was OK). Housekeeping came at least twice a day, and did a very good job. The minibar was refilled each day. Each room has a liquor dispenser above the minibar. Don't get too excited about this because the liquor (Vodka, Tequilla, Whiskey and Rum) were very low quality. The drinks we made with this liquor were not good. We did not have any trouble keeping our room cool. The ceiling fans were great. Food - the food was acceptable in quality, and excellent in variety. There is something for everyone. Favorite meal was definietly breakfast. Be sure to get reservations at the La Bodega (Brazilian) restaurant. It was excellenof the trip....I suspect it was due to eating mussels on the last day, not "Montezuma's revenge". Might want to be careful about the shellfish. Food was available for you anytime you wanted it. We ate like pigs. Drinks - drinks were always available at dinner and during the day at the pool/beach. If you don't like Corona (beer), you are in trouble...it's the only beer they serve. Only the bar in the main hotel served drinks with "call" liquors. They have champagne for all the meals if you want it. Mimosas at breakfast were a nice touch. Service - this is where I have to say I was MOST impressed. The service was first class, all the way. Here are some examples: Not more than 10 minutes after check-in, the front desk called our room to make sure we were completely satisfied with our room. On another occasion, I called housekeeping for some more towels. The towels were delivered very quickly, AND the front desk called later to confirm that they were delivered. All of the staff went out of their way to smile and greet you and make you feel special. But the thing I noticed most as I looked around and observed the staff, was that they all looked like they loved their job and were truely happy to be working there. This was evident from the waiters, the bartenders, and even the girl handing out towels at the pool. Don't know how Riu does it, but they have a formula that works as far as customer satisfaction and service go.Beach - the beach was beautiful, but a little crowded. I did not see a single piece of trash, or even seaweed, on the beach. It was perfectly maintained. The water was warm and crystal clear blue.I'm trying to think of something negative to say, but just can't come up with anything. I will definitely consider going back to the Riu Palace again next year.
My husband and I just returned from a 6 day stay the Riu Palace. It was gorgeous, the food wonderful!!, the drinks plentiful, and the service very nice. For a first class place we thought that there should have been coffee makers in the rooms, voice mail on the phones (the messages came via a small piece of paper stuck in your door), and more seatings for dinner.Reservations must be made on a daily basis, not ahead of time, for dinner. That's not a problem if you are on the premises from 12-3 PM (the time the maitre'd is in the lobby taking reservations) but if you go out for the day you may have to take the last seating which is 8:45 PM. We did not bring our children and found that there were many children there during our stay. There was definitely not enough activities for the kids to do at night and a little lacking for the adults too.
We stayed in a number of places on our trip, but this was by far the most relaxing. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful - there was not a single request that was not met with immediate fulfillment. The food was (without exception) excellent - we highly recommend the Brazilian evening of Meat where no less than six types of meat are brought to each table and hand cut. The selection of entertainment is equally positive. Since you are given the choice of attending shows at the other RIU properties, there is not an evening that goes wasted.My biggest fear in an all-inclusive vacation was that I would not be happy with what was included, and would end up spending more money outside the resort to find decent food and entertainment. This was NOT the case with Riu Palace - I had no need to leave the property at all.
South of Riu's beach club
Beach at Riu Yucatan
Beach to the south of the Riu
"Sandwhales" nea the Riu
We are getting married in November at the Riu Palace Mexico. Has anyone been married there? I would like some ideas from someone who has as far as the wedding dinner and any other options at the hotel.
Thanks.
Hi ya
I went there the summer before last for two weeks with my partner. We didn't get married! but it was the best hotel I have stayed in yet. Absolutely beautiful....gorgeous crystal clear water, brilliant white sandy beach, stunning hotel, hardly any kids (if any actually!). The restaurants were lovely, no problem with booking into any of them, there was always space. Excellent service througout our whole stay. We are trying to afford to go back in September. We went to the Dominican Republic last year, stayed in one of the best hotels on the island and spent our whole time complaining to ourselves that it was nothing like the Riu Palace!
There was a wedding going on while we were there however. This one was under a pagoda near the main building which was decorated with white lillies. It looked quite private, no on-lookers!
Have a wonderful time!
Hi-I am getting married there in November also-what is your date?
The lobby is over the top gorgeous and checkin was quick and easy. The meals were excellent and varied at the buffets. Great selection of salads, fruits, hot dishes and desserts. Every night's offerings had a different theme (Italian, Seafood, Mexican, etc.). The other restaurants were just okay. Try room service. Food service was impeccable. None of the rooms are really on the beach or have much of an ocean view. Although they are spacious and clean. The minibar is well stocked and free. A small tip ensures your favorite beverages are plentiful. The main pool is nice with a swim up bar. Take an aerobic swim class. The spa is nothing special, but you are able to get a massage on the beach. Drink service is also available at the beach. The night time entertainment if fun, professional and the Vegas style lounge is cozy and the drinks flow freely. You are also able to visit and dine at the other nearby Riu hotels. The RPM jewel is their beach, which is arguably the best in PDC. It's lined with date palms and hammocks. Security keeps the local beach vendors at bay. Try the outdoor restaurant near the beach.
22 members live in Playa del Carmen
Sponsored Links
Near Riu Palace Mexico-All Inclusive
Great Hotels for Less
Q: Transportation and Things To Do "Hi VTers, What's the best way to get to Playa Del Carmen from Cancun airport? We're travelling with an 8 mo old baby. Also..."
A: "Take either the shared buses which can be picked up at the airport as you exit the customs area and just before you leave the building. This is the best and easiest way..."
Sponsored Links
Latest Playa del Carmen hotel reviews
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
We've found that other people looking for this hotel also know it by these names:
Address: Avenida Xaman-Ha Manzana 3 Lote 4, Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, 77710, Mexico
Check Rates and Availability (from our partners)
