Resort Details
Customer Ratings & Reviews
TripAdvisor Traveler Rating
8519 reviews
-
Apr 03, 2025Perfect vacation week - outstanding service
We had a wonderful week (Mar 27 - Apr 2) at the RIU Playacar. The resort was small size so easy to get around, very clean with super friendly and helpful staff. We could always get a chair on the beach under the palms and near the pools. Food was very good at the buffet and the specialty restaurants so was the service. There was no wait or reservations required at the specialty restaurants. We tried the Steakhouse, Mexican, Asian and Italian. The Italian was our favourite. Bar staff were fantastic, providing great service.. The rooms were sufficient, beds comfy, enough storage for two and great shower. Very happy with our choice of this resort. No complaints here. I definitely recommend!
-
Apr 03, 2025
Excellent Stay
Bar service could sometimes be a little sketchy, and the tractors cleaning away the seaweed on the beach irritating but necessary, but overall a great experience. The food in the buffet was generally good (not the best though) the steakhouse was a disaster on my one visit however I did hear good things about the food, just not on my particular visit, poor service, even worse food, unsurprisingly, we didn't return there, but I'm giving the hotel 5 out of 5 and would return tomorrow,
-
Apr 02, 2025
Riu Playacar
We absolutely LOVED our stay at RIU Playacar! The service and personal feel to the resort was an added touch, The wait staff at the buffet, pool bars and house keeping were fantastic and personal and seemed as though they loved having us there. The beach location and pool area were our favorite. The only thing that would make this resort better would be if they put netting up around the outside eating areas to deter birds from flying around and landing while eating. We were not in our rooms very much at all except for sleeping, but the beds could have been a little more comfortable.
-
Apr 02, 2025Loved staying at the RIU Playacar!
We did a lot of research before choosing RIU Playacar - the reason we chose this hotel was because of location, beach, food and staff. All of those things met our expectations while some were exceeded. The swimming was amazing - although there was one day that the ocean was full of seaweed they cleaned it up right away and it was some of the best ocean swimming we've done in the Playa Del Carmen area. The staff was amazing - we had no complaints and our room was immaculate and we were always well taken care of. We found the food good, sometimes really good. We met some new people and had a really relaxing, enjoyable vacation.
-
Apr 01, 2025
Not the best but not the worst
I will try to write a review that reflects our opinions of the hotel. I am aware everyone’s tastes are different this our option only. Arrived late afternoon, given a welcome drink and quick check in. Rooms are medium size, we booked for three people and we’re offered a double and a sofa bed. After discussions with reception we were give a room where a single roller bed was brought to the room, a member of staff knocked on the door and gave us some sheets around 40minutes later. The rooms are not cleaned properly, I do not care what manager reply to others on here. Our bed sheets were not changed in over 9 days instead turned inside out as the marks were still there. It wasn’t until we stripped the bed and wrapped them with wet towels and left on the shower floor the bed was made up with clean linen. When stripping the beds, the linen is stained, there’s holes in sheets and the mattress every single one is badly stained. The floors had hair build up on as my daughter and I have long hair as the floors were not swept and mopped. The key cards are a nightmare for not working which meant several trips to reception, apparently it’s something to do with putting it near your mobile phone. I wouldn’t say the rooms are more than a 3* wood hop wall paper, unfinished touches such as the floral paper coming off, chipped tiles. You have a decent size bed per adult, shower, toilet, his and her sink, fridge which is supposed to be filled every two days with beer, Pepsi, water… several times ours wasn’t however when we rang reception they did do this for us quickly. No towel art accept our day of arrival, yes we did tip daily despite the poor cleaning… you have x4 opticals for spirits… The rest of the hotel bars, pool, meal areas were relatively clean and well maintained and yes it’s clear the staff do work hard when watching them. A few times things were missed like getting in the large pool early morning a women pulled a burger out of the pool, sometimes the side tables around the pool were unclean with food stains stuck to them which is unacceptable for the next morning. Food… I agree with the comments in regards to be coming the same daily. Sometimes it was lovely only the odd occasion it was poor and that was if we went later. Bread was stale, pasta over cooked rice mushy from been over cooked. The bacon was so hard it’s inedible. However there was also delicious food. We enjoyed the Asian the most. The member of staff Murichio was the only member of staff that sat us down, introduced himself and had impeccable manners and a relaxed approach. The staff were polite barring one who was asking my 13 year old daughter for a tip for a lemonade round the pool. You are expected to wear masks in the eating areas but not at the bar 30cms away or when your holding hands for games in the pool? Breakfast has a variety of cereals, fruits, eggs, meats, waffles, pancakes. You have a steak house which was ok, the Italian was awful. We didn’t eat in the other hotels so cannot comment. There a shop over the road from the hotel which does snacks for the room and one in the hotel but it’s over priced. The hotel says it’s 24 all inc when we asked out of hours there wrapped up burgers in a fridge you microwave yourself. The bars … most morning I sat in bar it has no tv, snooker. However the tequila does. There is a pool bar, our first night there were young adults severely intoxicated and there was vomit all over the ladies tiers and floors. This was a one off thankfully and we didn’t see this again and accept its personal choice to drink alcohol but you have a level of responsibility serving it, my daughter was offered alcohol a lot at aged 13 by staff wrist bands must be checked . The choice of alcohol was good and branded Entertainment… this is a hard one because the staff work hard and long hours. However we were so bored, the entertain is low budget daily compared to hotels we have stayed in before. You have you yoga, water aerobics, volleyball, darts, riumba which is Zumba but it’s difficult to dance to this in the pool and on sand and that’s from strained zumba instructor. Claudia is one of the entertainment team and is a credit to the hotel as it would be horrendous with out her. You have table tennis near the pools, nothing is hand sanitised once used. Towels you are given towel cards and can change these daily from 8am The hotel do trips but we booked ours over the road with Francesca and saved a small fortune. We did tulum, caves, swimming with turtles and xcarat. We enjoyed them all. It is custom to tip here for everything. Which we exactly extend and are used too. Night entertainment starts at 9.30pm for adults which is late when you have been out all day. We did the silent disco which was good and the neon party which was fantastic at tequila the staff really out shone themselves and the effort is outstanding. It’s just difficult to get a seat if you don’t go early and extremely warm. There’s no lifts in the blocks and the doors and walls are paper thin we were often woke early hours with people been noisy, dragging suitcase, kids screaming, The beach was why we picked this hotel it’s beautiful to look at and from around 5am before the sun comes up it’s lit up orange and is amazing the sun comes up from about six and is a must. There usually music on the beach and a coconut party with a singer once a week. We wanted to snorkel here as we have all over the world if your coming for that don’t bother. The sea is murky with sand you cannot see anything unless you go to altukim beech and pay to do it. The seas very choppy and my son was very disappointed but that’s not the hotels fault just making people aware who book. The beech has palm trees l, sun beds are always available sand waiters will bring you drinks if you tip. All in all I’d rate this 3.5 star would I return no. However there were some good points