Riu Yucatan - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

9357 reviews

• 

  Nice place

  This hotel is a bit confused, it doesn't know whether it's aimed at families or parties of 18 to 30's or adults. There is a kids club, but the kids pool is possibly one of the smallest and most poorly thought out I have seen, as a result kids are in every other pool available. The main pool is split into 2 with the activities taking place in one of these, including aqua fit, water polo and the foam party. There is a "quiet" pool but this is just a suggestion, there is no monitoring so it's pot luck if it is actually quiet or not. The pool bar is separate again and this is the only one that they don't let children in, and to be honest, I wouldn't go in there, it's a small pool with a lot of people at times and the water just has a permanent layer of scum, despite the best cleaning efforts. The other thing that should be noted is that whatever chemicals they use in the pools, particularly the quiet pool, turns everything green, from our swimwear to our hair and skin. This was mentioned to the hotel by a few different people, but I would advise not to wear anything white in there. Having said that, once home most of it did come out in the washing machine. The main buffet restaurant is open for breakfast and evenings, there is a decent selection to appeal to most tastes. Lunch is either in the margarita restaurant, which has a bit of choice or Pepe's which is tacos, chicken or burgers. There are 4 speciality restaurants, none of which required booking, we tried the steakhouse, very disappointed, the Italian, much better quality, and the Asian, again, much better quality. The rooms are big enough with plenty of storage but there is no door into the bathroom/beverage/dressing area, so if one of you is unwell, as often happens on holiday, you only have a door on the toilet for privacy. For some reason the fridge, coffee machine and optics are in this area rather than the main part of the room, which is a bit strange to me. The wildlife in the grounds are great to watch, there are plenty of notices about to tell people not to feed them, and for the most part people do adhere to it. The overall cleanliness of the hotel is great and the staff work hard, but everyone is pleasant and helpful. We did have a lovely time, but I doubt we will return to this hotel, and if this was my first experience of a Riu hotel I would probably think twice before booking another, but that's my opinion, I don't mind family hotels as long as there is an adult only area other than the pool bar which is what we have experienced in other places.

  Apr 21, 2026
• 

  Not Coeliac Safe

  The rating of this review is solely based on the controls / meals in place for gluten free guests. Although the hotel DOES offer gluten free options in the form of bread, pasta and a couple of muffins, there is very little else safe to eat apart from the salads and fruit. There is signage above the counters displaying the allergies in each dish however these are sometimes incorrect and there is not a sign for every item of food. For example I asked a staff member which one of the cakes the caramel flan was as the sign didn't have the wheat symbol so therefore could be deemed gluten free, but after double checking I was told it contained bread! This is appalling as this type of uneducation can make coeliacs unwell. This is the situation at most of the counters, 12 plus items of food at best 8 signs When you try and ask the chefs if something is gluten free you don't get a concrete answer of yes / no almost as if they're unsure themselves. After a couple of days trying to figure it out myself, I spoke with the Tui rep who told me to go to reception and ask for an allergy card to show to chefs. However reception knew nothing about this and told me to go and speak to the restaurant manager each time I wanted something to eat. This is impractical and not to mention embarrassing as they are very busy making food for hundreds of other guests, they do not want or need some randomer asking them to make something fresh just for them. Towards the end of the holiday after experiencing symptoms for most of it, despite me trying my very best not to cross contaminate myself, I resigned myself to the fact that this hotel doesn't really understand the importance of cross contamination or correct labelling and you end up feeling like a hindrance to them.

  Apr 21, 2026
• 

  Mid stay review week 1 of 2

  Bullet points then I'll go into more detail Room 2/10 Pool 7/10 Poolside experience 2/10 Beach 9/10 Breakfast 10/10 Lunch 8/10 Dinner 7/10 Day Entertainment 10/10 Night Entertainment 10/10 Room: We are in block 2, first thing you notice is the door to the room its chipped, scuffed, grubby looking so that makes you uneasy before even entering. The electrics are quirky to say the very least if you turn the light and fan on near the door then the bedside light comes on but you turn this off at bedside the fan goes off. Uk adapters fall out the sockets so you need to prop a water bottle against them if you want to charge anything but the the water bottle catches the switch for fan so that turns off and so the cycle continues. The aircon is shocking you need the fan on the ceiling to be on to circulate the coolish air coming from the unit as its simply not powerful enough to cool the room. There is no separate door to the bathroom facilities so I hope your comfortable with each other's nakedness!! The only solid private door in the room is the one for the toilet ( I hope your small because Harry Potters cupboard under the stairs is bigger) There is one sliding wardrobe but the hangers are old plastic ones and the hooks bend so everything just ends up falling off the rail onto the floor. The wardrobe is in the bathroom area so again i hope your happy with nakedness because there is literally no getting around it. The furniture is dreadfully old, missing handles, sticking drawers it really is poor and substandard. A full overhaul is needed. New furniture, new tiles and a new design because no separate bathroom area is just not good enough. P.s the minibar and optics are also in rhe bathroom area. Cleanliness, the room is very clean and the staff do as much as they can but a phrase pops into my head " you cant polish a ****" The view from the balcony is just of the building opposite so we dont sit out there. Okay moving on... Pools there are 4 in total incompetency believe one near reception which is very quiet if you want to read and sleep the others are clustered together near the beach. They look lovely but I've not ventured into them and this is due to poolside culture, or should I say drinking culture. 80% of people in these pools don't get out all day!! They just sit in them drinking, sweating , eating( plates of food on the side of the pool 🤢) and I'll let you guess at the last one. The pool water is murky just the whole culture in this area of the hotel is vile. Drink as much as you can, be as loud as you can. The pool is also supposed to close at 6pm but I've been fully dressed for evening meal and people are STILL in the pool at 7.30pm. The staff can simply not keep this area clean if simple rules as pool closure is not being enforced. The beach is beautiful, I have spent all the time here, the sand is powder soft and the sea a refreshing temperature. Yes , there is a lot of seaweed but its natural and again the staff do what they can to clear it. If you're squeamish just bring some water shoes Breakfast is a 10/10. Absolutely loads of choices I'm a foodie so believe me when I say its good (waistline won't thank me) Dinner is buffet style and there is also Pepes grill. I really disagree with eating round the pool and at the pool side I think its just dirty and ill mannered. You should eat food at the table but again seems to the hotel of doing what you want. Dinner you have a choice of a buffet or the a la carte but in my opinion they aren't really al la carte just buffet food served to you. I think these should be a little more exclusive with food options different from that in the buffet. You don't need to book the al la carte either just turn up if they are full you'll get given a buzzer. Entertainment is fabulous. The staff work tirelessly from morning yoga, back exercises, water aerobics to fun poolside games they really do have a lot to offer. Foam party in the pool is so much fun thats on a Monday and lasts 1 hour so plenty of time to enjoy that. In the evening a different team is brought in for the evening show which is really good because they are professional dancers, singers and performers so the shows are polished and really really enjoyable I know I've waffled but I personally like an in depth review on a hotel especially when you're spending a large amount of money. All in all its 3.5 star hotel it certainly has potential to improve. Poolside rules need to be in place and ENFORCED. Drunk people need to be cut off. Not all people have self respect and a clear sense of what is appropriate so these individuals could do with a nudge ( for example last night at the main bar in reception area a couple walked through at 8pm in a bikini and swim shorts only. No one stopped them and asked them to put clothes on. This is the first hotel I've been to when this level of disrespect is allowed) The hotel is in need of some TLC with the rooms being a top priority. I've got the white party tonight so I'll maybe leave another review in the next few days

  Apr 17, 2026
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  Super great place to vacation.

  Excellent spot to go with your family. Super clean, food was over and above excellent, service was always done with a smile. Many employees like Bety and Manuel who served coffee and drinks early morning always were very pleasant. They took pride in their work. Let us not forget Eduardo, Alex, Manuel, Fernando, Dulce, night staff that were super efficient and attentive to the clientele making everyone exactly what they wanted. Bravo to the staff for keeping the place clean and super pleasant. The food service people in the buffet were super great too. I have nothing but praise for this place. I would definitely return and looking forward to my next time there. They are a real 5 star! Super great!

  Apr 17, 2026
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  Week in Paradise

  Great week! Hotel staff are amazing - always working hard; rooms way better than expected, internet excellent. Don't miss the acrobatic show (Wed?) at noon by the pool closest to the beach. Buffet dinner features a different protein each night at the far end - ribs and salmon were outstanding. Umbrellas and blankets are in the room closet, facecloths provided, abundant activities posted on electronic board in the lobby or by QR code to your phone. Beach had some algae 2 out of 7 days but staff moved it out and raked the beach every day. Beautiful grounds, felt spoiled all week.

  Apr 13, 2026