This was our first trip to the Caribbean and Mexico and we were not disappointed. The hotel was perfectly located about 5 to 10 minutes from the local city. The area was Playacar which is an extremely upmarket '' Rich '' peoples place so the houses etc were out of this world. The hotel itself was pretty large with lots to do, The entertainment was the best I have seen, The activities was the same every day also. The rooms were OK but nice and spacious, The air conditioning worked fine and If it didn't, All you do is phone reception and they fixed it for you, All very friendly. The excursions within the hotel are always expensive but you pay for the safety really. If you want to find excursions cheaply then go into Playa Del Carmen and you will get some of them cheaper but I personally think that's too risky as some companies are not trustworthy. The staff at this hotel were the best we have been around, They were always working hard and looking out for everyone. We found it difficult not to tip any of the waiting staff but Only tip if they deserve it, Some of them do expect it which can be slightly rude. The drinks selection was OK but lacked some of the international brands like Smirnoff etc but not a problem, They had Corona on tap :). The whole resort was spotless clean and the weather always sunny, Few days of rain which actually cools you down for a short while. You could only book al cartes three times a week which is pretty poor but I would try my best to use only the al cartes every night, If it's quiet it won't be a problem. And wear trousers not shorts into the restaurants, They will be strict if it's busy. For children I would say this hotel is good but not fantastic. If your looking for a nice couple holiday with drinking then here is good but for family I would highly recommend the second Mexico trip we went on and go to the Grand Palladium Hotels in the Riviera Maya :)

Fantastic - Made is decide that we will marry in Mexico

We booked a one week family holiday here back in October with Thomson. Everything ran smoothly from start to finish from checking in at East Midlands airport to landing back in the UK (albeit a little jetlagged). The planes we flew on didn't have great entertainment systems (you could hardly hear as the volume seemed to stuck on low) but I believe new 787s are coming in next year. In the meantime take your iPod.

The staff at the Riu Yucatan are the best I have come across at any resort I have stayed in. Nothing is too much trouble for them and they always have a smile and a 'hola' for you. My sister turned 30 while we there and they decorated her room and sang happy birthday in Spanish which really made the day special.

The hotel is kept immaculately clean throughout and I'm sure it'll look even better once the refurb is finished next year. Yes the rooms are a little dated but who cares when you have a sea and beach like that on your doorstep. We had an email about the 'internal refurbishments' at the hotel next door before we left. It turns out they're pretty much stripping everything out including balcony doors, balustrades etc. We we're facing the building works but it didn't bother us at all.

The entertainment staff were great and full of energy. I don't understand why people complain when they aren't forced to sit through it in the evenings. Go to Playa Del Carmen town if you want a bit of variety.

Don't book trips through Thomson as they inflate the price of them. If you do go on any trips be careful as the natives will try and hook you in to buying pricey extras. We went to the beach at Tulum which was absolutely amazing.

The food in the hotel was much better quality than we were expecting and didn't get boring once during the week we were there.

All in all a fantastic holiday which I would definitely recommend to anyone considering Mexico for their next trip.

Just got back from a 2 week break at the Riu Yucatan in Playacar. Brilliant location, food fantastic, friendly staff and an excellent daytime and evening entertainment gang ! Different show every night so congrats to Marcelo the choreographer. Very professional and entertaining.
Didn't try the Steakhouse restaurant, but the Mexican was good, and the main buffet restaurant was also very good with lots of choice....hence the half stone extra weight added on !
Our only complaint was the birds coming in to the restaurant at lunch-times, but they are aware of the problem and I think a cull could be on the cards soon !
They are going to be doing a refurbishment next year although to be honest, I didn't see any signs of this needing to be done, so an even higher quality of decor should be on the cards after July 2013.
The First Choice rep Lindsay was excellent and always on hand if needed
The room was lovely and the optics were a pleasant option if you wanted a relaxing drink in the room before dinner.Well stocked fridge too.
All in all, a fabulous time and will go back next year hopefully.

Stayed at the Riu Yucatan for 10 nights in October 2012 and had a really good time there. This is the 5th Riu Hotel that I have stayed in and it met with all my expectations. Having said that, I have to agree with other contributors about " a lick of paint" being required. I have been reliably informed that this will be remedied in 2013.
The location of the hotel is excellent, it is set on a beautiful beach and only a short hop into Playa del Carmen. The only negative is that none of the rooms have either a pool or sea view. As a result of this, very few people use the verandah /patio for anything except drying beach wear.
The only problems that we encountered were down to Thomson and not the hotel management.
(1) They ran out of immigration cards on the flight out, so we were given one in Spanish as we left the aircraft. Because of the time spent due to the difficulty we had in filling this in, we were delayed getting into the queue for immigration etc. As we walked down the stairs another flight had just arrived and we were at the back of the queue. Cutting a long story short this meant that by the time that we got out of the airport the Thomson coach had left without us and no one was at the Thomson stand to meet us or sort this situation out. After much searching we found an English girl from another tour company who had the mobile number of the Thomson Rep. When he finally arrived he informed us that we could get on the next coach for the next Thomson flight that would be arriving in around an hour. Needless to say this was the point where I lost my cool and demanded a private taxi to the hotel, this was at first refused but as I got more and more agitated my demands were eventually met.
(2) We were informed by Thomson 2 weeks before the holiday that "some interior renovation" was being carried out on the hotel next door but that we would be accommodated away from this. Absolute rubbish !
The hotel reception staff were very understanding and some of our friends were relocated the next day. My wife and I decided that we could not be bothered to pack everything up again and stayed where we were, but spent as little time in the room as possible.
(3) On the flight back home a block of around 10 seats in our vicinity had no TV facility or reading light. The cabin crew tried everything within their power to restore it without success but unfortunately it still meant a 9 hour flight home seemed twice as long. Furthermore the second "meal" that we received was inedible it consisted of a stale bun and cheese and crackers served with half a cup of tea or coffee.
This was not a cheap holiday and I expected better service from the tour operator.
Anyway, this did not stop us from having a really good holiday and it wont deter me from staying at this or any other Riu hotel again as the service is second to none.
Whether we travel with Thomson again has yet to be decided.