Hotel Riu Cancun - Adults Only - All Inclusive

The food was good and the restaurants decent, plus the free minibar in the room was a nice extra. Location is hard to beat, less than a five-minute walk to coco bongos. The martinis were the strongest cocktails I've ever had. You can also go to the riu parties with your all-inclusive wristband, and there's a free bus both ways. This is definitely a spring break kind of hotel, with lots of pools to choose from. The swim-up pool was especially popular with younger guests, and I saw some questionable things happening there. Staff were friendly and worked very hard. The hotel is rated five stars, but if you want luxury, this isn't it. The rooms were fine, but quite dated. The lifts were an absolute nightmare, with long waits, especially in the evening when coming down from your floor.

The location is excellent, close to everything, and it was honestly a saving grace because it was easy to leave the resort and eat elsewhere. The staff were kind and polite, too. From our room we had a beautiful beachfront view, and the spacious balcony was a great place to watch the sunset over the ocean. The food was a major letdown. Breakfast was decent, but lunch and dinner were terrible, with very poor quality and the same options over and over. We often felt hungry and ended up going elsewhere to eat. The room itself also felt old, musty, and not properly cleaned. We found visible mould on the sheets. Even after having the room cleaned several times, they never changed the mouldy sheet, which was unsettling. The views, location, and friendly staff give the resort potential, but the food and room cleanliness need serious improvement. I wouldn't return unless major changes are made.

If food and drinks matter to you on vacation, I'd spend a few hundred dollars more and go somewhere better. I rarely write reviews, but I rely a lot on them, so please lower your expectations if you choose this place. The reviews are too kind for what you get. Service is decent, everyone is friendly, and the location is amazing, with a beautiful ocean view. The drinks are only so-so. Carnival Cruises makes better piña coladas. The buffet is decent, though sometimes cold, as you'd expect. The restaurants are a joke: mediocre food with little variety, and somehow there's no Mexican restaurant. I understand they're trying to appeal to everyone, but the food ends up lacking flavor. The hot tub wasn't hot at all. The water was cold, and chilly one day, so we thought it might be nice to sit in the hot tub for a bit. Activities were lackluster, though they are trying. The walls are THIN. We had a room joined to a stranger's, and could hear EVERYTHING: their TV, music, and conversations. If you like returning to your room after a day in the sun to watch your favorite show or a little telly, no shame, this place isn't for you. No streaming services worked at all. There are also a LOT of rules for an “all inclusive”: at the restaurants you're allowed one app, one entree, and one dessert; you can't take buffet food to the spot where you're lying by the pool; and you get one towel by handing over a key card. We had to wake up at 7:00am to get a towel and put it on a chair in the sun, and I'm not a morning person. There are lots of shaded spots, too. Take all that into account and decide if the price is worth it. No shade, it's a privilege to take a vaca, especially in these dark dark times.

Our vacation was almost perfect. It only felt less than perfect because a cold front was over Cancun and it felt like 14 degrees! We loved the drinks, and the staff were friendly and fast. The food was excellent, with so much choice at the buffet, and the Italian and Steakhouse specialty restaurants were superb. Stepping into Hotel Riu, the beautiful lobby and lovely smell made a great first impression.