I have often wondered how the reviews for the same place can vary so much. In this case, there are two resorts that are called Riu Palace in Playa Del Carmen on the Riviera Maya. One is called the Riu Palace-Mexico. The one next door is called the Riu Palace-Riviera Maya. We stayed at the Riu Palace-Mexico in Playa Del Carmen. It was excellent. The rooms were large and comfortable. The service was very good. The staff bent over backwards to please. The grounds were clean and well kept. The food was not great, but was good. If you stay here, you can go to any of the other Riu resorts in the area. We did not. However I think that this resort was newer than the Riviera Maya. That may be the reason for the various opinions. It is only a short cab ride from downtown Playa Del Carmen. This in a gated community and there is security everywhere. Very safe.

just returned from the riu palace mexico in playa del carmen...what a wonderful hotel...we have been there before, so we knew what to expect...and we were not disappointed....the food was a little off....not the same as two years ago....but service, the people, and the beach are still excellent. we heard that the resort will be completely done over the end of this year. however,.the room was in excellent condition. the weather pretty much held up however it did rain a little every day or at night...we travelled with 11 people and they upgraded us and we were all together. jet blue did an excellent job with the price &, transfers. we had a great timeand will go back again

We just got back from the Riu Palace Mexico after our 7 day stay. This is the 2nd resort we’ve visited in the Riviera Maya in the last year. Overall it was a good hotel, great beach and great service. First impressions were great but as the week went on the little things added up. Here’s what I thought,

-Friendly staff and excellent service, all the other reviews about the great service and friendly staff were right – they were accommodating, quick, and always pleasant

-Beautiful Beach – the beach is large with palm trees so you can get both sun and shade, they also have hammocks in the palm trees for a siesta. Usually you had to get down before 10 am to get a beach chair, most ppl throw towels down early to reserve and come back later. The beach is one of the best features of the resort.
-Rooms – rooms are large with a sunken living room, mini bar and a balcony, only complaints were the hair dryer – didn’t work, we asked for a new one and they had someone up and switched it for another one within 20 mins, but even the newer one didn’t work very well, I would recommend to bring your own. Also, there were ants in our room anytime food or drinks were out. We keep things clean and never left food out but even a pop bottle that had its cap completely closed tight still brought them all over the bottle and table within 20 mins. They even were after water. If we wanted a drink we had to put it back in the fridge if we didn’t drink the whole thing immediately. Our room was on the 3rd floor(top floor) and was facing the Riu Yucatan. The path was right below our balcony for the golf carts and ppl walking to go back and forth to the beach from the other Riu resorts across the street. The carts are gas powered and start running around 8 am. We live in the city so the noise didn’t bother us but it was fairly loud so light sleepers might not enjoy that. FYI – there are no rooms in the hotel that have any ocean or beach view.

-Pool – it’s narrow and small. The area for the fountains is larger than the pool, but with how nice the beach is we preferred to be out there anyway.

-Facilities are clean and well maintained (even though a bit dated), some tiles move in the hallway when you walk on them but this should be fixed once the renovations are done at the end of the year.

-Location – the RPM is in a secure community of 11 resorts, golfcourse, and condos, etc – you can feel safe for a 30 min walk to Playa Del Carmen or to the shops across the street, etc. Only a 10 min drive from Xplor/Xcaret parks and 45 mins from airport. I really liked the area, everything was close by and lots to do.

-Food- it was decent but I’ve had better. I have celiac disease which is basically a food allergy to gluten and the options here were very limited. In Mexico I’m used to corn tortillas in food instead of wheat but at this resort it seemed they used more flour tortillas for most things. For the options I did have the food was okay but a lot of things were undercooked I found-particularly red meats. Chicken was good but the other meats were fatty and undercooked to my liking but to each their own. Had I not been restricted in my options I think I would have been more satisfied with the buffet but overall we both agreed that the Barcelo was better.

-Specialty Restaurants –we only tried the steakhouse on the last night we were there. Everywhere it tells you that you need to book the specialty restaurants for the same day between 830-1030 am, the only issue we had with that was that we came out of the buffet from breakfast at 8 am thinking we had a half hr to kill before we would go book the steakhouse for the 630 pm sitting and we noticed a small line was there starting to book the restaurants. We went over and sure enough they started at 8 and by the time we got to book(5 mins later) all the spots had been filled for the 630 pm sitting, only 830 pm was left. Why would you state everywhere that you book between 830-1030 and even tell us that at check in but then allow ppl to start booking at 8am? I don’t get it.
The steakhouse was actually just the outside patio snack bar that we eat at midday, nothing fancy, no a/c, sand still on the floor and despite being supposedly an upscale hotel most ppl at the tables were wearing jeans, running shoes and a t-shirt. Felt over dressed in my dress clothes. The staff was awesome as they were the whole trip. My wife had the chicken and that was good, I ordered the rib eye and it was probably the toughest steak I’ve ever ate – if you go to the steak house, do not order the steak which seems odd to be saying. They served fries with dinner and they were good with the seasoning but we only got like a tablespoon sized serving of mashed potatoes. The staff was good enough that I would say you should try a specialty restaurant but definitely order the chicken or try another one of the restaurants b/c the steak is something you shouldn’t bother trying.

We had a great time, the beach and the service were the strongest traits, everything else seemed minor but for the money we paid I think there are better resorts out there. I’m sure most things would be solved after the renovations but I preferred the Barcelo over the Riu.

My overall impression from the Riu was that I really liked the place and did not want to leave. The RPM is a beautiful hotel and has amazing architecture. High ceilings and grand Spanish decor are everywhere. Upon arrival we were given a welcome drink and quickly received by Alex at the front desk.

Room: Our room was big, and had a huge balcony facing the Wyndham. Beds were ok. Balcony was huge, had now view but was very quiet and private. TV was small. Minibar with beer, bottled soda, water, and hard alcohol. Bathroom was ok, though the toilet area was too cramped due to the separating wall and the bidet. Shower was too dark. Room was very quiet.

Grounds: The hotel grounds were immaculate. The hotel is very well maintained and very clean. It is very beautiful everywhere you walk. Even though the you have to walk a lot, walks are very pleasant. Lobby is very grand, spotless, and has free wi-fi.

Beach: Best resort beach I've ever been to, period (out of 15 or so). Its huge, it has many palm trees, its has no less than 10 hammocks, it has volleyball courts, it has shade, it has sun, the sand is pure white, and most important of all it has a sea of unoccupied loungers (hotel was full). You can get to the beach by 11 and still get a great spot on the beach. If you want space on the beach and you want peace and quiet, this hotel offers that. Water is aqua blue. Some waves, and no fish, so don't bother snorkeling. The beach has been rebuilt in 2010 and is very wide. 4 hotels south it becomes empty, with less and less people. Finally after 15 minutes of walking you can get to a perfect, secluded, postcard, empty beach.

The RPM is located in a very safe area called Playacar, which is a geted community with hotels, and mansions. Its an $8 ride to Playa del Carmen, which is great for shopping, and dining.

Food: The food is not very good. Specialty restaurants aren't bad, but not great either. Do not get any meat/shrimp at the buffet because it tastes as if it was reheated. Beef and lamb were just inedible. Desert was pretty good. Japanese a la carte gives some vegetable rolls. Krystal wasn't very good. The seabass was aweful, and the beef had freezerburn taste. Steakhouse was surprisingly good. Meat was fresh. Pasta station at the buffet offered the safest food choice.

Entertainment: Lots of options on the beach. Good entertainment staff. Shows were ok with some decent dance groups, but were too similar. Host spoke mostly in Spanish, or Spanglish. Try the shows at Riu Tequila across the street. Riu Teuila has a lot of animals, and a nightclub.

Staff: Was incredible. Every last one of them. Bartenders were lightning quick. Drinks were served regularly on the beach. Unbelievable service. Great attitude.

I would highly recommend this hotel for everyone. Hope they try to make the food more inspired. Wonderful beach.