This was our first trip to Mexico and didn't want an all-inclusive like so much of what Cancun seems to be. The rooms are somewhat modest, but always clean, and the hotel overall had an ambiance of something more expensive, such as the dining area (breakfast only) and the second floor common space.

We took the ADO bus from Cancun to Playa, 110 pesos (about $9.25 USD). It was clean and easy. The bus drops off closer to the middle of town and it's a long walk (14 blocks) from there to Riviera del Sol, so we took a cab (50 pesos).

But for the ride back to CUN, we thought it would be best to go by cab, which Mercedes at the front desk arranged for us.

Mercedes and the entire staff went out of their way to make our stay as pleasant as possible. Our most frequent contact was with Gabriella, a most delightful young woman from Argentina, who served breakfast each morning. Her English was quite good and she was helpful with many tips on travel, as well as other topics.

When we commented on the quality of the coffee and espresso, she arranged for us to purchase some from the hotel's supplier at a very reasonable cost--less than what we would pay for similar quality in the US.

There is a safe in the room, which we used, though we're not sure we even needed that.
The beach is a little further than we thought it might be, but very manageable. With the room you get a coupon/pass for two chairs and an umbrella. It is best to get to the beach and put your towel and stuff in chairs (more like chaise lounges) early--before 9am--in order to guarantee the spot.

The beach at the end of the street is nice but crowded. Mamitas has relatively good lunch food and the service is generally good, though we did have one obnoxious waiter (Ramon) who shortchanged us but it wasn't worth a quarrel.

We stayed a week and went to the beach there the first 3 days, but then discovered points south--Tulum and Akumal. The public beaches just south of the ruins at Tulum were wide, not crowded, beautiful and there were a couple of snack and bar huts with cheap eats and cold beer (20 pesos, about $1.70 USD).

Gabriella also recommended that we go to a cenote, water caves with beautiful rock formations where you can snorkel or scuba. We went to Gran Cenote near the town of Tulum and it was small but gorgeous and worth the time and expense (about $27 USD per person for admission and rental of snorkel, mask, fins, wet suit and life jacket.

Akumal was good too--the beach is not bad, but the snorkeling there is wonderful. There are sea turtles, sting rays, amazing coral formations and about a dozen variety of tropical fish.

We didn't have a car, but would spend 50 pesos to get to the colectivo station on Calle 2 (about 15 blocks from Riviera del Sol), then take the colectivo (15 passenger van) to the south, with many stops along the way--30 pesos/person. It is not very chic, but we were fine with it. Then we would do the same trip in reverse to get back--not bad.

The only thing that we didn't realize until we got there is that the restaurant is no longer in service--the Brasserie, though the bar is open in the early evening. The pool is very nice and the atmosphere around it is very relaxing.

We would jump at the chance to stay there again. It was a great value, and they seemed genuinely glad to have us and others there.