RIU Cancun Review Top All Inclusive Cancun Mexico

Blvd.  Kukulcan, Km 8.5, Manzana 50, Lote 5, Zona Hotelera
Cancun, Quintana Roo
Mexico  77500
http://www.riu.com/index.php?hotel=CUN

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• 14-story main building and a 5-story annex building
• 569 guestrooms
• Beachfront location, in the heart of Cancun’s hotel zone
• All Inclusive
• 5 Restaurants
• 3 pools
• 20 minutes to downtown Cancun
• 25 minutes to Airport

What people are saying

• Overbooking is sometimes a problem
• Large, spacious terraces
• Beds can be hard, typical of other Mexican hotels
• Spring breakers can be a problem
• The buses are a good alternative to the expensive taxis
• Tipping the staff is a great idea, and will improve the service

Editorial Review

The Hotel Riu Cancun, located in the heart of Cancun’s hotel zone, and is part of the long and impressive line of 100 and odd luxury resorts from the Riu group.  The chain, first established in 1953, has grown to become Spain’s second largest hotel chain.  The Riu Cancun is a five-star luxury resort that has 569 rooms spread over a 14-storey main building and a 5-storey annex.  Most rooms have an ocean view.  Just 15 minutes away from the International Airport and less than 10 minutes away from downtown Cancun, the resort is centrally located with shopping areas, flea markets and all-night clubs present close by.

Surrounded by gardens, and featuring a 3 pools with a bar, the Riu has a stunning lobby and magnificent décor.  The resort also has 5 restaurants, 24-hour snack bars, a tennis court, sauna, Jacuzzi, the ‘Pacha’ nightclub and a spa.  The hotel has enough going on within it to cater to the varied tastes of its guests.  The resort is handicap equipped and for those traveling with tiny-tots, a babysitting service is available.  A part of the “Corazone” theme restaurant and the Japanese restaurant “Kawachi” are strictly reserved for non-smokers.  Internet access is available on request.  Complimentary sun-loungers, towels and parasols are available at the poolside.

Standard rooms and Junior Suites are available.  Most rooms come with an ocean view and have central air-conditioning, telephone, hair-dryers, mini-bar, liquid dispenser, in-room safe, satellite TV, iron and ironing table and a full double-sinked bathroom with spacious bathtubs.  In-room mini-bars are well stocked and replenished every 2 days.  A word of caution: with a tall lobby, the noise tends to carry into the rooms near the lobby.  So, if you are looking for undisturbed sleep before the wee hours, be sure to select a room away from the busy area.  Write to the hotel with your requirements before you make reservations.  They are very responsive and accommodative. 

The food is varied, fresh and plentiful.  The cuisine revolves around a new theme every night and the ambience is good.  Specialty restaurants like the Japanese, Mexican, Italian, Mediterranean and Brazilian restaurants are a great experience for those who like to try something exotic.  Specialty dining requires advance reservations, which can get a little tricky if you are a late riser because all seats are booked by 8 am (and the line starts at 6 am!).  For those who like to stay safe or wake up late, there is the full American or continental buffet spread.  The “Steakhouse” a-la carte is a great experience.  You even get children's food and lots of fresh ice creams to keep your kids happy and full. 

Because its an all inclusive, unlimited imported and domestic alcoholic drinks, soft drinks and tropical cocktails are a great feature.  Non-motorized water sports like snorkeling, sailing, wind surfing and canoeing are provided and in-house entertainment includes gym, workout and ping-pong.  Daytime adult entertainment, live music at night and drinks at the “Pacha” disco are included.  A variety of Riu theme shows, live music and daily activities come with the package. 

The beach is equipped with thatched palapas, calm waters, and extends nearly 220 yards along the north side of Cancun.  The entire waterfront is studded with sun-umbrellas, padded lounge chairs and sunbathing terraces.  Some parts of the resort get shaded by 3 in the afternoon, but if you are a sun worshipper, just move on to the roof. 

There are a lot of organized activities to keep you entertained throughout the day.  Children between 4 and 12 can have a rave time at the supervised children’s club.  The introductory scuba diving lesson in the pool will give you a taste of the pleasures of scuba diving.  The animation shows are magnificent, so are the evening shows that are held in the theater.  The performances are put up by professionals and you will be hard put to choose between coming back to the resort in the evening or spending a wild night at Cancun.  (maybe ...).  The Riu Cancun, just a couple of steps away from Cancun’s famous nightlife, guarantees a getaway chock-full of fun and activity for the entire family.  There is a lot of shopping near the area and “haggling” over the prices is expected and appreciated.  This is probably one of the bests feature of the RIU Cancun: its central location.  You are just steps away from shopping, nightlife and the great restaurants of the hotel zone.

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Reviews

Lisa
Edmonton, Canada
28, Married
RIU Cancun, August 2005
Absolutely Fantastic Resort!! 4/5 Stars

My husband and I flew from Calgary directly to the airport in Cancun, the humidity hits you as soon as you step off the plane onto the tarmac.  There was a bit of a wait to get through customs as they only had 2 staff to process our whole plane! This was a first time to Mexico for my husband and I and so we ended up tipping some guy who had a luggage cart ready for us even though we didn’t need it.  SO, if you don’t want to pay for someone to pass you a cart just walk on by, another cautionary tale ~ don’t stop at the counters in the airport itself.  They call you over to "help" you but as it turns out they are trying sell package deals, again if you don’t want that (you are better off dealing with your vacation company i.e.  Sunquest that you booked with) keep walking.  Just head directly outside and find the person holding up the sign for your vacation provider.  Remember a big portion of their income comes from tips, so I recommend bringing lots of dollar bills!!

The resort itself was beautiful; the foyer of the RIU Cancun is gorgeous, marble floors, domed ceiling with hanging vines, beautiful bright colours and amazing staff.  Checking in was a breeze, we were with a group of people so while some of us were checking in the remainder of our groups were offered drinks right away….now that’s service!  We stayed on the 10th floor and had an ocean view; the rooms are clean, air conditioned and the beds firm (don’t forget to tip your maid).  It took me a while to get used to the fact that the mini bar in our room was free! You are provided with plenty of bottled water (the water in the hotel is not potable so don’t drink the tap water), Corona’s and pop.  Even though the sign said the mini bar was replenished every other day, ours was done every day.  Oh yeah, did I mention that you have hard liquor in your room as well!

There are 4 bars in the resort, so no long line ups, although I have to say that when we were there the outside bar had an unpleasant odour, which wasn’t helped by the heat and humidity.  The beach is great, the white sand is so soft and unlike any sand I have ever experienced, it also never burns your feet.  If you plan on sunbathing, you want to make sure that if you want some shade you get up early and reserve your spot right away as they tend to go very fast (no later than 8 am).  The resort has plenty of fun activities to get involved in, they usually divide the teams into countries (the main groups being the English, Americans and Canadians).  The water sports were held in the main pool (or busy pool) outside that has the swim up bar, there are several pools so if you are looking for a more shaded quiet pool that is available also.  Don’t be surprised to see topless sunbathers, while not in the majority there are plenty around.  The hotel did have entertainment, everyday at 4 pm there was a movie that played so that families/kids could sit and enjoy or even the married couples (like myself).  Every evening they put on shows that involve the audience, the best by far had newly married couples up on stage doing several "competitions" that were hilarious but definitely not a family show.  They also had musicals, so plenty to do for everyone.

There are several restaurants in the hotel, and some of them you have to make reservations for…should be done very early in the morning as they tend to book up fast (around 7 am seems to work).  The other restaurants are great, plenty of selection for every meal with a different theme every night for supper.  If you don’t like authentic Mexican they do have North American food…but when in Rome! I can’t say enough about the hotel staff, you will never see people here in Canada as happy to serve someone as they were there especially for the amount they get paid.  Generally, you are not to tip the staff in the hotel, but if you do have exceptional service you can certainly tip them discreetly.  Outside of the resort there is plenty to do, if you like shopping check out La Isla Mall, while the majority of the stores are fairly pricey there are some deals to be had and it is great to go there in the evening.  It has an open air market feel right on the ocean, you will want to take a taxi there make sure you ask the cab driver how much it will cost before hand (they don’t have the meters like ours do) to avoid any extravagant cab costs ~ should be about 80 pesos from the resort.  For nightlife nothing beats Cancun! I went to a club called Coco Bongo you do have to pay a fair amount for the cover (about $40-$30 USD) but you get unlimited alcohol once you get in and you are treated to an amazing show ~ similar to Cirque de Soleil.  Plus there are great tunes to dance to, dress light as the heat and humidity are amplified in the club.

As for tours, my husband and I did Chichen Itza which is a tour of the Mayan ruins.  We booked through Sunquest (our vacation provider) and made sure we booked a bus with a bathroom (it’s a fairly long bus ride), we had a super tour guide operator (Martin) and we were provided with breakfast and stopped at a local Mayan restaurant where we ate and saw some of the local kids doing traditional dancing.  You also get to stop at a Mayan market, I didn’t really find anything there that I hadn’t already seen at the local stores around the hotel but we did purchase a silver necklace made by the local Mayan metal smiths where you can get a name put on in Mayan hieroglyphs.  This is an all day event so make sure you are prepared.  I am an avid historian so this was amazing for me, might not be the best for young kids (not sure of many that find old stones interesting) or the elderly…the heat is tremendous and there is a lot of walking involved.  You are given a guided tour but are left to your own devices for about 1 ½ hours, this was well worth the money (we spent about $90 USD each).

I would go back to Cancun, particularly the RIU Cancun in a heartbeat (I’m already saving to go back!), this was an amazing vacation my only regret is staying one week instead of two!

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