- Mexico Holidays
- Playa del Carmen
- Riu Tequila
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Riu Tequila
Mexico, North America
Playa del Carmen
The family-friendly Club Riu Tequila is excellently situated just south of the famous holiday resort of Playa del Carmen on the Mayan Riviera, close to the white sandy beach and the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea. It features a charming colonial style architecture, a lovely garden and pool landscape and 24-hour all inclusive, making it an ideal place for families with children.
Facilities
- RIU - Covid-19 Health Protocol
- Golf practice facility*
- Golf*
- Billiards
- Beach volleyball
- Cycling / mountain biking*
- Fitness
- Table tennis
- Catamaran sailing
- Windsurfing
- Please note some facilities may incur an additional fee
The Local Area
Tripadvisor Reviews
4.5 Excellent12,758 reviews
Excellent
61%
Very Good
27%
Average
8%
Poor
2%
Terrible
2%
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
Loved our stay!
My boyfriend and I traveled to Playa del Carmen for vacation in July 2026. We actually stayed our first 5 nights at the Riu Palace Riviera Maya but decided to extend our trip and stay at the Tequila the rest of the time. We have stayed at Riu’s before and are Class members as we enjoy the free airport transportation perk, as well as the parties. The parties take place at the Tequila so when we came over for the white party we loved the layout of the Tequila, and very important to us, they have a sports bar, which the Palace does not. The property is well maintained, employees are kind and helpful, and we had a great time. The food is nothing to write home about, but for an all inclusive it’s a great value and we always have a great stay at a Riu! We would also like to shout out Andy at the front desk for his incredible patience and extra help and hospitality with us when we had a mixup with our booking!
Brilliant family resort, a few negatives but nothing that would stop me visiting again.
We stayed at this resort for 14 nights and overall had a fantastic holiday. I would definitely recommend it to families and anyone looking for plenty to do throughout their stay.
The staff were one of the biggest highlights. Every single member of the team was attentive, polite, friendly and always full of energy. They really made you feel welcome from the moment you arrived.
Our room was always kept very clean, with fresh linen changed every other day, and the housekeeping team did a great job.
The food was also excellent, with a huge variety available every day, so there was always something different to try. The entertainment was outstanding too. The RIU entertainment team were incredible, putting on fantastic shows every evening, and there were also loads of daytime activities to get involved in.
The hotel has four pools, including an adults-only pool with a swim-up bar, all of which are a lovely size. The beach is only around a five-minute walk away, or you can hop on one of the golf carts if you don’t fancy walking.
There were just a few things that could be improved. The pools were extremely warm, and you could actually feel warm water being pumped in from the jets. In such a hot climate, it would have been much nicer if cooler water was circulated so guests could properly cool down. We also didn’t notice the pools being cleaned during our stay, and they became quite dirty. I would also recommend avoiding white swimwear, as the pool water turned ours green.
We were also disappointed that several of the speciality restaurants were closed for much of our holiday. The Chinese restaurant, in particular, was rarely open, which was a shame because when we finally managed to eat there it was absolutely amazing. We would have loved the opportunity to visit it more than once.
One final point isn’t aimed at the hotel but may be useful for anyone booking through TUI. We went on the catamaran excursion that includes snorkelling over the underwater ruins. The TUI reps, boat crew and food were all fantastic, and we couldn’t fault them. However, the snorkelling itself felt very unsafe. There were lots of boats operating in the same area at the same time, with huge numbers of people in the water. We hadn’t realised we’d be swimming such a long distance away from the boat, weaving through ruins and coral while trying to keep up with our guide at quite a fast pace. It was incredibly difficult to stay with our group amongst all the other excursions, and boats were driving through the area while people were still in the water. My husband and father were both hit by boats during the excursion. Thankfully they weren’t seriously injured, but it was a frightening experience. I think this is something TUI should urgently review, particularly as it could be even more dangerous for young children, older guests or less confident swimmers.
Despite these few negatives, we had an amazing holiday. The hotel is definitely worth visiting, especially for families. There is so much entertainment, plenty of activities, excellent food and wonderful staff who work incredibly hard to make your stay enjoyable.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fantastic Holiday – We’ll Definitely Be Back
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fantastic Holiday – We’ll Definitely Be Back!
We’ve just returned from our second stay at the RIU Tequila, and once again it exceeded all our expectations. From the moment we arrived, we were made to feel so welcome by the amazing staff, who work incredibly hard and always have a smile on their faces.
The rooms were excellent – spacious, comfortable, and spotlessly clean every single day. Housekeeping did a fantastic job throughout our stay.
The food was outstanding, with a huge selection at the buffet and excellent speciality restaurants. There was always something different to try, and the quality was consistently brilliant.
The swim-up bar was one of our favourite places to spend the day. The atmosphere was fantastic, the bartenders were brilliant, and the cocktails were always flowing!
The entertainment was first-class, especially the White Party and Neon Party – both were absolutely incredible and not to be missed. The atmosphere, music, and energy made for unforgettable nights.
This hotel really has everything you could want for a perfect holiday. A huge thank you to all the staff for making our stay so special. This was our second visit, and it certainly won’t be our last. We can’t wait to come back again!
Second time at the resort,would definitely come back.
Excellent resort.The staff are what make this resort as good as it is.Shout out has to go to Andrea in the sports bar and Matteo on the drinks trolley around the pool.The best restaurant for me was the steak house.Italian was average and the Chinese restaurant "The Bamboo" was all buffet style and by far the worse of the lot.Buffet had a great selection of different foods. Was there 3 years ago we were lucky with the Sargasm.This year it has hit fairly bad.The staff do their best to clear what they can but impossible to clear it all.Otherwise,a beautiful beach.Some days worse than others,might get lucky. Sports bar is where most people seem to go throughout the day.Best air con on the whole resort.Shows are very good too except for the ABBA show.Avoid at all costs.Stay in the sports bar for it. Room cleaned every day, spotlessly.Staff work so hard on the resort and always smiling and saying hello.Small tips throughout the day are much appreciated.Would definitely return to the Riu Tequila.So many pros,so little cons.Great spot.
Review by macsiplex Wicklow, Ireland
Amazing Food, Party, People
The resort was beautiful and well kept. There were so many plants and trees along paths that lead to different buildings. The buildings were around 3 to 4 floors and were long compared to other resorts. The walk between our room, which was at the edge, and reception was about 5 minutes. At the reception complex were most of the amenities including the bars, lobby, buffet, stage, disco, sports bar and restaurants. Staying at Riu Tequila we were able to visit other Riu resorts including Riu Yucatan, Riu Playacar and technically Riu Lupita with the exception of the Riu Palace.
The rooms were clean and well stocked with soda and beer. There was also an alcohol dispenser with different types of alcohol in the room. The room was cleaned daily and the staff would usually make a cute design on the bed which was nice.
The foam parties were held at the Yucatan and Playacar. The foam parties at the Yucatan were really lively and the staff were really able to engage the guests. They held contests, dancing and the entertainment staff were really lively, friendly and professional. We went to the other foam party at the Playacar and we really liked the foam party at Riu Yucatan more. Thank you every much to the entire entertainment staff for having excellent parties.
The buffet across all the resorts were very good and had lots of varieties for everyone. Lots of fresh fruits, grilled meat and fish, pizza, bacon, croissants, French toast, and lots of other food types. There were lots of staff always willing to help and always with a smile. The fruits were fresh and sweet including watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple, mangoes, melon among others. Basically for food there's too many to mention but there was a wide variety.
There is no pre-booking of the ala carte restaurants needed. You simply show up and if there's seating they will seat you immediately, which was most of the time for us. The food at the restaurants were very good. The Asian restaurant was buffet style with a good variety of sushi rolls. It also has an area with different types of Asian food including teriyaki, noodles, tempura, fish, soups and others.
The bars were also had a good variety of alcohol, cocktails, mocktails and other refreshments and we especially loved the different types of coffee drinks that can be ordered. The sports bar also had a corner with different types of snacks including hotdog sandwich and others like it. Right beside the sports bar were, on the left is the gym and on the right is the disco. During the day there were many events, games and activities that were lively and some of those the winner can win prizes.
The very few downside to this resort is the long walk to the beach since this is technically not a beachfront property. However, you can opt to wait to ride the shuttle to Riu Yucatan or Riu Playacar for access to the beach since we're allowed to be on those properties all day long. Also, the beach had sargassum when we were there in April.
Thank you very much to the staff who were all friendly and professional and they made our vacation all the more special.
Overall, this is a solid resort with many amenities and a few downsides and rate this resort 5 out of 5 stars.
Review by parakayjay Illinois
