Description: The Riu Caribe (pronounced Ree-oo Careebay and not the ridiculous way many others have settled on) is an all inclusive resort located in the Hotel Zone of Cancun. It’s a five star hotel and its copious amounts of facilities mean it is worth every one its official stars. On a personal level, I’d give it four stars, we had a fantastic time and the hotel was great, but there are others in the world that are a little more luxurious.
*Location*
The Hotel Zone is Cancun’s tourist area and is home to hundreds of sprawling hotel complexes brought to you by the world’s biggest hotel chains. The Riu Caribe is located at the end of the Hotel Zone, closer to Downtown Cancun than the central area. We found that the location was perfect as it wasn’t right in the centre where all the noisy clubs and bars are, but it was just a short bus ride into the action. The buses stop right outside the hotel and are only about 35p per journey. If you do go into the centre, there is another Riu hotel called the Rui Cancun which you have full and free access to, including all restaurants and facilities.
*Checking In*
This was expertly done, by people who have obviously done it several thousand times before. All the facilities were explained to us and the location of the main restaurants and bars. We were given safe keys (no extra charge) and a few bits of advice and general information. The whole process took about five minutes and was seamless – much appreciated after almost 16 hours of travelling!
*The Rooms*
The rooms are large and spacious and have all the facilities that you need. Some people on other sites have commented that they could do with an upgrade. I would agree that the furniture is a little dated, but it is all extremely clean and serves its purpose. The bathrooms are lovely with sunken baths, powerful (and hot) showers, a hairdryer that certainly put my own to shame, and inexplicably a bottle opener attached to the wall!
All of the rooms come complete with a free mini-bar that is refilled every two days with plenty of water, soft drinks and beer. There is also cupboard that contains vodka, brandy, rum and tequila on optics, which is also checked and refilled every two days. There are ice machines on every floor too, so you can enjoy your favourite tipple any time you like!
All of the rooms have a stunning sea view and balcony; although the balconies are glass fronted so don’t offer much privacy. I would recommend asking for a room on the higher floors (ideally above the third floor) – not only are the views better from up here, but they are also further away from the bar area so there is no noise at night.
*Food and Drink*
The hotel is a 24 hour all inclusive resort and as such, you can get a staggering amount of food and drink any time you want. The main buffet restaurant offers breakfast, lunch and dinner with only half an hour breaks in between each serving. The selection of food available is incredible and the quality is not far behind. Even the most fussy of eaters will find something they like (including burgers, chips and pizzas), whilst the more adventurous will be able to tickle their taste buds with caviar, shellfish and odd looking fruits and vegetables.
There are also three a la carte restaurants offering Asian, Steakhouse and Mexican cuisine. You have to book for all three restaurants although you don’t have to pay anything for them. The booking process is simple – there’s no need to get up early or wait in a queue – just visit the Mexican restaurant sometime in the morning and you can request a table at any of the restaurants over the following few days. There is only the Steakhouse that is actually a la carte – the others are simple buffets in smaller rooms – and it also offers al fresco dining overlooking the beach and sea. This was definitely the best one in my opinion, both for food and location. The Asian is a buffet using the guise of ‘show cooking’, but offers a change of scenery from the standard restaurant and the food is delicious. The most disappointing of the three in my opinion was the Mexican. As I expected the food was authentic and nothing like the Old El Paso kits you buy here, in fact the only thing I recognised was fajitas. The disappointing thing though, was that the food was completely tasteless. I was expecting plenty of spices and flavour, but actually found that it was impossible to discern any flavour at all. It seems that many other guests had the same feelings as us about this as well, which is such a shame.
For those of you who want to drink until the wee small hours, there are numerous bars around the hotel, including a sports bar that also offers 24 hour snacks in the way of sandwiches, pastries and fruit. Make sure you have a look at the cocktail menus as there are some colourful and delicious concoctions available and I found it a perfect place to experiment away from my usual ‘safe choice’ of a Pina Colada!
*Facilities*
As I said, it is in this section that the hotel earns every one of its five stars – the facilities available cover just about everything you could possible want and/or need. There’s a huge swimming pool that is easily big enough to accommodate those people just wanting a relaxing swim even when there is an event such as volley ball taking place. For those who are a little more adventurous, try one of the free activities which include kayaking, snorkelling, sailing, hiring a pedalo or even taking a scuba diving taster session in the diving pool.
The beach is gorgeous – everything you imagine a beach in the Caribbean would be and the waters are crystal clear. It’s a private beach and the sun beds are free and plentiful, which makes for excellent sunbathing for those who just want to relax.
Away from the water there is a full spa (local charges applicable) as well as tennis courts, pool tables, table tennis, gift shops, a supermarket, kids club and so on; the list is indeed endless! Our particular favourite activity was whiling away the evening in one of the hammocks. They are located at the edge of the beach and are surprisingly comfortable for a bit of net hung between two bits of wood!
*Tips / Other Information*
-Don’t take food on the beach, because the seagulls will swoop down within seconds and you’ll struggle to get rid of them.
-There are people selling all manner of things on the beach, from cigars to handbags, but they are not at all intrusive and don’t even speak to you unless you look like you might be interested in what they have to sell.
-If you can’t live without internet access, there’s computers in the sports bar that are available for a small charge or you can take your own and use the free wi-fi in the lobby bar.
-The resort is very popular with American holiday-makers, so all of the prices are quoted in dollars and you can pay in dollars as well. Also expect to see lots of American sports shown in the sports bar. Don’t worry though, one of the many screens in there usually has one Premier League game or another on!
-Many people on other reviews sites have said that the service was terrible but vastly improved with tipping. I have to disagree – I found the service to be mediocre at breakfast and very good at dinner, regardless of the tipping. However I would remind people that a buffet does have very limited scope for offering good service, so don’t expect the world. In terms of tipping, there are no set rules and we found that we tipped when we felt it was worthy – much of the time we got our own drinks as well, so didn’t feel the need to tip.
*Overall*
I would highly recommend Cancun as a holiday destination and I the Riu Caribe as a great resort to stay. The food, service and facilities were all excellent for the most part and the location and beached were excellent. It is everything you’d expect and want for the price you pay and as I said earlier, the only reason I’m not giving it five stars is because there are more luxurious hotels out there!
*For Information*
I’m always reluctant to give prices as they go out of date so quickly, but just to give you some idea of value for money:
We paid just over £1800 for two adults, for 11 nights all-inclusive, flying from Manchester in January 2010.
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