Riu Caribe All-Inclusive, Cancun

We totally loved the RIU Caribe....the staff was awesome, food was great. Want to go back some day but are definitley going to another RIU in 2012. What a great all inclusive resort....

I worked with Apple Vacation and did an all-inclusive stay. This was the smartest decision I have ever made on a trip. General things I liked: - They were there at the airport ready to pick me up. - The service to the hotel was simple and not complicated. - The staff, although with accents, were EXTREMELY helpful and friendly. No attitudes and no fuss. - The room was clean. - The Jr. Suite came with a much larger patio than expected. - Food was always available and well prepared. - The drinks were always accessible. - There's a full restock bar in your room!! Craziness. - The cleaning staff was ALWAYS present and were constantly looking over things. I mean, I can go on and on about the beach, the pool, the spa, the live shows, the restaurants, the bus services, the return trip to the airport... I really had a great time. It was more than worth what I paid. I can't say enough good things about it. One of the bartenders, Maya, is even one of Facebook friends now!! Keep in mind, this is NOT a 5 Star hotel. It's not. So, with that in mind, I think it was simply splendid! Anyone who thinks otherwise is being overly critical.

This hotel was exceptional. I have very few, minor dislikes about it! We traveled as a family, my parents, grandparents, two siblings, boyfriend, 12 year old and at the time 7 month old baby. They accomodated us all comfortably and efficiently, even changing rooms for my brothers when the accidentally booked them in a one bed room. The staff was very courteous and helpful and made sure all of our needs were met at any time. The cleaning staff even fulfilled my daughters request of a "towel pet" and left her with an elephant and puppy. Our rooms were always clean and fresh and they quickly fulfilled our requests when needed. Also, if you leave a few extra dollars in the fridge, he will stock it heavy on the beer :) The outdoor staff was also very friendly and they always encouraged you to participate in the daily poolside activities, they made sure to keep the music going and make it a fun experience for people of all ages. The only complaint i had with the rooms were the beds were a bit stiff for my liking, almost felt like sleeping on a concrete slab! But at the end of a long fun day in the sun, i slept with no problems! The grounds were always immaculate, the beaches cleaned. They did the best they could at keeping the seaweed under control, but it IS an ocean afterall. Being that we had a large party, at times it was difficult to find beach chairs all together, but we managed to find a spot every day with little problems. My suggestion is to get a towel and mark off some chairs before breakfast. Dining at the pool side restaurant was nice, you just have to be careful not to leave your food unattended as the birds will happily dine on it for you. The food was at best, just above average. Your daily buffet food could have used a bit more flair and some changing up from day to day. But they are trying to accomodate *many* nationalities so it was a broad selection. They also could make it easier to make the "reservations" for the 3 other restaurant options. We had the steak house and it was amazing, but weren't able to get in to the other two places, even though the whole week we were there, they looked almost deserted any time you walked past. We also had a special Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, it was a wonderful experience. Overall i would reccomend this hotel to other people. It was beautiful and a nice experience for our whole family. Another note, this hotel is located at the end of the "strip" so it isn't close to a lot of action or hot spots, so it was a very peaceful experience. And anything you needed was a mere bus or taxi ride away.

We are a pair of youthful and active Senior Citizens who flew to the Carribean for a first-time visit and stayed at the Riu Caribe despite the mixed reviews on this site. We picked the Riu because it offered substantial cash savings and because it received a good rating by Apple Tours. Our overall impression is that this a 4-Star venue. It misses the 5th star because the decor is not sleek, plush and modern, because it lacks luxury level restaurants and because the TV's in the rooms are not flat screen or HD. Having said that, the place is fashionably quaint, beautifully landscaped, immaculate, and geared towards families. Check-in went quickly despite the long lines, although we had to wait a few hours for our room, having arrived much earlier than the check in time. But that was alright becaause it gave us a chance to nose around and schmooze with the Apple Tour Reps. For a few bucks extra, we advise you to get the "Junior Suite" which provides marble floors, a very large bathroom and a humongous balcony jutting out over the beach and ocean. The air conditioning works great! We did have a balky toilet at 1 point that was fixed within 90-minutes of our call to the front desk even though it was late at night. Also, my lady friend had a major gastric upset on our last night but doesn't really believe it was anything she ate or drank. Instead, she blames it on the sun and some alcohol that she isn't used to. Anyway, her problem cleared up in about an hour and a half and did not reoccur. Another thing to note--some of the nightly shows are held out-of-doors and you might hear some loud music in your room up until about 11:00 PM. At the beautiful pool, we noted a cluster of 20-35 year olds who liked to drink, yell and cuss but who actually didn't create much of an annoyance because of the fairly loud band music going on. Plus you get to see a lot of string bikinis with major tush exposed and so on. But I digress. The beach and ocean are spectacular, but you have to be out there by 9:00 AM to get a lounge chair. Some of the Hotel staff speak perfect English, but others have a strong Spanish accent that can be troublesome. Note that you should sign up for the "specialty restaurants" as soon as you can--they won't allow you to make same night reservations, so plan ahead. Food-wise, the Riu Caribe excells in their salads, fruits and desserts. The rest of the offerings are tasty and plentiful. The Chinese and Mexican restaurants are fine. However, the rib eye and the top sirloin at the steak restauant were very tough and stringy during our stay. You will be close to public buses which charge $1/ person/ trip and run often. There is a Mini-mart off the lobby but it carries only 1 American newspaper (USA Today). Dollars are accpted everwhere at the hotel and in Cancun. There are also ample tours and excursions available to islands, beaches, nature preserves and Mayan architectural ruins. Reps in the lobby can help you with the arrangements. The tour guides themselves are sometimes hard to understand and you might get a little nervous wondering if you're going to catch the right bus back to your hotel after the tour is over. But it all seems to works out in the end. Even though your tips are included, in the "all-inclusive" deal, bring some $1 bills to hand out. The employees will feel good and so will you. And finally, if you acknowledge and accept everything we've written in this review your vacation at the Riu Caribe will be memorable in a good way. But if we've written anything that you can't live with or which could cause you problems, it's probably best to look elsewhere.

I love the service here. The food was great. It was very clean. I would stay here again and recommend all my friends and family. One of my best stays.

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all was fine I have been there in august 2009 ...much better in august than feb. No tornade just 3 showers in 10 days. so you do not to be scaried. The food shoud be improve I can say from 1 to 10 ...7-8 and the server a little more for serving not for $$$$$

This place was awesome! I don't have a single complaint except that my fridge broke down the last two days. Staff was friendly and helpful. Room service was very prompt and thorough. My drinks were definately not fake and the pool was fairly clean. However, the pool was very very warm, almost felt better out of the water. Best of all there are some nice rocks out by the water that are great for sunset pictures and proposals... Just like my friend did! Definately the best trip ever and we all decided we're going back next year.

we went for our first time in oct '09. All the people there were so nice, and really friendly. The food was awsome...and they really know how to mix drinks. They always have entertaiment. and yummy snacks by the pool or beach. i caint wait to go back this year. i sooo recommend this hotel for family fun!!!

I have never been to an all inclusive hotel and I would say I would go back to this one in a heartbeat!! It was so fun!! Yes, it is a little outdated. Yes, the food is a not the best but it is an international menu, not just chicken nuggets and pizza!! I never had any problems with rude workers, so if you got rude service, it's probably because you deserved it! The place was very clean, the pool was kept very clean. They had staff walking around the pool all of the time picking up cups and plates from guests, so I don't see how the pool was dirty as one person wrote. The beach was gorgeous! They have plenty of chairs for people to use on the beach. The only thing I would recommend is you bring your own cup for drinks, because they do give you little cups at the bar. The bartenders didn't mind using your own cup. I tipped a few of the waiters and bartenders and still got great service. I don't know what these people are talking about on here having to tip $20 or more. That is crazy!! The entire staff was more than happy to help get you drinks or anything you needed!! Can't wait to go back!