We have been to Hotel Riu Yucatan some 6 years ago. The hotel has just been refurbed and is so much better than before. The hotel is in a gated complex next door to Playa del Carmen town so it is safe to walk around and close to some shopping. You can also use 2 sister hotels nearby/walkable for free, Riu Tequila and Riu Playacar. This is useful as it gives you a change of scenery. All 3 hotels are all-inclusive and you can eat/drink in any of them other than in the evening when you have to use your own hotel. The Riu Yucatan has 2 pools, a large double pool next to the beach where all the action is and another smaller quiet pool for relaxation. So all tastes/moods are catered for. The hotel is relatively compact so you don't have to walk far although the accommodation blocks don't have lifts. The walkways are flat. The gardens are lovely but there are now less trees so we didn't see any monkeys this time. There is other wildlife to see including guinea pig type creatures and lizards. The rooms have been refurbished and now have large flat screen TVs plus other mod cons. You don't get coffee making facilities in your room but there are bottles of spirits on the wall and a fridge full of soft drink mixers, beers and water. The food is amazing and there are 2 buffet restaurants as well as some a la carte ones. We particularly liked the Italian restaurant for lunch as it wasn't buffet and you could sit down and be served at your table in an air conditioned atmosphere. There are plenty of bars and they all do amazing cocktails. The theatre had superb shows on. Do watch 'El Divos' if they are on they are mexico's equivalent to the 3 tenors and absolutely fantastic. We went by Thomson and found the reps extremely helpful. I would recommend this resort to Silver Travellers.
