Riu Lupita All Inclusive

During our stay we experienced the theft of a speaker at the pool area. The concerning part is not the item itself, but the deficient and unacceptable protocol the hotel follows in such situations. From the beginning they labeled it as a “lost item” when it was clearly a THEFT: the speaker was not forgotten, it was taken. The “investigation” carried out by their staff was opaque and unprofessional: guests are not allowed to review camera footage, and the only response given was “we are sorry, but we cannot do anything,” delivered in a tone that felt almost mocking. Even after speaking directly with the hotel director, the answer was exactly the same: no solution, no action. The theft happened because we had to leave the speaker on the loungers while we rushed out for an emergency to find a doctor, since the hotel does not provide medical service. This was necessary due to an ear infection caused by the dirty pool water, which highlights another serious issue: lack of hygiene in their facilities. A hotel that claims to be 5 stars should not allow belongings to be stolen, nor should it lack basic medical services. The fact that their cameras “do not cover” the pool area is unacceptable. What if a guest suffers an accident there? There would be no record, no evidence. This situation even raises the suspicion that employees cover up these incidents to avoid consequences. 👉 My recommendation: Do not trust the safety or quality of this hotel. Look for more serious and responsible options. If they cannot guarantee basic security and hygiene, their 5-star rating is nothing but a hollow façade.

Stayed twice (2025 and 2026) – Good value for money, but not a true 5-star hotel After two stays at this hotel, in 2025 and then in 2026, I can give an opinion with a bit of perspective. Overall, it is an establishment that I recommend to those looking for good value for money in the Playacar area. It is one of the most affordable RIUs in the area, which probably explains certain compromises. You just shouldn't expect the level of service of the higher-end RIUs. The positive points Excellent value for money. Very convenient free shuttle to the private beach and Playa del Carmen. Regular frequency, good organization, and the driver is always pleasant. Private beach with a pool, lounge chairs, and a snack bar, which more than makes up for the lack of direct access to the sea. The hotel enforces an effective policy against the abusive reserving of lounge chairs, which is rare enough to be worth noting. Spacious, clean, and well-maintained rooms, with a minibar restocked daily and beverage dispensers. Varied and good-quality breakfast. Large buffet offering plenty of choices with Mexican, American, and European specialties. Main restaurant staff are attentive and efficient. Areas for improvement For me, this is not a true 5-star hotel. You can feel a desire to control costs in many details. The rooms are functional but quite impersonal: white walls, very sober decor, little charm. If possible, avoid the rooms on the parking/golf side (we were in 1121). They are quite noisy in the morning between the buses, deliveries, staff, and golf mowers. Light sleepers should request a room on the pool side. The reception is the main weak point. With the exception of Olivia, who is very professional and smiling, the reception staff sometimes lacks warmth. Same observation at some bars where interactions remain quite impersonal. The Mexican restaurant offers good, hearty dishes, but the dining room really lacks atmosphere and decor. It feels a bit like a \"cafeteria.\" During our stays, the service there was also less warm. My opinion This hotel keeps its promises if you choose it with full knowledge of the facts. It offers great amenities for its price, good dining, a pleasant beach, and complete facilities. On the other hand, travelers accustomed to high-end 5-star establishments might be a bit disappointed by the general atmosphere, the level of finish, and the quality of the service. In the end, I give it 4 stars. It is a place I could choose again for its excellent value for money, while knowing that there are higher-quality establishments in the RIU range for a higher budget.

We booked this as a last minute deal. We knew before we arrived that this was a small complex and usually stay in the bigger Riu hotels on the beach. I wasn’t sure how we would find this hotel but in all honesty It was ok for what we paid for two weeks. As others have mentioned if you are not fond of animals this is not a place for you. Not everyone observed the signs not to feed them and because of this the coatis by our second week were quite bothersome as they assumed everyone then was now going to give them food and were jumping up a lot. We liked that the hotel provided the bus to the beach and the man who drives is really friendly. There is only one main bar but staff work hard and you don’t wait too long. The buffet was quite basic compared to other Riu complexes but it was smaller so they didn’t have as much room. They are quite slow to fill up and at weekends it becomes full of locals who do wipe out the restaurant quickly. It must be frustrating for staff as there was a lot of waste over these days. The entertainment was ok. They appeared to be making changes while we were there and by the second week we could see improvements. We tried the Italian and steak restaurants. We preferred the steak house. The mains in the Italian were poor. Over cooked chicken burger sliced over greasy spaghetti was chicken Milanese. Other tables also looked less than impressed with theirs. I will however say that the self service starters were good and if I went again. I really wouldn’t have a main and just have a couple of starters as they were better quality. I also found it odd there was no garlic bread. Staff in both were nice and pleasant . The rooms are basic but clean. We were on the 3rd floor. If we stayed again I would prefer a bungalow as the block we stayed in was like a revolving door constantly changing every other day with local families and the noise at times was a pain. There is pool towels available but by the second week they started to smell Unclean and damp. I did wonder if they were not being cleaned properly as we didn’t experience this when we first arrived. We had a relaxing two weeks which is just what we needed and if we would return if we saw another last minute deal.