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Background: Riu Tequila. Trip dates July 22-30, 2005. 4 Days after hurricane Emily. Booked through Berwick Travel. Tour operator Apple Vacations. Price paid: $752.00 per person out the door.
I have approximately 30 week long trips to the Caribbean under my belt; ranging from higher priced resorts like Secrets and Sandals, to very budget conscious vacations like this trip to the Riu Tequila.
This was my third trip to a Riu resort. For more information about Riu Resorts, please see my review of the Riu Melao and Riu Merengue. Overall, I believe that a Riu vacation is a very nice 'bang' for the buck. These are not luxury properties, but they are reasonably priced with consistent amenities and service.
Hurricane Emily: It is important to note that we arrived at the Riu Tequila exactly 4 days after Hurricane Emily. Overall, I was quite impressed with the clean up efforts at the Riu's. While other areas of Playa were extremely damaged, the Riu's were making a very solid effort to have their properties up an running. The only issues we dealt with were lack of lighting, one pool closed, lack of vegetation, and noise from construction. None of these things effected our stay and were certainly to be expected immediately following a hurricane.
Flight: Due to Hurricane Emily (which hit Playa exactly 4 days prior to my arrival) our flight had exactly 27 people on it. Needless to say, customs and immigration were a breeze. Flight was on-time both directions and typical of an Apple 3000 charter.
Arrival: The drive from Cancun was approximately an hour with stops only for additional Riu properties (many other resorts were closed due to Hurricane Emily). Check-in was sub-par compared to my other Riu vacations. Our room was not ready until 3:00 p.m. (which is official check-in time, however with the low occupancy, I believe the room was probably ready but the front desk personal just didn't feel like checking us in). Unfortunately, we arrived in-between seating for lunch also. The Riu's really should consider extending snack bar hours so that arriving guests can at least get a hamburger while waiting for the room.
Service: Overall, I'd say service at the Riu's in Playa was sub standard when compared to the Riu's in Punta Cana, and equal to the service in Puerto Plata. It just didn't seem like anyone was willing to go above and beyond at this property. Service was fine, it just wasn't outstanding as I had come to expect from previous Riu trips.
Case in hand: We had towel cards from the Riu Tequila. The Riu Tequila towel shed doesn't open until 9:00 a.m. and by that time we were already perched out at the Riu Yucatan Pool. The towel hut at the Riu Yucatan refused to accept our Riu Tequila towel cards. We had two choices; walk all the way back to the Riu Tequila to get towels, or wait 10 minutes, and go back to the Riu Yucatan towel hut with a $5.00 tip. We opted for the later, and were given towels. An exercise in frustration, and certainly not indicative of resorts with equal exchange policies.
Rank in Service: Riu Melao, Riu Puerta Plata, Riu Tequila.
Room: We asked for a room overlooking the pool and were granted our request. In all honesty, we spent very little time at the Tequila so room location didn't matter. The room was quite large, although the color scheme was strange. The bathroom had a separate toilet area and was certainly adequate and clean. Plenty of closet space and comfortable bedding.
The safe was a complete pain to operate. Riu's use old safes with key entries. Unfortunately, our key didn't work the greatest. Opening and closing the safe became a standard joke and could take as long as 5 minutes to line up the lock with the door exactly so the safe would shut.
Mini bar: Refilled daily as promised, although no diet pepsi despite numerous requests. Not a big deal, but yet another example of lack of 'polished' service.
Amenities: Standard shower gel, shampoo, and soaps are provided, although the quality is lacking when compared to other resort chains.
Overall, the room was clean and functional. I'd rank the rooms at all 3 Riu's I've stayed at as equal. I don't expect much more given the affordable price of a Riu vacation.
Food: Here is where I give the Riu's in Playa a higher rank than the Riu's in the Dominican Republic. Since I've been to both destinations numerous times, I feel quite confident when I state that food in Mexico is generally 'better' than the food in the DR (although food is a very personal opinion). I am also a very firm believer that although you can certainly experience sickness in Mexico, you are more likely to become sick in the DR.
We ate all evening meals at the Riu Tequila. The buffet can become redundant after 7 days, but I certainly never left hungry or felt that the food choices were too limiting. We did eat at the steakhouse one evening and found that quite enjoyable.
We ate all lunches at the Riu Yucatan. The Yucatan lunch area is very nice, although there was a distinct smell of sewage every day near the bathrooms. I'm hoping this was somehow a result of Hurricane Emily. They were working to correct the problem.
Rank: Rius in Playa, Punta Cana, Puerta Plata.
Pool: We spent every day at the Yucatan Pool. The pools here are visually nicer than any of the pools in the DR. Tile Beds to lay in have been built into the new Yucatan Pool with a very nice swim up bar with tile tables and chairs incorporated right into the pool. The Yucatan has two swim up bars (but again, the service was below that found in the DR). The area was EXTREMELY crowded (perhaps the most crowded I've ever experienced on a Caribbean trip). Think cruise ship pool and you have the crowds at the Yucatan. This was probably due to the fact that many other resorts in Playa were closed after Emily and the Riu's were taking all 'carry over' guests. Papalas around the pool were all 'taken' by 7:00 a.m.
Pool Rank: Playa, Punta Cana, Puerta Plata.
Beach: The color of water in Playa is more beautiful than the color of water in Punta Cana, but the hard packed sandy area in Punta Cana is nicer than the beach in Playa (at least immediately following Hurricane Emily). Both beaches are MUCH nicer than the beach area in Puerta Plata. We never had difficulty finding chairs along the beach area. It's hard to pick a distinct favorite in terms of beach. I believe that the beach in Playa and the beach in Punta Cana are both some of the nicest beaches in the Caribbean.
Note: Walk to the Beach from the Tequila is approximately 10 minutes. Don't count on the shuttle, which is very limited in the number of people it can hold and has horrible hours of operation. Personally, I wouldn't pay to stay at any of the other Riu's in Playa. The walk is not bad at all; especially considering that your room could be placed in the back of the Riu Yucatan, PlayaCar, or Palace...... which would make the walk almost equal. In my opinion, unless you have a medical condition which prevents you from walking, save your money and stay at the Tequila.
Spa: I was extremely disappointed in the spa! The massage I had was fair at best and the spa facilities are desperately in need of an upgrade. Save your money here folks.
Overall: I believe the Riu's provide an excellent AFFORDABLE vacation. As mentioned, I paid $752.00 per person for 7 days including flight from Detroit, insurance, and all taxes. These are not luxury resorts by any stretch, but they are consistent and do provide an excellent vacation. I've yet to find a resort Utopia. I believe that the Riu's stack up favorably against other resorts in most areas. I would not hesitate to return to any of the Riu's I've visited for the right price.
