Riu Lupita - All Inclusive

Customer ratings & reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

4953 reviews

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  A Disappointing Stay at Riu Lupita: A Warning to Travelers

  Introduction: We are deeply disappointed—and yes, frustrated—by our stay at Riu Lupita in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, to the point where we needed time to recover after returning home. Nevertheless, we feel compelled to share our experience to warn others: lower your expectations or reconsider the value for money at this so-called "5-star" resort. Expectation vs. Reality: We chose Riu Lupita, advertised as a 5-star hotel, for a luxury vacation. By definition, 5-star hotels promise top-tier accommodations, facilities, and service exceeding 4-star standards. The brochures, website, and even signage at the entrance emphasized this 5-star claim. The high price we paid for a 9-night all-inclusive stay suggested we would receive first-class service, food, and amenities. Unfortunately, reality fell far short of expectations. Staff: Most staff members were friendly (with the exception of those at the Mexican restaurant). Since Spanish is my native language, interactions may have been smoother for us, but we observed that other guests were generally treated appropriately. Accommodation: The hotel consists of standalone single-level villas and 3-story buildings with guest rooms. None of these buildings have elevators. Imagine hauling luggage up stairs in sweltering heat—or worse, doing so with health issues. Luckily, we were assigned a second-floor room, but dragging two 20kg suitcases 400 meters and up two flights of stairs was exhausting. Shouldn’t elevators be standard in a 5-star establishment? The Room: Our room included a bathroom, bedroom, and balcony. While superficially clean, the space felt outdated and poorly maintained. Issues included: Mold: Visible on the bathroom mirror, in the corners, and behind the sliding door (see photos). Refrigerator: It was not turned on, with a missing freezer door and exposed wiring where the plug hung loosely from the wall (photo attached). Food: Buffet: A large, impersonal space serving 300+ guests. Meals were bland and repetitive. Meats (beef, pork, chicken) were consistently overcooked and tough. Even the fruit—surprisingly—lacked flavor, unusual for a subtropical region. Mexican Restaurant: Limited menu (5 dishes), disinterested staff, and mediocre quality. The sea bass was edible but underwhelming. Italian Restaurant: Closed when the Mexican restaurant was open, and vice versa. We did not visit it, so no further comments. Off-Site Restaurant: Reservations had to be made starting at 7:00 AM, as tables booked up quickly. We skipped this due to the hassle of shuttle buses and reservations. The Final Straw: The day before departure, we shared our complaints with the tour operator’s representative at the hotel. They promised to escalate our feedback but have yet to respond after 5 days. Shortly afterward, a staff member approached us at the pool to document our complaints—but stopped writing halfway through due to the sheer number of issues we raised. Later, during lunch, another employee handed us a generic feedback form, unaware of the earlier conversation. We found this particularly strange. Suspicious "Improvement": That evening, dinner suddenly transformed: chefs hovered at the buffet, managers in suits sampled dishes, and service staff doubled. The food quality temporarily improved—only to revert to its usual mediocrity the next day. What happened? An inspection had taken place that day. A transparent (and shameful) attempt to appease the inspectors. Conclusion: Riu Lupita fails to meet 5-star standards in accommodation, facilities, or dining. Their sporadic "efforts" to address complaints felt like theatrics rather than genuine action. For the price paid, this stay was unacceptable. Travelers deserve better: avoid this hotel or brace for disappointment.

  Mar 29, 2025
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  Great relaxing vacation

  We enjoyed our one week stay at this resort! The layout was appealing to us - the public areas were all in close proximity to each other, and the rooms were nicely spread out in one to three story buildings in the jungle like grounds. Great for taking a stroll before or after breakfast or dinner! The staff was welcoming, professional and attentive. The food was good - not as much selection in the buffet as we’ve experienced at other Rius, but with only a couple hundred rooms that wasn’t surprising. We liked that the snack bar would open when the buffet closed, so you could eat at any time. Enjoyed the Italian restaurant as well but we didn’t try the Mexican or steakhouse. Drinks at the bar were good. We were fortunate to see a couple of shows at noon at the pool - a Mayan show one day and a circus type the next, very talented performers. The theatre for the evening show was also good. The pool during the day was not overcrowded, as I believe many people head to the beach, shopping, or excursions. There’s also a small quiet pool and a kids club a bit further away from the main area. The resort also has a little area for volleyball and other activities with the entertainment staff. There’s also a little basketball court and tennis court there. There is a bus that leaves every half hour to the beach club. We went one day, about a fifteen minute ride (you could also get off at a stop en route if you wanted to go to playa del Carmen). The beach was pretty and had a lot of loungers. We arrived about 11:00 am and it wasn’t too busy, but did fill up by noonish. The restaurant there was great for lunch (turns into steakhouse in the evening) and there’s also a pool and activities at the beach. We found there was very little shade at the beach though and that, combined with the windy conditions when we were there, led to us only going to the beach one day. Our room was fine, spotlessly clean, with a little balcony with a rack to hang our wet swimwear. The bathroom was renovated. The lovely shower, unfortunately, tended to spray water out on to the bathroom floor so we kept a towel down to try and prevent the floor from getting soaked. Now, the ONLY criticism we had - the bed! It was hard and we could feel the coils. The first night we barely slept and got up extremely sore the next morning. We asked for a topper via the app and received it the next day, but it was still not the most comfortable of beds. My husband, who suffers from a bad back, had to deal with the pain for the balance of our visit, unfortunately. If we ever come to this area again, we would not hesitate to stay here, but we would definitely check out the bed situation and either ask for a topper or to switch rooms if the bed was similar to the one trip.

  Mar 26, 2025
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  Hotel Riu Lupita

  Excellent service, entertainment, and cleanliness. We enjoye the setup of this resort - it felt really quiet and secluded. The shuttle to the beach was easy to navigate and frequent throughout the day.

  Mar 26, 2025
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  Lovely Holiday

  Our second trip to this wonderful hotel, everything about the hotel is fantastic, the food plentiful and varied, the drinks flow 24hrs a day of you wish, a great service down to the lovely beach, lovely beach club, thank you to all of the staff ,every single one of them is a credit to this hotel, we will most certainly be back, Leigh & Pam, room 2823

  Mar 25, 2025
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  Good as always

  Been there many times, always perfect. Perfect service friendly people. Nothing is to much. My favoriete hotel in playa del carmen

  Mar 23, 2025