Mexico has never been a place that's on the top of my list but I did feel like I had to go at least once, it's safe to say I will 100% be going back. I'm not the resort/all inclusive type of traveller however it felt nice to indulge and not worry about a thing the entire week.
We went to Playa Del Carmen which is in Riviera Maya on the east coast of Mexico. Choosing a resort was challenging since we had a tight budget but still wanted to enjoy our time. Originally we wanted to stay at the Riu Yucatan however on the day we booked the price went up so we had to find a different place. We chose the Riu Palace Riviera Maya since the Palace property gives you access to all 5 riu's in the surrounding area.
We arrived to the Riu Palace Riviera Maya and got a warm welcome and had an easy check in process. This Riu is very Mexican colonial style giving it a bit of an "older" feel you could say. We spent our first night at the bar (typical) then we walked down the beach to see the other properties. As we were walking we came across a resort called "Riu Palace'. We were so confused and thought we stepped through a vortex. We walked up to the main resort area and everything looked close to the same. We sat down at the buffet and asked someone where the heck we were and they said "Riu Palace Mexico" and that's where we learnt it was different. After doing some more wandering we decided that this resort was 100% nicer than ours and had a younger crowd.
We found our sunwing guy the next morning at our resort to ask to make arrangements to transfer hotels, he came back with the good news that we were able to switch and didn't have to pay a dime but the bad news was there was no availability so we stayed one more night then they had an open spot so we packed our bags and made the move.
The Riu Palace Mexico had modern rooms, waterfall showers, cozy beds and just had the boujee resort feel. Safe to say we were happy with our switch.
This resort had 5 a la carte's and it was unlimited, reservation free dining (which is dope) they offered a Steakhouse, Italian, Japanese, Mexican and an International (western style) dining. All were 10/10 and the buffet was amazing. The resort had 3 different pools all with a lovely view of the ocean and one pool bar that's bumping. The beach was slightly disappointing since it had seaweed galore however that is uncontrollable, you can still go in the ocean just have to walk aways in to avoid the grossness lol.
A 2 minute walk from the resort they have a mini market where you can get souvenirs, booze, book excursions or even get a Starbucks. We ended up booking the Isla Mujeres Catamaran here and it was about $40USD cheaper to book here than the resort, plus you can bargain.
The catamaran was great since it was an open bar, you snorkel, go to Isla mujeres for a couple hours and get to check out another island to eat at a buffet. The snorkelling though, was the most hectic experience of my life and I would recommend just sitting on the boat and enjoying the relaxation. There was about 6 other catamarans in the area meaning there was 6 groups of 65 people trying to snorkel so just imagine the stress and how much you get kicked lol. Once you arrive to Isla Mujeres they recommend renting a golf cart and those you can rent for as low as 250 peso per person just make sure you bring your ID! Playa Norte is the beach to visit. It has crystal clear water and white sandy beaches as well as the prettiest leaning palm trees.
Another activity we did was Coco Bongo and this is an experience you don't want to skip. It costs about $85USD per person (however we got lucky and had a Chilean bachelor party pay for us lol). It's a night club mixed with sweet shows. Has trapeze, dancing, singing and crowd interaction. You'll see signs for it everywhere and everyone talks about it, but it's 100% worth going.
We took a cab into Playa Del Carmen to walk fifth avenue for the day, otherwise known as Avenida 5. Has heapsss of shopping, places to eat and things to do. They have shows happening all the time in the main square and they have beach access. This is also where you'd catch the ferry to Cozumel Island.
Mexico was amazing and I can't wait to go back and truly experience the place for what it is. I'd highly recommend the Riu Palace Mexico if your trying to find a resort in the Playa Del Carmen area.