My husband and I, our four children (ranging in age from 11 to 17), my siser-in-law and niece (21) went to the Rui Palace Riviera Maya the week in between Christmas and New Year's. We had a fabulous time! The hotel was gorgeous! The grounds were immaculatey kept. The rooms were very nice and very clean (there is a disctinct smell in the rooms but we did not find it unpleasant). Our one complaint was with the showers (which we noticed other people experienced also) and that was when you were showering, the water would become scalding hot without any notice. The staff (with the exception of the front desk) were wonderful and took very good care of us (especially Damian, Xavier, Alex, Martin, Jesus and Rosario). They were helpful, friendly and always had a smile on their faces. The pool was very clean and the area surrounding it was sufficient for the amount of guests. There were always plently of chairs at the pool and on the beach and plently of shade with all the palm trees around. There were not many staff members on the beach to take drink orders but the bar was within close proximity to the beach and you never had to wait long to get a drink (which by the way were excellent). The beach was sufficient for our needs and the water was gorgeous. There was some seaweed but it was actually kind of pretty seaweed (nothing like what you find in the Atlantic ocean). The food at all of the restaurants was exceptional. Our favorites were the Japanese, Mexican and Sir Oliver's. We would recommend making your reservations for dinner at least three days ahead and opt for the early seating. That way, if someone is not happy with the meal, they can go to Don's for the buffet (which was always great). The breakfast buffet at Don's and the lunch buffet at Chili's were also excellent. Plenty of variety at both. The shopping area in Playa del Carmen is about a twenty-five minute walk (which was pleasant) and the shopping is great! The hotel threw a really nice party on New Year's eve. The food was wonderful and there was a huge variety of things to choose from. The dining room was a little crowded since everybody had to eat at Don's because the other restaurants were closed, but all in all, it was a nice time. The nightly entertainment was a lot of fun. We especially enjoyed Michael Jackson Night. We would highly recommend this hotel for a family vacation!

We just stayed here from Dec 7 thru 11th. What a lovely lovely relaxing time. It's a very beautiful resort. The food... wow. We did one night at the Japanese spot- fantastic. We always prefer buffets because you eat only the amounts you want, and their buffet had everything one could want. The pool was super , the beach was great because it has a TON of palms on it. Important for the winter-pale northerners like me who can't lay in the sun, and need to find the spot of shade. The staff was very friendly. We stayed in an outside room- who spends any time in their room anyway, but for sleep? There were plenty of opportunities for snorkeling, scuba diving, windsurfing or , ferrying to Cozumel- which I didn't do this trip- I was there for total relaxation. I took an hour massage- very nice. We sat outside every night, sipping a nightcap, and took in the lovely weather and the nightly shows and music. The ONLY thing we found to complain about was the shower. The water temperature kept changing. YIKES. Made it hard to take a shower. The beds were hard, but a request for a foam pad fixed that perfectly. The pillows were awesome. I'd go back to this place, it was nice.

My family spent an all -inclusive week at the RIU Palace from Dec.30 thru Jan.6. The hotel is beautiful, the rooms large and the site is gorgeous. We all thought the food in all the restaurants except one was superior and the buffets excellent. Our two biggest complaints were the strict seating times for dinner in the specialty restaurants--either 6:30 (too early) or 8:45 (too late) and the rock-like pillows! Also, there is no beach for walking. The waiters, bartenders and entertainment staff were the nicest and most accommodating I've ever experienced. The front desk could try harder to solve problems and provide more information at check in but all in all we had a very good time.