Marie

First of all I cannot say enough about Playa vs Cancun, Cancun is much too commercial and Playa is what you picture Mexico to be.<BR><BR>Our original reservation was for the Riu Playacar, upon our arrival on the 16th during a complete downpour we were advised due to the week long rains they had just had, they had experienced some flooding in some of the rooms, therefore they needed to move us for one night to the Yucatan and then the duration of our stay would be at the Riu Palace, (thanks to boards like this) I knew I was looking at a $500 upgrade, however there were 3 other couples being displaced along with us that didn't I had to let them in on the fact it was actually a big BONUS. <BR><BR>Our one night at the Yucatan was ok, the rooms were just ok, not what I would picure for a 4 to 5 star resort and the beds were hard as a rock, but the grounds were simply gorgeous, very junglelike and flora and fauna everywhere, (this Riu had the most awesome grounds) then on to the Palace, which is indeed a Palace, there are fountains everywhere, and pure luxury!!!!!!!!!!! The room difference was incredible, you stepped down into an area with a loveseat and a beautiful balcony. The beds were much more comfortable, and the room was beautiful, the bath was a full bath with a very deep tub, unlike the shower only at the Yucatan. There was also a bidet.<BR><BR>The staff was incredible, my 15 year old daughter formed a friendship with one of the waitstaff/bartenders in his mid 30's which she will remember the rest of her life, she cried when she had to say goodbye to him, he truly took her under his wing, and made her trip, taught her the salsa/merangue, to make flowers out of napkins, even had her behind the bar learning the better side of bartending, how to hold a champagne bottle while pouring etc. If you stay at the Palace seek out Henry. The entire staff was alot of fun, and contrary to the reputation the Riu Palace has of being "stuffy" well it just is not true. <BR><BR>The Riu's are all inclusive which in Playa I highly recommend, the drinks can tend to be weak, which is an easy fix, order a shot on the side to top it off. I highly recommend the Riviera Maya, it is melon liquor on the bottom with rum/orange juice in the middle topped off with strawberry daq mix frozen on top.<BR><BR>The food is very good, but you do tend to get sick of buffets, easy fix, go to town one night for dinner.<BR><BR>You have full priveleges at all the other Riu properties, and each one is within walking distance, and each one has something special about it. Service is first rate.<BR><BR>Playa del Carmen is a quaint little Mexican Village, 5th avenue is the heart, and it is what you expect to see in Mexico, the Senor Frogs is right on the beach where you catch the ferry to Cozumel, great location. Playa is a $4 cab ride one way and 5 minutes. <BR><BR>We only spend 4 days and the weather in spite of our stormy arrival, was pretty good, a bit cloudy our last day, but no more rain. The one excursion we did was a catarmaran/snorkel trip which we booked through the MLT/Olympus rep at the hotel, it was a huge cat and alot of fun, the waters were a bit rough the day we went so the clarity of the water was not up to par, but what a fun crew, beware of the tequila slammers aka boom booms, they knocked me on my butt.<BR><BR>I doubt I will ever have that kind of luck again in my entire life to get that kind of upgrade, but it was the trip of my daughters life.<BR><BR>Playa beats Cancun hands down, unless you are looking for a very commerical hotel strip then go to Cancun where you can find most of the restaraunts you have here. <BR><BR>It was a very memorable trip, if anyone has any specific questions, please feel free to e-mail me. <BR><BR>I love this board, and am happy to be able to give back a bit now.<BR><BR><BR>

Monica

Marie:<BR> <BR>Glad to hear you had such a great trip...stayed with a friend last year at Riu Palace which we loved! It's nice to hear someone else agree that this particular resort is indeed "not stuffy". I considered it casually elegant and agree that the staff is outstanding..we stayed at Camino Real Cancun in 2000 and have to agree...we were disappointed. If you compare the beaches, Playa wins hands down for the wide stretches of beach...we too felt that Cancun was too commercial and it was an inconvenience to walk around the various oceanfront hotels. The Riu hotels are excellent! Monica<BR>

Debbie

Thank you Marie for telling everyone what a great set of resorts the RIU is in this area of Mexico. I tried to tell people this same thing on this board but kept getting accused of working for the RIU chain (duh, which I don't!), so it's nice to see someone else who appreciates a good resort. <BR>We've stayed at the Yucatan twice now and the rooms are not bad for the price when you take into consideration how extremely expensive places like Sandals and such are like on a lot of the Caribbean islands. So although the bed is hard (and I really don't like how it's two beds together to make a king 'cause I always end up sleeping on the crack), the room layout is still pretty good for what you get.<BR>That's fabulous though that you ended up getting upgraded to the Palace as the rooms are unbeatably gorgeous there - still it would be nice if you could have the rooms of the Palace, combined with the grounds of the Yucatan and the pool of the Iberostar next door and you have one hell of a resort!<BR>Good for you and glad you enjoyed the PDC area.

Rachel

Hey everybody, my fiance and I are getting married in July. Wedding stress is already in full force. We are trying to find a beautiful honeymoon, at a less expensive price, under 3,000 preferably. Does anybody have any suggestions? HELP!

Hiho

Hello - I'm glad you had a good trip. I actually found your post quite amusing in a way you did not intend.<BR><BR>"Playa is what you picture Mexico to be" and "Playa del Carmen is a quaint little Mexican Village" - great quotes. All this while you stayed at an all-inclusive outside of town! <BR><BR>The funny thing is you think you have seen the "real Mexico". Don't get me wrong..I have visited Playa (actually stayed in town at a non-AI), and liked it very much, and have recommend it to people I know as an excellent getaay. And yes, compared to Cancun, it is sort of quaint. Biut it is not the real Mexico, it is basically a resort town that has developed over the past 20 years or so. What you are saying is sort of like thinking that you have seen rural America after a visit to Baltimore, becaue you are only comparing it to New York.<BR><BR>You would almost never know it from reading this board, but most of Mexico does not consist of beach resort heavily populated by Americans.

xxx

Come on Monica - I think you are being a little condescending. Maybe this IS the way Marie pictured Mexico and just because she stayed at an AI doesn't mean she didn't experience PDC.

xxx

Sorry Monica - that was meant for HIHO.

Jason

I would have to agree that Riu Palace is a great place. Stayed there and then at Iberostar Tucan/Quetzal. No comparision --- Palace was much more clean, nicer rooms, much better food, and you could also use the other Riu Resorts but not vice versa for those staying at Riu Teq and Riu Yucutan ---- the Palace is a bit quiet, but a great place to relax and you can always go into town --- just a few minutes away.<BR><BR>Playa is a great place, the only problem seems to be that everyone is coming and it may get too crowded....

Hiho

Dear xxx - My point was that PDC is not the real Mexico - it is a resort town. Staying at an AI was just a little icing on the cake.

Erin

Hiho: I agree with you...I noticed those little comments too, especially "it is what you expect to see in Mexico, the Senor Frogs is right on the beach"..lol. I'd never even heard of Senor Frogs until I went to Cancun last year, but then again, I normally don't go to resort towns in Mexico (I'm a Mexico City fan). PDC is defintely better than Cancun, but not by much. Maybe one day I find the "real Mexico".