My wife and I just return from Cancun. I had never been there and neither had she. We booked at the Riu based on the in-laws', who are well traveled,review over the winter. The wife has been on several cruises and stated that she liked this so much better. Being a bit of a hick, I was in hog heaven. The entire experience at the hotel was just first rate. There was never a question about getting service with a smile from check in to check out. While Cancun as a lot to offer, and in a variety of ways depending on what you're looking for, we never got too far from the hotel. We ate at the Brazilian, steakhouse, and Japanese restaurants and all were very good. I'll try to break it up a little and try to give a review and other thoughts specifically.
We flew into the airport. My recommendation is to get outside in a hurry. Stick your head down and go. Don't stop and talk to anyone in a tie. If you're with a vacation company they'll have vans or buses waiting.
The ride to the hotel zone is crazy! They drive like maniacs...all of them. They all honk the same too. It's funny actually but a bit unnerving. One note on the road (see bus travel later) is that it splits at some point. You need a good map with hotels and restaurants/ shopping in order to get your bearings. We tipped the van driver $2 US and everything got inside. We arrived at 12:30 and rooms are not ready until around 3:00 so we did a bit of waiting. There are bathrooms in the lobby and you can dig out a suit if you're anxious to get in the water. Instead, we got into the line (outside between the main pool and nightclub) for restaurant reservations. I would highly recommend doing that. We just about were unable to get into the Japanese, which was the in-law's favorite. We stayed four nights and were able to get reservations each night. We went to Carlos and Charlie's one night simply because we wanted to do so. We got checked into the room about 2:30.
The room was great. The AC was on ice cold (temps are in Celcius). The fridge is loaded with beer and pop. There are dispensers of vodka, taquilla, brandy, and something else. The bed was great and we found no need for a pillowtop as others have stated on here. The service was great for our stay. We went to the pool right after the room and when we got back it had been picked up again. Put the green tab on the door when you leave in the mornings. There has also been a lot mentioned about noise on here. We didn't have any problems with this. Our room was on the third floor overlooking the pool with the water bar. I think room 311.
The elevators have been another issue on here that we had no problemo with. They are small but we never had to wait and rarely had company.
We went down on the beach one day but pretty much stuck to the pools. Word of warning if you have kids...some folks like to sun bathe without tops. I'm generally in favor of it but there was a rather "big boned" lady who was topless and is nothing kids should see or that I needed to look at for hours. The beach was nice. It was little rocky but very clean water that cools you off. If you want an umbrella you should get down to the pools by 9 or 10AM. We never had any problem getting lounge chairs though. The one issue with the beach is that they are public, meaning that there will be a steady stream of vendors sellings rafts, shells, necklaces, hair braids, etc. that have no problem approaching you. Sometimes the same person three or four times. My recommendation is keep your head down (like in the airport) and try to ignore them..unless you want to buy something.
We never took a cab. We rode the bus. Make sure you know where you want to go. The ride is 65 pesos (65 cents) one way. If you want to go south you have to cross the road, go through the mall, and get on the bus on the other side. Be prepared for a crazy ride. We were told to use the R-2 which worked out. Just stand up in the rear and they'll stop and let you off. The drivers aren't very friendly and won;t give you change if you give them US $. We changed $20 for pesos at the hotel but there is a bank across the street. I don't think we lost anything using the hotel (front desk).
There is a very nice mall across the street and to your left as you walk out of the hotel. Not the grungy one directly across the road (they don't stop for pedestrains!!!) The mall is Cancun Center and is pretty big. The other big one is the Flamingo I think and is south a few KM. Day travel is pretty good if you wnat to walk. It's gets a little more exciting at night. I was asked if I wanted a tattoo in front of Carlos and Charlie's. When I said no the guy offered cocaine, ecstasy, or whatever I needed. I sat there and watched him do it for an hour while we ate. Things you don't see in rural Missouri. I didn't get into haggling at the malls. It's pretty much like home. The wife did score two purses for about the price of one at the mall though, so give a go. They don't like to see you leave the store.
I thought the food was great, even at the buffet. They had a lot of things I had never eaten before and it was all good. They had a big variety at each meal. You can go from the beach/ pool right into the buffet. The service was always with a smile. We ate breakfast every morning outside and had the same waiter. We tipped him $5 on the last morning. I came to find out that the entertainment crew makes $20 USD a week so we felt like the service we got definitley deserved at least that much. The Brailian restuarant starts off with a buffet then proceeds into everything on the menu. They bring vegies out first then it's all meat after that. I think we had pork loin, ribeye, etc. It was good. The staekhouse gives you a choice. I had the beef tenderloin and lobster tail. The wife had a ribeye. Mine was good. The Japanese was excellent. You eat with chopsticks but can have a fork if you ask. Do not eat the little green ball with the apetizer as it is HOT! I'd recommend any of those restaurants.
In summary...this will be hard to beat. I had no issues with the natives or Europeans that some people have according to this site. All inclusive is the way to go. By the time you figure out drinks and meals out (Carlos and Charlie's was about $50) it's easily worth it. I recommend the hotel and amenities without reservation.