The Riviera Caribe Maya is a very clean hotel with excellent working air conditioning... but the reason we gave the hotel an okay rating is because the beds are VERY uncomfortable. I am the type of person who can sleep anywhere, but these beds were out of control hard. My husband unfortunately has a bad back, and the bed made the few days here a little agonizing for him. He got the deck cushions off the deck to make softer beds, which seemed to help (and he likes his beds hard too). The bed was also called a king, but it was really two twin beds pushed together, which made sleeping together uncomfortable (you would start to fall into the middle of the bed, and we were on our honeymoon). As I said, the AC is great, almost a little too good, we would go to bed hot and wake up cold, but we had sleeping bags with us to warm back up (you have to ask for comforters, but the hotel is happy to provide you with them), I would rather have an over ambitious Ac than one that doesn't work, so no complaints with that.

The beds are really the only disappointment we had with the hotel, everything else is really nice! They even have free internet in the lobby. The staff was very helpful with directing us to the bank and pointing us toward local eateries. The location of the hotel is pretty good, being one block off 5th Ave. it was nice to walk home easily at night (although the hotel is at the end of 5th Ave, but the walk to where most of the restaurants and stores are is not far at all). I think it may be kind of nice to be on the end of 5th Ave as there are many clubs that can be noisy at night, well they were noisy right around the club, but I never heard a sound while sleeping at the hotel.

We ate at Aca Los Tacos a bunch of times, if you get onto 5th ave and start to walk south it is on the right hand side. They have really good tacos and they are open late, so we would get tacos on our way home at 11p or 12a. It is a little pricer than in town, but you are on 5th Ave, and only a couple blocks from the hotel. They give you a bunch of salsas with chips before your meal, great if you like the spicy stuff... be careful if you don't, they only have one mild salsa and it looks very much like their hot! Very good though, highly recommended! (meal for 2; 6 tacos, 2 sodas, 2 beers; $15USD)

We also went diving with Pluto Dives, they are only two blocks from the hotel, and the couple who runs it are very nice. (It was my first time, and I had a little problem breathing with the regulator, your not supposed to swallow the air, but our instructor kept me close and made me feel really comfortable. The next day I was a pro!) I think you can get packages with the hotel and the dive shop. We went on 2 dives (2 ppl) for about $300 (with tip).

Coming from the UK and having know about and researched Playa and the Yucatan, myself and my girlfriend (my 30th during the trip, her being 28), wanted a decent mexican run quaint hotel, away from all the american crap but still close to the beach etc. The hotel was to be a base so we could explore playa and visit the various Mayan sites, centotes and hit the beaches.

This was perfect.

- 2 mins walk from beach.
- At the North (cool) end of town, as far away from the huge hotels as possible. 10th avenue is where all the shops and restaraunts are, this hotel is one road away from it.
- Nice and quiet.
- Awesome staff who bent over backwards when we extended our stay at short notice (thanks Alexandro! :)
- Great remote control air con and ceiling fan
- Hot water 24/7 and great pressue (we stayed in 2 rooms, one had slightly better water pressure than the other)
- Small fridge with soft drinks & water (Coke around 60-70p a can)
- Sturdy safe deposit boxes in wardrobes
- Nice pool and deck chairs in small ish courtyard for when you need time out from the beach
- free internet courtesy of a pc in the lobby (no USB acces tho)
- onsite pooch (aptly names 'yoga dog' by a previous poster. Dog's so friendly. Came into our ground floor room and got fed cookies :)
- nice hard beds (mexicans dont have sprung mattresses)

Tips

When you arrive at Playa bus station (get ADO bus from Cancun airport, not taxi, it's £4 and it's better than UK busses). The hotel is about 10 mins walk down 10th avenue. We got a cab for about £2.

When you check in, ask for a safe key while your there (saves going back after). It's 50p a day.

They give half price discount to 'Mamitas' beach club. Beach clubs are just guys on the beach that let you rent lounge chairs, beds (yip, they have beds on the beach) etc.

Breakfast is also included on some rooms

Places to Eat -

The more you venture up 10th, the more expensive the restaraunts and shops get, since your going towards the americanized part of town. Nothing against it, if that's what you like, fair enough. Personally I went to mexico for the ppl, the food and the culture.

'Quinta pasion' is a small Mexicoa run restraunt between 10th and 5th avenue, just next to the hotel. It's on c28 i think. 2 can eat with drinks for £15 and the foods amazing. all of it.

'Babes' is in 2 locations and sells amazing food to the locals. It's a noodle bar, but it's cheap and very popular. Try the swedish meetballs, one of their specialities. Was gorgeous...

'Blue lobster' about half way down 10th if you want Mexican sea food. Ate there twice and it was lovely. Also tried the local lobster which is huge. 2 could dine on one.

Remember

- Mosquito repellent. Apply when you go out after dusk. Mainly on feet and ankles.
- Toilets are pretty rustic like in some places in Europe. Paper goes in separate bin.
- Don't leave your room open after dusk or you'll get mosquitoes in there.

Hope this helps someone, as this site did me. Many thanks for a lovely holiday. Will definately come back if I'm ever in Playa once more.

All the best.

The Hotel Riviera Caribe Maya is a nice little hotel in a great location. One block off 5th street, the pedestrian avenue with restaurants, bars, shops, etc, this hotel was convenient to everything. The room was very comfortable, plenty of space, AC, hot water. The staff was very friendly and spoke English very well. If you are looking for a comfortable, affordable, place that is not all-inclusive, I recommend this hotel.

This was a great little hotel. It is excellent if you are trying to escape the all inclusive giants. It was always clean, quiet, and relaxing. The rooms are modest, but had all the amenities we needed: balcony, AC, small TV, comfortable bed, small fridge, spacious bathroom area, and pool. It even had a computer in the lobby with internet......we never had to wait to use it!

The location is perfect. It is right off of the pedestrian walkway through Playa...very close to restaurants, shopping, bars, and the beach.

The staff was very helpful as well. They helped us plan a trip out to Xcaret, and had many other tours available.

I would recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a great, relaxing time in Playa del Carmen!