Riu Latino

$8,000 mistake at RIU Latino Cancun. Completely misrepresented and not even close to what was sold to us. Before booking, I was very clear — I did not want a budget-level, misrepresented resort. I was told this was vetted. It clearly was not. The basics were bad enough: - “King bed” = two twins pushed together - AC unit constantly cycling on/off all night — impossible to stay comfortable or sleep - Indoor areas (including the sports bar) hotter than outside - Drinks served in tiny plastic cups - Food so bad I ate once a day — breakfast Even basic things didn’t work — we ordered simple drinks through room service (Diet Pepsi and club soda from the minibar) and were told it “was not possible.” That tells you everything about how this place is run. When issues were raised with the front desk, the responses were consistently dismissive or outright false: - “All king beds in Mexico are like that” - “It’s hot outside” as the explanation for the room temperature constantly changing - Being told basic requests simply were “not possible” The only bright spot was one buffet server — Brandon. He didn’t just “do his job.” He worked harder than everyone else there and still took the time to connect like a real human being. I make it a point to take care of people like that — not $1 tips after 10 refills because the cups are 4 oz. I tipped him $5 the first day, $10 the second, and $100 on our last day. He was the only part of that entire place that felt genuine. Now here’s what people need to understand: I brought my college-age kids expecting a quality experience. Within a day, they were completely checked out on the resort itself. They still enjoyed the sun, but had zero interest in anything this place offered. The activity calendar was juvenile, poorly scheduled, and not even close to what you’d expect from an adults-only property. The environment felt like an unsupervised spring break for newly-turned-18-year-olds. My wife was frustrated, my kids were done with it, and I spent most of the trip sitting in a room that couldn’t even maintain a consistent temperature. We ended up leaving early and paying out of pocket for new flights home. That’s how bad it was. Then came the part that crossed the line completely. During checkout, while my wife was inside, I was outside with my son and my 19-year-old daughter. Because I didn’t have a checkout slip in my hand, a staff member escalated the situation. In Spanish, he radioed for help saying there was “an American causing problems out front.” I told him directly that I understood what he was saying. Instead of de-escalating, more staff were called. Within minutes, there were roughly 10–12 adult male staff members surrounding us, and we were told we would not be allowed to leave — including statements that implied we would not be allowed to leave the country. The situation only ended once my wife came out with the checkout ticket. Standing there with my kids, surrounded in a foreign country and being told we couldn’t leave — that should never happen to anyone. As an American traveling with my kids, that was beyond unacceptable. This is not just a bad resort — this is a poorly run, poorly managed, and completely misrepresented operation. If you’re over 25 and expecting a legitimate adults-only experience — stay far away. This was an $8,000 mistake, and more importantly, time with my family that I will never get back. If this is how they handle guests trying to leave, that should tell you everything you need to know.

Alexis & Yousef were amazing! I recommend booking the romantic dinner to experience Yousefs guitar solo. His voice is beautiful.

Great place… so clean so safe such wonderful people!! I can’t say enough. This is our 5th time and every time is amazing!! Great thing is you don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn to get chairs!! Definitely recommend Few shout outs to Caesar -best bartender!! Best entertainer- Kevin!! Best servers: Nellie for breakfast and Brandon and alexes !!

We went to the RIU LATINO Feb 28---March 7. First thing, the weather was perfect all 7 days which makes everything better! This was the only Riu resort we had not be to in the Caribbean. We enjoy the Riu chain and feel they are a solid "B". Some have better food depending on the Island location. Some are newer so you find less to criticize about. All and all they are a good resort choice. We had some of the same issues others did about the temp of the food, distance to beach, bathrooms, low quality of liquor brands. We still had a great time. If you are into slides, they were fun! We enjoyed the walks on the beach, the ocean and meeting some really nice people from all over the world . Give this a place a try, they have a lot to offer. We set up @ the pool closest to the slides, but hung around all of the other 3 pools everyday, Some great servers: Wilbert at (our) pool area served us great drinks all day! After the pool time, to the Velvet Bar, Padro, Anayely, Angeles made us some great late afternoon cocktails with some great guests sitting at the bar. Have Fun!!!

Amazing hotel, really good food, the staff is so kind and friendly, the entertainment crew slays, the beach is beautiful, 100% recommend❤️😍❤️