We stayed here for two weeks at the end of January last year on an A/I basis.
There was always a great choice of food on offer from breakfast through to dinner.
In addition to this you could have lunch at the other Rui's in the area apart from the Rui palace.
The hotel was very clean overall, and the rooms although dated were cleaned to a good standard every day.There was a free mini bar in the room stocked with soft drinks and corona which was restocked every two days.
There were 4 bars in total including the swim-up bar.
Most of the staff at the bars were very good and we never had to wait long for a drink and the good thing was they were all premium drinks!
There is a beach club which was excellent for when you were down at the beach you could get lunch-salads,burger,pizza and a few other things and you could pour yourself a beer or soft drinks if you wanted.
The beach was about a leisurely 10 min stroll from the hotel or you could jump on the golf cart.
There were 4 other Rui's in the area including the Palace, although, you were told not to go into the palace, to be honest it was nothing special anyway.
We walked to the Riu Lupita which was the smallest and furthest away but appeared to be quieter so went there and sat by there pool on occasions.
Entertainment was not for us but they tried hard!
Overall we thought it was an excellent A/I resort and would probably return.
Have Fun!

Hi. Just back from a brilliant holiday. The flight went smoothly and didn't drag. Easy cheque in procedure at hotel.We went straight to the bar for a drink whilst a bellboy took our luggage to our room.

The room was spacious and spotlessly clean.Maid was very thorough and left clean towels every day. We saw a variety of animals close to our balcony early in the mornings - it was great.

The whole place was spotless and the staff all worked hard and were always pleasant.

The main restaurant was buffet service and served a wide variety of cuisine. Plenty of choice for everyone. We could use the speciality steakhouse or the Mexican at the Yucatan as many times as we liked as long as we made reservations breakfast time at our main restaurant. Apart from the evening meal which had to be eaten at the Tequila, we were free to dine and use all the facilities of the Playacar and Yucatan.

Yhe location was very good, just a short walk from the other two hotels and beach. We sometimes used the beach cart to transport us. We went into Playa Del Carmen by taxi on a couple of occasions which cost 50 pesos - $5. Cheap.

There was plenty of entertainment day and night. My favourite shows were Grease and Michael Jackson tribute. Fantastic.

The pools were large with a good atmosphere. My one complaint is whilst we were there we noticed our swimwear was turning a shade of green. We eventually went to make reception aware of this (we noticed this with other bathers also) but they tried coming up with various excuses. We were then given an evening's pass to the Riu Palace as a form of compensation. So all in all it turned out well.

THe whole experience at the Tequila was wonderful and I would highly recommend this hotel to anyone.

A second visit to the Tequila, and things have only got better. No fuss on arrival, just a welcoming drink, a safety deposit key, & a welcome back. Registration could be completed at your own convenience. Staff could not do enough for you. Cleanliness was second to none, rooms cleaned & towels changed daily. The bar staff would mix any drink you wanted, and the drinks just kept on coming. You never had to queue, such was the efficiency. As for the food you could have eaten a different meal every night and there would still be things that you hadn't tasted. We visited the steakhouse & the Mexican,as well. There was plenty to keep you occupied during the day, and there was a variety of shows at night. My favourite was Grease & the Michael Jackson show. As we had a small problem at the beginning of the holiday we were offered a night at the Riu Riviera Maya Palace. It was very plush, but we all agreed that the Tequila was much nicer- and that's saying something. Nothing was too much trouble here. The workers were smiling all day and enjoyed a little chat( with our smattering of Spanish. We also spent some happy hours at the Playacar and the Yucatan(please take plenty of repellant for the Yucatan as we were bitten alive there, and judging by the legs of people round the pool - most people were. I'd suggest taking a couple of citronella candles to put on your table. If you go to the Tequila and don't enjoy then its your own fault.

everything that needs to be said has been covered in earlier posts by shirley and helen the friends in our party.
we would like to add that it was a fab location with friendly and attentive staff that work hard to satisfy the guests.
we cant say anything negative about this hotel, and commend the tequila to anyone considering visiting. - dont hesitate.

From the moment we arrived we were made to feel welcome. After a ten hour flight (which is brilliant with the extra legroom and personal in-flight entertainment as standard now with Thomsons) and an hour and half transfer the air conditioned room was a god send!

The staff at this hotel just can't do enough for you, from the reception to the waiters and bar staff to the maids, cleaners and gardeners... all brilliant. The choice of food was amazing and with us travelling as a group of 12 adults (6 couples) we had 2 birthday celebrations and a 30th wedding anniversary to celebrate over the 2 weeks and each time we were serenaded by the waiters and given a cake along with balloons and streamers.

On my wife's birthday we returned to our room to find balloons and streamers again with every different possible animal made from towels spread across the bed (about 12 in all) I put this down to Paul & Hayley (the reps) who were superb too for arranging.

I have never seen such team work amongst the bar staff, always with a smile on their faces and never having to wait and top brands available. There's even a mini-bar in the room which is part of the AI. The cleaners never stop and the place is spotless.

We had a torrential thunder storm one evening but within an hour the place had been squeegeed out and was dry. They even have umbrellas in your room for this eventuality! The animacion team put on some terrific shows and will pose for photos in their fantastic costumes. My favourite shows were a tribute to Michael Jackson & Grease.

Most of our party had visited this hotel before including one couple that have been 3 times! I will certainly be returning to the Riu Tequila and I have never revisited a hotel in all the years I have been going abroad (and I take 4 - 5 holidays a year!)

Recommended trips include the Formula 1 Speed Boats with scuba diving looking for turtles which you are more or less guaranteed to see. A trip on a catamaran is well worth it for topping the tan up and Captain Hooks pirate ships are a fantastic night out!

The Tequila is a wonderful hotel, vast gardens and guests are housed in two storey blocks. The hotel reception is very efficient with all staff on the desk able to speak English.

Our room had two queen sized beds plus a single in which was ok for the three of us, the beds were slightly hard but I had no problem sleeping. The cleaning staff kept the room spotless for the 14 nights we were there. The room had a very powerful shower in and hot water was on tap always. There is also a fridge in the room which was filled every other day with corona, soft drinks, mixers and water along with the 4 optics (tequila, bacardi, vodka and gin)

The all inclusive meals were 10/10, plenty of choice for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

There are two swimming pools on site, one had a pool bar and the other was used for daytime entertainment.

The hotel is situated 800 metres from the beach and can be accssessed by a leafy walkway or you can take the hotels courtesy cart there, it runs 8-2 and 3-6pm. The beach is quite busy because of the sand erosion due to Hurricane Wilma, but if you walk 400mteres past the Riu Yucatan you will find the beach deserted.

All in all it was a great holiday.

We Arrived on 7/10/06 and was impressed straight away by the large reception area. The hotel was spotlessly clean and our room was just like the picture in the brochure, and thanks to the air conditioning (which was a must)nice and cool.

The food was unbelievable with so much choice and hot cooked food was hot. On the spot cooking stations were fantastic as food was cooked fresh, and not brought cooked from main kitchens.

While not on the beach the hotel was still in a good location, with access to the beach less than five minutes away down its own private walkway or you could jump on the 7 seater golf buggie, which runs 7-1 and 3 -7, when you get to the beach their are ample sunbeds, along with beach bar and on the spot cooking stations.

The hotel staff were first class and nothing was to much trouble. We had a leak in our room and it was repaired within 20 minutes but, no matter where you were in the hotel they were always smiling and helpfull.

The entertainment was mostly shows with some interaction with the audience but, was of a good standard.

All in all this hotel lived up to our expectations and deserves a 5 star rating. We were so impressed we are returning in June, too the riu tequila with more of our family members to show them how wonderful the whole experiance was.

What a holiday! The Riu Tequila is in a superb location just South of the main town of Playa del Carmen (which is a 15 minute walk away or a 5 dollar taxi ride). The hotel entrance is very impressive and large, checking in was too easy and although 2 coaches arrived at the same time, the last person was checked in within about 10 minutes. The luggage is labelled and taken to your room for you and arrived within 30 minutes (but we were in the bar anyway).

ROOMS
The rooms are very clean and are all in 2 storey buildings. The air con was great and the room service was very good.

POOL & GARDENS
One of the main pools was being refurbished but this did not cause any problems as we just used the other one. Sunbeds are plentiful and we never had a problem finding some. Pool area is very clean and there is a kids pool with a playground next to it. Pool bar is excellent. The gardens are beautiful and well maintained

FOOD & DRINK
If I had stayed for a month I would not have been able to try every dish on the menu. There was a massive choice and all of it was excellent quality. The main restaurant is self service and queues were virtually non existent. The A-La Carte restaurant is highly recommended but you can only go there once per week (I suppose that is to give everyone a chance)and you need to get there fairly early to book it.
There are 5 bars there in total, but the main entertainment area and nightclub were only open during the evening and night. My favourite bar was the Sports bar which showed (obviously) all different types of sport and was open 24 hours per day. This is also the snack bar

STAFF
Fantastic! That's all I need to say

ENTERTAINMENT
Very good, but there are a lot of 'dance' based nights. The daytime activities were well supported and everone enjoyed them. The staff really put their heart and soul into them. The nightclub gets quite busy but has a good atmosphere

BEACH. The beach is about a 5 minute walk from the hotel down a private path, but there is a golf buggy which runs continuously during the morning and afternoon ferrying people down there. It is spotless and is cleaned every night. You can use the beach bars of the Riu Yucatan and Riu Playacar whilst you are down there

SURROUNDING AREA
Playa del Carmen is a 15 minute walk straight into the town centre. About 100 metres out of the hotel is a smallish shopping centre (about 25 shops). Playacar is built around an 18 hole golf course. You can use the facilities of the Riu Playacar and Riu Yucatan hotels as well

We ARE going back again and looking forward to it

We travelled with Thomsons to the amazing Riu Tequilla.
We were 2 married couples and we had one the best holidays ever.
The room was big and despite all the rumours I'd heard about them being musty they weren't. The air conditioning was essential and very welcome as it was very hot and humid. (Don't forget your sunscreen 30+)

The staff were all excellent. The waiting time for drinks was less than 60 seconds. The waiters were busy but attentive to their tables. My only regret is not having the same waiters all the fortnight. I felt guilty about only tipping a few instead of the 100+ staff that we had some kind of interaction with.

The pools were big and reasonably clean and the pool bar was shaded....excellent

The hotel was not on the beach but you could access it via the RIU Yucatan, you were also allowed to use their bar and pool during the day. There was also a 7 seater golf buggy that would run you up and down from the beach should you not enjoy the shaded walk.

Loads of wildlife in the grounds. All very timid so they won't bother you.. Mexican raccoons. Serruka's and big Iguana's . plus lots of dragon flies and tiny lizards. All added to the enjoyment.

The entertainment was good some days but repetetive other days as much as the animacion team tried to make it different. Although the BINGO was really rubbish. They should think about cancelling it. each number was repeated twice in 4 different languages....(YAWN)

Overall I would go back tomorrow as it was the best holiday of my life.

Hi

We have just returned from the Riu Tequila........I can't praise it enough......we went with Thomson holidays, the reps were great, the trips were great, the hotel staff are the friendliest I have come accross.

The all inclusive was excellent a good selection of food - buffets, 2 restaurant for more A la Carte meals the bars were great ....I think the longest I had to wait for a drink was 60 seconds. The hotel is large - clean - close to the idillic carribean beach (if a bit busy). The free Kyaks, pedalos and sunbeds were a boon for the Kids and my wife.
Do not miss the Dolfin experience.....fantastic
Do not forget the insect repellant especially if going on the jungle crossing which we did.....I got about 5 bites that afternoon
Do not forget the sun cream....v hot and humid at night......but the aircon in the rooms works great.

Watch fot the Racoon type animals and the iguana's and the spider monkeys all of which frequented the hotel grounds and entertained us.

Hope this gives an insight to this great hotel complex....dont forget you can also use the Riu Yucatan's facilities also ....this hotel is accross the road from the Tequila and has a beach front Bar/restaurant.

Cheers

Jeff