Riu Caribe

Ah, Riu Caribe, the resort where sun, sand, and sweaty handshakes with strangers from five different time zones come together in glorious harmony. Located just a breezy 25-minute drive from Cancun Airport, this hotel gave us everything we needed: comfort, cocktails, and a beach so beautiful it makes your wallpaper jealous.

The Vibe

If Riu Cancun is the wild child who’s definitely on a government watchlist, Riu Caribe (at the time we stayed) was its chiller, more responsible sibling, still down for a good time, but probably has a reusable water bottle and calls their mum.

It's got more of a family feel with less bare-knuckle brawling in the pool, more bonding over margaritas and water volleyball. We’ve heard that since its recent renovation, it's now gone full feral and may have joined Riu Cancun in the "Hold my beer while I backflip into the pool" club. But when we stayed, it was the perfect blend of party and peace.

The Room

Let’s keep it real though, the rooms were a bit stuck in time, like they were designed during the golden age of flip phones. But wow, were they comfortable. And the air con? Glorious. It hit like a spiritual awakening every time we walked in from the Caribbean inferno.

The Food

Buffet game: strong. Loads of options, properly cooked, and most importantly, hot food served hot (we salute you, brave buffet warriors). No food poisoning, no mystery meats, and plenty of chances to pile your plate higher than your hopes.

The Pool & Swim-Up Bar

Let me tell you, the swim-up bar is where international diplomacy happens.
We met Canadians, Swedes, Texans, and one guy from Liverpool who claimed he invented tequila.
Worlds collided, friendships were forged, and by the third mojito, we were all planning a group reunion that definitely never happened.
This is the kind of place where strangers become pool float buddies, and your new best mate is a guy called Tanner who sells air fryers in Houston and speaks fluent Spanish despite being as “All-American” as Starlight from “The Boys”

The Beach Party

The beach party deserves its own paragraph. Absolute scenes.
Music pumping, staff dancing like it’s their last shift before retirement, and tourists two-stepping in the sand like they’ve never known shame. It was amazing fun, like something out of a holiday commercial but with more sunburn and slightly worse rhythm.

The Staff

As with all Riu properties, the staff were top class, helpful, hard-working, and somehow managing to stay polite even while you’re asking for your 7th piña colada before lunch. Heroes, every one of them.

Final Thoughts

Riu Caribe, in its pre-renovation form, was a little slice of laid-back paradise. The beach is postcard perfection, the atmosphere was fun but manageable, and the air con could resurrect the dead.

Yes, it may now be wilder post-reno, but when we went, it was the Goldilocks zone of all-inclusives, not too crazy, not too quiet, just right.

Rating: 4.5 swim-up strangers out of 5. Would return… with a fan and a liver detox plan.