Hotel Riu Yucatan 5*

Having travelled to many Caribbean islands and hotels this hotel for the reasons I will detail did not meet the general standard. The hotel has many positives. The staff were friendly, hardworking and welcoming throughout our stay. Our room was always clean, and the bed was very comfortable. Diana in breakfast was especially sweet. Unfortunately, our holiday was overshadowed by serious concerns about the swimming pools. There were visible green deposits on the pool tiles, some tiles were missing, and green deposits could also be seen on surrounding fixtures and furniture around the pool area. These deposits did not appear to be the result of a single day's build-up but suggested an ongoing maintenance issue. Whilst we were there, we did not personally witness the pool tiles being scrubbed or deep cleaned, despite being up early most mornings and regularly walking around the pool area. We did, however, observe chemicals being added to the pool. After using the pool, our swimwear and skin became stained green, and I also developed a rash, which heightened my concerns. We reported the issue immediately because we believed it raised genuine health and safety concerns. This has never happened to me in the many years I've travelled. Visible algae in a swimming pool is not simply an aesthetic issue. It can indicate that sanitation or maintenance requires attention, can make surfaces slippery, and may reduce the effectiveness of disinfectants if not properly managed. This is why I took the condition of the pool seriously and reported it immediately. We asked to see the pool water test results but were not shown them during our stay, despite repeatedly raising our concerns. We were repeatedly told the green staining was caused by sunscreen. In our view, this did not adequately explain the visible green deposits around the pool or the extensive green staining . Luckily it was the hotels towels stained but we did have to bin our swimsuits. I also understand that green staining can have several potential causes, including elevated levels of dissolved metals such as copper. When I raised this possibility, I was informed that the hotel did not test for dissolved metals or mineral levels. Without those tests, I do not believe it was possible to rule out all potential causes before attributing the staining solely to sunscreen. On more than one occasion, two of the pools were closed due to guests vomiting. Whilst I appreciate this can happen at any hotel and that pools must be temporarily closed for treatment, it added to our concerns about the overall management of the pool facilities. I would be interested to know if the pool was drained to sort this as I personally didn't see. During our stay and afterwards, Riu advised us that TUI was responsible for dealing with our complaint. However, when we contacted TUI, they advised they had accepted the hotel's assurance that the pool water met the required standards and closed the complaint. As a guest, it was frustrating to feel caught between the hotel and the tour operator, with each referring us back to the other rather than taking ownership of our concerns. It is disappointing because the hotel has many strengths, but guests are entitled to expect facilities to be maintained to a reasonable standard and for health and safety concerns to be taken seriously. I hope the condition of the pool is fully investigated so that future guests can enjoy the facilities with confidence. With seaweed season you need a pool you can swim in. We ended up purchasing more excursions to enable us to get a nice clean swim in.

Just spent out first time in Mexico and stayed at Riu Yucatan, WHAT an awesome hotel, the staff were all amazing and friendly super helpful. The food and variety of it was off the charts it was amazing, the room was super clean every day! the facilities at the hotel, the pools the beach were brilliant. could not recommend highly enough we had the best holiday ever and that wqs thanks to every member of staff at the hotel we will definitely be going back