We stayed at the Riu Palace Riviera Maya on 6 Jan 2014 for 2 weeks. booked through Thomson and everything was perfect from day 1. the reception staff were so helpful (Hugo) and gave us all the information we needed straight away. the concierge took our bags to room too - bonus! The hotel is unbelievable, they don't call it a palace for nothing, trust me!! the room was fantastic, huge bed, his and hers sinks! the maids were brilliant, came round everyday and provided fresh towels even when we hadn't asked for the room to be cleaned. mini bar refilled daily and we had 4 optics in the room, all premium brands!! amaze. cannot praise the staff enough - from the chefs who cooked up a treat every night to the entertainment staff who made our holiday so fun and enjoyable! the shows were great each night and never failed to make us all laugh, so friendly and welcoming, always had time to speak to you and have a drink with you after the show. they work so hard to make your stay the best and they really didn't disappoint! the bar staff and waiters were second to none, knew our names and what we wanted to drink. very quick service and so friendly, had such a laugh with them.
pool and pool bar was amazing, right on the beach too. every day there was a beach BBQ which was good. gym and spa was great too, we had a few rainy/cloudy days so it was useful to be able to do something other than drink! had a lovely facial which was about $70 so a bit pricey but you're on holiday so it doesn't matter!! 2 Jacuzzi's behind the spa too and saunas :)
volleyball and football on the beach everyday so always something to do, loads of water sports to do as well.
we did a couple of excursions, booked through our Thomson rep when we were there, well worth every penny - swam with dolphins and went zip-lining and snorkelling through the jungle and visited the mayan ruins at Tulum(our guide Markus was fantastic). all these excursions were about 45mins away so right in the centre of everything. our rep, Emma, was brilliant, so knowledgeable about the area and what is best to do and where to go if you do venture out of the hotel.
downtown was good fun, loads to do - shops, bars, clubs etc - very lively at night and went there a few times, plus coco bongo is there which is well worth a look. Palatzo nightclub is next door which is awesome and Mandala is another club down the road which is good also. open bar when you pay about $50 to get in.
in the hotel we had 5 a la carte restaurants which we could use as much as we wanted, favourites were Chillis and Krystal. a must try for anyone!!!
they had a special drink on each night as you come down for dinner and always had live music/band playing for a few hours before the show outside in the courtyard area. so amazing.
at the palace's you can use any other hotel and the Riu Tequila has a little nightclub called La Pinata - small but good fun, and of course as you're all inclusive, its all free. only about 15 min walk from Palace. the other Palace Mexico has recently had a refurb - not as nice as the Riviera Maya tbh - too modern and stark looking, plus they've decorated with purple and pink!!! apparently the Riviera Maya is getting a refurb soon too (sept 2015 I heard) so be interesting to see how it looks after.
only thing that let it down a little bit was the weather as it rained a lot and was quite overcast so haven't got the tan I wanted!!!!
we met some amazing people out there and are already looking to book again - I miss it already!!
if you go to Mexico, go here!!! you will NOT be disappointed.

My family and I may be a little choosy, considering that we already own timeshares in Mexico, but this place was just trash.
Their wifi is spotty at best even if you're sitting IN the lobby. If you expected wifi, leave all illusions at home.
The rooms are small, with absolutely no ocean view.
Stuff is constantly broken, and there's always an excuse (ie no hot water, wifi is down, refrigerator broken)
The door handle/lock combo actually FELL OUT OF THE DOOR when we tried to get into our room for the first time.
The worst part was the food. The buffets were the same thing every single day, and the restaurants were actually worse than the buffets.

Overall, this place is only worth it if you want free booze, and you can get that at a better, less crowded, less disgusting hotel.

I have just returned having spent two weeks in this Hotel and during our first week we had no hot water for three days and from the hot tap we got black grunge similar to that when you bleed a radiator. We received no information whatsoever from the Senior Hotel Management. I complained twice to our Thomsons rep who spoke to the Senior Management. It was not until I suggested that an apology would not go amiss that I received an unsigned typed letter from the'Reception Staff' and they sent me a bottle of Champagne (in an all inclusive hotel and I could order the same 24/7!!!). The catering and the hotel is first class, as too are the Staff, but what really lets this hotel down is that of no interaction with the Senior Management who although visible made no attempt to greet or speak to the customers.