Riu Emerald Bay

We had a great vacation here. The resort is clean, the staff friendly and helpful. We enjoyed the food especially the Asian restaurant. The beach is easy to walk. The biggest draw back are the bands that play everyday in the afternoon. There are 5-6 mariachi bands that play on the beach. Not employed by the RIU and once across the rope on the beach it's public so it's a free for all. In my opinion the RIU should pay the bands not to play to keep their customers happy! [Details]

This was our 30th trip to Mexico, 2nd to Mazatlan and first to any RIU.Travelling as 4 adults in 2 ocean view rooms in the tower section. The resort was very nice. The grounds were tidy and the furnishings were in good repair. The food was nothing fancy but we enjoyed it and found something we liked at every meal. We preferred the Malecon Buffet over the other two as the food area was easier to navigate and the dining room had a classier feel to it. We did find it cumbersome to book the a la cartes through the app and only managed to get into Tabasco once and not the Bamboo. Lining up at 7am to make a reservation was not for me. The food at the Tabasco was nice enough, with the appetizer and desert being self serve and the entry served at the table.The rooms have great views and the cleaning staff is prompt and thorough. Pools are clean and this resort has the most lounge chairs I've ever seen. And they are all in great shape and comfortable. No need to reserve but still many do so if you have a preferred location it would be necessary to get up pretty early to reserve it. Bars are efficient and there were no lines to get anything anywhere. Drinks were made differently at each bar but were OK. The beach is clean and picturesque and although a little cool the ocean is clean and swimmable. The elevators are slow and skip your floor quite regularly. Everyone commented on the unpredictability of the elevators. A lower floor would be a good idea. We walked 9 floors regularly to get around. Overall the resort suited our needs. The WIFi was strong pretty much everywhere. Although on arrival guests are told where they have to go to smoke, the park at the entrance, people smoke everywhere. On the balconies, in the pools, at the bars, on the beach, while standing under the no smoking signs.
The big negative, surprise!, is the battle of the bands on the beach from about 2 pm to well after dark. I understand that some people enjoy this but based on the reception of guests this week most do not. It is the one thing that made our trip less enjoyable and yes I realize this is happening outside hotel property. The hotel has posted signs asking guests to not “contract” these Bands as they disrupt everyone's enjoyment of the property but that seems to be the only effort being made to address this. Surely working with local authorities and community partners would help arrive at a reasonable solution. One band playing for an hour to add something to the guests experience is understandable but 4 or 5 bands playing different amplified music, 50 feet apart is just noise. Some bands seem to have talent. Others clearly did not. You cannot get away from the noise and it goes on into the evening. For this reason alone we will not be returning to this Tie and probably Mazatlan itself. [Details]

Very Pretty, Clean resort. The food and booze was on lower scale. Everyday the food was the same. [Details]

Salmonella poisoning during our stay made it the worst vacation imaginable. Having to get IV fluids and IV medication upon returning home, not to mention being holed up in the room for multiple days, has turned our vacation into a nightmare. [Details]

I have visited this hotel multiple times and have found the hotel staff, rooms, and guests to be exceptional. However, the entertainment provided could use some improvement, and the food served is nothing out of the ordinary. I did enjoy the music played by the bands on the beach, but when four or five of them played simultaneously, it became a bit overwhelming. This mainly occurred in the later afternoon, but you can avoid this by sitting farther away from the center of the beach. The gym was the most disappointing aspect of my stay. While I am not a gym enthusiast, I do like to lift weights and stay in shape, especially when indulging in all the delicious goodies offered. Unfortunately, the gym needs significant improvement, as many guests struggle to use the machines and free weights. It wouldn't cost much for a big hotel like REB to make improvements to their gym. Despite this, I still enjoyed my trip to this hotel, and overall, it is a great place to visit. [Details]

Overall great resort. We stayed in the new section and it was beautiful. It's a little bit of a walk depending where your room is but it wasn't too bad. The food was just OK depending on your tastebuds. Almost impossible to get a reservation for the a la cartes. We were able to do the Mexican but not the Asian. Mexican was really good. The snack bar is decent, cause who doesn't love munching on French fries all day! The kids waterslides are awesome, my 3 year old loved them. The bigger waterslides are great too but you cannot have any bracelets you can't remove and no piercings, so some of us were not able to utilize those which kinda sucked. The sand and beach are beautiful, sand is buttery soft. The mini fridge in the room does not seem to get restocked so you just have to phone front desk if you need more water. Internet access is great pretty much throughout the whole resort. The pools are nice and clean. Overall cleanliness is good. Great family friendly resort, lots to do. [Details]

Enjoyable. Everything was. Good [Details]

We'd visited this place fourth time and we loved to go there but this time it was a disappointment. There used to be organized outside events with barbeques every day and this time we didn't have a single one. To book a restaurant was impossible task this time even though we knew what they are but wanted to try something different. Buffets had become quite boring with repetitive and poor variety of food and often too overcrowded.
We gave 2 stars this time only. In comparison RIU Palace Pacifico in Puerto Vallarta we had visited earlier this year we gave 4.5 stars it was way better there.
Mazatlan is a capital of shrimps in Mexico, is it? We haven't seen any but variety of them every single day in Puerto Vallarta. We're not picky I'd say but it got worse unfortunately.
Will be looking for a different location. [Details]

Overall we had a great experience at the RIU. The food was absolutely awesome and the beach is really nice and large. The grounds are spacious and have a lot of palm trees. The rooms in the main building were dated and could use updating. The “two bed” rooms are actually two double beds pushed together to look like one big bed and are very tight for 4 people. The elevators are terrible and we usually lost patience and took the stairs as we were on the second level. Unfortunately our view was not good as our balcony was on the same level as a adjacent roof, and there was constantly cigarette butts and garbage falling down from the higher balconies. The staff was great and the place is clean. The water slides are fun for smaller and larger “kids”(must be 4' tall for the big slides and yes they check) The ocean is rough in this area and not good for swimming. There is however life guards on duty during the day that were very vigilant. [Details]

Riu Emerald Bay in Mazatlan is a beautiful, well-maintained resort on a gorgeous beach. But it has two critical downsides: 1. the crowds, especially on the weekend, make the vibe more like Grand Central Station in New York at rush hour; 2. the food is like in a dingy, low-end cafeteria - poor quality, minimal selection, and repetitive (not just day to day, but also breakfast to lunch to dinner, and from the buffet to the la carte restaurant).

Those two downsides will make us never come back to this resort (or maybe even to any RIU). [Details]

While not my favorite style of resort (high-rise hotel vs villa-style), there are many pros to this particular location.

PROS
• Close to Mazatlan airport (was about a 45-minute drive door to door).
• Everything on the resort was close together – no need to go very far (good if you have little kids or need to go back to your room often)
• Many pools to chose from (both kid friendly and adult only)
• Pools were very warm, accessible and spacious
• 2 water parks (adult and kids) for something different to do
• Small park with swings and slides for kids
• Kids Club looked to be very well organized and kids were having fun (we didn't actually use the service, but observed a few times)
• Friendly service in the main buffet (got us milk for the baby, fresh fruit for our travels back, etc.)
• Good food selection, including an entire section of authentic Mexican options every meal
• High chairs at buffets
• Nice beach
• Could always find seats on the beach (but not always in the shade

CONS
• Everything on the resort was close together – can't really “get away” and meander/wander/explore (not a lot of variety in vibe)
• Main pool was very busy and challenging to find a seat, unless you reserved early in the morning
• Water park water was freezing
• Only 2 a-la-carte options (therefore difficult to get a reservation)
• Night entertainment started quite late, so young families couldn't enjoy anything
• Not nearly enough latin music playing (other than Mariachi buskers on the beach)
• Public beach with lots of vendors selling their products/services (but they weren't THAT pushy in my opinion)
• Could not swim in the ocean. It was way too cold and wavy. They never took the red flag down to say it was safe.
• No ‘do not disturb' signs for your room to not have it cleaned
• Maids were SO LOUD – screaming down the hall at each other, dragging heavy furniture across the tiled floors (this was a concern at nap time)
• (because of the hotel style building) it was quite loud in general with people coming ad going late (again, a concern because we had a baby)

OTHER/Cannot Report On
• Indoor kid play-place closed (due to Covid)
• Didn't eat at any a-la-carte restaurants
• Didn't see any night entertainment
• Upon arrival we did try to upgrade to a room with a separate bedroom from living space. No luck. We ended up putting our daughter to sleep in the provided crib in the large washroom. It worked ok. [Details]

The hotel is clean, the staff are very nice. Food was good however we are gluten free and nothing was labelled and dining staff had no education or knowledge about gluten free. (Id point to a quesadilla and ask if it was wheat or corn and they would answer that it was beef.)
The elevators are incredibly annoying and slow and we had to plan our days around the busy times which seemed silly on a vacation. The beach was lovely and there were tons of pools. We were always able to find seats. The beach view was spectacular but the bands approaching us to entertain for money for HOURS became unbearable and we'd leave to escape the loud noise.
Staff led Entertainment was awesome; the darts, ping ping, volleyball, bocce ball exercise classes…etc were great. The staff knew our names from day 1.
The slides were the reason we decided to go however after one slide, the kids described them as sketchy and terrifying. They were all dark or very steep and no gradual into the water. [Details]

Super clean and fun place to be. Lots for everyone to do. Adult only pools were so much fun! [Details]

Overall a good place, just one negative that would stop us from going back. [Details]

Hotel itself is fine but there are few activities available, no watersports or tennis. Location is distant from city. Food mediocre. [Details]

Great stay overall I would go back again. Staff and facility were great, lots to do and everything I needed. I went into the golden zone most days to explore and try different food. Location - it's a bit out of the core area but took the bus often or a short cab ride. [Details]

The hotel was very nice. The bands that played on the beach were very annoying we couldn't even sit on our balcony and watch the sun set. Even with the door closed the we could still hear them. It was very disappointing we were told there was nothing they could do about it. Unfortunately because of this I will no recommend this resort. [Details]

Location is great, beaches are amazing, the service was good and the food was decent [Details]

Great experience! Food was very good and a big variety. Drinks were strong and tasty. Rooms were very clean. Although we did have to ask several times for them to restock the fridge.
We would totally go back or stay at another Riu in a different location. [Details]

Our overall experience at RIU was exceptional. From our ocean view room to the restaurants with a great variety of buffets. We enjoyed a lot of activities including the table tennis tournament's. [Details]

28 days at the RIU was perfect. The personal working there are fabulous. They make one feel very welcomed and special. From the food to the services, all is excellent. Tours, sun, sand, a perfect break from the winter.
Definitely would go back again [Details]

I'm wondering if the pandemic has had an effect on this resort. It's definitely not a 5 star - maybe a strong 3.5 star (right now anyway). Lots of loungers always available (beach and pools). Entertainment was okay and nightly. There is fencing blocking the vendors on the beach from the guests on loungers which is great. Walkable to local coffee shops and other restaurants. Beach is great! [Details]

I was impressed by the entire property the ocean access and more than anything else the servers they were great! The front desk staff were a little abrasive but for the most part good! I would definitely recommend and will be back myself! [Details]

I had NO hot water for (5) days. I spoke with the manager about the issue and nothing was done. He stated, that sometimes more folks take showers and use up the hot water. Thank god other guests allowed me to use their showers. Also, mini fridge was restocked one time over the week i was there. When I offered him a $5 USD tip he stated he normally gets $10USD. Maybe that's why he never came back. [Details]

Room
Cleaned on time,slepted well (got extra foam put on bed). Wedding music outside off by 9ish every night.
Drinks
Normal Riu selection, consistent mixing for most part, but definitely some new staff confused with minimal English skills
Food
Good quality but buffets got repetitive with no rotation. Bamboo the best of the two Al la carte. Only place I could find shrimp which I found weird being the shrimp capital of the world.
Entertainment
wasnt great resort was full with 90 Spanish speaking guests entertainment geared towards them which made sense.
Pools
Areas cleaned regularly, big waterslides not for the faint of heart. With smaller kids the child park was great.
Beach
One of the best on Pacific. Waves fairly strong but makes for beautiful walks/sea shell picking in late afternoon when tide is out
Resort is clean maintained and great value for family's. Will be back again when kids big enough for big waterslide [Details]

This is my second time to this hotel. It is a beautiful hotel and the staff are friendly. The beach is spectacular . To make this a true 5* they need to upgrade the beds and the padding on the beach chairs. The only other thing is there is a LOT of kids at this resort. [Details]

This is my third trip to this hotel. For some strange reason all the people on the bus which was full got their rooms, not me i waited for 3 hours, The room was 5 star but no one ever came to give me water and that was after calling 3 times. They did fix my safe but that took a day. I asked at the buffee if they had breakfast sausages or chorizo they do not serve sausages at this hotel so if your German do not go. Gone really far down since first time. [Details]

Beautiful resort. Wonderful staff. Awesome food. Very clean and always being cleaned throughout the week. We stayed in the big, older hotel and the rooms were nice and adequate but there were some serious issues with things breaking down and the terrible elevator experiences.

At arrival the resort is gorgeous. Staff is helpful and friendly. The view from the room was epic. But one sink literally was so clogged we couldn't use it. Beds were old and need changing. Our friends next door had the metal piston thing on their door break off and mold on their box spring. Mini fridge was stocked well but if you want it done daily you have to phone reception and stay on them.

Elevators were a struggle. We were on the 6th floor so we would usually walk down to avoid the wait and on the way up you had to just tough it out. There were new elevators under construction so hopefully that helps but with thousands of people using 3-4 elevators it was difficult, plus one person told us she fell half a floor in an elevator and was scared to use them.

The buffets were AMAZING. Probably the best buffets I've ever experienced. Something for everyone. The stir fry station in the Italian buffet at lunch was a highlight. My only issue with the food was none of the a la cartes were menu dining they were both buffets. Although really great food we were looking forward to something different and a fine dining experience and didn't get that.

The pools and water slides and kids pool and slides were all totally awesome. Lots of bars and fun places for the kids to play. They had a blast. The only issue the adults had was that we hoped for more entertainment in the form of pool games and exciting hosts to ramp them up. There was plenty of activities but no central area or pool for them and no music except for in the adult pools. The beach is perfect and we had a great time in the ocean. They have vendors behind ropes halfway down the beach so people could relax without getting bugged and the vendors were super cool.

The nightclub was super loud and played all salsa dance songs so it wasn't our jam, the sports bar was pretty cool except you had to pay for pool, air hockey, and foosball!!!! They had a beach party/rave which was awesome but a bit much for the young kids so we left lol. No foam party!!!!

One thing I will say is that we were there right when the COVID-19 virus hit high gear so the mood was slightly shifting and Canadians were leaving daily so that affected activities happening and put a slight cloud over the trip for the adults. [Details]

Hotel was good, no issues. [Details]

good but larger than i like [Details]