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RIU Palace Riviera Maya

Playa del Carmen, Mexico

It's a bit disconcerting to reach your destination yet still have no sense of where you are. I'd landed a couple of hours earlier at Cancun International, but standing in the vast lobby of the RIU Palace Riviera Maya in Playacar, less than two miles from the bohemian playground of Playa Del Carmen, I could have sworn I was somewhere in Europe. Massive Corinthian columns flanked the entrance. The soaring stained-glass ceiling suggested a Venetian cathedral. The mahogany chaises and tufted-red-velvet benches would have looked at home in a British drawing room. Latin rhythms wafted in from the pool beyond. Guests conversed in animated Spanish, Italian and French as they headed for the Habana Bar, where potted palms, ornate iron fretwork, cane furniture and silently spinning ceiling fans lent a classic Cuban feel. Bienvenido à Mexico, RIU-style.

Like the 16-year-old Spanish-and-German chain's 27 other Caribbean resorts (in the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Aruba and Cuba), RIU's Palace attracts a Continental crowd as well as North Americans, drawn by extensive amenities and affordable rates. This 460-room all-inclusive, which opened in 2006, is Playacar's newest. Guests enjoy a choice of six restaurants, room service, unlimited domestic and select imported alcohol, a complimentary in-room minibar, all the usual water sports and nonstop entertainment. At rates that begin under $100 per person, including complimentary exchange privileges between the Palace and RIU's five other Playacar resorts (as well as its trio in Cancun), it's a very attractive proposition.

My first morning, after a run and a lavish buffet breakfast, I made my way down the palm-lined promenade to the gigantic main pool, where early risers had already assumed their positions, reclining on tiled loungers in the shallows and on stools at the swim-up pool bar. On the beach, a stand of coconut palms shaded six rows of lounge chairs, almost all of them occupied by mid-morning. After claiming one of my own, I headed for the water-sports shop to borrow a kayak. As I paddled out onto the shimmering water, I heard thumping beats from the water aerobics class in the main pool. It was there that a posse of enthusiastic British women joined the entertainment staff later that afternoon for a salsa lesson that proved far more entertaining for the spectators than it was for the women's reluctant partners. With a swim, poolside nap and quick jaunt to the nearby shopping center behind me, my day of sun and fun concluded with a meat-lover's feast at Botafogo, the Rodizio-style Brazilian restaurant. There I washed down slabs of beef, lamb, chicken and pork with a caipirinha, Brazil's refreshing national cocktail. Then I repaired to the Lirico Theater, where a lithe troupe of dancers performed musical numbers from West Side Story, Cats and Fame – a colorful show that was a lot less cheesy than I'd feared.

Yes, the multinational gathering I was part of that evening could have just as easily come together in the Dominican Republic, Cuba or Jamaica. But it occurred to me that what RIU offers more than 26,000 Caribbean guests a year is actually a tropical destination in and of itself – a feel-good, sun-and-sand vacation. Sometimes, a geographical sense of place really doesn't matter that much, if what you're seeking is a universally appealing state of mind. 

Rates start at $90 per person, per night.

888-666-8816; riu.com 

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

If you must stay connected, avoid hefty hotel Internet charges by bringing your laptop or PDA and seeking out free WiFi. Many all-inclusive chains have complimentary exchange privileges between hotels. Take advantage by staying at the less expensive resorts and day tripping to the pricier ones. Economize by forgoing the restaurants that impose supplemental charges and room service, which may include a delivery fee

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