Riviera Cancun Golf & Resorts

Nicklaus-designed course.

It's on the south side of the Hotel Zone and quite isolated. So far removed from the main road in Cancun so it feels exclusive. The staff is amazing. Pro shop is overpriced and no souvenir items such as ball markers really. I was bummed there weren't more options. PSA - bring your own balls and lots of them. The balls they have in the pro shop are very expensive and not worth it.

Practice greens - there are two right next to the clubhouse. They have some serious contours and undulations which are true on the golf course as well. Spend at least 15 minutes getting used to speed. There was sand on the practice and actual greens. Not sure why but it was the ONE thing I would complain about.

Practice range - down the bridge toward Hole 1. Not the best scenery or perfectly mowed area. I played Puerto Cancun and they had an amazing practice range! So worth playing there too. The balls were run down but it does the trick.

Watch out for crocodiles and an indigenous animal called the coati. They kinda look like foxes. They steal your food and phones if you leave them in the carts. We were warned so we didn't have any issues or come into contact with any of them. We did see one walk by before we teed off on Hole 1 though. Other players have lost food to them.

Food and beverage - free with tee time. We saw the cart girl at least 5 times during our round. Not much food except some ham/cheese croissant, chips, peanuts, and drinks (mostly water, sodas, and beers), not sports drinks like Gatorade, etc. Wasn't an issue for us at all. We drank plenty of water and beers and ate some food. We kept the food in the cooler that's attached to the cart. Cart also has ball washer and club washer. No GPS on cart.

Front 9 - Relatively wide fairways but lots of carries and location of bunkers were in the right spots. So aim your tee shots properly. Nicklaus always seems to place the bunkers in the right landing areas - Riviera is no different. The greens are very contoured so it's difficult to 2-putt. But the speeds are consistent so it's not impossible. The sand on the green messed me up at times cuz it seemed like it slowed the putts down a bit. Our playing partners who played the prior day said they didn't have sand on it the previous day. I shot a great 39 on the front 9 (7 pars, mostly up and downs, bogey and a double). The Front 9 is beautiful with lots of water holes and just very scenic.

Back 9 - completely different feel from the front 9. Narrow fairways, bunkers in the right spots again, and if you miss any of your drives, just take a drop. Started off hot with 2 pars, but then nearly lost it! Any pulls or slices are lost balls. I reached the signature hole Par 5 Hole 13 (I think) and birdied that made me feel good. But every hole is challenging on the back 9. Don't get me wrong... it was a lot of fun! Just error on the side of finding your balls. There's not so much water here but creeks that cut the fairways. If you have a golf GPS app on your phone, take a look at the hole layout. You'll need to know your distances and carries.

Concerns - The bunkers were hard, packed down,. and very little sand for some reason. This is my biggest complaint actually. The course was in perfect condition but the bunkers were just mediocre and on some holes, just plain bad. For the price and quality of the course, I was disappointed. (Probably cuz it cost me a couple strokes)

Overall, this course is great and I think it's a must-play if you're in the Hotel Zone in Cancun. I booked using Golfnow using the Hot Deal so I didn't get free transportation. It was $20 each way, plus additional $5 for tip.

The lunch was in the clubhouse and there's no prices on the menu as it's provided with the round of golf. Like I said, incredibly rewarding and fun round. Jack Nicklaus created a beauty.

The course is maintained perfectly. Staff was friendly and helpful. Don't try it first time without a yardage card.

The course was absolutely beautiful, and very well maintained. It was very challenging for us (20+handicap) but it wasn't overly busy while we were there so we never felt rushed on the course.

Biggest piece of advice I'd give- hit the ball straight or bring lots of balls! It's definitely not like hitting into the rough back home. On a few instances we were able to find wayward shots, but not many. The "rough" is very thick trees/vegetation, often in the water. So not much chance of finding. I had read that prior to going, so we were prepared!

Drinks and food were included, so that was a nice perk, and all of the service we had was excellent. We'll play here again on our next visit- for sure.

The course is a nice layout with challenging greens. The staff was very helpful and attentive, on the course and in the clubhouse. I would recommend the course while in the area. Course conditions and greens were in great shape.

It was great golf course.
People so nice and kindness.
Food was good.
But when I driving myself direction was totally different way to go.
Golfnow got wrong address.

I have Played many Yucatan courses and this is the Top of my list. Amenities, layout, etc.Spectacular.
Front is short, back is long .We had a rare Windless day and i can imagine several of the holes that go dead into the Gulf Trade wind have to be a BEAR..and not the Golden one. Water Bog infront of EVERY tee. Wide Fairways, transition to first cut, second cuff,, then Like Axle Rose said "Welcome to the Jungle"

everything was great. excellent practice facilities and staff was awsome. course was tough but fair. will play again

Course was in awesome shape. When I booked it transportation to and from was included. But it was not. Paid 16 bucks for a taxi each way from our hotel. The food included in the restaurant was very good. The course was challenging so bring plenty of golf balls with you. They are expensive to buy. Overall it was really good to play some golf it had been over 4 months

The Riviera golf course is great 18 holes ! This course exceeded every single one of my expectations. Beautiful course. Beautiful layout and some narrow fairways. Conditions were emasculate. (but not easy) to play! The greens rolled beautifully, fast but true and tough..! ... A few alligators around, lots of birds and qatis (they will eat your food!).

First time here; what a great value! First the course arranged for a taxi to pick me up and return me to my resort (10 miles) at no charge. I paid an extra $35 for my wife to ride in the cart, BUT food and drink for both of us in included in my greens fee and her riding fee. That includes some breakfast foods in the morning, drinks including beer on the course, mixed drinks at the turn and on return, and lunch afterwards! Not to mention that the course is immaculate and fun (but not easy) to play! I would like the greens to be a little faster, but they were true. I will definitely play here when we return!!

The golf course is in good condition the only downside of it is the bunkers hard like a rock don't have enough on them

EVERYTHING WAS JUST GREAT.
WE GOT SOME MOSKITO BITES BUT WAS FUN.

Another gem by Jack. This course exceeded every single one of my expectations. Beautiful course. Beautiful layout. Conditions were emasculate. Great bang for your buck. All you can eat and drink included with your tee time. Unlimited range balls. Golf cart girl made frequent trips, maybe once every 3 holes. Even hole 19 was terrific. Still food included in greens fee. I would 100% recommend this course. If your staying in Riviera maya or beyond it is about an hour drive but trust me when I say it's worth it!

I have played many Cancun courses and I think this is one of the finest. The course was in pristine condition. The greens rolled beautifully and were very true. The staff could not be more attentive. We stopped in the clubhouse after our round and had a bite to eat. We were treated like royalty. It would have been nice to have some holes along the water but they were still beautiful. When I go back to Cancun this fall I will I will definitely play here again.

Easily the best course I ever played. Free drinks and food, friendly staff, great greens, tough fairways but overall a great course that we will keep going back too

Excellent quality, beautiful design, seems easy but challenging for all levels. Would go back to play.
Play after 2 pm to get best price.
A few alligators around, lots of birds and qatis (they will eat your food!).

Amazing deal on golf now for $40 instead of the normal $180US! Includes cart, and all the beer/food you want during and after the game. We only saw 4 other golfers the whole day. It was quite hot (32 Celsius) so that could be the reason, but still the best deal I've seen.

I'll be back 2moro!