PLAYA DEL CARMEN — Twenty years after it first opened in Playa del Carmen, the legendary Riu Tequila is showing off its new look after months of renovations.

The resort has undergone a massive overhaul, says RIU Hotels & Resorts, with a complete renovation to common areas, gardens and all 630 rooms. There’s also an expanded gastronomic selection with two new restaurants and a barbecue station with grilled dishes.

Room décor is now fresher and more modern, dominated by white with touches of red. The floors of all the rooms have been replaced with ceramic parquet, in keeping with RIU’s new style. The bathrooms in all the rooms, with the same flooring, also now provide shower stalls.

Riu Tequila has also gone from having two large organically shaped swimming pools and one for children, to a total of five rectangular and more modern pools. One of the pools is just for kids and has slides, while another has a swim-up bar.

Following the renovation, the Riu Tequila also offers the new Italian restaurant, Rinascita, and a new steakhouse called Black Cow. Both are in addition to the existing Rosa Roja main buffet, Bamboo serving Asian cuisine, and the Beach Club restaurant that turns in to a Mexican-themed restaurant every evening. The barbecue station prepares grilled dishes at lunchtime.

With the complete renovation of the main building, lobby bar La Veranda, cocktail lounge La Fiesta and Sports Bar 24 have been redone and renamed as well, as has Coco’s Bar, the swim-up bar in the garden area.

Next to the children’s pool there is also a RiuLand club and a playground, and a new gym and the Riu Fit zone. These new amenities and the new free WiFi service now available throughout the hotel complement the entertainment offer of the animation team and of the ‘Pacha’ discotheque, also renovated, says RIU.

Riu Tequila’s overhaul is just the latest resort news from RIU Hotels & Resorts. This year RIU expects to open the Riu Palace Baja California (December 2018) and has also renovated one of its classic hotels, Riu Sante Fe. RIU is also updating Riu Palace Punta Cana in the D.R. and Riu Palace Tropical Bay in Jamaica.