Photos of All of You, Minutes From Town
You booked something called the Riu Palace Riviera Maya, and if the name had you picturing a resort marooned in the jungle corridor halfway to Tulum, the ride from the airport already corrected you: this one sits in Playacar, at the southern edge of Playa del Carmen itself. That surprise is good news for the reason you are reading this. A grandmother wrote to us from this hotel last spring — thirteen of them, three generations, one week that took a year to line up — and put the request the way almost everyone does: "we have forty pictures of the kids and not one of all of us together." The photographs you actually came home wanting are the ones nobody in your group can take.
We've photographed thousands of sessions across Playa del Carmen, and for families staying here the plan is almost always the same short ride north into town. Being in Playacar rather than out past Puerto Aventuras is the whole advantage: the public sand at Playa Fundadores is barely two or three kilometres up the coast, which means a quick taxi instead of an hour on the highway, and the real Playa del Carmen behind you instead of a resort wall. Six years and more than a thousand clients later, that short hop is still the easiest hour we can hand a family.
What We Photograph Most for Riu Palace Families
Almost everyone who writes to us from this hotel is travelling with people they do not get under one roof often enough — parents, in-laws, a sibling and their kids, everyone on the same week for once. That is the traveller this beach is for, and these are the three sessions we photograph most for guests staying here.
Family portraits
The one frame your trip is missing is the one with everybody in it, because somebody is always the person holding the phone. That is the whole job here: we get all of you in the picture at once, then break it down into parents-with-kids, the couples and the grandparents with the little ones, without marching anyone up and down the sand twice. Our family photoshoot guide for Playa del Carmen covers outfits and how an hour with kids actually flows.
The multi-generation trip
Three generations on one beach is what we get asked for most from this hotel, and it is why we ask for a headcount in your first message — thirteen people need a wider stretch of sand than three do, which is exactly why we send you to Fundadores. It opens up wide where Avenida Juárez meets it, so a big lineup gets shot properly and the cousins still have room to run afterwards. Our group session guide shows how we pace a shoot that size.
Anniversaries
You booked the family trip, and the anniversary happened to land in the middle of it — it usually does. Twenty minutes of the same morning belong to just the two of you, while the kids are busy being the grandparents’ problem, and that is the frame that ends up on a wall instead of buried in the album. Our anniversary session guide shows how we work a quiet hour like that.
You’re Closer to Town Than the Name Suggests
The words Riviera Maya in the name make people brace for a long transfer, but Playacar is the southern edge of Playa del Carmen, and the public beach we use is a short taxi north. Playa Fundadores opens up wide at the foot of Avenida Juárez, beside the Portal Maya sculpture and the pier where the Cozumel ferry loads — which means there is nothing to book and nothing that can cancel your morning. We send the exact pin over WhatsApp the day before.
That stretch is where we put families for a reason: open public sand with the real Playa del Carmen behind you — the boats loading for Cozumel, the Quinta a block inland — instead of a row of loungers and a logo in every frame. The resort’s own beach is lovely and it is also the beach of a big all-inclusive, busy by mid-morning; Fundadores gives your kids a backdrop they will still recognise in twenty years, and the short ride to reach it is exactly what lets us charge what we charge.
Want one frame that belongs on a wall rather than in an album? Ask about our signature beach-gown editorial sessions in Playa del Carmen — metres of fabric in the morning breeze, made for a trip like this one.
No Session Fee — Just the Photos You Keep
Pricing is refreshingly simple: there is no session fee. You pay $15 USD per photo with a 10-photo minimum ($150 USD), or choose a group package from $200 USD when the whole family wants in — so you only ever pay for the images you love. You can see everything we offer, and hundreds of recent sessions, on our Playa del Carmen photographer page.
Every hotel has its own rules about photography on the property. We know how each one works — message us and we’ll tell you exactly what your options are where you’re staying.
Almost nobody who books us has been photographed properly before, and they usually apologise for it in the first message. There is nothing to apologise for — we direct the whole thing, and you can see how that turns out on our Playa del Carmen photographer page. Send us your dates and your headcount, and we will tell you which morning to keep free.
Ready to Get Your Whole Family in One Frame?
Tell us your dates and how many of you are travelling, and we will hold a morning for your family. The early slots go first, and they go fastest in the weeks the whole family flies in.
What Your Family Takes Home From Fundadores
Everything we shoot for families staying at Riu Palace Riviera Maya happens at the end of the same short ride into town — here is what it buys you.
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Everybody fits in the frame
Fundadores is wide where Avenida Juárez meets it, so a thirteen-person lineup gets shot properly instead of squeezed — and the cousins still have room to run.
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You are minutes from town, not stranded
Playacar is the edge of Playa del Carmen, so the ride to the public sand is short — the session chains onto a plan you already had instead of eating a morning.
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We direct the whole thing
Almost nobody who books us has done this before. We tell everyone where to stand and what to do with their hands, so it looks like your family, not a school photo.
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You keep only what you love
There is no session fee. You choose from the full gallery afterwards, which takes the pressure off the hour — useful when a toddler is setting the schedule.
Family Sessions at Riu Palace Riviera Maya — FAQ
There are thirteen of us across three generations. Can you photograph a group that size?
Yes — multi-generation groups are what we photograph most for guests of this hotel. Tell us the headcount in your first message and we pick the piece of beach that fits it. Fundadores is wide enough that we build the full lineup, then break it into couples, siblings and grandparents-with-grandkids without moving anyone twice.
How much does a family session at Riu Palace Riviera Maya cost?
There is no session fee. You pay $15 USD per photo with a 10-photo minimum ($150 USD), or choose a group package from $200 USD when the whole family wants in. You see the full gallery first and choose from it afterwards, so you only ever pay for the images you love.
Is a beach session realistic with a toddler?
It is one of the most common things we shoot for families staying here. We work fast while the mood is good and let small kids move instead of asking them to hold a pose — and the ride into town is short enough that nobody falls apart in the car.
The name says Riviera Maya — are you far from Playa del Carmen?
No. Despite the name, the hotel is in Playacar, the southern edge of Playa del Carmen itself, so the public beach at Playa Fundadores is a short taxi north rather than a highway transfer. We meet you there and send the exact pin over WhatsApp the day before.
Can we do it in the afternoon instead of the morning?
You can, though it is worth knowing the trade. This coast faces east, so there is no sunset over the water here. Mornings give you soft light and an emptier beach; late afternoon is still lovely, just not quiet. Either way, plan on about an hour on the sand.