Riu Dunamar Photographer: Where We Shoot, When and What It Costs

At the north end of Costa Mujeres you can look along miles of sand with very little built on it. Riu Dunamar is a big resort, but the beach is long enough to find a quiet corner, especially early and late in the day.

Riu Dunamar at a Glance

• ResortAll-inclusive by RIU, opened in December 2017 as RIU's first hotel in Costa Mujeres
• SizeAbout 740 rooms
• NeighbourRiu Palace Costa Mujeres, close by
• Beach facesEast, toward Isla Mujeres
• From the airportAbout 40 to 45 minutes
• Who staysFamilies and couples
• Sunset here6:05 pm in November to 7:32 pm in July
• Official siteriu.com
• Our sessionsFrom 295 USD, gallery in 1 to 3 business days

Where We Shoot at Riu Dunamar

The long beach. Open water and pale sand. We walk toward the quieter end, and the frame opens up to just sea and sky.

The shoreline at last light. The sun sets behind the hotel, which leaves soft, even light on the sand.

The gardens. A shaded green frame for grandparents and for the group portrait.

The Light at Riu Dunamar

Times for this exact stretch of beach on the 15th of each month in 2027. Quintana Roo stays on UTC-5 all year, with no daylight saving.

Costa Mujeres faces east with Isla Mujeres on the horizon, and the channel keeps the water gentle. Evenings are soft rather than fiery here, because the sun goes down behind the resort.

Seaweed and Weather at Riu Dunamar

Sargassum drifts in from the southeast, so it hits the coast further south hardest. Riu Dunamar sits behind the shelter of Isla Mujeres and the bend in the coastline, so in a typical season it stays clearer than Playa del Carmen or Tulum. Sargassum usually builds from April and is heaviest from June to August, and November to March is normally the clearest stretch. Clearer is not the same as clear: in the heaviest years seaweed has reached almost everywhere here. Our month-by-month sargassum guide has the detail and the outlook for the season. Summer and early autumn bring afternoon showers that tend to pass quickly. We keep an eye on the forecast and adjust the hour with you the day before.

A Sample Session at Riu Dunamar

Here is how we would run the last hour of the day, with the real sunset for this beach. We adjust it to your exact date when you book.

With children under five we often flip the plan to sunrise: they are awake anyway, the beach is empty and it is cool. Sunrise here runs from 6:05 am in June to 7:27 am in January. Our guide to sunrise with young kids explains why it works.

Bringing a Photographer to Riu Dunamar

If you are staying at Riu Dunamar, the photographer comes in as your invited guest: give the front desk our name and the time of the session a day or two ahead, and we check in at the lobby. Rules for outside photographers belong to each resort and they change, so we confirm the current policy with the hotel in writing before your date. Guests of another hotel should expect a day pass for the photographer. Our guide to bringing an outside photographer to a resort covers the usual rules.

Close to Riu Dunamar

For a second look, Isla Mujeres is a short boat ride across the channel, and guests of Costa Mujeres resorts also come to us at Playa Langosta on the calm north shore of the Hotel Zone. Beaches in Mexico are public up to the high-water line, so the sand itself needs no resort pass; loungers, gardens and pools are the hotel's to manage.

If you are comparing hotels on this stretch, these are the closest ones we have written about:

• Riu Palace Costa Mujeres, next door. Photographer guide
• Ocean Allure Costa Mujeres, under a kilometre south. Photographer guide
• Secrets Playa Blanca, about 1 km south. Photographer guide
• Planet Hollywood Cancun, about 2 km south. Photographer guide

Our Work Around Riu Dunamar, Through Our Lens

Real IVAE Studios sessions on this coast, so you can see how this light and water look on camera. They show our work in the area, not necessarily at Riu Dunamar.

Which Collection Fits Riu Dunamar

All collections include full editing and a private 4K gallery within one to three business days, and you can upgrade anytime by paying only the difference.

Families usually do best with The Chapter at 60 minutes: enough time for the children to warm up and for a group portrait before anyone tires. With two looks or three generations, The Story or The Editorial gives you room.