I think you guys made a great choise. The RIU's are ok but Barcelo is much better in my opinion. I am on my 3rd trip to BArcelo Sept 4th, We also left the TEquila to go back to Barcelo.
www.unofficial-barcelo-maya.com is the best site and discussion board for Barcelo. Take Care and have a great trip. Looks like you were reading trip advisor I saw some nasty reviews on the Playacar. I do have to say in defence of the RIU's the service was top notch in our opinion so, but everyone has there own experiences, the airconditioning problem hopefully they have that one under controle. YOu will love BArcelo its a fabulous resort, with a great beach and layout. I recommend building #3 or #4 for being central to everything, but I would take any room in the house just to be there. Have a blast