Riu Emerald Bay: It's going down inside but outside is awesome!!

My 2nd visit, unfortunately the hotel did not live up to my expectations. Upon arrival to our room I knew the a/c wasn't working so we got changed and headed down to notify Sunwing rep - he said he'd get maintenance on it while we went to dinner. We returned after dinner to a still very warm room so went back to the lobby to see reps were gone for the day so notified the front desk, asked to be moved and was told they have no rooms and said they were busy but would send someone up as soon as the [... read more]y could. When repairman showed up, he couldn't get it to turn on either but eventually by some grace from the heaven's it came on very faintly and he even said "work pocita" That night and every night we slept with the patio door open as our room was hotter than it was outside (we were gone all day with a/c "on" and patio door closed) During our 7 night stay I think the a/c turned on twice for 45 seconds each time. Wi-Fi is limited to 2 devices regardless how many people you have in your room (I was with my 2 children, both with phones) An extremely frustrating week to have to rotate usage during our down time. One night we were woken up at midnight by neighbour playing very loud music with company on their patio - remember, we're forced to sleep with our patio door open. I called down to the front desk as I'd met her the night before same thing and she didn't speak English. 10 minutes later, still nothing so called again and was told security said there was no party. I demanded he come up to my room immediately as I wasn't going to tolerate this. Sure enough, standing in the hallway waiting for security, one could hear the music from my neighbours. Security came in, very little English but went out to our balcony, stood on chair and hollered over at our neighbours. He promised me no more noise. A couple nights later, we're on our balcony and return to find our room a wading pool. I immediately thought toilet had flooded but soon discovered it was coming from hallway. We were able to get everything up off the floor quick enough but I hate to think of what would've happened had we not been in our room as this was at 6pm. Water completely covered our entire room and was going onto the balcony, we stuck around to allow them to clean it all up (took 3 people and about 40 mins) before going down to dinner. Unfortunately when we came back up, floors were still wet and slippery so had to use our towels to mop up the floors to prevent any of us falling in the middle of the night. I'm pretty sure housekeeping wasn't impressed as I tossed all the sopping towels in our tub and asked for our room to be serviced the next day. They didn't come to refill our fridge that next day either so I had to call down to the front desk, shouldn't have to if they're only refilling every 2 days. I know there can be elevator issues, there is 2 banks of 3 elevators (1 on each side of hotel plus another that serves lobby to 18) was unfortunate to have 1 elevator down for a few days but overall if you plan accordingly, you can usually avoid long waits. Being outside our room was the best part of the trip, the staff around the pools, in the bars and the wait staff in the restaurants were always a delight and a pleasure to deal with. Geraldo "Jerry" was very personable and a lot of fun & Pedro (bartender around the pools) was great! I didn't make an issue about the a/c thing as my intention wasn't to spend the week in the room, although it'd have been nice for the room to be a bearable temperature during the night. I do like the location away from "it all". Be sure to keep that in mind if you want to go walking to see the local sites etc, you'll have to take a bus or taxi to get anywhere. I picked this hotel specifically for this. Locals play their instruments on the beach around dinner time but at night its quiet around the resort and on the beach (aside from the nightclub which I didn't participate in but 1 of my children did) The food wasn't great, nor was it awful - one morning we were without sausage which I found depressing as I loved my fresh vegetable omelet with sausage for breakfast! I found the bacon inedible. My kids can't eat ice cream - nice to have sorbet as an option, even if only option was lime flavour. By the end of the week we felt it all was tasting the same. The beach is kept clean, but keep in mind it can be rough waters to swim in, especially for kids. The tides are crazy at times!! Nightly entertainment wasn't bad but I saw the same shows 1.5 years ago... my kids weren't with me that trip so they enjoyed the shows. It's extremely unfortunate that a resort of this size doesn't have a proper doctor (or I guess one that doesn't insist on gouging guests) Don't bother asking for hotel doc, make your way to Sharp or Marina hospitals - it'll be WAY cheaper. Overall - I may or may not stay at the RIU Emerald Bay again, right now it's a no as wasn't overly impressed this trip and would hate to think our room experience could get worse. I'll recommend to others with disclaimer on the issues the hotel itself has.

Riu Emerald Bay: Third time lucky, first and second too!

This was my third visit to Riu Emerald Bay, and probably won’t be the last. This time I went with my husband and two other couples, we had a great time. The hotel is spotless, food for many different tastes, lots of good drinks from first rate bartenders, nice pools and right on the beach. My two other visits were with my teenage daughter, she loved the hotel as much as I did, and met people her own age to have fun with. Great value!

Riu Emerald Bay: 5 star resort

This resort was amazing the staff was friendly , food was 100% and great selection pools where perfect and loved the swim up bar ( spent to much time there lol ) I was very happy and would come come back

Riu Emerald Bay: Clean

Hotel was great, very clean & accommodating. Great food and lots of variety to choose from to eat. Huge hotel, only a couple complaints, the elevators were very sketchy, as in they always felt like they were going to break down, also the girl at the front desk did not speak English, I just think if you are on the front desk you should know both Spanish & English. Ocean was clean as was the beach, the pools were disgusting, there was a floating poop the one morning & the next day there was a dirt [... read more]y diaper so we never went in the pools. Also there was a competition of bands on the public beach every day from 4pm -12am. I know the hotel can't control this because its the public beach but they have to do something about it, we paid a lot of money to sit & hear the ocean and could not as the noise from the trumpets & tubas canceled out the noise of the water. The actual town of Mazatlan was very safe & so exploring in town was nice.

Riu Emerald Bay: Beautiful Beach

What a great 2 weeks at the Riu Emerald Bay .. amazing beach went swimming everyday , food was great and always a such variety for the whole time . Entertainment had great music and dancers, loved the best couples show .. funny 😄 very clean throughout and beautiful ocean views from the rooms . Staff work very hard and we’re all great .

Riu Emerald Bay: ok

rooms nice service staff very good pools dirty food average activities outdated needs lots of updating more current food choices better activities closer to gold zone activities more access to shopping

Star Palace Beach Hotel: Only if you're deaf!

After arriving on the Sunday, we were pleased to spend the time at the pools, buffets, beach etc. The staff are very helpful, although English was not spoken by many of them.The hotel grounds and rooms were kept very clean. Pools were also clean and lifeguards always on look-out at pools and the beach.Food was OK......... buffets were not always hot, and not a great selection. But there was some great selection for a-la-carte. Starting on Wednesday and going till Saturday, there is a "disco/ba [... read more]r" across the road that has the music so loud that every room hears it. This is until 2am for the four nights. That, on top of College students (at least 70 - 80 of them) staying our last 3 nights, was definitely the last straw. They drank and partied very loudly at the outside pool and on the beach, and in the halls talking, screaming and laughing etc till 5am! We had ear plugs, and called front desk and asked for security to talk to them but nothing happened. Would never go back to this hotel unless the noise issue is resolved. It ruined our holiday completely. We came home so disappointed and I was actually physically ill from lack of sleep. I e-mailed the manager and was told he would look into it. But I talked to a staff member and he said the hotel books these students every year, and always same issues. Wonderful location, clean hotel, friendly staff, decent food. Such a pity about the noise!!!

El Cid Resort Castilla: EL CID CASTILLA- Absolutely recommend!

Everything about the El Cid was remarkable. The rooms were well kept and the beds were very comfortable. The grounds and public areas were immaculate. The dining was incredible- every meal had so many delicious options.

Riu Emerald Bay: Nice place!

The hotel was very nice and the grounds were kept up very nicely! Check in was prompt and efficient and room was everything we expected. Wait staff in restaurants and buffet very friendly and hard working.

El Cid Resort Castilla: nice place , no complaints

nice place , no complaints , the area has plenty things to do . bars , restaurants , casino , golf , beaches , shopping , sight seeing . You can rent bicycles , mopeds . The area seem very safe , just everybody wants to sell time share , which gets a little annoying , and on the beach lots of people selling stuff .

Riu Emerald Bay: awesome time again

this was our 3rd time here in 8 years the place is well maintained the food is still excellent the drinks as well were very good. more activities and parties then I remember which was fun. the only thing I found was a smell around the pool bar must have been the sewage but other that we are planning to go back.

Riu Emerald Bay: Wonderful Vacation in Mazatlan!

It was our first time at the Riu Emerald Bay resort in Mazatlan, Mexico! Thanks to Shauna at Trip Central for recommendating it! We had a wonderful week of fantastic weather, great food and service. We highly recommend this beautiful resort which never disappointed. We have been to many resorts throughout Mexico but this is a 10/10 for cleanliness. The spacious beach was amazing with lounge chairs that were perfectly arranged and cleaned daily. Love the palapas around the pool and shady palm tr [... read more]ees on the beach! The resort had many beautiful pools that spread out nicely to accommodate activity or relaxation. Bathrooms closest to pool area were imaculate. Buffet was fresh and had a great variety including authentic Mexican. Salad bar was very fresh and changed up daily. The best part was the Thursday night Fiesta night on the beach with an amazing BBQ, excellent music and entertainment! We also enjoyed the disco after the nightly entertainment! Every room has ocean view so no need to upgrade. The all inclusive trip was one of the most economical trips we’ve taken but felt like a 5 star. My one recommendation would be for the hotel to replace the towels and sheets as I felt they were getting tired looking and feeling a little worn. The service was excellent and had a relaxing wonderful experience. We definitely will go back!

Riu Emerald Bay: Amazing Resort

Riu Emerald Bay was beautiful. The food was great. Cleanliness was great. Lots of entertainment provided by the resort. Very helpful and friendly staff. Will differently stay again. And would recommend for any age group

Riu Emerald Bay: great resort

a few prblems but nothing serious this is the cleanest resort we have ever stayed at from check in to checkkout ran like a clock the drinks are not up to par the bar tenders says a lot of people note on that they are sure not 5 star class may be 3 in that catagory everthing else is great.

Riu Emerald Bay: A wonderful resort

A beautiful resort Very clean and really nice staff Good food and drinks Clean pools and excellent service Would not go around Easter again as the hotel was really full and a lot of kids The out trips were OK but because of the Easter holiday they were packed An isolated location

Riu Emerald Bay: Love this resort

We just returned from our 5th visit to riu emerald bay. This is the only resort we have gone to more than once and we travel at least 2 times a year. As all other times every thing was great. This resort is all Ocean view rooms and one of the cleanest places we have ever been to. We love the riu resorts because the food is always good. You can always find something to eat and enjoy. Where ever you look there is someone cleaning nothing is missed on the cleaning list. The staff is always friendly [... read more] and helpful. The riu emerald bay is located in a great area, close enough to take a cab or a bus into the golden zone or the old town to see some of the history of Mazatlan or to shop. We will definitely be returning hopefully soon.

Riu Emerald Bay: Awesome Experience

The Riu Emerald Bay is a beautiful resort. It is immaculate and well maintained hotel that leaves a very good first impression. We cannot think of anything negative to say about the place, save that they choose to serve Pepsi Cola which is my husband`s least favourite soda. We met many repeat customers during our stay and now we know why. The food was exceptional, the drinks were amazing, the beach is beautiful and service is first rate and always friendly. We will definitely consider retur [... read more]ning and looking at other Riu resorts in the future.

Riu Emerald Bay: Great resort

Everything was Good except the elevators were VERY slow xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Riu Emerald Bay: Riu Emerald Bay

Excellent 2 weeks in the Rui everything was perfect check in an braclets are done on the bus ride to resort get off bus pick up your envelope wih keys, towel cards and wifi password and head to your room. We upgraded to the tub on the deck 19 floor amazing views. Only complaint which is minor was the elevators.

El Cid Granada: Good value

The hotel and rooms are well kept and clean. The pool at the El Cid was a nice quiet place to read and swim. This is not a beach front hotel, but has easy access from the walkway that goes across the street to the El Cid Castilla, where the buffet, shows and the Italian restaurant are. The service was good. We had an excellent meal at El Patio one evening. I especially enjoyed the shrimp skewers. The only negative things I would say is that the wifi is extra, $40 for one device for a week. Also, [... read more] beware of the time share vacation representative in the lobby. They make it sound like they are going to give you a tour of the hotel complex. We got sucked in, but got free wifi for our time. We took advantage of the All Inclusive, but our room had a two burner hot plate, microwave, small fridge and toaster oven if you did not want to. There are lots of shops and restaurants close by since this hotel is in the Golden zone. There is easy access to taxis and buses to explore the city.