Riu Negril: My Second Home - Amazing Resort

We love the Riu Negril, and have been returning there for many many times throughout the last four years. We enjoy the hospitality of the friendly staff every time we are there. It is always clean, and there is always someone working with a smile to ensure the resort is clean. Love the food at the buffet either for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Have not tried the restaurant because the buffet is delicious. Has a beautiful beach, calm waters, and love the long walks. The rooms are very clea [... read more]n and the mini bar is kept filled. The entertainment staff is full of energy either on the beach during the day or at night.

Riu Playa Blanca: Panama Heat

We booked at this location for the weather. We were not disappointed. Weather was perfect, sunny everyday and very very hot. This is not a 5 star resort but you do not pay 5 star price. The price we paid was worth every penny. There are not really any a la carte restaurants at this resort they are all buffet style. There all plenty of families at this resort but with 4 pools its all good. The entertainment is not the greatest. The black beach is clean and the ocean water is like a warm bath. The [... read more]re are horses at the beach which are available for a cost. Plenty of water sports some at no charge. We went for a couples massage which was superb. Recommend ocean front room. Rooms are very plain but clean. Fridge not stocked every day. But the service from the staff in all areas was fabulous.

Riu Reggae: Wonderful Week!

This resort was all it could be! The 5 stars in all categories were well earned. I would like to single out 2 staff members for special compliments, if one can do that and not slight all the other wonderful people that work there. 1. Reneka- the maitre d' at Dolce Vita restaurant for her special ability to make customers feel important. 2. Samantha- the omelet chef for the unfailing bright smile and grace under pressure. If possible please pass my compliments on to the hotel management. I [... read more] wish I could be so complimentary to the check-in processing for our flight back to Canada. We stood in a snaking line for 2 and 1/2 hours to get checked in. 3 days later my knees are still aching; that's too hard on a 67 year old person. There was no obvious way to request assistance. As a suggestion, Sunwing reps could at least pass out water some place along the lineups. As a comment, Sunwing can only get away with treating "too nice" Canadians that way; American customers would be on the phone with their lawyers after about 20 minutes of that kind of treatment. In summary, I would like someday to return to Riu Reggae, but would not if I were not assured of better treatment from Sunwing at the airport. I would like to know that my criticism of the previous paragraph has been conveyed to Sunwing.

Riu Merengue: Needs a good updating!

We arrived at the Riu Merengue on a Monday afternoon and upon entering our room, all we could smell was must and mildew. The bathroom ceiling had been previously patched from some former damage and the mold was starting to come through again. The smell was awful and I have allergies. We went to the front desk immediately and said we couldn't stay in there. They told us they couldn't get us another room until Thursday. Then they said someone was moving out of their room early Tuesday, so we c [... read more]ould have that one when it was checked out. What really bothered me was they wanted us out of our original musty room early so they could clean it for someone else. Should musty and moldy rooms not be blocked off so they can be properly fixed before someone else has to spend a week there? The beds were so old and hard that we could barely sleep in them. They should have been discarded a long time ago. I know you aren't in your room much on vacation but if you wanted to watch TV, all the rooms still have a 20 inch RCA tube television. There were so many little things that we weren't happy with either. We've stayed at the Riu Montego Bay and we loved it. I don't know how this resort could possibly be placed in the same category or rating. The fridge in our Montego Bay room was stocked with twice as many items as it was in Merengue. The saving grace for the Merengue was the staff. They were so friendly and hard working. The grounds were impeccable. I am so disappointed that Riu doesn't deem it necessary to update the Merengue. My opinion of Riu has gone straight downhill. If we ran into these types of things in a cheap resort it wouldn't be surprising.

Riu Republica: Very Windy in January

Why no one did a study on the are to see if it was a good spot for a resort is a mystery to me. The winds reached 42km/h and would regularly gust up to 35km/h. I can understand a day or two, however the "Red Flag" indicating that you cannot go into the sea because of dangerous waters was out 10 of the 14 days we were there. Waves in the 6 foot range consistently. Why not invest in some walls or breaks in the water to control the waves? The building as well seemed like they were built to l [... read more]ook more like Army Barracks or dormitories then a classy resort.

Riu Vallarta: Best place

We just got back from Riu Vallarta, it was very clean, food was great and the animation team was a lot of fun, never a dull moment if you were looking for excitement. beach was wonderful, drinks served right on the beach, it was a really good holiday, I would definetly go back her next holiday and probably stay ten days, Highly recommended..... nothing but good things here, Karen

Riu Palace Tropical Bay: Great resort!!!

Had a great time at Riu Palace Tropical Bay in Negril. Beach was outstanding, friendly staff with amazing people doing activities around the resort. Candy & Sandi were our faves the energy these two ladies had was crazy, Andrew the pool bartender was out of this world. David the bell hop made us feel like family. We will be back again!!!

Riu Reggae: Rui Reggae

I felt that the resort was kept in immaculate condition. The staff was exemplary from the grounds keepers to the desk staff they were always smiling and asking about our experience. Most of our contact was with the dining room staff. By the way, the food was simply amazing - lots of choice and flavours. But, I would like to voice my concern regarding the requirement that the female servers have to were stockings! I cannot believe that anyone who has ever worn pantyhose/stockings in 30 degre [... read more]e weather would ever think that was a good idea?! Furthermore they cost a fortune and are totally unnecessary. It would be a big moral boost for your hard working female dining room staff to feel more comfortable in the heat.

Riu Reggae: Great Resort!

We spent one week at the RIU Reggae and hand a great time. It was only open for two months when we stayed.The food was awesome, the drinks were better than average and the staff were super helpful and friendly.

Riu Palace Antillas: Amazing Resort!

This resort was very clean, and the food was delicious;lots of variety! The rooms could use a little updating but they were clean and comfortable. The beach and pool were fantastic and the drinks were amazing! Would have loved a bar on the beach. The staff were all very friendly and lots of fun. We enjoyed talking with them. Had an awesome time at the Riu Antillas in Aruba!

Riu Republica: Terrible

The room we were in had all 12 air conditioner generators right under our balcony. We were told the garden room but it was more like the road, a place where they do laundry for the hotel and the 12 generators. I did not think the room was cleaned properly. The night before we left we had what I thought was ants all over our bed. After calling someone showed up and said they were not ants and they tickle not bite. I told her I did not want these bugs crawling all over me. She sprayed someth [... read more]ing and washed the floor and it made it better. The food was good but I would not recommend this hotel to anyone.

Riu Flamingos: Great Holiday

Just returned from 14 days at Riu Jalisco,had a fabulous time.Our only complaint was our assigned room after check in.Had it rectified following day.my second stay here in a year.Great hotel,great service and good value.Beautiful grounds and beach and spotless will definitely go back and had great service from Laura at Trip Central 🤓

Riu Palace Antillas: LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

The food was really good. The staff is very friendly. The beach and pool were beautiful. (The pool could have been a bit warmer though) We rented a jeep for the day. I really recommend this. We were able to go wherever we wanted and it was super easy to get around.

Riu Santa Fe: Fantastic family vacation

This was our third time to the Riu Santa Fe. We have always gone through an amazing travel agent, Lisa Shelly-Ansell from Trip Central, who was always available for information and problem solving. The Riu Santa Fe has absolutely gorgeous grounds and pools. They are kept very clean. We always had a chair by a pool and no problem or line ups at the beach towel hut. The food was great and since we didn't have to line up for the specialty dinners (we just showed up), our longest wait was 30 m [... read more]inutes. They gave us a disk that lite up when our table was ready, so there was no standing in line ( we enjoyed pre dinner drinks at the bar) The staff were AMAZING and went out of there way to make our trip enjoyable. The rooms were cleaned daily and we always had fresh water, pop and beer in the fridge. We did some excursions and I highly recommend the Cabo Flyboard. The place is located on Office Street behind the Mango Deck at Medano beach. This about a 20 minute walk down the beach as you head into Cabo San Luca. The owners are professional and ranked # 1 and # 2 in North America. They are very safety conscience, encouraging and fun. We also enjoyed Lovers Beach where my son and husband did some rock climbing while the rest of us wandered over to divorce beach where we saw the whales jumping from the shore. We enjoyed a day in town, visited Cabo Wabo , WTF Burgers ( amazing people and service) and did some shopping at the Luxury Plaza. The boys also enjoyed ATV's, deep sea diving,repelling and bungy jumping, my daughter and her partner enjoyed a Luxury Day Sailing, that stopped at different beaches, allowed time for snorkeling and swimming with the baby seals. We enjoyed a dinner cruise that took us around the Arc and had a great view of the sea lions. With our adult children leading busy lives and working, we found this a much needed vacation to catch up and have fun together. I highly recommend Lisa at trip central and the Riu Santa Fe.

Riu Palace Paradise Island: Location is fantastic

The hotel is very old but you can't complain because it's a good price. Who wants to spend time in their room anyway when the beach is so amazing. The food is great. The fridge broke and the coffee maker didn't work which was mildly annoying but once you get to the beach it doesn't matter. I can't wait to visit again

Riu Santa Fe: 2nd time there and I would still go back

I love this resort - the staff are amazing, the food it great and the scenery just perfect. Although you cannot swim on the beach, the infinity pools overlooking them are almost as good. You can walk into town along the beach, take a water taxi to see the sealions and lovers/divorce beach. Super safe, fun and great for all ages.

Riu Santa Fe: Incrediable resort

Absolutely the place to go. Food was excelent every evening different themes. Hotel super clean, the staff were very helpfull and friendly. Lots of lounge chairs for all the guests. Several pools, lots of bars at the pools. 24 sports bar offers food for evening snacking and beverages. We went for a massage at the spa that is on the premises. Excellent. Excellent. We give it a full 5 star rating. Best place we ever stayed at.

Riu Palace Costa Rica: Beautiful Resort

Wonderful country, amazing people, accommodations were spectacular. Everyone working for the resort bent over backwards to help you. The grounds were kept meticulous, the food was to die for and the entertainment was top notch. Don't think about it, just go! You will not be disappointed.

Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas: Disappointing

We stayed here 4.5 years ago and could not wait to get back there to feel to feel that feeling of getting pampered we loved it then. However this time we were so disappointed the food quality and variety in the buffet it was good food but not premium food like we payed for. Room cleaning was far from good funny they don't forget to grab the tip laundry service we asked 3 times to have it done left the bag on the bed with a tip they took the tip and tossed the bag in the corner we talked to the f [... read more]ront desk on Friday morning they said they would take care of it they did not so saterday there way to fix it was to offer to do it at a express service at a 2x the fee so we said forget it. Needless to say I will never pay the palace premium again I may go back to Santa fe if it was a huge deal Not a 5 star anymore

Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas: Renovations don't always mean improvements

Having been here 4.5 years ago and the Santa Fe 2 years ago, I was really excited to see the renovations and get back to "5 star" quality. Maybe because I'd been here before my expectations were extremely high but in the end I felt let down. - "5 Star" resort/1 start toilet paper. Seriously I could read through it - Bathroom renovations were lovely and the mattress was FAR better than 4.5 years ago - Some of the renovations in the check-in area have made it look like an 80s European disco tec [... read more]h - The "24 hour bar" is now self-serve and they leave the usual crappy booze you get in your room there. - The "Riu" brand alcohol in many cases was terrible. I seriously sent back at least 5 drinks because the taste was so bad. Which didn't make sense because up until a certain point they were great. My friend kept commenting that the vodka tasted like tequila so we figured they were using the crap vodka - All those renovations and still no bathroom near the pool!!!!! No wonder people were peeing in the swim-up bar, it was too dangerous to go up or down the stairs (when drunk) to get to the washrooms - Food this time was only slightly better than the Santa Fe. (The Italian restaurant was the exception. Very tasty). Other than having elevators in ALL the buildings, not sure paying more was really worth it over the Santa Fe party resort next door - The 24-hour sports lounge is comfortable and bright but I didn't pay extra on a trip for self-serve. Sorry but that's not cool - Service was typically excellent. I did however enjoy when a woman at the Front Desk told me that there was not a light in the shower when I let them know that it was not working. The next day it worked all day and then never worked again. No light indeed - The cleaning staff never refilled our fridge all week so we were getting water from the 24-hour bar. Last time that fridge was ALWAYS full no matter what - Pool water was quite cool. Having been here once before in January I don't recall it being that chilly before but hey, I was drinking. - The addition or reno of the coffee bar is a nice touch. Connected to the original 24-hour bar that all close too early. Overall it was not the experience I felt I had 4.5 years ago and left us all a little disappointed considering that this is the premium resort of Riu. The pools look lovely and you can find people watching at its finest. The beach is fine if you don't walk on it. Excellent service from Abril in the breakfast area and Miguel at Krystal (which we didn't bother returning). But after 4-5 days, we were all tired of the buffet food. Truthfully, for the price difference I would recommend people go to Santa Fe. Save the money and go into town for more food and atmosphere. Our friends rented a car and had some great experiences and culinary treats. We walked into town twice and it's just fun going up and down the streets.