Riu Ocho Rios: Riu Ocho Rios - April 2025

Hotel, room, food, beach were perfect. Our room was situated on the kiddies side, which we did not appreciate. We did not use the pool because it was full of children. If your a couple and would like a romantic stay, be sure to ask for the adults only side.

Riu Palace Riviera Maya: Beautiful resort

It would be great to have an adults only resort in Playa Del Carmen. You have so many lovely resorts it would be great to have one just for adults. Far too many small children (screaming at the pool and during dinners). I don’t like to have to babysit other people’s children’s around the pool.

Riu Palace Macao: Beautiful resort

This resort is lovely and very clean. Exactly what we were looking for. Very relaxing! The staff were very attentive and pleasant. The only negative comment was the vendors on the beach were quite persistent. As well, very persistent is attempting to sell illegal drugs. Was approached very day to buy ‘weed’ and cocaine. Very annoying!

Riu Playa Blanca: It was okay

I have enjoyed RIUs but this one didn't live up to its name Room for my husband and I was great, nice king bed and decent size bathroom. Room for my 3 teens was not. Third bed was a little leather sofa bed that folded out to the floor. My kids aged 16, 19 and 21 fought over who didn't need to sleep there. When you are given an Oceanview room you should be able to see the Ocean, don't wait the extra money, Courtyard is just as nice and better location to elevators/lobby and restaurants  [... read more]Beach was absolutely beautiful, shells everywhere, a highlight Rooms and food and pool all close together, wifi was spotty at the pool but good in the rooms and restaurants Food was okay. Lots of salads, burger and fries, ice cream, turkey dinner and taco nights were the highlights. Deserts terrible and would have been nice to have bagels or muffins or waffles or non runny eggs for breakfast. Pools were good, nice benches along edges to sit on. Didn't open til 8am and we were already feeling the heat at 7am so it would have been nice to use earlier All in all it's an okay family resort but again doesn't live up to RIU in other countries.

Riu Santa Fe: Nice resort

Nice, very well organized, but very busy resort. Due to the crowding, the resort is not clean enough. There are too many guests, so the restaurants and pools are crowded. The quality and selection of food is great. The staff works hard.

Riu Ocho Rios: Honestly, probably will not be going back to this resort.

The area that was the most disappointing was the dining. The food in my opinion was not very well prepared and did not have any taste, Jamaican flavor. We tried all the different restaurants, and the experience was all the same. In fact, most days we ate off site and encored extra cost because of this experience. Also, the service at best was poor and consistently poor. The room was great but had to get the Public Relations Manager involved as a result of the constant drilling on one pa [... read more]rticular night. As a result of the hotel changing tiles in the kitchen.

Riu Playa Blanca: Great resort!

This resort is one of the best maintained and cleanest. Dining rooms, grounds and many pool areas are immaculate. Staff, service and food are excellent. Entertainment could be improved and a minor disappointment was the beach. It is not really maintained or set up with chairs, umbrellas etc for sunbathing. There are loungers under the trees further inland. The ocean is very rough, the sand is course.

Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas: Excellent resort

Best experience. Clean, very helpful staff, food is amazing and overall a great place for a vacation. Would have liked it much better if the beach had accessibility to go in the water ? Try it and you will not regret it

Riu Flamingos: Best consistent value

I have stayed at the Riu hotel chain about 10 times. They are a wonderful luxurious hotel chain that offers consistent value, high quality standards with regard to facilities and grounds, and excellent service. As with any vacation there are occasional annoyances but they have always been very responsive to resolve them. I am particularly happy with the association that Sun wing vacations has with the Riu chain and I hope that this will continue with WestJet.

Riu Palace Costa Rica: RIU Palace, Costa Rica

Great place, good food and entertainment. A lot of walking to get from point A to point B if one has mobility issues. They could use more public washrooms around the pool area as you have to make your way to the Papagayo Restaurant or inside by the theatre which is a distance.

Riu Bambu: Will not return

Grounds were fine, roaches were in our room 2 nights out of our stay, service at the bar was amazing the first 2 days after that we pretty much had to beg for service an mind you, we were tipping at the bars and chatting up the bartenders best we could in spanish. Food was not good. On the third day our party of 13 people were all stuck on the toilet which was scary because we were afraid to eat the rest of the trip or just didnt have an appetite. Some of us took taxis off the resort to get kfc [... read more] because the food was that bad. One of our group had jewelry stolen from the room and had to dedicate 3 days to get resolved and the hotel gave a hard time before agreeing to accompany the guest to the police station to make a report. The beach is public and almost every day we were accosted by locals trying to sell us drugs!?? I think the best parts of this vacation was the off resort excursions we did. Doom buggys and a party boat. First and last time for us in punta cana. Probably one of the worst vacations to date.

Riu Playa Blanca: Really nice

Great deal at this price point. Large room with nice bathroom. Nothing fancy but nothing wrong with it either.Aircon was great. Buffet was excellent for a buffet and a la cartes were ok to good. Drinks were good all around but better in the sports bar and best in the lobby bar where they blended the drinks. Four pools including a great kids pool with slides. Beach was great for walks but not pretty white sand and the water was a little cold in April ( ok I am a wuss) compared to the pools whi [... read more]ch were quickly warmed up in the hot sun. Entertainment shows were ok . One set of four elevators but they were very quick and hardly any waiting. We were close to the elevators ( no noise) and that was great. I could see it being a bit of a pain if you had a long walk from your room to the single set of elevators. The staff was always very helpful.

Riu Palace Costa Mujeres: Very clean and great resort!

The hotel has an incredible amount of staff working there. The grounds are impeccable, everything is always cleaned, touched up, upgraded, etc. which makes it feel like a new and fresh resort. We've been here twice now and want to keep coming back. The beach is always clean of seaweed, beautiful sand and water is just amazing turquoise blue. Food at the buffet was pretty good - lots of selection and we've never felt hungry even at peak times. Drinks variety is good and the cafe is amazing to h [... read more]ang out at in the evening. Service at this hotel is definitely one of the best in Quintana Roo area. Travelled with little kids and everyone had a blast!

Riu Republica: Something for everyone

The resort itself beautiful. The bad: The rooms need a facelift. They are clean but the A/C wasn’t working and my TV wasn’t working either I was in room 2031. There was a funky smell maybe .. mildew?? And the elevators were temperamental, and the party pool was cloudy and gave me the ick .. but.. The good: ? The beach, is stunning , tonnes of beach chairs always available! I was impressed with the choice of food at the buffet, the JERK chicken hut was AMAZING! The bartenders were  [... read more]fast and the drinks were delicious! The resort staff were warm and friendly. They definitely contributed to the charm. Even tho the resort is huge.. it felt cozy! Special thanks to WILFREDO and his team in the buffet! He and the team went out of thier way to make my friends 50th bday a special and memorable occasion! The attention to detail was incredible! They celebrated with us and became our vacay family! Thank you soooo much! There is definitely a little something for everyone at this resort!

Riu Santa Fe: Clean & Comfortable

Cleanliness is an absolute obsession with the staff of this hotel. Food choices were infinite. So many pools and restaurants. Definitely would stay again in the future. Minibar is stocked every second day.

Riu Palace Bavaro: Riu Palace: All around great resort.

Just came back from 5 days at Riu Palace: Elite Club, Swimout room. Before listing the items, I have travelled to many all inclusive in the Caribbean, last year staying at the Royalton Bavaro. I'm providing my objective review and you can decide what is ' good for you'. General Hotel Grounds and Lobby: Nicely kept. Beautiful upscale lobby with marble floors, and sculptures. Looks like a nice hotel in a big city rather than a Caribbean hotel. Beautiful. Lobby had a coffee shop and  [... read more]a bar. Hotel is not excessively big and everything seems to be within a reasonable short walk. NOTE: the kids area and waterpark is at the very front of the hotel. We only knew it was there because we passed it while on the bus-ride in. This could be good or bad depending on if you have kids or not. But, it's not close to the rest of the resort. Pools: There are 5 main pools (excluding the waterpark section). Elite Club and Adults only: VERY quiet. only a handful of people at these pools on any day at any time. Great if you want COMPLETE quiet. Activity Pool: Basic rectangular pool. Empty 90% of the day with the exception of water aerobics once a day. Drinking Pool: There is a separate pool with in-pool tables and bar. This is only for those who want to sit drink and chat all day. No swimming. Main Pool: Given the above, the main pool is very busy. As with most resorts, people reserve their chairs. if you want a seat in the 'front row', then you will have to do the same. But, if you don't mind being a row behind, then there are seats available. These back 'rows' also have a lot of shade. This pool can also be loud with kids. Given how far the waterpark is, I guess most parents just bring them to this pool. Surprising, no music or entertainment group throughout the day. They have some games a little later on (4pm), but nothing other than that. I would have at least expected some music playing on the speakers. Pool Service: There are waiters coming by taking orders, and a bar cart there during the day. I never had to wait for a drink. Room: Elite Swim-out: Swim out was kind of a waste (Royalton is 100% better). There are stairs, going into the 3ft pool. So, there is nothing you can do with it... if you go in, you are basically standing there. Royalton, had a shallow platform and had the two loungers partially submitted in the water. This has a patio area with loungers, but they couldn't be in the pool. Main benefit was you are on the main floor. Room was large and clean. Separate 'room' for the toilette (water closet), huge shower and restroom with double sink. No complaints. Elite Club: Your room will be closer to the pools. Separate loungers on the beach. These were at the back of the beach, so you couldn't even see the ocean. Not sure why they would have them so far back. Separate Pool: very quiet if you want that. Only Elite can make reservations at the restaurants for either 6pm or 8pm. This is helpful, but others just walk in since they don't see to be overly busy. Overall: My opinion, there isn't much benefit for paying for Elite. The only benefit is that you know you will have a room in a good location. Other than that, I don't see much use for it. Beach: When you walk down from the pool to the beach, it is VERY crowded. BUT... if you walk to the left for 30 seconds, you are still infront of the resort and the beach is almost empty! Huge beach area (length and depth), many chairs, and a lot of palm trees for shade. No seaweed, no rocks. We walked along the beach in front of other resorts (Grand Bahia to the left and Iberostar to the right). Riu had the best beach area (for size, flatness, and seaweed). Restaurants: Buffet: Large with a lot of selection. Lunch is the same everyday with little change, but there are many options. Dinner is mostly the same, with some variances for 'theme' nights. Nothing amazing, but always something good to eat. Food Court: There is a food court closer to the main pool. About 8-10 small restaurants, with Fried Chicken, Wok bowls, ice cream/crepes, hamburgers and Tacos. Fresh made tacos were great. Nice place to grab some quick eats without having to go into the buffet. AlaCarte: They were all good. If you are Elite, there is an Elite Cub restaurant which was the best. Service is top notch and food is excellent. American: Ribs, wings, etc Italian: good with antipasto buffet Elite: Great Krystal: High end. Very good. Japanese and Mexican: did not try Menus are outside the restaurants, so you can decide accordingly. Overall, the resort was very good and I would definitely go back. Everything was good with nothing to complain about. Nice hotel, good rooms, good service, no lines, and great beach area. I would put it inline with Royalton Bavaro, but Royalton would have a slight edge due to better SwimOut Room, slightly better restaurants and Diamond club amenities (ie beach loungers). But, you will not be disappointed with this hotel.

Riu Vallarta: Beautiful resort

This hotel had amazing restaurants and buffet. It was very clean. Drinks were good, staff were great. I would definitely go back again. My only complaint would be not enough bathrooms for four pools. There was only four stalls so usually a lineup.

Riu Palace Baja California: Awesome Resort

The resort is super clean and the grounds manicured beautifully. I would recommend this resort and would go back in a second. Some restaurants are better than others but you can always find great choices at the buffet The rooms are super clean (mattress was in need of replacing) The staff is outstanding and always friendly Dress code should be enforced in the restaurants a couple of knuckleheads wearing muscle shirts was not acceptable. Resort is a little on the loud side, so if your look [... read more]ing for quiet keep looking Overall a very good value

Riu Flamingos: RIU JALISICO

The hotel was clean, good food, beach and pools. The staff was friendly. The white party was fun. We enjoyed the foam party at the pool. Loved seeing all the iguanas. Tracy from trip central was very helpful. I would recommend the resort. ?

Riu Flamingos: RIU JALISICO

The hotel was clean, good food, beach and pools. The staff was friendly. The white party was fun. We enjoyed the foam party at the pool. Loved seeing all the iguanas. Tracy from trip central was very helpful. I would recommend the resort. ?