Riu Palace Paradise Island: Nice resort

This is our third trip to the Riu on Paradise Island. The last time was before the renovations were done and to be honest it didn't look that much different. Some paint, a new restaurant, and a gym. The bar area was still much the same. I like the resort and the location but to call it a "Palace" is an overstatement. Since my husband had a mini stroke recently we purposely chose this location because it has very limited ground which meant very little walking needed so it fitted out need. The roo [... read more]ms are nice in all the Riu resorts as is the food and service. The pool is very small compared to other locations we've been to (e.g. Punta Cana) where there are several Rius close together. We enjoyed our vacation and would go back to this one but if we did not have the physical restrictions we'd rather go to the Carribbean since they're half the price and twice the size.

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: Very good

Very clean resort and rooms, very friendly personnel and all the problems were resolved immediately, good food, excellent professional entertainment and much weaker entertainment involving public (which I personally do not like but some other do).

Riu Merengue: Last minute and one of the best

Could not have asked for a better vacation. Flights were great and the staff were awsome. Cheeky monkey and the entertainment group kept the pool lively and the beach was awesome. Rooms clean and comfortable and the food was great. I loved that the salad bar was enclosed so everything was cold and fresh. Now the best was our waiter Willy who kept us laughing and entertained .

Riu Playa Blanca: Good resort - needs improvements to be great.

A typical, beautiful, clean, well furnished Riu resort building, but with some annoying service problems. Several of the front desk staff were not conversant in English. I'm sure this will improve as more English speaking guests visit the resort. The nearest ATM was in a new supermarket, several kilometers from the resort. The front-desk could not provide change for $20.00 bills (in order to give tips to the staff) and sent people to the resort store that would only give change if you bought s [... read more]omething in the store. There are no coffee machines in the rooms and if you want a coffee in your room in the morning, you have to go to the Sports Bar, on the lowest level, and get a coffee in a paper cup. You get a proper cup if you drink it in the bar. There are four swimming pools, with a large swim-up bar in the largest pool. ( NOTE: The picture of the pool and bar in the Signature Vacations catalog is NOT the pool at Riu Playa Blanca ). There are no washrooms near the bar area. You can guess the result. Some of the noisy patrons even bragged that they didn't have to leave the bar for a bathroom break. Bearing in mind the beautiful clear skies and scorching sun, there are not enough shaded areas for the number of lounger/beds that are provided. Double the amount would stop people having to go and reserve shaded spaces before 6am every morning. HOWEVER, once we accommodated these inconveniences, we had a very good stay at the resort. Our room was PERFECT: Large, clean, very well furnished, with a grand view of the ocean. We were on the top floor, near the main elevators, and in our opinion, we had the best location in the resort. The restaurants were clean and well staffed and the food, which was mainly served buffet style ( there is no "Fine Dinning" as such ), was well prepared with a great selection of fresh and prepared dishes. It was very hard not to over-eat at every meal. The only improvement would be the addition of some shell-fish once in a while: crab or lobster. The resort is in a beautiful newly developed area and apart from walking along the beach, which has black sand which gets extremely hot, there are no local amenities within walking distance. However, rental cars are available and the road signage is good if you want to visit the local towns and beautiful mountainous countryside. The day trip to Panama City and the Canal, arranged through the Nexus rep at the resort, was very interesting and educational. It should not be missed by anyone visiting the resort. In conclusion, I am sure that Riu management will continue to fine tune the service at this fairly new resort, to accommodate the North American and European tourists ( I learned that until recently, most of the visitors have been Spanish speaking South Americans ), and provide the excellent service previously experienced at Riu resorts.

Riu Palace Las Americas: Wonderful Resort

The Riu Palace Las Américas was absolutely wonderful. The staff were outstanding, extremely helpful and friendly. The food was fantastic at all the restaurants. We enjoyed our vacation very much and would return in a heartbeat.

Riu Palace Costa Rica: beautiful resort everything was fabulous

Only complaint only one washroom by pools. Everything else was fabulous. Staff amazing as was food and resort. Le carte restaurants really good and many to chose from. Pool staff around constantly to serve drinks, high end alcohol.

Riu Playa Blanca: Lovely resort

Hotel is highly recommended The only major problem we could see was the need for more bathrooms by the swim up pool Food was amazing in all restaurants and the buffet was excellent. Wonderful holiday and definitely enjoyed the weather

Riu Santa Fe: Best resort I've stayed at

Perfect if you want to find the social scene, everything is pretty central. I just wish they played urban latin hits in Pacha. They played top 40's. The main buffet was amazing. Some of the best food i've had at a resort. Shrimp was fresh, tacos and everything that you would expect in mexico is there. The A la cartes are great. The after hour snacks were not just hamburgers and hot dogs, there was a salad option, nacho's and pastries. Social scene at the party pool is good, as well as the cent [... read more]ral area at night. You can always find the party. However, you can always escape and have quiet time in other places which was perfect. Riu had a bit of everything. We went to Wal-mart to buy our excursions which were a lot cheaper than the resort. We paid a portion of the excursion, then the remainder when we arrived at the excursion check in. A lot cheaper than hotel rates. The pools were great, all of them. The beach area was perfect because of the escape from the vendors. However, watch out for how powerful the waves are. The rooms are great. Shows at night are great. i wish they had more dancing during the day by animation.

Riu Tequila: Great service - well maintained grounds.

Spent a week at Riu Tequila, our second time in Playacar Gated community. Its walking distance the downtown Playa del Carmen, we did the jaunt to 5th ave twice this week. Overall impression of the Riu Tequila was very good. Ill touch on a few key points; The food was amazing- there was something for everyone- there was only one day throughout the trip where is was less than par- everything overcooked; but overall no complaints about food. The drinks were fabulous! Premium spirits and they were n [... read more]ot shy with them- they learned quickly what you liked and how you liked it and never let you go without a drink in your hand. The staff was SUPERB! By far the best customer service we have received yet in Mexico - even the staff that did not have great English communicated themselves in other ways very well and understood what you asked- though could not always give a great verbal response. The staff definitely made up for any downfalls. The entertainment was slightly disappointing at times, but we did see 3 spectacular night shows- Moulin Rouge, Michael Jackson and Mammia Mia were great make sure you see them- props and costumes were spectacular I thought. The rest of the shows- and the day entertainment- not overly great- we enjoyed it more down by the beach pool at the Riu Yucatan. The Tequila is a walk from the beach but a manageable one- there is also a shuttle that runs every 10 min- they stop for lunch between 1-3. The beach itself if beautiful- and even though you share it with all the other Riu's and the Wyndam is tucked in there too there were lots of loungers. Once you are down there there are 2 "snack bars" at which you can eat, one at Riu Yucatan and one at Riu Palaycar. This was not a downfall for us but would be for many- the resort feels more in the "jungle" your surrounded by lush greenery so If your looking for a great "beach vacation" I would encourage the Riu Yucatan or Riu Playacar. The rooms were very clean and well kept, the grounds were meticulously maintained- its not a new resort but definitely does not feel old. All in all- good resort:)

Grand Memories Varadero: My 3rd time at grand memories

In terms of rooms I give it four stars . Pools are in amazing there is a quite pool and and nice active pool were all activities . And they both are very nice to swim in and very clean . Overall of food has some flavor and there was food that you eat and find at any restaurant you go to. staff is very very kind and specially the kids club staff and the Sunwing reps in varadaro. To my relation one person was very not nice but that didn't reuin my experience. Things to be improved the bar at the q [... read more]uite pool had no ice most of the time, and run out of coffee at snack bar and the front entrance. The beach not clean too narrow ! Wished they cleaned better If you go to Cuba you must see The night entertainment the kids entertainment was very amazing for the children and they love to participate adults entertainment some nights are better than others but overall I love to go back again .

Riu Ocho Rios: A great place to relax

The hotel was very clean. The deluxe room was perfect. Good variety of food at the buffet restaurants . The service was a bit slow at one of the special restaurants. The pool was nice but we spent most of time at the beach. I loved to snorkel and all that coral and the different colour fish. The staff were very friendly and helpful, they treated you like family. The evening shows were great.

Riu Palace Mexico: Awesome resort!

The room was very clean, the food was delicious, the staff were very accomadating and very polite and friendly! We stayed for two weeks and loved the resort and the location. We went March 29, 2016, the weather was beautiful. It was quite damp when sleeping at night. We will definitely be back!

Riu Palace Antillas: Outstanding Resort

The only issue I had with this resort was that the 4 a la carte restaurants must be reserved between 8:00 am and 11:00 am 24 hours in advance. Not an issue except that the seating are only for 6:30 pm and 9:00 pm and the Assistant General Manager, Justin Carson told me that they appear half empty for every sitting because they only book 45% capacity. Needless to say this, is frustrating and highly inconvenient for such an otherwise outstanding resort. I am not a huge foody but I would imagine th [... read more]e reaction by those who are.

Sol Turquesa Beach: Great Resort

Enjoyed our stay, second time there with 2 kids under 12 yrs. Beautiful beach and friendly staff. Good family resort. They have vendors down by the beach to buy souvenirs, which was great. Very friendly and not harassing like some places.

Sol Turquesa Beach: geat resort for families

The dining had good food none of our family got sick. The entertainment was awesome. Made Cuban friends, people are very friendly Swimming with the dolphins was a great experience and scuba diving. Lots to do 5 swimming pools and a nice white sandy beach. Sunwing was a great airline to fly with

Riu Negril: Not impressed

The hotel was 90 minutes from the airport, long trip but still had to stop for a beer break (unacceptable). On the way back had to wait at another resort for 20 minutes while the person got to the bus. Out of seven days only had hot water for four and when we did get hot water had to let it run for at least 5 minutes to get it. Sand fleas around pool area and outdoor table areas not good.

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: A bit dissapointed

Rooms were fine , lots of food. The very big disappointment was the beach. The small pebbles long the beach are loose and you sink in when you enter the water. There is also a cross current that you have to watch for. Another area of concern is that the nearby Rio are allowed to use these facilities with the exception of the a la carts this often lead to getting up very early to find a spot at the beach. I have been to Dominican several times over the last few years. I can not see myself returni [... read more]ng to this resort.

Grand Memories Varadero: Enjoyed our vacation

We really liked the resort. It was clean, the grounds were very nice and the people who work there are great. There is a lot of variety of food but we were sometimes disappointed with the preparation and the buffet was hectic most of the time. The snack bars were less hectic and good food there. I must say they are creative if they run out of things! The room was also nice and clean. The beach was awesome as always!

Sol Turquesa Beach: Relaxing and very friendly

Perfect place to relax and just chill out. The beach is amazing. There are alot of stairs but you can find paths to make it easier. The staff was very friendly and polite. There was no beach views or pool views but that was ok

Riu Palace Paradise Island: Truly relaxing

The employees make this resort. They are conscientious and happy! We loved the food especially in the buffet. The beach is beautiful but the water can be rough! The rooms were good. Loved the view from the balcony!