The grounds were lovely and the staff were amazing! Rolinda and Charmaine are gems! The front desk staff are not particularly attuned to guests needs and almost appear to be inconvenienced when asked a question. It was very upsetting to discover that we could not extend our check out on our last day, as our flight was leaving at 9pm. Every other hotel that I have ever stayed at was able to accommodate a later check out. This situation must occur every week and they should consider rearranging th[... read more]eir housekeeping schedule in order to provide a better customer experience.
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Sue16 -
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Riu Cancun: amazing place
beautiful beach, clean rooms and area, very pleasant smiling employees, food excellent with lots of fresh variety, entertainment was good...............wifi was on and off and only on main floor but free when you could get it..........
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GCosta -
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Riu Bambu: OK Resort
This hotel is OK. Some things are very nice and some things are lacking.
The beach is gorgeous, pools nice, staff excellent. Rooms are OK. No coffee maker, no room service, no concierge. The gym had little to no equipment and was difficult to get a decent workout. Drinks are average, wine is awful and food is OK at best5. The buffet was better than the a la carte restaurants. I have stayed in the Bavaro area on many occasions and know that for a bit more money the hotels up the beach are top not[... read more]ch with full service. Was a fun vacation but would not go back to this resort.
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BlackieCarol -
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Riu Bambu: Great time but some Issues
Excelllent - staff, activities, cleanliness, nurse station, beach
Good - pool, rooms
Issues-king bed doesn't mean two beds pushed together, no coffee in room, availability to get more cash was next to impossible, sand fleas
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Callen -
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Riu Santa Fe: this is a beautiful resort
This hotel is very well kept and clean. The rooms were great. The service was excellent with a lot of very happy and helpful staff. It is a very big property though, so be prepared to do a lot of walking just to get around on their property.
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Luckyluke -
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Grand Memories Varadero: Grand Memories Oct 5th
After a few weeks back finally can write a few words about the grand. Arriving at 9.15 at night we were quite tired and check in went pretty smoothly.The person at the reception was Leydi Landa and wow what great service to start your holiday .She greeted us with a smile and processed us with ease..you can tell she's a pro at what she does and her English is impecable i would hire her in a minute...Our room was a standard and no complaints as our maid ( Mayrit) i probably have it wrong but she w[... read more]as an absolute gem there were a few small issues with that room but we didn't want to change as we might have lost her . (room 21110).The food was par for Cuba but we never went hungry..If you want a Filet mignon go to France and pay big bucks don't come to Cuba.I got the grill man to put things on the grill for warmer dishes after giving him a few dollars he had no probs doing it all week.The dinning staff (as you walk in to your left near the window) made our stay even better as they were all a delight morning till night could not complain one bit.( You guys were awesome) ;-) The staff working the bars , cleaning and the grounds crew were also good..the towel guy the Dj the dancers i could go on and on about the staff as this resort has one of the best i've been to.The only complaint i would have and this can be rectified is the pool..Needs to be looked after with love and care with this being said we would go back (better cleaned pool) without a second thought.
Wishing all our Cuban friends a big Ola and thanking you for all the great times at the Grand your the best..To Management your staff is amazing don't lose em.
Jp/Sandra
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Best -
Verified Purchaser
Riu Palace Riviera Maya: Home away from Home
My husband and I returned to our little Paradise. We have been coming for 8 years to Riu Palace Rivera Maya. We celebrate our anniversary every Oct 05 with our children and extended family at the Riu. Thanks to Mendea (Roseira), and all the staff our visit, our food, our accomodations have always been excellent. This is a place where you can feel safe and relax. It is not a large resort and you have access to all the other Riu's in the area should you wish to. The beach was excellent and we only[... read more] had some seaweed the last 2 days of our stay. We often could be found in the pool playing volleyball. The only complaint I have would be the entertainment during the day and the shows at night. I also miss the older days when the vendors and people would visit the resort. The good thing is you are close to everything and can go to 5th Avenue, catch a ferry to Cozumel and even go to the Casino
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Pleasure Queen -
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Grand Memories Varadero: Great Resort! Amazing Staff!!
Grounds - were well kept
Food - Good Variety and Tasty
Pool - Big and clean
Concierge Staff - Informative and Friendly
Animation Staff - EXCELLENT! and Entertaining getting everyone involved.
Worth the Money!
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Bluej29 -
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Riu Ocho Rios: nice resort
nice resort
paid for the adults only and yet the adults only pool closes at 6 pm..
REALLY?
besides that it was a nice resort, rooms were clean, food was what we expected, most servers where good.
thanks
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Danger89 -
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Riu Santa Fe: Fun resort.
Very clean, good entertainment friendly staff and good food. I will definitely be going back. It was a nice walk on the beach to the down town bar, but after the night life I would have to take a taxi back to the resort. I wouldn't recommend walk home on the beach at night, simply to far when your drunk.
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Ferns -
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Riu Guanacaste: Great resort
Great resort. Everything was more than we expected. Rooms and pool and grounds . were well kept. Bars were well stocked and there was a big variety of food. The beach was not attractive. Your trip advisor Elizabeth was excellent.
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Teava -
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Riu Playa Blanca: Good Value .. Lots to do ..
New Resort.. very well kept .. clean .. rooms were cleaned every day.
Beach good .. black sand.. ..
Lots to do at this resort .. also great day trips ..
Food was plentiful and a wide variety at every meal
Smoke Free resort although when we were there .. many inconsiderate smokers did not adhere to the NO SMOKING signs and I had to report it four times.
Great Artisans on the beach and very reasonable prices ... Gift shop .. far TOO EXPENSIVE .. you can purchase the same items on the beach for [... read more]less than half the price
We felt very safe here and went off the resort many times to go to the local village.
Panamanians are friendly hardworking people and very helpful.. when there was a language barrier (which wasn't often) they would go out of the way to find someone that could speak English.
The only negative I would say is that on the weekends you can hardly get in the pools as the resort is full of locals .. This was especially in the kids area ..
Other than that we had a great time and the price is right. WE had a garden view room but every room has a view of the ocean.
I would rate it as a 4 star not 5
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Sirb -
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Riu Tequila: RIU Tequila
The resort is fabulous. Starting from when you first arrive, you'll notice RIU tequila's unique lobby. The villa style rooms, the layout of the resort and the customer service received there are all fantastic. Playacar is a very safe district with gated security. A must go for the much needed mid winter rest and relaxation.
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KJay -
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Riu Palace Paradise Island: Great Fun, Good Price
We decided to return to Bahamas for our one year anniversary trip. We decided somewhat last miinute and saw a deal for The Riu Paradise Island. The price was right and it was an upgrade to the "Supreme Ocean View Suite". The only negative thing i will say is that this was far from a suite, it was a regular room like everyone elses! The room size was fine, we unfortuantely didnt get one of the newly updated rooms, but it was still nice. The view was mostly of the resort and the ocean on the side.[... read more] After talking to other couples and familes, it sounded like they were all upgraded to suites at the front of the building. One couple was also on their one year anniversary and showed up on the same day as us but a couple of hours after we did and they were automatically upgraded to a much larger and nicer room. We told the front desk and the people doing the welcome that it was our anniversary upon our arrival, but there was no recognition of this. However, i was in no mood to complain this was a relaxing trip and i didn't want any worries! Overall, the resort was extremely clean and nicely done. Everytime i would go into the washrooms they were always being cleaned, as well as the pool deck and restaurants. The selection of food was amazing! I was very surprised! Every lunch buffet had something different each day and the dinner buffet was very good. One night they even had a ton of sushi rolls prepared, and they were great! The A La Cart restaurants were very good as well. My favourite was either Alexander or Japanese. The only downfall to eating at the a la cart was that there were only two seating times, 6:30 PM or 8:30 PM and they were all three course meals, but you had to wait for everyone else to finish each course before you got your next plate. There was one night that we left early and skipped on the dessert because we didnt want to wait any more. The pool was a great spot for me, i loved the built in lounge chairs that are seated in the water! The beach was clean and the ocean was beautiful. It is a public beach so it did seam a little crowded at times, and there are a lot of people trying to sell you things like coconut drinks and jet skis. Great selection of drinks, bartenders were friendly and fast. They had a lot of blended drinks that were amazing, like the frozen mojito. I didnt go on any excursions or visit the spa on site. However, this resort is so close to Atlantis we visited there a couple of times. And it is a short walk into town or you can take the water ferry. So there is a lot to do. Overall, for a last minute vacation i was impressed and we both felt that we got good value for our money. I would recommend this resort or another RIU resort.
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Debora60 -
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Riu Palace Paradise Island: Truly Paradise!
My husband and I spent a wonderful week from Oct 1 to Oct 8 in beautiful Bahamas to celebrate my 60th birthday. This was our first time in Bahamas and all I can say is everything was perfect. Our flight from Toronto was smooth, the Riu hotel is beautiful, the staff are amazing and we couldn't have asked for better service. We loved the food...always a huge selection.
Lovely white sandy beach and the ocean a beautiful aqua colour and is clear and warm We had excellent weather and thankful the hur[... read more]ricane did not affect Nassau. We had 1 day of rain and the rest of our stay was sunny and hot. I cannot say enough about this place. It really is better in the Bahamas and we cannot wait to return!
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Ellinka -
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Riu Naiboa: Good for the price
I have stayed at the Riu Naiboa with my boyfriend from September 28- October 4, 2015.
The weather was amazing, the beach was great, very clean, lots of palm shade, would have been better with palapas but I guess it's a Riu thing not to use those.
Staff were dedicated and friendly.
Food lacked variety, but was tasty.
Drinks were weak.
The bed was tiny and hard, however when my parents stayed at this resort they had a big soft bed so depends on the room you get. Also the drain cover, and door[... read more] handles on shower were broken off, we looked at 4 rooms before choosing this 'least broken' room.
The pool bar is not swimup, and you actually have to go up a flight of stairs to get to it.
On the weekends lots of locals with lots of kids being very very noisy, and the entertainment gears at them, not speaking Spanish made us feel very excluded.
We walked through the other Rius, the difference is astronomical in pretty much everything, that being said the other Rius were also twice as expensive when we were booking so I feel that we got what we paid for. The beach and beach bar/snack bar is the same for all of the Rius in that complex and has great staff, yummy food, and the standard local drinks.
Solid 3 stars.
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Meganlalf -
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Riu Santa Fe: Wonderful Trip!
We Love Cabo. Riu Santa Fe is great value. Travelled end of September. One day of rain and very hot. Resort was only 55% capacity. Plenty of chairs and restaurant reservations were easy. Would go back for sure!
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Mdutton -
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Riu Guanacaste: Good resort
Nice resort, very clean, loved the room very spacious, room also had a nice sized balcony. The beach is nice, hardly anyone bothers you to buy stuff. Ocean was nice not rough at all. Staff very friendly. Good food.
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Kennyd69 -
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Grand Memories Varadero: We had a great week!!!
My wife and I have never been to Cuba so we did not know what to expect. Everyone seems to complain about the food but we found it fresh and healthy. I think the lack of salt and preservatives throws everyone off :) The room was very nice, but we did not spend a lot of time in it. We tended to relax by the beach and pool most often. The beach was only steps from our room, block 33, and was beautiful and clean. The pool was very clean and warm. There was one section of the resort that was closed [... read more]because it is considered "off" season when we went. The staff was very friendly, and even more friendly if you tip them :) Its not them, its the Country they live in. The drinks were plentiful, especially if you enjoy Rum. We booked 2 excursions. One was the Jeep excursion and the other was the Havana bus tour. The Jeep excursion was amazing. You get to drive a Suzuki Jeep all over Cuba for the day and it includes snorkelling, cave swimming, horse back riding, speed boats on a river and lunch. The Havana bus tour was good but be ready for a lot of travelling that day. All in all we really enjoyed it. We would definitely go back to that Resort.
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Ellen Zhang -
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Riu Palace Jamaica: Great vacation and already missing it
Few review points here:
Property: very well maintained, rooms are clean and spacious. We loved the fact that we don't have to fight for chairs on the beach or by the pool. Everything is close, so no running back and forth between room, beach, pool, restaurants. We did venture to the next door as well, but just for walks and Jerk chicken. Most of time, we stayed on our side.
Food:GREAT!!!! Loved the juice bar at breakfast. Jerk chicken hut next door IS THE BEST... we went over every day and pick[... read more]ed up two plates and came back and ate by the pool :) . All the a la carte restaurants are delicious, even the buffet was great (different themes for 3-4 nights per week). Even the 24 hour snack bar (Aqua bar) are fairly decent.
Drink: I separated this item from food because I think it is worth mentioning. Drink selections are very good, you get premium drinks such as Martini's, premium rum (the $140/bottle one) , where we never got when travelled to DR last year. I am not a huge drinker, but they have a great variety of tasty cocktails
Service: GREAT SERVICE... you always have drink/water in your hand. Staff are always greet you with a smile. I like it the room services are included 24/7.
Beach: it is average beach as it is closed off. But the water is calm and warm, which was great for a late afternoon swim.
Excursion: We went for a horse back riding tour...it was very interesting as it is not something we do here everyday, especially when we ride the horse and swim in the ocean. Overall it is a pleasant tour (guides are very nice).
We also went for a shopping trip that cost US 25pp to go. This is the only thing I would not recommend. We went to 3 different designated gift shops which are all overpriced items. There is a mall across the road from hotel, which doesn't cost anything to walk over to check out.