Grand Memories Varadero: Amazing resort

This was our best holidays for years We've been upgraded without asking, the maid was excellent very kind and lovely, hotel personnel was very professional and helpful, even the manager was always around asking if all is ok and helping. This was our best beach ever, the kids were very happy we only stayed at the beach all the stay ( 2 weeks ). The food was ok for the taste in general but if you like fish this was the best, we've always had lot of choice and this was one of my best in Cuba Overal [... read more]l as I said this was our best holidays in years and I will return gladly.

Riu Palace Paradise Island: Great place, staff was wonderful.

Our overral experience was good. The only downside was the entertainment, it was just lacking. My teenage kids felt that the lack of a nightclub or other entertainment for the younger crowd was not great, as this left them with nothing to do at night. With so many families arriving at the hotel, there should have been more of a variety of things to do for adults, small children and older children.

Riu Palace Tropical Bay: Resort was beautiful, atmosphere is funtastic.

Hotel was great, clean, staff is friendly and hospitality is excellent. Foods ( all you can eat Buffet is delicious especially the fruits. Yum yum yum. Missed it already. A La Carte was okay except the Japanese a la carte but still edible .

Riu Palace Costa Rica: Great resort

Clean,great food and service. Staff appreciated tips but I never felt it was expected or required. Beach was not like Cuba or Punta Cana but you could enjoy the ocean . Liked that they had a band playing before and after the shows.

Riu Merengue: full of crazy locals

The resort was comfortable, outdated but that didn't bother us because it was very clean. The staff was very helpful, yet they hardly understood us. We could not go in the pool at the meringue because it was wall to wall full of locals, very, very dirty. We had no idea when we booked that locals were going to be staying at this resort. The Sunwing host Frank, was terrible, very cold. It was very intimidating, the "local" men and boys were very aggressive, especially since we had teenage daughter [... read more]s. The entire vacation the resort only spoke spanish during all shows and games. We were very disappointed not to know the truth about this resort.

Riu Santa Fe: HEAVEN IN CABO SAN LUCAS MEXICO

The Rui Santa Fe is just an amazing place for young and old clean perfect position superb infinity pools food top class staff attentive and friendly entertainment staff led by Paris where brilliant in the day and the shows at night excellent like I said Heaven.

Riu Playa Blanca: Great Resort...Pleasantly Surprised

After reading some of the other reviews regarding this resort, once we arrived and had a chance to get to know the place we were quite pleasantly surprised at how truly nice this resort actually is. Even thought the hotel idicates it is a 5 star it would propably be fair to say more of a 4 or 4.5 star. Not all the services that come along with a 5 star property were offered here. The hotel itself is truly modern and quite simplistic in its design, not your traditional RIU hotel if that is what  [... read more]you are looking for than this is not it, this hotel is quite modern with everything about it, from your room to the restaurants to the entire design of the hotel. I found it to be a refreshing change and quite liked it myself for a change of pace from the ordinary of what you normally expect. We stayed in a standard room which was quite fine in size, had all the typical amenties that RIU is quite famous for. The room was very clean and staff were amazing and very helpful if you needed anything. All rooms that face inward to the garden/courtyard/pool area have somewhat off a view of the ocean from the balcony which is an added bonus. I found the lobby to be a bit on the hot side, the natural breeze just didn't seem to flow through very easy, now the lounge area just off the lobby has an amazing breeze. The check in was truly great, I was with Sunwing, so we had our own check in line and everything was prepared and ready to go. Because this resort is quite new, the grounds still have a lot of growth to go but they really do keep it very clean and well maintained....still so young since the hotel has only been open for a little over a year now to the best of my knowledge. I found the food to be quite good, above average considering it is an all inclusive. Each restaurant I found to be equally good, Steak House, Asian, Italian and the Buffett...each were equally as good. Note: At the Steak House make sure you ask for the special or they may not offer it to you. Found this out afterwards that they sometimes forget to offer the special, but just ask and they will offer it. The service was very good and there was always something good to eat and let me tell you I am a very picky eater...so if I could eat then just about anyone would enjoy. Also you do have unlimited access to all the restuarants here, but again you do have to book early in the morning to get the place you want to eat at with the exception of the buffett of course. The beach area is a little different, the red flag was up the entire week for us, so didn't really get a chance to swim in the ocean, but we did a lot of walking along the shoreline letting the water cascade over our feet...which is really nice. You can quite literally walk forever it seems along this beach...amazing! If you are looking for a very laid back place to enjoy music, sun and sand then I think you will enjoy yourself here.

Grand Memories Varadero: Great time at Grand Memories

I stayed at the grand memories varadero from june 28-july 5 with my fiance and another couple we were all between 22-25. Over all a great hotel, big hotel, easy to get around we stayed in room 21310 and it was a nice room the bathroom was clean always hot water. Fridge always stalked, and my room was always cold! Our room was right infront of the pool so it was great we stayed at the pool almost everyday. Breakfast was good, omlet station was good. Lunch was amazing in the buffet it started at 1 [... read more]. There was a meat bbq and a fish bbq station which was awesome. No salad though, i felt like i didnt eat any veggies the whole trip and no salad i enjoy salad with my meals. The snack bar was also good, but during lunch the staff was really rude, we always had a problem with the servers at lunch at the snack bar. I really enjoyed the Hawaiian pizza and the french fries of course. Dinner was not that great, lunch was much better. We only had 1 al la cart, but booked for 2. First one was italian we ended up going there and it was gourmet which was french, we were upset we were looking forward to the italian. So we ended up at japanese which was booked for another day and it was not that good so we didnt go for the one we booked. The drinks also were not that good. Pina coloda was always watering. They didnt have any strawberry maragritas or different kinda of fruit drinks only lime slush and watering pina colodas. I ended up drinking sparkling water at every meal and lime drinks and mojitos which were really good with fresh mint. We booked a excursion the bus didnt even end up picking us up it was 45 minutes late then we found out it wasnt coming. We got our money back. The weather was AMAZING !! so hot everyday, it was amazing the weather. The staff were really nice. The entertainment staff were really nice and funny. The bartenders at the pool were also really nice. The evening staff at the snack bar gave us a hassel with taking food when we wanted to eat it in our room we seen locals walking away with bottles of ketchup and food in napkins lol. A nice man i believe named giuliano was very nice and was happy to wrap up some food for us to take to go. I spoke to him for a little i was happy to leave him a nice tip. I dont think i need to leave people tips who dont deserve it , sorry i dont feel bad if i dont leave it if i dont think your kind and deserve it. If i am waiting for a drink for longer then 5-10 minutes and i see you walk by me a few times serving another person and you know im waiting , thats very rude. Over all i had a great time i would give this hotel a 7.5/10, the ice coffees and cappucinos were amazing loved them ! I would recommend this hotel its a great place for a great week of relaxation in paradise !!

Riu Guanacaste: Would definitely go back!

The hotel and staff were amazing... for those that are a bit picky about food, the options available would certainly satisfy those as well. Very clean and beautiful resort. We really cant think of anything negative to say about it :-)

Riu Tequila: RIU Tequila

No major complains. Beach has lots of sea weeds this year. Came to Iberostar 3 years ago beach was awesome. Other than that it is strong 4 star hotel. Majority tourists speak Spanish. Don’t go to city especially to big malls like for example Walmart. You will be targeted by salesmen who sell excursions in a very aggressive way. Hide you bracelet somehow.

Riu Negril: Quaint resort

Small area, makes it easy to get around. Beach is okay but lots of seaweed. Resort is clean but could be updated. Landscaping needs some TLC. Priced well for location. Food was average, nothing special.

Riu Palace Paradise Island: Wonderful Holiday!

I was quite impressed with most things at this resort. A wonderful array of food at the buffets: wait staff and service personel were all friendly and provided helpful assistance when needed (without waiting for a tip -even though we did tip if one went out of his/her way to assist); the place was meticulously kept, including the rest rooms; suites are roomy with comfortable beds and pillows and deluxe bedding; beach was clean and water beautiful!! The only disappointment was with the registrati [... read more]on. it was chaotic and very tiring! It took us almost two hours to get our room keys and the staff were not at all sympathetic or helpful in establishing some form of order to the mass of people who had arrived tired after a long day of travel. When later approached, it was stated that this was the responsibility of Sun Wing to establish how they wished the travellers to be accommodated at registration but I find this highly unlikely!!

Riu Palace Bavaro: Decent resort with not great food

The resort did not live up to what I expected from a Riu. Appearance wise the resort looks beautiful but lacks a in a lot of other areas. From any other resort I've been the a la cartes have always had the better food here the buffet was better as all the other reviews say. Our room key didn't work more than 7 times, each time we had to go all the way to the lobby so that they could send someone to fix it. Another time our safe wouldn't open. Someone came and fixed it but the same thing happened [... read more] again the following day which led to it having to be broken. The manager, Roberto I believe was very helpful and helped us quite a bit. The other thing that they may want to stop doing is putting flowers on the beds and scattered in the room. Everyday we would find numerous ants crawling around the flowers. It's a nice touch but when it brings so many bugs into the room maybe another approach should be taken. The sports bar is very nice for the only problem being people constantly smoking. We had to go early so that we wouldn't be exposed to as much second hand smoke. The shows in the evening were amazing! Definitely one of the best shows I've seen at any resort. The beach had a lot of seaweed making it hard for anyone to go into the water. Not sure if it was the time of season or if it happens all the time. Overall I would not recommend this resort to anyone not worth the money.

Sol Turquesa Beach: Beautiful resort!

First, the grounds and design of the resort are beautiful. You can swim in the top pool (5 in total) and see the ocean. There are pools of different depths, quieter and more lively ones. Nicest pool set up I have seen at any resort. They did have some issues with algae growth, but two pool guys worked tirelessly to keep them clean. Hopefully they can figure out why it keeps occurring. The beach was very close, white soft sand, snack bar and drinks on the beach. Also beach volleyball and free wat [... read more]ercrafts available. Staff at these venues were friendly and helpful. The rooms were clean, modern, nicely furnished, and well maintained. We were lucky to get a room near the pool, 400 section. It is possible to be distant from the activities. In that case, you need to walk or take the golf cart shuttle. There are also lots of stairs from the main lobby to the lowest pool/beach area. If you are healthy, not a problem. If you have mobility issues it may be a challenge. The food, what Cuba review doesn't discuss the food, was very good. Frank, the Domincan/American executive chef has a great staff and managed to provide excellent varied food all week long. We loved the fresh juice bar every morning. Salads, fruit, pasta, pizza, rice, vegetables, cheeses, cold cuts, and different meats, were freshly prepared every day. You will not get the same food for 7 days, it's a different meal every day. They have 3 "a la carte" restaurants: italian, romantic and seafood. They were all very good, I liked the romantic the best. They also have snack bars on the beach and the main upper pool area. Limited menu, but fresh and nicely prepared hamburgers, hot dogs, and fish. The bars are well stocked and they make many mixed drinks. The beer was ice cold. Lastly, the entertainment. It was excellent. They used an outdoor piazza as well as a mostly indoor theatre. The travelling troupes that came, were professional and entertaining. A big improvement over past trips to Cuba. This hotel is well managed, clean, and well maintained. You will see the Manager Federico running around the resort making sure guests are treated well. The staff are professional and courteous, they appreciate tips, but are not rude if you don't tip. All in all, a great resort.

Riu Ocho Rios: Awesome Resort

We had an amazing time. Resort was very nice. We found the people very nice and accommodating. Lots to do. Food was perfect. Pool staff (bartenders, life guards) were very friendly. All around great time.

Riu Palace Bavaro: Good, but not great

Stayed at the Riu Bavaro 7 days, entertainment in the day and at night was great. Room key did not work on 7 occasions, had to make the long walk to the lobby to get keys changed, similar issue w/safe.

Riu Palace Las Americas: Riu palace

Extremely clean, wonderful workers, lots of choices for liquor, and great location walking downtown within minutes. Was afraid of food poisoning, but had fine dining every night! Lobster and steak (Y)

Riu Guanacaste: Riu Gaunacaste Costa Rica

went to the riu gaunacaste June 15th and have to say this resort was perfect. The resort was spotless ,pool and grounds very clean and the staff was amazing. This resort is situated perfect for people who love to sightsee. Almost all the tours were very close which I might say all the tours were 5star that were offered by the resort. Would definetly recommend to everyone.

Riu Santa Fe: Good vacation during June

There is lots of walking but very nice facility. All building (1-6) are 4 story walk ups and building 7 has elevators and is the closest to the beach and social events but the farthest from the central dining / theatre area.

Riu Santa Fe: Perfect get away

This resort has it all. The busy active pool(the one in the pic) is by block seven. Great if that is what you are looking for. The other pool (located in the center of the other blocks) is quiet and relaxing. Always plenty of chairs and shade there. The grounds were very clean and well maintained. The selection of food was great and I loved the fresh fruit cart that was brought to the pool every day. Rooms were clean but far from fancy but I don't go on vacation to live in my room. It would have [... read more] been nice however to have a coffee maker for first thing in the morning. If you want a ocean view request block seven. Also, block seven is the only block with an elevator. The spa was wonderful but overpriced. I had a hot stone massage which was marvelous. There is a sauna, steam room and jet pool located in the spa that is free to use. This resort had wonderful friendly staff. Just one thing to think about is time of year you visit as this area seemed to attract a large amount of young people who were celebrating the end of school. No problem for me as I preferred the relaxing pool.