Real Nice Place at the Riu Palace

Just returned for a 1 week stay and all I can sum up by saying it was breathtaking. From the scenery from our 3rd flr. oceanview room overlooking the grounds, mountains and sunset to the impeccable cleanliness, attentive staff and food I would say this is one of the better resorts I have stayed at and the entire Los Cabos area is a great place to relax

Good Value Resort

Stayed at the Riu Palace January 15-22 and had booked through Signature Vacations. Check-in/out was quick and easy. You get an envelope with a resort map, two towel cards and two room cards. The envelope has a wifi code. We requested a specific room a few weeks in advance by emailing the resort, and were lucky enough to get it- Room #3030. Room- we booked the Jacuzzi Suite with the two-storey balcony. It was oceanfront and it was beautiful. There was no alarm clock in the room and our room als [... read more]o had no face cloths and when I asked the maid, I was often told they didn't have any. The beer in the mini-fridge was Tecate not Dos Equis. There is no light in the shower and it is very dark. There are no fans in the bathroom either. There room service menu is very limited. Overall, the room amenities need improvements. Pool/beach- there are two main pools (quiet and loud). During our stay the quiet pool was often invaded by obnoxious wedding parties making their own entertainment. It always seemed busy and you couldn't get a chair after Noon. The actual sitting area on the beach is small. The beach itself is wide but walking in the sand is like walking in a foot of snow. There are many vendors. Swimming is not recommended. Hotel facilities- lobby is nice. There is a huge lobby/piano bar that overlooks the ocean with beautiful views. Off the bar is a room called the snack bar with liquor, computers and snacks. There are two gift shops in the lobby also and two more by the pools. Below the lobby is the theatre and another bar. The front desk will only exchange Canadian $$ and Mexican $$. Food- food was good and plentiful but the breakfast and lunch buffet is the same daily. Dinner buffet has themes each night. You need reservations for the Krystal Restaurant (same day only); the Steakhouse and Mexican Restaurants also require reservations. The Japanese does not require reservations. At our Signature Vacations briefing meeting, the customer service staff let us book as many reservations as we wanted and it was a good thing we did because you couldn't get into the steakhouse otherwise. As many have mentioned (and we stayed a Riu before) you have to get up really early to wait in a line. Riu needs to improve this process. Also, at the a la cartes, they only let you order one appetizer and entree each (at other resorts we could order as much as we wanted). Portions are small. Entertainment- there are many daytime activities at the loud pool. Shows each night--we watched same shows we saw 8 years ago--Riu needs to change things up! Other Info: -Bar service can be slow at times -the wine is poor; they have Canadian Club for Rye; Absolut and other vodka brands. Beefeater for Gin. There are many other good brands of liquor as well (better than at the Sante Fe) -this resort is big and there are staircases everywhere--bring practical footwear -this resort was REALLY busy--not the place if you want a relaxed atmosphere -it is $14USD or 160 pesos one-way to the marina in a taxi -Taxi prices are posted at the entrance (as the hotel pre-negotiated prices for the year-- this is good if your Canadian because otherwise everything is priced in USD$ and they are converting 14.5 pesos or 15 pesos to 1$USD. Be mindful of this outside of the resort because you could pay more coming back in a taxi Overall, we would recommend this resort to people who want a nice hotel close to downtown Cabo and for people who like to party. We wouldn't stay here again because it was way too busy. We would have preferred to stay in San Jose del Cabo but many resorts there are still closed from the hurricane damage. Also, other resorts we've stayed at do not require wristbands, no dinner reservations, towel cards, etc.. These are all minor inconveniences that can be avoided at other high-end resort chains. Cabo was a tourist-trap and party-central and San Jose is picturesque and more laid-back.

This is Far the of the best

We stayed at the Riu Palace in Cabo San Lucas between December 12-20-2014 Let me start by saying I have a lot experience staying in Hotels, due to my work and travel mostly Canada and the United States, I stay approx.. 300 days a year in hotels. Not to mention vacationing in at least 1/3 of the Caribbean Islands and Mexico. After reading half the reviews on Trip Advisory I knew this hotel was amazing, even though 12% of the reviews gave the hotel a very bad review, in fact these people had nothi [... read more]ng good to say. Well I am a very picky person. My review about this hotel was I found everything GREAT except the coffee was not good at all. Flew with Sunwing from Toronto and as usual Sunwing was late departing from both airports (Toronto and Cabo San Lucas) Once in Cabo airport, we walked out after picking up our luggage (4 people traveling) got into the bus and off to the hotel. Once there we had a welcoming with drinks and a very fast check in, took approx. 15 min. The people at the hotel were the nicest and politest hotel staff I have ever encountered. And I have encountered some very nice hotel staff in the past. Rooms very clean, comfortable, and spacious, anywhere you turned they had people cleaning non stop. From the front desk staff to the wait staff, bus boys management, housekeeping grounds people, bartenders, all the way to the entertainment staff, they were all great to deal with. The food was great, the AL cart restaurants we tried were the Crystal and the Mexican (which is the Italian during the day). During the day we went to the open kitchen buffet by the pool or the Italian rest. At night mostly the main buffet, No matter where you go to eat here, the presentation was an A+ and the taste was an A++. Be leave me you cannot go hungry here, they always have something to suite everyone appetite. They also have Japanese, did not go there but heard it too was good. I could go on and on, but to cut it short I would definitely highly recommend this Hotel, in fact I think they should train other hotel staff here to show them how a hotel should be run. Good Job Staff and keep it up.

Amazing resort with excellent service.

Excellent resort with all the services you would like to have. We enjoyed every minute of it. Food, service, pool /beach area and rooms in excellent condition. Entertainmemnt in the evening and in pool area very good. We recomment it to all family and friends.

Amazing resort.

The hotel was always spotless including the bathrooms. The food was amazing and there was always plenty to eat. The entertainment staff was great, very friendly and always smiling. The service was great at this hotel. A very pleasant experience. This was my first time staying at a Riu and it was simply beautiful. The only downfall is the beach, you couldn't really go for walks on it but the pools made up for it.

Everything you could want!

Beautiful property with all the amenities. The tour guides were awesome, very helpful and always available. Really good cleaning staff at work to keep the common areas well kept. Good food, good drink, good staff .... what more could you ask?

Beautiful resort

The resort is well maintained and the service for the most part good to excellent depending on the service provided ie; our check in was fabulous, we wanted a change in room no problem and she even sent us a treat for Canada Day on July 1! Morning buffet service was very good with our favorite being Iris, she was so happy to provide a great smile and fabulous service. The rez process for the restaurants should be looked at, it very poorly organized and makes it difficult to make a reservation. T [... read more]wo bad experiences in the restaurants; the mexican had a wedding going on and we were not advised that we could not have a patio table, and we were no about to sit inside with the heat being what is was the restaurant was like an oven! The formal dinner the first week we were chased out of at the end of our meal, they even took our half filled wine glasses away saying they had another sitting. This could have been handled differently. We complained and the manager got us a second booking and the service was much better and we were not rushed at all. The restaurant was half empty on both occassions. The entertainment; they put a lot of work into it on a weekly basis however, RIU repeats the same entertainment year over year, maybe consider rotating every other year. Also no great place to dance for the mature crowd. That would have been nice.

Luxurious vacation , stunning views

Been to many Riu resorts but this one was the best yet. Clean, spacious, and attentive staff are usual in Riu resorts but this one was exceptional. Our room had a king size bed a balcony and we overlooked the pool nearest to the spa with a view out to the ocean. The grounds were immaculate and staff are constantly in the grounds keeping it looking pristine. The large windows outside our room by the elevator gave us the perfect spot to take photos of The Arches and the beach beside it. There are [... read more] two big pools and the one nearest the spa was clean and well maintained and we never had a problem getting chairs. The beach is sandy and you can easily get a water taxi from the beach into the town which takes about 10-15 mins at most. The food at the Riu Palace was very good. We were lucky enought to eat at Kystal twice. The ambience and presentation matches any fine dinning restaurant in a big city. I would suggest that you go to the service desk as soon as you arrive and book your a la carte resturants, the only one you book on the day you want to go and eat there is Krystal, but its worth the wait. Breakfast buffet was big and there is something for everyone, even the picky eaters. We used to have ours on the patio with table service for drinks . In the evening , the same place becomes the dinner buffet which we also enjoyed with their various themes. We met up with other vactioners and as one had a birthday, we arrived at our table on the evening of his big day to find the staff had set our a birthday table complete with decorations and confetti and a small birthday cake for him. The staff really did go above and beyond which we really appreciated. We would love to go back to the Riu Palace Los Cabos and we have recommended it friends as for the money we think its the best place to stay in Los Cabos.

FANTASTIC TIME

We visited in December 2013. When we arrived at the hotel we were greeted with friendly staff and we had no problems getting to our rooms, the front desk staff was very efficient. The rooms we received was to be ocean view but only had 1/4 view of water and 3/4 of side of the hotel looking to a road way. We called down to the front desk to see if we could have a full view of ocean for I wasn't well and had to spend most of my time in room and they were very accommodating. Our next room was full  [... read more]view of ocean on the upper floor we were amazed!! The buffet had a lot of variety no complaints and the services was top notch. The beach was lovely lots of white sand very clean. I'm more of a pool person and spent most of our time there, it was well maintained and clean. Service around the pool was good, we only had to get ourselves a drink a few times during the week. On departure our flight was cancelled due to weather and the travel adviser was not well informed at his job, this is my only complaint which has nothing to due with the hotel. We walked over to the Riu Jalisco to find out how they were handling there guest and after 3 hours of waiting we found out that we would not be flying home and their guest were already taken care of. Back to our Hotel we informed our travel adviser and immediately the hotel re booked us back into rooms. I will definitely go back to the Riu Palace, one of my best vacations.

"Amazing getaway destination"

Outstanding Hotel service, food , grounds, entertainment, friendly and always accomodating staff. Riu Palace is my destination of choice because of these qualities of what they deliver to their guests. I've always been treated with respect and never disappointed when I have any requests or reservations. I will be returning with my family and friends for years to come without hesitations. When it comes time to book a hot vacation, The Riu Palace Los Cabos San Lucas will be always be at the top of [... read more] our list ...... See you soon......

Fantastic hotel best yet!!!!

Hotel and grounds immacuately cared for, restaurants excellent, pool chairs plentiful, waiters and bar tenders go out of there way to make to make your stay unfortgettable, check in quick and without hassle.

Fantastic resort

We thoroughly enjoyed our state at the Rui Palace, Los Cabos. The resort was spotless. Our room was spacious and the room amenities were generous. The staff were all super friendly and very helpful. We enjoyed the restaurants on site. Lots of selection and very tasteful. The only complaint and this would be very minor was the evening entertainment. We went most evenings to whatever entertainment that was being provided but most evening we left early. However due to the fun we had during the day [... read more] on the resort we generally tired by 11 or so. That is the reason the entertainment was not. A big deal to us. This was our 4th stay at a Rui Resort and we recommend them to family and friends alike!

Riu Palace Los Cabos May 2014

Please note I did email a review on May 31 to my Travel agent Karol Charenza, see below, Hi Karol,, Thank you, Los Cabos is amazing, so much to see and do, people are nice, safe. We really enjoyed we the holiday. Yes, almost got swept away in the waves, The hotel was very beautiful, clean, very friendly staff. food in the Buffet was very good and interesting. We truly "thank you" for the room, was the best view, facing front, perfect. We were only disappointed in the specialty restaurants, St [... read more]eak house was very nice, but they should real clean up, change the Japanese and Mexican. Everyone complained about those. I am sure many guests will post comments, or contact the hotel. But we would definitely return, location was perfect. Tours very fun, well organized. Sunwing reps were very nice, helpful. I would never travel with those flight times again though. Arriving so late, starved, just made the buffet before it closed, right off the bus. Leaving so late, no one had a late check out, change area much too small for so many. Thanks again for your help, Pam

The most fabulous hotel i have ever stayed in.

I have told every body i know to visit. My husband and i have never travelled ever and this was our first vacation and by the third night he asked if I had booked our next vacation. This is our very belated honeymoon (been married 32 years) and we have decieded that if this is the only place we ever visit we did awesome, the staff was so friendly and helpful and eager to please. We hope to return very soon.

Perfect Holiday

Needed a relaxing holiday and that is what we got. The food was fantastic. The service was great. The infinity pool looking over the ocean was a great place to watch the whales and sip a cold drink. The loungers in the pool is also a relaxing place to sit and enjoy the sun. Can't go wrong with selecting this Hotel for a great vacation.