Riu Republica: Among the best, value for money

The property is huuuugggge ! Lots of restaurants and pools. Very nicely maintained. The staff is courteous. Food choices are plenty and all of them are good. Access to the beach though it's not the best. But the beach was clean. The highlight was the parties. We loved them all. Awesome music and atmosphere all around. Rooms are not at the 5 or 4-Star level but then we barely spent time in the room so no complaints there. Overall, it was well worth it. We enjoyed our stay. Had lots [... read more] of fun

Riu Palace Costa Mujeres: has checked every single box!

where to start? Easy van ride to the property. about ten miles N of Cancun. Not on the more populated strip. this is the only one in this area, some new construction a bit South of the resort. Palladium about 2miles south. This is fairly new. contemporary designs, no corny bamboo chairs or heavy furniture. room clean, beautiful hardwood floors. double sinks, huge walk in shower with frosted doors. separate door into toilet. excellent service for towels, always lots, and turndown service wi [... read more]th all laundry replaced again. Landscaping and flora beautiful! at every turn there is something beautiful to see. frig stocked , didn't have to phone about anything. TV... HBO, CNN FOX etc. but the facility has an amazing outdoor theatre, partially enclosed though, full bar service and once again comfortable contemporary furnishings and seating. Looks out over the ocean . premium drinks in ALL areas, incl the beach service. If you want Bacardi Anejo Rum, just ask, they are too happy to use it, its all there. corridors and bathrooms spotless. elevators and ramps, we saw a lot of people in w/c about. boardwalk to the beach, about 80meters from the main pool area and showers that work at the beach exits. POOLS kept pristine, we saw them cleaning every night. Restaurants, beautiful decors, lots of salad bar options at them. don't need to make reservations or deal with silly meal tickets, just get dressed up and go to the one you want. Wines, re choices, the white sauvignon was nice, some of the wines can taste vinegary and not rich, no problem here, often they just left the bottle on the table. also, there are no offers for "other wines or "lobster, extra charge", I have never enjoyed so many huge and delicious shrimp options. The buffet is Huge, everything regularly replaced, they are very proud of their food prep. they leave your coffeepot on your breakfast table, no searching for someone to get your Café con Leche! You can get coffee at bfast, or stop by the Capuchino Lounge on your way past to get a special coffee to take to bfast. There are so many beautiful venues to sit, take pics, eat, swim, sun, I can go on and on here. The grounds are stunning, the beachfront is dotted with Palm trees which give just the right shade for laying or playing there. LOTS of beach chairs, and they are comfortable. BEACH! sand sand sand, you can beachwalk wellover 2 hrs in either direction.even and maintained, groomed and levelled daily, but there wasn't much seaweed. Its kind of little branchy stuff. the water and surf are great to jump and play, so many families enjoying same. Lots of people would migrate to the main lounge after dinner... floor to ceiling windows all across with continuous view of the ocean... again premium drinks with amazing service and beautiful chairs and patio type tables at which to sit. No bad views, the gardens are gorgeous, we were on the wing facing south, and got sunrise and sunset EVERY Day , so gorgeous. They are low level buildings, 4 stories, we were on second floor, swimouts below, and they are a fairly great size in themselves. I think five hundred dollars more.. There is a lot of glass, from the lobby into the huge front courtyard facing the beach there a huge sliding glass doors, never far away from an effortless stroll, don't even have to open the doors. Eating grills at each end of the facility, Food starts here late morning till 4pm, grill chicken pork, beef French fries (OMG AMAZING) veggies, burgers and hot dogs, and all the fixings, again, staffed by 3 cooks and constantly refreshing the food. lots of bathrooms (cleaning lady permanently stationed there and cleaning these areas constantly. there are no gross smells or spills. No garbage laying around here... staff always picking up plates, etc. PoOLS

Riu Palace Paradise Island: Amazing resort

Loved everything about the resort. Great food, amazing staff and clean resort. I would definitely recommend this resort to others and I would definitely come back to the same resort. We had lots of fun.

Riu Cancun: Beautiful Resort

The hotel was stunning. Modern looking with beautiful grounds. Pool area was nice and clean. Restaurants were good. Buffet had an excellent variety of food. Different theme every night. Not always the same food. The waiters and bar staff were very friendly. Such hardworking people. Always making sure you were taken care of. The only negative of the rooms is that the walls are paper thin. You can hear everything and if other guests are talking or playing music at night it’s very loud. But othe [... read more]rwise a good resort.

Riu Tequila: Awesome resort

This was the first time in Mexico and it was awesome! Love the Riu chains as been to the DR and Jamaica. Lots to do and great restaurants and buffet. Food was great everywhere, even at the beach in the yukatan hotel area where pools are. Only a 5/7 min walk to beach from Riu tequila. And you can shop nearby too. We had 6 days of sunshine then rained once. Hotel staff were great all around. The white party was nothing I have ever seen so much fun. I will definitely come back one day.

Riu Tequila: Great hotel.

Very clean and well kept hotel. Very good food. Have Celiac and they were very good to help me with the buffet items. They prepared gf pizza and pasta when requested. Also did my omelettes in a clean frying pan. Italian restaurant was very good. Rafael the head waiter spoke very good English and was well versed about gluten free items. Beach was beautiful. Not beachfront but knew that beforehand. Close to Playa de Carmen for shopping. One hour bus ride from airport.

Riu Republica: Fabulous stay !

Food and staff are superb. Hotel can provide more activities. Such as tennis court, dance on the beach, more organized snorkeling groups. Price for coconut onsite is super high. Highest I ever saw in the caribeans. Pool water was dirty on days when the sea was wild and wavey. The room service was not renewing our coffers and soaps every day. And was hesitant for refilling small size water bottles. But cleaners were superb. Restaurants are not great but the buffet is very well served and kept.

Riu Dunamar: Great resort!

We really enjoyed this resort, the food was fantastic, the beaches were nice and the pools were warm. We really enjoyed the individual sun shades that we could open or close as we wanted. We had a room with 2 double beds for the 4 of us but the beds were pushed together which was odd. On the first day our water was never replenished in the fridge, we tried calling the front but they never answer the phone, I had also noticed while seated in the lobby that the phone just rings and rings and t [... read more]he staff do not answer. We went on an excursion to isla mejeures which was a lot of fun! Given the resort is secluded it was not a short trip to get anywhere so we opted not too as we were with a 3 year old and an 8 year old. The kids loved the water park however the fact that they don’t have a bathroom in that area to use was quite a pain as it was quite a distance to the nearest facility. The kids water park does not allow drinks in, we even got in trouble for having soda, this makes it really hard to hang out in for any length of time given how hot it is. The pool bbq was amazing, they should offer some kind of fruit or salad to have with it, the first day with burgers, fries and chicken was ok, but after the 3rd day We were feeling malnourished, We did end up going to the buffet, but a fruit or veg would have been nice with the bbq. The photographers going around the resort were a nice touch, but became very pesky always looking at us to take photos, at the end the we priced out the packages and they are completely insane which is too bad. If they lowered the prices all of the hours that the photographer spent taking photos wouldn’t be such a waste. Our room was on the 4th floor above the restaurants around dinner time we noticed our room smelt like fish which was a little gross. We had the thermostat set to 21 at night, but it seemed much warmer in the room, the system would turn off and on but we would all wake up sweating in the night. On the last day we paid to extend our room until our 6 pm departure, check out being at 12 we wanted to enjoy the last hours at the pool and know our belongings were in the room and we could shower before we left. After we paid and went to the room, we went up to the room and the room key didn’t work so we had to go back down again to get the key programmed.. it was never extended. The resort is excellent for couples who don’t mind kids or people traveling with small kids as it’s easy to contain them, my 8 year old was getting restless on the 3 rd day as the big water slides were a little intimidating for her and the small ones were a little too small.. all and all it was a good resort, but could use a few things.

Riu Negril: Fantastic experience

The food was awesome, resort was clean and not dated. Cleaning staff could have done a bit better in the daily room clean, but not a big complaint. Entertainment was good, not amazing. Staff were all friendly. Had a great stay and would go back.

Riu Flamingos: Amazing resort

No complaints, I enjoy every minute I was there, we would definitely love to go back.the food ,shows, people were just amazing, the staff were constantly fulfilling their duties and responsibilities.this is one of best vacations I went on .

Riu Palace Antillas: We would go back.

The hotel , while old and in need of some updating , was comfortable and clean. The staff was amazing , especially Jonathan and Freddie at one of the outdoor bars. They were just wonderful people. The restaurants we’re mediocre, the room where the buffet was was institutional , but the food was good. Pools were clean. Beach was beautiful. Drinks were generous on the alcohol, but served in cups so small you could finish them in 4-5 sips. So all in all we enjoyed our time but may try another hot [... read more]el that is less dated and has full services. While we were there not all restaurants were open and one very ideally located bar by the beach was closed 3 of the 7 days. On a scale of 1-10 , we would rate the resort a 7

Riu Guanacaste: Amazing Stay!

My only complaint was that we didn't get to stay longer! My first time staying at a Riu and I'm glad it was in Costa Rica. The food was amazing. The buffet and all a la cart restaurants were great. Our favourite was the steakhouse and Italian! (Tip: make sure you line up early, it's first come, first served). The rooms were good, exactly as pictured. The excursions that we booked through our airline (Sunwing) at the front of the hotel really made our trip. Each were well organized, well led and  [... read more]extremely fun. The resort itself was beautiful. The pool was fun and clean. The pool bar played great music for a great Costa RIcan/ South American/ Vacation vibe. The beach was great too! Had the chance to walk all along the beach and enjoy the monkies! ALso best part all the staff are so amazing! Bartenders, front desk, cleaning services, were extremely pleasant and made us feel so welcomed. Would stay here again.

Riu Reggae: riu reggae montego bay

the hotel and staff are amazing i have been there 4 time and every time as been amazing the food is very good the grounds are spotless the rooms are amazing would recommend to anyone that needs a break from kids , this is adult only

Riu Palace Antillas: Total relax and chill.

The hotel and grounds were immaculately clean and well kept. Beach and pool were great, your beach being much nicer than the surrounding hotels.Staff were plentiful at all hours, smiling,helpful and courteous. Food was excellent, especially the Atlantis buffet for breakfast and dinner.The room was , I think, one that had yet to be updated, but was fine and regularly cleaned and stocked. I just hung by the pool and chilled out in the heat and breeze the whole week, it was a great recharge.

Riu Republica: Lovely resort

\nice resort, and gardens well kept. Please feed the cat.(orange brown, very friendly) Enjoyed my stay in the resort. The shows catered to the young people,. There was 2 nights when the music catered the older generation which was very nice. Like the pool area and of course the beach. Consider to go back for my next holiday (hopefully in March Hasta la vista. -Coffee is poor quality. please improve.Thank you

Riu Palace Costa Rica: Admirable, Pura Vida!

Well kept hotel, staff is personable and efficient. The manicured grounds are beautiful and mosquitos are non existent day or night! The rooms are spacious, extremely clean, comfortable and amenities are kept stocked and plentiful. The beach area is not as shown in advertisement that reflects white sand however this was not an issue for us. We did find the beach quite clean and pleasant to swim from or lounge, big bonus is there are no sand fleas or any type of biting insect to interfere with en [... read more]joyment. No issues with loungers, staff on beach will bring loungers down from a pile to accommodate you. They also collect the loungers that are vacated and as required are taken back for guests. If you leave your towel on loungers they are not touched. The service on the beach is amazing with drink orders being taken by a gentleman as there is no beach bar area. It is a bit of a trek to the closest bar so bringing an insulated beverage holder and filling before you go to the beach is advisable. The nexus tours are plentiful and rather expensive, don’t be too hasty to book with Nexxus as the same tours are offered for much less by reputable individuals on the beach. The food was plentiful however I was surprised that the quality of the various meals offered were mediocre and extremely over the top salted. Not sure why this was an issue but we’ve stayed at 3 star hotels with better food quality. The desserts lacked freshness and like the main dishes although plentiful lacked in freshness and flavour. Stay away from pre assembled little dishes of salad. No pasta station and pasta dishes were either under cooked, hard crunchy pasta or overcooked in a cheese sauce. A la carte , first come first served and difficult to organize, if you are able to be there to get a reservation you are seated right away if tables are available which is great if everyone is ready to be seated. They refused to put on the list if a table was available? This procedure needs to be revisited to enable guests the opportunity to experience the a la carte options in a respectable manner. Front desk might assign staff to oversee bookings as the front staff is plentiful and basically quiet most of the day and night. They handle check in and check out efficiently therefore time might allow for booking a la carte reservations. A plus is that English is well spoken and minimal if any language barrier to guests speaking English. A situation that we were disappointed with is due to check out and departure they tell you your luggage will be locked up and you are able to enjoy the premises until pickup after checking out earlier than required we are told the luggage stays in a section out of sight of the front desk and is not locked up at all. They express security cameras are monitoring, but this is not a monitored area as the cameras if active monitor the front desk. The section the luggage was placed was easily accessible around the corner of the front desk and close to bathrooms, people were accessing the luggage constantly with no one watching or aware of what was being done. We chose to keep documents of value on us and used a backpack to hold items. This should be relayed to guests not mislead to believe otherwise. They had tour guide and assorted items occupying the room and didn’t want to have to lock and unlock for access, so no secure lock up for luggage on departures!Also they should inform guests they will be taking the luggage out to the bus for pick up as many guests assumed the luggage would be loaded by staff from the holding area to the buses. This was the arrival procedure, you are told luggage will be taken into the resort and to exit bus and proceed to lobby. Leaving you are on your own! It felt a bit like we’ve had your $ $ you are leaving, so we don’t care. Not good if you want repeat customers. I would recommend to others however I would not return to allow an experience in an alternate setting.

Riu Emerald Bay: Loved the Resort

The whole family loved the resort from the location, food, ocean room, cleanliness of the resort. The staff work very hard to make you enjoy your vacation. Only complaint is the elevator service but we were you the 4th floor so we could do the stairs it was good exercise!

Riu Yucatan: Amazing beach with white sand

We stayed in the hotel three years ago and went back because the beach was amazing. The sand is clean and white. Palm trees. Customer service is top notch. The hotel needs a reno though. It is deteriorating from sun, humidity and salt very fast and showing a lot of wear and tear. The food was great.

Riu Republica: Fantastic Resort!

I’ve been to many all inclusive resorts, especially in the Dominican Republic and this was amazing! One of my favourite things about this adults only resort was diversity and age ranges from people in their 20s to 70s. They really cater to every age group and everyone has a great time. The beach is gorgeous and great for body surfing/boogie boarding. They have quieter pools if you just want to relax, nap or unwind and they have other pools for more activities and fun. Even though this is a l [... read more]arge resort, everything was very centrally located and never a far walk from any of the restaurants and bars everywhere! Most nights they had live music at the theater right before the show and the entertainment crew did a great job of getting people involved and having fun in the daily and nightly activities. The buffet always had great food! A La Carte restaurants were good too, but I found it a hit or miss mostly. Rooms are kept very clean, great water pressure and hot water in the showers! Disco was small, but always packed. Music could have been better; but overall a great atmosphere. All of the bartenders and servers had unbelievably great attitude and service. Never had to wait for a drink! Definitely a 5-Star Resort and would come back!

Riu Palace Antillas: WOW Aruba! WOW Riu Antillas!

I read dozens of reviews before going to Riu Antillas. Glowing reviews, Ok reviews and very bad reviews, to get an over all picture of what we could expect. Honestly I do not know what the ok reviews and bad reviews were talking about. Riu Antillas was amazing and the staff spectacular. Our 13 floor room was on the supposed loud side of the building over looking the sister resorts night venue. There was minimum noise and all was quiet by 11 pm. I have been to other resorts where the party kept  [... read more]everyone up till 1-2 am so this was a relief. Yes the towel/beach chair game here is strong as with other resorts however we never had a problem getting a nice area even when sleeping late and we did not look like greedy fools running to claim a beach spot at 6 am. The bad reviews talk about bad smells and bad service and the noise. We did not experience any of that! What we did experience was very friendly staff, a beautiful beach and a great time. Oh and the food... THE FOOD! WOW. There was a couple meals where all I had was desserts. Just go and tell Paola, the beach towel lady I said hi. She is an absolute delight.