The accommodation was very clean with regularly stocked fridge. Too bad the company decide which drinks go on the optics. We had the standard supply of good branded Tequila, Vodka, Brandy and Bacardi, none of which I like so we went to reception and asked if we could possibly have any bottle replaced with gin but he just pointed to the bar. We wanted gin in the room so we could enjoy a drink while sitting on our balcony at night and not have to take the lift 5 floors down to the bar every time we needed a topup. At the bar they happily gave us a very large gin each with no ice or mix so we could take it upstairs but it was so messy to have to then pour it from one glass to another so we could add mixers. This seems to be a fairly common issue as we heard a few people ask the rep if they could change a bottle. The staff were fabulous and very pleasant. They seem to work hard constantly keeping the place immaculate inside and out. The one annoying thing was a maid coming to the door nightly, sometimes after 10 pm, to ask if you want clean towels, one night we were asleep when she came to the door. We didn't even need the towels as we had plenty clean ones daily. The food was okay,nothing special, but we went next door one evening to Riu Cancun and they had a better variety , it's also a beautiful hotel. Back at our own hotel we had a fabulous meal at the Fusion restaurant, the Japanese restaurant, and the Italian one was fantastic. The huge disappointment was the steakhouse, the one we most looked forward to. The steak was tough as old boots, I asked for mine to be done medium, my daughter asked for very rare yet both were done the same, and tough! You get chatting with other people and the Italian restaurant was recommended to us by quite a few and rightly so, it's fantastic although strangely they didn't do pasta but steaks were cooked to perfection and the soup was to die for. We had 3 lunches and 2 evening meals there. All staff, including beach bar waiters and towel quiosk, were friendly and helpful. The beach was wonderful and it was a joy swimming in that lovely warm sea. We will definitely go back. Didn't have young children with me so can't say what facilities were like for kids but the pools were fantastic.

Took my 16 year old for four days to escape the Iowa winter. We booked Jr Ocean View, got 6th floor, center of building, SPECTACULAR view of the ocean and pool area. Love, Love, LOVE hearing the ocean waves crashing outside my open balcony door...ahhhhh relaxing.

Pros-Location (walking distance to flea market, shopping, easy bus ride to downtown or Wal Mart or to the other RIU's which are fun to visit and you have full access to all 4 of them!) Resturant staff very good, great rooms, great shower, clean facilities everywhere, plenty of resturant options, wait staff on beach is excellent, the beach is great even if shaded in the late afternoon and somewhat small...we never had a problem finding 2 beach chairs or poolside although it was fairly busy Jan 18-22 when we were there. Snorkeling right in front of the hotel around to the right in front of the rocks was very good with 100s of fish, and I saw a barracuda and a couple puffer fish (nothing compared to Hawaii, but for the convenience it was really good!)

Cons-Buffet food is what it is, not as good as cruise ships, also didn't change much while we were there (but we always found plenty to eat!), beds a little hard but sleepable.

This is our second stay at a RIU (once at CABO) and both times we had a great time and felt the value for the money was very good. Compared to other hotels that cost 50-100/night less people had all kinds of problems in their reviews like bad smelling water, noisey rooms, etc, where if you just pay the RIU Palace you will basically have a worry free vacatinon with few or NO complaints...what's that worth? We probably had 20 virgin Pina Coladas a day, this had to easily offset the price of an all inclusive even though we don't drink alcohol.

We would certianly go back in a heartbeat, and probably will. I've only given two other places that status: Grand Wialea and Kaanapali Beach Hotel, both in Hawaii...so I think VERY Highly of RIU Palace Las Americas.

Tip-If you like a little bit of an ocean walk/hike (maybe 1.25 miles?), we walked the beach from the RIU Las Americas to the RIU Palace Penisula and RUI Caribe and then enjoyed their facilities one day...in a couple places you have to walk around some stuff but it's a fun walk with lots of neat ocean front things to see and activities if you want to parasail or rent wave runners or eat at an ocean front grill etc along the way. Took us 1 hour and was a highlight of the trip for the cheap (free) fun we had...spent $1 each to take the bus 5 minutes back to RIU Las Americas.

We just got back from Riu Palace Las Americas on Jan. 18th. 8 of us went on this trip. It was a great stay. Food was good but could use more American style food for finicky eaters. Front desk check in wasn't the quickest. Entertainment staff did a great job with various games. "Choco" was our favorite. Shows at night were good. Mostly dancing. My father in law did Karaoke next door at the Riu Cancun. Beach was beautiful and big enough for us. Very clean resort. We visited the other Riu properties nearby and we all liked this one the best. The Palace Peninsula is very nice and modern. We just preferred Las Americas more. It just seems cozier. The Peninsula is very wide open. Seems like it can hold a lot of people. We ate at the Peninsula twice and the majority of our group liked it better than Las Americas. It is a very hard choice between the two. I would just stay at the cheaper one and visit the others. It's a very short $1 bus ride between them. I also recommend taking the catamaran ride over to the Isle of Majerus. All drinks and food included. Snorkeling wasn't the best but we did see a shark resting in a crevasse. We held a nurse shark for a small donation. You get to shop downtown Isle of Majerus. On the way back you get to try the spinnaker. It's like a a swing using a sail off the catamaran. It was very hard coming back to the midwest and the -5 degree weather. Hope to be back soon. We had a great time!

We stayed at other RIUs so many times and this one with a Place brand is not a lot better than Normal RIU brands in food and service. Is it worth spending extra money by staying in a Palace? And get the sane food and watered down drinks, then I would say no.

Don't take me wrong, the hotel is beautiful, the staff and service is excellent.

I would still stay here again, if the price is right as compare to other RIUs.