At first glance the Riu seems nice, well kept common areas, nice pools, etc...

But then the smell... Raw sewage smell all around, the room smelled like the air conditioner was moldy. Every time it came on a putrid smell came out. We changed rooms, and the second room was better, but still smelled moldy.

The pool bar was pretty dirty, visible skim on the water and stains all around the pool tiles all week. Never saw the pool cleaned onced despite heavy use every day.

The glass water falls had green mold all over the back of them.

The spa was a huge disappointment. It was basically several rooms in the basement of the gym. No windows, dank and looked like janitorial closets converted to spa rooms. Terrible.

The gym had great views, however, both treadmills were broken and so was the stairmaster. The only aerobic equipment that worked was the eliptical machine. The place has 642 rooms and the gym is sized for a 10 room hotel. Obviously the equipment was so used it no longer functioned.

As you can read from the other reviews, the food was terrible. I won't waste my time elaborating more on this except to say we ate out every night after the first two nights.

Maid service was great the first couple of nights, then went way down hill. Did not replenish soap, nor turn down the sheets. Horrible service.

Bottom line, I would not recommend this place to anyone, except maybe a group of college kids on a budget who just want to drink cheap liquor and beer all day.

By the way, the don't have a very good selection of top shelf liquor either. Even worse, in their drink menu, they list all of the top shelp liquors in their specialty drinks. But when I asked for a shot of any of these liquors, such as Cointreau, they don't have it. It's all cheap liquor.

I would not recommend this hotel.

My Husband and I stayed at the Riu Palace from Sept. 10th thru 17th, we just returned home late last night!!!

First of all let me say we had a fabulous experience. The vacation started off a little bit rocky as we missed our first flight, but we were bumped to first class, so it soon got better.

When we arrived in Cabo we were able to get our luggage and get through the airport very quickly. Everyone was really nice and yes there were time share people everywhere but if you just said no thank you, and really not stop just keep going, then they will leave you alone. So, we got through the airport very quickly and on to our bus with no problem. The ride from the airport to the Riu is fairly quick and really scenic, so enjoy the ride.

As you are traveling to the Riu, you will pass many other resorts that make you question where you have chosen to vacation and they kind of made me a little scared, especially after all the not so great reviews I had read about the Riu, so we didn't know what to expect.

Let me say, from the moment you arrive at the Riu, you know that you make the right decision!! The resort is BEAUTIFUL!! The staff is there waiting for you when you get off the bus and check in was a breeze. We emailed the resort before we came with all the requests that we had etc. They had our email there when we checked in and they fullfilled all of our requests.

We stayed in room 3040, it was a beautiful room on the quiet side of the resort, with a great view, we couldn't see lands end from our side, but if you want the quiet side, then you have to sacrifice the view of lands end but you do get a georgeous view of the ocean.

As far as the property is concerned, it is absolutely breathtaking!! They work really hard to keep it beautiful. Compared to many of the resorts in Cabo, this place is by far the best. It is a new resort so everything is still clean and very updated. The decor is amazing, I loved all the colors, reds, golds, etc. There is marble tile and mahogany wood everywhere.

We thought that the service was really good, for an all-inclusive resort you have to keep realistic expectations in mind. To say that we got the best service ever, wouldn't quite be right, however, we vacation a lot and have stayed at Sandals Resorts, Several in Cancun/Mayan Riveria/ Cozymul, on a compartive basis, the service was very standard. Look for Santi at the buffet, he is GREAT, a very hard worker and will do everything to keep you happy!!

We really loved this resort, and we are planning to go back in the future. Now let me give some specifics:

Food- The breakfast buffet - fabulous - anything and everything you want. Lunch is buffet- pretty standard, lots of normal food and specialty. Dinner- the buffet has a large variety of foods, a lot of it is very wierd and I must be honest and say that it is lacking in the area of taste, they have great quesadillas and if octopus is too wierd for you, just stick with the quesadillas!! We read lots of reviews about how terrible the reservation system was, well we had no problem what so ever, we never waited in line more that 5 minutes tops!! Let me say this though, I think if we did it all again we would probably stick with the buffet at night, the steakhouse and mexican restaraunts are ok, but probably not worth the time to us, However, you have to eat at Misaki - the Japenses place, it was wonderful, really some of the best Japanese food we have ever eaten, excellent sushi, yakitori, service, etc. As far as the Goument restaruant, we were able to make reservations with no problem, but in truth we simply chose not to go. Overall, the food was good, very typical for an all inclulsive resort and we have no complaints. Cabo is a very expensive place and we had much rather eat free at our resort than literally pay at least 50.00 to 75.00 per couple for a meal, and that is not a specialty meal, we are talking drinks and nachos!!

Oh ya, can't forget this, the drinds are excellent, they are not stingy on alcohol and they keep it coming!!

Spa- The spa was wonderful!! At first I was a little skeptical, I wasn't sure how experienced these people were, they definately proved themselves. I has a spa manicure and pedicure that was average, also the flash facial, which was the best facial I have ever had, really FABULOUS!! My Husband and I had a couples swedish massage and it was superb!! So, we absolutely recommend the spa!!

Activities- We did lots of stuff, snorkeling was so, so, we took an excursion on the Oceanus boat to Chileno Bay, It is the only one that has the mini-sub experience, which we did, it was really neet, you get your own mini sub and you only go down about 15 to 20 ft and it is guided, you will get to hold starfish, sea urchins, blowfish, ect!! Really a neat experience. We also did the atv's with Amigos, it was soooooo much fun, we had a blast, we rented jet skis and rode them to lands end, saw the sea lions etc, a great experience.

The ocean itself is breathtaking, it is a very dangerous area for swimming, etc. so if you are wanting to swim in the ocean don't go to Cabo, However, the pools at the Riu make up for it, they are infinity pools and you can just watch the ocean in the pool for hours, it is an absolutely amazing site to see the HUGE waves!

The town of Cabo itself is really great, very expensive shopping though, not like cancun/cozymul. It is a much more exensive place.

Overall, we had a wonderful time, we were celebrating our third anniversary and it was the perfect place. We are 24 and 26 and there were people of all ages at this resort. Just remember to have realistic expectations and you will have the time of your life. We will certainly go back, the Riu is Georgous!!! There are some rancid smells lurking around the place, but just remember you are in Mexico!!! We have been to Mexico several times and there is always a smell!!! Also the nightly entertainment is a lot of fun, they work very hard to entertain there guest, tips do go a long way, we were told that some of the waiters only make $5-10 per day, so a couple bucks here and there can really make a difference for them.

Ok, I have ratled on enough, feel free to ask me any questions, be more that happy to help.

Go to the Riu and have an unforgettable time and don't worry about the small things!!! It is a FABULOUS PLACE!!!!!

I was really scared when I read all of the negative comments about RIU. However, we went in good spirits...I mean a vacation with all you can drink and eat AND on the beach? How can that be bad. We checked in, and was served drinks immediatley! It was great! Went to our room, and it wasn't what we expected. We were there with 2 other couples and had asked for adjoining rooms. We also reserved Ocean View rooms. With out any hesitation, the manager moved us to another room. We then had PERFECT views of the pool and ocean. Ah, it was great! The smell was a little hard to deal with, but we soon realized that if you put your stoppers in the sink and in the bath tub..you won't have that smell. We didnt smell it in our hotel room once, only in the halls.
As far as the restaurants go, we did the buffett most of the time. We tried to get into the Japanese and Gourment restaurants, but they were booked the entire time we were there. We did get into the steak restaurant, and it was pretty good. They do not enforce the dress code, which kinda upset us because my Husband didn't bring "dressy clothes" and we had to go to the mall and buy some pants for him to wear..only to find people wearing shorts and bathing suits. :( Then we went to the Mexican restaurant, and ended up getting up and leaving before we were served. We sat there for 15 minutes and noone came and even took our drink orders. We looked at our menu's and didnt recognize anything on the menu. The buffett was great. We ended up eating their everyday for breakfast and dinner. Lunch we just had the buffett by the pools.
Make sure you ask for your safe box key apon check in. You will need it, the maids will totally go through your stuff if it is not locked up. We did end up "loosing" our visa card while we were there, and you cant call 1-800 numbers from mexico.
Overall it was a great trip and I would totally go back!

We stayed at RIU Palace from 09/05 - 09/12 and here is our review:


Flight/arrival: We flew with Skyservice out of Toronto. The flight was good
and we arrived a half hour early. They were short room for some passengers on the buses, but they fixed the problem quickly. It took just over thirty minutes to get to the hotel and the ride was scenic. Check-in was fast. I had requested a room in the 3000's before we left and we were assigned room 2008. Disappointing. We didn't feel like going through the hassle of arguing for a new room (they were 95% booked), so we accpeted that room.

We wanted to note that on the way to our room we were assualted with a
horrid sewer smell. It is VERY noticeable as you pass the rooms in the
XX40's to XX60's (approximately) and it would pretty much affect all floors. I don't know if you'd be able to smell in in your room, but you can
certainly smell it as you pass that area and it is NASTY!

Our general impression of the hotel was that it is aestheically very
beautiful. They did a great job with the common areas - they are all well
kept, clean and beautifully decorated. At first glance it really looks/feels
like a five-star, but once you actually start experiencing the resort you
realize they fall short of actually meeting five-star standards.

Room: As mentioned we were in room 2008. We had a partial ocean view but it was blocked by some palms. Not the view we were hoping for, but we decided it wasn't worth making a stink over. I should note that we had problems opening and closing our door ...you really had to give it a hard push to open or close it and it was actually coming apart at the seams. The couch in our room had quite a few noticeable stains on it and the carpet had multiple cigarette burns. We were missing a remote and some of the standard hotel toiletries. One day we requested water and still hadn't received it hours later. It took a second request, but we finally got it. The first day we noticed we had a burnt out bulb and requested a new one. We never did get the replacement. Not the end of the world on any of those issues, but it lowered the value of the hotel in our minds.

Maid service seemed to be different for everyone - some people got really
good service and some people got the very basics. We didn't notice any bugs, etc.

On another negative note, there was a residence (we were told not related to the resort) next door to our room and these people own many roosters. Need I say that once they started crowing, they did not stop for hours. Sometimes it started well before sun rise, too ... like 3 - 4 AM. We found it was a bit better with the patio doors closed, but what a pain when you want to hear the ocean waves as you fall asleep, etc. Obviously this is not the hotel's fault, but if you do not sleep like a log you may want to avoid that area!

Restuarants - The reservation system that is in place does need improvement. We did not have to wait long in line, but we couldn't even get a reservation for the gourmet restuarant because it was booked solid for the entire week we were staying there.

We didn't bother with the Japanese (we were told it was pretty good, though) nor the Mexican. We did try the steak house and were completely
disappointed. The service was terrible. I know they were trying, but they
were totally disorganized. They were not serving tables as they arrived
...there seemed to be no method to their madness. One couple who arrived before us and long before many other couples, nearly left and complained to the "manager" that it was taking SO long for their food. When we received our order, it wasn't even correct but we didn't dare say anything for fear of having to wait even longer! The food we did get was alright, however (steak tender, etc.), so it wasn't a total waste. Our friends booked there too and arrived early and said they had a good experience. Perhaps the earlier you arrive, the better the service will be.


The buffet restaurant left something to be desired after the third day.
There is very little variety .. it is repetitive each night. I know there
was a "theme" night each night but if anything WAS changed to accomodate the "theme" we couldn't really tell. I think the quality of the food is better than many other places (DR, Cuba) but it is barely warm and I think this ruins it. They did have some great smoothies, the fresh pasta bar was *excellent* and the mimosas at breakfast were a really nice touch! Service in the buffet restaurants ranged from okay to pretty good. It didn't seem to matter too much about tipping, either. We were pretty disappointed with the cleanliness, too. I really thought other people might be exaggerating about this, but they weren't. There were always dirty plates mixed in with clean ones and one morning I was given a spoon that obivously hadn't seen a dishwasher as it was still dirty with someone else's coffee stains! We never made a big deal about these things ...but, again, just more issues that lowered the value of the hotel.

Pools/grounds - Beautiful! We preferred the "relaxing" pool as it seemed to
be cleaner and less yahoos hanging around. We tried the busy pool one day and were treated to a bunch of drunk, ill-mannered tourists who thought it was amusing to pour beer on themselves in the pool, etc. - charming! Also, we couldn't understand why people thought it was okay to leave their glasses, empty bottles, etc. all over the resort - piled in ashtrays, in the bushes, etc. - get some class people! I think someone on here once said something about a five-star resort attracting 2-star clientele and now I know why! Thankfully, during our stay they were the minority.

We had absolutely no problem with service in the pool bars. We always
received prompt, friendly service. If you were waiting for service from the
waiters who were serving people in their loungers, you did have to wait a
long time. To us it wasn't a big deal - we'd just walk over to the bar and
get a drink.

The pools are huge, not terribly overcrowded and for the most part pretty
clean (save the pool/bar on the busy side). We didn't find them to be as
warm as some people said ...they were always cool enough to be a refreshing change from the hot sun.

The town of Cabo San Lucas was fun!

We stopped in at Margaritavilla for some margs - wow! Expensive ($9US a pop) but HUGE, tasty and well worth it!

Ole Ole - We had already eaten, but joined some friends who ate here for
drinks and a "snack". First round was on the house (nice!) and the food was really good. Our friends had lobster/steak combo and fahitas and we had the tortilla soup and shrimp cocktail. A little costly, but very tasty and worth it after days of repetitive buffet food!

El Squid Roe - We stopped by for a short while one night and it was
packed. They really do alot to get the audience involved and having a good time. It is geared more toward the younger, more rowdy crowd. We witnessed the bar staff run a 30-person conga line passed several 'tequila stations'. At each station they poured a shot of tequila down each persons throat using a shot nozzle that had been licked and sucked by all the others in the conga line. Not our thing but you probably care less if blitzed! Drinks are exepensive.

Office on the Beach - We had e-mailed them prior to leaving to request
reservations for the Thursday night Fiesta. We never heard back. We decided the day after we arrived (Tuesday) to head down there for drinks and lunch. The chips and salsa were excellent and the drinks (2 for 1) did not disappoint!! The lunch was only okay, however, and when we checked on our fiesta reso, we were told they didn't have it in the low season! Nice! I feel if they are going to offer online reservations, at least have the
decencey to reply to people.

Amarone - Can't say enough good things about this place. Awesome! We went there for a gourmet dinner and were not disappointed. We all had appetizers of pasta (lobster ravioli and crab ravioli - yum!) and our pasta entrees were great, too! Don't underestimate the place due to the modesty of the restaurant staff and their descriptions of the meals. We had no room for dessert! A warning - a decent bottle of wine is extremely expensive here! The service was excellent and the atmosphere (we ate out in the courtyard with a jazz band playing) was great!!

Johnny Rockets - We ate here one day for lunch. It was okay ...nothing to
write home about.

The only excursion we did was ATV'ing with Amigos which was a blast! The
ride was fun and the beach was so beautiful! Highly recommend this! Bring cargo pants (or jeans) and running shoes.

We also rented wave runners which was fun. We rented them for an hour but felt that a half hour would have been plenty. Our friends did parasailing and said it was great ...just a little expensive for the short amount of time you are actually in the air.

The beach - beautiful! The scenery is great. Nice view of the arches! I knew that swimming was treacherous from past reviews so wasn't expecting much. Most days the flags indicated you could swim though even at that I don't think I would risk it. It is no joke about that undertow! One thing we were not prepared for is how rough the sand is on the beach. It is not soft by any means! This wouldn't be an issue but for the fact that we like to walk the beach ...so, for anyone with tender feet - bring watershoes!

There were many more excursions and activites we would have liked to try and there just wasn't enough time!

As for the comments like "some people just like to complain" - I think that is unfair. Yes, some people cannot be pleased at all ..but we are not "whiners". We feel that overall we got a good deal for what we paid, but I would never pay for this resort at high season because for US it was not a five-star experience. I imagine others had a better expereince than we did ...but I believe it's important for people to get a variety of opinions so they can make an informed decision. Just because other people may not have had the same wonderful experience as you, doesn't mean they are perpetual complainers.

I would likely to return to Cabo ...but there are other places I have on my "list" to visit first! It was a beautiful place with lots to see and do. So, I say go to Cabo but if you want a true five-star experience then avoid RIU Palace. If you can go with lowered expectations, then you will probably be suitably impressed with RIU.