We just returned from Cabo San Lucas after a week stay. The hotel itself was beautiful. The lobby was very welcoming and we were greeted promptly with a cool beverage and were quickly able to check into our room.
Our room was 1068 on the ground floor. Right across from the ice machine that was used quite a bit (rather loud at 2 AM. The patio was very relaxing and it was peaceful to sit outside, although bring a jacket and pants for evenings-it was cool. The bed was a bit hard but we phoned the front desk and asked for a mattress topper and the maid was down to remake our bed with the comfy topper in about 20 minutes. It made a world of difference. The maids were eager to start early and clean rooms but if you put the "do not disturb sign" out or the "please clean my room" sign out, they respect your wishes. The resort did have an excellent view of Lands End-although sometimes blocked by cruise ships. There was always someone cleaning the resort grounds.

Food-hit or miss. The food was all very well presented. The breakfast buffet was decorated with watermelon carvings. There was something for everyone. The food was not always replaced if the dish was empty. The lunch buffet got a little boring-same food every day although the prentation of the buffet tables was very nice. Dinner-good and not so good. The Mexican restaurant was okay. The gourmet restaruant was good-desserts were excellent. Japanese restaurant was good. The buffet for dinner was usually good. All of the restaurants were well decorated. Our big complaints-food being not refilled when empty and tables not being cleared (some restaurants were better than others).

I got the flu while we were on vacation. I did see the doctor on staff-very caring and easy to understand and he did make me feel better.

The management could have been better. On our last day, someone came up to us and asked us what could have been improved upon for the restaurants. I hope they took our comments into consideration. I called the front desk to get a repair person out to fix our toilet. It took 3 phone calls and 6 hours to fix. We had a small balance to our room for phone calls and the front desk tried to charge us twice after giving a paid in full receipt. I felt as though the staff perceived us as an inconvience if we had a question. We didn't feel as though things were clearly marked. And the resort is HUGE. If you are expecting a quiet, quaint hotel, this is not the place.

The pools were okay. It took a few minutes to get a drink at the pool bar. The pools needed a definite cleaning at the end of the day.

The beaches in front of the resort were nice. Although the sand is coarse...very coarse. It was nice to sit under a palm tree and read a book while listening to waves.

The entertainment at night was good. There was a karaoke night and some more singing and dancing that we saw for 3 additional nights. The one show was kind of a Vegas style dance show. There is also a piano bar on the same floor as the lobby and it is more quite and relaxed. The service at night seemed better than during the day.

Over all, we had a great trip to Cabo San Lucas. We did see some whales and took some wonderful pictures at Lovers Beach. I would go back to Cabo in a heart beat but to stay at the RIU again I don't think so (not because it was bad but because the resort was too big for us and we would like to try something different).

First time ever going to an all inclusive resort. We stayed at the hotel from February 4, 2006 to February 11, 2006. I read people's reviews before I left to go away and I have to say that the people that posted bad reviews are obviously just negative people who complain about everything. You almost ruined my trip.

The hotel is beautiful, clean and the people that work there are friendly. Like anywhere else you are going to come across someone who is having a bad day.

Everyone keeps complaining about the food. Give me a break. I am the pickiest person in the world when it comes to food and I always found something everyday to eat, breakfast, lunch and supper. I didn't starve and I didn't get sick once. I even tried the Japanese restaurant and absolutely loved it. Back at home in Canada I would never dream of trying something like that but went with it and absolutely loved it. One thing I did notice though was the fact that some people, obviously not from the Maritimes in Canada, decided to load 7 lobster tails on their plate at one time. You might want to share with the other guests at the hotel next time. It takes 20 minutes to cook them. Be more courteous of the other guests. I didn't care because I didn't want them anyways since they were from the Pacific water. Not as good as Atlantic lobster.

Our room was cleaned every morning quite early. We had no issues with our room being a mess. Our room was 3149 with an excellent view of the beach and Lover's Beach. No loud people next to us or crazy noises that other people complained about. The mini bar in our room was always stocked and if we needed more one call to the front desk got you more. People also complained about the lack of elevators. Who cares, walk the stairs, get some exercise, it's not going to hurt after stuffing your face and drinking all day.

Cabo Wabo was cool and Sammy Haggar showed up on the Thursday night that we were there two days after my birthday. The town was awesome and felt safe. Shopping was fun and the mall was super awesome. They have a Hello Kitty store.

My mother did have a hard time getting a cake for my birthday at the hotel. They were going to charge her $5 American per slice. Give me a break. My boyfriend put in a request the night before my birthday to have room service the morning of my birthday. It never arrived and we told the people when they came around to ask if we had any complaints. We told them but nothing was ever done to make up for this. Not a big deal either because it was probably better just to get up and go to the buffet anyways.

The weather was great everyday. Just like summers here in Canada. No clouds and no rain. You can't beat that.

Don't use the internet at the hotel. Charge you $4 Amercian and when you think you signed out you aren't really signed out. I know for a fact because a couple that was with our group went on after us and they were logged into our Messenger. Not cool. It's cheaper in town and you get a longer period of time.

The only other complaint I had was the fact you could not swim in the water on the beach. I'm from Nova Scotia and know what waves and undertows are like but that water was crazy and the sand sucked. We have softer sand in Canada for sure. '

Not related to the hotel but the airport ---. Checking in at the airport took over an hour and a half and after my suitcase got searched along with everyone else in line they ended up breaking it. Brand new suitcase for the trip and the guy dragged it sideways. Don't let them get away with charging you for having overweight luggage either. If they do, ask for a receipt, guaranteed you will get your money back.

Anyways ignore what the negative people say. It's a great hotel with great service and clean rooms and great food. You get what you make of it. The negative people awlways find something to complain about.

My husband & I stayed at the RIU Palace the first 2 weeks in Feb. We had a great time, here's some notes on our experience:

THE ROOMS: Nice, small sitting area with a King bed and ocean view balcony. We were in 4125 on the east side of the building so we had the sunset in front of us each night. The bar was well stocked, the service was good and the room was clean.

THE BEACH: Nice beach, but you can't swim. Also, it takes at least 40 minutes to walk on the beach to town. There were lots of lounge chairs under the treees in the middle of the hotel for shade.

THE POOLS: The east side of the hotel is the activity pool side with lots of things going on. If you want quiet, go to the west side. All pools were heated and fairly clean (except maybe the swim up bar). Lots of chairs,loungers, but like anywhere, prime spots go fast so be early. Service at the pool was pretty good. No bathrooms nearby.

THE FOOD/RESTUARANTS: The buffet was good, always found something good to eat. For lunch we had italian every day at the Mexican Restaruant. Did not like the Mexican at night for dinner. The Gourment was nice, the beef was good. Remeber that this is Mexico, not the US so standards are not as high. The steak house was good, get the tenderloin. We did not try the Japanese. Breakfast is great at the buffet. The wine is really bad everywhere. They need to do something about getting some California, Canadian or Aussie wines in. We went into town and bought our own wine.

THE SERVICE: They try really hard to please and will go out of their way to ensure good service. The staff are very friendly and most speak english. They came around every day and asked what they could do to improve the hotel/service. We asked twice to have a bottle of champagne sent to our room. One time it arrived, the other time it did not. The bartenders are great and very efficient.

THE ACTIVITIES: They provide horseshoes, volley ball, arobics, dancing, shooting, darts, poker and water activities. All were fun and well organized.

THE TOWN: Very busy, lots of shops, bars, flea markets. Don't go when there are cruise ships in the harbour. You can take a bus from the hotel, walk or taxi for about $10 U.S. Loved that you can pay for everything in US dollars and most people speak english. The marina is lovely for a walk and to go on excursions.

FUN THINGS: The whale watching was fun and the glass bottom boat is a must. We took both from the marina, allowing you to go into town and shop/look around before getting on the boat.

All in all, a very nice place, lots of fun and even though the service is not perfect, they try very hard to accommodate everyone. I would go back, for sure.

My Wife and I just returned from the RIU in Cabo. After reading the reviews before we left for our trip we were both a little concerned. The first thing that I would say to any one traveling to Cabo is.. RENT A CAR. A car for 5 days cost around 140.00 USD. Pretty cheap and if you want to go into town and go on the excursions you do it on your own time and pace. You must remember that everyone has a scam and Cabo is full of them. The Cabbies will try and charge you a crazy fee, and all of them are scammers be warned. The hotel staff were always cleaning. Everytime we left our rooms people were mopping, cleaning, painting etc. We had our room upgraded to ocean view and you ask how.. now here's the trick you must follow, and it's simple. You are on vacation 5.00 USD goes a long way in Mexico. If you tip a few dollars (whats 5 bucks on vacation?) you're stay will be fine. Hotel was clean from what we saw. Drinks were watered down. Now here's the biggest gripe and it's huge. THE FOOD IS ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE ! !. The first day we had the buffet. From that moment on I was sick as a dog for the entire trip. They leave food out way to long. The specialty restaraunts were ehh. Now you know why I said rent a car. If you want a week of this food then you are a glutton for punishment. Overall the grounds were well kept location is beautiful. STAY AWAY FROM THE FOOD and you'll be fine.