We just returned from our stay at the Riu Palace in Cabo San Lucas, Los Cabos, Mexico. There are no words to describe how unbelievably amazing this place is. For a new hotel, the service and experience was unforgettable. Other family members are already looking into booking at the Riu Palace for their vacation as a result.
Everyday whether it was morning, day, or night time, the staff was constantly cleaning to ensure the place stayed a Palace. Nearly every day we saw painters doing touch-ups to the hotel to keep it clean and gorgeous. The tiles that cover the entire exterior grounds were washed down every single day with cleaner and water and scrubbing. Even the decorative railings along the perimeter of the hotel were cleaned with clothes, soap and water. Everyday we saw groundskeepers out trimming the bushes, the lawn, and the trees; there really was not a single branch or blade of grass that was visibly not trimmed. In relation to other review that was left, that said the pools were not cleaned, that is a total lie. If you go out and walk the resort at night, you will definitely see the pool guy putting chlorine in the pool and taking out waste from the pool. There was also a young man who would stand on the side of the pool, and even go into the shallow parts with a skimmer to clean up the water. In relation to the ‘film’ that may be seen in a corner at times, if you consider the amount of people that are in the water at the same time, wearing sunscreen or oils, it is reasonable to see a bit of film as a result, it is nothing to be disgusted or appalled by. The one thing that truly annoyed us, were the people who actually stayed at the resort, there was unfortunately a few that were completely inconsiderate. It should not matter whether you have people that are constantly cleaning up after you or not, it is never right to discard you apple waste in the pool at night, or throw your banana peel, nachos, or beer into the ash trays at the resort. People also tossed their dishes out in the hallway with all the food waste they did not want. It was absolutely sad to see that people would act like that, simply because they did not have to clean up after themselves, or wash their own dishes.
Also, as far as having a problem with you room upon arrival, there is no need to flash money in front of the concierges’ face to get a room change. We arrived and were checked in smoothly. We got to our room, 0159, and we did not like it, there was a view of a small courtyard area, and no real view of the ocean. The ocean view was not so much the issue, we really did not want to be in a room where there was a bit of discoloration on the ceiling and some dust on the vent cover (both very minor issues). Either way, we called the front desk and told them we did not like it because of those issues, immediately, we were changed over to another room even though they were overbooked. We were moved to room 3048 where we were on the 3rd floor with our balcony facing the interior of the property so we had a view of the pool area, the fountain area, and most importantly, the ocean. It was AMAZING!!!
In relation to the food that is available at the resort, it is best to start off by letting you know that out of the two of us, one of us has a fairly decent stomach and digestive system that can handle a lot of different foods, while the other has an extremely sensitive digestive system that spans from Lactose Intolerance to a severe case of Irritable Bowel Disease/Syndrome (spasm in the colon from un-soluble fiber foods, spices, fat, dairy, etc) which results in a lot of pain and diarrhea.
THE FOOD:
We arrived around noon on Monday June 26th, we were not really ready for food because there was a meal and snacks on the flight from Toronto, however we did stop at the Snack Bar for a little bit to eat before hitting the pool side. For dinner however, we went to the Buffet and it was the most gorgeous, elaborate place made up simply for a common buffet. Just as the structure itself was amazing, great effort was also put into the foods even though it was a buffet. There is definitely no chance of getting this type of food for you meals three times a day at any regular buffet in your home city or town.
Monday Dinner (buffet):
Ribs, Rice, buns, Potatoes, Ice Cream, Chocolate covered Marshmallows and of course Bottled Corona.
IBS Meal: Grilled Salmon, Grilled Fish Fillet, Rice (corn and spices), Rice (carrot and zucchini), bread buns, carrot shredding, and 7 UP
Tuesday Breakfast (buffet):
Sausage, bacon, sunny side-up eggs, omelet with bacon and cheese, toast, coffee, OJ
IBS Meal: Baked Potatoes cubes, boiled egg whites, peach halves, peach jam, bread (long bread that is fresh French), carrots
Lunch at Snack Bar:
Pasta, burger, fries, fruits, ice cream
IBS Meal: Carrots, pasta with garlic, rice (carrot, zucchini, garlic), bread
Specialty Dinner at San Jose (Mexican):
Burritos
IBS: Chicken Gourmet (didn’t eat much of it, they did not understand that I asked for it to be plain)
Went to the Buffet:
Had some rice, carrots and bread
Wednesday Breakfast:
IBS: boiled egg whites, bread with peach jam, pears, carrots
Lunch at Snack Bar:
IBS: rice, bread, carrot, pasta
Specialty Dinner: Steak House
Tenderloin Steak, side of onion, tomatoes, baked potatoes
IBS Meal: Grilled Chicken Breast plain (same side of)
Thursday Breakfast:
Same as above
Lunch at Snack Bar:
IBS Meal: Potatoes (all the potatoes, though spiced differently never caused a problem, just did not eat the skin), pasta, bread, lettuce with carrots
Dinner at Buffet; Theme: Chef’s Night:
Lamb, Beef cubes, chicken thigh, bread, Corona
IBS Meal: Rice, Lettuce and carrots, Chicken (BBQ), Bread, Banana
Friday Breakfast:
Same as above
Lunch at Snack Bar:
IBS Meal: bread, lettuce and carrots, pasta, banana, apple
Specialty Dinner: Japanese, Musaki
There was a complimentary sushi plate, as well as an appetizer (sushi), a main course: Beef dish order; IBS Meal: Chicken Teriyaki Skewer Dish (no problems with this at all)
Saturday Breakfast:
Same as above, some cereal as well (IBS: Corn Flakes)
Lunch at Snack Bar:
French Fries, potatoes, pizza, pasta
IBS Meal: Pasta, potatoes, bread, lettuce
Dinner at Buffet: Theme Night: Mexican
Pasta, Penne with Sauce, Burritos
IBS Meal: Paprika Potatoes, pasta, bread, lettuce and carrots
Sunday Breakfast:
Same as above
Lunch Buffet at Crown Plaza Hotel:
NOTHING REALLY GOOD HERE.
Went to the snack bar and had some burritos
IBS Meal: Tostitos with salsa juice (not the actual tomatoes, onions and spices)
Dinner at Buffet Restaurant at Crown Plaza Hotel:
NOTHING REALLY GOOD HERE.
Turkey, smoke pork meat, potatoes
IBS Meal: Potatoes, carrots, lettuce, bread
THE ROOM:
As detailed above, with the minor issues we had with the first room, we were changed to another one right away, even though they were over-booked.
In relation to the over-booking, on the Saturday evening we received a call to our room from the front desk. They kindly told us that they had an offer for us because they were over-booked and had a new group of people coming to the hotel. We were set to check out on the 3rd of July so the hotel offered us a free, all-inclusive 5-night voucher to any Caribbean Riu hotel during the next year if we would be willing to transfer to the Crown Plaza to stay Sunday night. This really was not an issue, even though the food was not the greatest at Crown Plaza. The room did not compare to the Riu Palace nor did the Bar Fridge in the room, but it was still a nice hotel.
The Bar Fridge in the room at the Riu Palace was amazing, it was fairly large, and it was filled with about 6 Corona’s and some 7UP, Pepsi, Diet Pepsi and Orange Soda, as was as purified bottled water. As far as the other reviews that say the fridge was not stocked and so on, the fridges are stocked every second day, however, if you require more of anything, all you have to do is call the front desk and within the ½ hour the ‘delivery guy’ shows up. The delivery guy is so generous, if the call was for Corona, they stock that fridge so tight to ensure you have a good time.
There was also 4 bottles of liquor for your perusal to make mixed drinks. The bottles were of Smirnoff Triple Distilled Vodka, Bacardi Rum, Presidente Brandy, and Jose Cuervo Tequila. We really liked that they had it right there in the room, but we also wanted to take some home. All we did was call for a Corona delivery and when the guy came we simply asked for a bottle of Smirnoff and Jose Cuervo, there was no problem at all, we obviously tipped him for his services. The next day when we called for more Corona (even though it was the stock up day, it was morning and we wanted to get ready for the pool, so we called and it came), we asked for a bottle of Bacardi and it was given without any problems. (Smirnoff: 900 ML, Bacardi: 946ML, Jose Cuervo: 990ML, Presidente Brandy: 1.1 L)
The bed and towels were exchanged and made up every day, sometimes even twice a day; the second time was to prepare the bed for us to sleep in at night.
And, WE ALWAYS HAD ENOUGH TOILET PAPER, there is a cute little toilet paper rest on the wall that stores extra rolls.
Along with the rest of the resort, the room was well equipped with air conditioning and a ceiling fan. The air conditioning in the room was sensor-operated, meaning that if you opened your balcony door it would shut-off rather than you having to go and fiddle with the dial on the wall to turn it off if you wanted the breeze from outside instead. As far as the ceiling fan, it was great to have, but the air conditioning works so well that you really don’t need to use it. (As for the rest of the resort, there is air conditioning inside the buffet restaurant; the rest of the open areas like the snack bar/steak house at night, the specialty restaurants and the events stage area, are all equipped with multiple fans that keep it nice and cool all the time, no matter the temperature outside.
Most importantly, there was an issue with the tub being slightly slippery, all we had to do was stop by the front desk while we were out and about and within half an hour we had a delivery to the room with a brand new tub mat so that we would not get hurt or have any problems.
There was one slight issue with the room that was that near the end of the stay we noticed a very minute smell of sewage. We quickly resolved it by putting the sink plug in the sink and the odor seemed to disappear. It was nice, however, that that majority of the time when we returned to our room there was a nice melon scent that was very refreshing.
THE BEACH:
Though there were rough waves right at the shore, there were people out in the ocean everyday, even young children with their parents. Once you got about 15-20 feet out, there were no waves really and people were swimming even though they have the red flag up at the resort for the rough waters.
When we went out to the beach, we were walking along and a bigger wave came up, past us to where we had out camera case sitting, startled a slight scream of excitement was let out, and one of the locals who was near by came running over just to grab our shoes and camera case that was a few feet away, before the wave got to it. The local happened to be one of the beach sellers, however, he did not hassle us at all to buy anything, even though he just helped us out.
We also saw a lady who was swimming and she decided to get out of the water, but a big wave happened to come up and pull her back a bit, two young local came running over and both grabbed an arm just to help her out, she was laughing about it, but they were there to help just in case.
THE TOWN:
On Wednesday morning we decided to walk to town along the beach. It was a bit of a walk, but it was nothing too hard to handle. It was quite relaxing, and there are people out and about from the other hotels along the way so there are no real problems with boredom. We left the Palace around 10:30am, and at a slow pace, we arrived in town around 11:15am. We went into the two local malls and we bought some gifts for family. The town’s people are very nice people. And if you happen to get a hold of a map in the town, of the area, there are coupons for free earrings, bracelets and more.
We decided to take a local city bus back to the hotel, what an experience. While we were waiting at the bus stop, there was a local who tried to talk to us, one of us knew a bit of Spanish so we were able to converse a bit in broken English and Spanish. She was extremely nice and even told us about her family and asked where we were from and if we were enjoying our time. Once we got on the bus, the driver did not speak English, there was a bit of confusion with change from the $10US we gave him, however, other locals on the bus helped out with the bit of English they knew, and the bus driver stopped the bus, came all the way to the back where we were sitting, had one of the passengers talk Spanish with him and translate to us, and after he even stopped right in front of the hotel driveway, where there is no bus stop, to drop us off. The locals on the bus were so nice and they all wanted to talk to us!! We spoke with a young man who was very kind and even told us when we were at our stop because we were clueless.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
If you are looking to get anyone’s hair braided, there are vendors right in front of the hotel on the beach. The ladies like to start high at $50USD for a full-head of braids with hair length just past the shoulders, but if you bargain with them, they will go down. We had one lady follow us and go from $50USD down to $30USD if we would get it done right then, that was Tuesday and we wanted to wait till later on in the week. We ended up getting it done for $35USD by another lady on Friday morning.
The workers at the hotel are all really nice people. Though most do not know a word of English, simply saying “hola” to them when you past by, seems to brighten up their day. If you know a bit of Spanish, asking them how they are doing (in Spanish “Como esta?), before talking in English, they really like that you make the effort to speak their language. Also saying thank you “gracias” or even your welcome “de nada” when they say thank you to you, really gets them to go the extra mile with everything.
Tipping the cleaning lady is always a good thing. Most importantly, is that it does not always have to be money, we gave the cleaning lady a manicure set, a hair brush set, some candy, pencils, and shots glasses and beer openers to the bar tenders (all from the dollar store).
The resort is basically separated into two halves. On the left side of the resort (facing the ocean), you have the activities pool area equipped with volleyball nets both in the pool and on the beach front; ping-pong tables; and all the pool activity balls and equipment you need. This area is more the entertaining side with music and a lively crowd; this goes for the left side of the resort as well, nothing that is any bit of a problem though. The right side of the resort has the relaxing area, equipped with a nice waterfall area and fountain in the large pool as well as a Spa just steps away, attached to the fitness center. There is no music played on this side of the resort, aside from the calm, smooth rock that is played in the pool bar that is about 20 feet away from the larger pool. The large pool also has built in laying chairs to tan while staying refreshed and cool in the pool.
When we went out for a walk on the beach, early evening on Saturday night, we came across some locals who were offering horse back-riding. We were aware that we were set to depart for the other resort in the morning however; they offered a free ride just a ways down the beach to see if we liked it. They also made a very generous offer if we could make a deal to go riding the following evening. Unfortunately, we were not able to make the deal however; they locals were still extremely friendly with us and wished us both a safe and happy vacation.
OVERALL VALUE FOR THE MONEY:
This was definitely a worth-while trip. After traveling to Mayan Riviera, Mexico and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, we can definitely say that we got the best deal for the lease amount of money.
We paid a very good price, just over $1000 CAD per person that included the taxes as well as $5,000,000 CAD health coverage.
The 5 night voucher for transferring to another resort for one night, a resort that was much closer to the airport, thus allowing us to get extra sleep before pick-up, is not offered at many other places.
The service and staff were unbelievably friendly and were always ready to help if it was needed.
The food was EXCELLENT, though that does not need to be said because it is clearly detailed above, especially with the extreme IBS diet restrictions.