What a great place!!! Before we left I was a little concerned after reading some of the reviews. Almost to the point of cancelling and instead hosting a neighborhood yahtzee tournament in our basement (with deviled eggs). Instead, I went and loved it. check in was a breeze and the people couldnt be nicer. The pool was pristine and I swam the backstroke every day. As far as food goes I loved it. Most AI's have buffets that we avoid; here, we enjoyed!!!! Then nightlife here is great as well. We aspired to visit Cabo Wabo but never left the property because it was so nice. The beach was vendor free so my husband had to go to town to buy a toe in a jar. This was our only off site excursion. We will be back. Make sure you tip'; the people here deserve it. No one makes ham like Jorge and The bacon and eggs I ordered every morning were arranged in a smily face just like my cook does, and without asking!!!!

We just returned from out stay at the Rui Palace and we had a BLAST. We were very careful in picking out our first "All Inclusive Hotel" and when we decided on the Rui Palace, we went ahead a did our homework and read every review.

The hotel is simply gorgeous and very breath taking. The staff were so kind and almost every one of the we passed said hi. There were even a few who recognized us and would always make sure to say hi. The food was very good. The Buffet's yes were at times just warm but really very good. There was a different theme for every night. We did manage to make reservations in one resturant (the japenese) and it was excellent. Now it was not for the night we wanted but it was for the following night which was fine. I did read reviews were it did say they did not get in and am wondering if it was because they did not get the night of there choose. The rooms were also beautiful, the maid service cleaned and stocked the room every day. We had a drink anytime we wanted and yes that meant sometimes getting it our selves but with about 400 plus people you cannot expect to get fast service the moment you finish a drink. The entertainment at night was really very good. The opening singers were excellent and the dancers afterwards were fun to watch.

If I had to right on something that could be improved upon, that would be on there reservation system. One of our reservations was not honored because of a storm and the canceled the room. But they did not contact those who made reservations that night to say that we would be on the list the next day if the resturant was open. They did have our room number.

For the bad reviews I read, I was shocked because none of that happened. I did watch however how some of the guests treated the staff and simply complained about everything and those are the ones who proably wrote the bad reviews. You need to remember that this hotel with as many people that stay really do the best they can and to have some patience and treat the staff with respect. There were times I was embarrased to be an American.

We will be going back to the Rui for many years :)

We stayed at the RIU Palace in Cabo San Lucas from July 21-26. We had an amazing time. I have traveled a lot around the world and have stayed at some incredible resorts. This was a very nice place to stay. I am an avid reader of tripadvisor and certainly keep up with reviews prior to any vacation. I was a bit hesitant after reading some previous reviews, but arrived in Cabo ready for a vacation and decided to evaluate for myself. Our vacation package was booked through AAvacations, which I called the day we left to confirm after reading several reviews that spoke of overbooking the hotel. I received very valuable information from the representative- I will break up my review into sections as others have before me.

Initial Experience at the airport-check in at hotel:
We arrived on a direct flight and were directed into customs. This took a very long time. Much, much longer than in the states, so be prepared. You will receive your forms on the plane, have them ready, and plan to stand in line. DO NOT LOSE THE SHORT PIECE OF THE FORM. You will be given the small end piece of the form and you need to keep it in a safe place as you will need it again when you check back in for your return flight to go home. Once you finally make it through customs, you will retrieve your luggage, stand in line again, place your luggage on the screener, show your form again, then press the stop light and get through a set of doors. When you pass through the first set of doors that say exit, you can either exit to the Left (for family pick up only) or to the Right (for prepaid shuttles and groups). You will be bombarded by folks in white outfits trying to involve you in timeshare conversations. Pass by them quickly. I just had to be downright rude. They were very persistant and finally said "just show us your voucher, we'll take you there". I'm sure I would have been taken for a fine ride....however, thanks to my AA representative, I had been told to look for Olympus tours who are outside the SECOND set of doors in orange shirts. The key is, just be sure you get out the second set of doors to the fresh air, then look for your tour group. They sell beverages and a few snacks outside as well. The trip to the resort wasn't terribly scenic. Check in was simple, less than 5-10 minutes. You will receive your room keys, towel cards (you will need to exchange cards for towels each day), and the room safe lock and key (50 dollar charge if you lose it).

Rooms:
We had a Junior Suite. I found it spacious for two people. The bathroom is clean, but caution in the tub. I read where another reviewer fell in the bathroom. I can easily see how this could happen. The bathtub is a tub/shower combination with a large step in. I found it slippery myself. I also smelled the musty smell others have reported, but it wasn't overwhelming. The other scent others have reported is sewage. Yes, it's there, but it's Cabo. I don't think it's exclusive to this location. I did keep the sinks plugged as another reviewer suggested, although I'm not sure it made a big difference. It was most prominent in the evening and often came in waves, clearing quickly. The beds are hard. It felt like a slab of rock to me, but I am used to feathers. It's all about preference. We asked for a mattress topper that others referenced the first night we were there. The housekeeping staff was gone, but we were accomodated the following day. It's simply a mattress pad. But, in all honesty, it did help, just ask if you prefer something a little softer. There are not many American TV channnels, but we had a great time watching some shows in Spanish, Latin American Idol was a hoot! We did use the room safe for all of our personal items that were non-replaceable or invaluable to us (ie passports) and nothing was ever taken. I did not hear of anyone having any issues while we were there.

Restaurants:
I am a very picky eater, and I had no difficulty finding something to eat. The breakfast buffet is fine, I didn't find it as fabulous as other reviewers, but it all comes down to preference. One complaint I did have was three of five days they ran out of glasses for the juices at breakfast. We didn't go thirsty, we were just resourceful and utilized the styrofoam cups at the coffee area. Certainly not a deal breaker, but could be improved upon. If you miss the breakfast buffet at El Medano (it closes at 10), you can eat a continental breakfast (it's actually much larger than continental) at Mar de Cortes. The best lunch area was the Italian food that is available near the activities pool. We strolled through the Mar De Cortes and I found the other more appealing-again, simply preference. I echo every other reviewer's comments about the guacamole...it's fabulous! Dinner was good each night. We ate three nights at the buffet (El Medano) and two at the specialty restaurants. The buffet is themed each night. We ate Italian Night, International Night, and Mexican Night. We passed on Cowboy Night (barbecue) and Caribbean Night and ate at the Mikasi (Japanese) and Sir Lawrence (French Gourmet) respectively. Both were very good. We had absolutely no issue making reservations, they are available at a stand near the El Medano from 11a-4p, we had no line and walked right up, even changing our reservation was easy. They will allow you to book two restaurants each time if you desire. There is a dress code that others have spoken of, but I saw individuals in both restaurants in tank tops and shorts. Guess it depends on the staff, or if they feel they are dressy enough. I think they are trying to impress that these are specialty restaurants, not something you attend after a day at the pool in your swim trunks and cover-up. If you need a little snack in between there are places to find them, but we didn't need them having filled up on meals earlier. We didn't have any trouble finding saltine crackers either-they are in packages on every salad bar. We loved the fruit at every meal too! I would caution you about the water, though. Everyone says 'don't drink the water', which we did not. But we were also overly cautious and did not drink the 'filtered' water served with each meal, did not brush our teeth with the water, and utilized hand sanitizer after washing our hands with the water as well. I would use caution regarding the ice too. Certainly each blended drink will use some, we were just cautious to not over-do it. No one in my party was ill, although I did hear of a few others who weren't well. They were unsure if it was something they ate in town or at the resort. I thought the drinks were fine, but I am not a big drinker. If you want more alcohol, just simply ask, they will accomodate.

Service:
I thought the service was overall pretty good. They were certainly trying very hard to accomodate each guest. We stopped back by the desk and asked about an activities schedule, which they did provide. We needed playing cards and asked the desk, we had some difficulty actually locating the right folks who could loan us a set, but we finally had success (anyone in an Animacion shirt can help you with this request). The activity pool was overwhelmed one afternoon and with only two servers, we did not get any service at all. But, if I wanted something, I just got out of the pool and walked over to the bar. Again, not a big deal. I am blessed to have the function of my legs and can go and get a beverage if I so desire. These folks were working very, very hard. I certainly didn't see them lounging on a beach chair! We did tip for each drink served and good service at the restaurants as well. We tipped the maid each day and left money for the mini-bar attendant. Honestly, I'm not sure it provided any better service, but they were very appreciative. I was embarrassed by some individuals who are clearly from the US who were inappropriate. Clearly, situations may arise which are beyond the control of the hotel. They do what they can to accomodate. It may not make everyone happy, but they will try.

Entertainment:
Well, it's entertaining. Each evening, they have live singers followed by a themed show. We watched the Mariachi band, the Music Show, the Grease Show, the Tropical Show, the Movie Show, and the Latin Show. These folks try very hard, but as others have stated, it's not Vegas or Broadway. There is some lip-synching that's not even the caliber of Milli Vanilli and some dancing. The shows are entertaining, but you have to keep an open mind. Some of the dancers are actually quite talented, and they really do try. I was entertained. My only word of caution is this: Realize this is at night and some of it may be more geared toward adults. I wouldn't say any of it was "offensive", but some of the dancers are a less than fully clothed. There was a little more skin than I am used to seeing-nothing inappropriate (tops and bottoms are technically in place), but if you have small children you may want to check it out before you bring them and decide for yourself if it's appropriate for your family.
Unfortunately for us, of the 3-7 days it rains per year, we got two of them! It meant each of the tours were canceled, the steakhouse closed, Mar de Cortes closed (both in the same location and it's outdoors), and it definitely put a damper on sunning ourselves. The staff tried very hard to find activities for us to do. They held a bingo tournament, dance lessons, poker tournament, moved ping pong indoors, had Xbox and a movie playing as well as board games. It felt a little like Kellerman's from the movie Dirty Dancing. We laughed and sang the theme song as we sat up in the lobby bar overlooking the water while playing some cards. We enjoyed the spa since we had to stay indoors. It wasn't the best spa experience I've ever had (mani/pedi), it was in a very small area, but it beat being outside.
The water is beautiful and the pools are as everyone has described. Read the reviews-never went into the pool bar, thankfully, they are separated from each of the main pools. We preferred the activity pool, lots going on and music playing, but much, much busier. Had no trouble getting a chair. The tile is hot!!! There are pottery carts at each of the pools. You can pay to paint a piece of pottery, they will allow it to dry, glaze it and return it to you. Because we painted the first day it rained, we were unable to finish as they closed the carts. They returned the pieces to us the day we left and they were finished! The pieces were beautiful...much, much better than anything I could have completed. I tipped them nicely for their work. The beach is nice for watching a sunset-catch it if you can. The sand is very, very rough-free exfoliation! Okay, it hurts, but the view is worth it. The water is just plain dangerous. As the storms rolled through, they put up red tape and placed a lifeguard on the beach to keep patrons out of the water. Yes, despite the red flag warning all week, brave (if that's what you call it) souls took their lives into their hands to get into the waves. They are very, very strong and with a large storm the waves were crashing onto the shore with a lot of force. The wind was unbelievable, nearly 50mph, trees were blowing over. The staff tried very hard to keep the facility clean and dry, but it's all open, so everytime it rained, the lobby and every floor became wet. Thankfully we were on the top floor and didn't experience serious issues. Those on the first floor had serious issues as water was standing in their hallways. The stairwells were dangerously slick as were the main hallways. Water on slick tile is not good in any facility. Thankfully, this does not happen often.

Activities:
We booked our activities through Olympus Tours. Unfortunately, we were unable to parasail due to weather and although they tried to tell us we could still go on the ATV tour (which I heard was amazingly fun) during the rain/wind storm, we opted for safety and did not go. We had a near issue with Rancho Tours. Be warned, if you book through them, the cost does not include an Admission fee to the grounds, which they will assess you when you get to the grounds ( I think it's 6$/person). You will not have paid for that when you book. Only the 60$/person to rent the ATV for three hours. We were told if we canceled before leaving the resort b/c of rain then we were be refunded the cost, but if we left the resort with the driver and then the tour had to be canceled once we got out there due to unsafe or dangerous conditions, no refunds would be provided. We opted for the 'sure thing' and canceled due to the horrible conditions. The tour company was then told that since the driver had arrived and we canceled, that no refund would be provided. Our tour company said they would call Rancho Tours and take care of it as that is not at all what we had been told-we were credited the cost of the tour and went to the spa instead. I heard that the Jet Ski's were fun as well. There is one that takes you snorkeling and I heard the water was murky, but did not do this activity myself.

Cabo:
This is a good location, close to town. A taxi will cost 10-12 dollars each way. I would not want to drive there. I did not understand their road system and it just flat out looked dangerous. Word to the wise.-Anytime you pay with American dollars, be prepared for change in Pesos! The mall was okay, nothing I needed there. The drainage in Cabo is not good, there was sewage (I don't even want to know what was in it) running through the street. A large stream was running very briskly down the main road outside the mall/marina. We paid a bicycle taxi to get us across the stream. We went to the Hard Rock Cafe, Cabo Wabo (mainly ages 20-40, live cover band/popular dance music), El Squid Roe, and the Zoo (much younger crowd with techno-dance music). We did not go to the Giggling Marlin, we had met others who left there and came back to the Zoo. Of those, I think those of us North of the border prefer Cabo Wabo, but the locals prefer the Zoo. Take your pick, both were great fun.

Overall:
I would stay here again. I thought the facilities were reasonable, the food was good, and the staff tried very hard. There was another group that actually left one of the resorts nearby to come stay at the Riu, where they had stayed before! Made me feel much better about our decision! Despite the fact we were nearly blown away with an unusual storm, we would go back. Just remember you're on vacation, relax, have fun, enjoy the locals-they love it if you try out a little Spanish...even if it's not gramatically correct, and remember...you can't control the weather even if you're at home! So, go have fun!!! Ooui, Ooui!!!

We just got back from a week long Honeymoon @ the RIU Palace in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. We were absolutely thrilled with our stay there- All Inclusive is the only way to go in our opinion. The resort itself is gorgeous and very clean. The lobby, restaurants and bars were all so beautiful. The bar off of the lobby-Las Ventanas- has an wonderful view of the ocean - it was breathtaking. The food was pretty good on our stay- Breakfast and Dinner were the best. I would offer a few tips before you go to the resort- 1) Make sure that you have packed everything you might possible need. ex) if you forget a waterproof camera- its over $26 in the shop.. I would make sure to bring a waterproof camera. Most of the couples we met there had one and used it all the time ( Pool, Snorkeling, jet skis etc) 2) Bring an insulated mug; This is essential if you are wanting to get the most out of your all inclusive cocktails. We saw several people with the insulated mugs and they were able to get the bartenders to fill them up with whatever they wanted, plus since we spent most of the time in the pool bar...it won't get hot in 5 seconds. 3) Bring a hat- Cowboy Hat, baseball hat...whatever you want...but you'll probly need it. By the 2nd day, I paid for not having one, my head was burnt along with several other people. They sell hats on the beach like crazy because of this...so you may just want to be prepared to bring your own 4) If you really want to see a beautiful sunset while getting a tour of the coast, go on one of the Sunset Cruises. We took ours on the last night and it was amazing. It lasts just under 3 hours and takes you up and down the coast, to "Lovers Beach / The Arch" etc. It was the most gorgeous view ever and the sunset was awesome. Well, that's all the helpful advice I can think of . This resort really is wonderful. If you read differently, the people are probably just too picky,. We're 2 people from the Midwest and this was an absolute dream for us.......I hope you love it too!!!