Riu Palace Hotel, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
August 13-18, 2006

We just returned from a delightful, relaxing six day vacation at the Riu Palace and loved it. We wanted to relax and found this a tremendous property where we never needed to leave for anything. Our daughters, ages 12 and 15, had a great time as well.

Use a Travel Agent - I did extensive internet searches, but after I found the absolute best deal I called a travel agent. Within five minutes she found a deal that saved me $100 over what I had found, so I always recommend calling a travel agent before you book. They know who has the best deals.

Airport Arrival – I had read reviews saying not to talk to timeshare folks as you are departing the airport, but when a guy asked me if I needed a transfer and I told him what company I was looking for, he directed me over to a counter when a man said that he was with my transfer company, that they had called my representative who would be there to pick me up in 10 – 15 minutes as he was over at the other terminal. He proceeded to ask what activities I wanted to do while we were in Cabo and offered all kinds of special deals. Turns out he lied and was a timeshare guy. SO, I strongly recommend proceeding directly from customs at the airport through the second set of doors where the transfer people are waiting. Do not talk with anyone or tell them who you are looking for – just tell them that you already have a transfer arranged.

Hotel transfer – It is much cheaper and easier to set this up before you leave home.

Check-in at the hotel
•This went smoothly, five minutes. There are two distinct sections of the hotel – one facing in toward the swimming pools, which is considered the noisy side because of the games at the pool and the shows in the evening and one facing out away from the pools, which is very quiet. If you want a quiet experience, ask for a quiet room facing town. We had a fair view of the beach and a beautiful view of the city lights at night. Do ask to be up at least in the 2000 number rooms or above to have a decent view. If you want quiet, you may also want to ask if you are anywhere close to the disco which goes until early in the morning.
•The beds are hard, so I would definitely ask to have the mattress pad put on your bed before the first night. That made the bed very comfortable.
•I would ask to see on the hotel map where your room is located before you leave the check-in desk. If it isn’t exactly what you want, change it there before you leave. Ask questions. This is a large property and it is easier to change it before you go all the way to the room.
•Make your reservations for the special restaurants the day you arrive. They make reservations from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. The first 45 minutes or so there is a long line, but we never had much of a wait any other time.

Hotel shops - We found that all the hotel shops had outrageous prices, so be sure to bring plenty of sunscreen, sunglasses, hat, flip flops, gum, snacks, lip balm, chips, candy, nuts, etc.

Food - As others have commented, we found the breakfast buffet to be fantastic. The fruit juices were too sweet for me, but the fruit smoothies were great. They have great cheeses, sliced meats, grilled/marinated meats, an ice cream machine for soft serve ice cream all day, a chocolate fountain with fruit and marshmallows for dipping each evening, lots of sautéed vegetables of many varieties, and marvelous fresh fruit. Be sure and try the fresh papaya with lime juice squeezed over it. I would suggest taking small portions from the buffet to try the food and be sure you like it. Things may not taste quite as you anticipate.

Bargain - Be sure and bargain with the folks on the beach as well as the vendors who come to the hotel on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday evenings. Even the people who do the ceramic painting down by the pool negotiate as the prices they tell you first are very high.

Water – The water at the bathroom sink is NOT for drinking. They give you lots of water bottles in the refrigerator, but do not drink the water from the faucet. To help us remember not to use the faucet for brushing our teeth, I put a water bottle next to each bathroom sink and then put a Kleenex over each faucet to remind us.

Clothing – People are in swim suits and cover-ups all day. No need for anything else except very casual resort wear in the evening. Note that there is a dress code for the hotel restaurants where you make reservations in the evening.

Do NOT go here if:
•Kids bother you. Stick with an Adults Only property. There are lots of kids here.
•You want American style gourmet food & you don’t want to try new foods. This is Mexico. They always have plenty of American kinds of food such as hamburgers, french fries, and pizza, but much of it is delicious Mexican dishes.

I have reviewed every single thing that is written on this hotel and thought it would be good. The bathroom smelled so bad and we could not even open the balcony door because the air conditioning goes off and it is hot there trust me. The whole hotel was not clean at all. I think people are too drunk to realize how filthey this hotel is. The food is terrible. Even the drinking water smells. Japanese restaurant was terrible too. It was the worst sushi I have ever had. The service is just like red cross. They bring out a huge tray and serve everybody out of it. And let me state one thing I don't consume Alcohol and I'm very happy with a reasonable service but although we tipped everyone like crazy we couldn't get a decent service. My 3 year old got infected from the pool. We had to see the doctor at the hotel who charged $80 to see our daughter. She had a fever for 3 days. Terrible place to stay.

My husband and I went to Cabo and stayed in the Riu Palace, we traveled there 8-6-06 thru 8-12-06 on our honeymoon. The palace is soo big! It is amazing. Everyone complains about the food, but it is not that bad. The buffet can get a little repetitive, however what can you expect this is not gonna be a homecooked meal. The restaurants that are at the palace are okay, however, make sure to book your reservations as soon as you arrive they book up quickly. The mexican was the best in my opinion. If you are going to travel into town, be ready for the fares. A taxi is 10.00 one way and they dont usually have another couple so that you can split the fare. If you are going to do any activities, make sure you book those as well, those book very quickly. We did the sunset cruise and the glass bottom boat ride. They were both well worth our money, I recommend getting off on the glass bottom tour and snorkling, I didnt and I regret it. The sunset tour provides a meal that is really good(chicken,steak, guacomole, tortillas) if you like that kind of food. The riu is very clean, people are always cleaning everywhere. Our only complaint was that our bed felt very damp all the time. Not so enjoyable. Just have fun and go there with an open mind and you will like it!

Don't believe other reviews. Not only was the pool very dirty and unsanitary, but for the ten days that we were there, not once did we see somone or a machine clean the pool or add chlorine to it. There were cigarette buts, old bandades and hair in the pool. On the east pool (bar pool) we noticed some of the poeople sitting there all day drinking and not once getting up to use the toilet.

The food was manifested with flies the entire ten days. There were no lids or covers on the food left on the buffet or even on the restaurants with reservation. The cold cuts or any deli meat sit with flies over them for the entire time.

Do not rent from National Car Rental at the hotel. Their rate changes every minute.

In short, don't go to Riu.