We went with a group of Canadians for a week to the Riu Palace. My husband and I have travelled several times in the last 7 years to Mexico, Cuba, DR and Jamaica. This was our first time to Los Cabos. This was our first time to a RIU hotel.

Weather: The weather was not great!! We heard from the people who worked there that the weather in January is usually cloudy, and rain is expected. We had one day of sun, unfortunately, and the average temperature was in the low 70's. It rained several times. So, if you are looking for a hot, sunny holiday, you might want to consider a different place.

Check-in: When we arrived at the hotel, we were quickly checked in, and everything was thoroughly explained to us. Front desk was very helpful any time we needed them. If you book an oceanview room or jr suite, you may want to request a 3rd or 4th floor so you can see the ocean clearly. We were on the 2nd floor and it was a good view, but I would have preferred to be higher up. There are alot of trees and buildings that can obscure the ocean view rooms on the lower floors. Also, not all rooms have a view of the marina and rocky landscape. Some of our group had rooms with a great view of Los Arcos and the city, so it would be worth sending an email and requesting a ocean/city view.

Rooms: The hotel itself is large, clean and overall very elegant. The rooms are nice. The minibar is stocked with lots of water, pop and Corona, which we thought was great. There is also a liquor dispenser and ice bucket available. The furnishings everywhere are very nice. Room service is available. You can also request breakfast the next day by hanging a card (found in the dresser drawers) on your door the night before and have it delivered the next morning. This was great. The only problem that noted by others, is that the hallways are very noisy. I brought earplugs and was glad I did. The carts for room service are really noisy and the doors all slam when closing (nobody's fault, but makes it tough to fall asleep!).

Pools: There are two pool areas, one quiet and one for activities. The kids pools are very small. The pools are heated! This was great since the weather wasn't that warm. There are lounge chairs built into the pool.

Bars: The bars are all great. Brand name liquor available at all bars, excellent bartenders everywhere, never a long line up and definitely did not feel a need to tip, though we did occassionlly.

Restaurants: We had dinner at 2 a la carte restaurants. The Mexican was good, and the Japanese was great. I heard from others that the International was also great, but the Steak house was fair. The buffet restaurants are ok. I have to say that I did expect more from the buffet. At the main buffet, alot of the warm options were bland, lukewarm and repetitive. On the plus side, the soups were delicious, and the fish was very good. There is a huge dessert table and a chocolate fondue some nights. The fruit and vegetable selection was very good, so you definitely won't go hungry. There is always nacho chips with fresh guacamole and salsa available. In the lunch buffet, there is a wall of beverages available for self serve, including pop, espresso, capuccino etc. which I thought was great.

Spa: I had a deep tissue massage. It was wonderful. Many others in our group took advantage of the spa also and everyone came back with positive comments.

Beach: The beach is beautiful to look at, but difficult to walk on, and swimming is not allowed. We were aware of this before we went, so we weren't disappointed. If you like to walk the beach and swim in the ocean, you should probably look elsewhere.

Excursions: We went on the Canyon Zip Line tour, which we absolutely loved! What a great time! The tour guides are great, the scenery amazing and flying across the canyon was not scary at all.

We also went on a Whale watching trip on a Pirate Ship. Again, it was well organized and alot of fun. However, several people were quite seasick because it is quite wavy! We saw several whales, drinks are all included and sandwiches and snacks are served.

We went into town a couple times, during the day and at night. We went to Cabo Wabo and listened to the live band. We walked around the harbour and did some shopping. There is just about everything available, from high end shopping in the Plaza (Tommy Bahama, Kenneth Cole, etc.) to smaller shops with local souvenirs. A cab from the hotel is usually $10US each way. Make sure your cab driver agrees to this before you get in, or you'll likely get charged more.

We had a great time in Los Cabos, and I would definitely go back, but later on when there is warmer weather! Bring extra money to do some excursions--it's worth it and there are alot of activities to choose from. There is horseback riding, deep sea fishing, golfing, parasailing, jet skiing, ATV rentals, and glass bottom boat rides. Going in to town is alot of fun, and always felt very safe.

Enjoy your holiday!

We decided to stay at the Riu because my parents stayed here when they first opened (about a year and a half ago) and loved it. Boy, has it gone down hill since then! My husband and I read all of the reviews on Trip advisor before we left and thought that some people must be really picky. But, we have to say that we agree. We would not return to this hotel. It could be that our last vacation was SOOO great (Moon Palace, all inclusive in Cancun) and we just kept comparing the two hotels. The food was not good. The worst part was making reservations for dinner. I tried to make reservations the very first day we got in, because of suggestions that I had read online. All week we had trouble getting into the resteraunts. The only two we could get into was Mexican (terrible) and the steak house (very good). We tried to get into the other resteraunts EVERY day! If you are going to have a hotel with 650 rooms, you better be able to handle that many people. The rooms were so loud, that my husband and I had trouble sleeping. We didn't have any power in our room for one day. As for Cabo, it was okay. You couldn't swim in the ocean because of the undertoe. Another couple we met said that they felt like they were in Florida, and I would have to agree.

Okay, sorry for being so negative, here are some good things. The hotel grounds were beautiful. The drinks were good, we didn't think they were weak (as others thought). We enjoyed the nightly hotel entertainment. We also really loved the Giggling Marlin. The whale watching was great. We took a surfing tour to Todos Santos that was wonderful! What a beautiful area. We booked it thru Olympus Tours in the hotal lobby. They offer it thru Baja Wild. If you book it, request Sol, he was a great guide. That is about it. Our next vacation, we are returning to a Palace resort for sure.

First let me start off I am not a moron as one other reviewer suggested that anyone who didn't think this hotel was fabulous. I am a travel agent, and have travelled all over the world and travel several times a year to Mexico. This was not up to 5 star standards even for Mexico.

First off hotel is beautiful and grounds were beautiful. Food was way average, and they definitely recycled food that was leftover. Weenie and Green Pea Salad?? Rooms were adequate with nice balcony, but the noise was terrible. Afternoon cleaning the rooms with the carts up and down the hallways and then in the morning delivering breakfast-no naps and no sleeping in. And then in the evening lots of door slamming from inconsiderate guests-not Riu's fault. There was no wait staff by the pool or on the beach which I definitely expect from a 5 star hotel.

It was also difficult to get to the beach only one way to access for such a large property. I guess this is for security issues? If your expectations aren't to high, and you don't mind getting your own drinks it is a great place. These are my honest and very objective opinions. But definitely not a five star or a Palace!

Just got back Jan 16 from the RUI in Cabo and could not be happier with the trip of 1 week....Aside from a glitch with the room (and that was handled fast and properly), we were entirely satisfied with the accomodations, food, drink, entertainment, cleanliness, access to anything needed at anytime, front desk service, the friendliness of all the staff, whether it was management, service or cleaning crew (the place was absolutely clean and tended to at all times..army's of cleaners early in the morning!)..from a perspective of management, it is amazing how they keep so organized, out of your way, and always seem to be there when needed. We attended a wedding, and the bride and groom seemed very happy with what transpired, so that also says alot. What I could not figure was how they could even make money with all the amenities they offered every day.....would definitely go to any other RUI ...oh, and the Mexican ambiance was wonderful....One thing I would mention is that when travelling, be kind, not boisterous or demanding and you will get treated very nicely and appropriately, and if not, then argue your case well...