We stayed at the RIU Santa Fe from Jan. 4 - 11th. After booking through itravel2000, we began reading the early and very bad reviews and got quite nervous. We even tried to change our reservation to another resort, but the difference in cost was unacceptable.

Needless to say, we were very anxious about getting there. However, we were very happy with most aspects of the resort. Here's our personal rundown:

Checkin: Smooth and timely. No hassles, and good attempts by staff to lighten our tired moods. Here's a tip, though - if you need anything out of your suitcases promptly, take your own luggage up to your room. We waited several hours, and ended up missing the dinner buffet.

Rooms: Large, clean, and convenient. We were in Building 4, which we thought was perfect. We had a great pool view, and didn't have to walk too far for anything really. Fridge was kept well-stocked on a DAILY basis, and we never ran out of soap, shampoo, towels, etc. Our biggest complaint was the beds. At 40, I'm too old to sleep on a slab of rock, or at least that's what it felt like. Housekeeping brought up some foam toppers for us and that made it bearable, though by the end of the trip it took me an hour to work out the kinks every morning. There IS heat in the rooms if you need it, and the air conditioning works just fine. Be aware that the a/c won't work if your balcony door is open. The safe worked great, and gave us good peace of mind.
Also, do NOT close the very outside door (there are small hallways that lead to two rooms with an outside door) or you'll have to go get someone to let you in. All in all, the rooms were quiet and clean. Here's something I found out - if you need something for your room, don't call what the phone menu tells you to (826 or something like that). Instead, dial '9', and you'll get the proper person. I think this may be one of the problems people have been having regarding getting room supplies.

Food: We really had no complaint here at all. We ate all breakfasts at the California buffet, and were always very happy. They had a huge variety of differently cooked eggs, bacon, sausages, hash browns, cereals, yogurts, and tons of fresh fruit. The fresh juice 'smoothies' were fantastic - try the 'Vitamin' juice that has celery, apple, and cactus in it, it's a shot of wakeup and delicious, too. The cappucino machine is wonderful, if you want cinnamon for the top of your lovely foamy milk, ask for 'canela'. I got into the habit of getting up and heading to the buffet by about 8 am, getting a large foam cup of cappucino and booking our dinner reservation then. It's beautiful and quiet to walk around the big resort at that time. For the a la cartes, we tried them all. Book them at the reservation desk just outside the California buffet from 8 - 11 in the morning. Don't leave it, or you might be eating at the buffet, which would be just fine in our opinions.

The Steakhouse was good, good steak done a little more rare than what we asked for, but good flavor. This is the only a la carte that serves you your main course, and you help yourself to appies and dessert. We really didn't mind this at all, especially with two growing boys (11 and 15) that always need food NOW.

The Italian was our favourite. Yes, it's ALL buffet. We loved it this way, we got to try all the main courses, not just one like we would have if we had to order off the menu. Awesome pasta, beef tips with gorgonzola sauce, and the seafood risotto was fantastic. Really good food here.

The Mexican was really good, too. Again, ALL buffet with excellent proteins like chicken, beef, seafood. The make-your-own fajitas was perfect. Carlos is the manager here, and he'll go out of his way to make your meal experience a good one. This restaurant (La Mision) is also the snack buffet, which is a very loose term because of the HUGE selection of cold and hot fresh foods that include fresh cooked burgers, nachos, pork, beef, chicken, fruit and salads. One day we had a massive pan of spicy peel and eat prawns, fantastic!

The Asian was our least favourite, mostly because we're not big sushi fans. You can't blame a restaurant if you don't like the type of food they're serving. Still, we found lots of other stuff to eat here, and had two helpings of the delicious fried ice cream. Yum!!

Another tip - pay attention to the times the buffets are open or you'll have to rely on less-than-average nachos or pale sandwiches from the Sports Bar. Between 5:30 and 6:30, that is your only choice for food. Hit the buffet before it closes, and you should be good until dinner.

Tip the waiters, even at the breakfast buffet. These fellows work hard, and by the end of the trip, our favourite waiter there was bringing us all our coffees, juices, etc., and was very involved. Our 11 year old was the hit, and Omar teased him all the time.

Bars: well, they're everywhere, and the drinks are free (not counting the extra you paid for the all-inclusive). What more could you ask for? My hubby thought the draft Corona was not very good, so drank Caesars instead. The guys ended up drunk every night, so I'm guessing the alcohol was more than adequate. I do agree that taking along a larger mug is a good idea - if you forget yours, go to WalMart and grab a couple for cheap, cheap.

Pools: What can I say? There is more pool here than most people could swim in over a week's time. Very clean, gorgeous layouts, and a kabillion loungers both in the sun and the shade. As for the temperatures, we found they varied over the week. The big pools were usually warm, a bit too much for my liking, and the front infinity pool was nice, too. I never found them cold, just refreshing. My sister will disagree, but she likes them like a bathtub, lol.

Tours: We took two tours through Sunquest, the 'Taste of Cabos', and the Todos Santos/Hotel California. I can't praise these highly enough, both were unbelievable. On the Taste of Cabos, we went on the glass-bottom boat ride first, and were lucky enough to spot some whales from far away. What does our captain do? We go flying over the ocean in this glass bottom boat to chase the whales and got some fantastic up close pics and video of them. Very exciting, and worth the money we paid for the whole tour right there. We then went shopping in Cabo, took in Cabo Wabo, then off to lunch in San Jose. This was the most unbelievable lunch - the restaurant is rated in the top ten in Baja, and the steak and the chicken were the best we've ever had. Then shopping in San Jose, a trip to the glass blowing factory, and back to the RIU. Rico, our tour guide, was so informative, we all learned so much about Baja, tequila, whales, dolphins, and much more. Our kids had a better education this week than they would have had in school.

The Todos Santos tour was great, too, and seeing the Hotel California was the highlight of the trip for our 15-year-old son who plays lead guitar in a rock band. Shopping here in Todos Santos was the best overall, I thought.

Weather: cooler temperature-wise than we've come to expect from Mexico. Listen to the reviews and take long pants and a sweater, you'll use it in the evenings.

Overall, we had a great time. I like the area very much, but due to hard beds, won't be going back to this resort. Still recovering from sore hips and shoulders...

I'll post some pics when I get them downloaded from my camera. If anyone has questions, email me through TripAdvisor, and I'll answer as best I can.

I went to the Riu property in Cabo to join a group of friends for NYE. My experience started off badly after having to wait 4 hours to check in. While I realize that the property is large and NYE is a busy time of year. this was unacceptable given that check out is at 12pm and check in is at 3pm.

I was amazed to read from other reviews that this is considered a 5 star resort. although the staff was friendly, they routinely made promises that they didn't keep, and I quickly learned not to ask for anything at night. For example, after I finally checked into my room, I was ready to take a relaxing bath, but the tub was not clean. I called three times for housekeeping, but after several promises, no one showed up. I finally got someone over the next day, who tried to argue with me that it was paint residue instead of human grime in the tub. I scraped some off with my fingernail to show her that she was wrong. After scrubbing the tub myself, I finally got her to get some bleach and after that everything was fine - until I found a gigantic tropical cockroach dying near my suitcase : (

I also found out from other friends who were staying there that I was supposed to have bottled water in my room. It took two days to get that, along with shampoo, and someone from the front desk finally delivered it themselves after I called 3 times for it.

I agree with some of the positive reviews - the propery is beautiful, the rooms are okay - best views are in the 7300 building overlooking the courtyard and pool as well as the ocean, but it's a hike to get back to the lobby and to most of the restaurants on property.

There are also lots of activies for families, and the alcohol flows regularly even in the rooms, but honestly, the food sucks. The faster you get off property into Cabo for a meal at Mi Casa or another fine restaurant the better. There are several tour companies with reps in the lobby to help you book tours and activities off property. If you take a day tour - opt for the 3 hour vs. the 6 hour option.

Riu Santa Fe has an okay gym and a nice but rather expensive independent spa on the property. There are also vendors selling wares on a regular basis, but they only take cash and there are NO ATMs on the property.

I think Cabo would be much better to visit during the spring or summer. It's a desert, so during the winter the nights are freezing cold - particularly b/w xmas and NYE, and there is NO HEAT in the rooms, so you will FREEZE no matter what!

I might give Cabo another chance, but I would definitely not stay at this property. I wish I had researched it first on trip advisor to temper my expectations. I understand that other hotels in the Riu chain offer better service, but I'm not sure that I would stay at one given my experience in Mexico.

5 day stay Dec 21 - 25
The place is large and very nice. The landscaping is gorgeous. The pools are fantastic. The large one is on the cooool side. If you can brave it, it's great to swim in. I was returning from a rather long walk and was hot ~ I walked in with no problem making it look like the temp was bearable (haha) ~ swam across to the other side and walked back out. It was great. A gentleman was starting to walk in as I was getting out and said he may rethink getting in.
They were packed on Christmas eve and day. It's difficult to please everyone when a place is full and it's a major holiday. In the main buffet which was the only place for dinner on Xmas eve they were doing their best to keep up with the food demand. The cooks were cooking non-stop. The cold food tables were being replenished as soon as it was near the end. They were doing a great job for the amount of guests. If you wanted something in particular that wasnt' in the heating plate you would be best to wait there until it was done.
The place looked fantastic too on the eve. There were so very many various sculptures thru out the dining area. It was beautiful.
I had no problem finding something good to eat. One nite we ate at the Mexican restaurant. I wasn't thrilled, so we took a walk to the main buffet and they had EVERYthing there. So I found something more pleasing. (Didn't try any other ala cartes)..
Prompt room cleaning and a good job too. The AC didn't seem correct. It made the room rather muggy. So we just left the door open. It was most definately cool enough at nite to not use the AC, I kept the ceiling fan on and fell asleep to the sound of the surf.
The bed was a firm comfortable. Maybe because it is new?? I was surprised that I found it comfy. No synthetic feeling thru the linens either. Such a nice feeling. The pillows were also decent. You gotta be pleased with this. I was thrilled.
Didn't get to use the spa, yet heard it was nice.
We were in building 7, which is on the beach side. Which is also in front of the pool bar. In the morning they "were" putting coffee at the bar by 7 a.m., but on the 24th there was never any out. I didn't go out early on the 25th so I don't know if they put it out or not. If none was put out and you wanted coffe you have to walk up front to the main buffet.
The room which was next to ours was the corner suite unit. It had a small jetted tub on the upper level. It was rather small. I don't know what the cost for that room would be, but one thing is that you get a great view.
One day ~ one of us left the safe open. He went upstairs and hurrys down and informs me the the safe was open. He "asked" why I had put out the Do Not Disturb?? I was all confused. I told him how I had left an item in the safe and was it that way? I go upstairs and look in there --> Nothing was touched. Come to find out the cleaning guy opened the door and saw the safe open, put the sign on the door and left. How great is that?
I went on a whale watching boat. Booked thru Caboticket.com, it is $49pp thru them. (I walked down to the ME where their little office/hut is located to set up my dive ~ ~ which was fantastic!!). Take a look at his site. There's several adventures listed there and he replies promptly. I decided to do the whales once we were down there and Traun was great.
Scuba caribe is on the beach side of the Riu's. I've used them before in Cancun, but getting used to having smaller crowds of people on a boat for any activity, unless it's a party boat that looks safe to me.
The marina is in town. I thought it easier to take the water taxi during the day and we took a cab back at nite.
This was my first time spent in Cabo, and I had a great time. It's a dryer climate and cooool at nite.
One other important note for those of us with longer nails. The toilet flush is on the top of the tank lid. I ended up chipping both of my thumbnails. Of course on this short trip I didn't bring my nail polish.
Have a great time
I would return to the Santa Fe

I stayed at the Riu Sante Fe from January 3rd-10th and I have nothing but great things to say about it.
This was my second time to Cabo San Lucas and previously I stayed at the RIU Palace (the Riu Santa Fe was under construction at that time). I had read reviews prior to going to the Sante Fe and I was a bit turned off until I got there.
Keep in mind, some people have nothing better to do than to complain about everything. The weather was incredible, very HOT and sunny everyday, food was amazing and a huge selection from the buffet and various restaurants and the staff was extremely friendly. The all inclusive drinking of alcoholic beverages was well worth it.

I was actually happy that we did not get an ocean-view room because the walk back and forth would have been a bit much, but great exercise for sure. Our room was very clean and room service came everyday. Be sure to take advantage of the safe in the room to keep money, passports...etc because there have been instances of a few items being stolen.

Other than that, this place is rated #1 along with the Riu Palace. I would definately go back without a doubt.
For anyone looking for a great vacation, beautiful resort, great food and staff, this is definately the place to be.