We just returned from the Riu Santa Fe. We were a group of six. Three Moms, two 18 yr olds and one 26yr old. We all had a great time. There was always a place for all of us to be happy. The young adults spent all of their time on the beach. The moms spent the days either at the beach pools or the other beautiful, much more quiet pools. If you want peace and quiet, the pools away from the beach were perfect. Very beautiful, close to a buffet that serves breakfast and lunch. We were in building 3 and that pool was just outside our rooms. I enjoyed that pool, but preferred the pools by the beach. The view from the beach pools are incredible. The rock formations that include the Cabo Arch are right in front of you, along with the mountains and an occasional whale sighting! It was an awesome view! Yes, the beach pool areas were much more crowded and loud, especially with Spring Break college kids, but it did make for good people watching. They were never out of control. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't necessary to get up early to find a lounger at the pools. They were quite abundant. Even at the popular beach pool, there was one row that had the best view. We found if we got there by 8:30-9am, we could still find several unclaimed chairs. Weather is perfect, never humid but very warm. Nights are cool. A light sweater came in handy.
As for the rooms: They are good size, a little too dark for my taste, but that's just me. Maid service was great. No problems with theft for any of us. Use common sense and lock valuables in safe. No one I talked to had a problem with this. My only complaint about the rooms was that the noise from the hallways was quite loud at night. You can hear conversations clearly from halls while in your room. Bring earplugs if this will bother you.
As for the many reviews that complain of musty smells, it had a very faint musty smell, but after in the room for 5 min, we did not notice this. I have traveled many times to Mexico, Caribbean, and Hawaii and every place I have ever stayed has some degree of a musty smell. This is how tropical climates are. It was definitely no worse than any other place I've traveled. We also did not smell any bad odors around the resort as other reviewers have commented on. Nor did anyone else we spoke with, as this was something I was pretty concerned about. We were all thrilled that it smelled fine everywhere and as others have stated, the entire resort is immaculately kept. They are constantly cleaning everything!
The Food: This was another area I was expecting to be quite bad, based on many reviews. I was also pleasantly surprised, since our entire group liked the food quite a bit. It is not gourmet, but it was good and there is a large variety. Some of our group are very picky and they still found a lot that they liked. The dining room staff went out of their way to bring us what we requested. The cappuccino machine was not working in the dining room at breakfast, so a server went to another building to get us cappuccinos. She offered to do this without being asked! They were all so accommodating.
The Entertainment: We felt the nightly shows were very entertaining. The entertainment staff that works at the pool during the day also does the nightly shows. They are always very upbeat and are trying to make sure everyone is having a great time. No, they are not professional entertainers, but they are fabulous dancers and put on a very fun and funny show.
Hopefully this helps give you some insight before your trip. We could not think of anything that we had to complain about. One has to remember that you are in another country, and food and customs are not the same as where you come from. Relax, enjoy the hospitality of these people ,and remember that a little tipping goes a long way no matter where you are. Everyone is working very hard to make your stay very enjoyable. I would go back in a heartbeat! Our kids are already talking about returning there. Our 18 yr olds and 26 yr old went to the disco each night and had a great time. Maybe it was more crowded in there because it was Spring Break. It's true that many kids go into town at 10:30pm, but ours did not, as we didn't feel it was that safe in the bars in town. There were plenty of kids that stayed at the resort. We also felt that it seemed crazy to go to bars in town and pay for drinks when they were included at the resort. They had 3 bars in the lobby and one sports bar. There was also the disco, so there was plenty to do.
Have a great trip!

My Husband and I stayed at the Riu Santa Fe from March 1st- 8th 2008. When we first got there we could not believe how beautiful the lobby was. The art work, the displays, and the staff were incredible.
Our Room was beautiful and we only took a garden view. We have been to many resorts in our time - but nothing this beautiful or this clean. We did not see one bug during our stay.
We stayed in building 3 which is the best one as its central. The farthest one is building 7. Building 7 is located near the beech, We didn’t even get to go to the beech as the winds were to high and they had red flags everywhere advising you not to swim as the current is so high. The pool area near the beech is stunning. Over looking the ocean. What a view. Only thing its too cold in this area as its located on the beech,
We stayed at the pool near number 3 which is the main area. The pool was slightly heated but remained refreshing. The have music playing here which is a nice touch.
There are 4 restaurants to choose from. Asian, Mexican, Italian and Steak. They tell you in your brochure that you need to book a reservation at these restaurants the same day you want to go and between 8-11am near the Baja California. We wanted Italian and I went 3 days in a row and all the days they were booked up. IMPOSSIBLE as I was there before 8 most days. We paid a guy $10 US and he got us a table. BIG MISTAKE. I am Italian myself and I have no idea what this place was about. They didn’t even have a pasta dish. We didn’t try the Asian or Mexican as we were told they were terrible. We tired the steak and it was Alright, Nothing to get to excited about.
I read a lot of review before going here and alot of them said the food was terrible. I wish I would have listened in that aspect. The food was horrible and always cold. I ate a pork chop everyday with fries as this was the only thing that kept us going. DO NOT DRINK the water. They say its fine- but we didn’t drink it. But for some reason my husband and I were both sick. We got sick on the 3rd day being there until a week after we got home. Doesn’t matter if you don’t drink the water- they wash the food with it and the meat is left on the counter in the 90 degrees before its cooked. We don’t know what we got sick on but we would never go back to this resort - only because of the food. Every person we met there had the same complaint. The food. We have no doubt that they works o hard in cooking for all of the tourist – it’s just not good. All else is A1.

Overall, good experience.

The Riu Santa Fe is a great resort. Brand new, very clean, the people were very friendly as well. I read reviews prior to booking my vacation and got mixed thoughts about the resort. A lot of people were complaining about the food and buffets, I found them to be great. Probably the only complaint I have was in regards to nightlife in the resort. The resort pretty much becomes deserted at about 10pm. The town of Cabo San Lucas is a great place if you want to get away from the resort at night. Its about a $10 cab ride from the hotel. I would definitely recommend this resort to anyone looking to have a good time. Cabo San Lucas is a great place, always warm, always friendly and always something to do.