Just came back from Riu Santa Fe at Cabo. The time share people at the airport are an obstacle between you and the shuttle waiting for us outside, but being in Cabo for 8 days, we thought we would have time to enjoy what they have to offer. So here we go, the morning after, a shuttle brings you to an OK breakfast somewhere, then you visit, you sit and listen, you say no and get out of here with free Scuba diving, discount on Cabo Dolphin (a must do), Free Snorkeling trip, cash back, free Cab ride... So we did it twice and enjoyed so much out of Cabo. It ruins 2 mornings but it was well worth it. The Riu is very impressive, the place is always clean, people are nice, staff works hard to satisfy the guests. We only ate at the Buffet for Breakfast, and Harry is great, we had him everyday. We had $2 bills, and he would be so thankful!! He was sad the day we left... and it was sincere. He is such a hard working loving person. He will do anything to serve you right. For the rest, go to cabo and enjoy the City. Cabo Wabo was not great, what a bummer, we were disappointed. We went to Gigglin' Marlin, and had the time of our lives. Lorenzillo's was just Ok food, and they tried to screw us twice on the check. Marisco Mazaltan has good seafood, great value ($7 ceviche, $13 for a full red snapper). Best Tacos is Taco Loco in front of Cabo Wabo. But the best of Cabo is the Sand Bar on the beach around Nikki Beach. Fun staff, get a bucket of beers, good food, great value, and they hook you up on activities; we did para-sailing, kayaking, or jet ski... for less than anywhere around... The full day with food and muchas cervezas cost us $50. Can't beat that. Gary at Amigos del Mar Scuba is really cool, but his boss is a dishonest unpleasant and obnoxious loser. Great vacations at Cabo. Can't wait to go back.

My husband and I have never been to an all-inclusive until the Riu Santa Fe. What a fantastic experience! We booked through Funjet and stayed July 8-12. I picked this place because we got a good deal and because it was new.

The Property
When we first arrived, we couldn't get over how lovely the place was--very tastefully decorated and immaculate throughout the hotel grounds. The hotel staff did a terrific job of maintaining the cleanliness of the premises. I liked that most of buildings were only three stories since I'm not keen on those towering Vegas-style monstrosities. The walk from the garden pool to the ocean-view pools was 5 minutes tops.

Our Room
We had a ground-level room in Building 3 facing the garden pool. We tipped our housekeeper $5/day and she did a great job. The minibar will be refilled at your request by calling the front desk. I heard no noise from the rooms on either side or from above. The only noise comes from the hallway with doors closing or people walking by. It can't be helped since there are tile floors throughout. Bring earplugs if you're sensitive to noise but I didn't hear much after 10 or 11. Even the sliding glass door has soundproofing--when open we could hear the pool activities but once it was closed, nothing. There's a great gadget on the patio wall that's a telescoping clothes hanger. I hung my bathing suits on it every day, wish I had one at home!

Food
The hubbie and I were satisfied just eating at the buffet most nights so that we weren't beholden to any time schedule. We did eat at the Mexican restaurant one night (tender grilled steak & chicken mole--yum). We didn't find the buffet bad at all--there was plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, handmade pizzas, soups, Mexican dishes, Asian dishes (some from their Japanese restaurant), and American food. Service was always fast, friendly, and good no matter where you ate (the steakhouse and Mexican restaurant have the lunch buffets). The reservations system isn't that bad, we got number 74 at about 8 a.m. and had no trouble booking into the Mexican restaurant (BTW, you can book two nights in a row).

Drinks
They serve your basic mixed drinks at the many bars throughout the resort and if you go in the Sports Bar, there is a drink menu which shows many of the offerings (even the brands of alcohol the resort carries). There's also a martini menu. I left the hotel wondering how much Corona is consumed in a day since it's everywhere! We passed on the wine--not too tasty.

Going to Town
Since there were only two of us, we chose to walk to the security gate to get the bus for town. It cost $1.60 instead of $10 for the taxi. The buses are small and white with a green stripe (A/C too) and have the names of the stops written on them--if you're not sure just ask the driver. If you want the fancy new mall, tell them you'd like to stop by the Puerto Paraiso. It's right on the marina and you'll be dropped off a short block from there. To get the bus back, there's a bus stop by the McDonald's. In town there are lots of trinket shops but we didn't buy anything since most of it was overpriced and I don't like bargaining much (many of the same items were sold at the resort stores and I did hear folks bargaining in the craft store and silver store next door to it).

Overall, this was a relaxing, romantic, and fun vacation that we wished hadn't ended so soon!

Final tips:
1. If you need smaller American bills, you can exchange your larger ones at the Scotiabank inside the Puerto Paraiso. No charge. Also, don't even stress about getting pesos. American dollars are fine.

2. Some folks complained about room smells--bring a Glade plug-in. There are no non-smoking rooms per say. Although they're aired out, as a nonsmoker I could detect a faint odor. The plug-in helped.

My husband and I had the pleasure of staying at the Riu Santa Fe from July 6-11, 2008 in celebration of our 6th year wedding anniversary. We booked through Funjet Vacations and were very pleased. We read many reviews before we decided on this resort and I would like to say that for those individuals who complain…… YOU ARE WAY TOO PICKY.

Arriving in Cabo
We left Houston at 10:30 am and arrived in Cabo around 12:08 pm (the time moved back one hour). Upon arriving at the airport in Cabo, we got off the plane (there is no cover, when you get off, you are greeted by the sun) went through customs and then collected our luggage. Like most of the other reviews mentioned, a swarm of time share people approached us. We knew to keep going toward the doors leading outside, so we managed not to get suckered in to what they were trying to sell. When we got outside, we looked for our Funjet rep and once we found him, he helped us with our luggage and we were off for the 30-45 minute ride to the Riu. We made a couple of stops at other resorts to drop other people off but we did not mind.

Resort
We arrived at the resort and were greeted with punch, beer, chips and salsa. Check-in was a breeze as no one was in line at the time. The resort is sooooo beautiful. No pictures or reviews do it justice. You have to really be there to appreciate its’ beauty. The grounds are very clean and well kept. Everywhere we walked we saw someone cleaning something. The resort is HUGE!! Don’t worry about eating too much because you will walk off everything you eat! (LOL) It did not feel crowded at anytime. There were always chairs available buy the pool and on the beach. The pools were not as near as cold as some of the previous reviews stated. I am a cold natured person and I adjusted to the temp of the pools in no time. Bars are plentiful and the drinks were great. Bring your own cup so that you want have to go back so soon to get a refill. Their cups are small.

Room
We stayed in building 7 on the third floor overlooking the garden (room 7384). The room was spotless. We loved everything about it, including the mini-bar and the fully stocked fridge. The front desk sent up a bottle of champagne to congratulate us on our anniversary. I thought that was soooo sweet. Each day we left the maid a tip and we always got what we asked for.

Food
The food was good. We always found something we wanted to eat and we never went hungry. We had the chance to dine at the Italian, Asian, and the Steakhouse restaurants. By far, the steakhouse was the BEST!!. However, the system for getting reservations needs to be improved.

Entertainment
There is not much I can say about the entertainment. Maybe one word…..Corny. This is the one area they need to improve upon.

Booked Activities
We booked our horseback riding and ATV tour through Amigo’s. I would highly recommend this company. We did the ATV in the morning and the horseback riding that same evening. Boy were we sore the next morning (LOL)!!!If you don’t do anything else, take the ATV tour. You will be glad you did. I would also recommend JT Water Sports for all your water activities. We booked the glass bottom boat, which goes to Lover’s Beach and takes you on a tour of the rock formations. We also booked parasailing and wave runners. We did all our water sports in one day.

Leaving our Second Home
It was a sad say in Cabo on July 11. This was the day of our depature. We got up, went to eat breakfast and then back to the room to pack. After packing we went to the bar for our last drink before checking out at 12:00 pm. Check out was easy. All you have to do is give your key to the person at the desk in your building and he/she will give you a slip of paper and on your way out, you have to give that sheet of paper to security. The Junjet rep was in the lobby and got a taxi for us which took us to the airport. Our flight wasn’t until 3:55 pm so we made it to the airport in plenty of time. Make sure you tell your taxi driver which airline you are flying with so that he can drop you off at the right terminal. We went through customs quickly and went to get something to eat. A whopper combo w/cheese from Burger King was $9. Our flight was delayed for about 30 min. due to a maintenance problem. I was skeptical about getting on but I got on anyway and we returned safely back to Houston at about 8:00 pm.

Summary
Overall, we had a wonderful stay. I would go back to the Riu Santa Fe tomorrow if I could. I would highly recommend this resort to anyone. For the price, you can not beat it!! Happy travels!!

My hubby and I stayed at the Santa Fe for 7 nights (7/5-7/12) and had a great time! Wish we were still there!
My brother-in-law & his girlfriend joined us & had a great time too!
The food was not gourmet but it was nothing to complain about either...there is something for everyone! You won't go hungry here or thirsty! LOL! I would recommend that you bring a thermos from home instead of using their small, plastic cups! We seen a lot of people using this mechanism! Great idea!
Also, bring a lot of singles to tip the hard workers at the Santa Fe!
Jonathan & Gabriel are the BEST bartenders there (they work at one of the bars in the lobby area (the one closest to the club)!
The club was also fun! They played great music & after a few tequila shots everyone is dancing! LOL!
We met a lot of great people from Chicago, Canada & Vegas!
I honestly don't know why people complain about this place? There's really nothing to complain about, especially for the price! We went downtown a couple of times for drinks & dinner one night & spent 1/4 of what we spent on the entire trip (for one person)!
Cabo Wabo is a fun place (pricey though)! Gigglin Marlin is a BLAST! El Squid Roe is a fun, family oriented place.....We had dinner at Baja Cantina one night & it was yummy! We felt bad for the cute little Mexican kids who come in & try selling you stuff! We felt bad & gave them money!
The vendors at the marina are BAD! They are practically down your neck! Just say no gracias & keep walking!
Also, at the airport after you go through security exit the glass doors & take a right...IGNORE the men standing there asking you questions & trying to sell u timeshares, etc....Just go directly outside & look for your shuttle representative!
The weather was great, HOT...Lather up on SPF! It was only semi chilly one day & I put a jacket over my shoulders, but nothing more than that...I don't know why people have said that it's cold there at night?!? Didn't experience that...Luckily!
House keeping was great, the guys stocking the fridge were good too! We gave them $5 on the first day & they completely filled our fridge w/ Corona! And they are always nice & COLD! Nothing better! Bring a coozie for your beer!
Just to note, there are no ATM's on the property! We had to get a taxi to bring us to Wal-Mart to use an ATM otherwise we wouldn't have any money for a taxi to the airport! So be prepared with funds!
We requested a room in bldg 7 & got a room on the 2nd floor...we had 2 dble beds pushed together, but no biggy!
The walls are very thin & you can hear doors slamming, things dropping, rolling, etc. Other than that the rooms were totally fine! Used the safe, no problemos!
The view is great! Unfortunately you can't swim in the ocean in front of the resort! One day it was semi-calm and I was able to go in for a quick dip, but shortly after it was wild again! Scary waves! Taking a water taxi from here is interesting, but fun! You're gonna get wet anyways...no biggy!
Take a water taxi to Lovers Beach! Gorgeous views! It's HOT there!!! We hung out on Divorce Beach...gorgeous waves!
We didn't get a chance to go to Medano Beach, but heard it was fun! Heard The Office is fun, but pricey!
We walked through the Palace.....flashy, but boring! The Santa Fe was happening, the Palace was boring! But I guess it depends on what you're looking for.
Overall, it was an awesome vacation! The resort was great, no complaints or let downs! Loved it! Would go back in a heart beat!!! I miss it already!!! :)
Feel free to ask any questions....I asked other TA members plenty of questions before my trip & it was helpful!