We traveled to Riu Santa Fe with my two very young kid’s ages 5 & 2. After booking the trip, I realized that maybe my decision to vacation in Cabo was a bad idea for my two little ones. I was concerned that my kids would be exposed to a bunch of under-age dumb drunks. Thank goodness that was not the case. This was definitely a first class resort. We traveled to Cabo August 5th-12th. I was concerned about hurricanes, but we had blue skies every day. It was very HOT even during evenings. The air went out and we were living uncomfortably for a day in a half hoping that the air would be fixed, but the offered us a new room which we agreed to take. They were very accommodating. It appears that others who gave negative reviews are probably a bunch of “yuppies” with super high expectations. They probably live in mansions somewhere in Beverly Hills, and live the resort life daily! For us, it was just perfect. The resort itself is BEAUTIFUL. The resort was extremely clean. Everywhere you looked, there was someone cleaning. They weren’t just cleaning the floors and dusting, these people were cleaning everything you would not even think of cleaning. The cleaning was NON-STOP. All the staff was great! It appeared that for every 7 hotel guests, there was 1 worker. The pictures you see on here do no justice. The beachfront view is AWESOME! It would be nice to have a room with a nice view, but think about it…how often will you be in your room anyways? The food was great. (I miss my daily papayas which you ought to try with a squeeze of lime and salt…YUMMY) Coming from Los Angeles, I was expecting a lot of the Mexican food that I am accustomed to here, but their food was more gourmet style Mexican food. So it was a nice change from what I am use to.
Recommendation: ****Bring OFF mosquito repellent.**** There are tons of mosquitoes. ESPECIALLY if you go to the Cabo Mall (forget the name of it). After getting a few bites, and being discomforted by all the itch, we had to take a trip to Wal-Mart where we bought the OFF mosquito spray and Caladryl ointment for itch relief. It’s hard to find things in Wal-Mart if you don’t know Spanish.
Recommendation: Bring a bigger drinking cup.
Recommendation: Bring pool toys for the kids. Maybe something inflatable so that it’s not too bulky to pack in your luggage.
Recommendation: Women, bring anti-frizz product for your hair. The humidity gave me a bad hair day EVERYDAY.
Recommendation: Sun block is really expensive in Cabo. We paid $17 for one can of Coppertone in Wal-Mart. So try to bring extra just in case.
I’ll post more if I think of any more. Hope you have a great trip as we did!

dear god! there were two clouds in the the perfect blue sky on our second day. what crap! completly ruined the experience;)

people were cleaning everyday in every part of the hotel. i don't understand why they don't just follow me around and clean everything i touch. i did notice a small speck on the stairs. how unacceptable. they even polished the lamp posts, but i swear they missed a spot on the lamp post infront of the building we were staying. maybe i should point out the spot they missed next time?

food - there were only 100 choices instead of 101 choices. and the whole bit about being cooked in grease? i was personally shocked that none of it was true. instead, the food was delicous and tons of fresh fruit and vegetables to chose from. and even more selection of healthy choices than at a whole foods. what the hell? i wanted greasy, disgusting, low quality, poor flavored food. but i didn't get it! maybe i should complain to management? but i think they should've put the silverware two milimeters to the right.

Entertainment - oh i have lots to say about the entertainment. for the reviewer that called it "unique". well that's certainly one way to put it.... it was "unique" in that it was extremely fun and engaging.
everyone in the crowd laughed and loved it. there was a large audience every night to watch to show - which is a great testament to how fun it was. some of the stage announcers had a great sarcastic/witty humor. but since i don't like fun and engaging entertainment, and i have no sense of humor, i thought the entertainment was horrid.

Rooms - i mean seriously, they ONLY cleaned it like.. EVERY DAY TWICE A DAY and left cute towel animals. i was expecting them to clean it every time i flipped to a new tv channel, and maybe a menagarie of towel animals every time i exited the bathroom. unacceptable!

Overall Ambiance - it's really hard for me to enjoy myself at a huge, meticulously groomed sprawling resort with staff that's ready to help you on your every need. i mean, only five pools to choose from instead of six. geez what were they thinking!

i can't believe they only clean the pools at night - every night.
i mean, why not clean it every time after i get out? also, why must they close down the pools in order to have to thoroughly clean it? why can't they keep it open just for me?

My wife and i along with another couple stayed 5 nites starting july 25.( Check in) we were greeted at the door,we were asked to have a seat, we were asked for our reservations,( oh yah) we were given coctails,the next thing we were off to the( rooms.) very nice and clean ( i tiped the bell man a 2o ) we always had at least 12 beers in fridge every day ( Pools) lots of them,lots of chairs as well, we hung out at the pool by the beach mostly,lots of drinks every where ( food ) good at best ,breakfast buffet the best by far, we went to town , ,the last three nites for dinner (mi casa was our fav.) over all every thing about the riu was great .( A LITTLE TIP ) we went to lovers beach 10 dollars each at the marina round trip.take a plastic bag with ice and your favorite drink ( from the hotel ofcoarse) we stayed 4 hours had a blast.

My husband and I travelled from Charlotte, NC to the RIU Santa Fe in Cabo San Lucas. We stayed there from August 8th-13th. Overall, it was a good trip. We flew American Airlines with a connection through Dallas/Fort Worth. Going through customs is relatively painless. The hotel is about a 40-45 minute ride from the airport (depending on how fast your driver goes). When we arrived, we immediately checked in and were able to go to our room immediately. I had read several other reviews regarding the RIU Santa Fe and requested a room in Building 7. I highly agree that you should ask for this building. It is the only building with an elevator, you can book dinner reservations, and you can checkout from the concierge all in this building.

We had a partial oceanview room with two double beds pushed together. It was a nice new room with good circulation and AC. It was always comfortable in our room (that's nice because it is VERY hot during the day in August). The mini-bar had a liquor dispenser. Three of the dispensers were of house liquor (Vodka, Gin, and Whiskey) and the other was of Jose Cuervo. The refrigerator was stocked with large bottled waters, soda (Pepsi, Pepsi Light, and 7UP), and Corona. They only restock it every 2 days. They actually forgot to stock ours, so we called and they came up about 45 minutes later.

The hotel has 5 pools. The large pool in the center of the resort is geared more towards families. That is where you will find the entertainment crew playing all the afternoon games (water polo, crazy games, etc.). The pools in the back cater more to the social crowd. Two of them have swim-up pool bars and look out directly onto the ocean (they call the "infinity pools"). The other two in the back have lounge chairs and are good for just chilling out.

Several other reviews have mentioned the ocean water...it is true. You SHOULD NOT swim in the ocean. The waves are crazy! Don't get me wrong...it's pretty to look at, but I wouldn't advise swimming in it! One day, my husband and I went to see the Arch and took a water taxi over there. It was very difficult just getting in and out of the water because the waves kept knocking the boat around.

The food is OK. The reservation system changed effective August 1st, but you still have to get up early (be in line by 7:30AM) if you want a reservation at one of the restaurants. The good thing is that you can book 2 nights at once. But, keep your reservation slip. If you lose it, they may not let you in! My favorite restaurant was the Mexican, followed by the Italian, Asian, and Steakhouse. The Steakhouse really is pretty bad. I am not too picky, but the steak was very fatty. Plus, they cook it longer than you may be used to in the United States. I ordered mine Medium Rare and it came out closer to Medium Well Done. The buffets were better than expected. There was always something that I could find to eat, but I got tired of the same thing by the end of the trip. I did REALLY like the Chips and Guacamole! I am not a huge guac fan, but it was really good!

The nightly entertainment is a little cheesy. They did put on a Lip Sync show the last night we were there and we were pretty impressed with that. But, they involve the audience too much and it sometimes drags on.

While in Cabo, I highly recommend you visit the Arches and Cabo Wabo (the bar). We took a bunch of pictures at both and had a great time.

Overall, I would recommend the RIU Santa Fe. If we were to go back, we would probably stay at the RIU Palace (next door) just for something different. But, for the money, it is definitely worth it!