Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas All Inclusive

This hotel is very male oriented. Do not stay here if you are only a group of females. They TOTALLY cater to men. Also, we were suppose to get a room with a "view" of the water. Well, if you are very, very tall, (6"5?) you may have been able to see to the right side of the balcony a tiny portion of the water. NOT MY IDEA OF A WATER VIEW. This hotel is also very vague about how to get reservations for their restaurants. (again, I believe it's because it was just my daughter and I) Would never stay here again!!

I cannot believe the crying and whining from other reviews. This is an absolutely gorgeous resort with everything a vacationer needs to relax and the proximity to Cabo San Lucas should you want more atmosphere. The weather was perfect for our Jan 14-21 stay...and I suspect the weather is usually excellent at that time of year. My girlfriend who is an avid DR traveler now has a new favourite place to vacation. Book it and see for yourself.

We had an excellenet time at the RIU Palace. The hotel is beautiful, one of the newest in Cabo San Lucas. The service was excellent and what impressed us the most was the hotel's beauty, how well kept it is (spotless! they clean everything everyday) and the awesome amenities. We even enjoyed the nightly shows, which were a bit corny, but if you're in the mood to have a good time, they're ok. This was by far my best experience in an all-inclusive resort in Mexico (I've done Holiday Inn in Puerto Vallarta, Presidente InterContinental in IXtapa and Crystal in Manzanillo before), and this has them beat by far, not even close. The food was quite good, typical for all-inclusive places, don't expect 5 start dinning at every meal, but you'll never go hungry. You can have burgers, hot dogs, steak, fries and whatever pretty much all day. We did go to downtown to get some local seafod (Maricos Macombo) and it was delishious, gotta do that at least one day. The pools are huge and heated, the tempreature was about 80F while we were there. The one thing people might not like is that the swim-up bars are located in smalled pools, not the two main ones. There is alcohol to spare at this place. You even get full sixed bottles of Bacardi Rum, Jose Cervo, Smirnoff vodka and Don Pedro Brandy in your room to keep you busy. Fridge is stocked with Dos Equis and Tecate Light (those are pretty much the only bottles beers you can get, Dos Equis Ambar is available on tap at the bars). If your desire is to spend a few days in a drunken haze, this is the place for you.

Type:Area Attractions Distance: Long walk from hotel

Don't pay too much for trips to the Arch

If you go with the merchants at the hotel or right outside, you will likely overpay for a trip to the arch or for watersports. Walk down the beach to about halfway to the marina and look for better deals, or at least threaten to. You may even get half price. A trip to go whale-watching cost $* per person in front of the hotel, $* down the beach. No surprise.

If you have any allergy to mould or understand how bad it is for you, don't stay here! Within 10 minutes of check in I knew I couldn't stay in the room we were given because of a stron odour of mould. It took about 7 hours to find a room without it and the room was smaller in a lower rated hotel, the Riu Santa Fe. No credit was given - should have been $*. Pool was not heated, swim up bar was closed, buffet in the Santa Fe was not great! Don't stay at the Riu Palace of the Santa Fe!!!

My wife and I just returned from a 4 night stay in an ocean view suite and I have to say we were disappointed. I will say that the beach is beautiful and quite possibly the cleanest beach I have ever seen(sand and water...that's it...beautiful). The place is located with a great view of the famous arches and overall it's a very clean and beautiful place, and the staff are very nice. The food is not good and even worse desserts(of course it is all-inclusive so that's something I guess we should have expected) and found out that two of the four specialty restaurants require pants, no shorts allowed...bummer as I thought I was going to an all-inclusive beach resort! If you despise smoking as I do...you will HATE this place, you can't sit anywhere by either pool and get away from smokers. The a/c in our suite never got down past 75ish during the day even w/ the blinds closed. Don't be fooled by the wi/fi...it's only in the lobby and we seriously couldn't have been further from the Lobby. Their is no flat screen tv's...only the older tube tv's with NO dvd player and most channels are in spanish. Be prepared to get hounded by the 30-40 amigos selling stuff on the beach, if you say no to one, expect about ten more to still ask the same question...this is EVERYTIME you go to the beach. Tennis courts look and felt about 40yrs old. We rented a wave runner and found out that something was wrong with it..."sorry my friend" was there response. Has to be the cheesiest entertainment I have ever seen! I personally would never recommend this hotel to anyone and probably would never stay at a RIU resort again...it's unfortunate as the possibilities are endless.

Type:Dining Distance: Requires transportation

Italian restaurant

If you like italian food, we recommend "Romeo and Juliet" in downtown Cabo approx 5 blocks from the world famous Cabo Wabo. This was one of the best meals I have ever had! It's a 5-10min taxi ride into town and costs $10 USD.

Type:GettingAround Distance: Requires transportation

Taxi

At the airport you will be charged $$USD for a one way trip to the resort which is approx 30 mins away. You can rent a car cheaper, but probably not the best place to be driving around exploring.