Description: Constructed on a beach of white sand, the Hotel Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas offers exceptional service, along with the wide range of leisure options in the surrounding area.
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Check in went smoothly and our room was very nice - overlooking the pool and Sea of Cortez with the beautiful arch in the background. A cruise ship was there when we arrived. The drink served upon arrival is delicious! "Tropical martini" ? After 2 1/2 hours we called to see where our bags were and they finally brought them up. On to the pool - awesome! Trouble is, it closed at 7PM !! :-( so much for unwinding at the end of the day. The variety of foods was tremendous though what we ate was very bland. Roast beef WAS delicious! Reservations for "specialty" restaurants- a joke. You had to get up early to make one but then when you got there, it was half empty. For our last night there we again went early to make a reservation for the steak place. The woman told us you had to make reservations days in advance. When told that we had been making them daily she said "well now you have to make them days in advance" The front desk was friendly though you got different answers from different people. Concierge? HA - unless you were male or a cute little "thang", they were no help. Cecilia and Noberta at the main lobby bar were awesome! The male bartenders at the same bar during the day would not even acknowledge our presence if men were around. When it was obvious there was no one else to wait on, then they would ask. The real workers - maintenance, grounds, wait staff and housekeeping worked their tails off. We came upon a housekeeping person being fussed at by a supervisor who was on her hands and knees with a white glove telling her it was not clean! The place was immaculate but this was proof that their standards were set very high. I am thrilled to have taken the vacation, but will not return to the Riu Palace. Not that the experience was that bad, just that there are other places to be seen.
Arrival
Arrival went pretty well. We got our room shortly before 3 but it was almost 6 before our bags were brought to the room. My daughter finally went down to get them and only then were they brought up.
Rooms
The room was very nice and clean. Ours was an "ocean view" that overlooked the Sea of Cortez and the beautiful Land's End arch. Housekeeping did a great job. We had 2 very comfortable full sized beds.
Restaurants and Bars
The restaurants were nice though the reservation system stinks. We made reservations daily until the last day and then were told we had to book a place days in advance - the exact opposite of what we had been doing. When you went into the restaurants they were half empty. The buffet locations varied from one meal to the next. Didn't make sense to me but I guess there is a method to their madness. Wait staff did great jobs.
We mainly dealt with the pool bar and the main bar in the lobby. Pool was great. Main lobby bar was great at night - NOT during the day - different personnel.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
Beautiful and immaculate!!
The surf is too rough to swim in front of the Riu. Beautiful sands though!
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
Lots of activities - in the pool - IF you wanted as well as shows at night - for different ages.
Cab rides (in vans) are $12.00 each way while the public bus was only $2.00. Yes, the bus is hot but you are not on it that long and I'd rather spend my money elsewhere.
The Margarita Sunsset cruise was great! Great music and people. It does NOT run on Sunday night, so plan accordingly.
Make reservations for any dolphin encounters/events as soon as you get there or you may miss out as we did.
HIt the markets in downtown Cabo!! Catch the guy on the street painting sea shells - clam and conch. He does beautiful paintings as you wait and will even personalize it. The scenery he does is unbelievable!
Other ideas - ATV rental and parasailing.
They even have WAL MART, Sams and Costco there! lol
Other Comments
Do NOT let anyone convince you to stop until you get OUTSIDE of the terminal. You think you get through, go out the first set of doors and you are free - NOPE, there are other time share people. To catch your shuttle/transportation, just keep going until you are outside of the terminal. THey are smoooooooth talkers.
We were there from July 8 - 13. The weather was very warm, but not humid and there is always a breeze. (FYI - we are from Houston, Tx so we are used to the heat) The weather was gorgeous.
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Riu Palace Los Cabos
User Rating:
Cathy >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Jan, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
2 people found this review helpful
Arrival: January 7th -14th
Flight was a little long, just over 5 hours. We arrived in the late evening. Customs went smoothly; bus ride to the hotel was quick, approx. 25 minutes. Check in was fast and efficient.
Rooms:
We had a junior suite #2055, with an ocean view. Clean room, with housekeeping and bar restocked every day. Please note, we did not leave anything lying around the room, and ensured everything that may be stolen was locked up before we headed out for the day.
Restaurants and Bars:
The Bar service was impeccable. Fast and efficient, and most of all friendly. The service at the restaurants, including the buffet and a la cartes, was just superb as well. Good service is hard to find, and these people work hard! Tips were very well deserved.
Food:
The food was great! Delicious! Always something to eat, with many choices!!
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Pools and grounds were very well maintained by the staff. The undertow at the beach was quite strong. We did go swimming but ensured not to go out far. Nevertheless, the beach is just breathtaking. The weather was unbelievable. Sunny skies with no clouds or humidity. Perfection.
Other Comments:
We walked over to the Santa Fe and it is as well a gorgeous hotel. However, it’s very large, busy and a little more lively, especially the pool during the day. If you’re looking for a party, I would recommend the Santa Fe. While if you’re looking for a quiet vaca, go with the Palace. Plus, with the Palace, if you choose to, you can access the Santa Fe property (while they are not able to access the Palace).
Not only would we highly recommend Los Cabos for a holiday but we would recommend the Riu Palace and plan to visit.
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