RIU Palace Mexico Reviews

My wife and I went to RIU Palace Mexico in December of 2011. Our experience was HORRIBLE! The staff was rude, the food was subpar and to top it off we had a hotel staff member burst into our room in the middle of the night claiming he was security. We transferred hotels the next day. We both feared for our safety here and could not believe how horribly managed the place was. The mini bar was not stocked, the king bed was two double beds pushed together made seperately, the tv didn't work, the air conditioning didn't work and the beach was a PUBLIC beach, not private. We were offered coke and weed within 10 minutes of being there. The RIU Palace Mexico is a COMPLETE disaster. Whatever you do, DO NOT stay here! Spend the extra money to go to a better resort. The RIU is unsafe, dirty, horrible customer service and a terrible experience. The hotel manager Katy Black was RUDE. DO NOT STAY HERE!!!

We travelled with our 13 year old daughter. The hotel manager, Maria Josee Rincon, has been manager for 1 1/2 years and has turned the hotel in a direction that does not cater to kids. This is more for adults and kids can not participate in many of the offerred activities (horseshoes, darts, volleyball). The pool is very small, only knee deep, narrow, and is cut in half by a walkway. The pool water is freezing. At most only 3 people in the pool and never any activities. The Animation staff is pretty poor. Do not let your kids get near Dideroit - he is a bad apple. This is also a pretty quiet, nothing happening hotel.

Food: Quite good and can always find something. Japaneese excellent, Steak house (and we do not eat meat) very good. Main buffet very good. The recession has hit the Riu like many other hotels so you may be looking for such things as lobster without success.

Rooms: Get a renovated room on the top floor and you will be happy.

Location: Excellent. A 20 minute walk into Playa Del Carmen. Beach good with other hotels along to walk and see.

Entertainment: Stay at Palace Mexico and you get to go to the other Palace and Rius. The Palace Mexico is very quiet at night. Shows are okay. For fun, walk accross the street to the Riu Tequilla, it is a very fun and active hotel. During the day go to the Riu Yukatan to see wild life (monkeys, and "rat - dogs", and iguanas). During the day take a walk into Playa Del Carmen. Take a 30 minute ferry over to Cozumel.

Room Number:
2119 - Top Floor

We are a couple in our forties from Nova Scotia, Canada. This was our 10th or so trip down south. This is the most impressive resort we have stayed in. Top notch service with a smile is just so refreshing.

Your Arrival:
As per normal, flying with WestJet was a treat. One hour drive from airport to resort. Very smooth, easy check-in. The desk staff called a couple of times during the week to ask if everything was alright and if there was anything they could do to make our stay more enjoyable.

Rooms:
huge, very clean. Maid service was awesome. We received a nightly turndown service.

Restaurants and Bars:
5 a la carte restaurants. Ate at 4 of them. All very impressive. If you are a fan of Japanese, the Sushi is a must. Plenty of bars. Service was outstanding. Servers were constantly walking the floor, the pool and the beach eagerly awaiting to serve you.

Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The grounds are amazing. The pool is quite nice. The beach has been restored and is beautiful.

Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Nightly shows, games all day long. All typical of a classy resort. There is a great little shopping mall just outside the resort. Every type of excursion is available from the resort.

Other Comments:
We became very close with several staff members. We dropped about $60-$70 in tips during our stay. However, the staff don't seem to be tip oriented. Strangely, the high level of service was the same for those who did not tip(unfortunately, there are always a few). The Mayan commitment to quality service is second to none. This is the first resort we've visited that we will return too.