Riu Palace - Cabo San Lucas - Review

[Shnyda]

Wife and I just returned from Cabo San Lucas... here is the review we posted on Tripadvisor.

Cabo is great - but ready to go back to Aruba!



We stayed at the Riu Palace in Cabo from 10/24 -10/31 for our 5th
wedding anniversary. We used Hotel Beds as our transer from the
airport and all went smooth. It is about a 35 minute ride from SJD to
the rersort. Our overall stay was very positive. And I will say pros
outweigh the cons. Only a few minor complaints...


Pros:
Smooth check in (drinks provided)
Very friendly staff (they go above and beyone with or without tip)
Buffets are better than expected (not great - but you cannot go hungry
and you won't get bored unless you are very picky)
Sit down restaurants are decent(we ate at 3 of the 4 and we enjoyed
them all - nothing amazing but not bad - Japanese was my fave -
Krystal was my wife's)
Gorgeous grounds
Extremely clean
Spectacular view of lands end
Great views from Ocean Front rooms
Mini bar stocked daily
Rooms cleaned 2x a day
Entertainment staff is great (night shows are a little cheesey but fun)
Alcohol selection (not "top shelf", but not bad at all - you will
recognize what they carry and pour heavy I you wish)


Cons:
DINNER RESERVATION SYSTEM STINKS (nuff' said)
Bit far from downtown ($12 cab ride - and walkable, but a really rough
35 minutes walk on an uneven beach)
Lots of steps (elevator is there)
Beach is rough and not easily swimmable (it depends on the day - some
days weren't as bad as others)
Moths (there were the largets moths I have ever seen on the grounds)
Pools are cold (probably the time of year - but the pools were all very chilly)
No "real concierge" (everything was outsourced to various companies -
we got lucky and had a great experience on the one excursion we booked
- but I'd prefer to speak to someone from the riu first)
Agressive vendors right off grounds on beach (they are nice - and I
rented a jet ski from them for $45 - but they can be annoying)

We aren't big on all-inclusives, but may return someday. For now, its
back to Aruba - our fave vacation destination.
PS - If you go offsite to eat, try El Farallon at Capella Padregal -
most unique and amazing seafood dining experience we had in many
years.

[Jarubian]

Hi Shnyda,

Thank you for that report. Some of the same complaints where given to me by my clients who went in the Bahamas, I wonder if all the RIU properties are the same on all the other islands.

[Terry Joz]

I love Cabo very much, have a TS there but have never been to the RIU. Cabo is great but nothing is better than ARUBA!!

[Shnyda]

Jarubian - I would think there are differences in all the different RIUs.

Agree with you Terry - it was a nice change of scenery - but I like Aruba better!