Our 5th time to Cancun and our first to the Riu.....the best trip so far! We stayed at the resort over the July 4th holiday. We have stayed at other all-inclusives but this one surpassed them all! The food was good, the service was exceptional! None of the previous resorts came close to the level of service we received at the Riu. We went with two other couples, who also had nothing but great things to say. We will all definately be back to the Riu next year.

I just returned from a trip to the Riu Palace Las Americas with my husband and another couple but here are a few things we loved and hated about this hotel.

Hits:
- Loved the beach. We walked up and down the beach by the hotel and ours was the best and not too rocky.
- Great pool. Lots of fun activities and great swim up bar!
- We enjoyed the food. We at at the buffet for lunch every day (except on day we ate Italian and it was not good). We really enjoyed the Spanish and Brazilian restaurants.
- Tremendous service. Everyone was very helpful and quick.

Misses:
- The rooms. Overall we just weren't impresed. They were out dated and low end.
- The bed was hard (which we didn't mind) but the sheets were horrible. Like 50 thread count. It felt even worse after getting a sunburn.
- We were on the 8th floor so we didnt have a balcony.
- The housekeeping closet was right outside our room and they congregated and talked every morning at 8:00 am, it was very loud and we tried to get a new room and there weren't any available.
- There were no lights in the shower. Don't waste any time looking...it's just a dark shower.

Overall the Riu Palace Las Americas was pretty nice. I don't think we'll return to Cancun but we'll consider another Riu restort in the future.

One last thing at other all inclusive resorts we tipped and they seemed to make our drinks a little stronger and whatnot but when we tipped this trip there were no perks so we only tipped if we loved someone.

My fiance and I had a wonderful stay at the RPLA on 05/30/08 - 06/06/08.

Check in:
The first day we arrived at the hotel my first impression was how beautiful everything looked. You could see the infinity pool outside from the front lobby. It was absolutely beautiful. The pool looked liked it went into the ocean. Once we went to check in a nice gentlemen came from behind the desk and took us over to a place where we could sit and rest and took care of everything from there. As soon as we were seated a very nice server came up to us and welcomed us with a drink. We did arrive early so we had a little bit of a wait. Which was ok from me because I couldn't wait to go check out the resort. Everything was so clean and well kept. Gorgeous view of the ocean. I was very impressed. We then proceeded to go and make reservations for all the restaurants. A little wait there but not very long. After that it was check in time. We arrived in our room and noticed that the nice gentlemen from check in upgraded for free to a ocean view room without even asking.



The room:
The room was really nice and big with an amazing view of the ocean. The bed was really comfortable. I did request a mattress pad and it was the bed. I slept really good all week and didn't notice any outside noise. The houekeeper did a fantastic job all week. We did tip her everyday from $3 to $6 and she appreciated very much.


The restaurants:
Ok we did make reservations for the whole week at the 8:00 seating and only made it to one restaurant one night which was the Brazilian Restaurant. We were always starved before 8:00 so we either ate while we where out or ate at the buffet in the resort. I really didn't care for the Brazilian Restaurant. You were served meat, meat and more meat. Too much for me. Anyway the meat tasted fine but wasn't my thing. The buffets were good. Plenty of food. I loved the desserts. That was my favorite part of the buffet. Which obviously showed after my 5lb weight gain during my stay.


The pools and beach:
The pools were nice and clean. We didn't get into them that much we are more beach people. The beach area was really small and did have a lot of seagrass in it. Probally due to all the rain we had for the first 3 days. Which was a disappointment but no one can control mother nature. Mother nature finally was nice after the 3rd day. The last four days we had fantastic weather. We mostly went next door to the Riu Cancun and used there beach which was nicer and bigger.


Hotel entertainment:
We mostly went out at night and didn't go to any shows so I can't comment on that.


The fantastic service:
I can't say enough about the service you recieve at this resort. They work so hard on making your stay there the best. Every worker I came in contact with there was so friendly. Always smiling and making you feel welcomed. You really get treated like kings and queens your entire stay. We tipped all week and they really deserved and appreciate it. They work so hard and non stop. Everytime we sit down to eat we never had an empty glass. Seriously, they would fill it back up before it even got half empty.


Anyway, you can not go wrong staying at the RPLA. Not only is it a beautiful resort in a fantastic location it run by the the most wonderful people you will ever meet.

After booking travel for our 10th Anniversary Getaway to the Riu Palace Las Americas, RPLA, I found this site in searching for reviews on what to do in Cancun. My husband and I visited in our 20's about 12 years ago. The Riu Palace was a beautiful hotel with dark wood trim, marble floors, and stained glass ceilings. Almost all rooms have balconies that are Ocean View. We stayed on the 6th Floor and had a fabulous ocean view. I read all the reviews and took in all the negative comments and have to say that overall, you have to expect a few negative things, but we are not finicky travelers and don't expect the world just because we are on vacation. The service staff was extremely attentive, checked us in early, helped us with area sights, and even provided an anniversary gift for our stay. The beach is clean...in fact they do it every day! they rid the beaches of seaweed and rake them flat everyday...never heard or saw any of it being done...just woke up to beautiful beach. The pools were clean...really warm. We did not have alot of kids there either. There were more families on the beach. The poolside service was great for us. They asked all the time if we wanted refills. The beach watercraft staff gets alittle overwhelmed. They offer 15% off if paying by credit card, but were extremely confused giving a crad to the wrong person and a credit to someone who wasn't supposed to get one. I chose cash. The Spa was awesome. My husband and I had a 45 minute couples massage for 150.00. They did a fantastic job! The All-Inclusive meals were not our style. We had lunch upon arrival and dinner the first night at the Brazilian restaurant. I made reservations by email for the first night and on the verranda for the other nights, but cancelled later. Be prepared that at the Brazilian restaurant, you are shown a menu, but it only shows you what they are giving you and not what you can choose to have as a single meal. It was like a buffet brought to your table. My husband and I went out for every meal after that. The lunch we ate upon arrival was not fresh and yes, part of it is outside in the heat. The halls do smell musty and every piece of clothing worn or not in your suitcase has to be cleaned because it comes home with you...but what can you expect of a resort where it is 100 degrees. That did not bother me. The room floors do get slippery if you have had the air on and open the door. Condensation builds up on the floor and gets slick. Not a big deal. The only thing I would change in the rooms would be new towels. The towels are scratchy...especially after sun and sand. I would have loved to dry off with a soft plush towel, but maybe most people don't care. Overall, if I were going to Cancun again, I would love to stay at the Riu...without meals if possible...visit Coco Bongo...wake up to Starbucks across the street and eat dinner at Ruth's Chris a short cab ride away!