Riu Palace Peninsula

The service made our stay. Everyone from the doorman to the room attendant were all amazing. The drink staff at the pool, jovanny, and Aidan and Tanya and Kevin in the restaurant all made us come looking and staying in their sections. [Details]

Check-in easy. Front desk helpful. Service from all staff was prompt and efficient and minor issues fixed immediately. Room kept very clean and made towel art. Convenient location on main street and could walk to Langosta or Tortuga beach. Hotel beach small, better at Riu Caribe next door which can be used. Several pools with swim-up pool bar in warmer pool. Drink service at chairs frequent. Plenty of lounge shares and shade available if wanted. Some chairs and service on beach too. Discouraged food around pools because of gulls feeding. Daily activity program went on although limited participants. Lounges and Sports bar well run but rather boring. Piano player could not be heard because of noise. Buffet restaurant had good selection and quality for all three meals and cleanliness maintained. Specialty restaurants variable quality but service fast and efficient. Never had trouble being seated at any time. No particular recommendations. Nightly entertainment at 9.45 is late for some. Some good quality and enjoyed headphone dance party. No advertising of shows on resort except on line at pool activities. No problem using facilities after check-out until 4.30 departure. Varied clientele between ages and countries made stay interesting and felt comfortable as seniors. Many young children but well behaved and made us feel younger by watching them. Would recommend for senior couples like us. [Details]

The cappuccino and espresso were great from the Lobby coffee shop. Unfortunately, they didn't open until 10 a.m.! Hotel is very clean and close to shopping malls, casinos, bars and restaurants. It's only $1 U.S. to catch a bus to any of these. Buffet was great with lots of variety for everyone. The specialty restaurants were ok but nothing special. [Details]

Buffet was excellent. It had something for everyone. I was disappointed the Japanese restaurant wasn't the kind that they cook in front of you. The Steakhouse was very good but the other specialty restaurants were just ok. The staff here were very nice and helpful. The poolside grill was very good but closed at 2 p.m. I would have liked them to open an hour earlier and later. Make sure you book all your excursions with someone from the hotel. The Sunwing rep gave us a great deal on the dolphin swim. [Details]

Hotel was nice and clean. Buffet was very good with lots of different items for everyone. Specialty restaurants were good but not excellent. The best one was the Steakhouse. I liked that there were not any lineups to get in any of the restaurants. Restaurant service was excellent. Lobby coffee shop had excellent cappuccino and espresso but the only problem was that it didn't open until 10 a.m. The poolside grill was excellent and I would have liked them to stay open past 2 p.m. The infinity pool was not heated but the activity and swim up bar pools were. [Details]

We visited this hotel 5 years ago and returned this year for another vacation knowing it would be a good experience based on our previous stay. And we were even more impressed this time! The food was FANTASTIC, the entertainment was lively, the service spectacular, the hotel was immaculate! On top of the 5 a la carte restaurants, the buffet was always full of lot of choice for mains, desserts, and a wide spread of fruit (not just the usual cantaloupe, honeydew, pineapple, and papaya). The entertainment staff provided lots of fun from foam party, to beach party, painting, karaoke nights, and a silent dance party on top of the usual pool side activities. The staff were remarkable - waiters and bartenders from 5 years ago, STILL there working... obviously they love it there and are treated well by management! The hotel was super clean - the cleaning staff were vigilant about keeping the standards high. Constantly cleaning the pools, scrubbing chairs, washing floors (there was even one day where we saw a man on all fours scrubbing the grout!!!). We would highly recommend this hotel! [Details]

We reached this resort on 11th of september it was a rainy day. We chose this resort because it looked very nice and modern from the outside. The lobby has a great atmosphere to it and staff at the concierge are not well informed (I called the reception to ask if the they have a scale, they told me that bellboys have; however, when I went down to ask the staff at concierge they were like what the hell are you talking about we don't have that. Turns out on the check-out day bellboys actually have a handheld scale.)
Buffet is called Las Olas and I would say it is okay, on the other hand for lunch you can use the Italian restaurant located by the lobby (lamb racks were my favourite). For dinner we really enjoyed the food at the Krystal, Japanese and Steakhouse (Krystal has a cool manager named Eduardo very friendly and accomodating. Gotta try the lobster risotto).
The drinks are mostly premium, you get Don Julio Reposado for tequila and Chivas Regal 12yrs (or Buchanan) for scotch/whiskey.
Entertainment team staff are great. Raul and Alexis are great guys we went to City Nightclub with them and everything was perfect, night shows are enjoyable.
The pools are where I had problem with I believe they need a chiller. There are not enough trees to shadow over, hence, the pool water gets pretty warm. I hung out at Trinidad swim-up pool at times, yet I am skeptical about its cleanliness. People would drink like 10 beers and you would never see them leave the pool ( to be honest I don't blame them the closest washroom is by the building and you need to walk a bit to reach it. Other thing about the washroom is, it is damn cold) maybe they can use urine-revealing pool compound or build a washroom close to it. On the other hand infinity pool is great we had a foam party there and it was fun.
Gym is horrible I was very dissapointed. I am an athletic person and need at least an hour to spend at gym. Their machines are awful (2 ellipticals and 3 treadmills) and not well-maintained the weight machines make a screeching sound as you use them. The spa looks awkward and squished, yet the jakuzzi was fine (steam room never worked).
You have a 24 hr spot in the resort to get food and drinks and it is caller Sports Bar. I call it the de-facto zone becauee it felt like you leave the boundaries of the resort once you enter there. There is a foul smell there every day, it is a mix of hot dogs, buffalo sauce and detergent. First time I entered there I almost puked. They have old sandwiches and when I went there on a saturday night for a quick eats around 2AM (after Xplor Fuego) place was a mess there was nothing to eat and people were drunk out of their mind.
The room is pretty cool we had a nice view. I suggest you don't leave your valuables laying around thinking that it is a 5-star luxury resor like I did, one of my bracelets were on the top of the fridge by the coffee maker and it mysteriously DISSAPEARED.
Beach is also not bad you get shallow areas and deeper zones where you can see stingrays on the bottom. It is rocky though.
Overall we enjoyed our stay; however, not sure if I would return. This was our first Riu experience. We heard lots of negativity towards Riu brand before and I must say some were right about certain things. If you are in the little details like I am you shall clearly see that they are cheap when it comes to that. [Details]

Hotel staff were great helpful and attentive. They handled questions and challenges quickly and efficiently. Hotel was clean and well maintained.

Kids club was good, hours were not ideal and expected more. Small group of kids and minimal on site activities other than the kids club room [Details]

Every area of the resort was spotless with never ending cleaning of public washrooms and pool areas, all staff were pleasant and helpful and food was top notch at all restaurants, would return for sure. [Details]

The staff are exceptional the food was delicious the pools , bars and some of thee entertainment was great. The only problem we had our room was above the stage and the musi was very loud but when asked to be moved we were the next day. [Details]

We had a fabulous stay at the Riu Palace Peninsula in Cancun. We would definitely return for another visit.

The food/accommodations were excellent, the staff were friendly, and the location was perfect for us. After breakfast, we would go for 6-7 km walks along the path, then take the bus back to the hotel. After lunch, we would go for long swims along the shore. All this exercise was being done to mitigate all the tempting food and drinks we were consuming!!

Since we wanted to go casual throughout our entire stay, we only ate at the buffet, and didn't feel like we were missing anything at all. The buffet food was excellent, with lots of variety, even for 2 people restricted to a gluten free diet. There were actually gluten free pancakes available for breakfast! And the coffee was excellent. For those who have GF diets, I would recommend this hotel. Just call ahead to make sure the staff knows of your needs and be sure to bring along several cards, translated into Spanish, about your GF needs, in case one of the wait staff needs to carry it back to the kitchen. However, most of the wait staff did understand the concept of gluten free food, and that it could cause you grief if you consumed it. It doesn't hurt to let your on-site travel agent representative know about your dietary needs, too. Our agent offered to assist us with this, but we already had our bases covered and didn't need him to step in.

For those who enjoy snorkeling off the beach, as we do, you won't be able to do so at this resort, nor at any in the Hotel Zone in Cancun (that we could see). However, there are regular snorkeling tours available by boat, and you can take a quick ferry ride to Isla Mujeres and go to the Garaffon sanctuary, to snorkel there, all day (approx. USD$75 per person).

For this trip, we didn't mind that there wasn't much snorkeling, we just did a lot of swimming along the shore, using our fins, and enjoyed the sand, ocean and sun. :) [Details]

Very relaxing, close to everything rooms clean, staff excellent, food excellent, took the bus to Cancun shopping for a dollar, walked everywhere very safe, took the ferry to the island rented a golf cart and had a great day. will go back anytime a really great resort. [Details]

Overall great place to stay, fairly convenient both ways.

Staff are great, food is good in buffet but so so in specialty restaurants.

Sand beach seems limited, pools and relax area are excellent. [Details]

One of the top 5-star hotels in Cancun [Details]

Pool are amazing! [Details]

Pool are amazing! [Details]

This hotel is stunning right from the beginning. Paid a premium price so was expecting very high standards. [Details]

Had a wonderful vacation. Food is excellent, rooms very spacious and comfy. 5 pools and 2 great beaches to choose from. Nightly entertainment done very well, daily entertainment very good. Check in very accommodating and fast. Excellent service, very very clean. Best internet access i have had in Mexico. Will definately return. [Details]

Beautiful resort, great staff, good food. Shame weather didn't cooperate [Details]

We stayed in the Adults Only Villas. Even though this hotel is almost new and gets great reviews, it fell below our basic expectations.

Pros: The customer service was very good with the exception of one person in the sports bar when we tried to get a coffee early in morning. Our favorite, was Karina in the breakfast buffet - we always sat in her section. The common areas inside the hotel are constantly being cleaned and the grounds/pool/garden areas were well kept. Since we were in the VIP area, we had our own adults only pool where it was quiet but we could still see the activities over at the main pool

Cons:
Room: The room was very stark, white and IKEA like. The furniture was poorly made and most of the drawers didn't close properly. There was no fan in the bathroom and since the room is very open-concept, when we took our showers the room filled with condensation and the floor and furniture were covered with a film of water. We started bringing pool towels back to our room at the end of the day to carpet the floor with so we could walk safely on the tile after showering. Because of this, the smell of mould/mildew in the room was overwhelming. It only took a couple of days for all of our clothes to be permanently damp and smell like wet dog.
Food: The buffet was definitely the best bet. There was lots of variety to our liking most days, but we very quickly tired of the lunch buffet especially since it was always such a gong show in that area with people zig zagging every which way. It was ok though, because they always put on some sort of food/BBQ at the main pool and it usually far exceeded what you get at the buffet. We weren't happy with the food at any of the a la carte restaurants. The only one that was ok was the restaurant that was reserved for the Adult only villas. The Japanese was the worst - the sushi rolls all had too much cream cheese.

We wouldn't return to this hotel, nor would we recommend it to anyone we know. [Details]

This hotel is amazing! Everything is immaculate, the food is excellent and there is a wide variety to choose from. It is a short distance to the shopping, night life and restaurants downtown. The staff at the Riu Peninsula go above and beyond and are some of the hardest workers I've ever met. The entertainment staff and shows at night are also excellent! [Details]

good food, friendly staff beautiful hotel. fridge wasn't working on arrival and we mentioned at the front desk and it was replaced immediately. daughter needed crib for her 1 year old and they brought it up right away. can't say too much about the hotel. hope to go back again in the near future. [Details]

This hotel was well worth the price. The staff is very kind and the hotel is beautiful. [Details]

Our 6th trip to Mexico and by far one of our favorite places - friendliest staff are at the RIU resorts. [Details]

Great new hotel. Beautiful clean rooms, food was great, had everything. Buffet was better than restaurants. Steak house sucked, cook couldn't make steak right, person at another table complained too.

Hotel would not let you do a late check out like at 1 pm or 2 pm but insisted on 12 noon, or you have to pay extra. My room was not cleaned sometimes well after 4 pm, so they were just being dicks. One couple got their passports and wallet with credit cards and money stolen from front lobby/reception area. Crime in Mexico is disgusting, I had 2 pairs of beach sandals stolen right off the resort.

Mexico is over-rated. Why go there when the Caribbean is full of resorts, more safer and maybe cheaper.

Mexican's are the most corrupt people on earth. I advise not to go there. [Details]

Aesthetics and cleanliness of the resort was amazing. Loved most of the staff. Very helpful and polite. The food was disappointing. The only place we actually liked eating at was the Italian restaurant. The buffet was disappointing during lunch and dinner. Breakfast was decent. The beach was beautiful and we were constantly playing beach volleyball. Overall a good vacation, minus the food. [Details]

Hotel was new and well cared for. Wife got food poisoning (only ate at the resort) on the 2nd day which spoiled her vacation and by associated mine. Our room was above the outdoor stage and the noise would keep us awake. [Details]

We arrived and were immediately greeted, our bags handled and up to our room to get settled in. We made dinner reservations right away and had no problem getting into any of the restaurants throughout the week. We especially enjoyed Krystal and Kulinarium.

The staff were great. We spent most of our time by the pool and the service was non stop. We tipped although it isn't necessary and the staff definitely appreciated it. The entertainment staff by the pools kept people engaged while still letting everyone just relax if they wanted.

Overall, we would return in a heart beat. For the price, was definitely one of the greatest values we've seen in an all inclusive. [Details]

This was a beautiful hotel, not unexpected as we new it was recently opened.

The capachino bar was fabulous and the entertainment was top notch. We were of the opinion that the music was too loud. [Details]

Very nice hotel with the exception of the food was terrible and very little night life. [Details]