Lucky Deals Five Puerto Vallarta

The compact RIU Palace delivers quality and excellence. No fault of the resort - the beach does not similarly deliver.

My wife and I were very impressed with our smaller garden view room being well laid out where everything worked well – the taps didn't even drip! The housecleaning staff was exceptional, leaving our room spotless for our end of day return, surprising us with a towel sculpture most days.

The buffet was excellent where we ate every meal of the day except one. One evening we dined at the Steakhouse where the food and service was equally outstanding. The menus at the other three ala carte did not entice us. One negative mention about the eating area outside the main buffet, is the birds flying near your head, defecating on the chairs and eating food from plates. We enjoyed tea, pastries and the best coffee at the Sports Bar in the mornings as well. Nightly entertainment shows appeared to be well attended. Listening to the piano player in the lounge was a nice touch - not too loud for people to visit and have a drink. The red wine served at the Pacifico was the best we have experienced in Mexico and we've been on many different Mexican west and east coast resorts.

ALL of the staff worked very hard in EVERY area. They were very professional, accommodating, helpful and friendly.

The well laid-out pool was clean and featured warm water - even well away from the pool bar area;-). My wife and I utilized the well-equipped gym most days; but, we did not use the steam room, sauna or whirlpool areas which did look good though.

Wifi is included throughout the resort; but, reception was very sporadic. Smoking was allowed directly in front of the sliding doors entering the lobby from the pool/garden area. A different area should be designated for smokers rather than in front of the doors where all visitors have to walk through groups of people smoking to go the pool, beach or restaurants.

The beach was disappointing with sand that looked and felt like dirt mixed in with rough sand. There are long distances to walk along beach; but, the grainy sand and sharply sloped shore was hard on the legs and feet. Strong winds were ever present in the afternoon with large waves crashing the shore which made for murky water. This beach area is not favourable to snorkeling. We found the weather a bit too cool for us compared with Huatulco and the Maya Riviera areas. The palm trees did not provide enough shade for a day on the beach. RIU should consider palapas for added shade. You could rent an umbrella for $200 pesos/day which for 14 days gets expensive! [Details]