Riu Palace Baja California

Never did I think I would be writing about a vacation where the hotel we stayed made it amazing. The staff - Polite, responsive and observant, friendly and always willing to help but not pushy at all. The Room - large enough to feel roomy with the best view of the ocean and rock formations. Room 4309 top floor center. Perfect location. I read many review where the noise was an issue. We did not have any issue with noise on our 3 nights. The Hotel - So much fun, clean, I repeat clean! Many great places to enjoy relaxation if wanted or to meet new people, like hanging out at any pool. Fun- They had many group events, games, activities that you could be apart of. Like trivia, soccer, volleyball, pool parties, dancing, shows, music. The FOOD - The best part for a foodie. So much variety, from the themed buffets to the themed restaurants on rotation. The location - So close to the marina you could walk but take an excursion and the ride is included. Highly recommend this hotel and can't wait to go back again.

Firstly, before I review the resort, this is my second time to Cabo and we flew all the way from Australia so it’s very disappointing to travel that far and not love the resort you have booked. Also, I am comparing the resort to the one we stayed last year which was also Adults Only All Inclusive. Last year we stayed at Breathless near the marina, which was slightly more expensive but worth every dollar! I could not fault it! Pros - The rooms are beautiful, brand new and spacious. However the beds are quite small. We booked the partial ocean view room which yes, was looking over the vacant block next door, not great but no ones fault as there has been no hotel (or anything else) built there yet - Multiple pools with amazing views - Check in easy, is normally 3pm, we arrived at 1pm and went straight to our room Cons - Room service food was inedible. The worst we have ever had. Everything and every time we ordered it, it was completely cold which was no surprise as it would take minimum of one hour! - Restaurants - half of them are only open on certain nights. Indian restaurant was just ok. Steak House was barely ok, steaks over cooked every night, no matter how you asked them to be cooked. Italian restaurant was the best of a bad bunch. We ended up eating at the buffet as it was really the only decent food. For a 5 star resort, this is really unacceptable. If food is your thing, this resort is not for you, unless the employ better chefs - Entertainment Music was being played randomly st the pool bar closest to the beach. Sometimes it was good but mostly crap. The best music was when the aqua aerobics was on! No poolside dj or any kind of constant music/entertainment. Compared to Breathless, the vibe was very hit and miss - Staff Cleaning staff around the restaurants day and night were great. The hotel is very clean and the floors and and windows etc are constantly being attended too, however service staff around the pool are limited. We couldn’t even get anyone to help us out and umbrella down. Most don’t speak English or the ones that do are limited, which is ridiculous as it’s impossible to communicate. - Security We had $50 (Australian) taken from our by a maid (it was sitting behind an ornament) and when we reported it she claimed she thought it was a tip! All in all, beautiful resort, but very poorly run, lacking entertainment around the pool, decent chefs and decent food. Won’t stay there again. Next Cabo trip we’ll be back to stay at Breathless 100%!