Riu Palace Las Americas Adults Only - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

5001 reviews

• 

  Really lovely. Just not 5 star.

  This will be a slightly weird review because it won’t sound entirely positive. I feel bad about that. It ought to sound good really, as we had a lovely time, and the hotel is very nice. The staff are wonderful, helpful and charming. We will probably be coming back next year - we loved it. However, it’s just not quite as good as it should be for the cost involved. First of all, while it’s quite delightful and has a lovely relaxed vibe, let’s not pretend this is a five star hotel. It’s ‘fine’ throughout, and very good in places, but exceptional nowhere. Five star hotels should be exceptional. This place is very much ‘good’ rather than ‘wow’. It’s a decent four star resort/hotel really. Why do I say that? The accommodation. Depending on which room you are allocated, (and if like us, you book through Tui in the UK) you might get an ocean view room. But you’re more likely to get a view of the industrial cleaning facility behind the hotel. We did. It is noisy. Really noisy. (And we were 4 floors above it). Our neighbour (before they complained and got moved) described it as the “nuclear power plant outside the window” and we referred to it as Chernobyl throughout our stay. We stayed put just out of being too lazy to repack and move, and we figured we don’t spend much time in the room anyway. But it might be a thing for you. From talking to other guests it seems the regulars make a point of requesting rooms elsewhere and away from this apparently well known issue. Specifically, they get Ocean View rooms. My tip therefore, is call or email the hotel direct ahead of your stay and specify you want such a room. Or just book one for the premium. That’s what we will do. Regardless of the external noise, the rooms themselves are spotlessly clean, and fairly well maintained. They are also damp. This area of Mexico is humid and we were told that inevitably the rooms are a little musty. Really? In the 21st century we can’t overcome some humidity? The air con is good, but it evidently can’t beat the humidity. The whole estate smells like humidity and damp. To be honest, I don’t particularly mind it. It reminds me of holidays I had as a child with my parents in in Gîtes de France. But it won’t be ok for everyone. The shower in our ‘junior suite with balcony’ while spacious, fully functional, and no problem at all, was well past its prime and the head really needed replacing. Half the water hit the wall rather than me. In a 5 star hotel, the head would have been changed before I got there. It’s these small things. The food. We stayed for 10 nights. We we ate at all the restaurants bar one, and I’ll come back to why that was. The Mexican restaurant was very, very ordinary although we met people who loved it in there. The Italian was better. It wasn’t brilliant. But it was ok. Tasty enough. Pretty basic. The Japanese was excellent and we ate there 5 times in the end. Mediterranean (Krystal) was also very nice and the best steak we had the whole trip. We never got to try the steakhouse ‘Black and White’, which is by some distance, and for no obvious reason, the most sought after ticket in town. You can’t make reservations at any of the restaurants until pretty much as they open on the day. So a queue forms for Black and White from about 5:30pm. We never bothered to queue. We walked up a couple of times and were pretty sharply told by the maitre d’, that there was no chance of a table for two. In truth, he was pretty rude and the service level alone put me off making the effort to get a table there, and from what we were told, the food wasn’t all that special anyway. The ribs are good, the steak less so. I can only assume that the Americans (who make up the vast majority of guests) must all love a steak so they book themselves in early. It’s a shame as the service literally everywhere else in the property was great. The buffet breakfast every morning was really nice and there was an enormous choice. An absolute triumph. That WAS five star. The guests. I am aware this is beyond the control of the hotel. However, for travellers from Europe, it’s worth mentioning. It should come as no surprise that this location is absolutely heaving with Americans. It’s about a 4 hour flight for most states. I’m afraid that sadly, the stereotypes we have of them in Europe are broadly, although I must point out certainly not entirely, accurate. A minority are staggeringly, boringly loud. Too many of them behave as if they only discovered alcohol last Tuesday and it’s a competition to see who can be the most obnoxious. That said, the majority are extremely polite and courteous. Sunbeds. The perennial worry. We never had a problem. People do put towels down at dawn as per every hotel in the world but it seems not all of them own a compass. The the hotel faces north towards the sea. So for most of the day the sunbeds which are on the north side of the hotel, will be in shadow. All the sunbeds near the swimming pools will be in the shade most of the day. So you want to be on the beach. And you want to be right by the jetty. There you’ll have uninterrupted sun all day. You can thank me later. The wait staff who run about on the beach to bring you drinks are brilliant. I threw a 100 peso tip in each time they brought a drink and they looked after us brilliantly. Our friends gave them a US dollar each time and got equally good service. The boys (and they are all boys) appreciate any tip and they work hard to keep the guests well hydrated. Our departure from the hotel was a pick up transfer at 3:40pm. We had to check out at noon. We asked to extend for an hour just so we had a bit longer to enjoy the sun head of showering before we left but were told flatly that we couldn’t. That’s pretty unusual in our experience. Not a big deal, but slightly surprising they declined. Still, we checked out and waited the almost 4 hours in the lobby with a coffee and it was fine. So, to summarise: Rooms are pretty tired, in our case noisy, and a bit damp. They need an overhaul. They are kept spotlessly clean. Food is patchy. Some of it is fantastic. Some of it is not at all good. Most of it is perfectly decent. The drinks are fine. Exactly what you expect and the ‘slushy’ cocktails brought to you on the beach are a godsend. The service is fantastic. The place is raised up by its staff. They are magnificent. Mostly youthful and cheerfully helpful. As I said at the top, we are already looking to book back in for Feb 26 (in an ocean view room, obviously). It’s not a 5 star, but it’s maybe the best 4 star we’ve stayed in.

  Feb 21, 2025
• 

  Fabulous Vacation

  We had a great time. The resort was spectacular and the weather was perfect. The staff were so caring and willing to go that extra mile.It was a perfect getaway!!!

  Feb 20, 2025
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  Perfect Palace Experience!

  First, the hotel itself is absolutely stunning....and so very clean. We have always been welcomed by the friendly and smiling, Hugo, at the front entrance. He is helpful in many ways. We are impressed with the positive attitude of every individual working at the Front Reception Desk. No matter the time of day/night, we were consistently greeted with warm smiles. We enjoyed the speciality restaurants and returned to some of them twice. There are no reservations in any of the restaurants, including the Buffet. We noticed that some of the guests attempted to make reservations, but the staff were firm in stating that this resort has a 'first come first serve' policy; which we greatly appreciated. We enjoyed Victor as our waiter at two of the restaurants: Black and White and Krystal. He was cheerful and knowledgeable about the various menu items. Dining at the Buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner was also a wonderful experience. Lots of variety and cooking styles for every palate. We wanted to thank Luis for his huge smiles and excellent service at the outdoor Buffet for breakfast and lunch. I also wish to mention that our Valentine's Day Dinner at the Buffet was outstanding. The entire area (and some foods...pink desserts) were beautifully decorated! So very romantic! Our waiter, Saulo, enhanced our special dining experience with his humour. We frequently enjoyed an evening beverage in the front lobby and would like to make a special mention to Paula, for her hard work in serving our drinks with a smile. Please do consider to recognize all of the diligent staff with tips. They are truly grateful. Our spotless and comfortable room was breath-taking with the gorgeous ocean views! We enjoyed spending parts of our morning/evening sitting on the balcony just gazing at the spectacular colours of the water. Absolutely incredible! Overall, the RIU Palace Las Americas is a firm 5+ Star resort. The RIU management team and staff has gone above and beyond with this resort! Gracias for our wonderful vacation! We look forward to returning to our 'second home.'

  Feb 19, 2025
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  Great overall

  Everything is up to 5 star standard. Me and my wife enjoy the ambinence of the place, the cleanliness and tidiness of the beach. The fresh squeeze of fruits are our favorite, Everything is perfect, we even had a special birthday celebration at one of the restaurants. Celebrating our wedding anniversary we had a complimentary wine and chocolate in our room prepared by the hotel. We had a wonderful time and will definitely come back again. We wish to thank the hotel stuffs for everything they had done. Everything was just perfect. Thank you RIU.

  Feb 19, 2025
• 

  Great Hotel with Nice amenities

  The Riu Las Americas is a great all inclusive hotel with amazing staff and great food. All of the staff were very welcoming and helpful, as well as very professional. The amenities were great, and when we went the hotel was not super busy, so that made for a peaceful and quiet stay. With free access to all the other Riu hotels and parties I could not recommend this hotel more. For what you are paying, you definitely are getting your money's worth!

  Feb 19, 2025