So my husband and i just returned for the RPLA we were there from June 14-21 a week, and it was awesome. We have been to the caribean a couple of times and our last vacation was to Punta Cana and this place blows that resort out of the water. The staff was all very nice. We booked our vacation through Orbitz and used Entertainment Limo for our transfers back and forth with the airport and they were awsome also. When we got to the resort our room was reason which was great because we were eager to go to the beach. The beach is soo beautiful, i do like how every morning they clean up all the seaweed that washes up throughout the night. The only down fall was that there were no cabanas our umbrellas or anything with shade on the beach but if we wanted to we could go next door to the RIU Cancun and they had the cabanas on the beach. Another downfall was the reservations for dinner had to be made between 12-5 and you could only make 3 at a time so we waited like 1hour the first day which was horrible but that is all the stupid people that ask a million questions. The room was great, the resturants were great, we ate at the brazillian, (awesome), French (awesome) and the steak house which was ok. and the spanish which was ok. we did not get to eat at the japanease one though but we heard that was very good. i would say the french was my favorite one. We didnt' do anything but beach, and pool everyday except take the bus to the ferry to the island of isle majaria, where we rented golf carts and went around the island drinking corona's. we looked this resort and i am sure will return again.

This was our 2nd trip to the Riu Palace. We first visited the resort in 2006 and couldn't wait to go back. However, we were a little disappointed the 2nd time around. While most of the servers and wait staff were still exceptional, the hotel did not seem to be as well maintained, which is surprising since it is still only a few years old.

Specifically, the pools were pretty gross. There was black mold and mildew in both pools all along the grout, covering the majority of the sides. In addition, there was all kinds of dirt, hairballs and other items floating on the bottoms of the pools--almost as if the filtration system was broke. In fact, one pool was so bad we didn't even go in. Also, the deck areas weren't cleaned in the mornings like they used to be. There would still be cigarette butts on the decks and dirty glasses from the day (not the night) before.

Again, the service was still pretty good and the employees, for the most part, are friendly and will go out of their way to please their guests, however, like most ppl alot of your time is spent in the pool areas and it was very disappointing that they weren't maintained like they should be.

Let me start by saying that my girlfriend and I went to the Riu Palace from May 28th until June 3rd and absolutely loved Cancun and the Riu. We are 25 years old. We originally booked the Riu Cancun but I was browsing the net and found a great deal for the palace which was basically the same price so I switched. Overall, the place was awesome for the price, and we plan on going to a different palace each year. That being said, some of the negatives I read about on this site are true but are clearly outweighed by a ll the greatness of this hotel.

Check in: Check in was smooth in that we arrived around 11 am and a room was ready for us BUT not with a balcony. We were given a choice of a balcony overlooking a parking lot or a oceanview room with no balcony. I was a little annoyed but in the back of my mind i knew we got a real good deal so I got over it quick. The view was phenominal and the window did open so it was ok. The room we stayed in was room 812. It didnt have the two level thing but it seemed to be the same size as any other room regardless.

Room: Great room. Very nice...all marbled. It is a little slippery walking barefoot so be careful! I have a bad back so the beds were fine for me. They are firm but not as ridiculously hard as all these reviews make them seem to be. They were harder than average though. A little weird that it is 2 beds pushed together but again, not that big a deal. 2 sinks was nice. Mini bar was restocked every other day and once when i called they came within 3 minutes. Liquor dispenser was cool.

Hotel appearance: It is quite breathtaking when you first walk in the lobby. The place is just really really nice. Pools were both very good as were the jacuzzis. There are "different" smells you will experience. There is a mildew smell but it isnt as overwhelming as people make it out to be. There were a few times the elevators stunk like a sewer but I think thats because it rained pretty much every day we were there and there were some leaks in the hallways. Again, you will experience smells but I knew it coming in and expected it so it didnt really bother me.

Food: I have stayed at 5 all inclusives and this was BY FAR the best food out of any of them. Is it fine dining? No. Its like a cruise. its very good. We ate at the buffet the first night bc we couldnt get a reservation the first night and it was very good. Large selection and high quality. We then went to a different restaurant every night. The brazilion WAS AWESOME! So much meat!!! All great. Spanish restaurant was really good too. All of them were good but those 2 were my favorite. Dont forget to try the italion restaurant for lunch as an alternative to the buffet. You dont need a reservation. The reservation system is a little archaic, like all the reviews say. Again, something I expected and accepted. We took 30 minutes the first day and dedicated it to waiting in line to make reservations with the lady who had a pad and pencil. We made all our reservations the first day and after that we were set.

Service: GREAT!!! All the bartenders were great. All waiters great. Entertainment staff was awesome. They take you to a different club every night. Just great service all around.

The best part of it for us, as 25 year olds, was that we could go to the riu cancun to party and come back to the palace for dinner and relaxation. The Riu Cancun was much much more lively. There were many kids there and teenagers, where at the palace there was basically none. We would go to the riu cancun for their sports bar and pool games, but when the beer funneling teenagers got old, we would go back to the palace. It was great. We met other couples at the Sports bar and went to Senor Frogs with them. Samuel at the sports bar is really cool.

Beach: Not great. Kinda small and a lot of seaweed. Also too many rocks for my liking. The water is calm though which is good. At other Cancun hotels I have been to the water was very wavy.

In conclusion, if you are looking for an all inclusive, I cant imagine a better place for the money. GREAT PLACE and if we ever go back to Cancun we def will stay there.

We stayed at the Riu Palace Las Americas from June 2 - June June 9. The hotel and staff were amazing, everything turned out much better than I had expected. We booked our vacation with funjet and prior to arriving we scheduled a nonstop shuttle to our hotel ($15 per person rt) from the airport. We didn't get stopped by anyone trying to sell timeshares. We arrived at the hotel around 2 o'clock and I asked if we could get our room early, and luckily they were able to check us in. We had an amazing room, 512, it overlooked the main pool and had a spectacular view of the ocean. On the first day I could smell a "musty" smell in the hall but after that I wasn't able to tell, the smell is just due to the humidity and the rooms smell fine.

Staff- Everyone that we spoke with was very nice and went above and beyond to help if needed. We typically were able to get drinks at the pool and most nights at the nightly shows but sometimes the staff at the bar took a long time to get to you. We always tipped so that was little dissapointing but wasn't too bad.

Restaurants- You have to make reservations for anything non buffet, we weren't able to get one for the first two nights but I would recommend going to the restaurant to see if something is available at the times (6:30 and 8:30) because there were tons of empty tables. The Japenese restaurant was my favorite, the staff was wonderful, the steakhouse and our waiter was terrible, the table next to us almost got up and left before dinner was served. We also tried the tapas place and that was pretty good as well. The buffet was always good and plenty of variety. The room service options are pretty slim and we wished there were more to choose from.

Cleaning- Our room was always cleaned very quickly but we were always up and out by 10.

Pool (2 jacuzzi's and 2 pools)- There were plenty of chairs but we don't lay out too much so we never had an issue. We weren't always able to find a chair right next to the pool but there were plenty to choose from, and there were tons on the beach. We were always approached by a waiter for drinks. I should mention they only have Corona beer and Pepsi products.

Activities- Some of these are overpriced, we did a 2 hour jetski tour and snokerling ($75 pp) which is only one jetski, seemed ridiculous!!! with Oceanrunner. When we asked our Lomas rep before booking she said we would have 2 jetski's not thrilled but we did have blast. We also booked Joe's Jeep Adventure tour, it was alright, not really my thing. We had to share a jeep with a couple which was not the impression we had gotten so that was a definite bummer. The tour guy Pepe was nice, make sure you pack sunscreen and bug spray!!! Overall, I don't think I'd do the tour again, it was alright but not worth an entire day, the lunch on the beach was eh, and the Mexican petting zoo was alright. Plus on top of Pepe wanting a tip, they Mexican petting tour guy annouced before the tour that he would also like a tip and the lunch buffet.. . so what the $65 per person paid for is beyond me, especially since we shared a jeep.
We also booked a lobster dinner cruise with Dolphin Discovery, it was nice except for a group of drunk individuals who mistook it for a booze cruise.

Overall we had a great honeymoon, the RIU Palace Las Americas was fabulous, we would definitely return, the service was first rate!