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The All Inclusive 24h Hotel Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas is open all year round and overlooks the stunning El Medano white sand beach ensuring your vacation will be an unforgettable one. Get your Riu Class loyalty card to enjoy exclusive benefits and earn points. Riu Palace are the most sophisticated of all the RIU hotels, designed to make the guests feel like royalty. The location is ideal due to its proximity to Cabo San Lucas (4.5 km), Los Cabos International Airport (SJD) (40 km) and invites you to explore the area. The hotel features 692 comfortable rooms and free WiFi. Relax in our spa get in shape in our gym. 4 pools, 2 with swim-up bar. Daytime and evening entertainment, discotheque. Do you like going to top parties on your holidays? #RiuParty is made for you! For foodies, live cooking stations at our main buffet and restaurants specializing in Japanese, Italian, fusion, Indian and Grill cuisine; 4 bars. Discover our additional premium service: Elite Club by RIU
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
Camino Viejo A San José Km. 4.5, Cabo San Lucas 23453 Mexico
Name/address in local language
Hotel Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas
4.1 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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At Hotel Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas, guests are often greeted with attentive service, though some hiccups with room assignments can occur. The vibrant atmosphere with lively music draws mixed reactions for its impact on the serene experience. While the hotel's cleanliness and beautiful location near attractions earn praise, the noise level from the hotel's structure and nighttime festivities can be bothersome.
Rooms are spacious with stunning views but may have a musty scent and dated decor. The amenities, including pools and dining options, are a hit despite mixed feelings about the overall value.
Location
Picturesque
Atmosphere
Lively
Rooms
Dated
Value
Reasonable
Cleanliness
Meticulous
Noise level
Noisy
Service
Friendly
Amenities
Abundant
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First time in Cabo and the RIU did not dissapoint…. much.
To start, we had an absolute blast during our stay.
The property is older but is in good condition. We had a room that overlooked the pool and out onto the ocean. The room was nice and large and large and was fully stocked. The bathroom was large and had a walk in shower with a rain showerhead. Never any issues with water pressure or water temperature. Downside to our room, it had a strange musty smell and it was like it had permeated into the sofa. Anything left on the sofa kind of picked up the smell and anything in the room also had a mildew funk to it. We just opened the sliding door and left the can on yo circulate air when it cooled in the evenibgs. Not a huge issue!
Dining was great. Food choices were all over the place. We had Italian (not our favorite), The Steakhouse, the Japenese restaraunt and we had the buffet one night afer we came in off the water. Steakhouse was good but our favorite dinner was the Japenese restaraunt. Our servers there were our servers from the Buffet the night before so we already knew them. Our favorite meal was probably breakfast. The buffet is huge and not really lacking anywhere. Fresh made ommlettes, fresh made crepes, fresh fruit….. all the juices, pretty much anything you could think of.
The staff here is amazing! There was never a need for anything because they are ontop of their game all day, every day. Always service with a smile and just great people! The downstairs bar by the Cabana’s have the best bartenders in the whole place. When you are down on the beach or at the Cabana’s they are quick and drinks were good. We also went to the main bar by the buffet each night for whatever they had going on and the staff up there is pretty great too. One night it was traditiinal dancers. Another night it was Michael Jasckson night with a band after the show. Another night was a karaoke night.
All in all, we had an amazing time in Cabo. RIU was just a small piece of our vacation but definately a memorable one!
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Date of stay: January 2025Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Online Reputation Director, Owner at Hotel Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas
Responded 11 Feb 2025
Dear Connector30714579059, It is an honour to be recognized as a good hotel. Our staff are thrilled when they learn, they efforts are appreciated, we thank you on behalf of our team. We are very happy to read you had a nice stay. And we hope you come back soon! Kindest Greetings, Hotel Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas Online Reputation Manager
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We have been Riu members for awhile now and do like our Riu resorts. But I still like to do my research before we book and what resort to book. I have had friends and family stay at Riu cabo palace and they really liked it. So even after reading a lot of bad and good reviews, we decided to book. And am I ever so happy that we booked. Was an amazing time. We booked through the Riu app and our flight seperate.
On arrival to the airport, we were picked up by the resort, as we booked that pick up as well. Waited for about half hour for someone else's arrival, but that was not an issue for us, we sat and had a beer. Came to the resort and check in was very quick. I had booked a partial ocean view but we got upgraded to an ocean view 😍. We got to our room and it was great. We had Rm 4086, which was right off the lobby and up a flight of stairs. And close to pretty much everything. The view was amazing. Bell boy brought our suitcases 5 min later. We changed and went to explore and get ourselves situated with the resort as it's very huge. We came back to our room a couple hours later, to find champagne and strawberries in our room as a welcome gift and as Riu members. No complaints there. We had an issue with our safe, low battery or something and my husband went down to let them know. Half hour later they called our room to let us know that someone was coming up. Maintenance came in, fixed the issue and it was working. Another half hour later they called us again to check if everything was working. We ate at all the restaurants there and we liked them all except maybe the Italian one. A bit bland. The rest were good. Nothing special but still good. The buffet was always great. There is something for everyone, you will not starve. And if someone out there says they had nothing to eat, that is really a big fat lie 🤥. Fresh fruit and veggies. And they are constantly making tortillas and buns right there. Everyone is constantly working to please everyone. The BBQ down by the pool was amazing. The ribs and chicken were so good. That was my husband's go to for lunch. The beach: Amazing views everywhere. 99% the waves are huge and rough and it's not swimable at all, but that's not the hotels fault at all people. You can go to some Cabo beaches and swim but most places you cannot. Do not complain about it. Do your research before going if you like swimming in the ocean. Day before leaving, we booked our return ride to the airport with the hotel. No hiccups there.
All in all, it was an amazing 10 days. Thank you Riu for an amazing time. We will be back!!
Kari & Tyrel Stayed May 12 to 21
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Date of stay: May 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Don't go during spring break. And if you book the Riu cabo palace, you can use all 3 Riu resorts...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from RIU Hotels and Resorts, Owner at Hotel Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas
Responded 26 May 2023
Dear Kari and Tyrel, We cannot thank you enough for your stupendous review and for being our guest. It is so rewarding to read you enjoyed your stay at our hotel. Thank you very much for staying with us! Have a fantastic day to both of you! We hope to welcome you both again very soon. Kindest wishes, Hotel Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas Online Reputation Manager
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Our stay at RIU was great! The people that have complaints about the room being dated, I mean you know this property is older, this is to be expected. But if you are like me, you don't spend a bunch of time in the room. My biggest complaint about the room was that the shower has the 1/2 door so part of the door is open which I am not a fan of. I also don't love when a toilet is in the same room as the shower/sink area, but it is what it is, and that is my only complaint about the room. When we got there, we were greeted right away with helpful people, we got checked in early, and then we got to head out to officially start our time there! Most everyone was very helpful, and if they couldn't help us, they would find someone who could. The lunch buffet selection was plentiful, the breakfast buffet was great. Again, you are kind of getting what you pay for. I have stayed at several all-inclusive resorts throughout Mexico, on all parts of the price spectrum, this was the lowest on that spectrum but still met all my expectations because I knew what I paid for. I wasn't a huge fan of the steakhouse menu or food. But we did love the Japanese restaurant, the Gyoza was amazing, and my husband loved his Tapenyoki. The location is beautiful, you can see the rock formation, and because of the time of year we went (January) we saw so many whales off the shore. That was magic. We were right next to the Santa Fe so we took advantage of their parties, and that was a lot of fun. I would suggest if you are staying at the Palace, that should you find yourself wanting something to do on site, you head over to Santa Fe, Saturday night they had Karaoke, and that was a lot of fun. One suggestion, that will probably be laughed at since it's Mexico, would be to have either heaters or some sort of fire tables during colder months. Sure, the day was great weather, but in the evening the temps got down to 55-60, and it was chilly. Overall, for the price I don't have many things to gripe about. For a middle of winter vacation it was everything we needed.
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Review collected in partnership with riu.com
Date of stay: January 2025
Value
Rooms
Location
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Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Online Reputation Director, Owner at Hotel Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas
Responded 29 Jan 2025
Dear kerry f, Thank you for taking the time to write such a great review of our hotel. It was our pleasure hosting you and we are looking forward to welcoming you again very soon! We wish you all the best, Hotel Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas Online Reputation Manager
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We recently spent five days at Riu Palace, staying in two junior suites. While the overall experience was pleasant, the checkout process and subpar food quality left much to be desired.
Checkout Experience: On Friday afternoon, only one counter was open for checkout, resulting in a long line despite having three counters available for check-in. When I handed over the key cards for one room and four towel cards, I informed the staff that the key cards for the other room were left inside the room. The checkout attendant insisted that we retrieve the keys or pay $16 per key. Despite explaining that we were running late for our flight to the USA, she remained indifferent and unyielding. This was particularly frustrating as most hotels do not require key cards to be returned.
Food Quality: The buffet food was typical—plenty of variety and quantity but lacking in taste. For an all-inclusive resort, expecting more might be unrealistic. However, the real disappointment was the substandard quality of food at the à la carte dinner restaurants. The Italian food at San Jose was marginal, and the Indian food at Bombay restaurant was a joke. We ordered Palak Paneer, Naan, and rice, but the Palak Paneer had neither palak (spinach) nor paneer (cottage cheese), the naan was worse than flatbread from Costco, and they ran out of rice. The ultimate joke was dessert. We ordered Gulab Jamun, but what we got was a churro dipped in cinnamon sugar cold syrup. One waiter actually told us that he had repeatedly informed management about the poor quality of food, but nobody listened.
Additionally, the day before we left, I sent a message to the hotel asking for details on booking transportation to and from the hotel. We received a response six days later, after we had already returned home.
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Date of stay: December 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Disappointing Customer Service and Food Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Online Reputation Director, Owner at Hotel Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas
Responded 23 Dec 2024
Dear Bert P, Thank you for taking the time to share with us your thoughts. We sincerely regret that the service you received during your recent stay did not entirely meet your expectations. The experience you described is not characteristic of the level of service we strive to provide. Your feedback has been shared with our management team to discuss the potential need for change as we hope you will consider returning to allow us to have the opportunity of restoring your faith in our brand and services. Wishing you happy holidays and a prosperous New Year! Hotel Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas Online Reputation Manager
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Travel agent said 5 star, more like 2 or 3 star. Where to start!! Room is small and very dated, shower doesn't drain away, tv doesn't work very well, "No signal", mains socket hanging off the wall!! I left money and a note for the cleaner to leave water, she did, that was 4 days ago, no water left since then, most staff seem to spend all their time on their mobiles, that includes their supervisors who seem to hide from the waiters, the waiters probably getting basic pay and it shows by their lack of service to the diners, when they're not on their phone they are shouting at each other, hotel management are nowhere to be seen. The pools are absolutely filthy, never seen anyone clean them apart from pouring bags of salt in the water, totally covered in insects flies and Beetles. If you are Latino your offered a good service, especially at the restaurants. Suppose like all holiday sites you are expected to leave tips, I've no problem with that. Tip for anyone coming to the island is don't bother taking pesos as they only want dollars. There are about 4 shops on site, don't bother with them except the pharmacy as they don't fleece you. Get the free daily shuttle bus into town, takes 40 mins, mostly designer shops but a supermarket across the road. That all said, beautiful site beach and gardens, loads to eat and drink, there's optics in the rooms which are supposed to be replaced every 2 days, still waiting!! Rooms must be well overdue a refurb.
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Date of stay: June 2024
Value
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Location
Cleanliness
Service
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Online Reputation Director, Owner at Hotel Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas
Responded 6 Jun 2024
Dear Flyer13874074952, Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. Since our number one priority is providing excellent services and as we make every effort to meet our guests’ expectations, we truly regret that you experienced the mentioned issues during your time with us, as this certainly does not line up with the standards to which we wish to hold ourselves. We shall share your words with the corresponding department and we really hope that there were also many positive aspects of your stay and you allow us the opportunity to host you again soon and share a better experience! We remain with warm regards, Hotel Riu Palace Baja California Online Reputation Manager
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The atmosphere of the resort is amazing. Resort staff were very friendly and helpful. The A la carte restaurants and buffet food was very good. Our room was well maintained on a daily basis and the RIU app was very helpful in looking at the menu's for the a la carte restaurants, daily events and reaching resort staff (i.e. housekeeping, etc.) for assistance. Overall, a very enjoyable experience!
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Review collected in partnership with riu.com
Date of stay: February 2025
Value
Rooms
Location
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Made my annual trip to Cabo and the RIU Palace. Usually I travel there in September but this time I decided I would try to avoid tropical storms and hurricanes, so I opted to travel in July. I knew that since it would be during the fourth of July, the resort would probably be more crowded than my usual September trip. There were definitely more people there than any other time that I've been but, it didn't matter. It was still a great trip and I read reviews about other resorts in Cabo where people describe having a good time, with the exception of having to leave towels by the pool at night or getting up very early to secure a spot by the pool. First of all, I don't think the RIU would allow towels to be left overnight, they would be picked up by pool staff. Secondly, because of the two large pools I have never had an issue finding a nice spot. The staff at the front desk are always pleasant and handle any request I make. I also have to say that even if it's a day when your room isn't scheduled to have the drinks restocked, if you see one of the guys in the hallway, they will always oblige. Finally, I know some people won't agree but I actually like the new policy of not having to reserve the specialty restaurants; they are now first come first serve.
Now, my only negatives and the first is one that I don't know how much the ressort can control. Many of the bases for umbrellas by the pool were damaged, which resulted in many umbrellas not being available so you could find plenty of seats but them no way to block the sun. I think a lot of this is caused by guests dragging the bases from one spot to another, without turning them on the side and rolling them, as you see the pool workers doing. So as I said, I don't know how much control the resort has over that. Lastly, I would like to see more them nights in the main buffet(Mexican night, American night, Asian night,etc...), although that is by no means a deal breaker, I was happy with the food choices. Okay, that's it. Looking forward to summer 2025. :-)
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Date of stay: July 2024
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Location
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Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Husband and I visited for my Birthday trip. Upon arrival received a welcome drink and warm greetings from Staff. Hotel was beautiful, picture perfect and the Bars at the location were awesome. Also, the views off beach were breathtaking. Loved the staff for paying attention and going extra mile leaving a note saying Happy Birthday and small cake in room ❤ on my special day. There were Riu Parties next door that could be walked to via beach or parking lot that were enjoyable. Kudos to all the staff at the hotel for all of their hard work, dedication, providing great customer service and long hours they work each and everyday. On the downside issues I had with Hotel were there isn't anything really to do at this Hotel other than drink... the Entertainment are at the connecting Riu hotels that you are allowed to visit. So, at this hotel Entertainment wasn't great but, I applaud effort. Lobby is dull upon arrival other than being handed a Welcome drink and Staff that were hospitable. Other All Inclusive Hotels that I've visited normally have dance teams and upbeat lively music in the lobby that would be more inviting. The nightly after hours shows were just okay because some were telling stories in Spanish and not all guest speak Spanish. There should be someone telling the story in English or translating. Only one pool had music near Pepes grill and all the other pools you were there looking at each other. Lastly, the most disappointing part is that Taxi service that is called to the location are not all trust worthy by the staff at this Hotel. In particular, one that was called for my husband and I leaving to go to Airport TAXI 63 charged us 3700 pesos almost $194 to get there. Very upset about this situation that attempted to communicate this thru Riu complaint team via email and it was just an apology for my experience. It only cost at max $90 usd to get to airport. I felt that hotel should compensate for half of cost or retract from Taxi service that they call in since customers expect Taxi's at location called in by staff via walkie-talkie would be trust worthy enough to use.
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Date of stay: August 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Avoid taxi's if possible and pay attention to peso charges because some locals will try to get...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Online Reputation Director, Owner at Hotel Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas
Responded 4 Sept 2024
Dear levora, Thank you for the time you have taken to write us about your experience in our hotel. We are disappointed to hear that we did not manage to fully live up to your expectations as we place great importance on providing all of our guests with a wonderful experience. You may rest assured that your comments will be forwarded to the corresponding department for an adequate follow-up and future improvement as we sincerely hope that you would still consider visiting one of our Worldwide destinations soon so that we have the chance to give you the stay you were hoping for. With our best wishes we remain, Hotel Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas Online Reputation Manager
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First time staying at this location, but have stayed at other Riu Palace locations, so we knew what to expect. Excellent experience all the way around. All employees we encountered go out of their way to provide good service and keep the property in tip top shape. Food is very good and tailored to many different tastes. **Riu does the wristbands for guests as well as pool towel cards.....don't let any negative comments regarding these things sway you....thats just Riu's system to keep guests accountable on pool towels, etc because at the end of the day, they can only do so much laundry. You can simply trade out for dry towels during the day too....it's not a big deal at all. Entertainment is good at night with various tribute type shows. Bartenders make it fun and as with any resort in Mexico....you tip them well, they take even better care of you and it's great.
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Date of stay: January 2025
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Online Reputation Director, Owner at Hotel Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas
Responded 15 Jan 2025
Dear NEguy77, We would like to thank you for sharing your excellent feedback. It is very gratifying to learn you had a good experience. Thank you very much! And we are very much looking forward to welcoming you again. Kindest Greetings! Hotel Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas Online Reputation Manager
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This is the 3rd time we've stayed at the Riu Palace and we love it so much it pains me to give 4 stars instead of 5. The reason for the dropped star is the food quality seems to have dropped in the specialty restaurants, especially the Indian restaurant which served the worst Rogan Josh I've ever tasted. Also, the 24-hour room service is a bit of a joke - it'll arrive cold and late if you're lucky. On the plus side the buffet is fantastic the location is fabulous and I was constantly amazed how dedicated the staff are to keeping the place clean so if you're not a foodie this is a great place to stay.
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Review collected in partnership with riu.com
Date of stay: June 2023
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from RIU Hotels and Resorts, Owner at Hotel Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas
Responded 15 Jun 2023
Dear Pete, We wish to thank you on behalf of all our staff team for your fabulous feedback and for being a lovely guest. Our best reward is learning our beautiful guests enjoyed their holiday. We will take your comment into consideration. And we really look forward to welcome you again very soon, Pete. Loving Regards! Hotel Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas Online Reputation Manager
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There are more places to choose from in the Cabo San Lucas area.
PRICE RANGE
$521 - $720 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
riu palace cabo san lucas hotel cabo san lucas, riu palace los cabos, riu cabo san lucas, riu los cabos
LOCATION
MexicoBaja CaliforniaBaja California SurLos CabosCabo San Lucas
NUMBER OF ROOMS
692
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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