Hotel Riu Palace Peninsula

Relax44332903021 wrote a review September 2025

Could've been a 10/10 but I'll give it a 6/10...here's why...

Overall our stay was really great!!! However, there's a couple of things that should be addressed. First I should note that I spent a week at this resort in which I got married on the property and brought 46 other guests with my party that all stayed on the property so we brought a lot of business and spent plenty of money there. But no matter if we were a party of 2 , any paying guest is entitled to proper services. Overall, we had a great time but I have to point out the bad parts, especially since this was the most important day to my wife as it was her wedding... the first thing and the worst was that the air conditioner in our room did not work and that was especially difficult to deal with with the temps being 90 and above and humid with no escape for 7 days. I reported the issue and no one came to fix it. 2nd, we we're locked out of our room 3 times due to the battery in the door card reader being dead, I had seen this before so i immediately reported that the battery may be dead but it took them 3 times to finally figure it out. Next there was an issue with the sales/store clerk person inside of the hotel at the retail store next to the sports bar where I attempted to purchase a cigar; the situation was that the previous day my brother bought a cheap cigar for $8 usd - the next day I went in looking for the same $8 cigar and the lady told me that all she had was a selection that ranged from $50 - $80 USD. I then asked "are you sure? I'm pretty sure there's a cigar in here thats under the $20 USD price range" . She continued to say "No Sir, This is all we have". So I went out and talked to my brother and he assured me that he definitely bought an $8 cigar from this place. So I went back into the store and told the lady that my brother had bought one for $8 just yesterday and then she suddenly remembered that she indeed did have one for $8. In that moment I felt like I was being taken advantage of as a tourist and just didn't feel good about that at all... The worst thing that happened was when our flower girl's dress was left at the front desk to be delivered to our room that actually never made it to our room; when my wife went down to the desk to pick it up she was met with dismissive and rude treatment by the staff named Madai. Madai told my wife that the item was not there and she refused to look for it because there were no notes in the computer regarding the situation. My wife was left standing there with no resolve and basically being told too bad theres nothing we can do. Now, I understood that obviously someone had dropped the ball and didn't send the proper message to the next shift but proper customer service should have given my wife a much more pleasant response such as , "We don't have any notes on this but we will do all that we can to figure it out"... but instead she was dismissed and left frustrated and that is absolutely not ok in the service industry. The issue was resolved after I approached a different lady at the desk and suggested to her that maybe it was placed in a bag and set someplace random and she politely took a look around and found the item in less than a minute. I did not get the 2nd lady's name but super thanks to her.... Now on the bright side there was a gentleman named Alex who helped us when we first arrived and he continued to show up with exemplary service going above and beyond to give us an amazing experience, He's just an amazing asset to the resort. I also must mention Pedro at the front desk who also gave us the most amazing service attitude possible, Roman out at the Beach Bar was also just amazing to all of us while we were hanging out late at the bar, please let them know that they all had a huge impact on our stay. Outside of those things our stay was amazing, the food was top notch and everything else was just amazing...Thank you

Date of Stay: August 2025

semyono1983 wrote a review September 2025
South Lake Tahoe, Lake Tahoe (California), California

Airport food better than resort food

My fiancee and I stayed here for 3 nights. Here’s a breakdown of the good and bad.

Good:
Lots of pools, beach is fantastic and no sargassum. The employees definitely work hard to keep the place clean and room service /housekeeping was great.

Bad:
The food was atrocious, we realized very quickly why there is a bidet in the suites. The drinks were watered down, but I think that’s any resort you go to nowadays. The property itself was outdated, and for some reason the lack of running ceiling fans in most of the hotel was confusing, especially with how humid and hot it was. The gift shop is a total rip off, avoid at all costs and just make the trek 3 minutes south to the farmacia.

Date of Stay: September 2025

P9967LHcharlottet wrote a review September 2025

Great until items where stolen

Great until our stuff got stolen
Lovely holiday stayed here as attending a friend’s wedding - but unfortunately we had valuables stolen when checking out! Do not leave luggage unattended my suitcase had a number of items stolen only realised when home - absolutely gutted ruined the holiday wouldn’t recommend! Also my friend who was also staying at the hotel had money missing -on floor 11 £150 dollar taken from the safe ! All in the same week! Appalling

Date of Stay: September 2025

Flyer630191 wrote a review September 2025

2nd visit and still great!

This is the only hotel we have stayed at twice as the first time, 3 years ago, was so enjoyable. The staff are all very friendly, courteous and attentive. The whole hotel is clinically clean with housekeepers working around the clock to keep everywhere immaculate. We stayed at the adult villas this time as opposed to the main building. This was a good choice as it was quieter and felt more exclusive, especially not having to wait for the lifts in the main building. The room was spacious and bright with maid service twice per day and the minibar restocked daily with ample drinks and water. We had an issue with cockroaches in the room the first day. Reception handled this promptly with an outside company coming in to fumigate the room within the hour. We did not complain about this as we accept hot countries can have this problem and I we did request a ground floor room. As an apology the hotel gave us a free late checkout! Food and drink was plentiful and of a good variety. The restaurants are great but we tended to eat in the main buffet restaurant due to the incredible choice.

We have a couple of feedback points however. Firstly, the reception, foyer, coffee bar and piano lounge all share the same open space. It can become incredibly loud when enjoying a cocktail for example. The piano player tends to play as loud as possible to get over the noise and people are passing in their swimwear while other are dressed up to enjoy their evening. Secondly, the entertainment reminded us of a 1970's Spanish hotel style. Say no more.

In the first few days there were many Nationalities staying. All well behaved and respectful. Then came the influx of American guests. The peace was then shattered by all the "whoo whoos" " Awesome's" and " OMG's". They tended just to drink shots all day and behave like excited teenagers let loose from their parents for the first time. However, they were not young, typically being around 40 we guessed.

All in all we had another very enjoyable stay and would highly recommend this hotel. It does cater for couples, families and groups alike. For a bit more peace and quiet we would recommend the adult villas that have their own shared pool.

Date of Stay: September 2025

HarisMu wrote a review September 2025
Mississauga, Ontario

To the place I never wanted to leave !

Where do I even begin;
Upon arrival to the Hotel I was met by Alex at the front of the hotel who was extremely polite, attentive and just down to earth. As it was my first time meeting him, I felt as if I had known him for years. Upon checking in, I was advised that my check-in time was not until 3:00 PM, yet I had arrived around 11:00 AM. The lady working at the desk was extremely helpful, attentive and on the ball with getting me into a much better room (1524) which honestly gave me the best view I couldn't have even imagined of. Once I entered my room I was blown away with the cleanliness and the attention to detail to make the room look superb. When I went to the buffet, I was taken away at the options and the variety of food available. The host's and servers were extremely respectful, polite and just down to earth. I have had issues in the past with other resorts such as food poisoning, although I can honestly say that I never ate so much food before given how well it was cooked and prepared. When I finally made it to the pool, I couldn't have asked for a better experience. The cleanliness, the friendly staff and the overall layout of the area itself. The party staff in charge of all of the events and fun games that go on around the pool was an easy 10/10. It shows how much pride they take in their jobs, and ensuring that people are having fun. I really enjoyed how a lot of them would walk around and encourage myself to partake in the events and games that went on in the pool. I quickly met Alan who was very polite, friendly and energetic and was taken away by how much positive energy he along with the rest of that crew brought day in and day out. Being there solo I personally felt that it didn't feel as if I was there by myself and that's thanks to that RIU party staff !. I always was taken care of, and when I had questions about certain places to go to, everyone was helpful and gave me honest feedback and advice. Overall I believe that I can write pages on pages regarding this place and how amazing it was. Will for sure be coming back here in February to create even more memories. Thank you all again for your hardwork and dedication, and for making my first solo trip the best one I could have imagined !!

Date of Stay: September 2025

Sherpa31331788324 wrote a review September 2025
Orange County, California

DO NOT STAY! HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE!!

My experience at riu was one of the worst hotel experiences I have ever had, from start to finish. When we got to the hotel at check in, we (my friend and I, both young women) were in the Riu Class line as we were members, where they had one person in training working that line. First, we did not receive our welcome drinks while everyone else did. We were both overcharged as they put the 300 peso tax on both cards instead of splitting or just on one. Then we asked to speak to a manager after waiting 45 minutes at the front desk trying to check in, all after a 12 hour day of travel, they never got us a manager, and even tried to tell us another employee was the manager. This happened multiple times, where we were lied to about who the manager was. When we finally got to our room (after the front desk told us it had 2 beds) it only had one and they told us no two beds were available. They offered us a roll away bed instead of fixing the mistake. The staff tried to say there were no other options. During all this, it had been over an hour and a half since we arrived at the hotel, and the representative started helping other guests while we were in front of him. Eventually we went back downstairs and they were able to find a two bedroom that was directly above the theater that had shows going on until late into the night. We were finally moved into a different room with one bed but had to check out the next day at 12 and couldnt get the room we paid for until 3. The front desk staff were incredibly rude to us for most of our experience. They claimed you cannot reserve the type of room you want on the riu website, but we reserved a two bedroom oceanview room that we paid more for. We ended up moving to the Riu Kukulkan, which was significantly nicer with much better staff.
Not to mention the facilities at Peninsula were super run down. we found dead bugs in our bathtub and trash on the floor that housekeeping clearly didnt clean. the food is incredibly mediocre and they turned us away from the sushi place the first night over an hour before they closed. our towels were both dirty with brown stains as well as stains on our bed pillows. Overall, I would not recommend staying here, especially if you were young travelers, as they will most likely try to take advantage of you and lie to you. The real supervisor, Monse, was very helpful and did inform us that the person claiming to be a manager was, in fact, not. We would never return to the Palace Peninsula again and recommend spending your money elsewhere.

Date of Stay: August 2025

CaroleDenim wrote a review September 2025
Perth and Kinross, Scotland

DRINKS SPIKING FOR REAL!

Beware:

Just back from 14 nights, to everyone staying at the.resort I would like to make you all aware that my sister got spiked in the sports bar. Causing her to be paralysed, hallucinating and paranoid. This was an extremely frightening experience for us and I would just like to make everyone aware that these this happen at the resort. I got her to safety within our room and we sat it out but it took 24 hours for this to fully leave her system. My sister has a list of health concerns and this behaviour is not acceptable. I hope people see this and this comment is not taken down like others..... I would like to point out my sister barely drinks before anyone else comments about that

Date of Stay: September 2025

Lovetotravel403 wrote a review September 2025
Barrie, Ontario

Best All Inclusive Resort in Cancun

The service at this hotel is impeccable. We stayed as a couple at the Adult Only Villas and had an amazing time. The infinity pool is so refreshing and beautiful. Marcelo was our pool waiter who never left you needing a drink and even brought around snacks like cheese and fruit. Fernando at the beach bar is awesome as well.
The rooms and hotel are very clean and all of the staff go above and beyond for their guests. For an all inclusive the food is very good. We enjoyed the steak dinners at The Kulinarium and Krystal. The Italian restaurant was very good as well.
Riu party is next door and so much fun. We had a blast at the Pink and Neon parties.
They are doing a refresh renovation in April which is expected to take 3 months. We can’t wait to come back.

Date of Stay: September 2025

Resort401940 wrote a review October 2025

Great Holiday at the Riu

Stayed in this hotel in September 2025.

All we can say is that it was amazing . The staff cannot do enough for you and hats off to the lady who cleaned our hotel room leaving it immaculately clean for us every day. Got a beautiful sea view room.
Food was great and the drinks were prestige. Loved the beach and the pools .
Thanks to everybody involved

Date of Stay: September 2025

Fearless742553 wrote a review October 2025

Last Minute Trip

Overall it is a good, but not great, hotel. We have been to Cancun 6 times and I have to say this was the weakest resort we stayed in. There was nothing bad about it (though the food is really basic, stick to the buffets, they are about the best you will do). Staff was nice but not overly helpful or enthusiastic. We only stayed for four nights and that would be about my limit as the rooms were dated and showed some age. Beach is OK, but there are better beaches in the area. We planned this trip at the last minute and the cost was acceptable but otherwise I don't think I'd stay here again.

Date of Stay: October 2025

michellefD2917TY wrote a review October 2025

Honest review

Had a great holiday, stayed 2 weeks and last day today. Staff were great especially Yasmin in the main restaurant. Always made sure we had everythimg we needed. The guy in the bar where the shows are was amazing, so helpful.and friemdly. The food is ok, its what you expect. The hotel.is very clean and the views are amazing. Shows were not great, excursions are quite pricey. Over all a very nice stay and would stay here again.

Date of Stay: October 2025

coops1960 wrote a review October 2025
York, North Yorkshire, England

Fantastic stay at the RIU Palace Peninsula.

We really enjoyed our stay at the RIU Palace. I've listed positive's and negatives below

Positives
1. Right on the fantastic beach with easy access to it
2. Only a 30 minute transfer from the airport.
3. It is possible to venture out either on foot or by the local bus which stops almost outside the hotel, its probably a 45 mins walk to the center of Cancun.
4. The rooms although slightly tired are still in a good condition, all rooms have a fantastic sea view. In most rooms there is a bath at the side of the bed, a little scary initially!
5. The choice of food from all the different restaurants was excellent but as with all all inclusive hotels we felt towards the end of our stay we a little bored with what was on offer.
6. The alcoholic drinks were of a high standard and all that was on offer was branded and there was no limit on the amount per day.
7. The coffee shop area was a nice relaxed area where top quality coffees and teas are served along with cakes and sandwiches.
8. Reception was open 24hours and all the staff were more than helpful to sort any issues.
9. The Entertainment Team were around the hotel all day and night and if that's your sort of thing then you will not be disappointed.
10. Outside the pools were kept to a high standard of cleanliness and all areas around the pools were kept spotless and clean.
11. There is a ferry that sails to the Isla Mujeres a beautiful island off the coast of Cancun with a beach rated one of the best in the world. The ferry jetty can be reached via a short walk on the beach and runs to and from the island at various times.
12. Check out isn't while 12am which is a bonus enabling you to get breakfast and some lunch should your pick up time allow.
13. Finally just a note to say that we would definitely return to this hotel, although looking at next years price it seems to have gone up extortionately, perhaps this is to reflect the make over that is due in April 2026

Negatives

1. Food in the main buffet restaurant tended to be lukewarm to slightly warm at times.
2. Mosquito's were prevalent within the steak house area due to this been an outdoor area during the longer summer nights,
3. Filling of the fridge in the room was hit and miss and you were often having to call for stocks to be replenished.

Date of Stay: September 2025

OklahomaTravel2014 wrote a review October 2025
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

compare between Peninsula and Las Americas

we booked the Villa suites -adults only room since we want to see if there are any differences between RPP vs Riu Palace Las americas.
Check in : check in takes a bit longer than Las americas but front desk employee was extremely nice and courteous. We booked villa suites and requested a room with good ocean view, and was given a room on 8th floor in the main building, and we can still use all the services reserved for Villa section. Villa guests will wear Gold color band while main building guests wear Purple band. Kids under 18 will have light blue band.
Food:
Except for the Kullinarium restaurant, the rest of the restaurants, including the buffet, are really going downhill. Yes, the buffet gives several choices/options, but the quality is not at the same level a few years ago. Comparing to Las Americas, I felt like the quality of food at the Peninsula was a step BELOW. Especially at the buffet for lunch, all the main dishes ( meat , veggies) seemed to be over-cooked or very dry.
Service:
Now this is where I can see big decline in the level of services. I’ve been coming here almost every summer with my kids since 2014, except for last year and this year. This is a perfect choice for our family with regard to calm ocean (safe for kids to swim and snorkel), close to airport, good choice of food, happy and energetic employees. So I am not sure what had happened in the last couple years.
All servers, esp at the Italian restaurant and breakfast/lunch buffet seemed miserable. There are not enough servers to serve the guests during breakfast/lunch. They ran around trying to clear tables/serve guests with no smiles, in fact, their facial expression looked so stressful and/or angry! Even the servers in the main lobby areas dont look very happy either.
in the end, we probably will NOT come back here if just adults only.
Riu Palace Las Americas does provide better food quality, much better customer service, and a more serene environment.
on Side note: the service and employee over the villa section are wonderful! They always approach us with a smile and make sure we have everything we need every hour or so.

Date of Stay: October 2025

eraldoh616 wrote a review October 2025

Disappointed Stay – Missing AirPods and Poor Response

I usually don’t leave long reviews, but this experience deserves to be shared.

The staff were mostly friendly, and I booked two rooms conveniently next to each other at a good rate. The food was okay (6/10) — not very fresh but plenty to eat. However, the fourth floor where I stayed was very dated: patched doors, chipped tiles, and broken thermostat covers. My booking notes were ignored (I requested a crib and king beds in both rooms but got neither).

The real problem came when I noticed my AirPods were missing from my room. I went to reception to report it, and coincidentally, another guest four doors down on the same floor was also reporting missing items. It felt like an organized inside job.

After filing a report, two employees followed me back to my room and started checking my belongings, as if I was hiding the AirPods myself. I even shared the last known location from the “Find My” app — downtown Cancun, near where the receptionist said she lived.

Despite being promised a report within 24 hours, nothing happened for three days. Only the day before checkout did someone named Violeta finally speak with me, suggesting maybe I lost them at the beach — which made no sense, since tourists don’t go that deep into downtown.

In the end, I was told an “investigation” found no wrongdoing and that employees said there were never AirPods in my room. Of course, no one would admit to theft.
I left extremely disappointed, not only by the loss but by the lack of accountability or care from management.

Date of Stay: October 2025

josegonzalez73 wrote a review October 2025

The best riu in cancun

we spend 4 days at riu peninsula and let me tell you the service 5 stars from jr at front desk great guy leyver at breakfast and lunch and manuel the housekeeper what a team first time in a riu whao place inmaculate good food great entertainment and top notch custumer service great job guys this company should be proud of their employees we definitely be back. Jose y Sylvia

Date of Stay: October 2025

NorthStar11526052085 wrote a review November 2025

Service now depends entirely on tips

Tipping 50 pesos is no longer enough to get even basic service at this hotel. If you want an “okay” experience, you basically need to tip 100 pesos. The hotel feels old, and overall, the atmosphere is tired.

During my stay, I had two very disappointing experiences at the bars. On one night at the main lobby bar, a bartender refused to make a simple cocktail while preparing a fancy drink for another guest offering me to get a beer or a tequila shot. It seemed service was only provided to those who tipped generously. On another night at the beach bar, a bartender was drinking shots with guests, which felt completely unprofessional.

It’s a palace, but palace quality food and drinks are hidden for people who tip well.

At the beach bar raposado patron was coming with a price tag of 100 pesos.

Overall stuff only sees you if you tip them a lot!

Compared to the Caribe next door, the service here is much worse. Staff focus on guests who tip well, providing only the bare minimum (not even minimum) to others. It’s disappointing because I expected at least decent service as part of the all-inclusive package, but instead, it felt like everything came with a price tag.

Giving 3 stars for food quality and location.

Date of Stay: November 2025

Mollyleigh123 wrote a review November 2025
Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England

Beautiful Hotel & Value for Money all inclusive

This is the Second time I’ve been to this hotel, food is amazing with a variety of bars, pools and restaurants to choose from- Buffet restaurants with something for everyone, plenty of bars open late, pool entertainment during the day is amazing, poolside bars and BBQ was great and we loved the 24 hour room service & the coffee bar in the lobby.

I want to start by saying a special thank you to the staff who were amazing. Particularly Diago the bartender in the main bar in the lobby area. He is fabulous at his job! Fast service and can do the job of 3 people just on his own! His customer service is excellent and for returning guests he remembers drinks orders which is a great personal touch!
Nadyana and Brandon on reception looked after us so well, going above and beyond for us. I needed a doctor during my stay and they both showed compassion and built a rapport with me and followed up days later to see how I felt. They assisted me with calls to the UK when needed. They were both fantastic! Thank you so much❤️

The RUI party’s are fantastic. With daytime party’s and evenings. They are always a good turn out, and part of your all inclusive package.

Housekeeping was amazing, with a daily deep clean of our rooms & cute animals made out of towels daily, and our bed sheets changed on request.

The entertainment in the day by the pool was fantastic! The man who does the aqua aerobics is great! Also activities and competitions daily which were so much fun! However the nighttime entertainment was quite poor this time round, only live bands on a nighttime- we love a kahoot so my tip to the hotel is to put more of them on! It was busy on kahoot nights which shows it’s popular!

The food choices were amazing, lunch was my favourite! And all the buffets were fresh & had plenty of choice for everyone! Breakfast was ok, loved the omelettes but the service at breakfast time was poor. Table cloths not being changed, staff not asking if you would like drinks & if they did they would forget about you.
The steak house in the hotel - we couldn’t wait to try- however there is no booking system available for this even via the app. And every time we went they couldn’t get us in! Also we went one night at 8:45pm to be told it was too late for us… it says on the app it closes at 9:30pm. A booking system would definitely resolve these issues!

Overall a very pleasant stay and I would definitely return. Thank you to all the staff ❤️

Date of Stay: October 2025