My husband and I had a fabulous time at Riu Palace Las Americas - do not be mistaken for "Riu Cancun" the sister hotel next door.

At first glance, the hotel was beautiful with a spanish decor. Check in for us was a breeze - we checked in at noon and was able to get a room without waiting until 3pm.

We had a jr. suite oceanview room on the 6th floor that was absolutely breathe taking! The room was spotless and very comfortable. Everyone has been complaining about the beds but our king size bed was already made with a matress pad so we had no problems. The room I was in was quite chilly so we shut the AC off at nite and left the ceiling fan on. The water pressure in the shower is a bit weird turning from hot and cold during our showers but that's just a minor set back. Remember, DO NOT drink the water in the hotelroom; brush your teeth with the bottle waters they supply you with in the fridge and you'll be Ok.

Pools & beach: Pools were stunning - the 2 infinity pools are great except the one by the pool bar gets packed and yes, it gets murky with everyones sunscreen so thats digusting. Try to go into it in the morning and avoid it mid afternoon. The quiet main pool is nice - doesn't get too packed but there is hardly any seating. Seating was a problem - you MUST wake up early to reserve your seats, otherwise you'll be toasting away with seats without the umbrella. It is HOT in Cancun. The sun is strong, I suggest you wear the highest SPF and apply regularly. Only downfall is that the pools shut down at 7pm, no exceptions. While there is still sun out, they will shut it down :(

Food: buffets were much better than the restaurants. I had food poisoning at "Tito Pepes" and ordered the "seatood cassorole" - my husband was fine with his steak so around 1am , I was hugging the porcelain and throwing up, NOT FUN! It only lasted 2 hours, thank god - the next day I was tired and just relaxed until I felt better. The food does get a bit repetitive so make the best of it. Just make sure you're aware of what you're eating because my husband and I came back with MORE food poisoning with high fever, body aches and diarhea. Both of us are suffering right this minute...NOT FUN!!!

Service: Everyone at this resort is super nice and professional! They make you feel like royalty - they work very hard so a tip here and there won't hurt your wallet.

Souvenier shop: $$$$!!!! Don't waste your time here - a bag of Doritos will cost you $10 USD! Insane. Go off to the streets and catch bargains there, trust me - you'll see!

Entertainment: It was fun first 2 nites but it got very dull and people started to not show up to watch the shows. The resort is dead by 10:30pm so don't bother trying to find anything to do at the resort.

Great resort - only set back was food posioning. Could've been anything we ate at the resort or just an accumulation of things.

Tip: take the bus if you want to visit the malls & shops down the street - it will cost you 7 pesos, less than $1. Taxis will probably charge you anything so why risk it? Ask the receptionist and they will direct you to the bus stop.

And last, visit "Chichen Itza" great experience!!!

I went to RPLA with two girl friends for a week and we had a great time. It's in a perfect location for walking to the nightclubs, had a great beach, and it was very convenient to walk across the street for Starbucks (we really needed bagels with cream cheese one morning). The service was good, many of the staff members recognized us and even made an effort to remember our names so that the service felt more personalized. Yes, there is a musty smell. It is humid. You will find that smell anywhere you go in Cancun, I'm sure of it. We were very comfortable on the bed(s) with the mattress pads. We didn't get a pool/ocean view, instead we were facing the ugly hotel next door, but we also didn't spend much time in the room and appreciated the "privacy" it gave us. We ordered breakfast room service three days because we knew we'd be too tired/hung over to actually make it to the buffet in time for breakfast. The options were limited, but decent. We drank a ton, ate even more and it was well worth the cost. If I did go back to Cancun, I'd definitely want to stay here again. I would have liked to try the Japanese restaurant, but we waited until Friday to try to make reservations for Fri/Sat/Sun/Mon, which was a huge mistake. Definitely take a minute out our your pool time to book dinner reservations. Eating at the buffet is good, but the restaurants are even better, so you don't want to miss out. We were able to try the Brazilian, Spanish and Steakhouse restaurants and they were all very good. The sea food is so fresh that we couldn't believe it - and we're from California and Alaska, so we know fresh. French toast from the breakfast buffet was incredible and one of my friends thought the guacamole was so good she wanted to "stick her face in it". Don't worry, she didn't actually do that. I would also recommend booking any excursions directly through the hotel, that way if there are any mishaps they should be able to help you out more efficiently.

My husband and I just returned from a wonderful 3 night stay at Riu Palace. The infinity pool was a beautiful sight to see when you exit the gorgeous lobby. The staff couldn't have been friendlier and the grounds were always kept clean. We enjoyed the food expecially at the Japanese Restaurant and the French Restaurant...awesome dinners! The buffet was always good too for lunch and breakfast, no complaints. The buffet was similar to what we have seen at other all inclusives in Cancun. The beach was beautiful! We would have liked a cabana or umbrella on the beach but that would be my only complaint. The activity pool gets kind of wild in the afternoon, I wouldn't have wanted my kids there at that time. It is hard to get a chair by the pool, people put their towels down very early in the morning. Great views from our ocean-front room! Overall, a great time...wish we could have stayed longer.

My husband and I and my 22 year old daughter stayed at the Riu Palace from July 31st through August 7th. It was fantastic. Upon checking in we were offered a tropical fruit drink and the staff was very friendly. Our room was ready it was a Jr. Suite overlooking the pool and beach area. The view was spectacular. We had a King size bed which was very comfortable not hard like many other reviews stated. There was no smell near the elevators like we also read. The Food was wonderful in the buffet area where we ate pratically all our meals except the Steakhouse one night which we did not care for. We also went out to a Seafood Restaurant for Lobster one other night. Suprisingly the Italian Food was not bad. Had Pizza and Linguini with Garlic and Oil. Deserts could be a little better though. Grounds were immaculate, hotel you could eat off the floors. People always cleaning. My daughter met alot of young people her age there and was out every night. Many young adults with their families. I would recommend this hotel to anyone who will listen. We were all crying on the way home because we had such a great time and met great people. Plan on going back next year for a longer time.