Hotel Riu Santa Fe - All Inclusive

This was our 4th time staying at Riu Santa Fe and was my favorite trip of all of them. Usually we come for spring break with a group of friends, but this time we came as a family bringing my six year old son. I was amazed at all the activities they had for him, including the pirate themed party! He had so much fun and they even watched him for an hour so my wife and I could go to the pink party. I will always stay at Riu Santa Fe when we come to Cabo and I can’t wait to visit some of their other properties all over the world.

My family travels 2-3 times a year and we always travel during Christmas and New Years Eve. This was our first time at the Riu and we were excited for the parties. Here are the things the Riu does well and the things that need much improvement. GOOD: - Riu Parties. They are SUPER fun for all ages (as long as you like loud music and party vibes). - Riu Party Djs. - Customer Service. Amazing service. We were in Los Cabos and the Mexican people are an absolute treasure. They are extremely hard working, kind, and intentional about providing fantastic service. - Property layout. During Christmas is was sold out but the property never felt overcrowded. There are pools and spaces for adults, for families, and for kids. Some days we wanted to be around the action and so we sat by those pools. Other days, we didn't want to see ANY small kids and there was a pool and space for that. There is lots of walking but we like that, considering we are eating and drinking like the world is going to end lol! - Rooms. The base price rooms are very nice and all have balconies. - Pools. Lots of them and lots of options - Pool seating. Never had an issue finding a seat. NEEDS IMPROVEMENT - Food. This was a major one. We had to learn which places to goto for breakfast, lunch, dinner because it was EXTREMELY hit or miss. For example, our daughters ate breakfast at the buffet near the town center and it was trash. My wife and I ate breakfast at Torte which was near the beach and it was fine. The best restaurant was the Japanese restaurant which we ate at twice. We also ate off of the property 3 separate days because of this (we were there Dec 23-Jan1). - Drinks. Super hit or miss. I had to learn the bartenders that could make a drink because the ones that couldn't make a drink, REALLY couldn't make a drink. I asked for an Old Fashioned and it was the worst OF I've every had. All the liquor used is bottom shelf. The Mojitos, Mezzcalitas, and Margaritas were the best. I must say the last 4 days of our trip, the food and drink did greatly improve. -Cleanliness. Cups and used plates sit around for about 60-90 minutes. Staff will come and get them but i wish they picked them up a little quicker. - Birds. Leave your food and birds will come VERY QUICKLY and get a free meal. Some of the food places by the pool (burgers and fries) will have many pigeons hunting for food RIGHT BELOW WHERE THE FOOD IS PLACED. Not very sanitary. - Shows. Trash. Just bad. Overall, 6.9/10

This resort is huge. Pepe's tacos are delicious. The American restaurant had the best shrimp tacos I ever tasted. They also had the best strawberry mojitos I ever tasted. The tequila shots were yummy too. The Italian restaurant was so good. I loved the entertainment. The pool bars were a plus too. Only down side is the pesty vendors on the beach. But we were able to get away from them. All in all, I'd definitely will be back. I absolutely love Riu hotels.

The property is well layed out. I preferred the central pool with palapas as it was easier to find a quiet spot. Typically I would choose the beach however need more shade than the umbrellas. The rooms were very comfortable and housekeeping staff were great. My favorite place to eat was the main buffet…always good food and far better than the a la carte options in my opinion. The only downside for me was the RIU party as I don’t like the noice..not a partier. Otherwise, I liked the property.

When you are visiting all inclusive following things matters: I have stayed in many all inclusive resorts but this one surprised me. Room: The room were decent with sufficient space. Inside Room: No moisturizers, creams, etc, and no concept on in room service. Pools: Sufficient number of pools and space. Alcohol: Looks like here they mix alcohol in water so they are one step ahead, one can drink 10 bottles but you will be still safe. Noise Level: It is your luck if your room is near to the pool forget about the word "calm and silent". Service: Near pool or elsewhere forget all about service, walk over and " do your own" Inside restaurants they may serve you and it depends on the staff. Restaurants: Forget the word " reservation", they will make you stand in line to get a buzzer, if they ran out of buzzer well it is your luck. Even if you have buzzer it may not buzz or if you have the buzzer and you do not reach in 5 minutes they will cancel your reservations.

Food was good, love the fresh fruit. Staff was friendly and rooms were kept clean. The Rui Parties are a blast, and the live bands and shows are always a pleasure to see. I enjoyed the Latin and Dance Classes put on by Ariana at the Rui Fit, she was very friendly and fun. Brenda was always nice and quickly found us a table every time at the main buffet. If you like snorkeling check out Chileno Beach (Playa Chileno). It takes about 20 minutes by the city bus which costs 35 pesos each way. Clear waters and lots of fish. One complaint is the room doors a bit loud when they close. They slam very hard which can wake you up in the middle of the night when other people enter/leave their rooms. Fun time, enjoyed it.

We stayed at this place for the new year in December 2025. This was a family get together. The resort is huge. The check-in was very easy and the staff was very polite. The food is very poor quality. It is extremely repetitive and the buffet menu does not change at all. We had the same food in the buffet for all the five days that we were here. This was for both dinner and breakfast. We tried their Japanese restaurant. To get a seat in the restaurant you have to stand in line starting at 5:30 in the evening. I was in the kine for 30-35 minutes before it opened. After that you have to have everone in your party right there snd have to take the time that they give you. They do not take any reservations. I think this is a bummer. If I’m here for a vacation, I should not be waiting in line to get a reservation. The front desk should be able to do this for me. The food in the Japanese restaurant was lousy. It was buffet style. Very poor quality sushi. Apart from Japanese food there was Indian, Thai and other Asian cuisine food mixed into it. They had the worst desserts. The only heated pool is the adult pool. The kid pool water temperature was on the colder side. My children did not enjoy going into the kids pool. The waterpark was good. The quality of alcohol is the poor. They do not take any orders on the pool side. They do not come and clean your dishes or pick up your empty glasses from the pool side. By midday the area is littered with empty dishes and glasses. The spa was very good. It was very clean, neat and fresh smelling. The massage was very good. The massage was pricey for a resort like this. Rooms were very clean. They cleaned them everyday. No moisturizer in the bathrooms. There was a locker in the room. Keys kept on stopping to work. The Italian restaurant food was slightly above average. The buffet food layout was grand, the deserts and the salad bar were un appealing, and there were flies all around the food. Very poor quality cheese, cold cuts and meats. The staff was polite and could understand English. The beach was below average. Not too many people in the water because the waves are rough. This resort needs a lot of improvement. If you are on a budget and don’t mind for poor quality alcohol and subpar repetitive food then this is the place for you.

Hotel Riu Santa Fe add everything you could ask for in a resort on the beach and all the amenities. From the pools and the staff our stay was excellent.

Good hotel to stay with a family. Decent food, multiple pools, beach access. They seems a bit understaffed in the restaurants but it’s maybe because we’ve been there during Christmas

If your looking for service or efficiency this is NOT the place. No bell hop greeted us, took our luggage or directed us. Check-in went smootly, but we took our own luggage followed a map to our third floor walk up (no elevators). The food is same everywhere and they do not keep the serving trays full. If you want french toast it is a wait, if you want plain pizza you could order Dominos and have it delivered faster. The weather is awesome, the place is clean (but no one walks around the pool offering drinks or cleaning up) don't ask me how. The drinks are watered down so add a shot every order.