Riu Palace Pacifico Adults Only - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

7207 reviews

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  Property is very clean and food at buffet is awesome!

  This is one of our ‘go to’ places. The property is always kept clean, rooms are up to date, staff are friendly, and buffet is awesome. I find it’s never crowded and daily themes offer so much variety. I prefer eating there, over the restaurants. There’s a super quiet main pool where adults just relax and talk. There are no loud games or music that plays at this pool so you can relax and unwind. The games, aerobics and music are either at the swim up bar on the other side or at the far pool. Steps to the beach, massage tents, and in all the times we’ve been there, there have been plenty of lounge chairs available by the pools and on the beach, so you don’t have to worry about getting to the pool early. The guests tend to be older here, as the young adults often go to Riu Jalisco for the more ‘party’ atmosphere. Will definitely be bringing my mom back to this resort.

  May 04, 2025
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  Amazing Resort for Adults

  This resort is Amazing! The service is top notch. Each staff member we had interactions with was so friendly and helpful. The atmosphere is so Relaxing! This was our first experience with a RIU, and we could not have asked for a better vacation. In fact, we are already planning a return for next Spring Break with friends. Sandra, our housekeeper, kept our room clean, stocked, and tidy. One day we used the app to request more shower gel and tissues when she serviced the room. Before we could even leave the room, she was at our door bringing the requested items. Janet in the breakfast buffet was super friendly and always greeted us with a smile. Whether it was mopping, dusting, taking care of flower beds, or simply saying hello and asking if we needed anything, a RIU staff member was always providing great service to the guests. The Pool Chairs: There was absolutely no need to secure chairs super early in the morning. In fact, the resort guidelines which you can read in your room, caution against reserving chairs. We always sat in the same general area by the quiet pool and there were always plenty of chairs available. (Perhaps if someone is dead set on a specific chair/location you may have to settle for a different chair, but we had zero issues finding a place to sit for the day.) When we wanted to, we hopped over to the swim up bar for a drink or two and then back to our "regular" chairs. The swim-up bar and activity pool were active most of the day. This was a vacation to chill and relax with a good book and a nap, so we did not get involved in the other activities. However, if you want to, there are plenty of extra activities to do away from the Quiet Pool. A Word of Caution: Wear your beach/pool shoes to the pool so they are ready for you to slip on when exiting the pool. I took a HARD fall getting out. Not because of too many summer drinks either. (We heard that others had fallen as well.) I was sore, a bit bruised (both body and ego). After my husband and another guest helped me up into a chair a lifeguard came to check on me. This was not exactly the way one wants to be rescued by a cute lifeguard. Also, a day later someone from Guest Services called me to check on me. I was a bit sore for the rest of the week, but did not think too much of it. However, once home I went to Urgent Care for images, and it turns out I had cracked some ribs in the fall. The Food: We dined at the Buffet for breakfast each day and really enjoyed the options for breakfast. Each evening the Buffet has a theme so there are some extra food options that follow that theme. We chose the Buffet for two of our nights. The Steakhouse was good, but the cut of meat while flavorful was a bit fatty and grizzly for the New York Strip that my husband ordered. Also, if you choose to dine at the Steakhouse you may want to get in line at 5:30. They open at 6:00 and there can be a long wait if you get there right when they open. The Italian and Mexican ala carte restaurants were also good, and they both included a little "mini buffet" within the restaurant that had plenty of options in addition to the main entrees. My favorite for grabbing a quick bite during the day would be Pepe's Food and Tiki Taco by the pools. Burgers, Tacos, Chips, Queso, etc. It was always a prefect way to have a light lunch or poolside snack. Overall, the food was good. I would not say it was Out of this World, but we did not go hungry. The Bars: Poolside drinks were good and always a favorite way to spend time basking in the sun with a summertime drink in hand. The servers were always walking around the pools asking if we needed anything. At night, the Daiquiri bar had an excellent selection of drinks. There is a little cocktail stand in the lobby that has a Drink of the Day. This was a fun way to try a different drink each night while waiting for dinner. Entertainment: We listened to some of the nighttime entertainment but just enjoyed walking around the resort grounds. There was always something to do if that is your desire. The App: Be sure to download the RIU App. You can check out the menus for the bars and restaurants, find out about the entertainment, order room service, and request things from housekeeping. The Massages: (Off the Resort) You may have heard about the massage tents that are to the left of the resort. I highly recommend checking this out if you are in the mood for a massage. Each tent is a different company, but they all charge $35 USD. We chose the Pink Tent for our massages. When you step off the steps from the pool area to the beach or when walking on the beach you will be approached by someone asking if you want a massage. This does not bother me as it may other reviewers. The massage was amazing although I did feel a little more "exposed" than I do when getting massages at home. Nothing like a warm ocean breeze blowing across your "cheeks" while others may be walking past. Excursions: The resort is so beautiful and relaxing we did not feel the need to do any excursions except for taking a taxi to spend a few hours at the Malecon. We had considered going to Bucerias or Rhythm of the Night, but in the end decided to stay at the resort. (Another guest told us she walked to Bucerias, and it was beautiful.) If you are looking for an Adults Only, Beautiful Resort with great service consider the RIU Palace Pacifico your go to destination.

  May 03, 2025
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  Gem of Nuevo Vallarta

  While we typically patronize different resorts every trip, the recently renovated RIU Palace Pacifico is such a gem that, even though we had just stayed here a few months back, we returned for another 2 week stay April 16-30, 2025. The resort cleanliness, layout, food and staff collectively are the epitomy of what an Adult only luxury resort should be. We are looking forward to returning for another stay.

  May 02, 2025
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  WORST VACATION EVER

  This was my first time staying at a Riu Resort, and it will definitely be my last. I will never stay here again and probably won't ever try another Riu brand resort again. I would give it zero stars if I could. My husband and I were part of a large group (over 20 people) that stayed at this all-inclusive resort for 5 days. We all purchased the elite club suites. The good. The resort was beautiful, and the suites spacious with beautiful views. The pools were nice as well. The bartenders were great. The bad. So many things. 1. The food was terrible, practically inedible, even for my husband and other friends that had no food restrictions. I must eat gluten free due to severe sensitivity. They stated they had many gluten free options, they don't. I mainly ate mashed potatoes and fruit for most of my meals. The many other things I did try to eat were awful. Not one of the restaurants had good food. Sent food back many times, because they served food that had gluten in it. Even the room service options were non-existent. The only room service item I could order and eat was fruit. 2. The customer service was terrible; you had to use their app for everything. When you had problems with the app they didn't want to help you. Very poor customer service for a high-end resort. You could only book dinner reservations via the app. The app was terrible, it didn't work half the time and was not user friendly at all. The Wi-Fi was terrible. 3. Nothing to do. This resort has hardly any activities. If you want to just go to the pool or beach all day for your entire vacation you probably would enjoy it, but I like to have many activities to choose from when at a resort while on vacation. This one hardly had anything, and the options they did have were mainly fitness related. 4. The entertainment. Was terrible. Bands weren't good at all. They had one good show and that was the ABBA tribute. All the rest were terrible. The Michael Jackson show was particularly awful. It was entirely lip-synched. They didn't even do complete songs, it was about a minute of a song, then a minute or two wardrobe change, then another partial song. 5. Pools, they had no shade except for a small area under the swim up bar. They also close the pools at 6pm, which is way too early. 6. Housekeeping response time was insanely long, and they didn't get one request correct the whole time we were there. We have pretty basic expectations when we go on vacation. We want a comfortable room. This is the first time we have ever upgraded to a suite for a vacation. We expect tasty food with decent gluten-free options, good service, fun activities throughout the day and entertainment with talent in the evening. We didn't get any of this, which is sad because all our other vacations to other destinations were wonderful. We take a couple vacations a year and have never had such a horrible experience before. I definitely did not get my money's worth and feel like I really didn't get a vacation. Hopefully this review will help someone else. This place is an Adult only all-inclusive resort that had great reviews, and was highly recommended by travel agents so I really am shocked and how poor it was and how so many people can rate it so highly.

  May 01, 2025
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  Staff Transforms Stay in Well-appointed Hotel Into Magnifigant Experience.

  Kudos to the personnel department! You cannot help but enjoy yourself all the more when the people employed to make certain your stay is most pleasant, are actually having fun and enjoying themselves as well.

  May 01, 2025