Is Riu really that bad? I just booked Cabos San Luca Riu Palace with my gf for July 12 to 19th.

It says on most websites it is a 5*+ hotel.

It depends on the person mang. No matter how shitty something is there are always people out there that will be down with it. To each their own.

I went to Riu Palace last year in Cab San Lucas and it is by far the worst hotel I've ever stayed at. Everything was shitty there, Hotel looked like shit, food was shit, service was shit. 5+ stars you say? Clearly is is not 5 stars. Mexican hotel star ratings are not the same as North America if you didn't know. In Mexico they use a +1 star rating. Not sure if you notice but depending on what site your own you may see your hotel be a 4 star on some sites and 5 on others and this is the reason why.

But like I said everyone has different standards when it comes to things and this place met non of my gf or mine standards. To ber perfectly honest I can't find 1 decent thing to say about this hotel at all. I'm not being bitter because anything bad happened at Riu. Simply put the hotel was horrible.

If there is 1 tip I can give you here it is. At Riu and like every Mexican hotel they have a hand full of restaurants offering different cuisines. However, unlike other hotels where you can just go to that place and walk or or make reservations Riu has a different system.

Everyday between a certain time (I forget but lets just say from 12-3pm as an example) is when you can make reservations to these restaurants. I highly suggest on your first day to make reservations rite away. Riu is a cheap cheap affordable hotel so it attracts many many people. Which means the restaurants will most likely be booked pretty bookedup. So try to book them all early because there is a chance (although small) that during your entire week stay you won't even be aloud to eat at any of these. But since your only going with your gf it shouldn't be a problem getting a table for 2. But can you imagine being there for 1 week all inclusive and only being able to eat at the stupid buffet they have. Now thats gay.

my bf and i were planning on going to to mexico last yr around the same time as u guys... aug 22nd to 28th or something... but then we found out its crazy hurricane season, especially that WEEK! so we went to hawaii instead.

when i got back from hawaii... some colleagues of mine thot i went to cancun and they thot i died... cuz it was supposedly insane storm that week and was reported on the news! so watch out!

Booked my hotel yesterday..

Flying out of Vancouver 8am Saturday August 16th non-stop to Cancun.

We're staying at The Royal and we got the Royal Jr. Suite Ocean Front with Royal service.. This 5 star is loaded and I hope it is everything they say it is..

For 7 days all inclusive and after weeks of looking around the best price I found was around $3,700.

Some of things I like about this hotel that other hotels typically don't offer.

# Unlimited complimentary golf greens
# Bose stereo and speaker system with CD/DVD/Radio & complimentary DVD library w. 32" LCD
# one-hour per stay complimentary BMW Mini Cooper test drive lol
# Marble bathroom with oceanview
# Pillow menu
# Upgraded mini-bar with premium international beverages, Bottle Butler system and snack selection
# Royal Concierge & Romance Concierge
# In-suite double Jacuzzi
# complimentary internet

There is really too many things to list.. like especially the all inclusive things that the hotel offers.

I had a question though, we booked all inclusive so that means the tips are taken care of, should i still tip ppl anyway? I would feel bad for not tipping regardless.. I wonder if they are expecting tips still.

Also, does anyone know a good website for activities to do in Cancun?

I think you should leave a couple bucks every morning as tip for the cleaning lady. Or leave a big tip at the end of the week. Either or.

I always leave a tip every morning before I leave my hotel room. The house keeping ladies switch floors/rooms all the time.

Whats the deal with turndown service? I googled it and it sounds kind of pointless? lol I still don't really understand it.. so they just come in during the mid afternoon or later on and fix your bed? Will you be in your room at this time?

why would you even be in your bed (messing it up) from the morning ,when they come in for daily housekeeping, and say 5pm for turndown service?

Still confused I guess lol, I have stayed in a lot of hotels but never had this.

"Unlimited complimentary golf greens"

But you have to pay for club rental. = $$$$$

i'm planning to book tomorrow

Oasis Cancun =/ no choice for the budget

Any tips?

what kind of tips you looking for?

Booked today.

Umm... really any extra information (other than whats already posted helps).

What Mexican foods/drinks to try? What places, tours or activities (my friend mentioned whale shark swimming and the ruins)? Do's and Don'ts?

Is $700 good enough for 7 days? I don't know if I should bring more or not.

jACE check out this website my gf and I were checking out.. it's got lots of info for activities in and around Cancun.

http://www.docancun.com/cancun-activities.htm

I've convinced my gf that we're gonna do the night fishing lol. You go out on a boat with 20 other ppl and you catch a fish then they cook it for you ahaha apparently there are Snappers, Sharks, Gruppers and Barracudas..

EDIT; when you going??

Yea I was actually thinking about bringing my own clubs lol..

But you have to rent a cart and the tee time is for 11am+.. so it's gonna be friggin' hot haha

To each their own. $700 for 7 days could or could not be enough. Are you planning to pay everything in cash or are you carding certain things? We all know by now food and drinks for the most part is covered. You will eat out the odd time and go clubbing (which isn't expensive anyways). The thing that gets your wallet drained the most are activities/tours you book while your there. So I can't really say if $700 is enough. When I went with my gf 2 years ago we speant like probably close to 2 g's doing mad activities.

As for stuff to do you might as well check out chichen itza. It is one of the 7 wonders of the world afterall. You may want to spend 1 day at xcaret for more info go to www.xcaret.com it's like a park with activities, archaeological tours, dolphin tours,water attractions,cultural shows etc..., if you are looking to shop around and buy stuff don't bother going to the malls unless you really want to. Honestly you won't be missing out on anything. If anything go to places like Market 23. But if your into buying silver, mexican made stuff etc.. then don't bother.

Oh when you go to places where you're renting shit to do like Jet Skis, ATV's etc be very careful of your equipment. Might be a good idea to even check for scratches and damage first and even point it out to them that it was there before hand. They are pretty famous for scamming people. Usually not as far as accusing you for damage that was previously there, but if you even get into fender bender and get a little ass scratch on it they will say it costs $150 US pay now. For the most part you won't be able to argue. Most places will ask for your hotel card at check in. You are in their country, don't think for one sec if they get cops involved you would be at an advantage. I had no problems myself but I have heard from friends that it has and even reading online I see tons of stories.


Any other questions just holla yo

Sweet! THanks for the info!

BTW my trip is Aug 9 to Aug. 16. I'll be coming in the day of the VAC RS meet! LOL.

I'll share some other tips from friend who went. To add, she said:

1. She stayed at Club Med. Her friend from another resort bought a "guest pass" for $50 so her friend enjoyed all the Club Med benefits for the day. You may want to inquire with your resort more about this if you've got a friend who is staying at a more expensive resort with more inclusives.

2. There are greeters when you exit the airport. They are dressed professionally, but are selling timeshares. Basically you go to their meeting, listen to their pitch and convince you to buy. If you go, they give you free excursions (tours, activities, etc.). For me, I'll pass..

Yea my gf was interested in xcarat. We are gonna do that.

What is chicken itza?

The $700 was just for me I dunno what she is bringing, I think at least $500. I am not planning on using my card.. When you are renting atv's, seadoos etc do they ask for your credit card for deposit or what? I am curious if it's the same as here. We wanna rent mopeds too and cruise around lol

We want to do a lot of activities but we also want to just relax for a few days on the beach. Our hotel is really nice so gonna take full advantage of the amenities it brings.

This sounds gay but I am really pumped about my room. Oceanfront and it has a sound system in it. They even have a preloaded iPod there for you if you don't already have one (but we do anyway so we're gonna be bumping tiesto till 4am lol jk). Also the jacuzzi in our room is a nice touch. shiiiit fuckin hell yeah I can't wait!! Aug 16th is right around the corner :D:D

EDIT:

It feels like Christmas when you are 10 years old.. 2 weeks away yet December 25th feels like a fucking eternity when you're 10.

Jace - yes don't bother with the stupid timeshares. The free shit ain't worth your time imo

redliine - the place is a architectural type place. It's the old mexican ruins and shiet. I mean it probably won't be like fun but if your into seeing shit you can consider. It is one of the 7 wonders of the world after all if that means anything to you.

Xcaret is pretty cool. Me and my gf speant like a grand on that alone. Bus there and back, activities there, lunch, plus the dinner where we sat in this stadium watching mexicans play old traditional games one of which was like hockey. You can choose to not attend dinner and go back early with the first buses though.

Don't quote me on this cause Cancun was 2 years ago and last year when I went to Los Cabos I didn't do any activities but If I remember correctly you do not need a credit card when renting things. I only recall them asking for our room key.

Cool, well we will probably check it out.

Anything else I should know? I got my shot a month ago and got some of these pills im supposed to take while im there I dunno lol..

11 days to go.. this week there is a chance of rain and t-shower so hopefully after that spurt of rain we will get the sun.. crossing my fingers.

mmm only thing I can think of at the moment is when ever you taxi make sure you ask how much to your destination before you even get in. Otherwise risk being ripped off. It has never happened to me but trust me it does happen.

When and if you go to the market to buy shit they are gonna try to sweet talk you like hell. I found Cancun was the worst for this in comparison not Los Cabos atleast. These guys in Cancun simply didn't give up even after saying no many times. The price they always start with is gonna be marked up by like 5 times maybe more. Just be firm, they will always say shit like okok since its for you i'll give you a special price = X amount. Bullshit, even at these special prices they are ripping the shit out of you. If they say something like $100 from the start for example just be firm and be like i'll give you $30 or whatever amount you wish to say. If they say no simply fuck it and just walk. More often then not they will know that you are not going to be easily owned and will give in to your demands or worst case scenario they say they can't and you walk. Just make sure you are in control of the bargaining and not them.

I think I already mentioned this way earlier in the thread but just in case I didn't I'll say it one more time. Plan to go clubbing? If the answer is yes then the first night you go I highly suggest getting the club hopper pass. You can get it from various tour guide dudes at your hotel. I think it was $40 US. You go to 4 clubs, first 3 you stay for an hour and the finale is at Coco Bongo which is by far their most famous club and probably the craziest. You get VIP treatment. NO line ups they just walk you in and your tour dude will even bring you drinks the whole night. Going to CoCo Bongo on your alone I believe already costs $30 so for $40 it's a steal for you to check out 4 places. Like any of them? Well now you can go back on a different night. Clubs in Cancun are all you can drink style. You pay a flat fee to enter (usually $20 - $30's) depending on club and it's all you can drink nuff said. Oh and of course there really isn't a dress code and with my experience no they do not check ID in mexico unless you look like your 5.

Got questions just holla. Otherwise have fun mang

Thanks for the tips.. yeah I read earlier about the taxi thing. I won't forget that when we go there.

Also the club hopper pass sounds like a good idea. We were planning on checking out coco bongo anyway because my friends have told me about it a number of times. What is the best night to do the club hopper thing? We might want to go clubbing 2 nights out of the 7 days we are there.

What is the deal with bringing stuff back into Canada?

Can I bring back some bottles of tequila or cigars or anything? Is there a duty free shop?

Thanks for all your help man.

Weekends are always going to be the best times to party. But it's summer so there will be tons of tourists anyways so it should be pretty banging most of the time anyways. Atleast for Cancun it should be. I went to Los Cabos last summer and the clubs were dead as hell on the weekday.

Brining stuff into Canada is the same as if you traveled anywhere else. You are gone for a week + so you are permitted to bring back the maximum amount which if I can remember correctly is $750 worth of shit. As for smokes and stuff its 1 carton, 1.14 L of boos i think and yes you can buy mulitple bottles as long as you are under the total amount, and like a couple cigars or something. Duty free is at the airport so just grab it there when you come back. You could buy it in the city if you want too. Doesn't really matter. Some boos you will only find in Cancun and not in the airport.

How about mosquitos? I hate them with a passion. I think I will buy some OFF candles and light them in my room?

My 2 trips in the last 2 years to Mexico (Cancun and Los Cabos) I came back with zero bites as did my gf. We brought a spray to Cancun but totally forgot about it in Los Cabos. Either way for us it wasn't an issue.

thanks! I will bring mosquito spray anyhow. I have like 4 bites on my leg right now! LOL

BTW, I've been surfing youtube for Cancun videos... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHYcW...eature=related
It gives you a sense of what to expect =)

1.5 days left!

yea mang CoCo Bongo is quite a club experience. They got people dressed in Batman suits/Catwoman etc.. on wires flying around the club fighting on bar tables and shiet. Pretty cool shiet

Redliine and Jace enjoy your time yo.