Hotel Riu Palace Kukulkan

This is a nice hotel. I say 4.5 out of five starts. This is due to the food and limited pool entertainment/activities. The ocean and the hotel are beautiful and clean—a bunch of hard-working people day and night. The food was just okay. There are not many activities going on...

This is a nice hotel. I say 4.5 out of five starts. This is due to the food and limited pool entertainment/activities. The ocean and the hotel are beautiful and clean—a bunch of hard-working people day and night. The food was just okay. There are not many activities going on in the pool. Bingo every day gets old. All the fun is at the Riu Caribe. They take you and bring you back on a bus the hotel provides. I disagree with paying 200 extra a night to be treated as a VIP. Because we are all VIPs. You get an oceanfront, one pool, and a restaurant dedicated to VIPs. I would pay extra for oceanfront, but not 200+ a night. All rooms are ocean views. Our lady server in the middle pool was excellent! Our cleaning lady was on top of her game. Landy gets 5******* for sure. Ernesto was super attentive at the main buffet. Antonio at the steak house was on point. Recommend if you are coming down to relax. This resort caters to the middle-aged to older crowd. And we love it!

I booked this trip through Cheapcaribbean, having used the site for several previous trips with no issues. Unfortunately, this experience was not as smooth. The Arrival: The flight was perfect (Delta always delivers), and the pickup from the airport went as expected, thanks to the transport company (AMSTAR). However, the...

I booked this trip through Cheapcaribbean, having used the site for several previous trips with no issues. Unfortunately, this experience was not as smooth. The Arrival: The flight was perfect (Delta always delivers), and the pickup from the airport went as expected, thanks to the transport company (AMSTAR). However, the check-in process was confusing. I had booked the "Elite Club" room through Cheapcaribbean, but upon arrival, I was told I needed to pay an additional $900 for the upgrade. The receptionist explained that websites sell these rooms, but there's always an additional charge at the hotel. This was news to me, as I’ve never encountered such a situation with other hotels booked through this site. The receptionist also suggested that if I gave him $500 in cash (directly to him), he might be able to get me the room I originally booked. I refused, and was instead placed in a street-side room that lacked the ocean view I had requested. As a result, we were kept awake by traffic noise all night, with no ocean sounds or view. It seems I should’ve just bribed the desk clerk after all. Room Issues: Upon entering the room, I immediately noticed the sheets hadn’t been changed. A feces stain was visible when I pulled down the blanket. The bed was made, but we always pull back the top sheet, which revealed this disturbing mark. I called the front desk, and while they delivered fresh sheets, we had to make the bed ourselves. They didn’t bring blankets and informed me there was an additional charge of $10 cash per blanket. Dining and Reservations: The only restaurant open for lunch was the beach grill, where we had burgers, which were standard for a beach bar. Later, we wanted to go to dinner, but found out we had to make restaurant reservations. Unfortunately, none of the restaurants were available for us that night, so we had to eat at the buffet. The buffet was decent and service was quick, but the food was nothing special. When asking about restaurant reservations, we were told we had to be at the restaurant at 5 PM to make a reservation in person; no way to call ahead. The next few days, things went smoother, although I did suffer a small cut on my leg after brushing against the hallway wall in my shorts. The cut bled a lot, but I was able to treat it with medical supplies I brought. That evening, there was blood on the bed, which I notified the front desk about. We finally managed to eat at one of the restaurants after standing in line for 15 minutes right at 5 PM. The Asian restaurant, steakhouse, and Italian restaurant were decent, though we didn’t get into the others since they took reservations through another system, and by the time I showed up, they were full. Later I thought I should have given them $20 to get a spot. The ambiance was pleasant, especially for those in the 40-60 age range, and it was nice not to have spring breakers around until later in the stay. Service and Overall Experience: The bartenders were decent once tipped well, and drinks at the pool were generally good. The beach service was also excellent, with waitstaff coming around regularly to deliver drinks. We spent most of our time relaxing near the ocean, enjoying the good weather and service. The nightly entertainment at the theater was fun, and the crowd was lively. The resort did close early in the evening, but given how much sun everyone had been exposed to, it wasn’t an issue for many of us. We also enjoyed the coffee shop with its good coffee and snacks. Checkout Drama: However, things took a turn when we went to check out. We arrived at the lobby at 10 AM, as instructed, but were hit with a surprise $2400 charge. First, they claimed I was in an upgraded room (which I was never informed about), even though it wasn’t the “Elite Club” room I had booked. Then, they added a $1000 charge for bloodstains on the sheets. I explained that the blood came from a minor cut on my leg, and even showed them the bandaged wound. They insisted on charging me $1000, claiming they needed to replace the sheets and that a "special Hazmat Crew" had to handle it. I refused to pay such an outrageous charge and was surrounded by bellhops, who informed me I could not leave the property until I paid. After raising my voice and attracting the attention of many other guests, I was finally allowed to leave. Because of the delay, we missed our Amstar shuttle. I had to arrange for a taxi, which would have cost $145 as the bellhops talked to the taxi drivers, compared to the $12 Uber ride I eventually took. The bellhops even told me that Ubers weren’t allowed on the property, So my wife I walked off property, dragging our luggage and met the driver offsite. Billing Disputes: I contacted American Express to contest the charges, including the $1000 charge for the bloodstain, the $950 resort fee (which was never mentioned beforehand), and an additional $450 in taxes and fees, which I also disputed. Having traveled to Cancun 18 times and stayed at other RIU properties many times, I can confidently say I won’t be returning to this one. The lack of transparency, questionable charges, and poor customer service have completely turned me off. I strongly advise against booking this resort.

Everything was wonderful, from being greeted with champagne to the last day. The staff was the friendliest they love to pamper, they keep offering you drinks! It was such a lovely stay. So many restaurants, pools and the beach was so clean! I’ll be back again!

Never stayed at an RIU and generally we are trending away from all inclusive. Love the facilities and the staff. It was nice to not have to play the towel game and we always had a cabana to sit in. Super clean. Food was fair and we enjoyed the buffet...

Never stayed at an RIU and generally we are trending away from all inclusive. Love the facilities and the staff. It was nice to not have to play the towel game and we always had a cabana to sit in. Super clean. Food was fair and we enjoyed the buffet choices the most. Some of the sit down restaurants were OK but there is a fine line between attentive and feeling rushed out (eating at 8/830 pm). The layout of the hotel did make it a little noisy if you're not into the night show / music. The bed as others had said before was rock hard, but far the worst out of all the places we stayed this trip. Lobby bar is best for great drinks but all the bars were super fast, it was amazing. Overall, great place and would consider a short solo stay next time

The food was wonderful and the hotel was very clean. We always spotted people cleaning. The workers are so warm, friendly and hard working. We've been to a few all-inclusives and liked them all, but we would definitely go back to this one. Jose was an awesome bartender and Jesus...

The food was wonderful and the hotel was very clean. We always spotted people cleaning. The workers are so warm, friendly and hard working. We've been to a few all-inclusives and liked them all, but we would definitely go back to this one. Jose was an awesome bartender and Jesus treated us like royalty on the beach. Ofelia was wonderfully sweet as entertainment and getting ready to changer her job to the office. The night life isn't booming but there are options to go to a different Riu.

This was my favorite of all the Riu properties we've stayed at. They did make some major improvements with this resort. Loved the new color scheme, large lobby bar, 2 infinity pools and gorgeous stretch of beach. The food was decent. Buffet had a large variety of options. A la...

This was my favorite of all the Riu properties we've stayed at. They did make some major improvements with this resort. Loved the new color scheme, large lobby bar, 2 infinity pools and gorgeous stretch of beach. The food was decent. Buffet had a large variety of options. A la carte dinners were pretty easy to snag if you went early. Would have liked to see the activities in the larger pool area so it wasn't overtaking the entire infinity pool. Wish they would do away with the dreaded towel cards-what a pain. More elevators would have been good as well. Liquor selection was much better than expected; Patron, Makers Mark, Bulleit and more. Can't say enough about the beach. Water was so clear and very little seaweed. Great choice not too far from the airport. Definitely would return here.

This was our second trip to Riu Kukulkan. We had a fabulous time again. Great Service and very clean. Thank you to the front desk staff and the morning buffet staff for recognizing my birthday! The pool staff were also fabulous (Addy and Ivan) and the entertainment team. The international...

This was our second trip to Riu Kukulkan. We had a fabulous time again. Great Service and very clean. Thank you to the front desk staff and the morning buffet staff for recognizing my birthday! The pool staff were also fabulous (Addy and Ivan) and the entertainment team. The international show was excellent! We would return again!

Let me first start by saying we are Riu class card holders. We have stayed at many different Riu resorts but are most favorite Riu is the Riu Palace Los Americas. That was until we stayed at the Riu Kukulkan. We selected the Elite Club and for the extra money...

Let me first start by saying we are Riu class card holders. We have stayed at many different Riu resorts but are most favorite Riu is the Riu Palace Los Americas. That was until we stayed at the Riu Kukulkan. We selected the Elite Club and for the extra money we felt it was worth every penny. Our room was on the 10th floor with a full ocean view. The amenities in the room were very nice and you were greeted with a bottle of iced champagne, small beach bag and a insulated travel mug. The liquor dispensers had the upgraded liquor and with Coors light in the refrigerator. Snacks were in the room which consisted of a can of pringles, bag of trail mix, Kit Kat bar and a protein bar. This does not sound like much but coming back to your room from the pool it was nice to sit on the balcony with an adult beverage and a snack. Yes, the snacks were replaced daily. Another plus, was the aroma therapy in the Elite Club rooms. The other perk with the Elite Club was you were able to make reservations at all the sit down restaurants and the spa via the Riu app (download the app and sign in once you are on the property). But you do not have to you can go to the restaurants and if there is a wait you will be given a pager There are 4 pools on the property; the Elite Club pool, the swim up bar pool, the activity pool and a quiet pool. The Elite Club pool has 30 cabanas first come first served. We never had a problem getting a Cabana we were down at the pool between 8:30 -9:00. If you don't get a Cabana there are many lounge chairs available that are under cover. Service around the Elite Club pool was great. About every 15 minutes they came by checking to see if you needed a refill. Shout out to Ruby for keeping out glasses full. Pepe's grill by the pool gives you an option to get food if you don't feel like drying off and going to the lunch buffet. The Elite Club restaurant had a nice selection of food to choose from. I had the lamb chops and my wife had the surf and turf both were very delicious. The other restaurants we ate at were also good. Many times we skipped dessert at the restaurant and went to the Cappuccino Bar for a cappuccino and dessert. They have a nice selection of desserts. The drinks in the Lounge bar were very good, shout out to Enrique and Geronimo. The Daiquiri bar ( in the main lobby) could get noisy when people were waiting to eat in the restaurants. Each night in the Daiquiri bar they had a drink special which was served by its own bar cart. I would recommend trying them. The property both inside and outside was immaculate, the bathrooms were spotless and the staff overall was very friendly. If you like sitting on the beach, there a many chairs to choose, palm tree for shaded as well as umbrellas. The beach in raked everyday with beach service available. The Riu Palace Los Americas and Riu Kukulkan are now our favorites.

Here right now paid for a elite club. Sitting in what is supposed to be the elite club bar and people with the different color bands on that aren’t elite club are at bar. So why pay the extra. What a joke. So when people say don’t get the elite...

Here right now paid for a elite club. Sitting in what is supposed to be the elite club bar and people with the different color bands on that aren’t elite club are at bar. So why pay the extra. What a joke. So when people say don’t get the elite club they aren’t joking. Yes they have better liquors but there is nothing that is worth the extra cost. Food has been great but don’t have to pay extras to get that.