Best All-Inclusive Resort in Cancun, Mexico: RIU Palace Peninsula

In July 2017, my family and I embarked on a journey to Cancun in celebration of my parents’ 20th wedding anniversary. This was a huge deal to my huge family, and more than 30 of us went on this trip! We flew from different parts of the United States to meet up at the Riu Palace Peninsula in Cancun, Mexico. We were counting down the days for over a year for the moment that we would arrive at our destination. It isn’t often that we get to celebrate together so what better place to go than an all-inclusive resort, on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world?

It was very important to me that everything went perfectly because it would be the first time my family was able to meet my husband-to-be in person, due to us living across the country from my parents. I was slightly nervous but far more excited.

When you first walk into the Riu, you’re greeted with beautiful purple and silver decor everywhere! It was elegant, clean, and beautiful. Our check-in process was slightly delayed due to a mix-up with our room, but we were upgraded to an ocean view junior suite for the inconvenience.  With kids being out of school for the summer there were many families enjoying their summer vacation. Needless to say, it was a bit busy, but that wasn’t going to stop us from the endless memories that were about to be created!

Did I ever mention that my favorite color is purple? The purple detail in the hotel was incredible and warm. It really helped with the “royalty” feeling that they provided.

Our room was exceptionally beautiful, having black, purple and silver-themed furniture. This immediately makes you feel like royalty. There was a cute elephant made of towels on the bed, welcoming us to our new home for the next 6 days.

We had a king-sized bed in front of two large sliding glass doors leading to the balcony. A whirlpool jetted tub overlooked the Gulf of Mexico, which made for the perfect bath time view. What about the shower? The walk-in shower was stunning! I particularly liked the shelves inside the shower and decided that I want them in my own home. Did I mention there was a liquor dispenser on the wall next to the bed?!

Our balcony view was amazing and overlooked the resort and the ocean. It was the most perfect relaxing view that just washed all of our worries away.

The Riu Peninsula has 7 restaurants and 6 bars on the property. It was a delight to try as many as possible in our 6 days there. We started with the buffet, “Las Olas” as we waited for our room to be ready. I enjoyed a mimosa and a wide assortment of fruits. It was fun to see my boyfriend try a few fruits that he hasn’t had before.

There is also an Italian, Japanese, and Mexican restaurant on the property at which you can order meals a la carte. They have a wide selection of foods that anyone can enjoy. We were very pleased with the chefs. Fusion restaurant provides a mix of foods from different countries to enjoy. We tried many different foods that we have never had before and enjoyed almost all of them.

Room service was also included, which we ordered a few times during our stay. The quality of the food was good but the selection was small, although we didn’t expect a full menu at 3 a.m. The club sandwich was a perfect midnight (or 3 a.m) snack.

One of the nights of our stay, we enjoyed a private dinner for our big group in a private dining room. We had Steak, Lobster, potatoes, and vegetables. You can’t go wrong with surf and turf. It was great.

On our last day at the resort, a few people from our group decided to go deep-sea fishing. It was an amazing experience but the chefs at the Riu Palace Peninsula really topped it off by cooking the non-poisonous fish we caught! I had triggerfish for the first time and it was amazing. Thank you to the awesome chefs that we’re able to whip up an amazing meal.

As someone who has worked in the service industry as a server & bartender at many different places, this is my absolute favorite part of reviews. Service is simply my specialty! I would like to start by saying that I royally salute the amazing bar staff at the Riu Palace Peninsula. Every bartender that we came in contact with was fantastic! Not only could they pump out multiple drinks at a time, but they did it all with a smile on their face. Not once did I feel like a bother when asking for a drink which I can only imagine feeling after many busy hours at work. I can go on and on about how pleased I am with their service, and if I were to own a bar, those are exactly the employees that I want.

After all of the raving and ranting about this amazing resort, I do have to say that we were very displeased with the maid service in our hotel room. As mentioned before, we went to the resort with almost 40 people. We noticed that the ones that tipped the maids less or not at all at the beginning of their stay did not get as great of a clean, stocked bar, or towel animal.

Upon our arrival at the resort, our fridge was empty until we asked for it to be stocked a few times. After day 3, we finally got a stocked bar after many times of asking to notify the maids. Although I do understand that they may want to cater to people that tip more, we all paid for the same stay so I would expect the same service to be given to every guest – at least within our party. I have learned a lot by working in hotels such as the Hilton, so we were displeased by the obvious prejudice that we not only observed but were victims of too.

As a whole, the staff at the resort was awesome. They worked hard to make our stay enjoyable. The evening entertainment was great and the staff in the restaurants were excellent. They kept our drinks filled and tables clean. They were also very helpful with accommodating the seating of our very large group. It is not easy to find space for 20 to 30 people at a time. We went on a deep-sea fishing excursion and they even cooked the fish that we caught, and served it to us – such a great dining experience!

All in all, we enjoyed our stay at the RIU Peninsula and would love to check out the other Riu resorts that look just as great. I would recommend this resort for families, groups, or couples. It is truly enjoyable for anybody and was affordable on a budget.

We are planning another trip and would love to show you around another RIU Resort on our new vlog. Stay tuned!

Have you stayed at the Riu Peninsula in Cancun, Mexico? How was your experience? Please let us know all about it!