Riu Palace Costa Mujeres - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

4821 reviews

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  Impressive looking, needs to address restaurants, entertainment and drinks

  My wife and I visited the Riu Palace Costa Mujeres from January 31 and will be departing tomorrow, February 6. While we were expecting warmer weather, it is January and nothing the resort can do about controlling the weather. That said, I was surprised at the limited choices of warmer clothes available to purchase in the gift shop. I would have gladly purchased a sweatshirt, hoodie or long sleeves T-shirt had they had wear that touted the resort or showed Costa Mujeres. None were displayed. There were a few Riviera Maya hoodies, but it seemed that Costa Mujeres or Riu Palace items would be available. Restaurants were ok. I was disappointed in the steak restaurant. Someone needs to advise the chef what a medium rare or even a medium steak is. I ordered medium rare and what I got was medium well done. I never send food back as I fear retribution so I just got through it. One of the biggest disappointments for the week. A restaurant positive is the Italian restaurant. Everything was fabulous. This was the only restaurant we repeated dinner at. I had the fettuccine and it was great. My wife had the chicken Parmesan and also raved about it. A lady at the next table was very impressed with her spaghetti. Probably my biggest complaint for the week was the fact the restaurants did not enforce a dress code. The best I could tell is as long as you have shoes and a shirt on and you aren't wearing swimwear, anything goes what happened with putting a little effort into dressing for dinner? No long slacks required, sandals were fine. Women came in showing a lot, etc. very disappointed. Those people should be told to head to the buffet. Speaking of the buffet, we really enjoyed breakfast there. Omelets and eggs made to order, waffles, French toast and pancakes made on the grill in front of you. All good. Breakfast was always a daily highlight I was surprised by the popularity of the coffee bar. It was definitely a good place to meet up with other guests and was always crowded. The sax player was good and the piano player was very good. One suggestion I would have is both should have their instruments miked as the sheer size of the room and the large crowds sometimes made it hard to hear them. But I have never in all my travels experienced a coffee bar so popular, and frequented as I did this week The appearance of the resort is great. Clean, well maintained, all the things most take for granted were taken care of all the time. I was disappointed in the quality of drinks. No true top shelf bourbon's. Very limited beer choices. Also few of the servers spoke or understood English. I know we were in Mexico and there are to be expected some language issues. But all of the resorts I have been at, the employees that interact with the guests have always been better than what I experienced this week. It is the main reason I will not go back to the Riu Palace. I gave the resort 4 stars, however that is mainly because of the great job they do with the appearance of the resort. Everything is so clean. The beach was wonderful. The rooms were wonderful. Riu Palace can be a 5 star if they go over more attention to the restaurants, the entertainment and my gosh have Costa Mujeres items to buy.

  Feb 05, 2026
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  Disappointing Experience — Worst All-Inclusive We’ve Stayed At

  Our stay here was the most disappointing all-inclusive resort we’ve experienced. Food: We understand that all-inclusive food can be hit or miss, but this was genuinely bad. Much of what we were served was inedible — to the point where we couldn’t take a second bite. When the best items so far have been a breadstick and honeydew melon, something is seriously off. Some reviews the resort has left comments about their "gastronomy" which is laughable unless you describe gastronomy as everything having the texture of a hard boiled egg. Rooms: The room is poorly equipped and uncomfortable. The bed feels cheap, there’s only a thin sheet provided, no snacks, and virtually no bathroom storage. We had to request extra blankets and pillows just to try to sleep comfortably — which took almost two hours to receive. Service: Customer service has been consistently lacking. Staff generally seem disengaged and inattentive. At dinner, waiters rarely checked on us or refilled drinks, forcing my husband to get up for refills himself (which staff seemed annoyed by). The front desk was unhelpful at check-in and provided incorrect information about restaurant reservations. Crowds & Atmosphere: The resort feels extremely overcrowded, and not in a fun or lively way — it feels stressful and not relaxing at all. There is very little distinction between adult-only and kid-friendly areas. The walls of the bedrooms are paper thin; we can hear everything from the hallway and neighboring rooms. Restaurants & Policies: We were not informed that you must line up at 6:00 pm when restaurants open just to have a chance at getting a table. Dress codes are not enforced (for example, long pants required at the steakhouse, yet many guests were in shorts and beachwear). Custom food requests are not easily accommodated. We would never choose to stay here and would not return to this or any RIU property. We will also be informing our travel agent not to recommend this resort to future clients.

  Feb 04, 2026
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  There Are Better Options

  If you’re looking for the experience of a third rate cruise ship then, this is the place for you. Unfriendly staff, sub-par & over-salted food and alcoholic beverages that are far too watered down to enjoy a true cocktail. Buffet food is mediocre at anytime of day. The A La Carte restaurants don’t take reservations however they always seemed to be booked. Although it’s a family friendly resort, it would be nice to have a pool or area for adults only. We were attending a destination wedding so we didn’t have a choice for accommodations. If you’re a family with kids, I can see the appeal but don’t count on any type of quality. The rooms are very thin walled so you can hear every sound from adjoining rooms and the “March of the maids” every morning around 630am. The tiled floors can be extremely slippery too so be careful where you tread and what types of soles are on your feet wear. Otherwise from a time away viewpoint it was great but for accommodations, there are far better options.

  Jan 30, 2026
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  Great time had at Riu Palace Costa Mujeres

  My family and friends stayed here for a week long trip for my 40th! All staff was amazing; our room was spotless everyday done by Dafne! Beyond that Nacho the aerobics instructor and part of the entertainment Staff was very positive and a delight to work out with in the pool! Full of energy that is for sure :) Beyond that Senor Franco and Senor Sanchez hooked it up in the adults swim up bar! Place is very clear; the buffet is great and has a plethora of different cuisines to meet everyone liking. Would come again!

  Jan 28, 2026
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  Best of the RIU that we have had

  We have been in many RIU properties over the years. This may be the best. Clean, modern, well staffed. Room were very good, roomy, decorated, well kept. Bar service and food very good. Many pools all very well kept. Well decorated property. Landscaping impressive. Spread out which may be a problem with bad knees and legs but elevators make it possible to avoid stairs. Noise level ? Hard surface throughout as is typically the case . Rooms were very quite except when carts and suitcases are wheeled though the hallways both on you floor and overhead floors. Good entertainment for everyone including families.

  Jan 21, 2026