Riu Palace Kukulkan - All Inclusive - Adults Only

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

1636 reviews

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  Wonderful All Inclusive Resort!!!!

  Great resort! I would definitely go back to this resort again! It is the right size, not too big and not too small. Beach or pool: we preferred the beach area - a lot quieter and we are beach people. If you do want a quieter pool option, there is one for you. Food: the hamburgers at the snack shop by the pools are amazing! They had hamburgers, fries, chips, salsa guacamole - all great! Buffet - best omelets! Restaurants - make sure you get your name in early, they will give you a pager. One night we were unable to get into the restaurant and ended up having to eat at the buffet as we were worried the restaurant was going to close and we wouldn't get to have dinner. The steak house is popular - very worth waiting for - food was so delicious! The Japanese restaurant was so good. We loved the food. Everywhere we ate we received the BEST service. This resort did a great job catering to all. The service was so amazing. Sometimes you had to wait for a drink, but we never felt that it was too long. We felt like the workers take pride in their jobs. I highly recommend this resort as I think it is worth going to.

  Feb 07, 2026
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  THE POOL CLOSES AT EXACTLY 7PM!!!!! SHOULD BE A ALL KIDS RESORT!!!

  This is an all adult resort and the pool closes at 7PM!!!!!!!! So if you leave the resort and do anything during the day by the time you come back you have no time to do the one thing you came to Cancun for to enjoy the pool and have drinks with friends and families, this should be a KIDS ONLY resort. Once we got kicked out the pool we decided to come hang out in the lobby though it advertises as 24 hours we got kicked out and told to go to our rooms at 1AM. I WILL NEVERRRRRRRRR STAY AT ANY RIU LOCATION AGAIN.SAVE YOURSELF THE WASTED MONEY AND STAY AT A RESORT THAT YOU CAN ENJOY THE POOL

  Feb 02, 2026
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  Nice Resort with Some Major Trade-Offs

  Overall, our stay at Riu Palace Kukulkan was nice, but we wouldn’t return. Things to Know Before Booking Rooms The resort policy is that you pay for the room category and view, not the bed size. Although we booked a king bed, we were told at check-in that none were available for our room type and view. We were given two options: • Pay several hundred USD more to upgrade to an Elite room with a king bed • Stay in a room with two twin beds until a king became available The resort would not provide a complimentary upgrade, stating that bed type is a request, not a guarantee (“Bed types are assigned upon arrival and are subject to availability”). We initially stayed in a full ocean-view room on the second floor, then moved to the seventh floor once a king bed opened up. Unfortunately, street noise was very loud in both rooms, regardless of floor. Traffic runs all night, and you can clearly hear cars as well as people walking by and talking in the hallways. That said, the rooms were clean, modern, and nicely set up, and the ocean view was beautiful. Room rating: 6/10 ⸻ Extra-Curricular Activities Despite being marketed as all-inclusive, some activities are extra cost. In the lounge bar, games like pool and foosball cost $3 USD per game. Nightlife on the resort itself is very quiet, but guests can attend parties at Hotel Riu Caribe with a free shuttle and included drinks, which was fun. Daytime entertainment was good, with activities like beach and water volleyball, yoga, bingo, etc. Be aware that: • Birthday or special-occasion room decorations cost $100+ USD • A romantic dinner for two is over $200 USD Activities rating: 7/10 ⸻ Restaurants Food was a strong point of this resort. • The buffet had good variety and quality • The BBQ lunch near the pools was great, with fresh fruit • We loved the Italian restaurant and steakhouse • The Asian à la carte restaurants were disappointing Room service menu was very limited. Food rating: 8/10 ⸻ Service Service was excellent. Staff were friendly, attentive, and hardworking. Drinks, food, room requests, and housekeeping were all handled quickly. Service rating: 8/10 ⸻ Pools & Ocean There are four pools: • Quiet pool • Activity/games pool • Swim-up bar / party pool • Elite Club pool The ocean was beautiful with: • Minimal seaweed • Clear, warm water • No rocks or noticeable sea life • Some waves The beach at this resort was noticeably nicer than several others along the hotel strip—clean sand and well maintained. Pools & beach rating: 7.5/10 ⸻ Final Thoughts: Riu Palace Kukulkan is clean, has good food and great staff, but the room noise, bed policy, extra fees, and quiet nightlife make it hard to justify a return stay. Overall rating: 7/10.

  Jan 31, 2026
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  Bad management

  Very bad management and customer service. Management and I had disagreement and I was kicked out on the streets. Thousands of miles from home.

  Jan 30, 2026
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  Do NOT recommend

  From the second we tried checking in? Everything was wrong. None of our selections for the room were accurate. Reserved a full ocean view with a king size bed. Upon check in were told we had a partial view and 2 twin beds. Room service is miss leading. You can only order a few items and no beverages. Couldn't even get a ginger ale..or request specific items to be in the room. Restaurants only have 15 tables and over and hr wait per dinner. Reservations not taken. Food was very small portions and quality not great. There was no night life as shown online. Party's were held at a different location which you had to be shuttled to. Beds were extremely uncomfortable and only had sheets. Requested a blanket 6 times over 2 days before I received one. Even toilet paper wasnt refilled upon room being serviced. Depending when you showered..water was ice cold. Had some issues with safety and staff was very unconcerned and would take drinking brackets away without listening to situations. Safe # was always randomly changed and would say error...and they blamed it on us putting in the wrong #. Resort credits were not allowed to be used for spa or anything else..so is completely inaccurate and misleading. Very disappointed

  Jan 28, 2026