Riu Palace Kukulkan Adults Only - All Inclusive

Customer ratings & reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

1405 reviews

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  Could be better

  I am disappointed as I have travelled to Mexico countless times from Canada in the last 14 years, multiple times a year and I’ve NEVER experienced such poor customer service. We came to celebrate my bachelorette and I had pre booked this trip months in advanced. It was a large group of 9 so I called in FIRST and I booked with the app and followed with another call to verify. I was told that we should pay in full under my RIU account so that we can be put in rooms close together. My cousin offered to cover this lump sum and so that’s what we did. They told me over the phone this was fine and to make sure she and the credit card were coming to the trip. On arrival 11:50 am, the front desk started to deny our check in as the credit card has an initial as the first name and not the full name. We showed the credit card again as that’s exactly how it is and they already took payment in full months prior. They wanted us to pay again, we are talking over $10,000 USD that they wanted AGAIN and then claimed that it was a problem I booked everyone under my riu account. I said that over the phone it was spoken about and I was warned of no such issue, only to make sure the card was present. They told us they can have us wait grab lunch while they review the transcripts of the call to see “who made the mistake”. It was the weirdest situation I’ve ever experienced and I’ve stayed in all kinds of countries and places. It felt like a scam. We did ask if we paid again if the rooms were even ready and were told not until 3pm. So no problem we waited got lunch and went to the beach. My cousin went to check in with them again around 2:30pm they said they may need more hours and it could even take until the following day. WHAT?! Anyway, we continued to wait and eventually around 5pm my cousin returned and they said they are willing to make an exception for us and let us check into the rooms we already paid for… lol. Now during check in we were split up into 3 floors, not sure why we paid months in advanced and told that is the only way to be together to only be split up in the end anyway. Front desk is absolutely horrible their attitudes are very unwelcoming and unfriendly. Specifically Jade who was sitting at a desk. Patricia was more pleasant to deal with and seemed to at least try. They also do not take USD and won’t break any bills for you so watch out for that, not the biggest deal but you can ask the bar tenders. When we got to the rooms they were sub par, I am a particular when it comes to 5 star luxury but the rooms were clean. Beds are small, slightly larger than a full size bed. Definitely not a double. Noise is so loud you can hear all the traffic and views are not great. I noticed we didn’t have slippers or robes in the room so I called to ask for those and was told “no”. It felt so bizzare, I asked my cousins if they had robes and they said yes so I had to go downstairs to request it and then magically robes were in the room. Now that I have vented on the internet about the front desk, I will say the rest of the hotel is good. The running joke was that everything is “good enough”. Mind you the quality of our stay may have been affected as we were a large group. Now the service staff at the restaurants and pools and bars are lovely. Absolutely turned the mood around for us and made us have the best time. They work very hard and were all pleasant and fun. The food was ok, steak house was the best but we did go off resort for dinner one night because they wouldn’t accommodate us as a large group. The beach is gorgeous, and we had no issues finding chairs. The pool again, good enough, there’s more than 1 pool but they are kind of small. The chairs get filled up quickly. The funnest part was going to their sister resort for the day party I highly reccomend it as their entertainment was fabulous. The night entertainment was great as well, they had live bands and dancers on different nights. Overall I’d like this hotel to take a look at who they put at their front desk and get them proper training because I haven’t felt that way ever before while checking into a resort. I asked at check out if they were willing to rectify any of their inconveniences by compensating a later check out and again was told no. It was quite disheartening as I was so excited and did a lot of research before choosing this location. There’s for sure better places to stay that are actually 5 star as they claim.

  Apr 29, 2025
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  Better Options in Cancun

  We originally had booked the RIU Latino because we were splitting our stay this vacation, staying at 3 hotels in the region. We switched to RIU Palace Kukulkan because it was a Palace level hotel. Honestly, I think I wished we had kept the Latino. This hotel is in the heart of Cancun, so a busy area with a fair amount of traffic noise. The beach is beautiful and beautiful blue water. The buffet was good, probably what RIU is known for. A la carte dining was not good, with the exception of the steak house, it was good so we ate there twice. No reservations for dining which is nice, no issues getting in. It was nice that it was adult only. The room looked over at a neighbouring hotel and propane tanks, horrid view. The coffee shop was good. I just didn't like the vibe at this hotel. And if you really want to be in the strip area of Cancun, there are better hotels for the money for sure. The Japanese restaurant had a patron come in that was so intoxicated he could barely walk and kept passing out at the table. He was disruptive and honestly, it is not the hotels fault, but really, have security come and help him to his room since his wife couldn't get him to leave. I wouldn't go back and I can't recommend it.

  Apr 28, 2025
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  Amazing Honeymoon Destination!

  After reviewing many different hotels, my husband and I landed on the Riu Kukulkan for our honeymoon hotel! We were definitely not disappointed! The check in/check out process was a breeze, the food was really good and the drinks were amazing. Props to the bartenders, especially Ramiro and Michael, you guys ROCK! They have activities within the hotel and you can see the schedule via the Riu App or in the lobby on a screen. They provided late night food for all the night owls, and a coffee bar morning/afternoon for all my fellow caffeine lovers! Overall, a great stay and we will most definitely be returning back in the future. Thank you RIU!

  Apr 28, 2025
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  My stay at Kukulkan

  Everything was fabulous from the food to the parties s..room service and beach..will return in 2026.

  Apr 28, 2025
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  Nice 4 day weekend getaway

  My wife and I were worn out from our jobs and dealing with Minnesota winters so we took a quick four day trip to Riu Palace Kulkulkan. We were very happy with our trip. We had a nice ocean front room on the seventh floor. It was nice, clean and well maintained daily. The three pools were all very nice. There were plenty of lounge chairs and plenty of staff ready to bring you food or a cold beverage. The Entertainment crew worked hard every day to keep Everyone happy with music and games. The entertainment at night was top-notch. All the restaurants we went to had good food and good service. We especially liked the lounge bar. The bartenders, Enrique and Darwin, were a lot of fun. We made an effort to go there every night because of them. They are great ambassadors for Riu.

  Apr 27, 2025