RIU Hotels & Resorts Reviews 

RIU Palace Hotel Taghazout, Agadir, Morocco.

Avoid this hotel if you’re expecting a 5-star experience.

Our stay at RIU Palace Taghazout was extremely disappointing. We had to change rooms three times because every room had a strong sewage smell and cockroaches. Reception was rude, dismissive, and unwilling to properly address the issues. Block 4 and Block 1 are the worst especially the ground floor. Rooms 4012, 4020 and 1026 & 1025. Room 4204 was cockroach infested that they had to close the room !

Hygiene standards were unacceptable. Stray cats roam freely around the restaurants, and we witnessed cats urinating on furniture and leaving faeces on the sofas at the Jungle Bar. We also witnessed a stray cat scratch a guest near the Steakhouse restaurant. The guest required hospital treatment and a course of rabies vaccinations. This was the 5th incident in the past 3 weeks.

The entertainment was poor, and the overall standard is nowhere near 5-star—it’s closer to a 3.5 or 4-star hotel. The glowing online reviews did not reflect our experience, and TUI was of little help when we raised our concerns.

Overall, this hotel fell well below expectations, and we would not stay here again or recommend it to anyone.

SHAMEFUL. There is no other word for what we experienced at RIU Dunamar.

An employee of the hotel itself told us to our faces: "My coworkers, not all of them, but most, when they see you're not from the US or Europe, they don't serve people well." The hotel's own staff admits guests are treated differently based on where they come from. In 2026. In Mexico. Against Latinos.

We are Canadians of Latin heritage. We flew from Toronto, paid RIU directly for the full package, to celebrate our daughter's first birthday. And RIU turned that trip into one humiliation after another.

We arrived and NO ONE greeted us. Not a hello. Not a hand with the luggage. We carried everything ourselves with our baby in our arms while staff watched. Is that 5 stars? It's a joke.

Now pay attention to this part, because it captures exactly what this hotel is. I requested late checkout at booking, months in advance, because our flight left at 9 pm and we were traveling with a one-year-old. The hotel's OWN APP gave me the instructions: show up at the lobby at 8 am on checkout day, CREDIT CARD IN HAND, to check availability and pay the established fee. I did exactly that. I was there at 8 am sharp, card in hand, ready to pay.

The answer: "No availability." Without touching the keyboard. Without looking at the screen. Without checking anything at all. A flat "no," in three seconds, to a family that followed every single instruction the hotel itself gave.

Availability? It was a MONDAY. The hotel was EMPTY. And our own room, the one we handed over at noon, sat unoccupied ALL AFTERNOON. I confirmed it with my own eyes until 5 pm. No one entered. No one used it. The "lack of availability" was a lie. They simply did with us whatever they pleased, because they knew there would be no consequences.

Meanwhile, my one-year-old daughter spent five hours in the Cancun heat, exhausted, unable to nap, with her room sitting empty a few meters away. As a father, you don't forget that helplessness. And you don't forgive it.

The birthday surprise I requested for my daughter? A rude staff member shoved a buffet dessert on a plate into my hands. That was RIU's entire effort for the reason of our whole trip.

And the perfect goodbye: the bellboy standing at the door, watching me carry two suitcases with my baby in my arms, without lifting A FINGER.

The only ones who redeem this place are the bartenders and a few servers: warm, professional people. The food is good. Everything else is a facade.

RIU Dunamar treated us like second-class guests, lied to our faces, ruined our daughter's first birthday, and didn't even pretend to care. Save your money and your dignity. There are dozens of hotels in Cancun that actually treat their guests like human beings.

I will never return. And I will make sure as many people as possible hear this story.

Beautiful hotel and close to amenities. Staff helpful and polite. Very clean too. Shower gel, hair conditioner and shampoo all provided and a hair drier. Room cleaned every day. Breakfast plentiful with loads of choice. The only problem we found was the shower, it was scalding hot or freezing. We were on 14th floor. I would return but perhaps on a lower floor where the plumbing might be better.

Riu Nautilus Palace. We have been coming to this hotel regularly since 2014 (9 times so far). We are gold members of Riu which would suggest we like the hotels very much. It has cost £5, 200 for this holiday. Sadly on this occasion things have changed dramatically due to the refurbishment and upgrade to the hotel to a “Palace”. My partner has multiple sclerosis, ongoing problems from recent cancer treatment. On previous visits there have always been chairs available by the pool for older or infirm guests, on our first day (we always come for 3 weeks) we were told these chairs were no longer available due to the new design of the hotel also the lack of room, obviously if you don’t have a sun bed there IS room. For the first 5 days the staff were kind enough to bring us a chair from the restaurant so that was OK I guess on the 6/7 day they were told not to let us have a chair (bearing in mind it is impossible for my partner to get up from a sun bed) so a kind guest brought us a plastic chair from a kind man on the beach!I spent a whole morning writing to Tui, trustpilot, Watchdog, Rip off Britain as I believe we should have been told when we booked it was no longer suitable. That evening we were told we could have a chair (one stressful week later!) but we would have to put it in the area designated for disabled people which in itself is discriminatory and also a long way from the loos and I really don’t see why disabled people should all have to sit together. We said definitely not going to do that as my partner has to be near the toilets and changing room, and we won’t be discriminated against. We have asked for assurance next time we come (as apart from the chair we really love this hotel and the staff are amazing ). Obviously the management don’t have elderly or disabled relatives They have said they will let us have a chair but we MUST sit in the disabled area??? All this has tainted our stay just for the sake of a chair! Ridiculous an humiliating!! We should not have to divulge our medical history to anyone!

I am extremely disappointed with RIU’s customer service. I have exchanged more than 20 emails trying to resolve an airport transfer issue, yet no one has taken ownership or provided a solution. Instead, RIU continues to direct me back to Expedia, while Expedia directs me back to RIU.

As a guest staying at a RIU resort, I expected much better communication and a willingness to help resolve the issue. Instead, I have been caught in an endless cycle of being passed back and forth between the two companies with no accountability.

The lack of coordination, poor communication, and failure to resolve this issue has been extremely frustrating. After weeks of emails and no meaningful assistance, I am very disappointed with the level of customer service and expected much better from RIU. I am extremely disappointed with how this situation has been handled. What should have been a straightforward customer service issue has turned into weeks of frustration.

I have exchanged more than 20 emails regarding my airport transfer, yet I continue to be sent back and forth between Expedia and Riu. Each company tells me to contact the other, and neither has taken responsibility or provided a resolution. I am now dealing with three different organizations, all pointing the finger elsewhere instead of helping the customer.

To make matters worse, my attempt to post an honest review on Trustpilot was rejected. This has only added to my frustration, as I believe customers should be able to share truthful experiences, whether positive or negative.

I expected far better customer service, accountability, and communication from all parties involved. Instead, I have spent countless hours chasing answers with no meaningful resolution. This experience has left me with very little confidence in the way customer complaints are handled.

I hope this review encourages the companies involved to take responsibility, improve communication, and treat customers fairly instead of sending them in circles.

Didnt have room ready right before check in. Charge extra charge for 2 people in a room. Long lines to check in. Lots of people without rooms ready so baggage drop was 30 people deep. Then had to line up again in long line to get a room key. Steer clear of this hotel in Time Square. I now know why people cringed when I said I was trying it.

I quite like the Riu brand, albeit have only stayed in the Spanish hotels. Very typical of the class and type of hotel. A Spanish All inclusive 4 star will not be the highest example of luxury, but you will get a solid offering. Staff are universally helpful and work in difficult circumstances sometimes.

Food, decent enough range, but obviously dependant on hotel chosen

We enjoy the Riu brand, just do your homework with individual locations

Airport transfers were included in my trip as a Riu Class customer. Had to wait 80 minutes on arrival for my transfer to arrive, despite calling Riu reception 3 times. On departure my transer didnt even arrive. Spoke with reception who informed me to book a taxi, keep the receipt and email them for a refund.

Emailed complaints department to explain but they have refused my refund. Complete joke, won't be staying at a Riu hotel ever again.

Upon first impressions RiU hotel Ocho Rios looks 4 stars the initial buffet food experience is mind blowing . A day or two in we started noticing the quality of food wasn’t all that great particularly the fresh fruit , the melons were sloppy and stale like they had been cut and stored overnight before putting them out. The sushi quality particularly the rice they use is poor stodgy and tasteless. The Caribbean cuisine was pretty decent though. Be mindful people go to the buffet early so if you do arrive a couple of hours late you get leftovers and they rarely replenish food at that time. Breakfast buffet got boring after a while as they serve up the same types of dishes daily.
Jerk station wax extremely unorganised cues are extremely long chicken was dry and rice was regularly hard and difficult to chew. I would recommend the jerk ribs as they were tasty and moist.
The pool side area was unclean and only seen staff clean the areas at six o clock when the pool closed. Excess water around the sun-beds made it a hazard and increased the risks of slipping. Wet paper towels was often seen and leftover food which attracted pigeons. Be mindful if you go onto the beach taps to wash sand off your feet is scarce . Overall I wouldn’t rate the hotel above 3 stars there is a lot of room for improvements particularly with its food quality and staff attitude although some of the staff are lovely many are rude and unapproachable. The mini bar experience forget it they never came to replenish our mini bar every time we had to call up and wait over 24 hour for someone to come very unprofessional

: RIU Vacations promised to fix our delayed honeymoon reservation. We’re now at the resort and still have no resolution. (Case #33944730)

My wife and I finally took the honeymoon we never got to have after getting married during COVID. We booked a package through RIU Vacations for a stay at RIU Montego Bay from June 18-21.

Unfortunately, United Airlines had multiple issues that delayed our arrival by two days. The first delay involved a missed connection due to weather-related flight disruptions. The second delay occurred the following day when United was somehow able to check in one traveler but not the other, causing us to miss yet another flight.

The important part is that after each delay, we immediately contacted RIU Vacations. We explained the situation and asked if our reservation could be adjusted so we wouldn’t lose most of the trip we paid for. On multiple occasions we were told not to worry, to come down to the resort, and that RIU would work something out once we arrived.

Based on those assurances, we changed our return flight so we could still enjoy a few days of our honeymoon.

Now we’re actually at the resort, and suddenly nobody seems able to help.

We’ve spent a significant amount of time calling RIU Vacations, being transferred between departments, speaking with supervisors, and receiving conflicting information. We’ve been told the hotel isn’t responding. The hotel has told us they haven’t received the communications RIU Vacations claims were sent. We’ve been told to wait, only to be given another reason nothing can be done.

At this point, the most frustrating part isn’t the airline delays. Travel disruptions happen.

The frustrating part is that RIU Vacations repeatedly assured us they could work with us, encouraged us to proceed with our trip, and now that we’re here, we’re getting the runaround instead of a resolution.

We currently have an escalation open under Case #33944730, but as of now we still don’t have a clear answer.

To be clear, the staff at the resort itself have been friendly and professional. My issue is with RIU Vacations and the lack of follow-through after multiple promises that this situation could be resolved.

Has anyone else dealt with something similar through RIU Vacations? Were you able to get a resolution, and if so, who ultimately helped you?

This site provided inaccurate information and I will be blogging about it in my review. The Riu Macao is not a 4.8 star facility. This is more like a 3.2. The amount of filth and roaches in the complex is absolutely insane. They failed at water service on Tuesday and Wednesday , indicating they didn’t have any available until midnight, but told us not to drink the water from servers or faucet.

Room service did minimal and the rooms are in horrible condition. Wall paint peeling and lots of mold, bugs on the ceilings and floors. Doors do not close, nor do the sinks drain properly. There is air mold as the venting stinks like sewage.

The property grounds were maintained but the pools were not clean. The swim up bar has tile that cut my foot, and a rusted nail we found in the pool and placed in clear view to remove but wasn’t until the next day.

The elite service is a joke, an absolute disgrace and waste of energy. We had to book services that should have been available to us. We were treated like garbage.

We were supposed to have transportation but they said they couldn’t find our form? Then tried to sell us excursions but didn’t address the transportation issue. We were left to pay $60 to get to the hotel and even when we are here now have to pay $40 to get back to the airport.

Most of the staff was nice, but were didn’t get catered services like others did. You had staff making out with guest and as long as you provided tips you were greeted differently, it was tested and proven several times.

The food was not top notch, we have better food in the states and the drinks were not great at all.

The beach smelled worse here, jersey shore is 5 stars compared to this beach.

They have a few stores that sold keepsakes, no prices so they can charge you extra. The amount of people selling hourly didn’t take no for answer.

We try different places and this was on his list, not mine. I am not happy to waste so much money and not to have a great experience. Lesson learned.

After a shower, I was in my pj's and slowly opened the huge glass door to the bathroom. It was super cold in our room, hence I closed the door so I wouldn't freeze coming out. All of a sudden, the entire door exploded into thousands of pieces. A piece of glass had cut the bottom of my foot and there was a very big pool of blood on the floor. We called security who came into the room and bypassed me sitting on the toilet as there was glass everywhere. They told my husband immediately that he had to pay for the glass. My husband was very upset as it was not our fault the glass exploded. They argued for a while, then they came and put my foot on a bucket and bandaged it up. They also bandaged a bad cut to my neck and forearm which had several cuts. I was in so much shock I couldn't sleep so was in bed the next entire day. Another day time security person came and told us we didn't have to pay for the door. I asked if they were going to give me any compensation and they said no, as they put us in a room on the 6th floor, from the 2nd floor. I asked if I could get a free massage from being confined to the bed for 24 hours. She said no. The next morning, my neck was hurting me so badly, we went to the Dr.'s Hospital and I was seen by a doctor, who told me that my neck was infected. She took x-rays of my neck and foot which was still in pain. She put me on antibiotics and said I could not go out in the sun or drink any alcohol. This trip was for a special birthday and I was upset that I couldn't even drink a glass of wine on my birthday. We never left the resort and missed seeing all the tourist attractions as it was too painful to walk. Upon returning home to Calgary, my foot was getting more painful and hard to walk on. I went to 2 doctors and had another x-ray done, which found a foreign object in my foot, exactly like the x-ray showed when taken in the Bahamas. The next day I was scheduled in for surgery to remove the foreign object (a piece of glass from the shower). It was a painful procedure, but they got the glass shard out and showed it to me. I was larger than I thought. I complained to the Riu, and after many many emails and sending pictures, and they got me mixed up with someone from the Riu in San Francisco, they sent me their compensation letter. They offered me 2000 points the next time I stayed at a Riu, which amounted to $20.00!! I was shocked after my vacation was ruined in the Bahamas. Eventually, after me complaining it wasn't enough, they offered me 3 free nights stay for 1 person. Sun Wing is who we flew with and I wrote them an email described the situation. They took over the Case and the Riu sent me an email in delight, telling me they were no longer involved. Sun Wing offered me $394.00 US and would not budge on that. It was not even better than the 3 free nights stay the Riu offered. I am still angry at the way I was treated and compensated as we spent $7000.00 for a holiday that was a nightmare. I was still traumatized by the instant explosion of the door and spending a afternoon at the hospital and not being able to see our favorite sites, as we will not be going back to the Bahamas. I was still in pain for 6 weeks in my foot after the surgery. The continuation of running to doctors once I got back home and eventually having to get surgery done on my foot, and afterwards had to wear a sponge open toe shoe for 6 weeks with snow in Calgary I thought they would be more understanding and give me more than what they offered. I would never go back to the Riu Palace Resort in the Bahamas.

I stayed at Riu Gran Canaria for a week in what is, supposedly, their most luxurious suite with its own private pool. The room itself is stunning, with beautiful views and much needed privacy. As for the rest of the hotel, however, I'm not sure the hotel owners and I share the same definition of luxury.

Let's start with the basics: the food. There are plenty of options to choose from and a variety of à la carte restaurants. It tastes fine, with some things better than others, specifically the appetizers. The "restaurants" are really just glorified versions of the main buffet but with nicer cutlery and less noise. The steakhouse was marginally better than the rest. Apart from the subpar food, I have never, in my many stays at all inclusive hotels, been served worse drinks. Everything - and I mean EVERYTHING - is on tap and I'm almost entire sure diluted. We had our own booze as "villa guests" and while I was originally very impressed by this, it became awfully evident as the week went on that half the bottles consisted of water. I find it odd that two adults who drink four or five mojitos a day never become inebriated, don't you?

Moving on to location, I was actually pleasantly surprised. The view, like mentioned, was lovely and the hotel is right by a small but quaint city center. The hotel itself, with several pools, is beautiful to look at and you can really tell that the gardens are well-kept. There's plenty of room by the pool although guest still reserve sunbeds, for which reason I am not sure. It kind of the defeats the purpose of a relaxing holiday to have to get up early in the morning and run to the pool for a good spot, even though the hotel claims the have a rule against this.

Finally, the staff. We often felt unwelcome and found many staff members inattentive. It was obvious that we were not wanted, pretty much anywhere, and that the staff was way more interested in talking among themselves that us. I'm sure it's tedious and exhausting working in this kind of environment, having done it myself, but seeing as this is such a lavish hotel with a strong reputation, I definitely expected more. The head waiter at the gourmet restaurant, an older man with glasses, had no idea what the food contained and got angry with me when I asked. It should be mentioned that I have a severe nut allergy and many of the items on the menu contained peanuts. Nowhere was this information provided. We left most of our interactions less happy and less inclined to come back.

All in all, Riu Gran Canaria is pretty to look at. If you expect more than bland food, non-existent drinks or a simple "hello" from staff members, I regret to inform you that you'll likely be very disappointed.

As always a RIU Hotel is the best choice for tropical vacation, it’s “All Inclusive“, actually means all inclusive, this even includes all activities in the hikers. The pools with the pool bars are just perfect. The rooms are always clean with new sheets and towels daily. The food is always excellent with a choice of 4 different restaurants. The staff at the RIU Sri Lanka are so friendly and welcoming, very polite and professional, always happy and smiling. The entertainment is always on point, and nice to see locals performing their national dance.
It was my wife’s birthday while we were at the hotel, they made the day so special and went way above and beyond to make sure that my wife had a perfect evening, that was exceptionally nice of the hotel and their amazing staff.
A special mention for the restaurant manager Marshal who made sure every meal was an experience. Prabash and Amila also went over and beyond to make sure we were well catered for. The RIU Sri Lanka made our holiday so nice that we are going back again. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Was going to give 5 stars but I left something in the room and I’ve contacted the hotel direct and got a response but haven’t heard anything since and sent 2 more emails it’s been over a week. So Customer Service isn’t a strong point. Riu Palace Santa Maria

I stayed at the Riu Aquarelle in May and the cleaner broke my jar of Chanel moisturizer. When I opened the jar they were splinters inside the moisturizer and cracks all over the jar. I called front desk to report it and I received no response. I went to front desk the next day that’s when security came and took pictures and told me it would be investigated. I went back and according to them they are still investigating. At this point the hotel relation manager got involved. The employee admitted she dropped it. I was told by the public relations manager if resolved at the hotel level the employee would have to pay for it or go through corporate customer service. What she failed to let me know if I choose this route I would have to wait 30 days and go through unnecessary hassle like providing a receipt etc, After providing all this information I still have to wait another 30 days for Riu to issue the fund. I’m now going a month without my moisturizer which was fairly new when it was broken and not cheap. What should have been a memorable vacation turns into a nightmare. All this left a negative impression on the Riu brand for me

Sent 25 emails to Customer Service, Complaints, RIU corporate and reception desk and countless app messages about my issues during my seven night stay at RIU Republica.

1st room
1. I spent four nights of 80 degree temperature at night in the room.
2. Water leaking all over the hallway floor from the air conditioning.
3. Water was out for 10 plus hours on Sunday, May 17.
4. My wife got so frustrated that she got another room at a nearby resort for $350 per night.
5. Elevators are not working to get to my 3rd floor room.
6. Can’t change rooms until 2pm. Then have to pack up my luggage and move to another room when available.
7. 8-10 cats running around the property. If it is the standard let us know ahead of time. 8. Gym had rusty out dated equipment

Moved to another room
2nd room

Toilet did not flush or work
No hand soap in the bathroom
No soap in the shower
No towels
Sink pipes leaking water all over the bathroom floor
Shower drains very slowly leaving 2-3 inches of water while taking a shower
No hot water for two hours on Tuesday May 19.
Went to the front desk and asked about the toilet issues. I went to the front desk to let them know that my toilet was not working last night at 10pm. The front desk person said the she was going to send someone right away. Maintenance never came

I had diarrhea all night. Each time that I went to the bathroom, (Five separate occasions) I had to fill the ice bucket with water three times, put the water in a trash can, and pour the water down the toilet to get the waste to drain. (Did all of this while I was sick)
It seems that the front desk may have given me a flagged room that had previous issues.

RIU has to do better with customer service.

Like to have the names of the managers on duty and the supervisors names to write each personally about my stay.

Horrible customer service at RIU Palace Tropical Bay Jamaica from arriving at the airport to returning to the airport. After booking the free shuttle on their website to and from the airport we were told we were not on the list and would not be provided transportation. It cost us $150.00 to get to the hotel and $100.00 back to the airport. Could not book any special restaurants on their app when adding more than 2 people. Regardless of who you asked for help, you were sent to someone else, who would send you to someone else. This was one of the worst hotel experiences we ever had.

We are currently at the Rui nautilus in torremolinos and this is our 3rd time back . We unfortunately had delayed luggage and then it was taken to the wrong location for 2 days . The staff at Rui nautilus have always been kind courteous and professional. The staff on reception left us a bottle of champagne in our room today which was just what I needed to cheer me up . The hotel looks great but the reason myself and my husband go back is you get the whole package there , the location, the food , service but more than anything the staff who work there are a credit to the company! . We love visiting and would nt hesitate to recommend this hotel to anyone! . Lisa

We booked the RIU Palace Riviera Maya five-star hotel in Mexico three weeks ago. During the booking process, they promised a free airport transfer to the hotel, and we were required to provide all the necessary information at that time.

To make sure everything was arranged, we called because we had not received any further communication. During the phone call, we were suddenly told that the transfer is no longer possible. This is unacceptable and very disappointing.

Having to arrange alternative transportation at the last minute in a country like Mexico is extremely difficult and can also feel unsafe. We trusted the arrangements that were promised to us when booking. For a five-star hotel, I expected a much higher level of service.