Travel dates: February 4-11, 2012 We are always looking for reviews that touch on a little bit of everything, so now we will try to provide this for others: Expedia-A++++ every step of the way. Delta- A++++ left on time and arrived early both to and from. No Waiting for luggage. Comfort typical of today's air travel...non-existant! And Airplane food is airplane food! Puerto Valarta airport--Plane arrived 20 minutes early and at the same time as at least 3 other flights. Customs was a nightmare for anyone who was impatient. Travellers lined up in two different directions pushing people back into a dimly lit room that was under construction. This took an hour or so to move through. And then the walk through the hall on the way to meet your transportation. The best advice we can give anyone is to make sure you know who is providing your transportation. Move yourself politely through the sea of people offering to help you get to your vehicle. We must have said "No Thank You" a hundred times and made sure to avoid contact with anyone (looking to suck you in to a time share "opportunity") until we reached our Grayline Representative. It was a true relief to see our names printed on his travel log ensuring that we were where we should be!! Then it was into our taxi and on to our destination...the Riu Palace Pacifico A++++-- CHECK-IN...the fastest we have ever experienced...this was great for the most part, but we did have to slow our guest service rep down to make sure we understood what was said. If you would like an extra beach towel, now is the time to ask. Also, unlike our trips to previous Riu Palace's, there was no Bell Captain. We were told that we could take our luggage up to the room ourselves or someone would deliver it later. This wasn't a problem for us, but may be something others are looking for, so be aware. OUR ROOM...2009...was clean and comfortable. We did not have a oceanview room, but could see it from our balcony. But why spend time on the balcony when we can be on the beach. The room was spotless (no odors, nothing broken). The bed was comfortable but we could see how it may not be for some. We like a hard mattress and so we felt like we were right at home. The courtesy bar was always well-stocked. We had plenty of towels and toiletries. Always glad for the safe. Room was cleaned early and turn-down service was complete by the time we returned from dinner.. We know some complain about the "lack" of TV channels, but let's face it...we weren't there to watch TV. Also...no internet connections is the rooms. Connection is good in the lobby, OK on the couches outside the lobby, everywhere else...non-existant!! FOOD--First we did not eat at any of the specialty restaurants. We like the variety of the buffet and there truly was something for everyone. The food was fresh and tasty. Nothing wrong with it at all. But it is a buffet, and after a couple of days it is easy to become bored. Servers were attentive. Watch for coffee cart (alcohol drink) at dinner. The show is fun and the drink is good. Also, if you like Expresso or Cappicino...they are always available. The Sports Bar has snacks 24/7. There is also 24/7 room service. (We never used it-so we can't speak to the quality or timeliness). BEACH/POOL-- First a tip...get your fresh towels in the morning...there are never any available in the mid to late afternoon. For you first timers...just turn in your wet towels for fresh ones...don't take your card back each day...you can retrieve them on your last day and you won't need to keep track of them. The pool area was always crowded, but there seemed to be chairs available in the back. We didn't use the pool (we had a beach and an ocean)...but everyone seemed to enjoy the activities provided by the entertainment staff. The beach was beautiful. Somedays the water was as smoothe as glass and other days the waves were big and had curls. Either way there were always people in the water. From a distance the water looks a bit murky. This isn't the case. The beach has brown sand rather than white sand which is the reason for the color difference. On a sunny day...the water glistens like diamonds. There are many water activities available, some included and some for a price. Check out the Water Sports area on the beach. The beach has many palm trees, but no cabanas. If you are not a full sun person, you will want to pay close attention to shaded areas. They change throughout the day. Watch for wildlife...we saw whales swimming in front of the property!! Another hint...if you use the sun as your clock...remeber that all of Mexico is on Central time. So if the sun looks like it is at 1:00 p.m. it is probably between 2:00 and 3:00. The waitstaff on the beach are fantastic!!! They were always attentive and worked to remember you and your drink of preference. And the drinks were always good. It was fun to try drinks I wouldn't normally order at home. Don't miss the sunsets...they are spectacular!! ENTERTAINMENT--While we didn't go to the evening shows, we had such a great time on Super Bowl Sunday. A buffet and large screen TV were set up in the theater. Patriot or Giant fan...didn't matter...you were in Mexico and the house was full!! SPA- Facials and Massages are not cheap, but ohhhhhhh so worth it. CHECKOUT--Remember your keys and towel card. Don't lose the paper they give you at the front desk at check-out...you will need to show it in order to get your ride back to the airport. ONE LAST THING...we know that you pay extra to stay at the Palace, but if you are able...please consider tipping the staff.(morning and evening housekeeping, waitstaff etc.) They appreciate it and you will receive some of those little extras that make your trip special.

This was our 4th Riu Palace we have stayed at but the Riu Palace Pacifico out does all the others.This property is only three years old and the Riu people have out done themselves at this location.When you arrive the lobby is beautiful,check in only took a few minutes.The staff are very friendly and the service is the best I've had at any resort.There is a good selection of restaurants and food to enjoy.The cleaning staff keep this place immaculate always cleaning and sweeping.The pool entertainment staff were great keeping the activities going all day.Little bit away from downtown PV but only a short taxi or bus ride.No problem leaving the hotel and travelling around very safe here.Although its an all inclusive resort tipping your bartender or restaurant staff for the great service they give in my opinion is well worth it. The staff work so hard to make your stay the most enjoyable.If you love the Mexican people, food and hospitality the Riu Palace Pacifico is the place you want to be.We stayed for seven days and the weather was great every day sunny 30+ and beautiful to eat out side everynight.Would highly recommend this location.

We stayed in Riu Palace Pacifico for 6 days. It was great. We really enjoyed our stay. The rooms are clean, the staff are great. The service is excellent. The pools were clean. The food is good but not out of this world. The beach is great for walking. We were lucky to have good sunny weather for 6 days. Our worse experience was getting in at the airport. It was unorganized and crowded. Ala carte restaurants are ok, again not out of this world.

We really enjoyed staying at the Riu Palace Pacifico. The staff were friendly and helpful. This Palace was the cleanest hotel we have ever stayed in. The pool/spa area washrooms were spotless. The woman who cleaned this area worked tirelessly to make sure they were always maintained. It was so clean you felt like you were using the washrooms in your hotel room and not a public restroom area. The pool servers...Ana and Beatrix were excellent. We never had any trouble getting chairs by the pool. The pool is heated and even on cloudy days felt warm. One of the things we did notice was that people who have difficulty going up stairs found it hard to get out of the pool as there are no railings on any of the pool stairs. Also it is a fair distance to walk back to your room if you have mobility issues. The animation staff were enthusiastic and took time to talk to the guests. We were asked many times by managers, animation staff and others if there was anything that they could do to make our stay better.
The restaurant servers Janeth at breakfast and lunch and Maricio and his assistant Luis at supper were excellent. They knew what we liked to drink and were only to happy to help us in any way that they could. We probably liked the food at the buffet restaurant the best because of the variety. I did find the desserts to be a bit boring after a while. Over our 2 week stay we ate at all of the specialty restaurants. We enjoyed the steak house, Mexican and Japanese restaurants, but found the flavours of the Krystal fusion restaurant to be very unusual and not to our liking.
We had a partial ocean view room on the 6th floor that overlooked the fountains and the pool area as well as the ocean. The views were beautiful. We often sat on our balcony and enjoyed the views or the sounds of the ocean. Even though we were across from the nightly entertainment area...and often went to sleep earlier in the evening...we weren't bothered by the noise of the shows. The room was cleaned every day, they had a turn down service and replaced towels again in the evening, as well as daily replacement of refreshments in your fridge.
The front lobby is a lovely area to sit in. This ia a place where you feel at ease, using the wireless internet, people watching or chatting with others. In the centre of the room they have a huge arrangement of flowers that is changed every few days, just beautiful. Overall this is truly an amazing hotel.

We also went on several excursions. We went whale watching with Vallarta Adventures...which was a trip highlight and not to be missed. Our tour guide was Nicky a PHD student studying whales who is from England. She is a very knowledgeable and enthusiatic guide (imagine the Steve Irwin of whales) and my interest in whales has greatly increased since having been on that trip. (Awesome lady) My husband went on the zip-line adventure and had a blast. He wasn't as pleased with the ATV adventure as it was set at a slow pace and was often on roads and not on trails plus about an hour of the ATV time was spent in a restaurant, not travelling.
We went on the city tour which was only okay, partly because it took a long time to pick up everyone from various hotels and partly because I was hoping to see more of Puerta Vallarta than we did. We only booked the morning part of the trip (and paid less) because we didn't want to go to the tequilla factory and the lunch in the afternoon. We separated from the tour at the market downtown and were therefore able to spend a bit more time shopping...From there we could take a taxi to other shopping areas or back to the hotel.