Service staff on the most part were friendly. Bar tenders could smile a little more. Some of them are a bit grumpy, like they're forced to work there. Make sure you don't loose keys, arm band, or pool towel pass card. They're ridiculously priced to be replaced. Pool bar closes at 6pm which is a bummer. Buffet is OK at best Buffet has about 2 or 3 stations with the same menu. Selection is limited. There's better food at Hometown Buffet Reserved dinners is a complete waste of time. Food his horrible. Reservation time for the dinner starts around 7:30am and fills up really quickly. Bring some extra cash to go to downtown and enjoy the food there. There are a few hole in the wall places that were great. Pools were nice, clean, and warm. Rooms are spacious with small refrigerator and 4 or 5 full size bottles of hard liquor hanging on the wall in a dispensing unit. The fridge was stock with beer, soda, and water. AC in the room was sub par, I don't think they would keep up if it was extremely hot outside. No elevators, so if you're on the 4th floor, your gonna have to hike it up the stairs. On the most part it was ok, except when your drunk and stumbling to get back to your room. In resort activities: None that I was made aware of. There were a lot of outside of the resort activities ran by independent business for a reasonable fee. Packages/tours: Didn't try any from the resort. They're a bit pricy. You can go downtown and get same tours for a lot less Would I go again? Probably use it as a base camp to venture off and do other things outside of the resort. Did I enjoy myself? Yes, partially because I went with a group of 10+ friends and we spent half of our time out of the resort. Most places downtown takes US dollars. Taxi vans also. No need to change currency. Just make sure you know how to convert to Pesos or they'll take advantage of you. There are many large franchise stores near the resort, Walmart, Costco, Fedex... So If you forget to bring something on the trip, no worries you can go to the store and buy it.

This is a sprawling resort that is beautifully maintained. However, first impressions can be deceiving. The resort is truly grand and picturesque. However, this resort is severely understaffed for the amount of bars, pools, restaurants, and rooms. This resort is designated as an all-inclusive resort, and although all meals and drinks are included...there's very little quality in this all-inclusive resort. The restaurants that require reservations are lacking in variety and menu options...if the restaurant has no menu options, then it's just a served banquet food. There are no waiters/waitresses by the pools to serve drinks...I've been to other all-inclusive resorts, and they all have waiters/waitresses that serve drinks. The food at the main dining room could be better. There are a lot of options, but the quality was just poor. The rooms were nice, spacious, and exactly as we expected them to be. I can understand why this resort is so cheap compared to other resorts. However, they need to step up their quality, their level of service, and really evaluate their all-inclusive status to ensure they are providing an experience that would draw customers to come back.

Can't believe this trip was all-inclusive! Food, drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), hotel, and airfare! I've never spent so little money and had such an AMAZING time. The staff at the Riu Santa Fe are so nice and wonderfully helpful! And Wendy, the agent from Cheap Caribbean, who helped me and my friends on this trip was such a sweetheart! She really took the time to get to know us, answer our questions about different activities, and book things for a good deal. Can't say enough good things about this trip - I would recommend going in June when the weather is beautiful and it's not TOO hot, nor are there summer rains. The buffet food was sometimes great, sometimes so-so. But considering it's all you can eat, you should be able to find something you enjoy. Many of the drinks are admittedly watered down, but you can ask the bar tender to add a bit more alcohol to your cocktail, or just drink one of the tropical juices (pineapple, etc.). The hotel is so clean and organized! It's extremely safe in the resort area. The staff are all so friendly and helpful. The infinity pool is nice if you're okay with the music. The second pool is a nice alternative if you want some peace and quiet while you tan. My friends and I tried the mexican restaurant (a la carte, by reservation), and that was so-so. The appetizers were good, main courses were mediocre, but the dessert flan was scrumptious! You can always head to the fancier buffet close to the lobby for a huge array of desserts and other americanized food options. The waiters and waitresses are always ready to serve you with a smile on :) Overall I think the Riu Santa Fe caters slightly more to people who haven't had kids yet (thirties to younger?) while families/adults might prefer the Riu Palace. Nonetheless, my friends and I had a splendid trip!

Great place to stay, rooms are very clean as well as the resort. Everyone spoke English, so it made the trip a lot easier. Everyone was very nice and helpful. The food was very good at all the restuarants. Would go back in a snap.