What We Love
- No reservations needed at any of the restaurants.
- The teal ocean and breezy palms on the white sand of Flamingos Beach. Swoon-worthy.
- Sipping on cocktails and watching the crazy beautiful pink sunsets over the water.
- The spa where you can descend into relaxing massages & thalassotherapy, a seawater treatment.
- The in-pool loungers where you can lounge, swim around a bit, then return to work on your tan.
Things to Know
- It's just 8 miles away from the airport. Blink, and you'll be there.
- Don't miss horseback riding in the Sierra Madres or swimming with the dolphins in Banderas Bay.
- There's an 18-hole, championship golf course that a coconut's throw away.
- Check out the bodyboarding, windsurfing, catamarans and more. Dive in.
- On land, there's volleyball, billiards and for the flexible/bendy types, there's gymnastics.
Resort Details
- Elite Club RestaurantA-la-carte restaurant exclusively for Elite Club guests. Dinner Only
- GuacamoleMexican a-la-carte restaurant with starters buffet. Dinner only.
- KrystalA-la-carte restaurant serving fusion cuisine. Dinner only.
- KyotoA-la-carte restaurant serving Asian cuisine. Dinner only.
- La PeninsulaMain Buffet restaurant with live cooking stations, serving international cuisine. Breakfast, lunch and Dinner.
- La ToscanaItalian a-la-carte restaurant with starters and desserts buffet. Dinner Only.
- Pepe´s Food Grill
- Snacks. Lunch only.
- SteakhouseA-la-carte restaurant. Dinner only.
- Tiki TacoTacos. Lunch only.
- Various Lounges/Bars- Sports Bar 24 hours with snacks
- Marlin Swim-up Bar
- Daiquiri Lobby Bar- Bolero Theatre Bar- Capuchino Patisserie & Ice Cream Parlor- Elite Club Lounge exclusively for Elite Club guests- Elite Club Beach Bar exclusively for Elite Club guests
- 24-hour front desk
- 24-hour room service
- Accessible facilities
- Bell staff/porter
- Concierge desk
- Elevators
- Exercise gym
- Free high speed internet connection
- Free parking
- Game room
- 24-hour front desk
- 24-hour room service
- Complies with Local/State/Federal laws for disabled
- Bell staff/porter
- Concierge desk
- Elevators
- Exercise gym
- Free high speed internet connection
- Free parking
- Game room
- Gift/News stand†
- Golf, Offsite†
- Housekeeping - daily
- Lounges/bars
- Meal Plan Type: All Inclusive
- Pool
- Restaurant
- Room service
- Safe deposit box
- Spa†
- Steam bath
- Wakeup service
- Water sports†
† Fees may apply
- Direct access to a beach
- Fitness center on-site
- Non-Motorized Water SportsThis includes catamarans, kayaking, body boards and 1 introductory scuba diving lesson in the pool.
- PoolThere is 3 pool on-site.
- Spa †There is 1 indoor hot tub.
- Golf †
A golf course is located within a mile of the hotel that provides preferential conditions and additional value to our guests.
- Motorized Water Sports †
- On-site EntertainmentAccess to weekly theme parties for everyone
† Fees may apply
Guest Reviews from CheapCaribbean Customers
Customer Ratings & Reviews
TripAdvisor Traveler Rating
-
Nov 29, 2025
A Wonderful Holiday
We arrived at Hotel Riu Palace Pacifico on November 18. Check-in was smooth and quick and we were taken to our room within 5 minutes. This hotel has everything you want for food and beverages, and we were very pleased with everything. The lobby is simply amazing with a new drink being offered every night of our holiday. The restaurants’ were also very delicious, with The Steakhouse and Krystal Restaurants’ being our favorites. We were a bit disappointed in the buffets, so did not attend them much except for the breakfasts every morning. Special thanks goes out to Jusitta, for making my omelet with extra cheese every morning, always with a smile on her face. The sports bar was a great place to go to for a midnight snack, with many options for food choices. They made the best Bloody Mary’s on the whole resort. Rodolfo was another standout with his courteous service and always making sure I had my special coffee every morning with Baileys! The entertainment was good with the Micheal Jackson show being a must for everyone to witness. Diana who is one of the entertainment staff was another standout. She dedicated a lot of time to a birthday boy one night with special needs gathering applause from the entire crowd. She was so nice and friendly to everyone. Overall this resort is simply a fantastic place to enjoy your holiday. We spent every day on the beach with plenty of shade from the trees to prevent sunburns. The ocean was calm and easy to access with the sand being some of the smoothest sand we have ever been on. The only complaint we have is the lack of restrooms. If you need to use a restroom if you are in the sports lounge or entertainment stage area, it is a long walk to get to them. The establishment should have restrooms located in either the sports bar or entertainment area. Thank You for the great holiday!
-
Nov 26, 2025
Another amazing stay
Reading some of the reviews I wondered if we were staying at the same resort! We have stayed at the riu palace pacifico three times, just booked our fourth for next year and are counting down the days! We are treated like family at this resort, the staff in the buffet remembered us which was lovely, so nice to see familiar faces a big shout out to Maria who took wonderful care of us, Lucy in the evening is another staff member that couldn't do enough for us. We booked the elite club and were not disappointed, Karelli in the elite club lounge took great care of us also. Restaurants were all fantastic, the steakhouse and Italian were our favorite, food was delicious, loved the tortilla soup in the Mexican restaurant. We ate at the sports bar for lunch a few times and we're not disappointed, Mac and cheese was amazing. If you like to walk on the beach this is the place for you, you can walk for miles both directions. The elite club beds on the beach are a great place to relax. The rooms are kept spotless, if you need extra towels etc you can request them on the app, our fridge was always well stocked. A big thank you to the hard working staff that keep us coming back, we appreciate all your hard work! See you soon!
-
Nov 25, 2025
Food Poisoning Centeral
Are you ready to have your whole trip derailed by food poisoning? My mother got food poisoning, we clearly couldn’t make an excursion tour we got through the hotel partners the next morning. So we evened up having to skip the trip. The hotel basically said too bad too sad, we won’t make you whole the $200 you lost on that trip. Which was a bargain ask, because we could have asked them to comp part of our trip. 2 room for a couple nights, is a lot more than $200. They know the illness was real, because we informed them the night before and they sent a maid in the evening to clean the vomit. The fun part is we had been loyal to the brand across 29 nights stayed (I checked the app) and over $10,000 spent with them. You would have thought given our history they would have just said sorry please allow us to make you whole the measly $200. But they gave us the middle finger. Please stay with an American brand like Hilton or Marriott, you know they would take ownership. Learn from my mistake and travel smart.
-
Nov 24, 2025
Terrible stay
I recently had a disappointing stay at this Riu property, which fell short of my expectations. The food and drinks were substandard, and the staff lacked the courtesy and professionalism expected from a reputable establishment. Despite paying for the elite experience, we were treated poorly. A significant number of Canadian guests appeared to have an exaggerated sense of entitlement, acting as if they were the owners of the resort. It would be advisable for them to focus on resolving issues in their own country before traveling to Mexico. Furthermore, it was apparent that none of them tipped the staff.
-
Nov 22, 2025
Searching for my Mexican home.
We recently stayed at the RIU Palace Pacifico. My wife and I had a great time. We met a lot of nice guests. As far as the food and drinks are concerned they were hit and miss. I don’t think the drinks are watered down but rather the servers may have given us the wrong drink. The pool side servers most times had two trays of drinks. I couldn’t keep everything straight if the roles were reversed. The restaurants were also hit and miss. We enjoyed the Asian restaurant. We dined there 3 times during our 2 week vacation. On one occasion the food was really salty. I calked that up to a different chef who likes cooking with salt. It was too salty for our taste but another guest may like that. Another favorite restaurant was the steak house. It was brutal trying to get a seat there. I would line up at 515pm joining about 20 other guests. The restaurant opened at 6pm. We dined there 3 times during our two week stay and we had one occasion where the food was cold. All of the staff are great! They work hard to make our stay enjoyable. I would like to point out a superstar in my opinion. Janet from the morning and lunch buffet. We didn’t always sit in her area but she always had a smile and friendly greeting for us. When I was in the main buffet Janet would come up and greet me. We hadn’t sat her in section for a day or two. We shared some personal family stories. Our relationship was closer than to other staff. Janet knew me by my Mexican nickname “guapo ” Her attitude, professionalism is the reason I come back to some resorts and skip others. We have stayed at the Cabo Riu Baja California as well. There garden view rooms are very different compared to the room we had this time. What I don’t like is the “upgrade speech” the front clerk gave us when we asked about the room we were getting. I felt like just a number to the RIU company! We kept our room it’s what we paid for. If RIU wanted to impress us make us feel like family they could have “upgraded” us if they had empty rooms at no cost. I’m not sure if I will go back to RIU however to whoever is reading this review you need to try the resort for yourself.
- AdvisoryStudent Groups/Spring Breakers (either groups or individuals, regardless of age) are not allowed at any time during the year. Guests disturbing or generating complaints from other guests or hotel may be removed from the property, at their own expense. Parties in rooms are not permitted.
- AdvisoryRiu Party in Puerto Vallarta will be temporarily paused during the renovation of Riu Jalisco. The renovation will begin on August 18, 2025, and the hotel will reopen on December 20, 2025. As a result, the Riu Party will not be available for guests at Riu Vallarta and Riu Palace Pacifico during this period. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to resuming the Riu Party events upon the completion of the renovations.
- Check In: 3:00 PM
- Check Out: 12:00 PM
- Minimum Check-In Age: 18
- General Policies:
Check-in Policy - Deposits or credit/debit card hold authorizations are not requested at check-in. "Minimum age of 18 is required for check-in, an ID/Passport will be requested upon arrival.
Convention Policy : Groups traveling together can book this property for their stay taking advantage of group benefits such as 6th or 11th complimentary guest, Group dinner reservation, One complimentary cocktail hour with a selection of appetizers, One complimentary massage for the group leader, Complimentary room upgrades to the next category, Fruit plate and bottle of wine for the VIP, Private check-in when arriving together, Welcome sign. Applicable with Wedding Collections and Social Packages. Consult terms & conditions.
Spring Break Policies - Student Groups/Spring Breakers (either groups or individuals, regardless of age) are not allowed at any time during the year. Guests disturbing or generating complaints from other guests or hotel may be removed from the property, at their own expense. Parties in rooms are not permitted. EFFECTIVE FROM 03/30/21
Transfer Policy - A price may display, if your vacation includes transfer to your hotel.
General Information - Room taxes and service fee are included in vacation price.
Minimum night stay restrictions may apply.
Reservation changes may not be permitted unless authorized by the hotel. - Pet Policy : Pets Not Allowed
- Early Departure Policy
- Early Departure Penalty:1 NightApplies: Sunday - Saturday 04Jul24 - 23Dec26
- Early Departure Penalty:2 NightsApplies: Sunday - Saturday 24Dec25 - 30Apr26