Cancun Getaway Review: RIU Palace Kulkulkan - Luxury and Relaxation in One

2023 was a big year for my best friend and I. Not only did we turn 25 years old within 1.5 weeks of each other, but it was also our 10th year as friends. To celebrate, we decided a girls' trip was due. We had been wanting to do one for a while, but this was the year we finally got it together and did it. We chose to hop on a plane and go to Cancun. The hotel we chose was RIU Palace Kulkulkan, which had just opened in November 2022. In this post, I'm going to give you a quick review of my stay and whether I think it's worth staying there. First, let's go over the pros and cons.

Pros - The Things I Loved

All-Inclusive Resort

The fact that everything was paid for ahead of time is a significant benefit. We didn't have to think about how much we needed to set aside for food or beverages, and that was very nice.

Beautiful Resort with Amazing Customer Service

The resort was beautiful and right on the beach. As soon as we walked in, everything looked just like the photos, and we were able to immediately relax. It was clean, smelled good, and we were greeted with warm smiles and a glass of champagne. We didn't even have to roll our bags to our room! And this was the treatment we received the entire time. One of the people from the entertainment team even helped us take some photos by the pool.

The Room and the View From Our Room

Our room was beautiful, modern-looking, and clean. It had enough space for both of us to fit comfortably. We also loved that the shower was separate from the toilet. Now, for the view. Waking up and looking outside was one of my favorite things to do. It was absolutely gorgeous!

Distance from Shops and Clubs

We were between three shopping malls and a five-minute bus ride from the clubs. This was nice because we were able to do a little shopping. When it came to the club, we took a taxi there and were able to take a $2 bus ride back. This was nice because the resort was pretty chill, which we enjoyed during the day, but we wanted to hear some music and dance once night hit.

Sidenote: When you stay at a RIU resort, they allow you to visit some of their other resorts nearby and you can go to hang out, get drinks, and have food, just like at your resort.

Ease of Booking Activities

Although we had an idea of some of the activities we wanted to do while on vacation, we didn't book them ahead of time, so being able to book our activities when we got there with ease was amazing, and they weren't too expensive either. We did the Zipline and ATV to a Cenote activity.

Mids

Food

As far as food, I thought it was pretty good, but would I say it was the best food I've ever had? No. They had a big buffet room and about four or five themed restaurants to choose from. We ate at the buffet most days, the steakhouse, the Mexican restaurant, and the buffet remained my favorite for breakfast and dinner. The buffet was my favorite because there were so many food options, with different stations like pasta, tacos, omelets, and even fresh juice of all kinds. Secondly, apart from us getting up to get our own food, we were treated like it was a fine dining experience. We had a waiter who was very nice that checked in with us and brought us our drinks.

Spa

The spa was something I was absolutely excited for before we got there, but I didn't get to experience it fully. I was only able to use their steam room, which I loved, and the pools found behind the spa were okay, but one was supposed to be really hot, but it wasn't. The reason I wasn't able to get an appointment was that we were sort of pushing it in choosing a time, and then we booked our activity last minute, which lasted until about 5:30 PM, and the spa closed at about 6 PM. Not only that, but they were very booked. So it's not really their fault, but my advice to anybody who has their minds set on the spa is to find the number, call, and book before you get there.

Cons - Things I Didn't Like

Closing Time for Pools

This was a big no for me. I didn't understand why an all-adult resort is closing the pools around 6 or 7 PM. Now, I could see if it were the winter time and it got dark early, but it's the middle of summer, the sun is out, and we're all getting kicked out of the pool while the sun is still out. And even when it got dark the pools were brightly lit, so there was still no reason that not one of the four pools could remain open.

Overall, I enjoyed my stay and would recommend it to others. It is definitely a more chill resort. So if you are looking to party the entire time, you may want to try one of the other RIU resorts. But other than that, it was affordable, beautiful, and had amazing staff.

Have you ever been? Comment below and let me know how you liked it and if you have any all-inclusive resort recommendations.