Last Updated on August 3, 2020 by Natalie
It was spring break time again when we headed to Cabo. We stayed at the Riu Santa Fe Cabo San Lucas, an all-inclusive chain we’ve liked in the past. We chose it because we loved the Hotel Riu Palace Tropical Bay, where we stayed on our honeymoon in Jamaica! Cabo had a lot to live up to, since our most recent vacation to Playa del Carmen had been nearly perfect.
So, did we like Riu Santa Fe in Cabo, Mexico?
Even though a lot of this review does have to do with our experiences traveling to Cabo with a family, those not traveling with kids will find a lot of information. Check out the table of contents for easy navigation.
Riu Santa Fe Review in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico With Kids
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Be sure to grab your reef safe, zinc based sunscreen before going to the beach! If you’re wondering, there are also many things to do in Cabo with kids.
The Riu Santa Fe Cabo San Lucas
We finally got to our resort and checked in. The resort was huge, yet my excitement built as we walked toward our room. The balcony had an ocean view, once you stepped out and looked to the right. It was nice for the price and the fact that we didn’t spend much time in our room.
We had to eat before doing anything else, so it was late afternoon before we were able to get ourselves into the pool. I felt kind of chilly.
And there were a lot of drunk people around who were swearing a lot. Okay, I can manage. My kids know when and when NOT to use curse words. I told them they had to watch out for the adults because the adults weren’t really paying attention to where they were walking. That seemed to be enough for us to stay out of harm’s way. We also retired to our room by 8 or 9 each evening.
The first two days felt crowded. The resort has over 1000 rooms. While it remained busy, especially in the bar pools, it seemed less crowded during the week. There were also more families around.
The Children’s Water Park at Riu.
Our portable travel booster seats were perfect for this trip, since we were only in a vehicle a few times.
Is Riu Sante Fe a family resort or not?
The Riu Santa Fe does allow children to stay there. It also has a children’s water park (which my kids enjoyed a lot for two days) and a park for ages 12 and up with some pretty cool looking water slides. I’m a wimp and chose to avoid those! Neither of the water parks were busy during our visit.
Riu Santa Fe also has a lot of activities geared towards getting adults drunk. Daily, there were all kinds of parties in their party zone. Sometimes, this area had parties at night. I was close enough to hear the music through the walls of my room. There was also all kinds of loud people during the nights and the noise echoed through the building.
I feel like Riu Santa Fe is trying to cater to both party-goers and families. It seems to be doing a lot better for those who are there to party.
I didn’t hate the resort or our trip. However, I don’t plan to return to this resort with my kids. It does seem like it would be a lot of fun without kids.
Want to go to Riu Santa Fe? Check prices!
The other Cabo Riu Resorts
The Rui Santa Fe is sandwiched between two other Riu resorts. They are the Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas and the Hotel Riu Palace Baja California. The latter is adults only. We spoke to another family who were staying at the Riu Palace Cabo and they told us it was much quieter AND there was a shelf of gluten free food options available. The other resorts also are able to take advantage of all the amenities of the Riu Santa Fe, but not vice versa.
Want to stay at the Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas? Check prices!
Santa Fe RiuLand Kids Club
The Riu Santa Fe Kids Club was in the same fenced area as the children’s water park. Consequently, my children never wanted to go because the water slides were far too beckoning.
We would’ve tried it later in the week, but the kids got conjunctivitis along with some other virus (the latter of which, they shared with me). Pink eye basically makes going anywhere completely out of the question.
Even though we didn’t use it this time, I did check out the Kids’ Club schedule. The Kids Club had its own small building. They had daily activities from 10 am to 5 pm. Both water parks were quite a long walk from our room and our usual pool. My husband didn’t feel comfortable leaving the kids there on such a huge, busy resort and then heading back towards the beach and pool.
If we had been able to leave them, we would’ve probably stayed in Splash Water World (ages 12 and up with some intense water slides and also some seating). Your comfort level may vary and that’s okay!
Splash Water World
Spalsh Water World is a mini water park inside the resort for ages 12 and up. The slides look fast, fun, and intense. I was too chicken to try them out.
Children’s Water Park
The Children’s Water Park is a fantastic feature of this resort. There were multiple slides of varying heights and even tiny slides for super tiny kids. There were also two buckets dumping water on unsuspecting people every few minutes. Our kids had a lot of fun at the park, even though we ended up only going three times.
Medano Beach (Playa el Médano)
The ocean around Cabo is fairly rough (the swimming flag was at red all week). It’s also cold and gets deep quickly. Our resort was on Medano Beach. There were some brave swimmers, but most visitors were playing in the surf. The beach is also pretty steep. We had fun playing on the beach, but we were also worried for the kids’ safety. My husband said it wasn’t at all relaxing for him. He did test the waters and found the ocean to be stronger than he preferred. We did talk about heading into Cabo San Lucas and trying out the more sheltered portion of Médano Beach or heading taking a water taxi to Lovers Beach (next to El Arco), but getting sick put a damper on that plan.
This is the main pool area. There are actually two large pools that are separated by a walkway. The one in the distance is an infinity pool and you can see the ocean in the background.
Riu Santa Fe Pools
This Riu does pools well. There were two pools with swim up bars on either side, overlooking the beach and ocean. Many of the drinking adults stuck to those pools or the pool party area (which is away from the beach). That left the largest pool relatively uncrowded.
The entertainment staff was also a lot of fun and their turf was the main pool area. There were games and activities the bulk of the day.
The large pool was a little cool and I don’t believe it is heated.
Riu Pool Party (Adults Only)
There were pool parties in a designated area nearly every day. Riu has a schedule available and their themes, so you can plan your bathing suits accordingly. It was loud and filled with people having a blast. It looked like a lot of fun for those who like going out dancing!
The Food
There was a lot of food at every buffet (our choice because I have celiac disease and oftentimes, buffets are much easier). It wasn’t always well labeled, but everything I tried was pretty good. It wasn’t easy to navigate from an allergy/celiac perspective, but if you don’t have those concerns, you should be able to find something delicious to eat at every meal. The special restaurants were first come, first serve. A nice change from having to make reservations at a certain time if you want a fancier meal.
We often chose to go to the poolside grill for lunch. It was busy and there was often a line. The food was good! Offerings included hamburgers, hotdogs, ribs, and fries.
Even with the resort not full, the waitstaff seemed overworked.
The Rooms
Our room was fantastic. The beds were big and there was still space for a small table and chair in the corner. There was a mini fridge with drinks restocked every other day. Bottled water was brought in daily. We also had a coffeemaker and a mini bar. There was a spacious closet and a large bathroom. The bathtub was a touch narrow, but I’m not going to complain since I love baths!
We had two minor issues that were resolved promptly. First, the key wouldn’t work. After getting it rekeyed and trying again without success, maintenance came and fixed the lock. It was interesting to watch him plug a computer into the lock to get it to work again. Second, we turned our AC off because it was quite chilly in our room at night. Around 2:30 am, it sounded like it was raining. However, it was water coming out of a light fixture. Given the hour, I put a wastebasket under it and went to sleep. We told the concierge in the morning and they came fast to fix it.
Neither of those issues were a big deal, mostly because they were fixed immediately.
The Pros
The room was spacious and had a bathtub! There were plenty of beverages, including a coffee maker and coffee provided, in the room. The pools were great and the views were gorgeous. The beach was fun for our 5 and 6 year olds, but they had to stay mostly out of the water.
The food was pretty good and there was a lot of variety, including vegetarian options. The waitstaff was friendly, even if short staffed.
It was a really fun resort – whether drunk or not, everyone seemed to be in a fairly good mood.
The Children’s Water Park and Splash Water World were nearly empty every time we visited.
The Cons
The restaurant schedule was just a little off. It seemed like every time we wanted to eat dinner, we’d either have to eat the leftovers at the pool side restaurant or wait for the buffet to open. Lunch at the poolside grill started at noon. I’m still not sure if it was easier to wait for it or dry up everyone and head into the restaurant by the pool. The pool side restaurant was pretty much serving the bottom of the pot by closing time, so it was usually better to wait for the buffet. The schedule was just off for our family. It also seemed like there weren’t enough servers. Additionally, there were times we had to wait in long lines for food (or a pineapple, but that’s another story for a different day).
It was really loud, even late into the night. For the most part, a noise app on my phone was enough to cover up the loud music. Sometimes, it wasn’t enough to cover up the hallway yelling.
The resort is huge. I don’t know if that’s a con for everyone or not. There was a lot of walking involved.
People from both of the Riu Palace resorts next door can use the Riu Santa Fe’s amenities (and attend the parties). It’s a great feature and they’ve paid for it, but this will make the crowded times even more crowded.
The beach is past the protection of El Arco (Land’s End) and accompanying rock formations, making the waves stronger. Yes, you can swim, but it’s really not a swimming area for kids. Heading along the beach toward Cabo San Lucas, you will find calmer waters.
The front of the children’s water park.
What I Would Do Differently
My husband booked this trip. Yes, I just threw him under the bus. Last year, he complained about the money we spent on our spring break trip to Tulum and surrounding areas, so I told him trip planning was up to him. He found a deal he liked and neither of us read ANY reviews on the resort. Usually, I read so many reviews my head starts hurting! Both the good and bad reviews can give a decent idea of a resort and whether or not you think it will be for you.
The Riu Santa Fe wasn’t a bad resort. It was incredibly clean. There were child friendly options for food and activities. It just happens to be a resort that is geared more toward adults who like to party. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I’m an adult who likes to party, but I didn’t want to party while on a family vacation with my kids.
What I would do differently would be to read the reviews before booking. If I return to this area, I’d stay at the Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas. It seems a quieter option and you’re still able to use the amenities of the Riu Santa Fe.
I’d also visit at a different time of the year. We missed whale watching by a few weeks. I also think visiting a different time of year would cut down on some of the craziness and partying. Maybe.
Medano Beach. El Arco is in the distance, though it wasn’t visible from the hotel.
Safety Concerns
We always use a safe when we travel. We keep our important documents, phones, wallets, and purses in it whenever we leave and aren’t taking them. Every time. This helps prevent a lot of problems. I did hear of unconfirmed thefts at the hotel, so make sure you are taking precautions. This is good advice for any travel and any hotel.
Every day, we saw at least one person being wheeled to their room in a wheelchair by the resort staff because they had too much to drink. Remember to hydrate when you’re drinking in the desert. Don’t hesitate to see the doctor, if needed.
A Visit to the Doctor at the Resort
My kids and I got sick while we were on vacation. My daughter presented symptoms first and we decided to see the doctor at the resort. I had sticker shock when the secretary told me it was going to cost $100 USD (doctor visits cost far less outside of tourist destinations). However, it was convenient, the doctor spoke English, and it was similar to visiting a minute clinic in the states. He had the medicine in stock, so we didn’t even have to take an uber to Walmart to buy it. That ease was worth it.
Other Things to Note
Our trip to Cabo wasn’t the best vacation we’ve ever had and it also wasn’t the worst. My husband put it succinctly, “I wasn’t able to relax on vacation.” It didn’t help that the kids and I got sick near the end of the week. That always puts a damper on things. However, we did have a nice time. We took the kids to the Children’s Water Park two or three times, the pool every day, and we got off the resort a couple of times. We spent a lot of time enjoying ourselves outdoors and I always aim for that.
When we compare it to our trip to Playa del Carmen, well, it just wasn’t as good. However, that doesn’t make our Cabo trip a bad one. It was just different!
Have you been to Cabo with kids? Did you have a good experience? What was your favorite resort? Leave a comment!
