Marina Cabo San Lucas
The marina is about 2.5 km west in a straight line, around 7 minutes by car without traffic. RIU places the hotel 4.5 km from the town of Cabo San Lucas.3
Photo: Shane Smith, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Hotels · 24-hour all-inclusive beach resort
Hotel Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas
El Médano · Zone 3 · 2.5 km in a straight line
- Zone
- Cabo San Lucas
- From the marina
- 2.5 km
- Opened
- 2004
- Rooms
- 692
The hotel
Hotel Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas is a 692-room, 24-hour all-inclusive resort on El Médano beach in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, and the first hotel RIU opened in the city. It is about 2.5 km in a straight line from the Cabo San Lucas marina, around 7 minutes by car without traffic, and more at rush hour. The hotel opened in 2004 and reopened in December 2016 after a 23-million-dollar renovation.
The hotel is on El Médano, a 7-kilometer beach facing the Sea of Cortez with views of the Arch. RIU's page for the Riu Palace calls it a great place to swim, while its page for the neighboring Riu Santa Fe says the designated swimming areas are about 2 km away, so check conditions at the beach before going in.1
History and curious facts
The story of Hotel Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas
RIU Hotels & Resorts, a company founded in Mallorca in 1953 and still owned by the third generation of the founding family, opened the Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas in 2004 as its first hotel in the city. A few years later it built the Riu Santa Fe next door, and the two hotels now share part of the stretch of El Médano along the Camino Viejo a San José. In 2016 RIU closed the Riu Palace for a 23-million-dollar renovation and reopened it in December of that year. The work added 44 junior suites with private pools and eight jacuzzi suites with a whirlpool on the balcony, bringing the total to 692 rooms. The existing hardwood furniture was kept and reupholstered in light fabrics, all bathrooms were redone, and the public areas were redesigned in a contemporary style meant to fit the hotel's colonial Mexican look. The renovation also added an Indian restaurant called Bombay, a 24-hour lounge, a beach club and a second gym next to the beach. The hotel is marketed to families, while some swim-up suites are for adults only.
Things you may not know
- Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas was the first RIU hotel in Cabo San Lucas, opened in 2004.2
- The 2016 renovation cost 23 million dollars and added 44 junior suites with their own private pool.2
- Among the hotel's restaurants are Misaki for Japanese food, San José for Mexican food and Bombay, an Indian restaurant added in 2016.2
- Guests at the Riu Palace can use the Splash Water World water park and the RIU Party events held at the neighboring Hotel Riu Santa Fe.3
Around the hotel
What is near Hotel Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas
Getting to the marina
From Hotel Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas to Marina Cabo San Lucas
Hotel Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas is 2.5 km in a straight line from Marina Cabo San Lucas, and the closest boarding dock is Fisherman's Landing. The trip is about 7 min by car without traffic, according to the route OSRM calculates with OpenStreetMap data. At rush hour the drive takes longer, so give yourself a margin before boarding.
We can book a driver who picks you up at the hotel, takes you to your yacht and brings you back. Hotel Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas is in Zone 3: Cabo San Lucas, Hacienda Encantada, Puerto Los Cabos. The prices below are per vehicle and in USD, and you pay them to the driver on the day, separately from the yacht: the first price in cash, or the second by card on the driver's terminal, which adds a 5% fee.
- 2.5 km
- in a straight line
- 7 min
- by car without traffic
| Vehicle | Guests | One way | Round trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUV | up to 4 | USD 95 cashUSD 100 card | USD 160 cashUSD 168 card |
| Escalade | up to 6 | USD 115 cashUSD 121 card | USD 180 cashUSD 189 card |
| Van (Hiace) | 9 to 11 | USD 95 cashUSD 100 card | USD 160 cashUSD 168 card |
| Sprinter | 19 to 20 | USD 125 cashUSD 132 card | USD 220 cashUSD 231 card |
Boarding docks
Where the yachts board
There is no single dock for every boat. Each yacht boards at its own dock in Marina Cabo San Lucas, and your boarding pass has the exact one with a map link. These are the meeting points and the yachts that use each one:
Your yacht day
A day on a yacht from Hotel Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas
From the Riu Palace the trip to the boats is a short drive west along El Médano; the marina is about 2.5 km away in a straight line. Our driver picks you up at the hotel and drops you at your yacht's dock in the Cabo San Lucas marina; you pay the transfer to the driver, and the price depends on the hotel zone. This is a big family resort, so a family outing with snorkeling fits many guests, and groups celebrating a birthday can take a whole yacht for themselves. Couples staying in the swim-up or jacuzzi suites often choose the sunset cruise and come back for a late dinner at the hotel, and between December and April a whale watching trip is a good option.
Chaparral 28
Up to 10 guests · from $519 for 2 h. See the yacht
Sea Ray 40
Up to 12 guests · from $879 for 2 h. See the yacht
Azimut 45 Flybridge
Up to 12 guests · from $1,249 for 2 h. See the yacht
Sea Ray 55
Up to 15 guests · from $2,129 for 3 h. See the yacht
Pontoon 38
Up to 18 guests · from $869 for 2 h. See the yacht
Charters that fit this hotel
Questions
Hotel Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas: what guests ask
When did the Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas open?
It opened in 2004 and reopened in December 2016 after a 23-million-dollar renovation.
How far is the Riu Palace from the Cabo San Lucas marina?
About 2.5 km in a straight line, around 7 minutes by car without traffic. At rush hour plan on more time.
Is the Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas adults only?
No. It is a family resort, although some swim-up junior suites are reserved for adults.
Can a yacht pick us up on the beach at the Riu Palace?
No. The yachts leave from their docks inside the Cabo San Lucas marina. Book the transfer with us and our driver takes you from the hotel to the dock and back; you pay the driver.
From your hotel to the water
Tell us your hotel and your group. We plan the pickup and the boat.
A written reply within 2 hours, 8 AM to 8 PM Cabo time.
Sources
- Distances: OpenStreetMap/OSRM (straight line from the hotel to the closest boarding dock in the marina; drive time without traffic with OSRM). Hotel location: INEGI DENUE and OpenStreetMap.
- Pickup prices: our price list by zone and vehicle (data/transport.json), paid to the driver.
Private Charters Cabo is an independent company with no affiliation with Hotel Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas. The hotel's name and information are shown for reference only; photos carry their author's credit and license.