Marina Cabo San Lucas
The marina is about 2.4 km away in a straight line, around 8 minutes by car without traffic. RIU places the hotel 4.5 km from the town of Cabo San Lucas.1
Photo of the area: Kirt Edblom, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Hotels · 24-hour all-inclusive family resort with water park
Hotel Riu Santa Fe
El Médano · Zone 3 · 2.4 km in a straight line
- Zone
- Cabo San Lucas
- From the marina
- 2.4 km
- Opened
- 2007
- Rooms
- 1,288
- Swimmable beach
- No
The hotel
Hotel Riu Santa Fe is a 1,288-room, 24-hour all-inclusive resort on El Médano beach in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, with its own water park, Splash Water World. It is about 2.4 km in a straight line from the Cabo San Lucas marina, around 8 minutes by car without traffic, and longer at rush hour. RIU opened it in 2007 as its second hotel in Los Cabos, next to the Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas, and expanded it in 2018 and renovated it in 2022.
The hotel sits directly on the 7-kilometer stretch of El Médano. RIU says this part of the beach is good for long walks and water sports, and that the designated swimming areas are about 2 km away.1
History and curious facts
The story of Hotel Riu Santa Fe
In September 2006 RIU announced the Riu Santa Fe as its 13th resort in Mexico and its second in Los Cabos, to open at the end of 2007 close to the Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas. The company said it would be the largest RIU resort ever built, with more than 900 rooms, and that its architecture would take its style from the city of Santa Fe. The hotel opened its doors in 2007. In 2018, after three months of work, RIU added 288 rooms in three new buildings, the Splash Water World water park, more pools with swim-up bars and new restaurants, which brought the hotel to 1,190 rooms. That same year the Riu Pool Party concept, a party for guests over 18, started at this hotel. In 2022 RIU renovated the property again: guests returned on December 17, 2022, the reopening marked RIU's 25 years in Mexico, and every room except those from the 2018 expansion was refurbished. Today RIU lists 1,288 rooms set in buildings and streets laid out like a Mexican village around a central plaza.
Things you may not know
- When RIU announced it in 2006, the Riu Santa Fe was planned as the largest RIU resort ever built, and its architecture was designed to reflect the city of Santa Fe.2
- The Riu Pool Party, RIU's daytime pool party for adults, was first held at this hotel in 2018; by 2022 it took place four times a week.3
- The 2022 reopening coincided with RIU's 25th anniversary in Mexico.3
- The 2018 expansion took three months and added 288 rooms in three new buildings, plus the Splash Water World water park.4
- RIU lists two environmental credentials for this hotel: the Bandera Azul ecológica award and the Ecostars sustainability certification.1
Around the hotel
What is near Hotel Riu Santa Fe
Getting to the marina
From Hotel Riu Santa Fe to Marina Cabo San Lucas
Hotel Riu Santa Fe is 2.4 km in a straight line from Marina Cabo San Lucas, and the closest boarding dock is Fisherman's Landing. The trip is about 8 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 Santa Fe 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.
- 2.4 km
- in a straight line
- 8 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 Santa Fe
From the Riu Santa Fe the marina is about 2.4 km west in a straight line, around 8 minutes by car without traffic. 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. The hotel is built for families and big groups, so a family snorkel outing in the morning works well, and since the beach in front of the hotel is not the swimming area, the snorkel stop is a good chance to get into the sea. Groups of friends who come for the pool parties often book a birthday or bachelorette yacht, and from December to April a whale watching trip is easy to add to the week.
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 Santa Fe: what guests ask
Can you swim in the sea in front of the Riu Santa Fe?
RIU says the beach in front of the hotel is better for walks and water sports, and the designated swimming areas are about 2 km away.
How far is the Riu Santa Fe from the yacht marina?
About 2.4 km in a straight line, around 8 minutes by car without traffic. It takes longer at rush hour.
How many rooms does the Riu Santa Fe have?
RIU lists 1,288 rooms after the 2018 expansion and the 2022 renovation.
Can a big group from the Riu Santa Fe go out on one yacht?
Yes, depending on the size of the yacht. Tell us how many people you are and we will suggest a boat; our driver takes the group from the hotel to the dock in the marina and back.
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
- RIU, página oficial del hotel
- Hotel Executive, comunicado de RIU (21 sep 2006)
- Hotel Online, comunicado de RIU sobre la renovación (22 dic 2022)
- PAX News, ampliación de 2018 (4 may 2018)
- Comunicado de RIU sobre el Riu Palace (dic 2016)
- Wikipedia, El Arco de Cabo San Lucas
- Caribbean Journal, Riu Pool Party para mayores de 18 (2018)
- TravelPulse, reapertura del 17 dic 2022
- 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 Santa Fe. The hotel's name and information are shown for reference only; photos carry their author's credit and license.