After reading many negative reviews we still decided to take a week's vacation at the Riu in Mazatlan in November 2009.

I have had trouble deciding what was making me feel disenchanted about our vacation - I could not really put my finger on one thing until I started talking about it ---- the food, the food, the food!!!

Although the hotel is rated 5 star - which it truly is in its artichecture and maintenance - there is ALWAYS someone cleaning somewhere!

But the food is definitely 1 star. EVERYTHING you drink is like liquified plastic...fruit juices...never fresh - only the powered stuff mixed with water. I guarantee that the white wine is powdered too...a glass of wine came to our table with froth and a hazy colouring and it tasted awful. The red wine on the other had was a tad better tasting and a crisper look to it.

Oh my goodness...the coffee!!! was pure disgust in a cup! After the breakfast coffee was served your only option for the remainder of the day was to get coffee out of the coffee machine...tasted like bird poop! ---milk was powered stuff - dispensed out of the machine too...at times only lightly coloured white water. It really was a sad story - that coffee machine!

The dessert table looked spectacular...cheese cakes...chocolote mousse cakes, creme brule and a host of other wonderful looking stuff...UNTIL YOU ATE IT...it was once again like liquid plastic...fake cheese cake, pudding chocolate, non-descript creme brule (what the heck is this taste!) and oh my goodness the cookies - tasted like a cardboard box that had been left in water and liquified ughhh it was horrible!

What a huge disappointment this vacation was and how the Riu is mass producing food by using powdered instead of real ingredients.

Riu Company - I only wish that you could read this -or at least offer a contact on your website where one could pass on valid concerns and perhaps take note and better the quality of your hotels which might better the value of your hotel chain ...(or not) -- or just choose to operate in such an arrogant manner and not take heed to your visitors feedback...