RIU
Hotels & Resorts
Iberostar
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Start Here · Browse the Collections
Compare Every RIU & Iberostar Resort — with My Expert Advice
Every resort. Every room. Every price. Plus something the booking sites can’t offer—a trusted travel advisor who helps you choose wisely, answers your questions, and stays with you from the day you book until you’re safely home.
Hotels & Resorts
Browse every RIU all-inclusive across Mexico & the Caribbean on Apple Vacations.
Iberostar
Browse the full Iberostar collection — Waves, Selection & luxury JOIA — on Apple Vacations.
JOIA
by Iberostar · Luxury Collection
Browse JOIA’s all-suite luxury resorts — elevated dining, premium service and adults-only settings everywhere except JOIA Aruba.
Or Rather have us do the searching? Get a free quote →
RIU vs Iberostar vs JOIA
The 30-Second Comparison
RIU
Family · Adults-Only · Palace
- Best ForFamilies, groups, first-time all-inclusive travelers, strong value
- StyleLively pools, entertainment, an active atmosphere
- DiningLarge variety, live stations, themed nights
- PriceValue to upper-middle
- Who StaysBoth family and adults-only resorts
Iberostar
Waves · Selection · Star Prestige
- Best ForCouples, families, travelers who value landscaping, service and dining
- StyleCalmer atmosphere, beautifully landscaped beachfront
- DiningMore refined specialty dining, coastal emphasis
- PriceMiddle to premium
- Who StaysFamily resorts, plus adults-only options and sections depending on the property
JOIA by Iberostar
Luxury · All-Suite · Butler Service
- Best ForHoneymoons, anniversaries, milestone trips, luxury travelers
- StyleQuieter, upscale luxury
- DiningGourmet-level dining, elevated service
- PriceLuxury
- Who StaysAdults-only — except JOIA Aruba
JOIA Paraíso, Bávaro and Rose Hall are adults-only. JOIA Aruba welcomes children — worth knowing either way.
Shop by Travel Style
Tell Us How You Travel
Adults-Only
RIU adults-only resorts, Iberostar’s premium and adults-oriented options, and the JOIA luxury properties.
Families
RIU family resorts and select water-park properties, plus Iberostar Waves and Selection family options.
Best Value
The RIU and Iberostar resorts where the beach, room, amenities and overall experience deliver particularly strong value.
RIU & Iberostar · The Story
Why RIU & Iberostar Have Become America's Favorite Spanish Resort Brands
For more than 50 years, RIU Hotels & Resorts and Iberostar Hotels & Resorts have quietly built two of the most respected all-inclusive collections in Mexico and the Caribbean. Both companies remain family-owned Spanish hotel groups, bringing European hospitality to some of the finest beaches in the world.
While luxury brands often focus on a small number of exclusive resorts, RIU and Iberostar have perfected something different—consistently delivering beautiful beachfront locations, dependable quality, excellent food, and outstanding value at prices that work for families, couples, honeymooners, and retirees alike.
That balance is why these two brands continue to be among Apple Vacations’ most requested resorts year after year.
At Doylestown Travel, we’ve helped travelers choose between RIU and Iberostar for decades. While both offer exceptional vacations, they are surprisingly different in personality. The right choice depends on your travel style, not simply the lowest price.
Why book RIU & Iberostar
- Family-owned Spanish hospitality. European service standards on some of the finest beaches in the world.
- 50+ years, and it shows. Dependable quality and easy consistency, resort after resort.
- Prime beachfront. Many properties sit on award-winning, Blue Flag sand — location does the heavy lifting.
- Real value. A five-star feel at prices that work for families, couples, and honeymooners alike.
- Dining worth staying in for. RIU’s live-cooking buffets and Iberostar’s fresh, coastal cuisine.
- A fit for everyone. Family-friendly, adults-only, and full-luxury JOIA — all under one trusted name.
Top Picks · Where We Send Travelers Most
Cancun
Easy nonstop flights and turquoise water — a resort for every style.
Riviera Maya
Beachfront jungle, cenotes, and the luxe JOIA Paraíso.
Punta Cana
Famously calm, powdery beaches and huge resort variety.
Jamaica
Waterfalls, seven-mile beaches, and unmistakable island culture.
From Charley · Doylestown Travel
RIU or Iberostar? Here's How I Help Clients Decide
One of the most common questions I hear is:
“Which brand is better?”
The answer is that neither is better—they’re simply different.
Choose RIU if
you enjoy lively pools, entertainment, modern resorts, and exceptional value — it’s often my first recommendation, and families love the energy and water parks.
Choose Iberostar if
you appreciate a quieter atmosphere, beautifully landscaped grounds, excellent service, and some of the strongest buffet dining in the Caribbean.
Couples celebrating anniversaries may appreciate Iberostar’s more relaxed atmosphere or the luxury JOIA collection.
A Real Specialist. Not a Call Center.
When you call, you get me — not a queue. Here’s what that actually means for your booking:
- Decades of booking RIU and Iberostar, going back to 1985
- Firsthand knowledge of the resorts I recommend
- Help choosing the right resort and the right room category
- No separate Doylestown Travel booking fee
- Apple Vacations package pricing, same as booking direct
- Help before you book and while you’re travelling
- Apple Vacations Elite Agency support channels
- Serving travelers from Doylestown, PA since 1985
Because I book both brands every week, I can usually narrow your choices to just two or three resorts that best match your budget, travel dates, and vacation style. That often saves clients hours of comparing resorts online—and helps avoid expensive disappointments.
Charley’s Pick
“The best food I’ve had at any resort, anywhere, is JOIA Bávaro.”
I don’t say that lightly. I’ve eaten at a lot of all-inclusives over the years, and JOIA Bávaro in Punta Cana is the one I still bring up unprompted. It is not buffet food with a nicer tablecloth — it is genuinely gourmet cooking, at a level I would happily pay for at home.
If dining is the part of a vacation you actually care about, that’s where I’d point you first.
Picking the Resort Is Only Half the Decision
The room matters just as much, and it’s where most online bookings go wrong. At a large resort, a garden-view room can sit a very long walk from the sand. Oceanfront, partial-ocean and ocean-view can mean three quite different things depending on the property. Upgraded sections, adults-only areas and premium categories like Star Prestige each change the experience in ways the booking page doesn’t spell out.
Some of those upgrades are worth every dollar. Others really aren’t — and that varies property by property. Telling you which is which, for the specific resort you’re considering, is the part I’m actually here for.
The best part? You still pay the same Apple Vacations price while having an experienced travel advisor available before you book, while you’re planning, and if anything unexpected happens during your vacation.
Talk to a Real Advisor
Not sure which resort? Just ask.
Charley Berry · Doylestown Travel
No booking fees · No obligation
Why Book RIU & Iberostar
The Best Beaches. The Best Buffets.
Two of Apple Vacations’ most-loved all-inclusive brands — a huge range of resorts, on the best sand in Mexico and the Caribbean, with buffets people plan their day around. Here’s the short version.
The Best Buffets, Period.
The Best Beaches in the Caribbean
A Resort for Every Budget
Luxury: JOIA by Iberostar
Good Questions
Planning Made Simple
RIU or Iberostar — which should I choose?
Neither is better; they’re different. RIU is livelier — big pools, entertainment, water parks at select properties, strong value. Iberostar is calmer, with landscaped grounds, refined service and more specialty dining. One quick conversation usually narrows it to two or three specific resorts.
Which is better for families?
Both work. RIU has family Palace properties and select resorts with water parks. Iberostar’s Waves and Selection tiers include family resorts with kids’ clubs and family pools. The right answer depends on the destination, budget and the specific property — that’s what we help you sort out.
Which is better for couples or adults-only?
RIU has dedicated adults-only resorts. Iberostar offers adults-only Star Prestige sections within Selection properties, plus select adults-only resorts. JOIA is the luxury adults-only tier — with the single exception of JOIA Aruba, which welcomes children. Couples celebrating something usually lean Iberostar or JOIA for the quieter atmosphere.
What is JOIA by Iberostar?
JOIA is Iberostar’s luxury all-suite collection — butler service, gourmet dining and premium beachfront locations. JOIA is adults-only, with one exception: JOIA Aruba welcomes children. In Mexico and the Caribbean the collection is JOIA Paraíso, JOIA Bávaro and JOIA Rose Hall (all adults-only), plus JOIA Aruba on Eagle Beach.
Does booking through Doylestown Travel cost more?
No. You pay the same Apple Vacations package price you’d find booking direct. The commission is already built into every package, so there’s no separate Doylestown Travel booking fee — you just get an experienced specialist in your corner at no extra cost.
Can Apple Vacations packages include flights and transfers?
Yes. Packages bundle round-trip airfare, resort accommodation and ground transfers into one price, with departures from PHL, EWR, JFK, ABE, BWI and other Northeast airports. Bundled often prices better than booking separately — and resort-only is available if you’d rather use miles.
What help is available if something goes wrong during travel?
You call me. That’s the point of using an advisor rather than a booking site — you have someone who knows your reservation and can act on it. I work your issue through Apple Vacations Elite Agency service channels, and deal with the resort directly where that’s faster. Before you travel I’ll also flag anything worth sorting out in advance.
Ready When You Are
Let's Find Your Beach
One call and a real specialist starts matching you to the right RIU, Iberostar or JOIA resort — the right beach, the right buffet, the right room — at the same price you’d pay booking direct.
reservations@doylestowntravel.com
Doylestown Travel · Apple Vacations Elite Agency · Serving travelers since 1985 · Privacy Policy
Doylestown Travel is an authorized travel partner working with Apple Vacations and major resort brands including RIU and Iberostar. When you use the Apple Vacations Browse links on this page, our partner code is attached. Doylestown Travel may receive a supplier-paid referral commission at no additional cost to you.