Riu Guanacaste - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

10862 reviews

• 

  Very clean resort with Horrible food

  The entire staff at RIU Costa Rica needs an overhaul and revamp. Unfortunately, the staff was not pleasant, welcoming, or particularly helpful. The check-in process was also not very informative. We had to learn from other guests that we could go to the stage area to speak with excursion companies. This would have been great information to receive during check-in, especially for guests visiting the area for the first time. The food was horrible, and many of the employees seemed as though they simply did not want to be there. We have stayed at other RIU properties in Jamaica and had a wonderful experience, so the difference in hospitality was very noticeable. RIU Jamaica’s management team may need to visit Costa Rica and provide some training on hospitality and customer service. On a positive note, the resort grounds were very clean, as was our room. My only complaint regarding the room was the foul odor coming from the toilet. The smell was noticeable whenever the toilet was flushed and even when simply walking into the bathroom. We had to keep the bathroom door closed because of the odor. It smelled as though sewer water was being used to flush the toilet. Overall, the cleanliness of the property was appreciated, but the hospitality, food quality, and overall guest experience need significant improvement.

  Sep 13, 2026
• 

  Our Costa Rican 🇨🇷 adventure

  Just returned from a 2 week stay. Lovely hotel. Very large. Great for families and couples, I saw big groups too. Choices of pools and food were great too. Right on the beach. Monkeys are on both sides as you walk down from the hotel. Stick to the trees to walk and find them… if you go along on the beach you’ll miss them. Also the sand is very hot and the tiles around the pool area too. Slippery when wet. Local sellers on the beach, a simple no thanks and they’re on their way. Steak house is the only place to eat that needs a reservation. It was nice but very dark. The main buffet had lots of choices, something for everyone at breakfast, lunch and dinner! It was rather warm in there though. Great service from the staff. The smaller buffet that also doubled up as the Italian restaurant was lovely and cool and we hit that most mornings for breakfast when it was open because it was a shorter walk from our room. The Italian restaurant had great food too and the better pizzas. Be sure to arrive at opening times if you wish to have arancini balls. They only put one lot out which was unfortunate. Didn’t try the Mexican because there’s always that option in the main buffet at lunch. The Asian restaurant was nice, lots of choice I liked it but my partner not so much. Didn’t use the American. The little snack bars at the pools had a good selection of burgers, hotdogs chicken, fries etc. Tacos 🌮 were great! Unfortunately the only sweet treats available at the smaller pool. Milkshakes, ice creams, cookies and muffins. There’s no waiting service around the pools or the bars but they’re quick to get rid of the crowds. Tamarindo bar is lovely and cool the outdoor entertainment area has two bars. Entertainment was ok usual AI shows and music etc. Room was very large( could sleep 6)and very clean. Mini bar was average but added bonus of the optics. Drinks only filled up every two days. We needed more water one day so I just went to reception to get more. Bed was comfortable, the pillows were ok but I’m used to my feather pillows at home. Shower lacks power but it did the trick. Staff were friendly and helpful, always working and smiling. Grounds were well kept. Wildlife was one of the reasons for visiting, and it didn’t disappoint… lots of birds. Monkey Iguanas Hummingbirds Raccoons Fish are visible in the sea when it’s not so rough. Even saw rays jumping out the water We used the hotels water taxi to coco beach which was reasonably priced at $30 pp return trip. We used a local tour company for our rainforest and waterfall excursion. We found him on the beach. His name was Erick. I’ll do a separate review for that. We went to the pacha nightclub one night that was a great night. Busy and met some great people… We also used the free shuttle to the diamante eco park next door but booked with the nexus lady in the hotel. Which was cheaper but note lunch isn’t included with their offer. It was a great day and I’ll also do a separate review. I would definitely return to Costa Rica and this hotel.

  Sep 13, 2026
• 

  Wonderful Hotel

  I just left the hotel today, and I honestly couldn’t be happier with our stay! My friend and I stayed for 5 days, and the experience was phenomenal from beginning to end. I’ve stayed at more than 11 Riu hotels, so I have quite a few experiences to compare. I also just recently stayed at Riu Latino in Mexico, Riu Plaza Victoria in London and Riu Times Square NY and all were amazing and Guanacaste which was wonderful, and I can honestly say this Riu did not disappoint either. Every property has its own strengths, we had such a great experience here in Costa Rica. We stayed in Room 4030, which we loved because it was conveniently located close to the restaurants and pretty much everything we needed. We worked out every morning, so having a great gym was definitely a plus. The American Bar was also one of our favorite spots for iced coffee and our morning coffee. We especially loved the pool in the newer section. It was quieter, more relaxing, and had fewer kids, which was perfect for us. 😊 Our room was spotlessly clean every single day, and the entire property was beautifully maintained. The grounds were so nice, green, and well cared for. The food was great, with plenty of variety. The juices were also delicious! I can’t comment on the alcoholic drinks because we don’t drink, but honestly, I don’t understand the complaints about the food. There was so much to choose from, and we always found something we enjoyed. And if you’re staying here, PLEASE don’t leave Costa Rica without doing white-water rafting! It was unforgettable and definitely one of the highlights of our trip. 🌴🌊 Overall, we had an amazing stay and would absolutely come back. Thank you to the entire staff for making our vacation so enjoyable! Another wonderful Riu experience added to the list. ❤️

  Sep 05, 2026
• 

  several simple corrections / should be easy fix

  Hold on with some of the resent reviews I can understand some of the bad reviews. We almost canceled but glad we did not. So is this a 5 star ? no probably not but what are you comparing it with ?. Each country has some different takes and approaches. So first of all there is NO pool service/ no room service and no beach service those are some big changes for some. The message and sauna building is closed do to renovations but are working outside only. The staff is switching weeks off with the staff from the Riu Palace since they are completely renovating next door. You can tell the difference as the Plaza folks have a higher performance of service. The food at the Papagayo was terrible the first day(very messy no service) so we never returned. The food at the Liberia buffet was much better. The service was different each time maybe someone would come to your table once or maybe 4 or 5 time . The food was better than average. Seafood was very limited some fish and shrimp 1 time. The pool bars at time were very hard to get service but the American bar was always fast. The other lobby bar Tamarindo was great. Rooms were very nice and always clean. My biggest complaint was the pool areas. They close at 1800 and open at 0800 in the mornings. Every single day food and drink cups we never picked until 1000 or later. The pool area was very dirty. Inside the pools they were cleaned from 0600 to 0800. But there was so much dirt around. This is a management issue and should be a simple fix. These areas should be hosed down and cleaned before pool opens. later in the day people are collecting cups and keeping it clean. Managers fix this !! properly staff pool cleaning in the night or early mornings . we have stayed any multiple RIU locations in various countries.

  Sep 05, 2026
• 

  3 star. Only because it’s renovated.

  My husband and I visited this resort for our 20th wedding anniversary. The hotel is beautiful and the rooms are newly renovated and lovely. With the exception of the black mold in the shower. The staff were for the most part very friendly and the grounds kept beautiful. Your room fridge is stocked every second day. Plenty of restaurants, but only one à la cart and it was terrible. All the others are buffet and the best one was the Asian. At the steakhouse we were rushed through. Served undercooked steak and soggy salad with hard dry mozzarella sticks. Wine wasn’t served until half way through the meal and the dessert was dry and tasteless. The food in the buffets was not great. Lots of variety. But lacking flavour and proper identification of sauces and dressings. The drinks were ok. The tamarino bar was amazing, and it had the better drinks. The evening violin music played here in was great. The pools were dirty and cloudy by the afternoon. Pool bars had great service, but only if you were Spanish speaking. The pool chairs were plentiful, but dirty with bird poop and dirt. The beach was not great. There is not an adults only pool. Most pools have many children if that’s what your there for. The pool deck is very, very slippery. We witnessed many people fall. Down the beach a bit we could see monkeys which was one of the highlights of the trip. Plenty of excursions to do. We did a boat cruise with snorkelling. Don’t go if you really want to see anything snorkelling, because it was about 30 mins of rocks and old coral. The cruise itself was well done as was the service on the cruise. Excursion to hot springs was lovely, although if you want traditional hot springs you will be disappointed. These ones are chlorinated. Souvenirs are very overpriced. 46$US for a bottle of sunscreen. So bring lots of it. Overall, I won’t visit this resort again. The beach is dirty with dead crabs everywhere in the morning that starts to smell by afternoon. I’ve stayed at many nicer resorts. This one just doesn’t have it.

  Sep 01, 2026