Riu Palace Costa Rica - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

10479 reviews

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  An Amazing Experience in Costa Rica

  We have just returned from a 2 week stay at Riu Guanacaste and had a fantastic holiday. The hotel at the moment is a Colonial style which adds to its character although it is due to close for approx. 6 months for refurbishment in April. Our room was in the original hotel which overlooked the forest and was spotlessly clean, the cleaners work very hard and we had no smell from our toilet as someone before mentioned. The mini bar in the rooms are stocked alternate days. Some mornings we pulled back the curtains and could and hear the howler monkeys and watch the colourful birds chirping. The gardens are immaculate with colourful flowers and shrubs. The smokers/vapers have their own areas to smoke which makes it more pleasant for non-smokers. The towels are new and fluffy and can be changed when necessary to use on the sunbeds at the pool or the beach. Turn left at the seafront at the hotel and walk until you see a notice say 'Monkey Bar' and about 10 metres into the forest you will see Capuchin monkeys playing most mornings about 8am. We preferred the beach, no umbrellas but trees for shade or plenty of beds in the sun. On the beach a water taxi takes people to Coco beach, bars and shops, a 20 minute ride and return for 27 dollars... a fun ride. Also there are traders on the beach, their prices are very reasonable. I bought a dress for $20 a lot cheaper than Coco town. Turn left at the seafront at the hotel and walk until you see a notice say 'Monkey Bar' and about 10 metres in you will see Capuchin monkey playing most mornings about 8am. There are 4 restaurants on a 1st come 1st served basis then a buzzer system, or the buffet. We mainly used the buffet but did try the Steakhouse once which served a lovely steak etc. The buffet has so much choice to cater for every need, although some dishes were not labelled. A big thank you to Robinson in the buffet. He is very attentive making sure you are topped up with water and wine also coffee at breakfast. The coffee as you would expect in Costa Rica is amazing. The entertainment goes on all day, with exercises in the pool, bingo, games, childrens entertainment to start the evening then a themed entertainment for adults. We enjoyed the saxophonist, guitarist, violinist in the Filadelphia bar which happened between 7pm-8pm every evening. We are looking forward to see what the refurbishment brings.

  Feb 20, 2025
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  One night at the Guanacaste for flight delay & 7 at the Palace

  We were moved by Sunwing when our flight was delayed. The hotel was adorable. I didn't see much because we left early but it was very cute in the lobby and room. Very clean too. The Palace was amazing. The staff tireless and warm. Food excellent. Hotel spotless. Service impeccable. ten stars!

  Feb 20, 2025
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  RIU COSTA RICA

  Everything was pretty nice, except we had money stolen out of our room safe. No hallway cameras or electronic door key, so no way to track anyone in/out of the room.

  Feb 20, 2025
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  Not a great place to stay.

  The service was descent. The new building was nice. The food was the worst we’ve ever encountered. To top that, dinners at all but 2 restaurants required an hour wait only to get more sub-par food. They only allow their own taxis on the property so book a day or 2 ahead. The closest town was 30 minutes so plan on 150-250 +tip for any group travel. A 5 minute walk to guard gate to meet your taxi that we ended up buying from a guy on the beach. When I say the food was bad… We dined off property all but 3 days. Breakfast was just as bad unless you just like fruit and eggs. If you do nothing else, look at this place on a map based on where near towns are and then make your decision. A little icing on the cake when we were dropping our cards off to check out there was no thank you or have a good day. How was your trip? Just handed a ticket to our shuttle.. 🤷🏽‍♂️ They don’t have room service either.

  Feb 19, 2025
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  It was okay.

  The service from all of the staff was great. Any issue we had was dealt with immediately. Our maid was great cleaning our room. The room was a nice room and had a nice balcony. The only problem was we paid for an ocean view room but there were palm trees blocking the view. We had asked when we checked into the room, if there was an ocean view. We were assured it had an ocean view. The person was adamant it had an ocean view. The mini bar in the room was not stocked with the products that we had requested. I tried a few times to request certain products at their online app and it was ignored. Both pool areas were great. The newer part had a better swim up bar. The food was good at everywhere we went to eat.

  Feb 19, 2025