Riu Guanacaste - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

10729 reviews

• 

  Perfect weather, nice resort.

  We’re halfway through our stay in Guanacaste and truly feeling grateful to be here. Overall, it’s been a really nice experience with a mix of highlights and a few things that just weren’t our personal preference. The weather is perfect! The drive from the airport was easy enough, about hour with the traffic. We booked an Amstar private transfer for four, about $300 round trip, which was comfortable. When we arrived at the resort, our first reaction was wow! The property is absolutely beautiful, lush grounds, spotless, and everything looks very well cared for. It’s clear a lot of pride goes into maintaining the resort. Before arriving, we emailed with a room request and also asked about bringing donations (school supplies, etc.). Communication felt a little mixed but once we arrived, everything eventually worked out and we were ultimately happy with our room location. We have two rooms for our family (our kids are 22 and 13), and being close together was important to us. The pools are gorgeous, and we personally enjoy the older section of the resort, it feels a bit calmer and more our style. The newer section would be great for families with younger kids, though. The beach is different from what we’re used to. If you love calm, turquoise Caribbean water, this may feel like an adjustment. The sand is darker and the water can be choppy with waves. That said, if you walk to the right side of the beach, it’s calmer, and I was still able to enjoy floating but not in front of the hotel. We also did a snorkeling excursion with Frank the Tank, which was fantastic and gave us that crystal-clear water experience. The rooms are on the smaller, simpler side, which was totally fine for us, though there is a bit of a musty water smell in the bathroom, nothing major, just noticeable. Ladies, THERE IS NO CONDITIONER! As a mom with 2 daughters, for us this is a nightmare! Apparently there is a store somewhere on this property, but once we found it it was closed. They must close very early. Going to try again this morning.  For an all-inclusive, we found the food to be good, and there are plenty of options. Service can be a little more relaxed and self-serve than what some people may expect, especially at breakfast, they bring you a coffee pot but no cups lol and around the pool there is water tank but no cups, but once we got the hang of it, it became easier to navigate. They do run out of plates too at the lunch by the pool which makes self service impossible. We went to the Asian restaurant which was just a buffet. No service at all which was disappointing. A quick note for anyone who cares about drinks: during the day at the pool bars, the alcohol selection is more basic off brand. In the evenings, we noticed the theater bar had some nicer options, which was a pleasant surprise. The nightclub was fun, but the alcohol there is also more basic, so grabbing a drink beforehand might be a good idea if that matters to you. All in all, we’re very happy we came and appreciate the experience. It’s a beautiful, clean, well-maintained resort, and we’ve made great memories here. While it may not be a perfect fit for us to return mainly due to the beach style we’re grateful for the time here and can absolutely see why many people love this place.

  Jan 23, 2026
• 

  Worse family vacation ever

  Our family trip this year was the worse, thanks to the look off attention of the people at front desk. No costumer services. We did plan this trip since January 2025, 30 members of my family and the only thing we wanted was to be in rooms close by, the way they clean the rooms wasn't the best, plus that never leaves washcloths even we ask for. Only 4 of them guys was pleaseant. And was the guys from the bar near to the kids pool, Kudos to them. Our family Christmas was just not the best thanks to them service. Every year we try a new all inclusive and for sure this was the WORSE. Oh the drinks was counterfeit.

  Jan 21, 2026
• 

  terrible trip

  BEWARE OF THEFT!! My family of 15 travelled to this hotel December 1st 2025, my parents reported to the desk the safe was not working properly, wouldn’t even open. The desk did nothing about it so the next morning the room got cleaned and their passports got stolen and they won’t do anything about it. So me and my parents lost 2 whole days of vacation because this resort won’t do anything about it.

  Jan 21, 2026
• 

  Resort was nice, food and pool side service 💩

  Hotel was clean and was apparently renovated this spring. Pools are nice, beach isn't great. Food is mediocre and there isn't really pool side service. Today was day 8 and it was the 1st day we saw a server going around the pool with a cart.

  Jan 20, 2026
• 

  Brand new!

  The resort was just completely renovated. Everything is new and looks amazing, not like ordinary RIU, but like a luxury resort. Beautiful interior accents, modern furniture, pleasant rooms. Food is typical for RIU, plenty of fruits, good coffee. Even some expensive alcohol drinks, such Chivas and branded Irish Cream. Beach is volcanic, not my favorite. Very beautiful surroundings, nice walk paths. Absolutely worth every penny! Great job Riu!

  Jan 20, 2026