Riu Guanacaste

We read some negative reviews, but decided to give it a try anyway because of the reasonable price. For us, it was about $600 less than other all-inclusive options. We are so glad that we did. We went with realistic expectations, and some coping strategies, and had a great time. Our room was clean and comfortable. The staff was pleasant, hard-working, and polite. They made a real effort to make sure that we had a good experience. It was our anniversary and when we arrived they had left a fruit basket, balloons, flower petals, and sheets made into doves in our room.They called on the morning after we arrived to make sure that everything was okay. We had a problem with the toilet one evening. They came right up and fixed it, then called the next morning to make sure that it was still working properly. We had read that they had a tendency to run out of beach towels, we didn't find that to be the case, but we had brought our own towels just in case. We were always able to find beach chairs in the shade both around the pool and on the beach. The beach in front of Riu Guanacaste is rocky and the sand is coarse. It was difficult to get in and out of the water. (Be sure to bring good beach shoes!) But the beach in front of Riu Palace, which is 5 minutes down the beach, is smooth with softer sand. We just walked down there when we wanted to go in the ocean. Another complaint we read is that they don't bring you drinks on the beach. We brought reusable water bottles, and took water to the beach with us. If we had wanted alcoholic beverages on the beach, we could have easily have taken them down with us. There was plenty of soda and alcohol in our room, and there were bars around the pool. One of the highlights of our trip was the monkeys! There is a spot about a 15 minute walk down the beach, on the way to the Monkey Bar, where you can feed the monkeys. They come down from the trees and take food right out of your hand. The food was great. There were so many choices. We really enjoyed the fresh fruits and vegetables and the many seafood choices. They don't take reservations at the specialty restaurants. We went about 15 minutes early and stood in line. No big deal. We were very pleased with the organization, speed, and ease of using the group transportation to and from the airport. The Amstar staff was pleasant and helpful. We would definitely recommend this resort.

Amazing pool and service. Super friendly, helpful staff!! More food options would be good. Would definitely go back!!

Resort was clean and people friendly. We had no alarm/radio clock. TV was in their language only (Spanish) except for CNN and FOX News. There was no coffee maker in room, no room service. Staff had a hard time bringing right number of towels to room while cleaning every day. Did not understand English sometimes for these items---hand towels and wash cloths. Did not see anything while on the Arenal Tour of the Rain forest---monkeys and birds--0. Food was good. The Italian Restaurant had us wait an hour to get served our meal. It was almost 8:00 pm before getting dinner. Buffet was great. Wife and daughter did not like the Asian Restaurant. Beach was cluttered with small sharp stones and black sand. We used the swimming pool which was good instead. Did not know that April is our August and the hottest month of the year there. We tried to make the best of everything regardless oft he 95 degree heat. Most oft he events were outside without AC including the nightly shows so it was very hot. Very little AC if any in the indoor Buffet and other Restaurants. I doubt if there was. As a rule the trip wasn't as advertised so we will not be returning to Costa Rica and would not recommend going there to others. Sorry. Bed was hard as a Rock.

My college roommates and I recently returned from our Costa Rican vacation, a wonderful experience made possible by the Riu Guanacaste. Upon arrival, we were upgraded to a larger room. The staff claimed two double beds were not large enough for three people, and after seeing them...I'd have to agree. We were very appreciative of the upgrade! The food was better than I had anticipated after some of the reviews I had read. Lots of options and very accommodating to different appetites. My only suggestion would be to not frequent the steakhouse as a vegetarian (though some may say that seems rather obvious). The seating times for dinner can be frustrating, because we often felt we were making the choice of watching the sunset or shuffling off to make the list for one of the dinner restaurants. The staff and everyone we came in contact with were super friendly and eager to assist in making your stay wonderful in any way they could! There were several times I heard staff say "This is your vacation, you don't do any worrying. You leave the worry up to us." Scuba Caribe, the water sports company paired with the resort, has wonderful staff as well! Happy to answer any questions, time and time again! And wonderful assistance and tour guides when we went out snorkeling. Some things I will reiterate from other reviews which I found beneficial: -the sand during the day is hot, hot, HOT! Wear shoes!!! -the beach is somewhat rocky, but is easy to adjust to (or if you walk down just a little bit, it's no longer rocky) -the photographers do not leave you alone...be prepared to say no thankyou multiple times and in multiple ways -use the shuttle to visit nearby Playas del Coco...it's worth it! -don't request a jungle facing room unless you are prepared to hear howler monkeys at 5 in the morning (I personally thought it was awesome and could not get enough of it! ...but definitely prepare yourself to hear them!!) -bring an insulated bottle to keep drinks cold -don't convert all of your trip money to colones, USD is widely accepted (even in Coco)