Riu Palace Costa Rica - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

10657 reviews

• 

  We had a positive experience.

  A week before our family trip we read a lot of reviews about this resort and were honestly about to cancel the trip. I’m glad we didn’t! The room was a little dated but we didn’t care because we only changed clothes and slept there. The A/C people complained about did great, even a little too cold at times. Staff were extremely nice and happy to serve you in any way. The restaurants were a little weird because you had to be there early or you may not get a seat. At that point, they essentially close the doors. We really enjoyed eating at the buffet anyways because of the food choices including International Night. The construction was on the other side of the resort so we didn’t get the dust and noise that many complained about. However, I can see how that would be a problem if you were directly across from it. The kids water park was awesome, nobody was really there so you didn’t have to wait for each slide. The beach vendors were a little annoying but very sociable and only trying to make a living. They were never disrespectful so I didn’t really mind them. Overall, The food was great, but not spectacular. The room did just what it needed to do, and the staff were great. I would return back!

  Jun 22, 2025
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  Worst Trip of my life

  I stayed at a Hotel Riu Guanacaste from May 14th 2025 – May 19th 2025 and unfortunately, the experience was deeply disappointing. Upon arrival, I was placed on a floor far from my friends, and only after I raised safety concerns and being told no room was near my friends. After begging them to please see about some type of accommodation as I was a female traveling alone in a different country and suddenly a room was available right next to my friend and I was moved closer—suggesting they could’ve accommodated me all along but simply didn’t bother. One of our group members found bed bugs in her room—something the staff didn’t even flinch at. No apology, no urgency—they just moved her to another room, nowhere near the rest of us. The restaurants were consistently overbooked. The buffet was full of flies, the food was lukewarm at best, and hygiene seemed like an afterthought. One night, a friend bit into something she thought was glass. Staff later claimed it was salt, but instead of showing concern, they were dismissive and defensive. At a resort of this price point, that kind of response is unacceptable. My own experience with the room was absurd. On the first night alone, I was locked out and had to walk all the way to the lobby—three separate times in the dark—before anyone came to “fix” the door. This problem continued for three nights in a row. Because staff couldn’t access my room either, it was only cleaned once during my entire stay. I tried requesting pillows and clean towels via the RIU app, which would mark them as “delivered”—but nothing ever came. You couldn’t even use the room phone to call the front desk unless you already had the number, which wasn’t provided anywhere. When I finally got a Wi-Fi access code from the front desk, it didn’t work either. The second morning, the hot water stopped working completely. No warning, no explanation—just dozens of guests realizing they were out of luck. The same went for the resort’s so-called “white party”—canceled with zero notice. Guests got dressed up and showed up, only to be met with… nothing. It was just quietly scrapped like it never existed. The spa was another mess. Services were oversold and poorly managed, with appointments being shuffled or outright dropped. The staff there, like much of the resort, felt robotic and indifferent—like they were just going through the motions. The beach, while beautiful, wasn’t relaxing. You’re immediately swarmed by aggressive vendors the moment you step onto the sand. I understand locals trying to make a living, but the hotel makes no effort to manage the experience for guests. Worst of all, I contracted E. coli on my last night at the resort. I was violently sick for weeks after returning home, requiring two doctor visits and ongoing treatment. Getting food poisoning is one thing—contracting a serious bacterial infection due to unsanitary conditions is another level of failure entirely. For a resort brand that markets itself as all-inclusive luxury, the RIU delivered very little in terms of hospitality, service, or even basic health standards. I’ve stayed at many resorts over the years, and this was by far the worst. I won’t be returning—and I would strongly caution others to think twice.

  Jun 04, 2025
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  DO NOT STAY HERE

  The room was dated. The bathroom was disgusting, the hotel lobby was loud, felt like cattle, the bar was all bottom shelf and pre-made frozen drinks, the restaurants were buffets that were loud and picked through. A staff member was coughing on the fruit they were cutting up. One crappy plastic chair on the balcony. Dirty, loud, and smelled like a sewer. booked this for a Christmas holiday. Spent a lot of $. Asked to leave after we saw our room. It was 5 pm by the time we got to our room, and it was too late to check out and find a new hotel. The front desk said we could check out in the morning for a full refund. I had to email the corp. office, the hotel, and finally, I got the credit 90 days later when I filed a complaint with the credit card company. RIU never refunded the $. Horrible in every single way. My son was offered drugs on "their beach". When I complained, they said, "Ugh, that's what happens as it's a public beach.

  May 29, 2025
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  Warning. Construction going on

  We were assigned room 1016. Unfortunately we looked out what was suppose to be garden suite except they did not mention the construction going on next door at their sister resort? The noise started at 6:30 am. That included the dusts Had to cover my nose and mouth to go to the spa. The food was okay. Only had one problem with a restaurant that we waited for over an hour for our food and we left early tired of waiting for desserts

  May 25, 2025
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  Not 5 stars, would not go again

  Went for a wedding. The place is extremely outdated. The room was EXTREMELY musty and smelly. I came home with my clothes and suitcase covered in the smell. There is nothing near the hotel. Any life is at least 25 min away. The excursion and leaving the hotel was the best part. Alcohol options are terrible. Food was absolutely awful. They attempt to cater to Americans and very poorly. A lot of buffet style food sitting out in the heat with flies flying around. Multiple people were sick. The staff was friendly but the hotel is NOT 5 star hotel in any way shape or form.

  May 23, 2025