Riu Vallarta - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

9487 reviews

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  Do Not Go to the Riu Vallarta or the Riu Jallisco

  Think twice before you consider going to the Riu Vallarta or Riu Jallisco and then choose another place! My son was harassed and threatened by a local within minutes of arriving at the White Party at Riu Jallisco on Dec 26th, by a local man who was not wearing a wrist band and had a knife clearly visible through his white pants. This man was trying to goad my son into going outside to the parking lot to "settle something". At first my son thought this man had mistaken him for someone else, and even though he told him that he had the wrong person, and that he had just arrived with his sisters and brother, the local did not leave him alone. He followed him around, shoving him and taunting him. When my son asked the bartender to get a manager because this man was threatening him, the bartender did not call anyone, he just spoke to him in Spanish and then put his hands up in defense. Then he brought the man back to the bar for a shot. My son recognized that even the bartender was intimated by this local man, so he and my other children rushed back to the Riu Vallarta where we were staying. The next day when we told the customer service Rep at the Riu Vallarta, she said that it was a security issue on the other hotel's part and their problem. We were offered no apologies, and even though we asked to speak to our hotel manager, no one ever came to speak with us the rest of the week that we were there. The Riu Vallarta has no disco or real night life and they encourage people to go to the Riu Jallisco for after hours. My family never went there again, which definitely put a damper on the trip. We let our Sunwing Rep know what happened but the bottom line is that if my son hadn't been smart enough to sense that this local man was big trouble, who knows what would have happened. And the Riu Vallarta didn't care enough to deal with us. It was very scary for our family and we were very shocked and disappointed with the hotel's attitude.

  Jan 07, 2026
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  Family Christmas Vacation

  The hotel itself was a bit dated, but the waitstaff was excellent. The property was constantly being cleaned, and everyone we encountered was friendly and welcoming. The buffet offered a wide variety of options, so there was something for everyone. We dined at three of the specialty restaurants, and all were very good. The entertainment, however, was just fair. Our room was located over where the entertainment played, and it was very loud every night in our room. Pick your room location carefully. We had two occasions during our stay that required medical attention. The first involved my granddaughter, who developed a double ear infection. A doctor was called to our room, prescribed antibiotics, and charged $200. She was very kind, and the charge seemed reasonable. The staff even followed up several times to check on her condition, which we appreciated. Our disappointment came late in the trip with hotel management. We were traveling as a group of 17, and one member of our party was hospitalized with pneumonia the day before departure. Doctors recommended that he remain in the hospital for five more days. His wife was understandably distraught and unsure of what to do. I asked the front desk if she could remain in her current room for one additional night. They agreed but quoted a price of $680 USD for the night. I expressed that I felt this was excessive. The clerk then offered to check the cost for her to stay one night in our room instead, which was still $611 USD. I was not asking for a free stay—just some compassion and flexibility given the circumstances. When I asked to speak with the manager on duty, I was told there was nothing they could do. Unfortunately, due to how this situation was handled, I would give hotel management an “F” for their lack of empathy in a very difficult situation.

  Jan 06, 2026
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  Lovely!

  Great facility, food choices and customer service! I would give them 5 Stars, except that all their pool decks, including the bar, are a huge hazard: slippery as all get out. Saw two people hit the ground unexpectedly--and they were NOT elders!

  Jan 06, 2026
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  Decent resort but could be better

  I've been taking in Mexican all inclusive resorts once-twice per year for the last 10 years and I want to think there is a baseline for these places but maybe I've lucked out till now. As a resort, the Riu Vallarta was decent. Good food, good people who work there and a fantastic location. In fact I'd take any resort on that beach! However, there were a number of things that left me scratching my head as to how they do things: 1. I spent all 7 days at the pools situating myself at everyone of the pools. I would say in the 7 days, only twice did I have a waiter stop by and take a drink order. Those guys were definitely run off their feet and did a great job but there were not nearly enough of them. 2. The main reason I stay on this beach is for the boogie boarding in the ocean. This place says they offer boogie boards for use, which is true however they only have six to offer for the entire resort. After waiting for long periods of time to get these for my family, I decided to head up the road to Mega and buy our own. Makes no sense why they wouldn't have at least 20 of these. 3. This one bothered my wife more than me but the rooms only had shampoo and no conditioner/body lotion. Even an average hotel would offer more. 4. The games room had two foozeball tables and two pool tables but it was pay to play. I have never stayed in an all inclusive where you had to pay to play. Maybe this is more then norm but like I said any resort I've stayed would have these amenities included. If you are looking for a decent resort with good food and good location then I'd say stay here if the price is right. But if you are looking for a little more from your stay then you may want to consider other spots. If you get this spot for a good price then its definitely a good option.

  Jan 06, 2026
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  Incredible Riu like they always do...

  I had been in several Riu in cental america and those are always good exceptially those one in Puerto Vallarta. The consistency and the quality are always met. Thx for those nice holidays

  Jan 06, 2026