Riu Palace Costa Rica - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

10661 reviews

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  Beautiful Resort, But a Disappointing and Stressful Wedding Experience

  RIU Guanacaste is a beautiful resort on the surface, but my experience — especially as a bride planning a destination wedding — was extremely disappointing. After being asked to arrive two days early to finalize wedding details, the planner I had been working with was unavailable, and I was largely ignored by staff. I received conflicting information before my arrival (such as being told I could bring extra decorations or make changes to the wedding package), only to be told the opposite once I got there. No one had contacted me to go over final details by the morning of the wedding, which caused unnecessary stress on a day that should have been joyful. The onsite coordinator, Jordi, even threatened multiple times to cancel our wedding, despite the thousands we had spent and the group of guests we brought with us. On top of the wedding issues, the rooms themselves need serious attention. While the grounds and views are gorgeous, the rooms felt damp and musty. I returned home with all of my clothes smelling like mildew, which was really disappointing after what was supposed to be a celebratory trip. I wouldn’t recommend RIU Guanacaste for a destination wedding. The setting may be beautiful, but the lack of professionalism, poor communication, and room quality make it hard to justify.

  Aug 11, 2025
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  Extremely Disappointing Stay – Avoid if Possible

  This was one of the worst all-inclusive hotel experiences we’ve ever had. Despite being advertised as a brand-new resort, everything felt old, worn down, and poorly maintained. Our room had a strong, unpleasant odor and showed significant signs of wear and tear. The food was another major letdown — bland, repetitive, and of very poor quality. There were no specialty dining options available, and the main restaurant was chaotic. The staff appeared disinterested and untrained; service was slow and inattentive. One of the key amenities, the water park, was located at a completely different property. Getting there involved a long walk — nearly a mile — and required crossing another hotel. Incredibly, no towels were provided at the water park, so we had to carry everything ourselves. Overall, this hotel fell far below expectations and did not meet the basic standards of an all-inclusive resort. I strongly recommend looking elsewhere

  Jul 31, 2025
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  Not good for families

  If you have a family with kids look elsewhere. This resort is a joke for families. There is nothing family friendly to do besides the pool. After dinner, if you can even get a seat, all activities are catered to adults. Save your money and go elsewhere. So disappointed. The front staff even agreed that it isn’t family friendly and catered more towards adults. Also the rooms don’t look like the photos

  Jul 26, 2025
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  I think that the total resort is too big and the food that they serve is not that good tasting. I do not recommend this resort.

  Jul 23, 2025
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  Great for solos

  I really enjoyed this hotel as a solo female traveler I was put in a lovely room that was spacious and great views I’m a vegetarian and I had some great meals in the buffet room I didn’t used the specialized restaurants as I was on my own The weather was not that great but I managed a little boat trip that I booked through the hotel The pool area was nice but it did worry me that people drank all day at the pool bar and you never saw them leave the pool to use the bathroom Hope the pool cleaners have good cleaning fluid 😀 Well done to Rui and the staff for keeping the grounds pretty

  Jul 18, 2025