Riu Vallarta - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

9399 reviews

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  Great Group Vacation

  We had a great holiday with 10 adults. The food was good and they could always accommodate our group for seating. The service was good at all the restaurants and bars. The nighty entertainment was average. The shows seemed repetitive with a lot of lip-singing. The live music in the court yard was decent.

  Nov 24, 2025
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  Very well managed while 100% occupancy

  We just spent 2 weeks at the RIU Vallarta in Nuevo Vallarta. It is a nice sized resort with about 500 rooms. The room we had was clean and adequate as you would expect. The meals were good to excellent, depending on your personal preferences of course. The biggest reason we would come back here was Veronica, I’m not sure what her official title is I’m guessing it’s Shift Manager. But, she made certain that everything was looked after for us. There were some small issues which needed attention and it’s bound to happen. There was a very minor first aid incident, an issue with the fridge door, and air conditioner issue for about 12 hours. If anyone wants full details please reach out to me. Her title should be Public Relations Queen, and if she leaves this resort, she will certainly be missed. I highly recommend you to book this resort and meet this amazing person.

  Nov 24, 2025
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  We love the Riu Vallarta

  The Rio Vallarta is a great property and we always love our time there. Typical of the 3 Riu locations in Nuevo, the property has one building in a “U” shape with a large courtyard and tables / chairs for the nightly entertainment. The restaurants, and bars are all off of the courtyard at the bottom of the building. Beyond the courtyard are 4 pools, including a swim-up bar, and the beach beyond those. Rooms: The rooms are up to date and have all of the essentials you need in a room - A/C, ceiling fan, mini-bar, coffee maker, and large TV. The bathroom is bright, with walk-in shower only as more hotels seem to be going to. the only complaint is that there are no ventilation fans in the bathroom, so bring toilet spray. TV selection was standard fare for most Mexican properties with only a couple of English speaking channels. The balcony's 2 chairs and table are perfect for the size. 

Food & Beverage:
The Buffet restaurant always has good food selection and very good quality. As with any resort, it is the busiest food area. We and most others we spoke to said, there was always something to be found in the buffet to eat. There are no beverage servers around the pools, so if you don't like the idea of self-serve drinks, don't go. The swim-up bar and walk-up bar always have lots of staff though so wait times are very short at each. There are also a couple roaming beverage carts each day around the pools if you don't feel like walking. Smoking: Smoking was only allowed in a couple designated areas of the property which even as smokers, we applauded. As with everywhere, some smokers didn't adhere to the rules, but for the most part, they were few and far between. 
Staff: 
Every single staff member we encountered was top notch. Some standouts that we hope the Riu will recognize with this review..... Management - Recently promoted from Assistant Manager to General Manager, Rebeca Abad González continues to be a non-stop presence from morning to night making sure everything was perfect. The staff that we spoke to were all very happy with this development and extremely supportive of her new role. Veronica, who is in charge of PR for the property, was always around asking if there was anything they could do better and would follow up with anything that was brought to her attention. Regional Manager Allan, is a warm, and charismatic gentleman who we can't say enough about. Also recently promoted, he will be outstanding in this role for both the guests and the chain. He takes the time to listen and make every guest feel as though they are the only ones in the hotel. 
Front Desk - Cynthia M. on the front desk was as always, wonderful. amazing. She is an amazing representative for arriving guests and really sets the tone for a great experience. We can’t say enough about Cynthia. Additionally, Nayeli the concierge, is always quick with a smile and eager to help with whatever needed. She always remembers us with a genuine warm welcome. Marco Polo one of the Bellmen, is just a delight anytime you walk by, offering a smile, handshake, a joke, and ready to offer assistance every time - wonderful gentleman. Pool / Courtyard Bartenders, and Cart Servers - Paula, Vanessa, Hektor, Tony, Mario, Abel and Juan. Also, Hugo serving the cabanas on the beach was great. Lobby bartenders - Teresa, Eduardo, Maria Restaurants - 

Rosy, Blanca, Carla, Diego and Kenia are all fantastic as a supervisors Bruno and Randy. All Fantastic people. Frieda on the entertainment staff was always upbeat and bubbly, a ray of sunshine every day. As always, there were a few rude people that always felt the need to put their portable speakers out forcing others around them to listen to their music. The lifeguards were usually good about telling them to turn it off completely when they did a walk around. Folks, don’t be self-centred jerks. 
 Finally, remember to tip the incredible staff. To ALL of the staff at the Riu Vallarta we are lucky enough to call friends, thank you.

  Nov 23, 2025
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  Fantastic stay!

  Fantastic for families! All amenities within close, walking distance, everything stroller or wheelchair accessible. Great stuff, great service love having the RIU app to tell us what’s going on and to request minibar refill, cleaning, anything. All of us agreed that we plan to stay with RIU in the future because it’s so well structured. Thanks for an amazing time!

  Nov 22, 2025
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  Great place to bring your family.

  Stayed with adult children and grandchildren. Good services for all. Staff are great, pools for different types of use, restaurants were good and the buffet had something for everyone.

  Nov 21, 2025