Riu Guanacaste - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

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  **Riu Guanacaste - March 2025** - we would go back!

  Our first trip to Costa Rica, and it was absolutely our favorite destination yet! We (group of 11 with 5 kids ranging from 3-8yo) booked through an agent who arranged a fantastic group deal. The airport transfer was smooth, and it took about an hour to reach the resort. The resort itself was beautiful and well-maintained. We had requested to stay in the renovated section, but we’re so glad we ended up in the “original” part (which will undergo renovations from May to October this year). From our balcony, we could hear and even see the howler monkeys, which was a great experience. The rooms were basic but comfortable—though they will be renovated soon, they worked perfectly fine for us. If you prefer the renovated section, note that it’s a bit of a walk to the restaurants and beach—about 10 minutes. The “new” area has a "beach-club, adult-only vibe" with one adult pool and one family pool, but they’re smaller than those on the other side of the resort. The buffet in the mornings offered a lot of variety. Sure, it was the same every day, but it’s breakfast food—eggs, pastries, breads, fruits, cereals, and waffles, so we didn’t mind. We tried the buffet, PapaGayo buffet, Mexican restaurant, Asian restaurant, and Steakhouse. All were excellent, but the Asian restaurant stood out for their fresh sushi. The waterpark on the new side was a blast! While you can’t eat or drink in the park, we took turns watching the kids. They had a great time there. We also enjoyed the new "Candy" shop where they serviced gelato ice cream, macaroons and cupcakes. The beach was decent—yes, there are vendors, but a polite “no, thank you” works every time. It's a public beach, but we didn’t encounter many locals, except the vendors. Plenty of chairs available, and we enjoyed the waves! If you walk a little further into the designated swimming area, you can spot some fish. We stayed at the beach every morning and loved it. If you walk about 10 minutes to the left, you’ll see white-faced monkeys near the Monkey Bar. They’re super social, and it was one of the highlights of our trip. The wildlife here is unlike anywhere else. The shows were fun, though not exactly Cirque du Soleil-level 😆. They did their best and it was fine! The Neon Party on Friday night was a blast. We also went on two tours: 1. A waterfall, coffee, chocolate, rainforest, and sloth encounter tour with "Frank the Tank." We were a group of 11, so we had our own driver and guide. It was great, but involved quite a bit of driving (around 45 minutes to each stop). It was worth it though, as we got to see more of the country. 2. A boat and snorkeling tour where we visited two different beaches. We didn’t see many fish, but the sunset from the boat was amazing. The sun in Costa Rica is intense. The UV index was at "Extreme" (15) every morning around 10am. We clearly underestimated how strong the sun is, as we still got sunburned even with SPF 50. Make sure to reapply sunscreen often! They also sell swim shirts on the beach for $10 US. March and April are the hottest months, with average temperatures around 34°C. We paid for the excursions in US dollars, but tipped in Colones (which was better for our Canadian Dollar). 1000 Colones equals about $2.81 CAD. We definitely plan to return to Costa Rica in the future—it was an unforgettable experience!

  Mar 23, 2025
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  All Inclusive with Bad Food

  When we first checked in we had paid for an upgrade to a sea view room. We got a sea view room, but it was so old and in awful shape. The bed was awful, and the room seemed very dated. We went with our friends who had a parking lot view in the newer building across the road. We asked if we could be moved to their building with a pool view. The staff was accommodating and moved us to the new building. The room was nice, and the pool view was nice. The bed was not. The bed felt sticky, and it was not comfortable to sleep. While the newer building is farther from the beach, it would be my choice to stay there until they remodel the old building. Overall, the food was TERRIBLE. However, the breakfast was good. We ate at the restaurant by the newer building, and I can say I enjoyed the choices. The omelet chef was very nice, fast, and made the best omelets I have ever had at a hotel. The fruit was also good. I enjoyed breakfast. However, the buffet lunch and buffet dinners were absolutely awful. The quality of the food was low and overall tasted bad. We went to dinner one night at the Asian restaurant and I was disheartened to discover it was also a buffet with really bad food. I usually like buffets but found the lunch and dinner buffets at the hotel to be extremely low quality and bad tasting. For the last night we went to dinner at the steak restaurant by the pool. It was good (not great), but I enjoyed the meal. I do like that the restaurants give pagers for people waiting for dinner so walking around the hotel grounds is possible while waiting for a meal. It would be nice if they took reservations too so people wouldn't have to line up and wait to get on a list. The snack type lunch at the newer building's pool was okay. I enjoyed the hamburger and hot dogs, but the taco meat was pretty gross. The quesadillas were good. I also really liked the ice cream shop at the newer building pool area. That was a nice addition. The pool at the new building was nice, a bit small, but nice. I also liked that the staff walked around with snacks and drinks were available. If everything was like the new building, it would have been much better. The beach was nice but most of the lounge chairs were in poor condition. They could use some repairs or should be replaced. The ocean was warm when we were there (March) and the waves were fairly small so it made wading out easy and spending time enjoyable. The sand was very hot so bring flip flops. One bad thing about this hotel is it is not really near anything else. If you come here, it is a long drive to pretty much any sightseeing you might want to do. The staff at the hotel was not super friendly. They seemed “over it” when dealing with guests. They were not mean, they just didn’t seem to care too much and customer service was severely lacking most of the time. If you want a very cheap all inclusive, then this might be your spot. However, if might also be worth spending a bit more per day and going someplace else.

  Mar 22, 2025
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  2 week enjoyable holiday

  Just returned from a 2 week stay. It was hot, very hot day and night. Our room was in the older part and although dated in design it was perfectly comfortable the bed was huge. Shower lacked power. Plenty of hangers, all valuables kept in the safe with no issues. Mini bar replenished every other day. Only complaint, we would have liked a light outside on the balcony, had drinks out there had had to use the phone torch! The hotel is huge, stayed around the larged pool, although the new one is uber stylish we found it too small. Didn't really enjoy the lunch food by this pool as limited options and not enough seating, the ice cream and cake shop was really nice though. Water park is brilliant and not busy. The main pool is huge with lots of different areas, no issue with beds as there are plenty. Loads of food options for lunch so you won't go hungry. Bar service very good and we didn't tip all the time but never had an issue getting served if we didn't tip. Bar staff serve around the pool too which was good. Never ate in the speciality restaurants due to people queuing at 5:30 and we were still in the pool! First come basis doesn't work for us who like to eat later while on holiday, however the buffet was OK, loads of choice; some food could have been hotter but we didn't go hungry, the bread is really nice as was the soup. Breakfast was definitely the best meal. Evening entertainment was poor, Queen tribute was pretty grim, Michael Jackson tribute; he just mimed and danced, most of the other nights were the in-house team dancing to a theme, The Beatles etc (Yellow Submarine in snorkels and flippers!). Had drinks in the Filidelfia bar, good service but so near to the main stage you had no choice but to listen to that as the bar is open air! Too many ceiling fans not working so warm in here too. Sports bar; I'll big up Randall and the guy who seems to work the night shift, both excellent, however the word Sports really needs dropping! Tiny TVs dotted high up showing mostly UFC. Nothing advertised to say what they would be showing. Background music varied in volume so sometimes felt the room lacked atmosphere. Food available 24/7; microwave for hotdogs/burgers and sandwich toaster for wraps/sandwiches which arecall kept in a large fridge. Also nachos and liquid cheese. Sauces, salad and fruit were also available. Location of the hotel is excellent, right next to Diamante Park and we did the animal sanctuary and ziplines. Also took a full day trip via TUI to the volcano for horseriding, more ziplining, jungle waterslide and volcanic thermal springs; really enjoyable and our host Winston was great and informative throughout. Took the Water Taxi through Scubacaribe to Coco beach, had a lovely meal in Papaygo restaurant and a few drinks in the local bars, last water taxi back is 16:30. Visited the Monkey bar twice and ate here once, again nice food and good to get away from the buffet. Saw the monkeys both times. You will also see iguanas around the hotel pool. Loved Costa 🇨🇷 Rica and its people and would return but sadly TUI have stopped going here. Hopefully the hotel renovations will improve the Riu Guanacaste, I imagine prices will increase a lot though. I hope they don't change the main pool too much (they did at the Riu Caribe and ruined it in my opinion). Finally the roads are awful! A short journey takes forever!

  Mar 21, 2025
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  A great vibe, lovely grounds, lots going on

  I would give the hotel a solid 4.5 stars Have had a fantastic time staying at the riu Guanacaste. As a solo traveller I was a bit uncertain as I've read there's a lot of noise etc. And honestly - there IS a lot of noise but I found I really loved this! There is a real buzz at the hotel, the feeling that everyone is having a good time, and it felt so great to soak up this vibe. I've stayed at hotels that feel dead before - this certainly is not like that. But I would caution that if you want a peaceful, quiet place to stay you will be disappointed. There is LOUD noise up until 11pm every night. The hotel is very clean and the staff work super hard. The grounds are beautiful and HUGE - I have really enjoyed walking round and exploring, and going for early morning jogs around the property. I really enjoyed the buffet, thought the food was really good although it was a bit samey day after day. An odd smell in the bathroom and throughout the hotel at times, which others have commented on. Zero security problems and felt very safe. All in all, I've had a wonderful time at the riu Guanacaste (and it's not over yet!) - would definitely recommend

  Mar 20, 2025
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  Love it

  This is my first time staying at a Riu. We have vacationed in Mexico for many years and Costa Rica is very similar. 5 restaurants, 2 buffets, 4 bars. 3 snacks shops and a small water park. Nightly stage shows, poolside entertainment. The only difference is Costa Rica fells more old world with rain forests, unique wildlife and volcanos but the amenities are the same. The weather showed 90+ for temps but it didn’t feel like it. It was comfortable. Would definitely return with the rest of my family.

  Mar 20, 2025