Location
GuanacasteProperty Information
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Resort Details
Hotel Advisories
General Policies & Fine Print
Check-in Policy - Deposits or credit/debit card hold authorizations are not requested at check-in. Minimum age of 18 is required for check-in, an ID/Passport will be requested upon arrival.
Convention Policy - Individuals attending a convention cannot book this property for their stay. If found attending a convention, guests may be subject to higher room rates upon arrival.
Hotel Spring Break Policy- Student Groups/Spring Breakers (either groups or individuals, regardless of age) are not allowed at any time during the year. Guests disturbing or generating complaints from other guests or hotel may be removed from the property, at their own expense. Parties in rooms are not permitted.
Transfer Policy - A price may display when children stay free, if your vacation includes transfer to your hotel.
General Information - Room taxes and service fees are included in vacation price.
Minimum night stay restrictions may apply.
Reservation changes may not be permitted unless authorized by the hotel.
Customer Ratings & Reviews
TripAdvisor Traveler Rating
9785 reviews
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Dec 03, 2023Don't worth it.
Bed bugs in our bed .we changed the room their sheets was dirty. No one told us sorry at all. Food was ok but dessert always was the same. Never changed and didn't taste good at all . They turning off all the lights at 11 every nights .I'm not recommending this resort at all . Too costly resort for the services provided. Beach was full of the garbage. Everything it's so basic and old.
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Dec 03, 2023Fantastic time at Riu Guanacaste
Our family trip was wonderful! We hope to go back sometime. Food was great, location was amazing, and staff was very friendly. Our 2 areas of improvement would be the cleanliness of the beach and correctly labeling foods. There was a lot of small plastic on the beach. I am sure it is a constant battle keeping the beaches clean, however I noticed more trash on the beach here than other countries I have gone to. (It wasn’t just 1 or 2 pieces, it was dozens within the vicinity of our beach chair everyday. Some of this may have been due to the surrounding countries. It also supervised me they used balloons in the foam party. Balloons just create more waste. Then the labeling of the food was wrong a lot or missing. As a vegetarian it made things a little difficult. I would think someone would food allergies would have trouble. Overall these wouldn’t prevent us from going back, but it would be nice if they could be improved upon.
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Dec 01, 2023
Pacha music is junk and the DJ doesn’t listen
Pacha - so disappointing. The DJ clearly has no idea what good dance music is. You give him recommendations and he’ll play them for 30 seconds if you’re lucky. No wonder people left after a handful of songs. Such potential so unfulfilled.
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Dec 01, 2023You get what you pay for, avoid if you have food allergies
My family and I just returned from a 6 night stay in a two bedroom family suite. I was incredibly nervous about going given the bad reviews, but we booked awhile ago and got a good deal, so we figured we would take the chance. Upon our arrival, I was very pleasantly surprised. We arrived in the early evening on a Friday. We were able to check in immediately, with no line. The lobby was clean and beautiful as were the restaurant areas. Our room was to be expected, with the age of the building and lack of renovations evident, but we found it in acceptable condition considering what we paid (minus the elevator situation, continue reading for details). The grounds were absolutely stunning and exceeded my expectations. We found several things disappointing with our stay however. My main complaint is the over crowding that was evident most days of our stay, especially the weekend. I simply was not prepared for the crowds. This resort offers day passes to locals. While this is a great thing and locals are an important part of their customer base, it was just way too many people. I have a feeling they do not limit the number of day passes they issue. During meal times, I felt like I was eating in a food court in Disney World. It was just madness. Breakfast was the worst. On our first morning, we absolutely could not find a table. There were empty tables, but they had not yet been cleaned. I finally found a spot that seated 10 people and sat down while my family got their food. A server approached me and asked how many people in my party. When I told him 4, he got upset and told me we couldn't sit there. I explained I could not find another open table. He then got angry and stormed off. A few minutes later, a local family of 5 sat at the table next to me (also for 10 people). The same server greeted them with a smile and coffee and did not question them like he questioned me (I was not lucky enough to be served coffee like they were). By the way, you cannot take food away from the restaurants to eat elsewhere, so if I had not found a table I guess we would not have been eating (we were leaving on an excursion and had limited time). The preferential treatment of the locals by the staff was very evident. The staff in general were not friendly. Yes, they did their jobs, but it was evident they were not happy (probably exacerbated by the crazy crowds). I did not feel very welcomed by them and felt like a burden to them instead (yes we also tipped when appropriate). Also, there is active construction going on right next to the hotel. You will hear banging, clanging, and every other construction noise possible from 7:00 am until dark 6 days a week. They are building an expansion of the hotel, with an additional 301 rooms to be added. I'm not sure that this is a good idea considering the extreme crowds and lack of staff ability to attend to guest needs as things currently are. Also, on our end of the hotel there was 1 functioning elevator. One of the elevators was broken. A couple we talked with had been staying here for 3 weeks and said the elevator was broken the entire time they had been there. The elevator wait times were ridiculous and the elevator was small. Sometimes we had to wait 10+ minutes for an elevator. The linens in this hotel are also gross. The towels are tattered and grimy and a disgusting shade of mauve. It may not seem like a big deal, but when you are drying your body with a disgusting towel or sleeping in sheets that feel like sandpaper, it will put a damper on your vacation. A major concern during our stay was the lack of staff awareness and accommodation for food allergies. I have a child with a nut allergy. We were told to check with the staff at the buffet regarding what was safe for him to consume. The staff member we talked to told me "We have no foods here with nuts." This was not true. Every dessert they had was topped with nuts. At the buffet, only about half the foods are actually labeled. My child had to stick with just a few dishes we felt confident with him eating, because we had zero confidence in staff ability to handle allergies. If you have any allergies, especially to seafood, I would avoid this place. So many foods I ate had seafood in them, but they were not labeled as such. You are in a very remote location with a horrible, windy, bumpy road leading to the resort. If someone suffered anaphylaxis at this resort, the outcome most likely would not be good. Finally, at check out, a staff member cut our bracelets off (they do this when you leave) and then abruptly turned to answer the phone. There was no "thank you" or "safe travels" or any other kind of farewell. Little things like this really go a long way towards guest satisfaction. Once again, we felt like a burden. Overall, I have mixed feelings on this hotel. If you are ok with being amongst crazy crowds with sub par service in an older building and you do not have food allergies, you will likely be OK here. If you are looking for a more relaxed vacation with more attentive staff, I would look elsewhere. For what it is worth, we walked around the grounds of the Palace, and it is night and day difference from the grounds at Guanacaste (not in a good way). I don't think we would have been happy there either had we spent the extra money on the upgrade.
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Nov 30, 2023Wonderful stay in Guanacaste
Had a wonderful stay here. The staff are attentive, friendly and hard working. This includes the gardeners and kitchen staff. The rooms were spacious and cleaned every day. Beds were so comfortable. I hurt my back and asked for extra pillows. These were delivered within half an hour. I had a call from reception to check I was ok and to call if I needed anything. Excellent service. The food was lovely, plenty of choice and the steak house was excellent - and that included the visit from the raccoon family! I cannot wait to visit again 😁