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Resort Details

Dining
OnSite Dining
  • Don Rafael
    Main restaurant

    Buffet restaurant open for dinner. Buffets and live cooking stations.

    Special evenings: themed buffet (three times a week).

  • Flamingo
    Steakhouse serving A la carte specialities.
  • Il Gusto
    Italian restaurant

    Buffet-style Italian restaurant.

    • Poolside restaurant/Theme restaurant
  • Kulinarium
    Gourmet restaurant

    A la carte gourmet restaurant.
  • Nirvana
    Asian restaurant

    Buffet-style Asian restaurant.
  • Various Lounges/Bars

    • Astoria - Lobby bar

    • La Boheme - Lounge bar

    • Sports Bar

    • La Plaza - Bar

    • Mezcal - Poolside bar with swim-up bar

    *Access to all bars at Riu Jalisco.

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

TRI_LOGO_ANCILLARY_4.0 9087 reviews
  • TRI_LOGO_ANCILLARY_ 3.0 star tripadvisor rating
    Just ok, not likely to go back.

    We reserved a family room, which should be two connecting rooms with a king or two doubles. When we arrived, we were told none were available and we could upgrade to a king suite with a pullout couch. That’s not an upgrade for a family of 4 with two older teenagers. No one wants to spend a week sleeping on a couch. We were able to move to our originally booked room the next day, but were not offered any compensation for it not being available upon arrival. Lines for drinks at the pool bar were ridiculous and servers only came around sporadically. Pool bathrooms were too small and overcrowded. Only allowing one towel per day is very inconvenient. Seagulls were flying over and pooping in the pools and on people. Understand that can’t be controlled, however put up some signs to tell people not to feed them or to leave their food just sitting around the pool and offer a place to put plates! Walking paths around the pools were so slippery, we saw multiple people fall. The buffet was terrible - food was cold and often not well stocked. No variety. The daily grill they set up by the pools was delicious - fresh pork tacos and grilled chicken was available during our stay. The beach was beautiful, but there were horses there daily offering rides so there was poop to avoid up and down the beach and it smelled! Our room was clean and nice once we got the right room. Room adequately blocked noise from nightly entertainment with patio doors shut.

    Mar 22, 2025
  • TRI_LOGO_ANCILLARY_ 4.0 star tripadvisor rating
    Some Inconveniences

    There isn't an elevator to the ground level, where the restaurants, pools and beach are located. Having to go up and down 30 stairs multiple times a day got a little difficult, especially in the heat. We also discovered that when there is a wedding at the resort, it takes precedent over the other guests (there were 2 during our stay). A third of the beach gets roped off and the loungers removed as well as one end of the pool deck gets roped off and those loungers removed. I'd say approx. 50 loungers get removed, so good luck finding a place to sit on those days.

    Mar 22, 2025
  • TRI_LOGO_ANCILLARY_ 5.0 star tripadvisor rating
    Great property

    I really enjoyed this one, the rooms were nice and clean. The food was very good and flavorful. Great friendly staff.

    Mar 21, 2025
  • TRI_LOGO_ANCILLARY_ 5.0 star tripadvisor rating
    Frequent Visitor - Love the Riu Vallarta

    I have stayed at the Riu Vallarta in 2014, 2015 (for Hurricane Patricia), 2019, and just recently in 2025. The staff is always fantastic, the food is great, the grounds are lovely, and we always enjoy our stay.

    Mar 21, 2025
  • TRI_LOGO_ANCILLARY_ 3.0 star tripadvisor rating
    Not As Good As The Riu Palace

    I usually stay at the Riu Palace and love the quality of the food and dining there, but because of availability tried this one. The food didn’t have the same variety or quality and I found the bakery items not as fresh in the breakfast buffet. However the entertainment was fantastic in this beautiful resort. Not enough washrooms in the pool area and the ladies washroom only had four stalls which meant that there was a large line up to use the facilities.

    Mar 21, 2025
Prices per person based on double occupancy including round-trip airfare via U.S. certified air carriers and round-trip airport/hotel transfers when arriving at airport closest to destination (for exceptions see Frequently Asked Questions), hotel taxes and baggage handling, fuel surcharges, and all pre-collected U.S. and foreign taxes. In some instances, pricing may specifically apply to one of multiple flights on select departure days. All packages are based on the lowest hotel/air classes available at time of publication, capacity controlled, subject to availability and change without notice. Promotional pricing may only be available for a limited time. Fees may apply for carry-on and checked baggage-view Baggage Policies. Some resort fees, environmental levies and departure taxes are not included and may be payable in resort. View Frequently Asked Questions for more information. Apple Vacations is not responsible for errors or omissions. Cancellation policies apply. Bookings are subject to the Fair Trade Contract. All public charter flights are operated by ALG Vacations Corp: Allegiant Air: PC 18-231, A319-156 seats or A320-186 seats /PC 18-234, A319-156 seats or A320-186 seats; Miami Air operated by TUI Airlines Belgium N.V. : PC 19-085 & PC 19-117, B737-800, 180 seats/PC 19-091, B737-800-183 seats; Swift Air: PC 19-092, B737-400-150 seats; Viva Aerobus: PC 18-228, A320-180 seats/ PC 19-079, A320-180-185 seats/PC 19-094, A320-185 seats. CST2139014-20 120319