Fantastic vacation!

This was our first trip to Costa Rica and are so happy we chose the Riu. Positives: - 45 minutes from the Liberia airport - newly renovated resort with spacious rooms and bathrooms - air conditioner in room worked very well - tons of poolside chairs and shaded areas - several pools - great water slides - poolside grills and ice cream shop - daily fridge refill of pop and beer - our room faced the adventure park so we were delighted to see several monkeys just outside our balcony dai [... read more]ly - if wanting to take a tour, we highly recommend using Tours with Frank the Tank - get to the beach early when tide is low - wifi throughout the resort - resort is isolated but we liked that Negatives: - Beach is public, which is fine, except for the off-resort vendors that approach as you enter the beach area and approach the beach chairs - staff speak primarily and in many cases, only Spanish, so communication was difficult particularly for someone with severe food allergies - many buffet choices, but labels are inaccurate - they only take reservations for the steak restaurant, other speciality restaurants are on first come basis Overall, it was a great family vacation. Really enjoyed the resort, but the excursions really made the trip awesome.

Great resort

Grounds were expansive, well kept, and very lovely. Our family group of 15 all had activities to enjoy from the kids waterpark to the adult only bars and pools and we all loved the foam party and the neon party and especially the viewing of the World Cup games and celebrations. The steakhouse had the most delicious steaks and the Liberia restaurant had great selections. Near the kids slides and pool the tacos were a hit with everyone as well as the ice cream “store”

Great resort for families!

Something for everyone in the family. Waterpark was fun! Rooms were nicely updated, food options in big buffet were good and the Steakhouse restaurant was excellent! Lots to see and do nearby too - do not have to travel far from the hotel which was great. First trip to CR was a success!

RIU Guanacaste CR

Great resort in Guanacaste province, Costa Rica. Very nice, modern rooms with balconies. Rooms were spotlessly cleaned everyday by hotel staff. On the whole. this was probably the cleanest resort my wife and I have been to and will definitely be returning some day. We really have nothing major to complain about. Fantastic service, food and drinks. The restaurants were all good, except for one in my opinion. The one a la carte I'm referring to is the Mexican restaurant Algave which didn't match t [... read more]he standard of the hotel. I am not alone with this assessment as we noticed that many patrons never stayed very long and many plates of food were hardly touched. Very disappointing to say the least as we had high hopes following dinner at the Steakhouse the night before which was outstanding. The amenities were all very good. The pools, pool bars. lounger availability were all top notch. Nightly entertainment was top notch for both the kids and the adults. Staff was very friendly and accommodating. All in all, a great vacation. We will be back.

Anazing resort

Hotel grounds were beautiful and the rooms were very nice. We didn’t like location of the original room we were in and they accommodated us with different rooms with no problem. For the most part the food was good especially at lunch and dinner but a bit repetitive. Breakfast was lacking a lot especially bacon. Service was good at the à la carts and the reception however, it at was terrible at the buffet. We had to wait a long time to even get coffee in the mornings and at times we had to get it [... read more] ourselves while the managers stood around. No service at the pool and the room sometimes was not cleaned properly, With all this being said I thought the resort was beautiful just needs some improvement as far as service. If not for the service I would give this resort 5 stars

Amazing resort

Well looked after property and the staff were friendly and healthful . Lots of pools to choose from and different views to enjoy . The hotel room was spacious in great location with a view of the green space behind with monkys playing on the trees . Plenty of food to choose from . Overall we really enjoyed our stay there .JV

Large resort geared for families with children

I stayed for a week in March-April 2026. The resort is huge with lots of activities geared towards families with children. The grounds are fairly well kept but lots of litterbugs. The pools are not super clean. They allow people to swim all hours of the night so they don't get properly sanitized. There were cups and limes and lemon slices floating around daily. The beach is OK. Lots of currents and not great for young children. The sand is extremely hot and there is limited shade. The fo [... read more]od is fabulous. There is literally a buffet with something for everyone. There are 5 a-la-cartes but only reservations for one is permitted and that is the Steakhouse. The others are very difficult to get into and not well organized. Even with the app downloaded we were not able to reserve at the other restaurants. There is only 1 bar open 24 hours and it is indoors which was disappointing. We stayed in the renovated section and the rooms are nice and spacious. Cleaning staff were very good and we always had enough towels. The resort is remote so if you like to venture off resort, the nearest town is about 30-45 minutes away. You can feed the white faced monkeys with a short walk down the beach. The love grapes and hard boiled eggs. Although it is cute and very memorable keep in mind they are wild and food aggression can happen. Also if there are not tourists, the monkeys don't learn to forage which can be a bad thing. The staff are pleasant but not overly. If you smoke, there is literally one area to smoke in and it has concrete tables and benches so not very comfortable and other guests tend to walk through it as a shortcut and complain about the smoke. The bus ride from the airport is a little bump at times and takes about 30-45 minutes but no stops along the way which is nice. Overall I would recommend this resort with caution depending on the type of trip you are expecting.

Great for the Family

Riu Guanacaste was an excellent choice for a trip with family and friends. The staff was very friendly, and I'd like to give a special shout-out to Jesus, the manager of the cafeteria in Liberia, who was incredibly helpful with our group dinners. We also found affordable excursions outside the resort, which are perfect for seniors who prefer not to engage in adventurous activities. This is the best-kept secret growing as a tourist destination.

Not so great

Service was horrible. The resort staff was not helpful at all. I will not recommend this to anyone. What else can I say. I am disappointed. The location was OK, the food was not the greatest. This was not a 5 star resort.⁶⁶

Beautiful Resort

We stayed from March 21st to 28th....the hotel was beautiful all re-done, clean and grounds well kept. Anything we needed we requested on the app and within a short time received. There was a lot to do on the resort for all ages. The staff were all friendly and great service at the pool bar especially by Moises he was fantastic! Food wise we found it average with no reservations (except for steakhouse) had to arrive early to get table or a buzzer. We found busier on weekend with locals coming in [... read more] and staff tended to cater to them first but not a lot of delay in service. The beach is a public beach so there was no beach bar nor shade to lay out but nice to walk up and down...there are local vendors etc. We did one excursion which was a few things in one and was amazing. All in all we had a fantastic time and wished we had a few more days at the resort.

Riu Guanacaste - Amazing Resort!

Riu Guanacaste resort is a beautiful escape. Our oceanview room, the sound of the waves, and time spent at the pool reading in a lounge chair or enjoying a drink at the swim-up bar, set the tone for pure relaxation. The staff was very attentive and friendly, the resort was spotless, the food choices were plentiful, and the entertainment was enjoyable. The beach was very nice and the ocean was refreshing. Costa Rica itself was unforgettable — from sunset snorkeling cruises and volcano hot spri [... read more]ngs to waterfalls, horseback riding, and a seaside lunch in Coco Beach. The Howler Monkeys at the resort were entertaining, and the white‑faced monkeys along the beach made it all feel wonderfully wild. Costa Rica is truly *Pura Vida*, and we highly recommend it.

Lovely well-kept resort

I am not one to write reviews but after many negative comments, I feel I would like to share our experience. This hotel is immaculate...the building, rooms, grounds, etc. We are not pool people so I cannot comment on cleanliness in this area but the pools were all very busy. Our room did lack one important thing and that was replenishing of our water. We arrived Tues. and saw our water restocked for the first time on Sunday! YIKES! Be sure to take refillable water bottles and fill up! We  [... read more]did not drink any of the pop in the fridge but I am pretty sure that would not have been replenished either. The food was a bit disappointing especially dinner buffet. We did the Asian buffet one eve and that also was disappointing. The dinner buffet was never hot and some dishes were dried out. Breakfast was good though, fresh fruit, eggs, bacon etc. and we had lunch at the Tikki Taco Bar which was very tasty. Restaurant service/staff could use some improvement but perhaps they are a bit understaffed in this area? We did however have the best drinks ever at this resort and we have been to quite a few over the years. Bar tenders were always smiling and the service was amazing considering how busy it was. Drinks were always very consistent regardless which bar you we went to. The vendors are kind and not pushy at all down at the beach. The beach was never crowded, lots of seating and shade. The water much calmer than we expected. Our days were spent at the beach with lots of walking and lovely sunsets. Costa Rica is beautiful and if you don't leave the resort, you are honestly missing out on so much. We did 2 excursions and have come home with no regrets. Lots to see and do so be sure to get out and enjoy!

Great resort!

The recently renovated hotel was tastefully designed. There were many activities organized for guests - adults and children. The staff was courteous, friendly and helpful. The beach and pools were amazing.

Great Resort

The Riu Guanacaste Resort was amazing. Larger resort than what we are used to. For the number of rooms/people it never felt over crowded. The Liberia buffet and the American Country bar were our favourite spots to eat. Lita at the American country bar was amazing. She always greeted us with a smile and called us by name. Made an amazing special!!! We spent most of our days on the beach. Sand was dark and hot!! Hit the pool on a couple of occasions when the wind picked up on the beach. Walk [... read more]ed along the beach to the west and fed the white faced Monkeys in the trees and got a drink at the Monkey Bar (highly recommended) Make sure you try an excursion or two. We did the Diamante Eco Park Adventure - superman zip line and animal sanctuary. Totally awesome!!!

Wonderful Renovation

We visited this resort last year and had such a good time we booked again this year. We travel 2-3 times per year and this was the first time we had returned to an all inclusive resort - it was that memorable. We were thrilled to see the upgrades and have not one single complaint to offer. We will be returning next winter.

Hidden Gem!

We hadn’t really considered Costa Rica in the past and had stuck to the Caribbean. This resort, and the entire country of Costa Rica feels like a hidden gem. We stayed at the Guanacaste, which has been beautifully renovated. The rooms are clean, and the beds are very comfy. Food is great, especially at the buffet!

Beautiful resort

We stayed here for 1 week and it was perfect. It was all new therefore everything was absolutely beautiful from our room to the lobby area to the restaurants to the pools;) All areas are always clean and the service was excellent. The ocean was great to swim in and although we do not like to sit on the beach we could see that there are not many areas that you can get shade. We would definitely go back to this resort for sure;)

Beautiful resort

We haven't visited Riu Guanacaste since 2020 so there were a lot of changes. The hotel is located in a lovely location, on a beautiful beach, which we love to walk every morning before breakfast. The food is great and the pools are very nice. The new expansions have included some great water slides and special pools for children, unfortunately many of the adults prefer to sit around the older pools with their children and so it has gotten much noisier than it used to be. The hotel stall also enc [... read more]ourage games in the other pools so one has to duck around various games as one tries to swim in the pool.

Beautiful resort

We haven't visited Riu Guanacaste since 2020 so there were a lot of changes. The hotel is located in a lovely location, on a beautiful beach, which we love to walk every morning before breakfast. The food is great and the pools are very nice. The new expansions have included some great water slides and special pools for children, unfortunately many of the adults prefer to sit around the older pools with their children and so it has gotten much noisier than it used to be. The hotel stall also enc [... read more]ourage games in the other pools so one has to duck around various games as one tries to swim in the pool.

Great resort, would return!

Just came back from a week vacation with my husband and three kids- one is a teenager and the other two are toddlers. This resort was amazing, it had something for everyone to do, lots of great outing options, including an animal sanctuary just next door to resort which was very quick and easy to access with the two young kids. They had quite a few cool animals there and my kids loved it. There isn’t a 24hr snack bar so my toddlers would get hungry for a snack by about 10am and there would be [... read more] no where to get food until 12. I had packed containers for snacks on the plane so we ended up using those to pack snacks for the kids from the morning buffet (fruits, croissants, PB and J sandwiches etc) so I’d highly recommend bringing containers to any other toddler parents! That being said, the food was amazing, lots of great options for the kids at the buffet and the smaller restaurants. On Friday nights they have a neon party at the entertainment centre and there are family suites right above it so it was VERY loud on the Friday night. If you’re a light sleeper and they try to put you in a room above the entertainment centre, ask to have your room switched right away before you get settled in or make sure to bring earplugs/sound machines. The water slide park was amazing, the kids and adults all had a blast there. It is quite a walk to it if you’re going from the beach to the slides so if you have younger kids, I’d recommend bringing a stroller or wagon. Staff were great, resort was very clean etc. Would highly recommend!