Awesome Stay

We had a fabulous time at the Riu Guanacaste. It's location was perfect for getting to many of the out trips. The hotel was clean the food was excellent and I have nothing to complain about the hotel. I would have liked an aquafit class. There was stretching but no pool fitness that I knew of. We ran into a couple who had stayed there six times they love it so much. Fantastic holiday

OK rating for resort

Nice to be so close to the Ocean. Best meal I had was off resort at the Monkey Bar. The a la carte restaurants were disappointing and found the feature meals at the main buffet better. Overall, grounds were well kept and clean. Received better service at 5 star in Mexico.

Riu ok

The room were clean. Wish we could of had a coffee maker in the room. We had paid extra for a room with a view. Unfortunately the balcony railing was made out of cement so we had to stand up to see over it. Great weather. I will return to Costa Rica but not at this hotel.

Riu guanacasta

Beautiful location Isolated and quiet Clean rooms and grounds Plenty of food and good selection There was plenty of food Entertainment was like any other resort Bar service was a little slow but friendly A simple coffee machine would of been nice

Amazing Vacation at Riu Guanacaste

This vacation was amazing... Our group ranged in age but there was something for everyone nearby. The resort staff were all friendly and helpful. There is so much to see and do...no need for lengthy drives on excursions. Diamante Park kept everyone in the family busy for an entire day for a resonable price. There were monkeys almost everywhere on and near the resort. Snorkeling was expecially exciting. Many schools of fish, Manta Rays as well as a sighting of a whale shark. Shopping exper [... read more]ience by boat taxi toTamarindo as well as a short shuttle ride to El Coco Beach was fun for all. Would return here in a heart beat!

Great resort

This was our third visit to the Riu Guanacaste. It's a slightly older resort, which we like. The grounds are beautifully kept with lots of palm trees around the courtyard and pool. It's also quiet - the stars at night are amazing. There are Howler Monkeys, White Face Monkeys, Iguanas and lots of different species of birds. The food is great and the staff are wonderful. I love taking a kayak out on the ocean in the morning and this time I tried paddle boarding for the first time. It took me half  [... read more]an hour to stand up but I did it! You can take lots of tours or have a quiet rest - it's up to you. We'll be back!

Love this resort

Everything about this resort was wonderful especially the staff, went out of their way to make sure you were enjoying yourself. The grounds were always beautiful. The only thing I could complain about was the pillows, they were extra small, when I asked for extra...they were there before I went to bed. This is the one resort I would go back to again, loved everything about it!

Reasonable value in a beautiful setting.

Nice, well-manicured grounds and hotel with a beautiful beach and pool. However, food was mediocre and very repetitive with little variety. Entertainment options were limited. Beach activities like paddle boarding and kayaking should be advertised as 18+ as teenagers could not use the equipment alone. Rooms were clean,... but pillows were very uncomfortable. With some attention to a few critical details, this could be a great resort.

Can’t wait to go back!!

Just got back from a week at The Riu Guanacaste. The hotel itself and grounds are extremely well kept and gorgeous. Rooms were a great size and always had hot water in the shower, my only complaint would be that the beds are quite hard. The beach is beautiful. The food is the best I’ve had, so much variety. The bars are well spread out and all the staff I encounter were extremely friendly and helpful! Strongly recommend the ATV excursion! I’ve traveled to many destinations and found the staf [... read more]f and locals in Costa Rica are by far the happiest, always smiling!! Can’t wait to go back!! Pura Vida!!

Great resort

The only was I asked for 4 roomies together as I had my kids with me. We were spread out over the hotel. The grounds were beautiful. The hotel was clean. The shows were not the best. Not a lot of nightlife when the sunsets at 6 pm everyday.

Wonderful Resort, will be back!!

Wow, what an Amazing country. Costa Rica is all that and more!!! the Riu was a beautiful, although older resort but the staff and agents went above and beyond to make it a wonderful, unforgettable stay. The gardens are so well kept, kuddo's to the landscaping staff. the beach was clean and even though there were several vendors inquiring daily as to purchasing their wares, they were all very friendly and knowledgeable about their beautiful country and always willing to offer advise or simply p [... read more]rovide information when asked. The Food, WOW, AMAZING, delicious and always a variety!!! Now for the scenery!!! All I can say is that it is breathtaking!!! To wake up, sit n our balcony and see the monkeys, the iguanas, the birds etc.... that's the way to do it!!!!!! Sad we had to leave but will be brining our daughter back with us next time!!!

All you could ask for

It is a large well appointed hotel with everything you could want. Our first time to CR but not our last. The grounds were very well kept, the staff very friendly, overall very clean, the pool is huge and well designed and the beach a little steep at high tide and a bit rocky but it is a volcanic region so that is common. It was hot and we never saw a cloud for a week, except over the hills on the distant horizon which is where the volcano is in the national park.

Amazing Resort

OMGosh this resort is amazing, very clean and all staff are friendly, I will definitely go back, being an animal lover I loved that you could walk out the back/the jungle side and see Howler monkey's in the trees as well as Iguana's on the grounds, I mean where else can you go and look up in the trees at monkey's and almost trip over and Iguana (hehe loved it), but don't worry they are not in abundance in the open and they won't hurt you, if you try to get close they will back away and hide, did [... read more]n't care for the Sanctuary, the animals look as though they were taken care of but I don't like to see animals in cages so unfortunately I wouldn't visit that again, However! loved that you could walk along the beach and there is a section they call the Monkey bar where the Capuchin monkey's are in the trees and there you can feed them, they came down to eat a banana and watermelon from my hand But be forewarned they don't like grapefruit as I tried to give them a piece, Oh sure they took it out of my hand then threw it back at me hahaha and they are so cute and so gentle when they take the fruit from your hands, the beach was great not white sands but I didn't care it was still better than being in -30 degree weather, the water was refreshingly cool and it was sunny everyday, never a cloud in the sky and if you aren't a beach person there was the beautiful pools with music and entertainment Oh my what else can I say, you won't be disappointing, the only con I had was the buffets were very bland but a ton of selection and the meals at the resort restaurants was very good and also a lot of choices, what else can I say except that I will definitely be back :-).

Average hotel

you can never complain about the weather that's for sure. But for smokers your in trouble ,its a no smoking hotel either you walk to the beach or behind a building, not that nice for ladies come evening ,3 bars within 50ft of the entertainment area 1 bar for the four pools. The beaches were never combed and full of venders. The food was ok, your regular resort menu, I was expecting a little of Costa Rican specialty. the rooms were kept ok clean but the toilets had no flushing power.

Large Resort

The good; very clean, good service and excellent grounds. Rooms: very average, clean and in need of some TLC. Food: Average but plentiful. Best meal of day was Breakfast. Restaurants: Buffet average, a la carte: Steak ( steak was very salty), Asian (very good), Italian (good) Beach: Never had to chase chairs down, service on beach and water was nice. Recommend bringing water shoes as a bit rocky. Shows: Average Bars: Watered down Alcohol. Premium drinks hidden under counter. Tipping: It [... read more] was almost mandatory to tip as they put the tip jar for everyone to see. Local Bathrooms: this was a poor area as there are only two public ones throughout this large resort. We averaged 8k-10k steps per day. The best part of the trip is the country, lots to do. All in all a good trip. Resort is a 4 star.

Fun Time

I would give overall a 4 star review. The grounds were kept in extraordinary condition, the food was good with much variety to choose form everyday, drinks were great and overall service was great. The bedrooms are a little outdated and long elevator wait times. There are nicer beaches in Costa Rica compare to the resort that you can visit by leaving for an excursion during the day. The beach resort was very rocky but you are also located on Pacific waters. Overall, I would definitely ret [... read more]urn.

One of the best resorts we have been to

Overall this resort is great , food was great , clean , entertainment was good and the best pool we have ever see . Just had a concern with the pillows , they need new pillows and the rooms are a bit dated .

Riu Guanacaste

I thought this resort had an amazing view of the ocean and the gardens were well kept all the time. Unfortunately, the food wasn’t all the best. Somewhat cold, undercooked and sometimes rubbery. Another thing would be there was always a sewage smell when we walked by the steakhouse which wasn’t all that pleasant. Overall the beach and pools were kept clean. The activities were also fun and the night show was very entertaining. The excursions around the resort were such a great experience asw [... read more]ell.

Beautiful region and fantastic staff

Staff were fantastic: friendly, helpful, and not overly solicitous. Grounds were beautiful and facilities were in adequate condition. Food was ok but nothing special. Would definitely come again as region was spectacular and struck the perfect balance between spending time at the resort and exploring the area.

Good resort

Everything was well maintained and the staff were very professional. Restaurant, bar, servers and front desk staff were attentive and met all of our needs. I know a very small thing but we would have liked a coffee maker in our room for our 1st cup of the day. Since everything is close by, it wasn't too difficult to go to the restaurant for coffee.. The pool and beach were both great and there were always chairs to be had.