Riu Palace Costa Rica: Great Holiday but would not go back

This was our 45 Wedding Anniversary and we were looking for adventure and to travel outside our comfort zone. Background we love staying at the RIU Mayan Riviera Palace Mexico, so much that we have been there 18 times. Our flights with Sunwing were great no problems, our experience with the Nexius team was great and they need to be commended for their hospitality and their expert advice. The RIU hotel was beautiful, the view from our room was excellent. The pools were awesome. The beach how [... read more]ever was extremely disappointing and certainly not welcoming. If you wanted to sit down at the Ocean be prepared to drag your own lounge chair down to the beach. At any day I only counted maybe 10 people who ventured down to spend time in the Ocean, We did travel in the rainy season and we were there from September 30 until October 07. It rained every day from 12:30 until dark. The rain came with lightening and very heavy downpours and you could not do anything but try and get something to eat or go to your room. There was minimal activities provided to the guests during the afternoons or evenings. If you were lucky to get into lunch earlier you had a great selection of food to eat but if you did go after 1pm good luck as your selection became limited and the staff were blocking areas so you could not sit with the view of the ocean.. I would have to say that I was very disappointed with the food selection and it was often luke warm or cold at night. The variety of food that we were use to in Mexico was not the same in Costa Rica. The service in the restaurants and in the buffet was also very selective and you really were on your own. We did try the steak house one night and arrived at 8pm to be told that we are very late. We chose lobster and asked if we could share a serving of steak between us but was told NO not until we ate our first meal. I felt like I had just been scolded. Our lobster was cold and dry and we left shortly after. We did however have a wonderful meal in the Italian Restaurant and the management team at this restaurant were amazing. There is a considerable amount of walking and if you have any mobility issues please know that the pools are accessible but the bathrooms are very far away from the pools and there is considerable amount of walking to and from the pools. Also if you are a smoker there is no smoking in the buildings or on the premises however there is a couple spots where you can walk to. . I thought that we were being too judgmental but learned very quickly when meeting just causally with other residents how disappointed they all were with the service and the food and the fact no one was really caring if you were okay.. I think however the worst complaint was during an evening of sitting in the lobby bar on a Saturday night where there would be about 25-30 people chatting and some were playing cards, some were playing scrabble. The lights suddenly were shut off and the lobby bar became pitch black and the hotel lobby was also pitch black. It was 12 midnight and the bar closed so they shut off all the lights. There had been in our group one older woman that had had a few drinks and we had to help her back to her room to make sure she could see and get back to her room safe. Thank God for cell phones and their lights. I use this as an example as this appeared to be the general consensus with the staff They were there to do a job and only a job and it had nothing to do with ensuring that the people who were paying to be there were enjoying themselves. We never received any acknowledgement that were were celebrating our 45 Wedding Anniversary and we even showed them a copy of our Marriage Certificate We did however enjoy the 2 excursions we took and the staff who provided these trips were so informative and very entertaining throughout these trips. The first trip was the double decker bus called the city tour and the group on the bus were fun and we learned so much about the Coffee Plantation, Sugar Cane and the history of Costa Rica. We also took a boat tour through the jungle and this was also fun and learned more about the different species in the jungle, the monkeys, etc. Both tours we would highly recommend. All in all we had a great holiday, met many people from all over the world, made new friends and learned something new. So it was a great holiday but we prefer Mexico. Sandra and David Best

Riu Montego Bay: People were awesome , Sunwing and food ok

The servers and entertainers were very sweet and entertaining. But the food and amenities were ok. The shows were very good, the bartenders were awesome, the waiters were amazing, the food was ok. Our room was musty. We had to fight for three beds even though we were paying for three adults. The cleaners were good. But room was musty. And decor was out of date and food had a lot of msg. We had trouble with Sunwing: I pre booked extra legroom seats after paying extra for the privilege and paying  [... read more]extra for the seats when I booked them, only to find out that Sunwing switched our flight home to a tiny Swiss plane and bumped us back to crappy seats but kept our money! I'm currently fighting with Sunwing for a refund.

Riu Dunamar: Great resort...!!!

The resort is fairly new 2017?) and this is reflected in the room décor and layout that we had. The grounds, pool and beach amenities were comparable or better than some other beach resorts that we have stayed at in the past. The staff were friendly and accommodating. The few requests that we had were promptly attended to and followed up for satisfactory resolution. The food was quite good although appearing a little repetitive to us at times.

Riu Dunamar: Beautiful resort amazing service

Very clean, excellent service, beautiful beach. Restaurants were really good, and rooms were amazing. Public bathrooms always clean. Pools were always clean as well during the day people were constantly cleaning them. Beach was clean and very beautiful.

Riu Palace Tropical Bay: Great location!!

The grounds were kept beautifully. Housekeeping very good. Overall hospitality was very good.Jamaica is a beautiful island with beautiful culture..As for the value...For a single traveller I did not find great value in this package. Had it been 7nghts my rating would of been different .

Riu Palace Costa Rica: Our great vacation Oct.07 - Oct.14/19

We arrived in Costa Rica after a 3 hour delay from Toronto with Sunwing. Our flight was uneventful aside the 3hr delay. Upon arriving in Costa Rica we went through immigration quickly and got on our bus for our 45min transit to the Riu Palace Costa Rica. Our check-in was quick and we were sent to our room (2022 lobby floor) very clean and I'd say well kept and cleaned every day. We tipped the cleaning lady $5.00us every day. We made our way to the Lobby Bar and had a refreshing drink, the servi [... read more]ce here (and at every bar in the hotel) was fast and the drinks was well mixed (ask for Marco at the pool bar he'll take care of you and tell him Dave from Canada sent you). Food at the Hotel was very good and there was plenty to choose from. We ate at the steak house 1 night and I wish we could have eaten there again the Steak was made to order and brought to the table hot yum is all I can say! I've given you my rating below and I stand by everything I've said the SERVICE, FOOD, DRINKS here was A1 YOU'LL LOVE IT! as we do. My wife and I have travelled too Cuba, DR. Mexico, Jamaica, Panama and many more to the tune of over 60 trips and I can say we'll be returning to this country and this hotel again. TRY THE ZIP LINE TOUR!! and Pura Vida !!

Riu Guanacaste: Stuff stolen from our room

Our room was locked, we were at the pool for the day and had money among other things taken from our room.We felt violated the rest of stay and could not enjoy ourselves. Otherwise the food was good but the bars were mediocre at best. there isnt much ever going on at the resort

Riu Republica: Great Resort

I booked this resort for my fiance’s Bday and she loved it.. the place is great. Its clean and the staff is super friendly. The entertainment staff makes a great effort to keep everybody entertained with amazing events. We loved the neon party and the pool party. They made special effort decorating our room. The only thing I would love to have improvement is the liqour brands which is still not a deal breaker.

Riu Playa Blanca: Nice hotel

In general it is a good place for vacation but there is something that must be review: -First time in to the room you are going to smell chemical. -Pools are good but beach is not really a good one -Main concern,bar pool open too late(10:30) while people are waiting and using pool early. -There is not snack-bar open until 2:30 pm

Riu Palace Baja California: An amazing resort

I would give this resort a 5. Pools were all great and huge and clean there were 4. Dining all good and the buffet was tasty and plenty to choose from. The rooms were nice and big and cleaned daily. The view from this resort was very beautiful to look out to the ocean and see the ships from a distance and the sun sets as well. Couldn't walk the ocean beach a little hard to do but manageable.

Riu Palace Aruba: Amazing!

The food was very good. Hotel was clean and the staff were very friendly. Very close to town. The only thing I don’t like Is that I’m forced to write 200 characters in this box just to submit my review.

Riu Reggae: Good Resort

The resort was great! Nice people, amazing service, and very well kept. However there were a few setbacks as well. It’s very close to the airport so you hear a jet taking off about every 45minutes. Also it’s a tad small for my liking, especially the beach. But all in all we had a good time while there :)

Riu Guanacaste: What a place!

Out of all the Riu's i have stayed at this one blew me away for their food! Pools was huge and clean! Beach was well maintained, and the staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming. The shows were fun and the disco was a great place to meet people! I really look forward to returning soon!

Riu Playa Blanca: clean hotel, food good not exceptional

although our room was clean there was a lot of noise in the hallway! All of the entertainment was in Spanish therefore we had no idea what was going on. Given this is a destination for Canadians wished they had some English content.

Riu Palace Tropical Bay: Absolutely Amazing 10th Anniversary

Let's start off by saying an extra special thanks to Shameela who treated us like royalty from the minute we arrived. She personally took my bags and wouldn't allow me to lift anything. When she was checking us in gave us a room upgrade because it was our 10th anniversary. Not only did she stop there but arranged a beautiful dinner at the Krystal restaurant for our actual anniversary day. We want to personally say thank to Shameela and the staff at Krystal for making our anniversary memorabl [... read more]e and special. This hotel is kept immaculate and the rooms are very nicely decorated and kept very clean. The beach was also very beautiful with lots of beds available to just relax. We met some very special people who also helped to make our stay pleasurable. Special thanks to Sherean and Kacy Ann and who took care of us at the Cappuccino bar, Krefton who took care of us at the buffet for dinner, Nick and Juliann who took care of us at the Steakhouse, and Mary who took care of us while watching the evening entertainment and Kaydee Ann. When your on vacation and you are taken care of by staff that are pleasant and treat you well it makes a huge difference. Thank you for making our 10th anniversary a trip we will never forget. Looking forward to returning again soon.

Riu Guanacaste: Beautiful Setting

Absolutely no issues from check-in to check out. The grounds are lush, green and well maintained. The beachfront was swept daily and afforded relaxing long lazy walks through varying terrain. The food was better than we experienced in the DR on three trips so no complaints there. The room neat, clean and well-stocked. I would recommend anyone going consider the excursion to Nicaragua. Peering down into the great Masaya active volcano was beyond words. One off my bucket list for sure. This was ou [... read more]r first stay at a Riu and I would not hesitate for a second booking with them again.

Riu Guanacaste: Fabulous Time

This hotel was more than we expected, the grounds were very well manicured, the room was more than expected we were upgraded to a ocean view suite for our 25th anniversary, this was very well appreciated, All the staff at the bars were great especially at the filadelfia bar and sports bar. We booked three excursions with Eric on the beach and were happy with all three, the excursion to Nicaragua was our favourite with a visit to a active volcano and a boat trip around lake Nicaragua islands incl [... read more]uding one that is occupied by three spider monkeys, we also did a excursion to Buenavista adventure park that was also unbelievable , this included canopy bridges, zip lining, water slide , horseback riding, hot springs , mud bath, and waterfall even saw spider monkeys jumping through the trees at the hot springs, all the food was very good on the resort , I did not agree with any of the bad reviews that I have read in this resort, everything is great , I cannot believe that the Palace would be any better than this resort.

Riu Guanacaste: Great Resort

The resort was beautiful and well maintained and the food was excellent. As a smoker, I would suggest they maybe provide covered smoking areas for rainy days but other than that, I have absolutely no complaints.

Riu Palace Antillas: Amazing resort!

This hotel is spotless - the grounds are constantly being cleaned. The beach is beautiful but if you want a palapa you have to reserve one really early, ie by 7am at the latest. All the food at the buffet restaurant is amazing - so much to choose from that you don’t know where to start. All staff is very helpful. The rooms are spotless but dated - could use a facelift. We would recommend this resort and would absolutely go back.

Riu Guanacaste: The washrooms needs to be more safe. The bath tubs are very old.

Rooms are clean. There is room for improvement . I wish our wish to keep our group together was taken seriously. I will not recommend this resort to anyone. The reception was not very helpful. The bath tubs are very dangerous.