Riu Guanacaste: Riu Guanacaste

This was our second visit in 3 years to this hotel. And the third time we have stayed at a Riu in the past 5 years. We found the Guanacaste again to be impeccably clean, nice gardens and very friendly staff. All morning long each staff member that you pass along your way greets you warmly and with smiles. FOOD: We have not been fond of the food choices at any of the three Riu resorts we have stayed in. Seems repetitive and caters more to the North American Palette rather than offer more  [... read more]local food tastings. They have set up a efficient egg station for the mornings. A griddle cook continuously makes several over easy and sunny side up eggs and places them on a plate ready for one to pick from. However, I did find the cook was a bit rushed and heavy handed with the eggs and the yolks often broken. The Asian buffet was as good as our first visit. We did not try the other al la carte. Terrific environment for non smokers. There is no smoking on the property with the exception of your own balcony, the beach and the 3 smoking gardens they have provided for the smokers. They are cute little enclaves with trees and granite benches and picnic tables. One is reasonably close to the amenities set off to the side near the theatre. A second is located behind the lunch buffet. The third is off beside the parking lot in front of the hotel. A bit buggy at this one. It was actually quite fun to be there makes one feel like they are back in high school hanging with the cool kids. Terrific opportunity to bond with other guests. We had booked the same room as our last visit as we had such fun watching a large 30 member community of Howler Monkeys traversing twice a day along the trees besides the property line fence on the mountain view side. 3 years ago the zip line eco park was under construction and now that it is operational the monkeys seem to either have moved or the pack has dwindled. There were still a small handful but not the hour long show. There is a spot about a mile walk down the beach named the Monkey Bar that is such fun. Here you will get a close up interaction with Capuchin (white faced) monkeys that will eat out of your hand. It is best to go very early in the morning around 7am to beat the crowds. The first time we went we walked up the little road a to a trail just across from the restaurant that is there. It is a very short walk in to find about a dozen monkeys playing in the trees and the younger ones wrestling on the ground. Feeding the monkeys: We were advised by a biologist we met early in the trip not to feed them bananas as too much potassium is harmful to their health. This was back up by an elderly local gentleman we met who stated that he has banana trees in his yard and they never eat the bananas but from his other varieties of fruit trees. We were told it can even abort terminate a mother's pregnancy. We did find they like grapes and papaya but prefer the red grapes. We actually had green ones tossed back at us but never the red grapes. There is an opportunity to book a visit to the Riu Palace but we did not bother. Over all our stay at the Guanacaste was what we expected. Terrific staff with long memories and happy friendly dispositions. Three of the waitresses recognized us 3 years later. Count on it being very hot in February with 34-38celsius temperatures. I suspect that the guest room air conditioning, although quite comfortable, is controlled by the hotel as the thermostats do not seem to affect the room's temperature. But it is kept at a comfortable temperature. You can however turn the a/c down if you find it too chilly. We did notice that on the cooler days the a/c was not as strong. Local short excursions: Expect to pay higher than you are used to in other countries for taxi fares. Keep in mind that Costa Rica is a modern country with a reasonably high standard of living. The taxis are on a set rate and the hotel provides a shuttle service to visit Coco Beach and Tamarindo. Both fairly close to the resort. Both are cute little towns with plenty of souvenir shopping and restaurants. Each has a lovely beach to visit. On the previous vacation we saw the most amazing golden sunset from the beach in Tamarindo. Do not expect to view sunsets from the resort as there is a mountain blocking the view at the resort. The sun rises behind the mountains beside the resort where the eco park is located. All in all the Guanacaste is a nice place to spend your vacation. If you are the type who enjoys lazing in the sun around the pool then this is the place to go.

Riu Republica: Riu Republica - Paradise!

This resort was absolutely incredible!!! I would recommend it to anyone.. beautiful design, well laid out, amazing food and entertainment. The ocean was rough but it did not stop people from enjoing it! Planning to return!

Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas: Simply grand

This resort was top notch very clean and amazing food. staff were for the most part friendly and efficient Loved not having to make reservations for the a la carte. The coffee bar was situated in a great location. The pools and beach area were not too crowded and the grounds were very well kept---beautiful. I would visit again.

Riu Emerald Bay: 8th time

we love emerald bay the staff are super.food is good beach is great.roons are realy clean.what more could you ask for other than a different air line SUNWING SUCKS the airport is small to start with but you get your Mexican tourist card once insideanother great mess its funny cabos,viartta every one but Mazatlan fill them out on the plane

Riu Bambu: Great girls trip

Hotel staff were amazing. Everyone went above and beyond to make our stay enjoyable. Drinks were OK, nothing special and mostly domestic brands Rooms were updated and clean. Hot water always. Mini fridge wes restocked every other day and towels were replaced daily. Incredible beach. Clean groun.

Riu Republica: Lovely Resort

The hotel was very nice but kind of plain on the outside. The rooms are quite spacious but everything is very white. The grounds are very well maintained. The staff was friendly. Pool area was beautiful as was the beach. The food was also pretty good.

Riu Merengue: beautiful resort!!

the resort was well keep , grounds and beach well groomed , staff were friendly -- just a very busy place with all three resorts packed together , alacarts were first come first serve no reservations witch made it difficult to get seating at times , over all we enjoyed our stay!!

Riu Santa Fe: Mixed feelings

Clean. Friendly warm staff for the most part. Not recommended for a Celiac. Food just ok. No cocktails at the restaurants. Beautiful beach. No wifi in rooms. Rooms are nice. No drinks served to you at the pool. Pools are lovely, warm. Ran out of toilet paper and soap in the room. No extras like little lotions or mouth wash. Towels are hard. Beds are comfortable.

Riu Palace Paradise Island: Fabulous Resort

The Riu Paradise Island is the only all inclusive resort in the Bahamas for my sister and I. For the 5th time, the Riu was awesome from the warm welcome, fast and lovely room assignments, the comfort and cleanliness was only exceeded by the variety of tasty food at all times. Going again in April with more family. Thank you Riu for everything. Darlene Ward

Riu Republica: Beautiful and Great Entertainment

For such a new resort it was a great vacation. Few little flaws as in there could have been more bathroom facilities especially around the pool areas. But really no other complaints. We had a fantastic time. The entertainment staff was great. Would defiantly recommend this resort to others

Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas: Excellent Stay

We stayed at Riu Palace, Cabo San Lucas for 7 days. We really enjoyed our stay. The food and the Service was amazing. Staff at Riu palace are great group of people. They have a great attitude and wonderful people. They gave us 5 star plus service from our arrival date to the departure date. Wireless internet connection was awesome. We booked a ocean view room and the scenery was fantastic. We were able to see the beach and sunrise from our room. What a gorgeous view. Worth every penny. We arr [... read more]ived on my birthday and they delivered a birthday cake and a bottle of wine to our room. I was surprised to see the B'day cake & Wine..!!!!!!!!!!! The people who work at Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas makes all the difference. They are always willing to help you. Housekeeping staff keeps beautifully organized bedroom. Waiters at the restaurants and buffet area do a fabulous job. Our Waitress Abril took care of us most of the time and her customer service was fantastic. Please make sure to tip the people, they do work long hours and still they always have a beautiful smile and gives the service from the heart. We also took two tours with the help of Sunwing representatives on the ground. They are really professional and our driver for both days was Hector from Novo Tours. He was really good and amazing driver. Always took care of everyone personally on the tour bus. We will be planning to go again sometimes in the near future. Great job Riu......Vamos..!!!!

Riu Emerald Bay: Holiday Paradise

Enjoyed our stay at the Riu. The staff was very helpful and friendly..Check in and out went very quickly and smoothly. We asked for a room change and were accommodated immediately, even though the hotel staff were very busy. My only wish was that there would have been free Wifi in the rooms, as I had to spend a couple of days there due to a tummy bug....I would recommend this resort hotel if you are making Mazatlan you holiday destination. Thank you to the hard working staff that made our vac [... read more]ation memorable.....

Riu Republica: Amazing place & people

The resort is great, very clean and well managed. The buffet should be open later. There wasn't any choice in beer, only 1 draft beer. you need a variety of beer like Coors Light , Corona would have been nice to have a choice. My husband will never return to any resort with a limit to only serving draft beer. When you pay for all inclusive you expect more for your dollar. Our luggage was beat up on this trip

Riu Merengue: Very Large Resort

The hotel is well maintained, beds need replacing through out. Food was very good and front desk and bar staff friendly. Housekeeping and dining staff not friendly. I did share the negative with front desk. Also because it is so large there is alot of walking. No bathrooms at the Beach.

Riu Playa Blanca: Great new resort. Some small growing pains

3 year old resort, staff are very friendly and accommodating. Some growing pains with respect to washroom availability near all pools which is under review by management at this time. Would recommend resort, and would attend again if in Panama.

Riu Vallarta: Smiling, what a adventure for me

Room was fabulous, sat on the balcony every morning. View of court yard, palm trees and ocean. Sounds of the ocean were heavenly, landscaping and design was incredible. Three places to have my meals, food excellent, Wait staff were very polite and helpful. I have told all my friends and family about this incredible hotel, going down the stair to the court made me feel like a Princess.. Entertainment in the evening was Extraordinary, I took many photos. Danced my feet off and learned many new dan [... read more]ce steps from the staff. Pools were clean and Imagine sitting on a bar stool under water amazing. Best part of all is that I felt safe, for I have been a widow for one year and never travelled. My trip was incredible and I met many new people and made any new friends. I thank you for making a memory that will be with me for a life time.

Riu Palace Macao: Excellant Resort

We totally enjoyed this lovely resort. Clean room, nice view, great food choices, beautiful beach nice pools, many lounge chairs. Even with six of us we always managed to find lounge chairs in sun or shade. The staff are over the top helpful and friendly to everyone. I highly recommend this resort.

Riu Playa Blanca: Awesome resort!!

The hotel was very clean. The staff was very friendly esp the bartenders. They were always ready to serve. The food was very good and they had a lot of selection each day. The a la cartes were pretty good. I would have to say the steakhouse was thr best. The Italian was good but the Asian was not an a la carte it was a buffett. I think it would be better if they took reservatioms for thr a la cartes instead of juet showing up.

Riu Merengue: Awesome!

Thoroughly enjoyed beautiful pools and its long beach with warm water, would return next week if I could!! Staff was great very professional and accommodating. Enjoyed myself and can't wait to go back!!! Two thumbs up!!

Riu Merengue: Okay resort

The place was decent. Should be a 3 star. No air conditioner for 2 days no water in our room for a day. Staff was nice. Food was good. Beach wasn't as nice as I thought. Very busy on the weekend and was hard to get a lounger.