Riu Guanacaste

The hotel was newly renovated; very well decorated and exceptionally clean ! The only draw back was the beaches are dark sand and very hot to walk on therefore you must wear footwear. The other factor is the hotel is not close to anything so transportation to tours, other beaches and towns is a minimum of one hours drive one way

Beautifully Redone!

We had a wonderful stay at Riu Guanacaste, Costa Rica! We would definitely return! This resort has be totally redone and it looks amazing!! We found everything to be spotless except for the pool deck at the adults only swim-up bar pool. I don't think it was washed down once during our stay which was disappointing since every other part of the hotel was very clean. The only other thing that was a little disappointing was there wasn't staff cleaning up food/drinks or serving drinks at the adults [... read more] only pool. Not a big deal but we've had it at other Riu's. The staff was friendly. The food was delicious and plentiful. The beach was nice but be prepared for the black sand. It's HOT!! I would definitely recommend this resort!

Another great stay

The RIU Guanacaste has been extensively renovated since our stay in January 2025. The reception area is lovely, the decor is light and clean throughout. The food was fine, the staff friendly and the overall experience was great.

Fabulous resort

grounds are clean and well kept. There are lots of places for shade and sun. Pools are divided well so that no one crowds another and everyone can access the water. Every afternoon there was some fun and games around the pools. Evening entertainment was various. We were at the family resort so usually between 8 & 9pm there was children activities but afterwards was music, live local bands, trivia and the bar opened. 5 restaurants give varied food choices. 3 of them had outside as well as  [... read more]inside seating. Lots of places to sit and gather. Excursions were also available.

Excellent holiday

The RIU Guanacaste was everything we had looked for when booking to go to Costa Rica. The restaurants are exceptionally good, with great variety including Italian, Japanese and Mexican cuisine. Most are buffet style with lots of choices. The resort is very large which means lots of walking but that is a good thing. There is plenty of shade at the pools and at the beach and always chairs available. There was nightly entertainment but often not what we were looking for. The staff were invaria [... read more]bly friendly and efficient.

Wonderful Resort but...

We had a wonderful family vacation at the Riu Guanacaste but I wish we knew a few things... Pros: - fully renovated resort so everything was clean, nice and new - beautiful beach - lots of beach and pool beds and towels Things to consider / to know: - Absolutely horrible ala carte reservation system, guests have to line up to get seated which meant, standing outside the restaurant as early at 3-4pm! Majority of the hotels have moved to mobile / app or signing up during the day so g [... read more]uests can enjoy their vacation - Except for the Steak House (which we didn't even get into), its all buffet and not true ala carte - Buffet has no Smoothie bar, Omelet or Pasta Station - 24/7 restaurant stops serving food after 10pm, at which point they have cold hot dogs and microwave or nachos - No room service - No cafe for pastries, coffee/tea or other items - Staff Service at buffet was not good, staff were not motivated to serve or clean-up quickly - We were in a group and I had emailed Riu re. arrangements for room - I needed one accessibility room and 1 room with 2 beds: - our group was not together - we had to change 2 rooms to meet the requirement, they clearly didn't care or manage pre-travel requests - they did not accommodate for vegetarian diet even when I asked, they did one item with a horrible service/face.. Lastly be aware of the Nexus tour agents onsite - they are not honest! We were sold a waterfall trip and agent did not disclose that we could only go halfway dur to broken step. This issue was there for weeks and we learnt about it as soon as we took off on the tour, by the guide. I approach the Agent the next day and he did not even apologize - Horrible People Nexus! I would have selected a different option if we knew!!

RIU Guanacaste in Costa Rica

The hotel is big and spread out over a wide area. Getting around is easy if you don't have mobility issues. It could do with more elevators in certain secretions. The lobby is clean and well kept, however I saw empty plates left beside elevators for 2 or 3 days. The food in the main buffet (Liberia) was okay but not up to RIU standards. There was ample selection (fish, Italian, Pizza, hamburgers, roast, pastas, salads, and a large selection of desserts). The Steak house was popular as were [... read more] the Japanese and Italian a la carte restaurants. Service was good for the most part. There are four swimming pools, two with swim up bars. The beach was nice and sandy, not crowded and safe for non-swimmers. Lots a lounge chairs, but shade was limited so you need to get there before 9am. Lots of water sports ($) to keep you busy. There are howler monkeys further down the beach that you could feed bananas and grapes. They are friendly and will take food out of your hand.Best time to see them is in the morning between 8 and 9am. The nightly entertainment was mostly in Spanish and geared towards children.

Love this resort

I stayed at the main building which was recently renovated, the rooms are very spacious and beautifully decorated. The gardens are very well kept. I know that drinks can accidentally get spilled, more maintenance around the pool area is required. The meals at the restaurants were good with the exception of the Steak House. Not worth the line up to get in. Overall it was a great vacation.

Good Resort

Hotel was good, grounds beautiful, public area good but me and my husband got very sick from bacteria at the resort. I find dishes and dining needs to be absolutely clean/sterile for guests. We saw at the pool bar reusable cup just got a quick rinse and reuse...the rim was not washed. I felt foods on the utensils and the plates at the buffet. We had to always asked for bottle water in our room and coffee. These items supposed to be replenish daily. I enjoy my first 3 days at the resort but  [... read more]the next 3 days plus the day we checked out we were so sick. Didn't leave our room for 3 days to go and eat. Pharmacy was closed when my husband went to see if he can get something to help us. We needed some electrolytes and stuff to help us. We made tea and had plain crackers which we forced ourselves to eat. We couldn't wait and praying to get back home safe and well. We are home now but still haven't recovered. I went to the emergency here at home. Costa Rica is beautiful and too bad we got sick. We would love to visit again and enjoy fully next time. Hoping for better experience and more cleaner place/things etc. We saw how they clean the tables and placemats for the next guests...not proper. We were horrified what we were seeing. Barely cleaning the mats thoroughly, all the garbage crumbs/foods are brushed so quickly every where and onto the chairs you have to sit on. The workers need to be checked for the way they are cleaning the dining areas. The tables are not wiped properly with care and time. This is serious and should be addressed immediately.

Incredible resort and vacation!

We stayed here 10 years ago and it was great. But now after all the renovations, it’s absolutely amazing. We loved everything - the grounds, the rooms, the food, the pool, the service. Overall a great family trip and the kids already want to go back. Huge thanks to our travel agent Jim for helping us out so much!

Beautiful surroundings, delicious food, service needs improvement

Buffet was ample and varied and delicious. Their system for waiting in line for an hour for the specialty restaurants is unfortunate. As at other resorts, they should have a sign-in policy for these restaurants. Wasting precious vacation time waiting in line from 5:00 to get a seat at 6:00 makes no sense. Italian restaurant was amazing. Note the following: 1) we requested a wake-up call to get [... read more] to an excursion: it never came to either of two rooms 2) we advised there was a dripping sound at night in our room: repairman came and said it was the fridge and moved the fridge. Next night dripping continued. A repairman came and said it was the air conditioner and that he fixed it. Dripping continued. Unclear why they couldn't get it right. Safe needed a repair: the battery was missing. It was repaired. Then the batteries fell out and it needed another repair 3) accordingly, because of the drip, I moved my room. As I packed up the first room I noticed my neck pillow was gone. I asked the front desk to look into it. They took note. I came back that night: no news. They said come back in the morning: they'd call housekeeping. I came back: no news. Finally I google translated a message to Spanish and showed it directly to the housekeeper, indicating that i would have no choice in hotel reviews but to indicate that housekeeping staff steals things at Riu Guanacaste. She communicated with others in the housekeeping staff: much animated chatter ensued and calling to others amongst themselves Eventually: my neck pillow appeared. Unclear how it had disappeared. Unclear why it was so difficult to get messages and requests to be taken seriously. Staff is very pleasant and relaxed, but either doesn't take matters too seriously or doesn't get the message in English. There should be one person on duty at front desk at all times who is proficient in English.

Great trip

The newer side was beautiful and clean. But with the upcoming renovation the main pool was always dirty and tiles were falling apart. Sometimes the a la cartes were closed. We’ve stayed here before and there were never issues like this. So I can’t wait to see the full completed renovations But other than that. The service was great. Weather perfect. I’d recommend going once the Reno’s are done

Impressive Resort

This hotel was very nice, staff kept it exceptionally clean always!! Check in and out smooth and easy. Lots on offer at the buffets especially for picky kids.The specialty restaurants were confusing. Sign said open hours but it was closed. Extremely long waits for the restaurants so we gave up and left. Need a better system. Room was very nice. Service at the bars and pool was great.The shows were a lot of fun too. Would definitely go back and also recommend to family and friends!! Thanks for su [... read more]ch a great experience. Pura Vida Costa Rica ?? ♥️

It was great! But be wary

We stayed at the Riu Guanacaste between 03/01 and 03/07. I'll try to keep this short and sweet. The good: The staff were nice and the resort was clean for the most part. Pools were well maintained and fairly clean. There were ton of activities during the day and evening. The staff definitely entertained. Food was pretty good with ample selections. The Asian a la carte restaurant was amazing and would highly recommend. It's also nice that you don't have to reserve ahead of time. The beach was  [... read more]lovely although we had to deal with pushy locals trying to sell you stuff. Everyday we had to repeat multiple times that we're not interested. Water was fantastic and fairly clean. The scenery and landscapes are beautiful! The bad: Rooms are quite dated. We also smelled sewage coming from the toilet in the bathroom. It wasn't bad, but we talked to someone else who claimed the smell was unbearable and they had to switch rooms. There is no bank at the resort which I found shocking. I've been to way worse places and at least they had a bank where you could with draw cash in case of emergencies. The closest bank was at Coco Beach which turned out to be a dud since the ATM didn't work. For Riu, that's quite disappointing. We've heard from others that their minibar in their room was not stocked and they had to ask several times before management did anything about it. BEWARE!: We met one couple who claimed their room was robbed of possessions totaling $500. They said that someone a few weeks ago was robbed of $1500 in cash! Beware of your belongings! Note that room safes are not at all that safe. We didn't experience anything missing but we were put on high alert after that information.

RIU Quanacaste

Grounds, public areas all good. Foods left something to be desired. All restaurants had similar buffets. Very little a la carte. Construction was noisy. Evening entertainment only fair. Location is far away from everywhere for tours.

Wonderful Resort

This resort was safe, clean and staff wonderful and very accommodating. Customer service desk in main lobby very organized, professional and thorough. The restaurant system is skewed because you have to wait in line to get your name on a list. I prefer reservations. We managed to get in at La Toscana and the manager, Jesus was courteous, service above and beyond and all staff under his management proficient and likeable. Room service was good, at times you did not get complete  [... read more]towel set and or your fridge was not always stocked with water beer or soft drinks but the immediate fix is contacting customer service desk. When it’s hot and humid two bottles of water is not enough. The private excursions were a miss, catamaran could not dock at the beach when wavy and fishing boat had to transport groups at a time to catamaran, not safe, lost two hours and not conducive for the disabled. Huge fail! The sun wing representatives were disorganized, no system in place, even ‘first come first served’ is a concept not practiced. The food in the lobby quite good. The restaurants were clean, had great variety of food. Everyone did their job with a smile and eager to help, perfect! If in need, the medical office for the resort is good, english spoken by the young doctor and prescriptions delivered to lobby. No wait period. The bar pool water should be tested more often for obvious reasons and fresh water should be added daily, otherwise beautiful and special visits from iguana included! One elevator is down but a secondary working. When our return flight was rescheduled more than once, this resort did not displace us and we enjoyed all amenities at no extra cost. SUPERB! On the last day when you check out, you have access to the restaurant’s until 1:30pm even without a bracelet The ride in from Liberia is long and the road rough! We were very happy with this resort. The Liberia airport is organized, systematic with plenty of staff to assist, no hesitation. Make sure you have $29 US ea to pay for the departure fee. Highly recommend!!!

Great resort but for a few things

Resort was nice, grounds were beautifully maintained and staff were friendly. Buffet was good, we did not try the a la cartes. Beach is beautiful. My only complaint was that the Sunwing Rep. told us on the bus on our way to the resort that the water was safe to use. This was NOT TRUE. One of our group members ended up needing medical treatment and was told by the doctor that he has seen multiple cases of people getting sick from the water. Sunwing should NOT be telling people the water is safe!! [... read more]! Use bottled water in the room and do not drink the water from the restaurants!

Beautiful resort but needs a little TLC

This was a beautiful resort but is in need of some updating. The rooms had a bit of a musty smell and the furniture and bedding definitely needs some upgrades. The al a carte restaurants are glorified buffets which was disappointing as you just want someone to give you your food. Also with respect to the restaurants they were not open every day so you were restricted in your options. They also did not take reservations so in order to get in at a reasonable time with children you had to line  [... read more]up before 5:30 which cuts into your pool time. Overall this is not what I would consider a 4.5 star resort maybe a 4 at best.

Great place

Everyone at the resort are great. The resort is going under renovations , so some times the elevators would break down. I must say that the nexus staff underestimated the times to get to our tours and the endurance needed to complete them. We feel that Sunwing should have a sign in the lobby stating info about flight status. Riu activity staff should also have a sign telling us what are the night activities and shows.

Great resort

Everything was wonderful great resort, great food, amazing service the stuff was wonderful especially at the bars, very clean rooms also clean resort all around I would recommend it to everyone for a wonderful vacation