Great resort

Rooms and grounds were amazing. our room was perfect(other than the electric outlets that continue to be a pain to use) the restaurants were great except for the Italian where the food was overcooked and bland. 6 of us went to the steak house and they only got one order right, i am not sure what was wrong but all of our steaks were raw, when asked for medium. it would almost seem that you didn't want us to be there or go more than once in the week that we were there. The service around th [... read more]e pool was outstanding" Brian " this was our second time there and we may go back.

Mediocre

At first entrance to the room we where hit with a strong mold smell. The sink leaked creating a puddle the exhaust fan did not work there were broken glass cubes in the shower . The worst was how far it was to the washroom form the pool area letting everybody know people are so peeing in the pools. However most of the staff was amazing very friendly and always willing to help.

Amazing resort

The Riu Palace is one of the best resorts we have stayed in. We staying in this Riu for a couple of weeks. The grounds were absolutely beautiful. Staff were constantly grooming the grounds, thus it was always clean. The pools were spacious and warm. There was always water activities going on. Best was the Suds pool party on Wednesdays. The staff were great and very amicable. Food was excellent, especially the buffets. I have never seen buffets this large with a selection to meet all tas [... read more]tes. The nightly stage shows were among the best we have seen at resorts. The performers are not the staff working during the day at other activities. They are professionals only doing the nightly shows.

Great Review *

The grounds very clean the staff and the food was great the beach was great the rooms were clean and a great view and I would recommend this hotel to any body the guilds were great for tour and the pools were very clean and a lot of action around the pools

Great resort

It was clean, beautiful and the staff were courteous. The reception area had two bars, a cappuccino bar, restaurant all just off the main area. There were 5 pools lots of chairs. It was a little too big. I have problems walking and there were lots of stairs. The only ramp was off to the side and could only take you to a couple of the pools. It also was a huge hill so hard to push someone up. The food was good. The beaches were ok but the sand is black and the ground a little Ricky.. I did enjo [... read more]y my time there.

Great Resort

We stayed at the RIU Palace Costa Rica for 7 days. Big mistake, we should have stayed for two weeks. Our room was excellent with a beautiful view of the ocean. The grounds are wonderful and very, very clean. The friendly staff made our stay so much more enjoyable. Making a long story short, we would return in a heartbeat.

Good not great

The hotel is nice. Weather is amazing. The food isn’t the best. Everything starts to taste the same after a while. Had to leave the resort to eat something with taste. You have to ask for the top shelf liquor. It’s not given to you which is weird as it’s supposed to be the reason for staying at a “palace” riu instead of the regular resort. The guanacaste is much nicer in my opinion considering the price difference. Stayed at the palace expecting to be able to use the guanacaste as well [... read more] but they don’t tell you until you get there that they have stopped doing that due to covid. Would have been nice to know before hand as that was a reason for choosing the palace instead.

We Will Be Back!

This was our first trip since 2019 and it was a great one at that. We stayed in an upgraded hotel room with a Jacuzzi on the veranda which was a nice touch. Room was large and spacious. Any service calls made through the app were attended to promptly including bar restock and room service. We went to every restaurant and buffet. All were very good. Masks were mandatory in the lobby and when walking around the buffet. Staff wore masks at all times. Coming from Ontario it was common practice for u [... read more]s so no big deal. Covid testing facility was in a room in the hotel. Easy to book, results came back in 17 hours from our test. We hadn’t been to this hotel before so I’m not sure what all has changed since Covid but we were pleased with our stay and the quality of everything offered. We had a great experience and when we return to Costa Rica - and we will - we won’t hesitate to come back to this hotel!

A wonderful holiday resort.

This was our second stay at the Riu Palace. Upon arrival we were greeted by friendly desk staff and were quickly assigned to a wonderfully large clean room with a wonderful garden view. Due to delayed flight arrival from the airport we were hungry and tired and had missed dinner at the buffet. On the way back to our room we stopped to read the menu at the Italian restaurant. A server from the restaurant sensing our situation waived for us to come in and eat although they were in the process o [... read more]f closing. That was the beginning of a wonderful stay. The food throughout the resort was excellent with a large variety of choice. The complete staff of the Riu team from desk staff, cleaners, pool people, grounds people and bartenders were all friendly. The grounds and pools were amazing. My favourite meal was roast of lamb. Of course I should not leave out the baked goods table, salad bar or the fresh fruits.

Riu Palace Costa Rica

The resort was superb. Clean, modern and the staff were wonderful. The pools were excellently maintained and the beaches were close by and clean. The rooms were clean, comfortable, with air conditioning and a fan, bathroom and shower were great, beds comfortable and nice balcony. One of the most enjoyable parts was the food. The buffets and the restaurants had excellent choices and great quality. We will definitely return!

Amazing Resort

Amazing all inclusive resort with great food and lots of activities. Kids love the pool and water park. The room is pretty big and internet service is fast. Seeing howler monkeys in the trees beside the resort is one of highlights of the trip.

Fantastic resort

The Riu Palace was great place, people where friendly, food was great, lots of variety, rooms where made up with special care, the grounds and pool area where very clean, thou beach was a public one, they still served us there, with no issues with the locals..

An amazing experience

i took my wife to this wonderful resort it was our first time in costa rica..the RIU palace was amazing i knew we were in a very special place because the bell boy made us feel very welcome the general manager and the reception desk made our stay extra special this trip was to celebrate my wife's 60th birthday..and we love it..

Our Stay at RIU Palace

Upon arrival we were greeted with a beverage from the friendly staff. We had the privilege to use both resorts so we attended the Neon Party next door at the Guanacaste. Which was so fun. Our days were fun filled and the staff were so friendly. The only issue we had was that staff never said anything when guests were bringing their children into the swim up pool bar and allowing them to play. When the sign stated that you must be 18 to be in that pool. The food selection was great and our room w [... read more]as clean everyday except whomever cleaned it on Sunday only made our beds and did not clean or leave us fresh towels. Every other day we were happy with our room. As far as the beach, it was beautiful but we would have preferred to not be harassed every time we stepped on to the beach by the excursion vendors,you would tell them you are not interested but they did not listen. We had to find a different route to do our morning walk just to avoid them. All in all we are very happy with our vacation and looking forward to our next adventure wherever that may be. We would definitely consider this destination again.

Very nice resort and staff!

The main thing that I can say about this resort is how CLEAN it is! It was spotless! The staff were very friendly and accommodating, the pools were beautiful and the food was good. It was one of the best resorts I have been to. We were on the 5th floor ocean view. We went for dinner around 6-7pm daily and never waited for a table once. Our fave restaurant was Italian, then Krystal and the main buffet was very good. We did not have Japanese and the steakhouse was actually terrible (cooked perfect [... read more]ly med rare BUT the cut was not great causing it to be very tough). It would have been nice to have another restaurant selection. Was not pleased with the bedding. Although the beds were comfy, the pillows were not great and they give you only sheets and then a wool blanket. I cannot use a wool blanket. You have an overhead fan which you need for drowning out any noise and comfort but then I was left cold at night. They should have duvets like Westin hotels (heavenly) which would make it that much more luxurious and comfortable! The best was that It was my husbands birthday and they treated him like a KING! Champagne, cake, big bfast (room svc), balloons the whole stay. Very special! Overall a wonderful stay. For excursions: we took 3. We LOVED the coffee plantation (Tio Leo). The second was a day trip which included zip lining (good), a mountain water slide (awesome), spa (nice), food tasting/lunch (very yummy), and horseback riding (horrible! the horses were old and forced to walk up and down roads covered in big cement rocks which was troublesome as they were not steady. I felt SO bad for them! - it really put a damper on the day 😒). The nightly entertainment was a lot of fun! We walked to the monkey bar which was great and the food was tasty! Did not see monkeys as we went in the afternoon/too hot for them. You need to go in the morning. We also painted a canvas at the art centre which was expensive! ($20 US each for a small canvas! No art lesson!) 2 other comments: they did not really tell you that there are shops out to the left of the front door by the casino like a convenience store (expensive though) and last, they should not be charging $15US pp to visit their nearest town where most staff live. More ppl would likely go if it weren’t for the cost. Gets $$ when you have a family! Surprised they don’t want to encourage more tourism in their town for their families /local businesses. Also they drop you off by the beach which is actually a little sketchy (dark/everything shuts down at 7pm b4 pickup at 730!) As we drove out, we saw that way up the street was bustling restaurants and a supermarket and great stores! Why didn’t they drop us there? That would have been MUCH better as everyone on the bus was saying. Overall, a WONDERFUL time! We would go back in a heartbeat. It was beautiful. Gina (our agent) was easy to work with, informative and pleasant. Our flights with Sunwing went off without any issues (quick, efficient boarding etc) .. surprised by a tourism fee though of $29 upon return & would just be nice to have a movie on the plane or if the headphone jacks worked to watch the shared tv!:( Thank you Costa Rica! Pura Vida!

Beautiful Resort

The hotel and grounds are beautiful, well kept, and very clean. The staff are friendly and accommodating. The restaurants were nice and the food choices were very good and delicious. I would happily return to the hotel.

Amazing resort!

Grounds, restaurants, staff, tour guide, etc. were all fantastic. Our family had a perfect beach escape in paradise and cannot wait to return. From start to finish, we had an outstanding experience in CR!

Riu Palace - great experience

Resort staff were friendly and helpful. The grounds and indoor facilities were well maintained. The restaurants had a variety of food to meet everyone’s needs. My favourite was the Italian restaurant. The Sun Wing representatives spoke fluent English and were very helpful. My only recommendation would be to offer a longer tour in the city of Liberia and leave the coffee tour on a stand alone tour.

Excellent resort

Beautiful resort. Quick check in. Friendly staff. Clean rooms. Amazing buffet. Lots of choices. Good a la carte restaurants. Never a problem getting a drink, whether at the pool or beach. Always lots of loungers available. Did not need to "reserve " in the morning. The only issue was the wind. This time of year it can be quite strong, but it was hot hot hot.

Big resort

The pool areas were amazing, no shortage of places to lay - so many pools for all its guests. Even had a water slide area in front of the hotel for kids. I was under the impression it was an adult's only, this is not the case. The rooms are dated and worn but very clean. Our sinks plugged every other day but they were quick to come and fix them. The buffet was the best place to eat (along with the bbq's by the pool areas). Ate at their steak restaurant the first night but the steak was i [... read more]nedible. Full of fat and grissle and couldn't even cut through it. Entertainment was good with lots of variety however was disappointed on their International night that they didnt honor Canada. It was very very windy so the beach was not the best place to be with sand blowing everywhere. Beach is brown sand but that's because of the volcanos close by. Workers very kind and helpful. Found out Riu Guanaste has a sports bar which would have been nice here as the restaurants closed at 9:30. You had to line up at the restaurants for sitting at 6:15 or 8:15. No reservations. Buffet was the best option for us each night. Locals (not staff) aren't fond of those that stay at the Riu as apparently they crossed a few boundaries with environmental laws when building the resort. All in all weather was amazing and the pools were great.