Great Family Memories

The Riu Palace was a a great resort to take our family on a memorable vacation. We wanted to take them to a place that would have something that we could all enjoy plus cater to a gluten free diet. The hotel itself was kept very clean. The rooms were spacious with good resort, ocean and mountain view from a balcony. We all were pleased with the selection of food at the buffet as well as the food at the al a cart restaurants. I can see why some people were disappointed with having to line  [... read more]up to get into restaurants, reservations would be better. The barbeque pool side every afternoon was awesome as was the buffet. We enjoyed the lobby cafe as well but the late night snack bar could of had better selection. There was enough to do to entertain us all for the week. Had a great time around the pools waterpark and ocean. The foam pool party was the best fun! The monkeys and iguanas were enjoyable to see. The monkey bar was was worth the walk, they made a great BlackBerry daiquiri! A ten minute walk from the resort in the forest. Between all of us we went horseback riding, atvs, seadoos and ziplining. The hour massage for $30. on the beach was good as well! Great family memories!

Excellent Location

My family returned to this lovely resort over New Years and it was as good as I remembered it to be two years earlier. Would highly recommend. It was excellent for multi-generational group, lovely walking beach and spacious pool side area. The staff are friendly and very good.

Fantastic Family Vacation

I would highly recommend this resort - we were a three generation group of nine and had a great time. Check in and checkout were both quickly and efficiently done with helpful and polite staff. Service overall very good as was the wide variety of food, I would have preferred a different system for booking at the specialty restaurants but our group went twice - the Italian and the Japanese (grandkids preferred the Italian). The grounds were well kept, steps from the ocean where they br [... read more]ought loungers and drinks, numerous pools to choose from (some did have missing tiles but were very clean) and a lot of loungers available for all. The rooms were a bit tired and a few items missing from housekeeping one day but quickly remedied with a call to reception and followed up twice later to ensure we had everything. A "shout out" must go to their photography staff who took some family pictures for us and also some candid ones of the kids at the pool - both pictures and prices were exceptional. I would rate the resort as a nine out of ten overall. We did a few excursions and the highlight was the day trip to Borinquen with ziplines, horseback riding, waterfalls and even a mud bath; we hired a private guide and Ira was very knowledgeable and personable. It was truly a memorable holiday in a beautiful Country.

Admirable, Pura Vida!

Well kept hotel, staff is personable and efficient. The manicured grounds are beautiful and mosquitos are non existent day or night! The rooms are spacious, extremely clean, comfortable and amenities are kept stocked and plentiful. The beach area is not as shown in advertisement that reflects white sand however this was not an issue for us. We did find the beach quite clean and pleasant to swim from or lounge, big bonus is there are no sand fleas or any type of biting insect to interfere with en [... read more]joyment. No issues with loungers, staff on beach will bring loungers down from a pile to accommodate you. They also collect the loungers that are vacated and as required are taken back for guests. If you leave your towel on loungers they are not touched. The service on the beach is amazing with drink orders being taken by a gentleman as there is no beach bar area. It is a bit of a trek to the closest bar so bringing an insulated beverage holder and filling before you go to the beach is advisable. The nexus tours are plentiful and rather expensive, don’t be too hasty to book with Nexxus as the same tours are offered for much less by reputable individuals on the beach. The food was plentiful however I was surprised that the quality of the various meals offered were mediocre and extremely over the top salted. Not sure why this was an issue but we’ve stayed at 3 star hotels with better food quality. The desserts lacked freshness and like the main dishes although plentiful lacked in freshness and flavour. Stay away from pre assembled little dishes of salad. No pasta station and pasta dishes were either under cooked, hard crunchy pasta or overcooked in a cheese sauce. A la carte , first come first served and difficult to organize, if you are able to be there to get a reservation you are seated right away if tables are available which is great if everyone is ready to be seated. They refused to put on the list if a table was available? This procedure needs to be revisited to enable guests the opportunity to experience the a la carte options in a respectable manner. Front desk might assign staff to oversee bookings as the front staff is plentiful and basically quiet most of the day and night. They handle check in and check out efficiently therefore time might allow for booking a la carte reservations. A plus is that English is well spoken and minimal if any language barrier to guests speaking English. A situation that we were disappointed with is due to check out and departure they tell you your luggage will be locked up and you are able to enjoy the premises until pickup after checking out earlier than required we are told the luggage stays in a section out of sight of the front desk and is not locked up at all. They express security cameras are monitoring, but this is not a monitored area as the cameras if active monitor the front desk. The section the luggage was placed was easily accessible around the corner of the front desk and close to bathrooms, people were accessing the luggage constantly with no one watching or aware of what was being done. We chose to keep documents of value on us and used a backpack to hold items. This should be relayed to guests not mislead to believe otherwise. They had tour guide and assorted items occupying the room and didn’t want to have to lock and unlock for access, so no secure lock up for luggage on departures!Also they should inform guests they will be taking the luggage out to the bus for pick up as many guests assumed the luggage would be loaded by staff from the holding area to the buses. This was the arrival procedure, you are told luggage will be taken into the resort and to exit bus and proceed to lobby. Leaving you are on your own! It felt a bit like we’ve had your $ $ you are leaving, so we don’t care. Not good if you want repeat customers. I would recommend to others however I would not return to allow an experience in an alternate setting.

Absolutely Amazing Experience

Our recent stay at the Riu Palace was absolutely an amazing experience. The staff were friendly and helpful, the facilities beautiful and clean. The food was probably the best that I have had throughout my travels. There was an abundance of natural flora and fauna. When the Riu built this resort it was only allowed to develop 30% of the land. The rest had to remain in it's natural state to preserve the local environment. The mountains behind the resort are also owned by Riu and Riu has prov [... read more]ided support to the nearby schools and communities offering locals preferential opportunities for jobs. El Diamante an eco park is just outside the resort gates. Very impressed.

A perfect vacation!

Resort was immaculate, beautiful grounds, exceptional food quality and selection, amazing cocktails, very friendly service. We loved walking to visit the monkeys on the beach! A great time on and off the resort. Highly recommend.

Fantastic resort!

The RIU Palace Costa Rica was nothing short of amazing. The hotel is beautiful, the pools are big and the layout is great. The food was great as well!! If you are a beach go-er.. this resort may not be the place for you as there were very few beach chairs on the beach (I think the resort is more so for pool people I’d say). Then again, CR isn’t known for their spectacular beaches. I personally was OK with it but others may not be. The only thing that I wasn’t a fan of was the “restaurant [... read more] policy” if you will. You have to show up VERY early.. like 5:30pm to get a chance of being seated and if you don’t, you may be denied and there’s no second seating. That was extremely frustrating for me and my bf. The food at the restaurants was good but the “get there early” thing was very annoying!! But, overall a fantastic resort; we had an amazing time!!

Amazing Bucket List Vacation

It was our first time in Costa Rica (bucket list location) and we had been to the Riu Palace in Negril previously so felt safe choosing the same hotel chain for our trip to Costa Rica and we were not disappointed. The hotel itself is very well set out for everyone to enjoy the location (jungle, pools, beach (we got to see a whale and two leatherback turtles from shore), garden, etc). We had a 4th floor room facing the jungle - it was amazing being able to listen to the wildlife and see the birds [... read more] and monkeys from the balcony everyday :-) The room was spacious/clean, restaurants were great (we did not try the steak house) always found something good to eat, coffee bar was fantastic and we always had our dessert there in the evening, lobby bar was great and the bar staff made every effort to provide you with whatever drink you wanted to try. We did five excursions from the hotel and thoroughly enjoyed them all (Nicaraga, Blue River, Sloth Tour, Sweet Rainforest and Monteverde Cloud Forest). The weekends do get very busy as there seems to be a lot of guests that come just for the weekend getaway so things are louder and more line ups everywhere but nothing major and we arranged our tours for the Saturday :-) Would highly reccommend this hotel for your trip to Costa Rica

Loved it !!!!

Amazing resort, clean and easy to find everything. Food was amazing, staff was amazing! I'd highly recommend the RIU. Weather was ok, but you should go beginning of November. Entertainment 5 stars. Monkeys are the best

Great time!

Family went to Riu Palace for a week. We had a great time! It rained a bit, but not too much. The beach was lovey (got to see wild monkeys). I would say I thought the pool at the neighbouring resort was nicer, but ours was still good. The food was really nice. I would recommend more vegetarian options at the al a carte places, but overall delicious. Rooms were cleaned everyday. Bartenders remembered you. All the staff we very friendly and the nightly shows are fun to watch!

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

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 !!

Excellent Resort

This resort was very good and an amazing destination. The two RIU hotels are the only resorts on this entire beach. Food was excellent with gluten free options for my wife. Staff was very friendly and helpful. I would definitely stay here again.

Awesome Riu Palace Costa Rica

Awesome anniversary holiday we were looking at an anniversary vaca all inclusive stayed at many many Rius looked at the Palace Costa Rica and were not disappointed. From the moment we arrived with Sunwing an exceptional flight coming and going early with wonderful flight attendance. We emailed Jordi Customer service with requests and he was fantastic. Every aspect of this Riu was terrific from the food to the alcohol to the servers the service the cleanliness of this resort is overwhelming. The [... read more] beach is good for Costa Rica not white or black volcanic sand. Our room spectacular had everything and more. We would highly recommend this Riu Palace Costa Rica the other side not so much. Thank you

Great resort!

Resort was well kept. Good variety at buffets, we were able to dine a la carte when ever we wanted first come first serve, had to wait a few times , which was totally reasonable. Service was excellent. Either at the beach or pool, waiters regularly checking in on you. Bartenders rarely kept you waiting. Staff overall very attentive and always willing to please. Went July 15-22nd, weather was great. Excursions booked through SunWing were fantastic. Decent snorkeling at hotel beach. Pools were [... read more] clean. Swim up Pool bar separate from main pools, which we prefer. We would go back. Just a matter of when. Highly recommended!!

Beautiful Resort to Honeymoon

This resort was great! It is very modern and super clean everywhere we went! The rooms make you feel like you are right at home! The grounds are very well kept and maintained they are just beautiful! Don’t even get me started on how amazing the food was.... you can think of anything you wanted and garuntee they have it either at the buffet or the restaurants on the resort. The staff were so friendly and the service is a 10/10! I am so happy we chose to have our honeymoon at this resort! We wil [... read more]l definitely be going back

Great few days.

We had a great trip. The resort is wonderful, the service was friendly and attentive. Food was good and the coffee was wonderful. Pool had its share of floating bugs but these things happen, nothing that ruined the trip.

Palace is the right name for this place!

Beautiful and well maintained grounds and pools, beach is nice, entertainment is good, food is great, restaurant service was very good. The staff work very hard to keep things in good order, and the level of service is very good. Great location, not too far from the airport. A thoroughly enjoyable (second) stay at this resort.

Great Resort!

The feature that sticks out the most from our stay was the staff. Everyone was very friendly and eager to make your time there enjoyable. I have never been to a resort that was constantly cleaning...everywhere...all the time. There was never any issue getting drinks around the pool or at the beach. The staff was always very attentive and aware. The rooms are a bit dated but very clean. The only complaint is that the pillows are horrible. Not what you would expect of a hotel in this category. [... read more] Overall, the resort was excellent. I would go back in a heartbeat.

Amazing resort,Amazing people

My wife and I just came back after a week at the Riu Palace........I will give you a honest review........the food is awesome,beef in all restaurants as good as the Keg if not better,and I normally don't think beef in the Caribbean is very good.....we did not have a bad meal the whole week...we are beach people and spent the whole week at the pools.....there are a few pools to choose from,relaxing pool,active pool with basketball nets,pool with volleyball net and the rowdier pool bar......beach  [... read more]is not great to swim in and not many people went in the water.....but great to walk and see the monkeys........the rooms are very nice and modern with a high end hotel quality bed that is comfy as heck....pillows need some help lol......coco beach is where you want to buy gifts to bring home.......our highlight of the trip was our excursion which we booked with Marco Polo Adventures.......We were able to customize a excursion to do everything we wanted to do in a day and it was awesome!!! Marco made this trip very special for us,he is very passionate about his country and is very knowledgable and speaks perfect English.....we had a private tour with Marco and his driver and learned a lot about Costa Rica while driving to our destination and felt like we knew him for years in how comfortable he made us feel......he is dedicated to being there for you and makes sure you are happy.......You can find most excursion people near the beach.......I would suggest you email Marco at Info@marcopoloadventurecr.com He will make this special for you also trust me......let him know Allan and Chris gave you this info and he will make sure you are treated like family.......Have a great Costa Rica vacation!!!