Great Week At Riu Palace

We had a fantastic time with our family of 5. Don't worry about the weather forecast, as we were supposed to get thunderstorms every day but only had a few hours of rain for the whole week. Enjoy - Pura Vida!

Amazing vacation !!!!

Riu Palace Costa Rica ...... Perfect in every way!!!! Would recommend this resort and is a 5 star for sure ... !!!! Very cosmopolitan decor . The rooms were spacious and tastefully decorated...Food outstanding ..clean and friendly staff....Premium liquor ... The restaurants on the property were fantastic and delicious and no pre booking (a la cart)!!!! All the buffets offered lots of variety .. even the 24 hr snack bar was well stocked ad very clean and fresh .No problem getting a chair in the  [... read more]shade...lots of chairs at the many pools and great poolside bbq for lunch......Thanks to the wait staff for keeping us hydrated with trays of ice water that appeared regularly around the pools ! as close to a perfect vacation as you can get !!!! Riu Palace Rocks!!!

Outstanding resort

The food here is 5 star all the way. Always fresh and artfully presented its a pleasing to the eye and the palate. With lots of variety at each venue there's something for everyone. From the pools to the restaurant to the rooms this facility is spotless. The housekeeping staff can be seen at all hours working tirelessly to keep it that way. The only disappointing fact was the water sports equipment was only available for guests 18 years old. We chose the location because kayaking, stand up pa [... read more]ddle boards and wind surfers were part of the package. We had made it clear to our travel agent we wanted these aactivities because we were bringing a 17 year old. The website should indicate the age limit

Best vacation ever

everything about this trip was fantastic. couldnt have been better. hotel and staff are wonderful. food excellent beach is perfect. great country cant wait to go back there is nowhere that i'd rather go.

Fanatastic Time

We have been there twice now and have yet to be disappointed. The service is exceptional. Staff is very friendly and bend over backwards to help you with any issues. The rooms get cleaned right away. The food is delicious and the staff waits on you hand and foot. Telling all my friends and family to go there! Great relaxing time!

AMAZING AMAZING!!!

Riu palase costa rica has by far past beyond are expectations! Palace sais it all!!! very clean resort, rooms! Food is very good! entertainement was also great and drinks were Amazing! Would I go back? Will I be back? YES YES AND YES

Going back FA SHO!!!!

The RIU Palace was excellent. The service and staff were all very friendly. The room was very nice and housekeeping was always on top of things. The whole resort was well kept. Lots of space and seating at the pool. No shortage of people offering drinks. The food was great. Lots of selection. Only went to one a la cart and was not disappointed. Our zip lining excursion was a fun experience. The tour guides at the zip line were a good group. Friendly and fun. We are already talking about our next [... read more] vacation being to the same resort. Also, the weather was perfect all week long. Trip Central did a great job helping us plan our vacation and answering all our questions and concerns.

Amazing Honeymoon

We could not have asked for a more amazing honeymoon! I usually always book through tripcentral, Ailsa Walker was fantastic and made sure that we were completely looked after and answered all of my questions. The hotel was beautiful and the weather was perfect! I can not wait to book the next vacation. Thank You Ailsa for making sure that our honeymoon was great!

Beautiful Resort!

Hotel itself was very high end featuring modern decor and elegant touches throughout. We were delighted when we stepped into our room to discover that it was beautifully decorated, spacious, included not only a large walk in shower, but a jacuzzi tub, a private balcony, mini bar with stocked fridge. This room was cleaned daily along with the fridge and mini bar dispensers reliably refilled by very pleasant staff. All the staff from the servers, pool, bar, cleaning, front desk were very prom [... read more]pt, accommodating and polite. There were many pools that served the different needs of their guest which was excellent in our view. Since I (Catherine) swim early in the morning, I personally saw the lengths to which the staff went to maintain these areas. The buffet restaurant (Arenal) was the best of the many resorts that we have attended. The variety of food choices changed daily, so the menu choices remained interesting. We tried all 4 specialty restaurants and found the Steakhouse (Papagayo) to be the best for our taste. The steaks and lobster were consistently excellent. The other specialty restaurants were classy, food was still good, but were less to our tastes. The one disappointment was that the beach was not as swimming and snorkel friendly as we would have liked. The lack of a barrier reef caused the unchecked waves to make the water hard to see and swim in. There was only one tennis court and it needed to be reserved in advance. The court itself was excellent quality, well lit and provided several days of fun for us. I would like to say a special thank you to Kay at the front desk who made the reservations for us and helped me with other requests that we had. Overall both my husband and I were very impressed by the Riu Palace Costa Rica.

Great Quiet Resort

The entire resort was great from the rooms to the pools and the beach. Although we didn't spend much time by the beach due to high winds while we were visiting the pools were fantastic. Plenty of room, you didn't have to fight for a space many chairs available even in the afternoon. The only complaint we had was that the food wasn't amazing, it was OK but we couldn't say "wow that was great", it was just regular food that didn't have a lot of flavour. However, we had friends stay at the  [... read more]Guanacaste Riu and I can say that our pool and resort was WAY better, I would have been dissapointed if I had stayed at the Guanacaste and saw how great the Palace was. It's worth the money to stay at the palace.

Amazing resort

Excellent service Quality shows Friendly outgoing staff Quality wines And drinks Grounds very beautiful Kept manicured and clean Loved every minute Staff at pools were fun lots of games fresh towels plenty of sun and shade

Felt like Home!

Of all our Family vacations in the last 5 years this tops them all! The Riu palace staff are the best! By the second day they felt like friends we've had for years. This resort is clean, beautifully maintained and the food and drinks are equally as good. There is always lots to do like feeding the monkeys, plenty of excursions (highly recommend the horseback riding!!) and the nightly entertainment is fantastic! The beach is a little rocky and the ocean can be quite choppy but nevertheless its a  [... read more]beautiful place to take a morning walk and if you are truly looking for a beautiful beach, Tamarindo is just a 45 minute drive away (highly recommended as well!) We will definitely be back!!

Amazing service beautiful resort

We went to this riu palace last week for a 7 day trip, we were not sure what to expect never having stayed at a riu resort before . Our overall experience turned out to be a great one. The servers and hotel staff were so friendly ,helpful, and on top of everything. Every day starting at 10am waiting staff is taking drink orders all over the pool area , (the pool bar area could use some music) the pool bar staff is bar none the best I’ve seen hats off to our #1 bartender Cesar for keeping up wi [... read more]th the crowds and our rowdy group. He kept the party in the pool bar "hydrated" . The food in the resort was good no complaints , the hotel has automatic espresso machines that make espresso drinks located in several areas of the hotel , available 24/7 in the lounge 24. The lounge 24 was a 24 hour snack bar that’s very well stocked with soft drinks ,mini bar , snacks hot and cold, it’s where you can get your first and your last drink ,snack or beer. The grounds and the building were always in tip top shape and clean. Our 1 and only complaint seemed to be a common complaint from everyone at the pool areas, there is no washroom at the pool area you have to walk to the papagayo which is the lunch buffet restaurant.

Definitely going back - but for two weeks!!!

We were thoroughly impressed by the well-kept grounds, spacious and clean rooms, excellent service, large variety of food and restaurants. While lounging by the pool, we had impeccable service from the staff. Always friendly, humble and accommodating. The entire staff went above and beyond for us. This is one of the best experiences that we have had at a resort (and we have been to many). Definitely going back - but for two weeks next time. There is so much to see in this beautiful eco/env [... read more]ironmental country. Can honestly say that we have no negative feedback with The Riu Palace Costa Rica. The Costa Ricans really know how to enjoy life. Pura Vida. Recommend to anyone looking for a beautiful time away.

Amazing Resort!

Definitely an A+ resort. Service, food, rooms and pools are all superb. The entertainment was great as well, very talented dancers. Wide selection of food, no one goes without something. The buffet has a tremendous selection and you never get tired of it. Removing the reservation requirements at the restaurants was a great bonus, no more being disappointed or not getting in to a spot. The beach was okay, no white sand. Lots of excursions to choose from.

Average Resort

Resort is average nothing to brag about.Pool area is basic not many activities but lots of chairs to lay on. Food was basically the same every day with the exception of the pool bbq which was great.Lobby bar closed early leaving no place for night life had to go to resort next to us which had a sports bar.pool area was better too spent a lot of days there.Surprising since it was a cheaper resort.Had many problems door key lock did not work had manager replace it,bar fridge did not work,maid did  [... read more]not show up 2 times did not expect this from a Riu.The entertainment was par a lot of my group left early boring.This was my second time at a riu not impressed.

Fabulous resort!

Beautiful resort, amazing food and great customer service!!! Highly recommend this resort and to try the “water sour” cocktail! Gerry our Nexus guide was very informative, professional and provided us with all the necessary info about the resort, Costa Rica and tours.

A Tropical Oasis

The Riu Palace in Costa Rica was amazing. The resort is secluded between lush mountains, overlooking the Pacific ocean. The grounds were kept immaculate with meticulously trimmed hedges. As well, the hotel and rooms were very clean and well maintained. Our meals were delicious and the restaurant service was wonderful. Staff were very friendly and helpful throughout the resort. Overall, a very pleasant, relaxing experience. Definitely our favorite resort. We'll be returning next year.

I'm still full of food!

This resort is #1. I have no complaints from beginning to end. They go out of their way to keep all guests happy. I did not see one spot of garbage they are constantly cleaning. They have a lot of staff and place did not feel busy while it was at full capacity. The food is amazing and you can always get food as well. Lots to do and see. Highly recommend.

Close to perfect!

We absolutely loved this resort! The food, the room and the staff were great. It's the first time I think I want to go back and I want to stay longer. Like anything, there are a couple of things that could be better but pretty close to perfect.