Riu Emerald Bay: Can't wait to return!

I was at this resort in November 2019 before the world changed for all of us. I couldn't wait to return. I really wish you could fly down more than just Tuesday's from Toronto. Staff is fabulous, resort is beautiful. We had the jacuzzi suite this time and would always get it from now on. They need more a la carte restaurants, and more areas Adult only. Love the place and going back next November again with a group of friends we keep meeting down here. Talk to most guests and many are return [... read more]ing guest that stay for 2-4 weeks or more. So worth it.

Riu Palace Paradise Island: Our favourite for short getaways

This was our sixth stay at this hotel, always 4 days/3 nights. The hotel is perfect for a short getaway - not too far from the airport (and the flight is relatively short for a warm destination), not spread out so you don't waste your time roaming the grounds but go straight to the beach. Also, all the rooms have ocean view albeit a side view but still. It's nice to sleep with an open balcony to the sound of the ocean. Most of the staff were fantastic with rare exceptions. One of the sinks in [... read more] our room was clogged when we moved in and this was promptly rectified after we called reception. We both agree that the food was better than the last time we visited two years ago. The variety is impressive. We even had our favourite octopus three times over four days. Fantastic quacamole with warm tortilla chips - yumm! We never bothered with a la carte restaurants as we don't want to waste our time waiting and have always been satisfied with the food at the buffet. We were mostly satisfied with the measures implemented by the hotel related to COVID-19. The masks are mandatory everywhere inside and at the outside bar and it is mostly enforced. The only problem, and it's quite a serious one, was that only two of the three elevators were operational and most of the times they were full, well over 4 persons limit. Thankfully, we were on the 4th floor and used the stairs most of the times. I don't know why they cannot fix the elevator. I know that it had been broken even before we arrived judging by the reviews. For Canadians - book your PCR test in advance using the app (you can scan QR code at the reception). Another negative thing and it's not the hotel but Sunwing's fault is that the bus to take people to the airport on Sunday is arranged for a ridiculously early time of 6 PM - for a 10:50 PM flight. It's a 25 minute ride to the airport. All people were outraged and lots of them including us took taxis. I remember that two years ago it was a 7 PM pickup. Still, overall we are happy with our short little getaway and would return. The beach, of course, is amazing - one of the most beautiful we've been to.

Riu Emerald Bay: Love this resort! Been there 4 times now

Very clean, well maintained. The staff is amazing! Especially Raphael and Daniel in the dining room and Eric at the swim up bar. The last time we were there was 7 years ago and there is a new section now. Now there are 2 swim up bars and a whole area with water slides for both adults and kids to enjoy. Can’t wait to go again!

Riu Palace Antillas: Very Pleased

Very Satisfied except for last two days there was no hot water. Covid caused extra wait times to travel. Unknown renovations were disappointing and caused the closure of some restaurants Staff all spoke English and were very accommodating.

Riu Palace Antillas: Amazing resort

We loved everything about the Riu Palace Antilles! The construction is nearly done and it did not bother us at all. The beach is beautiful! The man who gives out the chairs was so helpful and always put our chairs exactly where we asked! The restaurants are all good. We decided to try the Buffett at the Palace Aruba next door, my husband likes fish and that night, most of the fish dishes had shellfish in them, which my husband is allergic to. We mentioned it to a young lady working at the car [... read more]very and she outdid her self for us! Theresa immediately asked what he would like, and proceeded to prepare a lovely swordfish, with vegetables and sauce just for him! We so appreciated this extra effort and kindness! The Antilles was a little quieter than the Aruba and that was fine for us! We loved everything about our trip and will return!

Riu Emerald Bay: last time we will use this Hotel , maybe even all Riu hotels,

hotel room was average, hotel grounds , bars , and entertainment was below a 4 star rated resort , liquor was very low grade , only spoke spanish at the theater when we were there , PCR testing was terrible , two and a half hours in a room with 200 people ,did not get results back till 3 hours before we had to leave , Italian restaurant never did open , Riu hotels are be coming more of a hotel for the local population .

Riu Flamingos: First solo trip ever!

This resort was beautiful. The staff fantastic. It was very clean and their Covid protocols were great. Only bad part was being locked out of my room followed immediately by being trapped in the million degree elevator for over 30 minutes. No way to call for help except an alarm I was beginning to think nobody heard....and I was late for an excursion.

Riu Palace Paradise Island: Awesome trip

Amazing amazing resort- clean, very covid safe (masking/hand sanitizing was maintained and they have PCR tests at the hotel), staff was so friendly and attentive- this was exactly what I needed for a quick last minute vacation. Beach is beautiful, pool area is immaculate, food was good… cannot wait to go back.

Riu Guanacaste: Excellent hotel

Just came back from Riu Guanacaste and it was a great, trouble-free 14-day stay. This is a well-maintained and well-managed hotel in an amazing location. The grounds are beautiful, with lush greenery, lots of flowers and trees and immaculate grass lawns. We loved our cozy, clean and always well-conditioned room - it had a nice vintage look with its dark solid wood furniture, huge king-size bed, spacious bathroom and balcony. Everything in the room was in good working order. Garden keepers were e [... read more]xtremely hard-working, waiters were courteous and professional (we only used Liberia and Octopal (or Octal?) restaurants), reception staff was quick, efficient and always ready to help. There was always a good variety of food and it was fresh and tasty. The hotel is literally surrounded by forest and there are lots of trails around, which you can explore, take countless pictures of birds, animals, butterflies, exotic plants, even climb the nearby mountain, if you feel like it - everything is within the walking distance, which is a great advantage. Plus there are a lot of excursions to choose from, if you don't want to limit your experiences to hotel only. Fishing was very good, we caught a big mahi-mahi and two small black tunas. Waterfalls, rainforest, volcano mud baths, river boat ride - all worth doing. We came to Costa Rica to enjoy its beautiful nature and wildlife, staying in a nice place and not worrying about accommodation and food, and we got exactly what we were looking for. Changes due to Covid-19: masks are mandatory in the restaurants, lobby, elevators and hotel building, also in the shuttle and excursion buses. If you are not wearing a mask, the staff will politely tell you or show with a gesture. Looks like things are regularly sanitized - we've seen staff sanitizing beach chairs in a dedicated area (not on the beach).The hotel has set up a room for PCR-test taking. We filled out a form and booked an appointment (both online, the hotel gave us a link) for November 20 (we were leaving on November 22). Less than 24 hours after the test they sent the results to our emails. The cost is 110 USD per person. They send you a link for payment, which can be made when you get back to Canada. We were asked twice for the test results at Costa Rica airport, when we were leaving, but nobody asked for it at Pearson :)

Riu Guanacaste: a trip that never took place

Due to covid 19 symptoms that appeared a night before the flight ( even though we are fully vaccinated) we could not take the flight or enjoy our long awaited vacation. I hope we will get our money back or take the vacation in a much later day. I had no response from tripcentral in this regard yet.

Riu Palace Mexico: Excelent resort in every category. Definitely a quality step above the nieghbouring Tequela and Yuchatan Playacar RIU resorts

Our room location was adjacent the Yuchatan resort, which was noisy at night. Great front desk people, very helpful and dedicated with any request. Buffet workers, cooking staff, and outfront greeters were very human and personable, hand selected, you can't train people to act and honour guests as they do with humility and grace. Cleaning staff were polite and thorough. Our chose of vacation resorts, wherever, will always be RIU resorts. This is our 3rd RIU resort visit.

Riu Vallarta: Beautiful resort!

The hotel was modern, well kept, clean. Staff was friendly and excellent. The grounds were nice and there were nice pools as well. It was a wonderful beach to walk on and to float in the ocean. Showers were not hot though only lukewarm barely. The PCR test was booked at noon and we waited in line 1.5 hours which was a long prime to stand around at noon. That is not really their fault except they had 1 nurse for a planeful of people. Still a fantastic holiday!

Riu Palace Paradise Island: Boring hotel

Hotel needs better service, more elevators, a gift shop would be nice, needs entertainment and more variety of food. Rooms were nice and clean. Beds were uncomfortable and pillows need to be replaced. .

Riu Republica: Very good resort!

Very beautiful modern resort with many pools, restaurants and nice beach. We had very pleasant vacation during our stay. Amazing service in the bars, very good room cleaning and prompt reception service. Professional shows. Plenty sitting areas and loungers near pools and on the beach. Beach towels available for change all day. Free WI-FI available even on the bus from airport to resort:) Everything was perfect. I would like just a bit more seafood in the menu. And the ocean wasn't calm during o [... read more]ur stay, but this is not up to resort:). Food in the buffet and restaurants was pretty good. Japanese restaurant is the best. I would come back to this resort for sure.

Riu Bambu: Nice place

Clean rooms and facilities, food was not bad, show and entertainment and enough things to do. Place is big and connect to two other hotels that you get access too. Lots of tourist from all over to mingle with and lots of quite places if that's your choice.

Riu Naiboa: Nice

Hotel was nice, but there is no snack or options outside of meal hours, also you can not get a coffee or cappachino before 11am, entertainment was lacking claiming due to Covid they were not running the usual, but the hotel Ocean Blue down the road had their casino open and had a variety of not only pool side entertainment but nightly different entertainment. Our hotel had good covid protocol's mandatory masks for restaurants and buffet's till you were seated, temperature checks at meals and whe [... read more]n you arrive. PCR test was $80 USD day we were leaving dropped it to $65 not impressed with that. Meat or eggs were not freshly prepared in front of you it was cold. I was not impressed with the travel agent I was never given a hotel option, I do not like sunwing and wish I was provided a different option or hotel, she said there was a swim up bar there was not. and she never returned emails or calls regarding important information, she told me she let the hotel know it was our wedding anniversary and the hotel was unaware. VERY DISAPPOINTED with her and will not book with tripcentral in the future.

Riu Republica: Beautifully kept grounds and pristine beachfront.

Hotel was immaculately clean. Staff worked endlessly to keep it in top shape. Very friendly staff. Great, wide variety of food. The water slides were fun too. Will definitely look for the Riu brand in the future again.

Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas: Amazing resort

We love this resort loved it enough to go again . Grounds ate we maintained as well as rooms. Pools are clean. No issues with staff. They seemed to follow their best for covid, like wearing masks at times. Little issue with the covid testing no one not even lobby staff new where to go or how to book we and other vacationers had to figure it out ourselves.

Riu Republica: Amazing

I stayed from OCTOBER 14/21. Let me start off with the staff. I am not sure if your boss/ower tells you this often but you guys are hard worker's . I sat and observed your daily routine and I must say you guys are so willing and helpful. Your hard work didn't go unnoticed in my eyes as a tourist. Secondly to ALL YOU SNOBBY ASS HOLES are are vacationing in these people's country, stop being jerks when calling the waiters over for a drink . They are humans just like you. Yes you pay your mo [... read more]ney to have a good time but where is ur humanity? There's countless times I wanted to reach over to people's table and give them a piece of my mind. These people are working there to ear a living not to be treated like your slave and amusement. There's no reason to be rude when wanting or waiting for a drink/water. Don't snap ur fingers when calling someone over. It highly rude. The wifi - I must the the wifi was up to my standards. Definitely a big plus consider I had school work to do on vacation and had a full bar of wifi. Your rage is pretty good. Food - the steakhouse is definitely a treat. We went twice and it didn't disappoint me. The mangos at the night buffet is amazing. The cleaning stuff who cleaned out room. Thank you. You guys did an amazing job.... only downfall is we had to look for towels a few times. It happens to the best of us on our jobs. The lobby is good spot to hang out in the evening just to relax with the nice breeze blowing. The night shows was really good. Definitely some talents The WALK - by the time I eat and walked to the room I was tried and hungry again. Lol. If you sent further away from the beach..... the left side of checking ....be prepared to walk ALOT. Thankfully we were in the center. The polls - the polls closer to the beach is where all the loose goose hang out. It was definitely a fun time hanging there. We made so many new friends. The water slide was definitely a FUN experience for my friends and I. I have a fear of highs but it was definitely worth it. I didn't wanna stop. In all this resort is definitely a fun spot. This was my first time at an adults only resort and it was well worth it. You will have alot of fun during the day. Not so much in the night. Apparently there's no night beach party due to COVID. I would recommend it to others. Staff kept up the Good job of making a pleasurable stay for people like myself. You guys did you best to make people like me feel like I got my money's worth

Riu Dunamar: Everything was perfect !

Nice grounds, gorgeous, spacious, new rooms. Full bar in room. Staff wore masks ALL THE TIME, guests were very much aware and obedient of the sanitary rules, in most part. Always as few dummies that you can easily avoid. Staff super friendly. Not the best hotel for Scuba Diving. But beach was nice.