This is the 4th time we've been to this resort. It's been one of our favourite places to go to relax and enjoy the beauty of Costa Rica.The resort is closing down in August for 6 month for renovations and they have let a lot go. Our first room was a maintenance nightmare, closet doors wouldn't close the main door to the room and sliding glass doors wouldn't lock. The fan made a terrible noise and the sink backed up with water. There was a lot of wear and tear in the room. The manager moved us to a different room, we still had a few issues there but it was much better than the first room. It's unfortunate that RIU allowed the resort to get so run down. We spoke with people that had been there for the first time and they have no intention of going back. Food was not the same. The RIU Guanacaste has been completely redone and looks fabulous. But it's huge there must be over a 1,000 rooms, plus they've added a Water Sports Centre with a lot of jet skis..which makes for a busy noisy beach.

The hotel is beautiful, great rooms, excellent food and friendly staff. The pool and grounds are well maintained. Variety of dining options and high quality buffet. Sea view rooms are well appointed,clean and spacious. Tripcentral staff very helpful with booking and providing additional info about the area,tours etc Beach area is public and less attractive.

The palace resort does need up grades. But we did have a great time. A large group can’t be taking over the pool area . We encountered the Red Hat Society Ladies -117 ladies. They were loud and disrespectful to other guests. This type of group needs to book a conference centre, not a resort . This group of ladies were out of control. Making me and my family uncomfortable.

I had read some negative reviews about this hotel and was wary about staying here. However from the moment we pulled up to the resort to the moment we checked out, I was very impressed. The grounds, the pools, the rooms, the lobby! Yes, it is starting to show its age, people had trouble with the room keys etc., however we had no complaints. We were able to try all the a la carte restaurants, you just need to line up early. There was never any problem getting into the Italian restaurant at any time. The buffet was also very good. Food was abundant and so many options! The staff were also wonderful, so attentive. All in all we had a wonderful time!

The resort was huge but amazing. After one day you could get around faster. The rooms are a bit out of date, but apparently Reno’s are happening soon. The food and pools are great. I will definitely return!!!!

The resort was huge but amazing. After one day you could get around faster. The rooms are a bit out of date, but apparently Reno’s are happening soon. The food and pools are great. I will definitely return!!!!

I thought the resort was great but the staff made it amazing. They were always so happy and polite and always asking if there are any issues. Friendliest staff I have ever experienced in my travels. Especially Angela who made sure we were taken care of at the pool with our drinks and her infections smile!

This resort is absolutely beautiful. The staff is so friendly and welcoming. The beach is nice and if you walk down the beach you will see monkeys. There are vendors on the beach but they are not pushy. They are trying to make a living and the prices are incredible

A very beautiful hotel. The scenery is incredible. Several pools, restaurants, and bars. Just one problem: if you love the beach, this probably isn't for you. The beach itself is nice, with black sand, perfect for swimming. Since the sand is volcanic, the sea bottom is very smooth and firm, which is very good and safe to swim. There are sun loungers on the beach, but no umbrellas at all. A few small trees provide shade, but that's not enough. There's also no bar on the beach, but the guys from the pool bar occasionally come onto the beach, but it takes about an hour for them to bring you a drink. We've been there in September, which is the rain season. Normally, there is a heavy rain in afternoon for a few hours, However, we liked it - the nature is enjoying the rain as we are.

The hotel itself is beautiful and always clean. The view to the ocean is great. The staff is really what makes the experience even better. They are always very polite and love to have conversation. Seeing the monkeys on the beach was an added bonus!

Overall Vibe: A solid resort with stunning views, strong margaritas, and just enough quirks to keep things interesting. ? The Good Stuff (a.k.a. why we didn’t book an earlier flight home) • Jaw-Dropping Scenery: The grounds are lush and green — think "Jurassic Park intro" but without the dinosaurs (unless you count the howler monkeys). The pools are beautifully maintained and there’s plenty of space to sprawl out and do nothing, which we fully embraced. Beach is hot dark sand and warm water. Monkeys in the trees near the beach were fun to watch and feed if you have fruit with you. • Genuinely Great Staff: Every staff member we interacted with was warm, helpful, and seemed genuinely happy to be there. • The Riu App – Surprisingly Useful: As someone who likes a plan, I lived on this app. Everything from restaurant hours to daily activities and weather updates — all in one place. My teens found it annoying; I found it life-saving. • Always Something to Eat: Food is available pretty much around the clock. Whether you need a burger by the pool, a late-night pastry, or caffeine to survive another sarcastic teen comment, you’re covered. • Poolside Drink Service: Top-tier vacation vibes. Nothing quite like having someone hand you a cocktail while you pretend not to see your kids filming TikToks from the lounger next to you. • Clean Rooms & Comfortable Beds: Rooms were well-kept, beds were comfortable, and housekeeping stayed on top of the sand trail we brought in daily. ? The Not-So-Great (aka: “It’s not a dealbreaker, but...”) • The Food – Hit or Miss: The buffet was fine at first, but by day four, we were all craving variety. We did manage to get into the Italian, steakhouse, and sushi à la cartes — all very solid, with some standout dishes. But it came with a catch... • À La Carte = Line Up or Miss Out: There’s no reservation system, so if you don’t line up early, you’re heading back to the buffet. A couple nights we tried and couldn’t get in, which was frustrating — especially for hangry teens. A little more structure here would go a long way. • Awkward Room Layout: The bathtub in the middle of the room was... a choice. Not ideal with teenagers. Also, the bathroom lighting was weirdly dim and made everything feel like a scene from a moody indie film. Big thumbs down from anyone who needs to apply make up or has over 40 year old eyes! • Slippery Floors: The tile floors in our room were absurdly slick when wet. Two near-wipeouts later, I was navigating the room like a figure skater. Pack non-slip sandals. • Construction “Garden View”: Our room faced the construction site next door. We knew about the renovations beforehand, so not a total surprise — but the 7 a.m. jackhammer wake-up calls were not part of the dream vacation. It was so dusty and loud I wasn't able to sit outside at all on the balcony for a morning coffee. • TV + WiFi Frustrations: The Smart TV wasn’t smart (or working), and the WiFi was hit-or-miss. Fine for unplugging, but not great if you’re trying to stream, video chat, or keep teens entertained in the room. ?‍♀️ Could Be Better... • Room Service: Food arrived in basic takeout containers — no plates, utensils, or presentation. We made it work, but it felt like an afterthought. • Lighting at Night: Some of the walkways were poorly lit. I ended up using my phone flashlight regularly, which made it feel a bit like a scavenger hunt to get back to the room. ? Final Thoughts: Would I return? Possibly — with a better room and a more laid-back approach to the dining scene. The resort is beautiful, the staff is excellent, and there’s enough to enjoy if you’re okay with a few quirks. It's not a foodie destination or tech paradise, but if your goal is to relax, disconnect, and soak in the sun (while occasionally muttering about the bathtub), it’s a pretty solid place to do it.

One of if not , the Best place and vacation -- go for it! I could not imagine working day in day out, in such lovely hot weather (usual temp was about 31:c) but the great employees at the Hotel RIU do all the time. Kudos to them all from the front desk; to the great room maids; to the great bar service; and food service people. Great tours provided by Nicolas and by YuuGo at NEXUSTours (Vardala and Palo Verde tours). We our family of 5 adults stayed for 7 days. Great weather (only had a rain downpour for about a hour one late afternoon). Had working AC but did not use as ceiling fan was just perfect (the more Eco friendly way ). And the Monkeys were a Bonus! :-}

Great place, good food and entertainment. A lot of walking to get from point A to point B if one has mobility issues. They could use more public washrooms around the pool area as you have to make your way to the Papagayo Restaurant or inside by the theatre which is a distance.

THE RIU Palace Costa Rica did not disappoint. Food was great, grounds were clean, rooms were well air conditioned and the staff were friendly and polite. The nightly entertainment was well done and entertaining. My biggest plug at the RIU was they served bottled COKE ZERO which i was very happy to discover. It is the first time i have ever seen that and it added to a great experience.

The Riu Palace definitely has a 1980s Miami feel rather than the familiar Spanish colonial, but was the perfect choice for our family getaway in Costa Rica with 4 teenagers (with the minor exception of the in-room liquor dispensers!). The property was comfortable and well-maintained with generous sized rooms, great dining choices, and inviting pools and beach area. Staff were friendly and attentive. Access to the adjacent Riu Guanacaste property meant additional variety for meals, pool and water play. The Diamante Adventure Park next door was convenient and offers zip lining, wildlife sanctuary, horseback riding and more. That said, if you're just going to stay on the resort, you'll probably get better value in Mexico or the Dominican Republic!

The service at the hotel was great (staff was very attentive and friendly) and the hotel was clean. The building itself was a bit dated. We were in a junior suite and the jacuzzi tub in the hotel room/open concept bathroom (only the toilet is behind a closed door) may not be convenient for all groups of travellers. When I asked to switch rooms, I was told that all rooms are the same. Not sure this was accurate given the size of the resort, but maybe there was nothing else available at the time. The food was good, especially the stations where they prepare meals in front of you (e.g. omelettes, wok station, etc.). There was the usual fare, but also healthier options. The food at the Japanese restaurant, Tokio, was excellent. The steak at the steak house was also very good. Room service delivery was prompt but the food (nachos) arrived cold and soggy. Overall, we had a good time there, and would recommend it to others.

Typical Riu - beautiful outdoors space and pools and substandard rooms. The beach isn’t very nice and the water was too rough to go in. As it’s a public beach you need to pass through an area of stalls selling trinkets and excursions before you even get to the beach. There are several pools and all are very nice. Be aware - people are leaving their towels in chairs as early as 7 am and there are not enough chairs to go around. The staff are wonderful- very warm, helpful and friendly. We were travelling with a baby and 5 year old they were always acknowledged as we moved around the resort. We ate at all the Ala carte restaurants and the food was quite good. The buffet was typical but the tacos and tostadas were outstanding. Our room was very outdated. There was a tub in the middle of the room and the sink and shower were in the main room also offering no privacy at all. The room smelled very musty every time we entered. The lock on the patio door was broken and the screen door didn’t close properly. The beds were small - definitely not double size. The electricity seemed very weak as a phone didn’t fully charge despite being plugged in all night. Costa Rica is a beautiful country and I would definitely like to visit again but I wouldn’t stay here again unless they did a major renovation.

This Resort is absolutely Stunning..from the moment you arrive. Food is Incredible.. restaurant Exceptional.. Excursions from Sunwing Rep was easy to book.. Fabulous Excursions.. we did the mega combo premium package.. 17 Zip lines.. Horseback Riding..Lunch.. Spa.. All the Guide were Amazing. We travel alot and this is By Far the Best Excursion we have ever been on.. ATV tour was Exceptional as well.. Room immaculate.. Resort Grounds Immaculate. It is worth the PRICE!.. A PHENOMENAL EXPERIENCE.

The grounds and lobby were stunning.The rooms were very tired and need updating.It was musty smelling.All our clothes had that stale smell. Air conditioner needs cleaning as we felt that was where the meldew smell was from.

Took 4 room moves before we found one that would be suitable to stay in. Old tired beds and bedding along with TV’s not working or hanging off wall. Buffet was the best food offered as the unique restaurants were lacking in food quality during our stay. Torn canopies over loungers reduced opportunities to stay out of sun.

Grounds,restaurants, pools ,staff were all great. Love the bartenders at the swim up bar and pool areas. The entertainment was amazing around the pools and at night. Beautiful country would recommend frank the tank services great service

Our thoughts on the hotel Riu Palace: the grounds were well kept that being the grass trees flower beds etc etc. As for the pools they needed to be cleaned more often. Daily debris leaves bugs and often sand & rocks. The washrooms at Papago/Steak House was kept clean (but it better be given its the only washroom around the pool area outside of the one back in the lobby or your individual rooms). Dining areas clean prompt service. However, we feel the individuals handling the food should be wearing gloves, often we saw them touching the food with there bare hands. One time my husband ordered pasta and the cook took the plain pasta with her hands and placed it in the pan to be served. Entertainment by the pool was good. Entertainment in the evening was good.

The grounds and area are beautiful, the rooms are very dated, have a smell and aren’t cleaned very well. The first level suites with outdoor hot tubs were nicer than the suites and standard rooms. There was a horrible sewer smell every evening between 2-5am, so keep your patio door closed. It’s very isolated from everything except the zip line park, which is fun. All the other tours to waterfalls and volcanoes are up to 3 hours away. Snorkelling and catamaran tours were fun.

This was our first family vacation to Costa Rica and we can't wait to go back! Everything was 5 star from the food, grounds, staff, and entertainment. We had a small room issue when we arrived but the front desk people fixed it first thing in the morning (as we arrived late at night and we were exhausted). Our rooms were adjoining as we requested but in our kids room there was a king bed and a cot instead of 2 double beds. (Our 13yr old son is 5ft9 and 180lbs so a cot for the week was not going to work). The front desk took us to check out 2 different sets of adjoining rooms and we were able to choose which worked better for us. We did a full day tour with Frank The Tank-Cr on Christmas Day and it was Amazing! We also visited Coco Beach on another day and it was fun too! Our only complaint is that we really missed the beach part of our vacation. We always love to spend time at the beach but because it wasn't our usual white sandy beach we only swam in it twice. The resort provides may great pools to choose from!

Let's start with a few major positives. The SERVICE was OUTSTANDING. The staff really could not have been more attentive and friendly and did a great job. The FOOD was what I would call GOOD. The buffets for breakfast and lunch were fresh with lots and lots of variety. We did stop by the dinner buffet for a quick desert a few times and it seemed fine but we can't really comment on that as we didn't eat there for dinner. The restaurants were ok. We ate at the Italian restaurant a couple of times and both times there was a very heavy handed use of salt. The Japanese restaurant was pretty good. We didn't particularly care for the steakhouse it was just ok. Lastly on the sit down restaurants we weren't really a fan of the system to get a table. Service for dinners started at 6PM (great for kids but way too early for us as adults). The 'system' for getting a later seating was that you would have to wait until the restaurants would fill up with the first seating and then you put your name on a list with a beeper. It's just odd. At 6PM you would literally have to line up, wait for restaurant to fill up, put your name on a list to get into the second seating. The beeper system did work well. BAR SERVICE and drink quality everywhere was EXCELLENT. The 24 hour food area was bad. Our 4 hour delayed flight landed us at the hotel at 1:00AM and everyone needed something to eat so we tried to grab something and really it was just plain bad. On the resort overall it's pretty tired. We had two rooms between us and our adult children. Both rooms looked pretty used up. Our room as an example had a purple glass block divider between the room and the bathroom and multiple blocks were cracked. Both sinks barely drained (for sure the housekeeper should have noticed that), the safe didn't work, there was no lock on the sliding glass door and some other stuff. In fairness we didn't say anything and give them a chance to fix stuff but still I guess our expectation is that someone would be looking. Overall service and quality of food did make up for the tiredness but Riu definitely needs to plan a remodel to update this property. Do take the 10 min walk over to the off resort Monkey Bar. That was neat. Diamonte Park next door was great for ziplining and horseback riding and seeing some of the animals. We did a full day excursion combo to see a rainforest, waterfall and a cocoa/coffee plantation. That was fun but a full 2.25 hours ride there and we had major traffic back so it took over 3 hours to get back (departed 730AM and back at 630PM). Beautiful country and wonderful people.

The property is beautiful. The room and beds are good. The food was very good. The staff are outstanding. More shaded areas are needed. The entertainment was mediocre. The beach and views are stunning.

The hotel was great, staff were amazing! If you are booking with Sunwing, their reps are amazing especially Sharley- she was very helpful. If you are debating which resort to book with from Riu palace and Riu Guanacaste, choose Riu Palace if you want room service and a chilled resort. Not sure if it was the time I went- end of November or if it’s always like that, but the pools weren’t busy and it was chilled with great entertainment at night. I booked my vacation with trip central, reps name was Susan. She booked based on my needs and I was satisfied!

The customer service of the workers at the resort was fantastic. The resort was clean and well maintained. All of the Food was very good the only down side was not being able to book in advance for one of the 2 supper seatings. Worst part of this trip was Sunwing itself. So many flight delays, baggage delays and disorganization. Plus Sunwing gouging you at their terminal for food and their shuttle bus ride is hell. Pick another travel group if you go here.

Food selection needs more options. Same stuff everyday for breakfast, lunch and dinner Resort was well kept. Rooms were cleaned everyday. Not a lot of entertainment on site. Resort is far away from everything. Far in the bushes

Awesome, clean resort. Bedrooms starting to look a little dated. Friendly staff. Nice quiet beaches. Food was okay, but that's to be expected. Would definitely go here again. Experience with tripcentral was great as well. Knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. O'Neil went the extra mile for us. And tour staff in Costa Rica were helpful and available when needed.

I adored this hotel and the grounds. The workers are so friendly and hardworking. The food was good and had a wide selection of different choices daily. Plenty of activities throughout the day & evening. Room was perfect. Views were amazing. I loved the beach and area around the resort. So much to do in and around the resort to keep you busy. I would go back for sure! Unreal experience!

My first visit to an all inclusive. I was not disappointed, the entertainment was good, the staff friendly, room well appointed and overall the food good. My only complaint would be that no reservations are taken for the speciality restaurants. You have to get in line well before scheduled opening time and hope that you get one of the two sittings available. The Japanese restaurant was below what I was expecting.

Eva and I had an excellent stay at this resort! All was top notch from our room to the condition of the grounds, pools, lounging areas and food options. Activities around the pool were fun and service from staff everywhere was great making sure you had everything you wanted and a good drink was in your hand whether in the restaurants or around the many pools. Entertainment could have been a little better but overall I would not hesitate to recommend this resort to others and we are planning to return in the not too distant future!

The grounds are extremely well kept and beautiful. The food was 10/10…we were there for 2 weeks and never got tired of the choices..the chefs making omelettes in the morning were top notch. ALL the staff were fantastic…well trained, super friendly. Loved Jordan at the Daiquiri bar, Bariliuo and Ivannia at the Coconut and pool server Steven. That is just a few…oh and Freddy. If I had one fault is that the washrooms are too far from the pool area. I would be making the Riu Fit and Riu Art into washrooms.

VERY NICE AND CLEAN RESORT - JUST A BIT BIG FOR OUR LIKING 3 POOLS - IT SAYS ONE IS ADULTS ONLY BUT CHILDREN WERE IN ALL - HOWEVER, NOT ALOT OF CHILDREN HAD TO GET UP EARLY TO GET A CHAIR IN SHADE, EVERYONE PUTS TOWELS DOWN OTHER THAN THAT, FOOD IS EXCELLENT EVEN AT BUFFET, STAFF VERY FRIENDLY AND ALWAYS HELPFUL SERVICE VERY GOOD BEACH NOT GREAT - COULD BE UTILIZED BETTER BY RESORT

There was nothing not to like. The service at the bars was quick, all 5 Dining Experiences were excellent and the hotel was immaculate which reflects the non stop cleaning - floors, windows etc. The grounds were looked after all the time and showed it. The pools were clean and proper temperature.

A beautiful resort with plenty to offer. Upon entering for the first time the lobby is stunning. Big, clean and lots of room with plenty lounges, tables, seats, bar and with a 24 cafe. Great places to enjoy your favourite tropical cocktails while playing cards and favourite board games. Easy smooth check in at the main desk. The check in staff were so helpful and gracious and greeted us with those friendly smiles. Mellisa is wonderful. Mellisa assisted us with everything from pre check in to birthday decorations. The bar staff servers in the lobby are plentiful, friendly and quick to serve you. The resort is constantly being cleaned by friendly cleaning staff. Our room was spacious, king size bed, sofa, table and balcony over seeing the pools and grounds. The room was cleaned everyday. 5 beautiful pools and swim up bar to soak up that tropical sun. Beautiful mature palm trees through out the resort grounds. Clean smooth pathways around the resort. Friendly Pool Bar staff serving everyone in the pools and everyone lounging around the pools. Our server German was amazing. We were always met with a smile, a conversation and of course our favourite refreshments. The cleaning and maintenance around the pools were always cleaning. The grounds were spotless and impeccable. Finally the restaurants and food. Amazing, delicious, plentiful. Something for everyone all day long. Great Resort!

Grounds were beautiful and well maintained. Leaving the beachfront steak restaurant to return to the main hotel building the footpaths were not well lit; difficult to see steps/obstructions. More lighting needed. More hand rails on stairs/steps. Usually only one central rail except on the main staircase where it was only on one side. I’m a senior, having had two knee replacement surgeries. The hotel is very modern in decor and furniture with plenty of bars, restaurants and snack bars. It is kept immaculate. Constant cleaning in public areas. Staff were amazingly helpful from front desk to cleaning staff. We tried all the a la carte restaurants with the exception of Italian - heard several negative comments on that one. Food was great - selection and quality. Took two excursions which were exceptionally good. Beach is black sand (volcanic country) and had a strong undertow. Would definitely recommend this resort and would go again.

Nicole did not respond to any of our post booking requests. She was called and emailed at least 8 times by our party of 4 women. This added much stress!! We had to research way too much to find some of the answers ourselves and still showed up at the airport not knowing if we would have problems. The hotel was lovely but needs more stair railings and outside lighting. The people were super.

We enjoyed our stay at Riu Palace Costa Rica. The rooms were clean, modern and roomy. The grounds were well maintained and there were plenty of options for swimming - several pools, a water park and the beach. The beach, however, was rough with a strong undertow and the sand was grey in colour. There were plenty of loungers around the pool - we never had to get up early to put our towels on them to reserve. The staff were cheerful and ready to help and serve us. The Steakhouse was amazing! The Buffet had plenty of variety and the foods were fresh and delicious. The other a la carte restaurants were okay - the service was excellent but the food itself not outstanding. There was a show each evening and the performances were excellent, especially the Michael Jackson Show and the Broadway Show. The Karaoke was fun to watch too. There was live music after each show. Overall we had a wonderful time!

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 the pool was outstanding" Brian " this was our second time there and we may go back.

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.

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 tastes. 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.

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

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 enjoy my time there.

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.

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 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.

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 us 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!

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 of 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.

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 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.

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..

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..

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 was 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.

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 perfectly 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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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 inedible. 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.

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 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!

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.

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 brought 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.

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 enjoyment. 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.

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 provided 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.

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.

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 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!!

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 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

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

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!

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 however 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

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 service 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 !!

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 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 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

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 clean. Swim up Pool bar separate from main pools, which we prefer. We would go back. Just a matter of when. Highly recommended!!

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 will definitely be going back

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.

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.

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. Overall, the resort was excellent. I would go back in a heartbeat.

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 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!!!

Super quick checking in process. Clean rooms and the grounds were well kept. Staff friendly and helpful. The Entertainment Crew were amazing and they did a super job interacting and entertaining everyone. No problem with the food, you could always find something that you liked. The beef, was top notch and very tasty at the Steakhouse and the Krystal restaurants.

Resort was clean, food was excellent and pleased that there wasn’t any difficulty in finding shaded pool chairs. Service was good at this resort. Had no difficulty in reserving any of the a la carte restaurants.

The Riu Palace in Costa Rica was truly outstanding. Lovely well kept and clean grounds. Excellent staff and restaurants. A resort that gave you good value for your money. Beach however should have more shady spots for sunbathers. Water rougher than we are use too. Very hot but breezy.

We recently stayed at the Riu Palace in Costa Rica. Our experience at the resort was nothing short of fantastic. The staff are all very professional and personable. The rooms are always well stocked, clean and comfortable, personally we loved the shower with lots of room, water pressure and the rain shower head was a great touch. Pools are beautiful and it was very enjoyable to walk along the beach, nightly entertainment was also enjoyable. Both my husband and I really had a fantastic stay, there are so many excursions to choose from you could never be bored! We will definitely recommend the resort and location to all of our friends and family.

I liked out room. Very clean hotel. Food was good Layout good but a washroom closer to the pools would be nice. Not the best beach but acceptable. Had a number of swims in ocean. Pools were great. I would go again if I could find a way to get there where I didn't have to use Sunwing to get there. The flight was not as described when booked. A extra stop on the way down and due to a fuel stop that was required in Winnipeg we has 3 stops to get home. Ended up getting home much later than planned.

It was our second time at this resort. Loved it the first time. Both vacations were a week in length. The only issue we had was we booked a jacuzzi suite well in advance but were still put on the ground floor. No privacy there. We attempted to use the jacuzzi and red ants and their larvae blew out of all the jets. Never used it all week. Complained to the front desk about the ants and the cleaning staff were sent in about 15 mins. The issue here is that they started cleaning the room instead of the jacuzzi. Lost in translation I think. Another staff came back later that evening with ant killer. Tried to clean the jacuzzi. All looked good until the following morning. I went out to enjoy a coffee and there were approximately 50 dead ants still in the jacuzzi tub. I’ll never book one of these rooms again. Wasted money!!!

Was probably one of our best experiences in traveling to resorts. Check in amazing, great food, rooms very clean. The staff could not do enough for you to make the stay better. The staff that cleaned the rooms were in and out, always while we were away from the room. Always acknowledged us when walking by. Restaurants were very accommodating. Only recommendation I would make would be to look at more washroom facilities in the pool area. I would definitely have this resort on our return to list. Costa Rica is such a nice country.

The rooms are very clean, staff is amazing and very helpful. The staff at the pools keep the drinks coming! The Krystal restaurant had the best food on the resort and the staff are very accommodating!!! My only advise is to get to the ala cartes early. They only have so many spots. For example the steakhouse only sits 100 people per night. They were already at the max at 6:45pm. The rooms only have 2 English channels fox news and CNN. The beach wasn't the best but we knew that before booking and that didn't stop us deter us.

The holiday was great. The rooms were good and the grounds were well kept and enjoyable. The service was great throughout. The food overall was good. We were disappointed in the steak house as the steaks were not up to quality north American standards whenever we had them. We eventually stayed away from them. The food at the buffet was always good, especially the breakfasts. We did wonder that given you are selling to Americans and Canadians to a large extent why the television channels had only English CNN and Fox with no major US network exposure. ESPN would have been nice to turn on in the evening after the day was done.

Plenty of enthusiastic staff, lovely amenities, clean pools, wi-fi worked. Buffet breakfast was especially good. Really professional nighttime entertainment. Best thing for us was that they obviously pay attention to cleanliness and food and water safety - we didn't get sick!!! I was also impressed with the country as a whole - emphasis on education, health care and the environment.

This was our 4th trip booked thru Trip Central to this amazing Resport, about a 35-minute ride from Airport. Alls Rooms are spacious and well maintained, with the Refridgerator stocked with the Beer and Sodas of our preference. The grounds were perfectly manicured, and the pool waters were warm givin the consistent weather in January. In addition to the 4 ‘specialty’ restaurants common to all Riu Palaces, the daily Buffets at breakfast, lunch (@ the Italian) and dinner provided a great variety of excellent choices. We booked 2 half-day excursions thru the local Nexus Rep, one to the River where we saw a wide variety of Birds and beasts (crocks, iguanas, ...), with the only complaint being the bumpy backroads. The other was to the eco-site next door, where we saw local animals (puma, jaguar, ocelot, ... sloths... and some smaller critters), birds (including Toucans and parrots), snakes, frogs and butterflies. Not to miss. Avoided the Zip-Line...it’s on the agenda for next life. In addition to pools with frequent drink service there, the walkable dark-sand beach stretches for miles. And as an extra bonus, saw 1-week old turtles released to ocean, and met families of monkeys just a short walk from the hotel. Of course I didn’t feed the monkeys from my hand, because that would be against the law! We will go back again and again. As a minor complaint, the cable TV was terrible...they do not offer US Networks, or any NOrth American sports stations. With the vast majority of occupants English-speaking, about 36 of the 40 available stations were in Spanish. My wife, however, was thankful, and reminded we weren’t there to watch TV

The resort is beautiful and very well kept. It was very clean and felt very safe. Pools and beach are excellent. Very clean and well kept. Rooms were oddly decorated and very run down with a very strong musty smell. Loved the shower though, it was a great set-up! Food was felt to be sub-par. It was “good” and there were no issues, but the buffets were very much the same every day and many times it felt as though the food had been sitting out for long periods of time. The a la carte restaurants were nothing special and the food was just “okay” in comparison to other 4 or 5 star restaurants. Staff was excellent. Everyone was so friendly and helpful and went out of their way to get to know us well to provide excellent service. Evening entertainment was okay. Typical resort shows and very average. Day-time entertainment was lacking. The most active time felt to be around 4 or 5 pm, but this was the end of the day just before the pools closed for the day. It just felt to be odd timing, and was not properly spaced out during the day. For the price, star rating, resort chain reputation, and previous experience at a Riu Palace in another country, expectations were not fully met. We “may” return to this resort, but would be open to trying others in Costa Rica. We would likely still recommend the resort, however, as there are no real major complaints.

Super clean, unbelievable food. Be prepared to be stuffed full your whole vacation. Beautiful country and location. The beach isn't the best but nicer at the Riu right next door which you have access too. You can take a short walk down the beach and hand feed monkeys in the wild near the small souvenir tents. My only recommendation would be a curtain around the bathtub for families or other than couple guests. Hope to return someday in the future I think I have been spoiled for other resorts.

Beautiful hotel, great facilities, wonderful and helpful staff, perfect room, good food,very good entertainment. The only thing that was not up to par was the beach. It is not like it is shown on the attached photograph.

This resort has something for everyone. The staff were great, food was exceptional and the grounds were very well kept. The staff went above and beyond from the minute we arrived. Very easy check in experience. All the pools were very well kept. This resort serves premium alcohol and beer.

This is our third year at the Riu Palace in Costa Rica. All of the Riu's are great, but the people in Costa Rica are very kind and informative. As usual, the room was delightful, the food was A+++++++ and the weather was great the whole week - lots of sun and warmth. Thanks Riu Palace - we will be back again. Sarah Fick

The hotel is outstanding very clean and the food was amazing. The service was great and very friendly. You feel very relaxed at this hotel the atmosphere is very elegant and well kept. We did some amazing excursions horseback riding , zip lining and mud bath and hot springs. Another day we went to the animal sanctuary right beside the hotel snd ATV in the afternoon again so much fun. While we were there we did the river cruise we saw howler monkeys, crocodile,iguana, bats and many different kinds of birds. I highly recommend this trip.

Stayed here from Sept 17-25. This resort is absolutely beautiful. The staff are very friendly and can speak English which is awesome. The room was like something out of a magazine and was very clean. Only negative thing about the room was that the pillows weren’t very comfortable. Not much to complain about, right? The food was delicious. So much to choose from and everything tasted delicious. The grounds were gorgeous. They had top of the line alcohol as well. The beach was beautiful even though it was black sand. Will definitely be returning to this resort!

The food was excellent Our Trip Central Representative, Eliana Anton was amazing. Sunwing Flight attendants were Superb, they always had smiles on their faces and were courteous. The outward appearance of the hotel is very attractive and groundsmen did a great job maintaining the place.All the food was delicious but they could have done a better job providing Premium Rum. all they had was 3 and 5 years old rum. Sunwing representative Gerry was great. Thank you to everyone

The resort is beautiful, food was great and it was very clean. Except when it rains, there are lots of bugs and insects. There should be more trees by the beach as it is extremely hot. When it rains, you cannot get to the Steakhouse as it is closer to the beach and the rain is extremely heavy and rains almost everyday.