RIU Guanacaste - All Inclusive

My husband and I had a great week at the Riu Guanacaste. We had been considering the Riu Palace next door before we booked, so we took a stroll through their grounds and lobby while we were there. It's like Vegas over there, so unless you like you're in the mood for a lot of neon and glass, don' bother. The regular Rui next door with the open-air lobby feels much more appropriate to its surroundings. Lots of reviews mention the food and the difficulty with getting reservations for the restaurants. We ate at the main buffet every night but one and we were consistently happy. There was always a great variety of food and everything we had was tasty. The only place that took reservations was the steak place and yes, you have to get in line at some ridiculous hour and they book a day in advance. Just relax and ignore it. Frankly, if you're going to Costa Rica for the great steak restaurant, you're probably missing the point. Don't miss: Walk all the way to the end of the beach and then into the jungle just before sunset for a great view of a troop of Howler monkeys.

We finally settled for the third room which was acceptable the rooms at this resort are not big or luxurious. The food was ok not enough variety. Fish was only one type and not tasty. Beef was also not to an American standard. The service was good, the fruits were delicious and so were the drinks. We were forced to leave at 955 AM to leave for the airport which took 35 minutes and the boarding was at 150PM. We would never go with Grey line others felt the same way.

Do not stay here. It's HORRIBLE. My husband and I took a group if 40 people here for our wedding and it was the worst day/ week of my life. We got here and the rooms were messed up. We had a wedding package that included hair, nails, couples massages and breakfast delivered to the room the day after. We scheduled the above for the day of the wedding however when we went to our appointments they did not have us on the schedule and were booked. I showed them the confirmation email so they quickly squeezed me in and my hair and nails were horrible. I ran back to the room 20 min before my wedding and had my girlfriend fix everything. Then the breakfast next day never happens not did the massages. They also tried to charge me double for the rooms so I was in an argument the entire time with them over price. I signed a contract stating one price and out of nowhere they tell me I owed double. The internet you pay $80 for barely worked and disnt work at all on some days. My husband and I had such a horrible time we left 4 days early just to get out of here. HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE place to stay.

From the moment we arrived we were delighted with the amenities and the staff. We were given a room with a 'garden' view......would have been better to have an ocean view, however, we did not spend that much time in the room so it really did not matter. The many restaurants were all of good quality and excellent selection.....we especially enjoyed the El Toucan which is the gourmet restaurant. We did not encounter one person on staff that was not friendly and accommodating. The beach was lovely as there were many trees for shade if needed. Water was warm and refreshing. The shops are small and have limited inventory......clothing shops tend toward the size 6 & 8 female and smaller man.....so, bring with you the proper size as you most likely won't find it if you are larger than a 6 or 8. Could have had more local artwork available. Tours were available and varied......suggest at least 2 tours during a 7 day stay. Getting a lounge chair around the pool is not a struggle as there are plenty. All in all, I would consider this a '5' star experience!

We loved the riu guanacaste. The food was very good. Loved the asian restaurant. Always a good variety on the buffet. The remote location was great for us. We really enjoyed going walking on the beach each morning and getting to see the monkeys.

Pleasant with ample room and plenty of pool space. Food was ok. Steak house was quite good, and the Italian restaurant was fine. Package included a $35 spa credit per person, but the hotel would NOT honor them. Overall ok.

We were looking for a resort with delicious drinks, beautiful beaches, and a lush environment. The RUI had none of these. The food was barely tolerable. The only redeeming qualities were the pool and the weekend shows.

I wouldn't recommend this hotel to any of my friends or family! They need to determine what their style/ theme is, I like hotels with themes that run throughout the entire hotel and I couldn't figure out what they were trying to do at this hotel. The hotel is far from anything and the nearest village isn't nice at all, so you don't want to venture from your hotel just for a stroll, so you are stuck at the hotel. I wouldn't call it a resort. The front desk staff and guest services/ concierge were rude almost every time we had to deal with them. When we got there the front desk told us you had to make reservations for every restaurant, except for the buffet. Our first night we ate at the buffet and the food was horrible. The second morning we got up and stood in line to make reservations for the restaurants for a good 20 minutes because they are only open from 9a - 2p. Once it was our turn we were told you only have to have reservations for the "steak house" and you have to make those 1 day in advance. This was our first experience with the crossed information. So we made the reservations, but that was the only time we were able to because all the trips and excursions we went on left between 6-7am, so we were never there to be able to make reservations again. Plus reservations are booked by about 10am. We were also told that you could go to any of the other 4 restaurants and place your name on the seating list for any time you would like after they open, WRONG AGAIN! You can only place your name on the list if the restaurant is already currently full and you cannot choose your time you must take the time they tell you. Best advice I can give here is to show up ready to eat at whichever restaurant you want to eat at by 5:45pm and wait in line. Trick here is you have to determine what restaurants are open what nights, they never post this information and it is not written on the outside of the restaurants. Dress code is a follow if you want and they may follow it if they feel like it the night of. My husband and I went to the steak house (which is not really like an American steak house you would think of, so don't get your hopes up but the food was good here) and followed the dress code we were told to arrive and find out that we were 1 of about 4 couples that followed the dress code and the ones that didn't were still allowed to come in. Another night we went to a different place that said they had a dress code and my husband decided to wear shorts, well this particular night they decided that they were following the dress code, so he had to go back to the room to change. The wait staff and cleaning crew is awesome and very friendly and as helpful as they can be. Some don't speak great english. This hotel has NO ROOM SERVICE!!! Also if you call the front desk in need of something, you request it and you may or may not get it. I wouldn't pay for a room view upgrade because there is really no view worth the money anywhere on the property. Rooms are the bare minimum and there is nothing special to them, not even a coffee pot. Everything is a long walk to get to at the hotel, there is no convenience to this hotel. There is only 1 ice machine & elevator per floor. The beach is nice but not lots of shade and you must arrive there and the pool early to get a good spot. Alcohol flows freely but the lines are a wait, so order several at a time. If booking trips/ excursions book with the guys on the beach, they are much cheaper than through the hotel. We went fishing with Gecko (bright neon green shirts) Costa Rican Tours and the trip was a amazing and we do lots of fishing! Teicko's Tour (bright pink shirts) Costa Rica is another great group to book through.

The hotel is beautifully maintained located along a bay on the Pacific coast. Pleasant vacation where the food is generally good. Staff is cordial, but if you have an issue or problem, don't expect any accomodation or sympathy. The hotel while beautiful lacks a staff concerned with customer service. In fact, it appears that the management structure there is so rigid that it is reflected in the attitude of the staff. Even though it is obvious that the staff works very hard, I would not return to this hotel due to the overall uptight staff and rigid atmosphere. If you request something (like a coke or pillow for your room you may or may not receive it and if you do ; it's no telling how long it may take. You get the sense that staff thinks you are lucky to receive any service. Certainly there are several kind and helpful staff, but the overall mood of staff is uptight and just not presenting a "happy" atmosphere. By the way, what's with two double beds pressed flush side to side. If you have a room with double beds, you don't want them on top of each other...just weird.

A 35 minute ride from Liberia airport it was a great place to stay and rest. Really caring staff and helpful with requests. We were travelling with a toddler and the staff really cared well for her and she really enjoyed her time with the staff as well. The beach is a bit rocky and should be careful. pool is good but sometimes can get overchlorinated( better over than under considering the amount of people using it.) we would definitely go there again.