Hotel Riu Guanacaste - All Inclusive

BEWARE OF THEFT!! My family of 15 travelled to this hotel December 1st 2025, my parents reported to the desk the safe was not working properly, wouldn’t even open. The desk did nothing about it so the next morning the room got cleaned and their passports got stolen and they won’t do anything about it. So me and my parents lost 2 whole days of vacation because this resort won’t do anything about it.

Hotel was clean and was apparently renovated this spring. Pools are nice, beach isn't great. Food is mediocre and there isn't really pool side service. Today was day 8 and it was the 1st day we saw a server going around the pool with a cart.

The resort was just completely renovated. Everything is new and looks amazing, not like ordinary RIU, but like a luxury resort. Beautiful interior accents, modern furniture, pleasant rooms. Food is typical for RIU, plenty of fruits, good coffee. Even some expensive alcohol drinks, such Chivas and branded Irish Cream. Beach is volcanic, not my favorite. Very beautiful surroundings, nice walk paths. Absolutely worth every penny! Great job Riu!

recently stayed at this hotel with my wife and our three young children (ages 5, 3, and 2). Overall, the experience was good, but there are a few areas that could be improved. I’ll start with the negatives, which were minimal but still worth mentioning. The biggest issue is the reservation system for the specialty restaurants. Since RIU encourages guests to use the app for entertainment schedules and other activities, it would make perfect sense to allow restaurant reservations through the app as well. Instead, guests end up waiting in long lines just to secure a spot, which feels outdated and unnecessarily inconvenient. The food at the restaurants was fine, but nothing particularly memorable. We also had the fire alarm go off twice during our stay—both times around 4 a.m.—and there was no communication from the hotel about what happened. Being woken up in the middle of the night with three small kids was definitely not ideal. On the positive side, the staff truly works around the clock, and it shows. Everyone we interacted with was friendly, accommodating, and genuinely committed to making our stay enjoyable. The resort itself is large and always has something going on, which is great when traveling with children. The road leading to the hotel is a bit rough, but we had a private transfer, so the ride felt safe and manageable. The rooms were recently renovated, and the modern design made them feel clean, comfortable, and relaxing. That was a definite highlight for us. With a few improvements—especially around the reservation system and communication—the experience could be even better. But overall, we had a pleasant stay and appreciated the hard work of the staff.

My husband and I stayed at this resort for our honeymoon and had a wonderful experience. Transportation to and from the airport with Amstar was smooth (a bit bumpy at times and expect about an hour, but the drivers were great). The resort grounds were beautiful and expansive, with staff constantly working to keep everything clean and well maintained. We loved the easy access to the beach from the pools. There were plenty of adults-only pool options, which was really nice. The resort felt lively without ever feeling overcrowded. I do agree with some other reviews that additional nighttime entertainment beyond the kids’ programming would have been a nice touch, even something simple like live music outside. The newly remodeled rooms were very nice, and we especially loved waking up to monkeys most mornings with our jungle view, such a fun and unique experience. It was an easy walk to the Monkey Bar, and we enjoyed walking along the beach as well. There were always plenty of beach loungers available, which was a big plus. The food options between the buffets and restaurants were plentiful. The steakhouse had a longer wait, but we never went hungry and appreciated the options. Service was great at the restaurants. The staff was wonderful and friendly. Our room was always thoroughly cleaned and the fridge stocked. Staff seemed to appreciate tipping for good service. Overall, we had a great stay and would definitely come back!

Dirty hotel and ground areas. The food was lacking any flavor and service was poor. All inclusive hotel but every restaurant we asked for a glass of wine they told us we have to pay. We asked for a manager and we were told there was no one on duty “at this time “

I am currently staying at the RIU Guanacaste (Jan 16-20, 2026) and so far this has been a very frustrating and disappointing experience. I specifically booked and paid extra for a swim-out room, only to arrive at check-in and find that the pool was very dirty and completely unusable. I reported this immediately after checking in and was told someone would come within 20 minutes. No one ever showed up. Later that same evening, I went to the front desk again and was told the pool cleaner would be sent first thing in the morning. It is now midday, and still no one has come. When I called the front desk again, the representative seemed completely clueless, said she would ask her supervisor, and then hung up on me. At this point, the lack of accountability and follow-through is unacceptable — especially considering the premium price paid for this room type. The service overall is subpar and disorganized. The room itself has a musty, mildew smell, and we’ve already encountered spiders and other bugs, which is not what you expect from a resort of this size or reputation. Another major issue is the distance from the rooms to the amenities. It is a very long walk, and the resort does not offer golf carts or transportation, which makes getting around inconvenient and exhausting, especially in the heat. The drinks are poorly made, watered down, and often not prepared correctly. The so-called 24-hour restaurant is a complete joke. The food is terrible — cold hot dogs, burgers, and nachos — and you’re expected to heat everything yourself in a microwave that is only in Spanish, with no staff available to help. No one could even figure out how to use it properly. Overall, this resort has been a major disappointment. Poor service, unresolved issues, low-quality food and drinks, and zero urgency when problems are reported. I would not recommend RIU Guanacaste, especially if you are paying extra for upgraded room options that you may not even be able to use.

Super crowded, but strange people. It was as if they had never been on vacation before. Hotel was very nice (just renovated but no room service). Beautiful area and beach. Staff was great, polite and professional. They had no reservation system at all, so you had to wait in line for an hour plus to get into a restaurant. There was one newlywed couple that ate almost every meal offsite. No AC in the workout gym either. Avoid this place until mgmt can figure it out. Not sure why it's so hard.

Location: Hot, beach, filled with animals such as monkeys, iguanas, lizards, turtles, fish, dolphins, etc., Around an hour from the airport Atmosphere: Very friendly Rooms: Spacious, good view, keycard, easy access tothe room Value: Definitely great! Cleanliness: Very clean! Noise level: It's usually quiet at night, with the exception (sometimes) of rowdy, loud guests Service: Great! We booked a charter boat and caught a tuna. The buffet chefs turned it into sashimi for us!

Great hotel, totally redone - stunning when compared to the Riu Palace next door which is very dated. Friendly staff BUT, 3 of the 7 days our room was not made, line up for the steak house is insane and they must have offered locals some very steep discounts to stay on the weekend(s). Totally cheapened the experience, long lines at buffet and cooks could not keep up, yelling and screaming of drunks at the pool which was only a problem on the weekend due to the discounted stay offering.