Riu Palace Costa Rica - All Inclusive

The staff is amazing. They are cleaning non-stop and are super friendly. The hotel needs to upgrade the rooms and offer better wifi.

Property while dated is well maintained. Ongoing issues with broken elevators were a minor irritant. Resort seemed to randomly close speciality restaurants without notice with 2/4 closed most evenings. Resort staff/pool staff were friendly & helpful. Buffet is as one would expect at a resort this size- repetitive & unfortunately not able to maintain warmth to hot food. Overall, a great experience!

Rooms are quite old, but clean. As most of the old resort, À/C was not working well and fridge didn’t keep the drinks cold. However, the food was good, specially in the specialty restaurants. Staff are very kind. If you like staying at the beach all day, this is not the place for you to go. There is almost no service at the beach (no facilities) and the waves are quite heavy.

Typical resort rooms and food. Not bad just average. Need more bathrooms and trash cans near the pools. Bathrooms are at the Steakhouse restaurant or by where the stages are. Could force people to say forget it and pee in the pool. The steak we has was good. A lot of the food was cold. But, it's typical for resort buffets. Lost water for a while one day. Room was clean, pool service was good. Always someone asking if anything was needed. I wouldn't put it down but not sure I could recommend RIU. First time to Coasta Rica so need to see what else is out there.

The staff was lovely. There were multiple elevators broken for the entire 6 days we were there. Great View.

Loved everything. Only 2 issues. No water for almost 8 hours. Couldn’t even flush toilets. 2nd issue. There is no night life for the adults. No clubs at all. I was informed it’s being renovated but that didn’t help us. We ended up playing card games and heads up. The boat ride to coco beach was amazing. I loved the caves and the scenery

From the moment we arrived, it was chaotic. We had checked in online, but the hotel still required us to check in, in person. We were in the check in line for over an hour. The staff were friendly but very slow to get people checked in. Dining options were limited, we wanted to try the Steakhouse but they would not allow reservations, only waiting in a long line at 5:30pm. And the WiFi at the hotel didn’t work at all, not even in the lobby. Connection was very slow. There were also two power outages while we were there.

Rooms are very dated, doors and walls were dirty, no washrooms around pool area. Food was very good lots of chairs around pools resort was nice but overpriced

Pros: -Staff are great and property is very clean -Buffet food is actually really good -Snack area has food at all time -In room liquor bottles, and they even brought us tequila upon request Cons: -No AC in many of the common areas, so sweating while eating was a normal -Everything closes up very early. Bars were done at midnight. Theres only one pool bar and it was closed very early. Even the pool appears cloeed around 7 with no lighting in the area. You can swim hut it'll be very dark with no music, etc -"specialty" restaurants dont take reservations but you have to show up by 6 if you want any chance of getting in. They also all close by 830 which is annoying when many excursions dont return until 6 or 7pm -Shows were not that great

Unfortunately the hotel nearby Riu Guanacaste, started renovations on the second part of our stay. This first of all ended up shutting down AC for the last two days in the entire hotel and water in the room for one day. It also became very noisy during our second part of our stay. We also booked the property for a tennis court which was also closed for the second part of our stay. I wish they delayed the renovations for the off season or clearly state it on the booking.

The resort was excellent and the service amazing. While the hotel is a bit older, the cleanliness of the entire resort was impeccable! The service, especially at the pool, were friendly quick. Getting into any of the restaurants was easy and there were a variety of options which was nice so the food didn’t get boring. It was very family friendly with lots of entertainment including waterslides. The beach was beautiful and you can pretty much guarantee to see monkeys hanging out there in the morning and early evenings. We had some issues with our transportation at the end of the trip and the staff at the front desk was amazing and ensured we got to the airport on time (the transportation was not through the hotel but if I had to do it again I would have used their services). Overall we had a great time and I would highly recommend.

Had a wonderful time but rooms are outdated and dirty. Grounds are beautiful! Smaller RIU resort. They are rebuilding so should be perfect in a few years.

My room was dirty. There was hair in the shower, there was mildew all over the shower and sink and edge. You could also see the mold growing on the walls. It looks like it was painted over but you can see it bleeding through the white paint. The food in the buffet was Luke warm, never hot. Rice was dry. The food at the alacart restaurants wasn’t that good either. I would not go back to this hotel or any other riu in the future. The staff was nice and the pool area was good as well, that was the only good thing.

I had even blood in the furniture of my room . The smell was very strong at humidity

The staff was great everyone especially the cleaning lady

This place was awful. I would not come back for free. Our 1st room smelled so bad of mildew they used over powering chemicals to cover up the odor, we had to move after a long day of travel. Second room still smelled of Mildew, but a little less. They gave me two rooms to check and I picked the one that smelled less. Then the AC broke for two nights and the mildew smell became unbearable. I thought about moving again and one room smelled just as bad and the second one was above the stage where it was going to be super noisy. I wasted so much time trying to find a spot that doesn’t smell. My friend got lucky and her room did not smell. The food is terrible. You can find stuff to eat that is OK, but you’re not gonna be excited about much. The restaurants fill up early and then your only dinner option is the buffet. The booze is bottom shelf. Cheap wine. Only pluses are the staff are super nice and the pools and grounds are pretty.

Beautiful location, but the resort needs serious updates. Our room was dirty and outdated, and the door didn’t lock. Long buffet lines and almost impossible to eat at the restaurants even though they don’t take reservations. Disappointing overall.

The property was extremely clean. The staff was very friendly and happy at all times. Everything was fantastic!

Let me start by saying the staff was very accommodating and friendly. The hotel is secluded which is nice for a relaxing vacation. Unfortunately there is a lot of construction on the premises making it very difficult to relax. Upon arrival the rooms we were assigned smelled like mold and sewage. When asked to be moved they didn’t have any availability until noon the next day so we had an excursion planned for the next day and had to reschedule it to a later time to deal with our accommodations issue. The room made us feel sick so it wasn’t an option to stay. We were also awakened at 6:30am to the gardening crew cutting down a tree outside of our room which was on the ground floor. After changing rooms. The new rooms were better but u can still smell mold and sewage in them. We turned the AC up hi and that helped a lot. One of the rooms had a broken lock and we couldn’t get in so maintenance had to come change the lock. So we pretty much wasted a day of vacation. The food was just ok and lacked flavor. The steakhouse started off good but it’s at least a 10 minute walk from the hotel itself. While having dinner we had raccoons come into the dining area twice and roaches on one of our table. Which the staff said was from the table being in storage. A family member also saw roaches in the shower and she had to change her room. The beach isn’t private so u get approached by locals selling everything before you can get to the actual beach. But they are very nice and friendly.

I would come back to this resort! Our room was nice and clean, although it had a stuffy slightly mildew smell… That might be partly because of the tropical environment? The beds were comfortable and we slept well and the AC worked well, too. The bar staff was amazing! They were extremely friendly and attentive and gave great service and the pools were all nice and clean. The Japanese restaurant was closed when we were there, and the steakhouse was not good at all, but we were very pleasantly surprised with the buffet options every morning and night! The front desk was attentive and responded to our needs promptly… There was an active hornet nest on our balcony that they removed within hours while we were down at the pool! The RIU Fun events were nice, although they never seemed to start on time. During the day while we were hanging out at the pool bar or lounging that didn’t really matter too much, but it would’ve been nice to know that we didn’t need to show up on time to the evening events because we ended up waiting around. Once we figured out that the timing of things went a little late, we adjusted our plans and had a great time!

The property was very nice, the staff was excellent very nice and friendly. Walks on the beach the locals were very nice as well. The only issue is the keys to my room never worked. I had to visit the front desk every time we left our room which made it very annoying.

Very outdated. Bathtub in the middle of the room.

The room was extremely dated & definitely in need of major upgrades. Very disappointed that the Riu next door looked so much nicer than the Riu Palace (& is also significantly less expensive). Stayed at this Riu Palace 15 yrs ago and will not return again after seeing how run down it now is.

My recent stay at the Hotel Riu Palace Costa Rica, nestled right on the beautiful Playa Matapalo, was truly fantastic. The all-inclusive experience here is top-notch, delivering both luxury and a wonderfully relaxing atmosphere with incredible value. The all-inclusive concept is seamless. It was fantastic knowing everything was taken care of, from the wide variety of dining options to the drinks by the pool. The thoughtful minibar service was a great included perk—having the refrigerator stocked with several bottles of liquor and a selection of refreshing beers made the stay feel truly premium and convenient without any extra charge. The room accommodations exceeded expectations. I especially loved the jacuzzi in the room, which was the perfect way to unwind after a day in the Costa Rican sun. Dining was a highlight, and while the resort offers several great all-inclusive options, the Italian restaurant was definitely my favorite! The food quality and service there were exceptional, making for a memorable dinner experience. Beyond the food and the stunning location, the staff made all the difference. Everyone I encountered was incredibly nice and helpful, contributing to a warm and welcoming environment throughout the resort. For a great blend of beautiful beachfront, outstanding service, luxury amenities, and unbeatable all-inclusive value in Guanacaste, I highly recommend the Hotel Riu Palace Costa Rica.

The room was dated. Needs work

Rooms are quite old, but clean. As most of the old resort, À/C was not working well and fridge didn’t keep the drinks cold. However, the food was good, specially in the specialty restaurants. Staff are very kind. If you like staying at the beach all day, this is not the place for you to go. There is almost no service at the beach (no facilities) and the waves are quite heavy.

The hotel was good, but our key card was deactivated every time we went out of the room . Very annoying to have to keep getting it activated and it wasn’t because of electronic devices. The entertainment could have been more exciting.

Normally, I do not write a review whether my experience was good or bad at a resort, but this particular experience pushed me to write a review. Prior to arriving at the resort I requested some things for the room because we were celebrating a birthday. When we got to the room, it was a double bed when I requested a king sized bed also it wasn’t very clean in the room. I went to front desk to change the room and it was a little better up until the electricity blew out twice and help did not come right away. I almost missed my reservations that I had at a steakhouse. We were then moved to the room next-door which was fine Iguess but I never experienced anything like this. It took 24 hrs for someone to bring a remote for the television in the room. I was over it, I didn’t want to complain while on vacation because we were celebrating but I made sure to remember to write a review!

The room was old and needs updating. Issues with water pressure. Key card didn't work well and had to keep getting it recharged. Mini bar wasn't stocked.

The Riu Palace was a very nice BUDGET All-inclusive. The rooms/appearance are in need of updating, but the staff are wonderful and the offerings are up to par. Next door to the Palace is their NEWLY Renovated Guanacaste...Absolutely upscale and Beautiful. Don't be fooled---the food is exactly the same, which gets a "B". No really good seafood or interesting ethnic offerings. Very standard American fare for the most part.

The staff was friendly and hard working, however the manager and people at the front desk was not approachable. The particular manger that I have encounter was giving me attitude and did not like the way he spoke to me. They were not accommodating nor understanding.

We loved the hotel, the nature around it, the food, the weather and so on....service around the pools was not as expected tough. I will definitely recommend this hotel.

Everything was great. The only complaints i would have was the issue with our room keys and the food. We had to go down every day, sometimes twice a day to get our keys fixed. They did send maintenance up and they seemed to have fixed the issue. The other complaint would be the food. It is resort food so expectations can't be too high. The staff was amazing, zero complaints about them. Special shout out to Julio, Donovan, and Isac for being extra amazing!

Amazing staff make this a great place to stay. The rooms are tired and are due for a renovation. At this price point it was exactly as expected. 8 out of 10. The staff truly make all the difference!

Normally, I do not write a review whether my experience was good or bad at a resort, but this particular experience pushed me to write a review. Prior to arriving at the resort I requested some things for the room because we were celebrating a birthday. When we got to the room, it was a double bed when I requested a king sized bed also it wasn’t very clean in the room. I went to front desk to change the room and it was a little better up until the electricity blew out twice and help did not come right away. I almost missed my reservations that I had at a steakhouse. We were then moved to the room next-door which was fine Iguess but I never experienced anything like this. It took 24 hrs for someone to bring a remote for the television in the room. I was over it, I didn’t want to complain while on vacation because we were celebrating but I made sure to remember to write a review!

From the moment we arrived, it was chaotic. We had checked in online, but the hotel still required us to check in, in person. We were in the check in line for over an hour. The staff were friendly but very slow to get people checked in. Dining options were limited, we wanted to try the Steakhouse but they would not allow reservations, only waiting in a long line at 5:30pm. And the WiFi at the hotel didn’t work at all, not even in the lobby. Connection was very slow. There were also two power outages while we were there.

The pool was fantastic, and the staff was exceptionally friendly and attentive, with a special mention to our bartender Adriano. The food overall was decent, though we found the offerings at the other hotel to be superior. We can’t comment on the specialty restaurants since we weren’t willing to wait over an hour to be seated. Unfortunately, the check-in process was chaotic and disorganized; it took ages for anyone to greet or assist us. The WiFi connection was unreliable at best and often didn’t work at all. Additionally, we scheduled an early morning excursion but never received our requested wake-up call, which nearly caused us to miss our trip—a major disappointment. Additionally, when we requested a birthday cake, the maitre’d didn’t inform us that it wasn’t possible—instead, our request was simply ignored. Our main concern is mostly with management not the staff…

Hotel was very clean and the staff was amazing. Everyone was so very friendly! The food was very good as well. We will definitely be back!

My overall stay at this property was fair but I will not be returning. When I arrived at the hotel, I realized that part of my family was staying at the Guanacaste property, and they wanted to stay with the rest of our family at the Palace property. Thannya (identified as a Supervisor) was working at the front desk and told me all we would have to do is cancel our reservation at Guanacaste and she would provide an equivalent room at Palace. Once we returned after canceling our other reservation at Guanacaste, she told us that we would also need to pay a large additional cost to do the transfer. The fact that this information was not provided to us prior to canceling our original reservation is wildly unprofessional. When I told my concerns to Thannya she was extremely rude and told me that “I was wasting her time”. Additionally, the new room at Palace was disgusting - it was not cleaned properly, there was mold and the refrigerator did not work (I have photos). This was unsettling because my mother is elderly, has diabetes and needed to refrigerate her insulin. Even though I will not be returning to RIU resorts in the future, there were a few staff members that were actually very helpful and provided great customer service throughout our stay and I would like to acknowledge them: Maury (bellman), Sharon (front desk), Elmer (front desk), Alonso (cook) and Warren (pool bartender).

Failed to give us our two rooms (booked in February for a November stay) next to each other… booked 1 room with two double beds and one with king + sofa bed pullout… both rooms provided were king + pullout. Due to shutdown, missed our domestic connection and were laid over a night - hotel refused to move the reservation from Sat to Sat to Sun to Sun so we could get the full value and experience (hotel was barely half capacity due to offseason)… food was decent with some very good places to eat; after awhile, breakfast and lunch buffet get pretty boring and repetitive. Staff at all restaurants, pool and bars were very attentive and smiling. Front desk not very helpful with our concerns and inflexible. One room was musty and lacked features of identical other room - privacy tub curtain, stand lamp… room phone was useless; shower water temps wildly inconsistent. alcohol dispensers started half empty and took physically removing them and putting the empties obviously next to the coffee maker to get them to restock; beer, soda, coffee, condiments and water were restocked daily and beds/towels/toilet paper refreshed daily if needed. Needs more bathrooms across campus more easily accessible from all locations - had to walk a few minutes from pool to go to the bathroom, which was annoying. Buffets were chaotic, with room for improvement in handling flow of people getting food… Overall positive experience, but some things could be improved to achieve top scores in all areas.

Vary friendly staff and great location

I’ve been going ro Riu Palace in Guanacaste for years now and I even got married there back in 2018! I always love the food, the cleanliness, and the warm and friendly staff. The pools are so nice and heated and the drinks are awesome. Now for the cons of the place. There’s a jacuzzi tub in the middle of every room that is just a nuisance and no one ever uses. Especially as a wheelchair-user, it should be removed from the accessible rooms to give more space to get around. The hotel does not offer a beach wheelchair to get onto the beach and the staff is unwilling to help you get to the beach. It doesn’t cost that much to get a beach wheelchair and it would make the hotel property more accessible for all. There is also a lot of vendors on the beach not only in one section in the entrance (like a flea market) but also they come up to anywhere you are sitting to sell you something. If I wanted to buy something I would go to them. The Riu Palace should privately buy that section of the beach and shield the guests. At night it’s kind of scary to walk around the pool areas or to the Papagayo restaurant because there is ZERO security and random strangers come out of the beach and ask to use the bathrooms at the restaurants or just roam around. My uncle has a random guy take a picture of him coming out of the Papagayo restaurant, which was creepy. Since the beach is not privately owned by the hotel, any stranger can be on it day or night. Security must be hired to protect us.

The road to get the property is horrible. I was totally car sick. They need to fix the road!!!

We had a great week at Riu Palace. We enjoyed the pools, andvthe beach as well. The Lounge 24 and Cappucinos were hidden gems, nice spots for some peaceful relaxation. The staff were all friendly, attentive and professional at all times. Even the merchants selling their goods on the beach were respectful, not pushy at all. I would definitely recommend this resort as a go to destination.

We stayed at RIU Palace Guanacaste for a week, between 8/10 and 8/16. It was supposed to be the beginning of the rainy season but we got great weather. It only rained on heavily on our last night, otherwise it was just hot and humid. It was me, my wife, and 9 year old son. Plus, we traveled with my sister-in-law and her husband. We all had a great time and enjoyed our stay. -The beach was great and only a little further from the pools. Some complained it was too far. The water was wonderful and warm. -The rooms are outdated but had everything you needed for a nice stay -The food was good, but not great, and there was plenty of choices. We mainly did the buffet but we did the Japanese restaurant one night and Papagayo another night. Both of those were excellent. -Pools were nice and not that crowded. It got more crowded toward the end of the week. I can't imagine how bad it would be in peak season. -There isn't much for shopping. There is a jewelry store in the lobby and there are shops in between the two resorts but they're basically the standard souvenir shops. There is much around the resort so you're basically there and can't just walk into a town. -We went to the water park one day and our son had fun. It's kind of beat up and rough but a fun time. It seemed understaffed so not sure about safety. -The staff was helpful and friendly. We wanted to upgrade our room and they were a big help there. Servers are nice as well. -The people and country are great.

I would definitely recommend this place and would stay there again. The staff worked very hard and were helpful and friendly! Our hair dryer wasn’t working and it was fixed immediately. The steak house was extremely good with lobster, steak etc. it is a tropical location so you have to like that type of climate Thanks for a great vacation!!

It’s a beautiful hotel! Most of the staff there are friendly, especially the people working at the bar areas. This hotel is really isolated and there is nothing to see. The bad part is that the road getting close to the hotel is in the poor shape with many many potholes and it makes the driving condition somewhat difficult .

The staff were very friendly. The location is beautiful.

It was incredible! The only thing I did not like was the peddlers and people trying to sell you things along the walk to the beach. We stayed away from the beach because of it. Otherwise it was amazing! Food was great, property was clean and very well kept, the staff was friendly and attentive. We will definitely be returning.

It was a great hotel for me and my family. We had a really good time and there was a lot of things to do. The pools were nice and the restaurants were great. I love that we were really close to the adventure park, and it was a short ride to Coco Beach (another popular spot). The service was great too!

Glad I didn’t reconsider after reading negative reviews.. we enjoyed everything about our stay at the Riu Palace. If you can’t find anything good to eat you have to be an extremely picky eater. The food was fresh (especially the huge salad bars) and plentiful of all types of cuisine. Pool service and staff were amazing! Your choice of pools makes for those wanting to chill or those wanting a party vibe with great music and drinks! Our room was gorgeous.. corner balcony jr suite with hot tub inside and on the private balcony. Maid service was excellent! 10/10 all the way around for our stay!

Property while dated is well maintained. Ongoing issues with broken elevators were a minor irritant. Resort seemed to randomly close speciality restaurants without notice with 2/4 closed most evenings. Resort staff/pool staff were friendly & helpful. Buffet is as one would expect at a resort this size- repetitive & unfortunately not able to maintain warmth to hot food. Overall, a great experience!

Rooms are quite old, but clean. As most of the old resort, À/C was not working well and fridge didn’t keep the drinks cold. However, the food was good, specially in the specialty restaurants. Staff are very kind. If you like staying at the beach all day, this is not the place for you to go. There is almost no service at the beach (no facilities) and the waves are quite heavy.

Food was terrible not to much to choose from.also have to ask to refill they never have enough. We had to go outside of the resort every night for dinner. The lunch and breakfast was the same thing over and over. The service at the pool was good . At breakfast the service was horrible we had to wait almost 1hour before someone came to ask us if we needed coffee and that was an everyday thing. I have been to different RIU but this was the worse one of all . I wouldn’t be going back .

Overall the resort was very clean especially the pool area. And the grounds and setting were stunning. One of the staff members was really excellent, Jocsan, he never left a glass empty or plate on the table and was so pleasant. Constant service at the pool as well. The food overall was mediocre at best. We are at the Italian restaurant the first night and ordered fish, it smelled so fishy we didn’t touch it. The Yakisoba at the Japanese restaurant was probably our favorite dish. Omelettes were good every morning and the cafe made great coffees all other food was just okay.

Beautiful location and very friendly, attentive staff. Food was what we expected, loved the pools, water park and proximity to the beach. Was also nice there were excursions that left from the RIU private beach. The only thing we didn't like is no reservations for dinner. They say no line for restaurants, just show up. This is not true. One night we showed up for dinner at 7 p.m. and not one restaurant could accommodate our party of 3. They explained that you must show up before the restaurants open in order to get a table. This meant we had to wrap up our excursion or timr on the beach or pool, get ready for dinner and be in line no later than 5:30 p.m. We won't be back for that reason alone.

Overall our stay here was great. The staff was friendly, accommodating, and very helpful. The pools were perfect, tons of seating, always clean and the entertainment provided was pretty good. My only issue was the food. Breakfast was great but the lunch and dinner options were pretty bad. Just very bland choices and not the best grade of meats.

Friendly staff, excellent coffee, lovely pools. Cons: No beach development, food selection at specialty dining does not change. Avoid the Japanese restaurant sushi. Suggestion - Allow Rui Palace guests dinner access to restaurants on the Riu Guanacaste sister resort.

Pros: -Staff are great and property is very clean -Buffet food is actually really good -Snack area has food at all time -In room liquor bottles, and they even brought us tequila upon request Cons: -No AC in many of the common areas, so sweating while eating was a normal -Everything closes up very early. Bars were done at midnight. Theres only one pool bar and it was closed very early. Even the pool appears cloeed around 7 with no lighting in the area. You can swim hut it'll be very dark with no music, etc -"specialty" restaurants dont take reservations but you have to show up by 6 if you want any chance of getting in. They also all close by 830 which is annoying when many excursions dont return until 6 or 7pm -Shows were not that great

Staff was great. Food was good but got kind of old aft we a few days as it didn’t change much . Service at the pool was excellent