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Hotel overview
Location
GuanacasteProperty information
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Hotel details
Hotel advisories
General policies & fine print
Check-in Policy - Deposits or credit/debit card hold authorizations are not requested at check-in. Minimum age of 18 is required for check-in, an ID/Passport will be requested upon arrival.
Convention Policy - Individuals attending a convention cannot book this property for their stay. If found attending a convention, guests may be subject to higher room rates upon arrival.
Hotel Spring Break Policy- Student Groups/Spring Breakers (either groups or individuals, regardless of age) are not allowed at any time during the year. Guests disturbing or generating complaints from other guests or hotel may be removed from the property, at their own expense. Parties in rooms are not permitted.
Transfer Policy - A price may display when children stay free, if your vacation includes transfer to your hotel.
General Information - Room taxes and service fees are included in vacation price.
Minimum night stay restrictions may apply.
Reservation changes may not be permitted unless authorized by the hotel.
- Early Departure Penalty: 1 Night Applies: Sunday - Saturday 04Jul24 - 23Dec26
- Early Departure Penalty: 2 Nights Applies: Sunday - Saturday 24Dec24 - 30Apr25
- Early Departure Penalty: 2 Nights Applies: Sunday - Saturday 24Dec25 - 30Apr26
Ratings & reviews
TripAdvisor traveler rating
10254 reviews
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Nov 16, 2024Great vacation at Riu Guanacaste
Great vacation! At first I was a little worried about the reviews about this hotel but we always stay at Riu hotel and always had a good time. Riu guanacaste wasn’t different Food was great Service was great Restaurants was a little bit work to get a table but at the end we were able to eat at the restaurants 6 nights of 8. Staff were so friendly Transfer to and from airport worked great Weather wasn’t great but we still did lots of fun activities outside the hotel.
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Nov 10, 2024Would not recommend
First of all the wait staff especially Sara gets a 5 out of 5! The rest of the experience was not good! The music at night does not end till 11pm and you can hear it better in your room than at the event! Had to ask for toilet paper and drinks for room.
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Nov 10, 2024
Fine if you're satisfied with bottom shelf everything
Three good: grounds are pretty, the pools are nice enough, and pool lounge chairs are ample despite the place being packed at off/rainy season. Balcony in room appreciated. The bad: where to start? Food and drink were the most minimal quality imaginable. If what you want is lots and lots of that, you'll be satisfied. One choice of red and white wine, almost undrinkable cabernet & sav blanc from Spain which is not known for french varietals, and beer like Budweiser. Cocktails and juices watered down. Bottom shelf liquors. Food, on the other hand: endless choices, almost every bite bad, sometimes unfathomably so. How can you manage to make grilled shrimp in the consistency of mashed potatoes? Meats and fish and eggs overcooked even when to order. Once even twice: medium were rare > medium well. Huevos rancheros to order complete with eggshells. Pastries and cakes dry as a bone. Fruits overripe on the verge of rotten. Salads with bagged shredded lettuce and underripe tomatoes. The sailfish carpaccio at the gourmet restaurant we had to wait 2 hours to get into was not like sashimi, but lightly smoked and fresh out of the freezer. The plating was pretty but the flavor profiles didn't work, sauces overly sweet or clashing, like they hired the very best culinary school drop outs. Costa Rican food and drink I would have liked to try (chifrijo and aqua de sapo) they didn't have and when asked made no indication they might even be able to try. (They certainly had three ingredients for three drink.) Service "con gusto" with a grimace. (Staff were friendly, just overworked and bothered by annoying gringos.) One request to housekeeping took 4 separate attempts (in person, via app, and 2 phone calls) before delivery. Room was generally fine, save for a big moth smashed on the wall over the bed. The beach had few places to sit in shade, and the water at the shore was murky to rocky. Friday disco night seemed fun, if you're in your twenties or sufficiently drunk.
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Nov 09, 2024Pros and Cons
Hotel is as people say…somewhat dated. Manageable by far. Beds in Costa Rica are hard so if you are looking for plush, this isn’t the place. We did however, get a mattress topper for ours so it was semi-firm. Food was great. Always able to find something to eat. Pool was wonderful. Most of the bar staff were friendly. Restaurant staff were efficient and generally friendly. They did an amazing Halloween haunted house🧟♀️👻 If you want bottled water daily or a particular pop in your fridge, you will have to fight hard for that privilege. They provided 1 x 1L bottle of water for 2 people every 2 days. The elevators broke constantly as well because people were overloading them (they could only handle 5 people at a time). So as with anything, pros and cons.
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Nov 07, 2024Worst experience. Save yourself a bad vacation.
Go somewhere else! Broken elevators so we had to climb stairs for a week to the 5th floor. The hot water was Lukewarm when we had water. Didn't have water at all for 2 days. Buffets are what you are getting for dinning. They state there are four restaurants on site, but they are only open Friday and Saturday if you can get in. The Italian restaurant opened at 6 and closed at 630. Another one was cloesd on Saturday for a private event. The wait staff doesn't bring drinks or clear tables at the buffet. We had to stack our dirty plates on the table next to us. We got an ocean view room, but you had to stand to be able to see it so no enjoying your coffee sitting down. When they cleaned the room, they didn't restock TP coffee or change out towels and then the front desk acted put out when you called if they even answered, had to call several times during our visit. Bed was super hard and uncomfortable. Pool has tile falling off everywhere and black mold. Only Imperial beer and well liquor at the bar and they only restock the minibar every 2 days with 2 beers and 1 bottle of each soda. Very disappointing for the money we spent.