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Hotel overview
Hotel Riu Palace Costa Rica (All-Inclusive), is located in Guanacaste, Costa Rica on the edge of the beach of Matapalo.
This hotel, fully prepared to provide the best service to its customers, has four swimming pools (one with a wet bar), jacuzzi, gym, sauna and a wellness center "Renova Spa" with different treatments and massages. Everything you need for maximum comfort during your stay.
The quality of the cuisine offered at the different restaurants of the hotel is exceptional thanks to our chefs, who prepare a variety of dishes, from classic to the most exotic. You'll want to to try each of our menus and, thanks to the All Inclusive service, you will be able to enjoy the buffet restaurant or the four different theme restaurants of the hotel.
Being on a privileged environment, the hotel offers a variety of activities on the beautiful beaches such as diving or fishing in the Pacific waters, ecotourism in the volcanic areas, and during the day several programs of entertainment for all ages, whether in family or friends. The hotel has a gym, table tennis, volleyball, tennis court, windsurf, sailing, snorkeling equipment, kayaks and other water activities. If your favorite sport is golf, the Four Seasons Golf Club has fantastic views over the sea.
Guanacaste is less tropical, humid and lush than the rest of the country. Its plains and dry forests sometimes remind you of African savanna landscapes. Inland you can see the savanna, local cowboys on their horses while driving their flocks, which are authentic figures of popular culture of this destination. From the hotel, you can do several excursions, such as the visit of the National Park Rincon de la Vieja, the Safari Park or the capital of Guanacaste: Liberia.
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 Policies - 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 01May25 - 23Dec26
- Early Departure Penalty: 2 Nights Applies: Sunday - Saturday 24Dec25 - 30Apr26
Ratings & reviews
TripAdvisor traveler rating
10515 reviews
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Mar 09, 2025Great family vacation
We booked the Riu Guanacaste, and we were placed in the new rooms, which were stylish, clean, and functional. The grounds are beautiful, and very well maintained. The walk from our room to the beach was approximately 10 minutes, which was not an issue for us, as we had a stroller for our daughter. The drinks were lovely, and the a lavender carte restaurants were also good. I didn't love the process for booking reservations, but we made it work most nights. My only true negative feedback is that on 2 nights, a lot of restaurants were closed. One night we got lucky and ate at the Italian restaurant, but the 2nd night we had to eat at the buffet which gets old very quickly. The Riu Land childrens activities were great, our daughter loved dropping in during the day for some activities, and she loved the nightly kids show. Overall, it's a lovely option for a family vacation.
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Mar 08, 2025Amazing vacation.
We had an amazing time. We loved the view of the mountains on both sides of us. The food situation was a little disappointing because you had to wait in line at 5:45 in order to get in to a restaurant. We like enjoying the beach/pool until the sun goes down. We did have amazing service by Royner anytime we ate at the buffet!
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Mar 08, 2025
Overall, very positive
As the title says, overall, very positive. Highlights: - The staff were typically very happy to assist or provide service and were always friendly. - The property was well maintained, clean, and well laid out. - The daily buffets were better than most I've been to, with decent options and a lot that was hot and fresh at any time, including both typical North American food (burgers, hot dogs, etc.) and regional foods (which we mostly ate) and many fruit options. - The location was great. There was another RIU property next door, but no other resorts anywhere close. We were surrounded by hills and ocean. We saw wildlife from the property, but they weren't nuisances or pests (monkeys stayed at a respectful distance, we had to go to them). Drawbacks: - There were less a la carte options than we were led to believe (and the Steak House really wasn't worth the trouble) - The secondary pool really needed its filtration improved. There were a lot leaves and other small debris floating around. - Commuication between resort staff and catering staff wasn't great. Their different departments need to work together a little better. Overall though, we had a great time. The bar staff were very friendly. They were happy to make drinks not on their menu and one bartender even happily let me teach her how to make a French 75. On top of this, there's a local bar a pleasant walk away that had craft beer. I also can't recommend Costa Rica enough. The people there are friendly, relaxed, and happy to play host and show tourists their beautiful country!
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Mar 08, 2025
Fun in the sun
How can one not like a week of luxury? Just to get away from grey skies and snow is wonderful. Food was great. Staff were friendly, service was good. Because the hotel was about to undergo renovations, there were a few things that were not up to snuff. We had only one key to our room. I also felt that the evening entertainment was too late. The children’s program should be moved to another site and an earlier time. That was annoying. Loved the aqua fitness program every day. Brian the instructor was super. The swimming pool was delightful. I do hope the lounge chairs will be replaced. They were very tired and some were broken. All in all, it was a good holiday.
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Mar 06, 2025
Wonderful family vacation
For context, my previous experience has been 3 all-inclusives in Cuba and one in the DR. This was head and shoulders above any of those. The facilities are ultraclean (eg restrooms in public areas seem to be maintained around the clock). Other reviewers have noted that the decor was somewhat tired but it wasn't a problem from my perspective. There are plenty of options for meals. The chaises were plentiful - we were a group of 9 and seldom had difficulty finding a group of chairs to use. The main pool is huge and beautifully laid out in different sections - usually easy to find a quiet place or join in a volleyball game. The new waterpark is fantastic - both a kiddies facility for the less adventuresome and then the large slides - fun, well maintained and very well staffed. WiFi was good although you need to remember that it probably won't work once you are down on the beach. Front desk staff were pleasant and accommodating. There is a photography store in the row of shops - we had Aldana take a bunch of pictures for us on the beach and they are fantastic! The food was very good. The abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables was delightful and there were enough options at the buffets that it was never hard to get something different. The "a la carte" restaurants were different than what I have seen at other restorts - you could not sign up in advance so, for restaurants that opened at 6, the line-ups began at 5. Some people found that annoying - we were a large enough group that we could take turns standing in line. Once in the restos, they were (with the exception of El Tucan) a buffet with some a la carte options. This worked very well for us as we had three young kids and it was great to be able to feed them right away but not what I had expected. We enjoyed all of them (my favourite was the Italian - the seafood linguini was great!) We did have a sub-optimal experience at the steakhouse - I don't know what was going on but they seemed underprepared for the number of people who came that night - very slow service, they were running out of some vegetables, difficult to get beverages etc. But that was very much in contrast to all our other dining experiences. The beach is public property (ie not under the control of the resort). That meant there were some vendors and off-property visitors using it. I never found the vendors annoying and we did pick up some needed items from them. There was a 2km stretch of beach that was lovely for walking. Just west of the Riu properties, the Monkey Bar is accessible from the beach. We didn't go there for a meal as they weren't open at peak monkey time but we did see LOTS of monkeys when we went on an early morning - a highlight for the kids. In terms of excursions, I would highly recommend the Diamente Nature Reserve which is right next door. The zip lining course is not for the faint of heart (especially the Superman run!) but the animal exhibits were beautifully curated and presented and the staff were fountains of knowledge. This was a once-in-a-lifetime vacation for our family and we made memories that will last forever.