Riu Vallarta

Our group of 4 women stayed here Feb 1 - 8, 2020, a few months after a major renovation. (We put our deposit on the trip in July 2019) This was a 1st time experience for at least 2 of our travellers so I wanted it to be a great experience for them. Overall we had a lovely time and the resort is worth visiting. We had a few issues with our rooms. We requested and paid for junior suite rooms with 2 double beds and ocean views. Our travel agent, who has a close working relationship with the resort, was in regular contact with them to ensure our requests were confirmed. I understand that the resort has a policy that these are merely requests and cannot be guaranteed but we felt re-assured that our requests would be honoured based on the email exchanges I saw between the resort and my agent. I have copies of email exchanges between resort management (Nayeli) and our travel agent indicating that the junior suites we booked were available AND that they have ocean views. Upon arrival, we were given 1st and 2nd floor pool view rooms with 1 king bed only. We met with the management writer (Nayeli) of the email to express our concerns that the rooms they gave us in were not what we were expecting and had been led to believe we were getting. It's not fair to have each person in the room paying the same trip cost but one gets to sleep in the comfy king bed and the other, on the thin pull out sofa. It may be ok for kids but not adults and not for a week. A couple of days later, we were moved to one of the higher floors with the ocean views and 2 double beds, just as we had requested. The only issues we had with the rooms themselves is that the water comes out of the shower easily, causing a puddle and one of our group actually slipped and hit her head really hard against the glass. Fortunately she wasn't seriously hurt, only suffering a lump on her head and nothing broken. Our shower stopped draining and a towel hook fell off the wall twice despite being fixed. The adhesive they used was pungent and our room smelled for hours so we left the balcony door open to air out the room. It rained for several days straight and parts of the open air lobby flooded so many towels were placed to try and prevent slipping. The entertainment was good - something different every night and quality productions/performances.. Because it was raining and everyone was inside it was hard to find seating in the theatre unless you went really early to save seats. The buffet was excellent with great choices and variety. They changed it up daily. The other restaurants were also very good though service varied in each one. One member of our group was celebrating a birthday and the resort surprised her with a bottle of sparkling wine and a fresh fruit arrangement which was a nice touch. If you are looking for a clean nicely laid out resort that has a family friendly atmosphere, this one is worth a visit. I was happy to see that there were many loungers around the many pools and on the beach. We had no problems finding chairs. The swim-up bar played top 40 classic American tunes. It was nice NOT to have repetitive techno dance music pounding all day like some resorts. The staff are friendly and accommodating and some go out of their way to remember you and what you like to drink and bring it to you without asking. I would go back.

Visited this hotel December 2019 just after the renovations. Very impressed with the layout and space. Lots of sun beds around the 4 pools and beach, no need for a mad rush in the mornings. Food was varied and plentiful. The a la carted were a bit hot and miss didn’t rate the steak house really enjoyed the Italian. Found all the staff polite and most seem to enjoy their work. Entertainment was ok as most Ai hotels the exception was the white party well worth a walk over to the Jalisco really good concept and most guests got involved. Booked again for December 2020 hopefully all will be well.