Riu Guanacaste

Recently stayed (July 2019) at the Hotel Riu Guanacaste with my family (2 boys aged 5 and 7) and husband. This was my husband and my second time in Costa Rica (we stayed at the Occidental Grand Papagayo in 2009). Check in was a breeze via Sunwing (getting there a totally different story, but not for this review). Our room was on the second floor, garden view. Not a bad view, decent room with 2 doubles and a cot for our family. Tidy, cool, enough space. The view was lovely, but the location was not a good fit for our family because of the nightly music and entertainment. The music was so loud it regularly shook the sliding door and sounded like it was in our room, the music usually stopped by 10. We did not complain but just made the best of our situation. It certainly did not ruin our trip by any means. The food at the buffet was quite good. We all found something every meal to enjoy. The chicken and the pork dishes were by far the biggest hits. My boys enjoyed hot dogs, hamburgers, french friends, and some of the fish dishes. Fresh fruit every meal, good vegetable dishes, nacho station, pasta station at dinner, omelet station at breakfast, fresh fruit juices. We enjoyed the buffet. It says it opens at 7, but we often went in before 7 (for instance when we had excursions booked) and had no issues if we didn't need any of the made to order foods. Plenty of pastries, egg dishes, cereal, etc. You'd have to be pretty picky to not enjoy yourself. We only went to one a la carte at the Italian restaurant. The system for booking dinners - as others have said - leaves you wanting more. We lined up at 5:15 or so to get in for dinner at 6, others lined up to make reservations. There must be a better way. The food was okay. Our boys both had lasagne - it was good - the adults meals were not nearly as good as pasta at the buffet. The fettuccini had little flavour and the risotto was also bland with chewy seafood, overcooked. We did not eat at any other a la carte because of this experience. The pools were very nice, as was the beach. We had no issues getting a lounger for our stuff while we swam. The kids had plenty of room to swim around and play. We did not check out the mini club. The beach was great for exploring - monkeys, butterflies, crabs, iguanas - as well as swimming. The water was a good temperature. It was a little rocky (with big rocks that were easy to travel on) at some spots, but nothing that hindered our enjoyment. The boys loved playing in the waves or finding rocks and shells. We took a walk down the beach to find monkeys - on different days we found howler monkeys, capuchin monkeys, and a spider monkey. Just know that if you want to do the same, remember that they are wild animals and there are no guarantees to see them. We were lucky. We also booked two excursions through Frank the Tank. The bars served excellent drinks. Many different drinks to try, even some not alcoholic versions for the kids. They avoid using straws - which we had no problem with since that is something we already do. The staff was always helpful and accommodating. When we wanted extra beer or water in our room, it was delivered promptly. The staff was constantly cleaning the resort or making sure pathways weren't too wet after a rain. It was nice to see them using reusable cups, having recycling deposits throughout the resort, and encouraging you to reduce energy consumption. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the Riu Guanacaste!

We stayed the first week of February 2019 Group of adults and kids age 8-70 Rooms were clean and well stocked. Standard Riu room . Wifi worked most areas of resort . Pools were beautiful an water wasn’t too cold. Always found it easy to find an area with open chairs close to pool Ocean : most of the week ocean was decent and felt safe for kids however tide did change and ocean became way deeper on last 2 days even though it wasn’t supposed to be high tide and sea seemed agitated so do be aware make sure you access water daily and swim with caution. Little rocky but once last the rocks the oceans washes in the sand was soft to walk on Beach : nice big beach can walk a few kms down the Bay Area of Matapalo beach. Sand crazy hot so wear shoes . Doesn’t the beach locals are offering massage services had an amazing massage for $30 usd Some local shopping offered down the beach as well. Turtle releases done on beach during hatching times so you get witness beautiful baby turtles being released to sea . Shops are resort are very expensive so I would suggest buying most souvenirs etc off resort. Booked a 12 seater van for 8 hours to do some touring would totally recommend that to anyone with a group. Casino they were offering $10 free slot play for each guest when we went not sure if they offer that year round or not Boogie boards free for use to sign out Food selection was decent never had a problem finding food to eat. A la cartes were good as well. Cute little racoons came to visit while eating at the steakhouse. The children sure enjoyed watching them. 24 snack bar games room has burgers , nachos and etc available Night shows : standard Riu all inclusive shows Smoking : I don’t smoke but 2 people in our group did. They do have designated smoking areas in the resort behind the steakhouse restaurant and a nice garden area just outside the theatre area. Beautiful resort , beautiful country. Weather was spot on. 34-36 degrees and sunny out whole week only regret was not booking to stay longer. Costa Rica did not disappoint and we will be back !!! PURA VIDA Diamanté eco park is right next door so easy to do a quick morning tour and still be back for lunch and the beach . Monkeys everywhere so nice to see them in their habitat. Around the resort perimeter and down the beach

So I booked the RIU for my family trip based on the good reviews. I really wished I had done more research.. The Riu is situated in a very beautiful area and upon making your way to the lobby you were greeted by staff that can't be bothered to smile. After confirmating everything we were handed keys(actual keys) to our room. The room was a total joke. It seemed like piss and vinegar and the king bed was a collection of two full beds pushed together. The tiny TV and tiny pillows looked like we were in a dollhouse. No coffee maker to speak of although there were plenty of booze in the minibar. The hotel and bar staff were rude and short when you asked them questions. The only saving grace was the pool, the beach and sometimes the restaurant staff. By the way, they boast that they have 5 restaurants to choose from. Total lie unless you don't mind waiting 1 hr for the specialty restaurants ..