BookIt.com Verified Traveler Cindy Ostapczuk from Huntley, Il

"Riu Palace was a wonderful place to stay. Have never stayed at one before but will definitely stay at one again!!
The food was good, rooms very nice... But the staff made it WONDERFUL!!
Warm, friendly, outgoing, made to feel very welcome!
Good job amigos!! Keep up the great job.
Pura Vida!!"

Report as Inappropriate

BookIt.com Verified Traveler A Recent Traveler from Buffalo, Ny

"Everyone at the RIU Palace was amazing. They were thrilled to help with any request you had, and were dedicated to making your stay the best it could possibly be. Words cannot express how perfect of a trip this was. The pools were clean, the beach was beautiful, the service was exceptional, and the food was great. We will definitely be back!"

Report as Inappropriate

BookIt.com Verified Traveler Brian from Ca

"We had a great time staying at the Riu Palace in Costa Rica. The room was clean and spacious, even with a bathtub in the middle of the room. The food was tasty and plentiful. They did not have much to offer of traditional Costa Rica foods and the room service menu did not have much to offer other than snacks. The bars had the Costa Rica beer on tap and a few other beers in cans. The liquors were (unlike at other all-inclusives) great, they had Johnny Walker Red, Jim Beam, great local rums, etc. I enjoy drinking my liquors straight without having to add all the sugary mixes to them so this place had me covered. The staff was very helpful and friendly. We lost our suitcase flying in and they helped us out a lot to get in found and delivered quickly. There are a few company's that do tours of local attractions that you can book through their representatives that are around the resort during the day. The tours we took were excellent. The nightly entertainment is alright, we ended up just making some friends with other guest and hanging out with them in the evenings so we didn't get to see all the of the entertainment. I would recommend this resort for anyone wanting to do the all-inclusive thing in Costa Rica."

Report as Inappropriate

BookIt.com Verified Traveler A Recent Traveler

"Great Food , Great People, night entertainment ok"

Report as Inappropriate

BookIt.com Verified Traveler Leonardo Camacho from Port Chester, Ny

"We had a good time. Excellent brand new facilities.
We kind of recommend some music by the pool and beach; and some gazebos like the ones in the pool, on the beach.
Food was very good and the attention incredible.

Worth to try it."

Report as Inappropriate

BookIt.com Verified Traveler A Recent Traveler from New York, New York

"I stayed at the Riu Palace Costa Rica (in Guanacaste) from 12/24 - 12/29 (2012). In short, I highly reccomend this resort. My GF and I had a great time; we really enjoyed our trip and already miss and want to go back to Costa Rica. The water (including tap) was totally fine for drinking, and we did not get sick from any food. The hotel itself just opened its doors in Nov 2012 and is quite beautiful. The vistas from the beach are breathtaking (especially at sunset). The other hotel looks equally nice, but the outdoor pool area in particular is MUCH more impressive at the 'Palace'. Room was basic 'garden view room', equipped with very big, fun shower and jacuzzi. Staff was excellent in all our dealings. Lots of couples and families. I think children of a 'certain age' get in free, so couples be forewarned ;-p. Booking excursions is cheap and super easy in the lobby...do them, and do many!! zip lining is AWESOME. also did snorkeling, jungle river cruise (saw monkeys, crocs, iguanas, exotic birds). guides are really good here, english is solid with most encounters here. Negatives - not many, but casino and nightclub (Pacha) were both tiny and a bit dissapointing. More to the point, there really isn't much entertainment at night compared to other vacation gettaways/resorts. which is fine. this is a better trip for long-day excursions or relaxation at the hotel resort between day trips! sunrise and sunset are both EARLY here, be advised (about 6am, 5:30pm). Spa is excellent for massages. FOOD - of the 4 restaurants on site at the 'Palace', 3 require reservations 48 hours in advance, and must be done at 9am in the morning. Kinda stupid, right? to add insult to injury, you cannot reserve by phone either. And guess what - we ate at 3 of 4 and they are all only 'OK' and nothing great. The italian restaurant and buffet do not require reservation; take my advice and save stress by eating there instead. I was hoping for more local flavor in the food choices, but they seem to think tourists just want pizza, pasta & sushi. shame really. all other amenities at hotel are rock solid; the food is the only real dissapointment. That being said, we've stayed at other all-inclusives with far lesser food than this one (e.g Occidental Grand / Punta Cana, DR). But hey, many folks liked the food so don't listen to me, i'm a picky new yawker :-p"

Report as Inappropriate

BookIt.com Verified Traveler Wuon from Bayside, Ny

"GENERAL:
We had a Jr. Suite on third floor overlooking the ocean and the pools. The room size was a typical size except for the addition of standard bathtub sized jacuzzi. I think it would've been better if they had a opaque glass partition dividing the jacuzzi/bathroom area from the bed and living area. My bathroom ceiling had a very visible water stains from, I suppose, a leak upstairs. Room cleaning was good but the mini bar was not stocked after the second day. Other than that everything else was clean and new. Hotel is about 30 mins from Liberia Airport and the fare is about $50 one way. Try to book tours from vendors on the beach to avoid paying commission to hotel for the same tours. I booked a private Monte Verde and an ATV tour from costaricabestrips.com for a very reasonble price and their service was impeccable! I even ended up using their service for transportation to the airport at the end of our stay. They will bend over backwards to accommodate your needs. Try them and tell them Wuon from NY sent you!
RESTAURANTS:
The main buffet restaurant is a typical resort style restaurant similar variety and layout. Four specialty restaurants, of which 3 requires reservations, food quality was nothing to write home about. Rib eye served in Papagayo restaurant was tasty but too thin. Tokio served fried ice cream that was very good.
Only one advanced reservation per day and some days you only had one restaurant choice which raised ire from some guests. Of note, they mix tap water in their fresh juice and this caused gastric discomfort for me and my wife. I strongly suggest you try the juice on your first day and see if you have any adverse reaction lest you find yourself looking for a bathroom in middle of a hike!
POOL/BEACH:
Pools were clean and inviting with plenty of chaise all around. All chaise area had overhead sun shades that slid open and close, although due to their fixed position they were only effective during the mid day.
Beach was about 3-5 minute walk from the room including a stop at the towel booth. Just like at the pool, plenty of chaise to go around and natural shaded areas to boot. Sand is grayish in color and fine textured. The ocean temperature was surprisingly warm for Pacific. The landscape around the ocean is beautiful and diverse unlike the monotonous looks of typical Caribbean islands.

It's a typical RIU style hotel in a beautiful location with similar layout,amenities and service, nothing spectacular except it being a newly built resort.

"

Report as Inappropriate

BookIt.com Verified Traveler Katarzyna Zajac from Wayne, Nj

"We stayed in this hotel the day after it opened. It was the best experience in our life. The service is out of this world and the food it delicious. The rooms are new, clean, and beds are very comfortable. The liquor is refilled every other day, but you have big bottles so there is no need for more. We enjoyed the buffet every day, it's like a gourmet restaurant and we felt bad not stopping by to see what they have every day, even with our gourmet restaurants dinner reservations. The alcohol is from top shelf, and big thanks for that, as other resorts (even other riu) serve alcohol that is almost not drinkable as it burns due to the quality. We tried all the gourmet restaurants and loved them all. The only complain would be the steakhouse service. They were slow and something was missing there :(. Let me tell you about the babysitting/kids club is the best!!! She took care of my 10 and 12 years old every day with little extra. They couldn't wait to go there and loved everything about it. As for every parent, it gives you time to relax ...The entertainment was phenomenal! One night they had a local band playing and we loved it. The drink service at night was also great, they make sure that your glasses are filled. It is recommended to tip a little, but that will get you far! Bartender took good care of us, she is very nice and polite. The front desk is also very accommodating, the manager there was really nice and professional and upgraded our rooms :) There was 10 of us including kids and we had a blast! We will be back for sure and can't wait. Loved it, loved it, loved it!"

Report as Inappropriate

"Beautiful place in nice area with great beach. We saw monkeys, took a short boat ride to nearby Coco Beach, lots of iguanas and birds. We enjoyed the food, room and the staff was wonderful. Wonderful pools, restaurants, shows, grounds and amenities."

Report as Inappropriate

"The resort was beautiful very clean, staff was great, efficient and friendly! Food was very good! This was our 4th stay at a Riu Palace 2 in Riviera Maya Mexico and one visit to Cabo San Lucas Mexico, my only real complaint about this visit was that the beach is black sand which did not make for pleasant beach walks! We do not think it is necessary for towel cards in a high end resort such as this! And no top shelf liquor at this resort and they do not serve beer in a can by the pool"

Report as Inappropriate

"First of all, Costa Rica is the most beautiful country I have visited. So much that my husband and I are going to buy property there. We took most of our vacation time with realtors looking at numerous homes and lots.
Last week we stayed at the Riu Palace, right next door to the Riu Guanacaste.
I found that the rooms were very nice. Staff was nice. Food in the buffet was ok/good. Italian restaurant was the best. Didnt eat at the others, because you have to make reservations only at 9am the day before (huge lines).
The atmosphere was quiet and snobby, not a lot of people there. Not much landscape either. Im sure in 5-10 years, the trees etc.. will act as a better tropical environment.
We went next door to Riu Guanacaste, had a blast. Great tropical landscape, great pools, lots of great people, amazing fun. (dont know what the rooms are like though).
There are two spots to mention near the hotel;
Walk from the hotel to the beach, walk left on the beach about 1/8 mile. Look to the left for the Monkey Bar sign. Go there. Its a little tico hut with beer (3 bucks a beer) The monkeys hang out in the trees there. (not the kind at the bar lol). If you have never heard the Howler Monkey ROAR, then thats the place to be! I thought King Kong was coming out of the trees. Freaked me out that sound came from such a small monkey. Very cute though!
The second spot is;
Walk from hotel to beach, Look left at the white sandy beach across the bay. Its worth walking to. Maybe a mile. I did it in flip flops across the rocks. My husband wore walking sandals. Its an easy walk. When you first arrive at there, you will notice lots of fossils (coral), keep walking to the white, powder sand.
Its worth it!
"

Report as Inappropriate