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Playa Matapalo RIU Guanacaste Route, Sardinal 50503 Costa Rica
Hotel Riu Guanacaste
10,368 reviews
Getting there
Car recommended
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Visited for a week in mid April with my husband and 2 friends and had a terrific time. Best trip ever and second time to Costa Rica. There are many positives to this resort and location: -warm welcome from David our Sunwing. Told us all we needed to know on route with humour and grace. -awesome friendly hard working staff -professional level night shows with the dancers who perform hard routines with smiles and energy that suggest they love what they do. Thank you Anote and Hedder and David for chatting with us about the dancers, the resort events and Costa Rica in general. Great Ambassadors for the RIU and your country. -excellent variety of and quality of buffet food and service (thank you Sammy, Roxanna and Anthony). Try the nachoes...chorizo sausages and poached eggs with salsa. -good el la cartes - Asian fusion buffet the best. Excellent sashimi and sushi rolls. We went twice. -clean rooms and pristine grounds with frequent sites of garden and cleaning staff doing their work throughout the week. They work hard in the hot sun. Exceptional thanks to all those doing these jobs at the RIU. -very fun night and daily events. Liked the RIU Party night, dancing by the pool, bingo, trivia and of course the best of all....the turtle release. Thank you Hedder. -delicious drinks...especially lobby bar and martini bar (our nickname) but the purple bar near night show stage. Thank you Greddy and Jeffrey. Best nightcap white Russians we have ever had. Yum. -beach is also great. Spent alot of time there under the trees. Water was warm. Sand great but hot. Bring water shoes or thick flip flops to wear to get across the sand in midday sun. Lots of small fish there, hermit crabs and iguanas to see at the beach. Even saw some resident howler monkeys in the trees one afternoon. Lots of bird species to be seen as well.
Other things: -for the el la cartes, you do need to line up early if you want first seating but we did not have any problems getting in to any of them and the resort was at 95% plus capacity. Asian buffet uses the electronic buzzers to let you know when you can get in. Very convenient. - no problems with pool chairs if you dont mind being in the back rows. Perfect for those who dont need to be right in the action zone. - minibar- stocked every other day. Leave a note in the fridge with your requests if any...and maybe a tip. We had no problems. Its all inclusive so you drink mostly outside your room anyways. If you want more water (you get two large bottles a day in your room) take your empty bottle to the front desk and they will get you more. -room smell- yes there is a room smell which we concluded was coming from the toilet water? While tropical rooms can have a bit of a musty smell....this did seem different and a bit more potent then I recall from other resorts. The rooms are quite clean and well cared for so not sure what else to say. We closed our toilet lid and it helped. This did not diminish our enjoyment of our trip but is worth mentioning in the event there is room to improve that. - Excursions: we went to Diamante Ecopark. Zipline very cool. Animal park...very nice. Cultural tour.....caught only part of that. More coordination of all day events should be considered by their group. After first event....we were left to wander to the other two events without set times. As a result we didnt get the cultural tour completed. This is not RIU connected but posting here as its offered by Sunwing as an excursion and is right next door. Be sure to ask of the set times for the cultural tour start so that you can be there for the start of one if purchasing multiple activities for the day and not miss thus part of the tour. We also rented a car and went off resort to see La Fortuna and enjoy hot springs and the arenal volcano. Wonderful experience. Ticos are warm and welcoming. Country is beautiful and this resort is great value for what you get.
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Date of stay: April 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from RIU Hotels and Resorts, Owner at Hotel Riu Guanacaste
Responded Apr 26, 2023
Dear Darlened, We wish to thank you on behalf of all our staff team for your wholeheartedly review and for being a lovely guest. Our best reward is learning our beautiful guests enjoyed their holiday. We cannot wait to see you again very soon! Kindest Regards! Hotel Riu Guanacaste Online Reputation Manager
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Just returned from 7 beautiful days at RIU Guanacaste Costa Rica with my daughter. We usually stay at an adults only resort but this was a last minute trip and we loved the location. The check in was very quick and efficient. Thank you Sunwing for being so organized. We got a garden view room which was lovely. Yes the rooms are a little dated and we had a few issues on arrival but we are only in the room to sleep and shower so it was fine, and minor issues with the room were looked after immediately. The room was cleaned daily and we want to thank Gabriela Castillo for her lovely decorations and towel animals each day, it was very sweet. The food was okay and mostly buffet. We didn't mind standing in line with a drink at 5:45pm with other guests waiting for the a la carte restaurants and we were seated right away. The seafood restaurant was awful and we left hungry. We mostly ate at the Italian and Asian restaurant even though the Asian restaurant is actually buffet but the sushi was delicious. We had read from other reviews that the resort fills up with local customers on the weekends so we had planned all our excursions on those days. From Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon the resort is a zoo and it was difficult to find a table anywhere to eat for breakfast or lunch. The staff in the a la carte restaurants are good but the buffet staff are terrible and most looked like they hated their jobs. We are generous tippers but that didn't seem to make any difference even though we noticed that very few people tipped. The beach is dark sand so after 10am its too hot to walk on in bare feet. We wore flipflops but next time would bring water shoes. The surf is rough and there are signs posted cautioning you about the strong rip tides so we didn't swim, but the pool area is very large with a swim up bar. The beach walks are beautiful and you can't go to the RIU without visiting the Monkey Bar a 5 minute walk down the beach. There are also a few local vendors along the beach selling souvenirs at a much better price than in Coco Beach, and don't pass up the beach massage from Yolanda and Deyris. For $35.00 U.S. I got the most amazing massage. They have recently added a water park that is located between the Guanacaste and the Palace and it was fun to spend an afternoon going down all the slides. All in all it was a great vacation for the price and I would definitely return.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:The rooms with an ocean view were beautiful, and the garden view rooms on the lower floor gave...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from RiuHotelsandResorts, Online Reputation Manager at Hotel Riu Guanacaste
Responded Feb 26, 2020
Dear Kate, Thank you for taking the time to share a wonderful review about your memorable experience! We are glad to read that you had an awesome time during your stay! We appreciate your kind words and have taken notes of your few suggestions and will share them with our Management team so that they can take them into consideration! It was our pleasure to take care of you and we look forward to welcoming you back very soon in one of our worldwide hotels! King regards, Hotel Riu Kate Online Reputation Manager
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Arrived at the hotel late november by taxi got there before tranfer coaches checking in was no problem as in the hotel reception area away from the desk was a table with all the reservations on them quick and easy till we got to our room the room wasent ready empty fridge no toiletess shampoo hand soap towels also there was three of us and only one double bed .when we went back to the reception the guy at the desk was very rude and stated that there was nothing they could do as the hotel was fully booked z d that we hzd to share the same bed spoke to the tui rep he was as good as a wet blanket and to scared to speak up finally got it though to the management and he did sort it out by putting a extra bed in for the night and move us to a bigger room the next day .staff can be a bit rude and others cant do enough for you the hotel and grounds are clean and the cleaners do work hard house keeping in the rooms could be impro ed as times you didnt get enough towels .bar staff and the waiters were good and happy to get the drinks flowing never had a problem getting served during the week weekends were a bit noisey around the pool ba r as the locals turn up for the weekend couldent get the stuff down thire necks quick enough be very careful around the pool with your towels as towels suddenly disapear and at 20 dollar fine for losing one Food was okay plenty of it in main restaurant, steak restaurant was the best one out of the lot visted three times in the 2 weeks lovely to see the raccuns taking food out of youre hands if youre thinking of going on any trips see Alex on the beach great bloke wasent pushie at anytime and ask for Alex to drive you round very friendly guy went with tui trip first and the guide was more intrested taking about himself trying to save the world . In the end we was glad we visited the hotel and Costa RIca is a great country to go to after the mix up off the room and beds yes i would recommed the hotel
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Date of stay: December 2019Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from RiuHotelsandResorts, Online Reputation Manager at Hotel Riu Guanacaste
Responded Jan 16, 2020
Dear ironboy, Thank you for your time! We are glad to read that you had an awesome time during your stay! We appreciate your kind words and have taken notes of your few concerns and will share them with our Management team so that they can take them into consideration! It was our pleasure to take care of you and we look forward to welcoming you back very soon in one of our worldwide hotels! King regards, Hotel Riu Guanacaste Online Reputation Manager
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Me and my fiancé travel often and have been to many all inclusive hotels. This was our most expensive one and it wasn’t worth it at all. The beach is ruined with hustlers that don’t let you walk a foot without trying to sell you something. The Riu staff that give you the free water sport equipment that are supposed to be included try to hustle you to pay for tour versions instead. There was a Irish staff member that gave us a hard time when we tried to check out the snorkeling equipment. He kept insisting that we should do the snorkeling tour and did not mention it was 60$ until we asked. My fiancé who speaks Spanish overheard him saying to another team member about the woman before us “did the fat woman pay because I was not going to give her equipment now if she didn’t pay”. There are specialty restaurants you have to wait 30 minutes before they open to get in. They were overhyped and the main buffet is the only good restaurant there. When they did room service they did not replenish soaps and shampoo. Everyone there is either retired or has kids. The entertainment is horrible and non existent on some days. There are so many better and cheaper options for Central America and Caribbean.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from RiuHotelsandResorts, Online Reputation Manager at Hotel Riu Guanacaste
Responded Feb 13, 2020
Dear sarmedrn, Thank you for sharing your concerns with us. We would like to sincerely apologize if we did not provide you with the vacation you were looking for and if you did not feel well taken care of. It was surely the intention of our staff to provide you with a truly professional and respectful service. Please let us assure you that the above-mentioned shortcomings are certainly not representative of our usual standards and that we will forward your comments to our leadership team for a proper follow-up. We hope you allow us the chance to share a more positive experience with you soon. With our best wishes we remain, Hotel Riu Guanacaste Online Reputation Manager
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We were excited to be heading to Riu Guanacaste for vacation. Upon arrival, check in was seamless and grounds were beautiful. When we walked into our “jacuzzi suite ocean view” & we were terribly disappointed. Beddings & bath robes were soiled. Safe was also not working. We called the front desk to report these issues and waited 3.5 hours before anyone came to address them. While waiting we turned on the TV and realized the plasma screen was cracked. We called the front desk again and told them we were still waiting for housekeeping to replace the soiled beddings and just realized the TV was cracked. Waited another hour, still no help. Called down again and requested for the manager. Manager got on the phone and said the room was perfectly fine before we got there. Insinuating we spiked beddings, robes and damaged the safe $ tv within 5 min of arriving to the room. My husband requested for the manager or any staff to come up and see the state of the room. We were still unpacked and unable to settle down due to these inconveniences. Finally a manager came up with house keeping (3.5hrs) after initial call and changed beddings, robes and fixed the safe. They were unable to replace the TV that night, apparently they had no TVs available. Our 1st impression of this resort was not good. We were moved to a similar suite the following afternoon. This hotel is big but old and not well maintained. Nothing special in this resort and the service is below standard. It wasn't worth the money we paid for this suite. I don't recommend it here.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from RiuHotelsandResorts, Online Reputation Manager at Hotel Riu Guanacaste
Responded Jan 30, 2020
Dear Corey, We thank you for taking the time to review your recent stay with us. Please accept our sincerest apologies for the described issues you endured with your guest room, and overall lack of service. These are not representative of our standards and you can be assured that all of these matters will be addressed immediately in order to improve where necessary. We do appreciate that you came to stay with us and hope to welcome you again in the future in order to provide you a better stay. Sincerely, Hotel Riu Guanacaste Online Reputation Manager
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My wife and I stayed at this Riu which is better than some we have stayed at. The rooms are of a good size and standard, they have a mini bar in the fridge and also 4 optics with Gin Vodka Brandy and Scotch. The cleaners do a good job every day with no complaints. The restaurants are quite good but at times can be a bit of a scum, the a la carte restaurants cant be pre-booked so you have to queue up, some people start to queue at around 5pm to make sure they get in.(they open at 6pm) The night time entertainment for the adults starts at 9pm which is very good compared to some we have seen. The drinks (spirits) are ok but they do have branded makes but you have to ask for them, or you will get to local stuff. All in all not bad at all.
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Date of stay: December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from RiuHotelsandResorts, Online Reputation Manager at Hotel Riu Guanacaste
Responded Jan 14, 2020
Dear Vanessa P, Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your experience. Whilst it is nice that you liked the spacious rooms, the evening entertainment and the general cleanliness, we would like to apologize if your stay with us did not come up to your expectations in some regards. We will forward your comments to our Food and Beverage Team for further consideration and we hope you will consider staying with us in the future. With our best wishes we remain, Hotel Riu Guanacaste Online Reputation Manager
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Every evening the first thing we have to do is make our beds! They look pretty but have to be pulled apart to be made so that we can actually sleep in them! Who the idiot is who came up with this customer exercise scheme is I don't know but they need a good kick somewhere painful! The next grumble is the bathroom! We should have 2 Bath towels, 2 Hand Towels, a bath mat and two face cloths. Why this can't happen daily is beyond us. We have had up to 4 bath towels and little else. Today we don't have face cloths, we didn't have those when we arrived! We have a balcony door with a bolt for security, The balcony is accessible from both sides. We lock it , the cleaner unlocks it! Security, what security??? There is sign in the room asking us to conserve electricity by turning off the master switch when leaving the room. Most of the lights are on when we return in an evening even though it is bright daylight! On the plus side the staff are helpful and friendly. The food is good and plentiful. Sunbeds are available all day. The hotel is ageing a bit but is kept spotlessly clean. It's just all the little things that need attention! It's gone downhill since this time last year!
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Date of stay: January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from RiuHotelsandResorts, Online Reputation Manager at Hotel Riu Guanacaste
Responded Feb 13, 2020
Dear Truck_diver, Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us and with the travel community! We are happy to learn that overall you had a good time during your stay at our Hotel Riu Guanacaste! We appreciate your kind words and compliments towards most of our products and services. However, we lament that you found some inconveniences that made your stay less enjoyable which we apologize for! We have taken notes of these concerns and suggestions and will share them with our Management team so that they can take them into consideration! It was our pleasure to take care of you and we look forward to welcoming you back very soon in one of our worldwide hotels! King regards, Hotel Riu Guanacaste Online Reputation Manager
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We stayed at the Riu Guanacaste Feb 7-14th. Beautiful grounds. Clean rooms. Pools warm and very social. we spent most of our time on the beach as we are "beach people" and enjoy the sights, sounds, smells and peace there. Lots of vendors, but they will stop asking after they get to know your face. Beaches are public. Be sure to bring water shoes as the sand is very very hot! Just a short walk down the beach, you can see and feed the white-faced monkeys. We had rooms on the side facing the Diamonte so every morning we heard the howler monkeys and saw them feeding in the trees every evening. Such entertainment! We never went to any shows and thus cannot comment. Never used the casino or disco, cannot comment. Shops are outrageously priced! We never used any of the a la carte restaurants, again cannot comment. The buffet is huge with such variety that every person can and will be satisfied and pleased. There was not much "service" at the restaurants, but everything you could want is self serve. We are not high maintenance folks so we were happy to serve ourselves. The only exception was that our plates were efficiently removed when done. Our only complaint is really against our fellow travelers! Some people are just so rude and aggressive when it comes to be served, i.e. at the bar. Step back people and take your turn! And travelers....clean up after yourselves at the beach, including cigarette butts! We did many tours...a private one as a family to the rainforests to see nature/wildlife, bus tour to Nicaragua, and 4 dives with Scuba Caribe. Loved every activity we did! We will return to Riu Guanacaste as a family again next year!
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Date of stay: February 2020
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:Side facing Diamonte for entertaining howler monkeys. Quietest.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from RiuHotelsandResorts, Online Reputation Manager at Hotel Riu Guanacaste
Responded Mar 3, 2020
Dear Leanna, Thank you so much for choosing the Hotel Riu Guanacaste and for sharing your wonderful experience! Your positive feedback is gratefully received and it brings us great joy to know that you enjoyed your stay with us. We hope that you will come and visit us again for another positive experience! Sincerely, Hotel Riu Guanacaste Online Reputation Manager
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Thanks to the reviews on Trip Advisor, we knew what to expect at Riu Guanacaste. We stayed the week of New Years. Some items to note: We did not wait in line for reservations for the Italian restaurant and was welcomed in at 6:30. We were given a buzzer when visiting the steak house at about 6:30 and did not have to wait long. Typically food is a focus when we travel, but at Riu it was average. Some standouts were the beef carpaccio, some shrimp preparations and guacamole. The one thing to get accustomed to here is the serve yourself type service. The majority of the time you had to get your own drinks, choose your own seat, etc; no extra service or perks provided. Only beer and house wine is served at the buffet. I would bring a cocktail from the bar. The pool has an amazing setup, especially the swim up bar area. It has been years since we’ve stayed in a resort that had towel cards so that took a while to get used to. The evening entertainment was pretty good; loved the neon party. Most nights there was children’s entertainment in the main entertainment area from 8-9 pm. When we would typically be relaxing and enjoying a cocktail, instead we heard very loud songs such as Baby Shark, loud kids games and entertainment. We couldn’t escape it. During that timeframe we ended up going to our room to avoid those shows even as we would not get a good seat for the regular entertainment from 9-10. Overall we loved Costa Rica and will return, but not to this area as it was quite isolated. Would we recommend Riu Guanacaste to others? If you’re not looking for a pampered or foodie experience, absolutely. It met our needs, but nothing over and above what we expected.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from RiuHotelsandResorts, Online Reputation Manager at Hotel Riu Guanacaste
Responded Feb 3, 2020
Dear DawnPWI, Thank you for sharing your impressions with us. While we are glad that you liked the pool area and the swim-up bar, we regret to hear that your stay with us did not meet your expectations in some regards. We will forward your comments to our Management Team for further consideration and, for extra services as mentioned in your review, please allow us recommend you for your next holiday our Palace brand, which is our more sophisticated collection of hotels. We truly hope that you will give us a chance to serve you again in the future. With our best wishes we remain, Hotel Riu Guanacaste Online Reputation Manager
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Our first trip to Costa Rica was on February 12-19, 2020. Staff is amazing... Edwin at the swim up bar makes amazing drinks. Rooms were clean and comfortable. Loved that there was a liquor dispenser in the room with a fridge stocked every second day with soda, beer and water. The food was amazing. You are not limited to how many times you can visit the al a carte restaurants. The entertainment is a lot of fun. The parties they provide are so much fun. We attended the Jungle foam party and the White party. They do provide premium liquor at the Bar Filadelfia. The walkways are very hot as well as the sand at the beach. Be sure to always wear footwear. Water shoes would be recommended for the ocean as there are rocks. Be sure to bring enough sunscreen as it is about $40 USD for a small bottle of 40 spf at the local stores on the resort. Overall it was a fun, relaxing vacation. The only thing that would make it better would be if you could get juice and water at the pool bar before 10:00 am, a beach bar would be a much appreciated addition and washrooms closer to the beach.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Rooms 0100-0120 are close to everything and are on the first floor.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from RiuHotelsandResorts, Online Reputation Manager at Hotel Riu Guanacaste
Responded Mar 5, 2020
Dear Guest, Thank you for sharing such a nice review with us! It brings us great joy to know that you enjoyed your stay with us! We look forward to welcoming you back! With our best wishes we remain, Hotel Riu Guanacaste Online Reputation Manager
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There are more places to choose from in the Sardinal area.
PRICE RANGE
C$450 - C$594 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
Costa RicaProvince of GuanacasteGulf of PapagayoSardinal
NUMBER OF ROOMS
701
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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