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Hotel overview
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 Policy- 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
10631 reviews
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Apr 24, 2025Fantastic holiday had by family of 4
Would definitely return, and recommend to others. We had a week stay, food was lovely, especially the Asian restaurant, but we also love the tiki taco snack bar. Staff were all very friendly and helpful. We also did a couple of excursions which were also fantastic. No complaints at all
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Apr 23, 2025Not Horrible but definitely not the best
This place needs a serious upgrade, the rooms are sooooooooo outdated, the people are nice & friendly, but this place is old and shabby, and most of the all-inclusive restaurants are horrible ... buffet is the best place to eat at this resort ... my bed felt like a board, and they only give you 2 towels, and 2 wash cloths ... which seemed ridiculous to me ... definitely would not stay here again
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Apr 23, 2025Riu Guanacasta Not Worth Time or Money
I would not recommend staying here at the Riu Guanacaste Hotel in Costa Rica. The Customer Service is Negative numbers. The Hotel is run down and things are falling apart. The Front Desk Manager, Joseph, is very Rude and won't listen to any comments and was unwilling to help. We had to ask for his supervisor to get any help at all. The food is sub-par - and the exact same every single day - no variance. The Pools and slides were fun - but the pool is falling apart too. The tile pieces are all coming off of the bottom of the pool. I am sorry to say, that this place need a total rehaul of Hotel and Employees. Do Not Stay Here.
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Apr 23, 2025
Very very disappointing.
I don’t normally write reviews but I had to because this is the worst all inclusive I’ve ever stayed in and I’ve travelled all over the world. The food is terrible breakfast isn’t too bad you can usually find something but the rest of it is bland and very samey. The specialty restaurants taste exactly like the buffet, that’s if you can manage to get in there! You can’t book any specialty restaurants it’s first come first served which I’ve never experienced before. We waited 1.5 hours to get into the Asian restaurant only to be turned away because they didn’t have a table for 3. The drinks are horrendous especially the pool bars just sweet sugary crap cocktails with literally no alcohol in them. I’d be surprised if it was even 5% proof. You cannot get any Diet soft drinks it’s all full sugar which we all hate so we were stuck to find decent mixers. There was one bar that sold decent drinks in the whole hotel. The mini bar in the room is stocked every 2 days so we had to keep asking for bottles of water at reception. The reception staff are so rude when you ask for something it’s almost like you’re disturbing their day ! No smiling no manners just rudeness. When we checked out they cut off your wrist bands so you can’t use any of the facilities while you wait for your flight. Unbelievable! Everything is overpriced we spent £1000 on the tours in which only one was decent and that was the white water rafting which I recommend. Although I don’t recommend coming to Costa Rica we definitely will not be coming back ! This is nowhere near 5 star it’s barely 3 star at best ! Avoid !
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Apr 23, 2025Lovely getaway
Had a great time travelling there April 9-16th. We thankfully got a room in the new section, as I heard the old rooms can be not that great. Thankfully with the upcoming renovations, that should fix that and all travellers will get the beautiful new rooms. I’ve been to many RIUs and I love the no reservations needed. However, with the buzzer system where if you’re third back in line to get one, it may take up to 90 mins or more to get seated. We stayed mainly with the buffet which we could always find something. We lounged mainly at the new pool with the bar. The staff were pretty good about telling anyone under 18 to use the other pool. Water was great and the bartenders work so hard. Jose, Juan, and most of all Cruz took great care of us. Cruz made us feel like we’re old friends. Huge thank you to the ladies in Renova spa. We booked the jacuzzi literally every day. It’s included (one hour per day subject to availability, use the app to book. ) All in all, I would come back. Not everything was perfect (it never is though) but wow… it was a great getaway.