Riu Palace Costa Rica - All Inclusive

“Exceeded Expectations”

Hi friends! Hoping to leave an honest review that might be helpful for planning. I am American from Miami with a high standard for resorts. According to my husband I'm a princess. I travel for work and I typically stay in Hilton brand hotels only. That being said when my sister in law suggested t... more

Hi friends! Hoping to leave an honest review that might be helpful for planning. I am American from Miami with a high standard for resorts. According to my husband I'm a princess. I travel for work and I typically stay in Hilton brand hotels only. That being said when my sister in law suggested this location for her 40th birthday I was a bit concerned. Reading all the horrifying reviews I was fully prepared for the worst. When I arrived at the RIU Palace. I am ecstatic to say I was shocked and frankly very confused by some of the terrible reviews. I would like to respond to some of the terrible comments with advice and suggestions. I strongly believe it all comes down to karma. Just be nice, and everything will be ok. Tip the staff, say por favor and gracias, just be a decent human being. Treat everyone with respect and you will be treated with respect in return. No one owes you anything. Remember that. Pro Tips ( in case you don't make it through this lengthy review :) ) Ask for a high up floor Bring a insulated reusable cup for drinks by the pool Poo pourri for toilet water smell Download the RIU app Charcoal pills for sensitive stomachs Order drinks with a specific alcohol Tip the staff well and they will take special care of you. Say please and thank you like a decent human Go on excursions it helps break up the time drinking by the pool Remember - you are on vacation, maintain a positive attitude and have fun! Check in: I had read in other reviews the lower floor rooms have issues with bugs. Since we paid for the nicest room option with ocean view I requested a higher floor when we checked in. The person at the front desk checked the system and was able to accommodate. He couldn't do the top floor but was able to move us from the third floor to the fourth. I expressed gratitude that he took the time to look and accommodate. (Never saw a single bug in the room) He gave us a map with restaurant times and wifi info all good. Wifi worked great at all times on the property no issues there. I highly recommend you download the Riu app for additional restaurant menus, times and activities listings. Side note: Airport transfer service is included in the room rate if you set up a RIU class account (totally free) and book through the app. Nexus is a third party company affiliated with RIU. We had no problem scheduling and coordinating our rides to and from the airport. The room: The room was great. Very clean and spacious! We loved the huge walk in shower with the rainfall shower head. So what the tiles were cracked, so what the edges of the mirrors were rusted? It was clean and it had hot water. Nothing is perfect. The water in the showers and sinks is clear and clean but the toilet water does smell a bit. I read this on many reviews so I brought poo-pourri. Spray on the water after every flush and it will not smell at all. Also keep the door to the toilet closed that's why it's separate. The shower products are very nice but travel sizes so if you want something special just bring it yourself! The AC worked fantastic and there was a huge fan. I was worried about this but I was actually even chilly at night and had to turn it down! I can't sleep hot so this was a huge win. I have been to many 5 star resorts in tropical places that don't even have AC so this was a very nice touch. The bed was comfortable and the pillows were perfect. I had brought fabric spray because I was worried about the room or sheets smelling musky but everything was clean and fresh. They changed the towels every day and brought fresh water bottles. The view was obscured by a palm tree but who cares your not spending a ton of time in your room and the views across the resort are to die for. Don't forget to tip the house keepers. They won't mess with your stuff, the hotel checks their bags on the way out of work each day so it wouldn't be worth it for them to steal your stuff. But also be smart do you really need to bring a bunch of expensive jewelry to a beach vacation in central America? The food: The food was amazing. There was a huge variety to choose from and always super fresh. You are literally watching them cook it to replenish the buffet all night long. The service in the buffet is great always there to top off your wine and water every moment. I read reviews of people getting sick but again be smart. Don't eat raw fish at 9 pm that may have been sitting out. If you are really concerned bring charcoal pills. Take two before each meal and you won't have a problem. I was fine the entire time we were there. We were here 3 nights and only went to the Italian restaurant aside from the buffet. This was only because we like the flexibility of timing and the buffet was more than sufficient with different options every night. (One night the buffet had grilled octopus it was cooked to perfection and my husband and I probably ate $200 worth of octopus!) The Italian restaurant was also good. It had a mini buffet and also a menu to choose from. We got appetizers from the buffet/salad bar and ordered the lamb. Again cooked to perfection and very well seasoned. Breakfast and lunch were good too! They grilled by the pool for lunch which was awesome. All buffets always had fresh fruit and vegetables and healthy and unhealthy options. Great variety overall. Honestly pleased with the food beyond expectations. Again Miami foodie snob here. So high standards. The espresso bar in the lobby was a very nice touch! I got a cappuccino every day! So delicious they even had soy milk! In the afternoon they had little sandwiches in the evening they had pastries and dessert. The drinks: It's all inclusive you drink whatever you want whenever you want. But I will start by saying TIP YOUR BARTENDER. Again Karma. The bartenders were absolutely wonderful. These guys have insane memories. You order a drink at the pool bar tip and leave and two hours later you walk back up and they know exactly what you want. It was very impressive. A level of service that deserves recognition. The standard liquor is "well" which I did not recognize or like. No problem they have normal labels too. Just make sure to specify a piña colada con Bacardi or a peach martini con absolute. The dinks overall are fantastic and there are plenty of bars across the resort. You can always pop in to one of them and be served immediately. Pro tip: bring an insulated cup for the pool. They have no problem filling that and it keeps your drink cold in the hot sun. Shout out Chris at the lobby bar - fun, lively and we always had a great time when he was there! Atmosphere: The pools are great. Several options to choose from. I loved the submerged loungers. They had fun games music and little performances. The beach is even better. Beach lounge chairs are available and plentiful. The scenery is breathtaking and the ocean is refreshing in the heat! The vendors do not pester at all! Just say no gracias and they move on. But consider this is a more authentic souvenir than something in a gift shop at the airport. The shows at night are fun a bit corny but cute. We liked the live music the best. Everything is very spread out so plan to do a lot of walking. Like 20k steps per day! (Gotta walk off all those drinks!) You do have full access to the RIU Guanacaste next door as well and that's always a good time although definitely more chaotic and a totally different vibe. We went to a foam party that was insane! So fun! Be warned if you have friends or family staying at the Guanacaste they cannot go to anything in the palace and if they try to get food or drinks they will be denied. It's kind of a weird vibe so if your party is mixed it's best to just hang out at the Guanacaste. However I will say having seen both I am SO glad we stayed at palace. You can go and visit the madness but return to the palace as a retrieve. Overall I was pleasantly surprised with my experience at the RIU palace. I hope this review helps even out some of the really bad ones where people are just being nit picky. Remember you are in the jungle in central America. This place is doing fantastic. Thank you RIU staff for a wonderful vacation.

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“Great Visit!!”

We loved our time at this resort. The pools are amazing, drinks plentiful and the staff wonderful. The restaurants were generally good, however a little inconsistent. Overall it is a beautiful resort, and I can't wait to go back! Tips bring bugspray and damprid to make your stay even better.

“Fun trip”

The people of Costa Rica are wonderful. I am just not sure that I would return to the RIU. The staff were wonderful and very friendly. They were accommodating and helpful. The rooms could use updates. Also, some of the lounge chairs should be replaced. In addition, the food was ok but could have ... more

The people of Costa Rica are wonderful. I am just not sure that I would return to the RIU. The staff were wonderful and very friendly. They were accommodating and helpful. The rooms could use updates. Also, some of the lounge chairs should be replaced. In addition, the food was ok but could have been better and the drinks were watered down which may be typical for an all inclusive. However, the bar tenders were very accommodating and so were the waiters. Next time I hope to do more excursions. The ones we did were great.

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