Hotel Riu Emerald Bay - All Inclusive

“Loved everything until checkout.”

The location was beautiful and the staff so very friendly. Had a great time except we couldn't get a reservation to any of the other restaurant's. but then checkout, Check out is 11, our plane didn't take off until 3. We asked if we could sit by the pool until our uber got there at 1, we were told … more

The location was beautiful and the staff so very friendly. Had a great time except we couldn't get a reservation to any of the other restaurant's. but then checkout, Check out is 11, our plane didn't take off until 3. We asked if we could sit by the pool until our uber got there at 1, we were told no. We could not sit anywhere except the lobby. After all the money we spent, we were not happy and a good chance we won't go back to a Riu hotel.

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“Exceptional experience!”

We had one of the ocean view tower suites. Amazing room, amazing views, and exceptional value. The balcony hot tub at sunset. 😍

“Good family trip”

Ten of us spent a week at the Riu over the New Year's holiday. This was our fifth family trip to the resort so we knew what to expect. We had 3 suites in the new wing, each with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms which was great for everyone. The primary attraction of the resort for us is the beach. We ca… more

Ten of us spent a week at the Riu over the New Year's holiday. This was our fifth family trip to the resort so we knew what to expect. We had 3 suites in the new wing, each with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms which was great for everyone. The primary attraction of the resort for us is the beach. We can't say enough good things about it: the water is warm, the waves are excellent for body surfing, yet its gentle enough for small children. There was always an abundance of loungers available and the early morning lounge reserver crews were minimal. While walking the beach, we fortunate to witness a turtle hatching. This is the second time we have seen this and it is an incredible site to see. The resort is very clean, staff were always seen cleaning throughout the hotel and the grounds. Staff in the main dining room were exceptional, always around clearing tables, getting drinks, restocking food items, etc. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the staff in the dining room in the new wing. There was sufficient number of staff in attendance. With the odd exception, they just didn't seem to care and preferred to gather in small groups and chat, rather than attend to their guests. The New Year's Gala in the main dining room was outstanding. There was a huge variety of food including lobster tails, steak and beef wellington. Staff worked overtime to ensure we were well served. Our only complaint relates to the food, We just thought that, with the exception of breakfast, overall food quality had gone downhill, particularly at dinner. Desserts were just okay, nothing spectacular there. A group of us went fishing on a trip arranged on the beach with Eduardo. We were fortunate to book the Black Marlin whose Captain and crew worked their buns off to see we had a good time. We saw whales and 100's of porpoises and caught both mahimahi anfd yellowfin tuna. We did have some surprises with the arrangements, however, when we were dinged a five percent (5%) surcharge for using mastercard for final payment when we were told that there was no diiference in payment between cash or credit. That cost us $29 US. Also, when we were done fishing and were ready to return to the hotel, we were told it would cost $30 US when we had been told travel back and forth was included as part of the original cost. Ultimately, after some argument, the arrangement was honoured but we were left with a bad impression. A subsequent meeting with Eduardo did little to change our impression. The same trip can be booked on line which I will do next time.

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