Riu - Riu Guanacaste
Liberia, Costa RicaAll travelers
Our take
Family‑friendly beachfront resort on Matapalo Beach with water park, spa, and entertainment for all ages
- 1,041 rooms
- 5 dining venues listed
- Airport: LIR
Resort facts & overview
- Location
- Liberia, Costa Rica
- Audience
- All travelers
- Brand
- Independent
- Rooms
- 1,041
- Dining listed
- 5 venues
- Airport
- LIR
- Reno
- Reno 2024
Why travelers love it
“Family‑friendly beachfront resort on Matapalo Beach with water park, spa, and entertainment for all ages”
Guests praise the Matapalo Beach and large pool area including Splash Water World. The variety of restaurants and specialties added by the 2025 renovation gets particularly positive feedback.
Food & drink
MixedFood is the resort's biggest weak spot: buffet variety is decent but repetitive, and the Steakhouse consistently underwhelms American palates. Vegetarians, vegans, and anyone with allergies should look elsewhere entirely.
high confidence
What you'll enjoy
- Themed buffets (Asian, Italian) with matching cuisine
- Steakhouse and Japanese/Chinese standouts for some
- Poolside Tiki Taco convenient for lunch
- Drinks pour strong, not watered down
Heads up
- Repetitive buffets over a week
- Vegetarian and vegan options nearly nonexistent
- Reports of illness after Asian restaurant meals
- Vegetables often undercooked, dishes bland
Dining overview
Five restaurants including a main buffet and four à la carte venues serving Italian, Asian, gourmet, and steakhouse cuisine; formal dress required for dinner, plus 24-hour snacks.
5 documented dining venues
Liberia
Main restaurant with terrace
Furama
Asian restaurant
La Toscana
Italian restaurant
Counts and access can vary by source and room tier.
Beach
MixedMatapalo Beach is genuinely pretty (dark volcanic sand, no seaweed, gentle waves in spots) but the steep drop-off limits swimming and vendor hassle is real. A nice backdrop more than a beach-day destination.
high confidence
What you'll enjoy
- No sargassum or seaweed
- Gentle waves in shallow areas
- Short walk from pool deck
- Beach volleyball setup
Heads up
- Sudden depth drop-off unsafe for kids
- Aggressive local vendors on the sand
- Some call the beach effectively non-existent
Detailed beach reporting coming soon.
Pools
StrongPools are the standout: multiple layouts including adults-only swim-ups, a family splash park, and rarely a crowded feel. The bartenders at the pool bar (Genesis, Maria, Miguel) are a highlight in their own right.
high confidence
What you'll enjoy
- Adults-only swim-up pools enforced
- Splash park and slides for kids
- Large enough to never feel crowded
- Great poolside bartenders and drinks
Heads up
- Pool water cleanliness noted as needing attention
- Top-shelf liquor not stocked at every bar
Six freshwater pools including a children’s pool with slides, one pool with a swim-up bar, plus Splash Water World water park; several new swim-up rooms open directly to a pool
Rooms & suites
1,041 roomsFollowing a full refurbishment completed in late 2025, rooms now include standard doubles and eight swim-up rooms. All rooms feature a minibar, in-room safe, Wi-Fi, air conditioning, and a balcony or terrace.
Room categories
- Double Standard
- Double Room with garden view
- Double Room with partial sea view
- Double Room with sea view
- Suite with sea view
- Family Room
- Two-Bedroom Suite
Room details here are AI-assisted, compiled from the resort's own website and public sources. Categories and names change often — confirm the exact room when you book.
What’s included
StrongFor the all-inclusive price point, this is a solid buy: newly renovated, clean, and packed with amenities, especially compared to the pricier Riu Palace next door. Don't arrive expecting Riu's Mexico or DR standards, though.
high confidence
What you'll enjoy
- Recently renovated, feels current
- Cleaner than the neighboring Riu Palace
- Strong amenity mix for the price
- Unlimited in-room minibar included
Heads up
- Falls short of Riu experiences in Mexico/DR
- Paid ocean-view upgrades sometimes obstructed
Package inclusions and upgrade access have not been collected yet. Confirm them for your room and dates when booking.
Amenities & activities
Couples
StretchCouples can carve out a lovely trip here (adult swim-up pools, ocean views, quieter zones), but it is fundamentally a family resort with kid noise and splash parks in the mix. Fine for anniversaries on a budget, wrong for a pure romance getaway.
high confidence
What you'll enjoy
- Adults-only swim-up pools with strict enforcement
- Ocean-view rooms and lush landscaping
- Well-stocked in-room minibar with spirits
- Renovated rooms feel current
Heads up
- Family resort energy throughout
- Nightly entertainment audible until 11pm
- Not a romance-forward property
Families
Good fitThis is where the resort earns its keep: splash park, multiple pools, slides, and constant activities keep kids happily occupied. Just know the beach shelf drops fast and the food will bore adults long before it bores the kids.
high confidence
What you'll enjoy
- Splash park and slides are a hit
- Kid-favorite foods always available (pizza, mac, quesadillas)
- Multiple pools including family zones
- Constant activities and entertainment team
Heads up
- Beach floor drops off quickly, unsafe for little swimmers
- No indoor play area for rainy afternoons
- Some rooms a long walk from lobby with small kids
Peace & Quiet
WeakLively is the operating mode: pool games, nightly shows, and live music running until around 11pm. You can find calmer corners at the far pools, but light sleepers should pack earplugs.
high confidence
What you'll enjoy
- Quieter pools farther from beach
- Plenty of shaded loungers, no chair-hogging
- Entertainment stops around 11pm
Heads up
- Loud music audible in rooms past 10:30pm
- Poor window and door soundproofing
- Pool bingo and party atmosphere by day
Includes Renova Spa, gym, steam bath, whirlpool bath, casino and discotheque (drinks extra), RiuLand kids program, conference facilities, non‑motorized water sports and wellness activities
Water sports included
- windsurfing
- stand up paddle surfing (SUP)
- snorkeling
- kayaking
- introductory scuba lesson
What guests say
High confidence956 reviews · through Oct 2026
Read all reviews on TripAdvisor ↗Google ↗
Consistently praised
Recurring complaints
Watch-outs (recent)
Best suited for
What past guests say
★★★★★
“I'm very satisfied with everything. The entertainment staff is definitely the best thing about the hotel. There are areas for improvement, such as customer service in some bars and when calling reception. Room cleaning is good, but it could be improved; just a little more attention to detail is needed. Otherwise, everything was great.”
★★★★★
“Everything was excellent.”
★★★★★
★★★★★
“So a tale of two resorts... go anywhere else..planet Hollywood, eco resort, anywhere. Service C, food C, the drive here will make you motion sick. It's like visiting Atlantic City, if you know you know. There is better, more luxurious(has to be). 2 out 10, I'm sure costa rica has more to offer”
★☆☆☆☆
Latest reviews from Tripadvisor
Loaded live from Tripadvisor when you ask — the newest reviews and the current rating.
Read all reviews on Google (10,462) ↗
Videos
Hotel Riu Guanacaste Costa Rica All Inclusive | (FULL Tour & Review)
Riu Guanacaste in Costa Rica Full Walkthrough Review - Should you stay here or at the Palace?
Riu Guanacaste Resort Costa Rica | All Inclusive Resort Tour & Review
Ask Rosie
Have a specific question about Riu - Riu Guanacaste?
Rosie answers from this resort’s guest reviews and our research — with quotes.
Know before you book
- Sudden depth drop-off unsafe for kids
- Aggressive local vendors on the sand
- Some call the beach effectively non-existent
- Repetitive buffets over a week
What you should know
What to Know
Arrival and service basics are inconsistent: safes that don't work, slow luggage delivery, and an app-driven check-in process that leaves guests to figure things out. Book Steakhouse via the app early and manage expectations on food.
high confidence
What you'll enjoy
- App handles housekeeping, minibar, Steakhouse reservations
- Room-swap requests generally honored quickly
- About one hour from Liberia airport
Heads up
- Steakhouse requires advance app reservation
- Multiple reports of stomach illness, some E. coli claims
- Room safes frequently broken, musty/sewer smells reported
- Water not potable, jug system for drinking water
- Bees around outdoor food areas
WATCH OUT: Seasonal heads-up
- None identified
A dress code applies for dinner; gentlemen are required to wear long trousers and sleeved shirts in themed restaurants. The gym, steam bath, and whirlpool are complimentary but restricted to guests over 18. An advance reservation is required for the whirlpool and steam bath. Drinks are not included with free entry to the casino or 'Pacha' discotheque.
All photos
Photo: Tripadvisor
Photo: Tripadvisor
Photo: Tripadvisor
Photo: Tripadvisor
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What we know
Everything below comes from data we collected: here's the inventory for this resort.Updated September 2026- Photos
- 5
- Review excerpts
- 20
- Dining venues
- 5
- Menus
- Not yet collected
- Room categories
- Not yet collected
- Videos
- 3
- Editorial lenses
- 8
We aggregate. We don't trap. Verify on any of these:
Where this data comes from
We tell you what we know, and what we don't.
- Last updated
- September 8, 2026
- Sources
- Google PlacesDirect resort media
- Completeness
- 83%
Source collection snapshot
These collection totals can differ from the items available on this page. Video totals include screened results; the inventory above counts published tours.
- 5 photos
- 42 videos