I Want to Go To Riu

I mentioned on Monday that Nate and I stayed at the Riu Guanacaste in Costa Rica.

The reviews on Trip Advisor for this resort are very….interesting.  It must be one of those love or hate it kind of places.  Also, the things some people complain about make me laugh.

Nate and I enjoyed our stay at the Riu.  It’s not a five star resort….but we also did not pay a five star price.

Our room was nice. A little smaller than most American hotel rooms but definitely big enough.  It was clean.  The fridge was fully stocked with various beverages.  The air conditioning worked.  No complaints from us.

They are building a new hotel next door.  I had read reviews about how awful the construction noise is and you should request to be moved right away.  We always travel with a small fan for noise. Nate slept until 9:30-10:00am most mornings (as I bonded with my Kindle). The noise wasn’t really a problem for us.  It was more the construction workers who spent the majority of their day scanning the balconies for tourists.  We could have asked to move but actually enjoyed the ocean view…and we were only in our room to sleep so it wasn’t a problem.

The grounds at the hotel are beautiful.  All of the spaces were very clean and well cared for.

There were reviews about people complaining about the lack of air conditioning in common spaces.  It’s called open air people.  And it’s fabulous.  No cardigans on this vacation!

On Monday, we mentioned that the beach totally received our approval.

The pool at the Riu is also beautiful.  And giant. And we didn’t take photos of it.  Oops. We are more beach people than pool people.  (We can enjoy pools in Iowa.  Beaches are a little harder to come by.)  We did enjoy the pool at the Riu and would end our day with a swim in the pool because it was usually shaded in the later afternoon.  Our poor pale skin loved the break.  There were a lot of complaints about not being able to find beach chairs and pool chairs.  We had no problems the entire week we were there.

So far I’ve given this place a glowing review.  We both had one complaint about the place….the food.  Bleh.  It was buffet three times per day.  We both enjoyed the breakfast buffet (it’s really hard to screw up bacon and eggs).  The lunch and evening buffets weren’t so hot.  I ate a lot of fresh fruit and ice cream.  The following photo sums up my food experience at the Riu.  Ice cream and Coca Cola Light.  I should Photoshop in a plate of pineapple and watermelon.

Eh, ice cream and Diet Coke aren’t all bad, right?

Would we stay at the Riu again?  Yes and no.  Yes, if I had a money tree. I would totally go back for a nice and relaxing getaway.  It was perfect for enjoying the beach and the pool.  No, because we would like to explore other parts of Costa Rica.  The Riu’s location is farther away from some of Costa Rica’s more popular destinations.

Have you stayed at a Riu?  Are you one of those annoying reviewers on TripAdvisor that complains because the combo hair/body soap in the shower isn’t very good? Wait, don’t tell me. I don’t want to dislike you.  Are you a beach or a pool person?