Riu Vallarta - All Inclusive

We made the best of it. The food is ok, the staff is great, the rooms are fine. The pool facilities are the deal breaker. It’s just too hot and they don’t clean the pools enough, or filter it fast to keep the water cold. Literally 90° water in all the pools with straight sun hitting you the entire time. Also, all the pool chairs are so tattered and old. It’s a real deal breaker. The beach is nice. Oh and the pool food stand “Pepe’s” is the same thing every single day- kinda gross. No food service at the pool. No room service for your room. The sports bar is also not good. You can have fun here, but I’m sure there are better places. I won’t go back to any RIU again. Oh they’re nightly shows and the white party are fun!

The rooms were large, clean and comfortable. The staff were wonderful. The food was pretty good but the real problem was the temperature of the pools. They were very warm, there was nothing refreshing about using them unfortunately. It felt I was getting into a warm bathtub (not what you want or need during the heat of the day). It makes me not want to stay there again.

Staff nice and friendly. Property and rooms are clean. Food was okay. Couldn’t comment on the pools because they were very busy and all pool chairs reserved with pool towels by guests well before opening. In terms of the beach, there are vendors constantly soliciting and you will see horses in the hot sun all day without water, The beach is public and hotel doesn’t have control over the vendors or the horses but if you don’t want that type of beach vibe…..I would want to know.

Too many people selling at the beach

Nice room, staff nice. All pools were too warm, food just ok, lots of stairs to get from lobby to ground.

WATER ON POOLS TO HOT

Bad experience. They gave $500 credit but there is no way to use it. You can only use it in Spa, but only 15% of the listed price at a time. So you have to spend more than $5000 in Spa to use $500 credit. I am not sure who would go that

We really enjoyed the property food and service, only complaint is that pools are not cooled they felt like hot tubs all day long.

Overall was a good experience people most of the time were friendly and the entertainment team was always busy and offering things to for. a few downsides POOLS WERE HOT like hot tub hot bars were not very accessible (open around 10, two open during the day, only by the pool then they closed early and then lobby and other bars opened in evening, long lines) not enough areas to dine creating long lines, asked for towels was promised towels never came :/

Todo estuvo excelente... sólo algo que no sé si hay o no, porque no lo vi: un elevador para subir desde el área de restaurantes /alberca/ plaza de espectáculos, al Lobby, ya que fue muy pesado para mí al traer una dolecia en la rodilla, subir por las escaleras principales... definitivamente hace falta elevador en esa área. Y en lo que respecta al buffet, hay muchos platillos que se repiten todos los días (incluyendo los postres). Aún me queda duda de que si las albercas estaban climatizadas o no, porque pregunté y me respondieron que no, pero aún a las 9:00 a.m. que me metía el agua estaba súper caliente, y a esa hora aún no calienta el sol. me resultó incómoda que estuviera a temperatura tan alta. el resto ok.

Pools were not clean. I understand this is a family resort but really should have at least one pool designated for adults . Buffett food disappointing . Staff was nice

Clean rooms, staff was great,Norma and the crew outside in buffet where amazing,all the staff was great another special person was the man David that helped with our luggage.The only thing I could say is that the bathrooms down by the pool weren’t very clean but then you have a lot of people drinking etc,

Air conditioner broke down a couple times. So did elevator. Saw cockroaches all over RIU in Italian restaurant, friend room 6027, hallways and sports bar. Low quality customer service as I invited a friend was supposed to collect points but two people told me a lie and I will never refer again. Not happy.

This resort was a huge disappointment. If you’re thinking about booking a Riu, save your money and your sanity. From the moment we arrived, it was clear this place was not family-friendly. No welcome drink, barely any food options, and everything closed ridiculously early. No entertainment, no nightlife — nothing. My kids (9–15) were bored out of their minds. The resort was overcrowded, and it honestly felt like we paid to be stuck somewhere with nothing to do. We had to leave the hotel just to find activities, and even that was a mission with all the traffic. The final straw? A cockroach by the ice cream at the buffet. Bugs everywhere. Absolutely unacceptable. The only good thing? The rooms were clean — and that’s me being generous. If I could get a refund, I would in a heartbeat. Think twice (or three times) before booking this place. Total waste of money.

Staff was very welcoming, made me feel like home. Housekeeping was spot on, very quick and efficient when it came to cleaning my hotel room

We had a nice time with our family on our trip to Puerto Vallarta, but sadly the hotel experience at Riu Vallarta was disappointing. On day three, we noticed bugs in our son’s bed. At first, we assumed it was just because of the tropical climate, but as the days went on, it became clear there was a serious issue — every time we lifted the sheets, bugs scattered, and our toddler ended up with bites all over his back and arms so it was clear it was bedbugs! The elevator broke twice (we were on the 8th floor), the ATM didn’t work, and the A/C went out for a full day, leaving our room at 27°C overnight. Those things I could excuse, but the bedbugs were awful. When we told the hotel staff, they showed no concern or compassion and acted like we were inconveniencing them. Both the front desk and the Expedia reps onsite told us to “just report it when you get home.” Now I’m honestly worried we might have brought the bugs home in our luggage. For a $3,500 USD vacation, this was incredibly disappointing and we will not be using Expedia or Riu again. Terrible. Do not recommend.

What we like about this property is that we were able to swim in the ocean. I was able to walk at least 40 feet in the water was around chest high. I also like the fact that they have a boogie board for the guests which we used and they were a lot of fun. We did not like about our room was that we saw cockroaches, and spiders. We let someone know at the front desk and she didn’t seem to care too much about it. She was not apologetic at all. She did state she was going to note it, but did not seem like she did. Very unhappy on her customer service. We would not recommend to any of our family members or friends to stay at RIU Vallarta.

Room smelled awful

Rooms very clean

Room was cleaned regularly and well. Staff were friendly and competent. The front desk was quick to help with any needs or requests. Pools were great—clean and perfect temperature. Beachfront was lovely

Our room was spacious and comfortable. We appreciated the options for restaurants and the quality of the buffet! Pools were great, beach area was gorgeous. Can’t ask for much more out of a resort!

las camas son lo peor del hotel con colchones de muy mala calidad, el hotel esta muy bonito paro a la hora de descansar los cochones quedan a deber demasiado son como gelatina y las almohadas el mismo caso son terribles, es bien importante combinar el confort con todo lo demás del hotel

Outdated but clean.

What I didn't like about the Hotel is the temp in the rooms, it was 75/24 Degrees and i told them about it multiple times and nothing was done about it

The property is lovely. The buffet was better than the restaurants. The location of the room was not great. Because we needed two queen beds, we were put in a room on the ground level with the view of several outbuildings. The room was adjacent to a staff room, so there was often a lot of noise when people were coming and going. We got a great rate for the five days we were there, there was great value for the cost

The only con was the noise from the entertainment stage.

Staffs are so nice, excellent service. Room is clean, except the bed springs worn out, backache sleep, need to renovate. Hotel over crowded, pool too small, pack of people. Restaurant are small, long wait for main course 45-60 mins. Foods are average, not much choice, no seafood, just fish, small shrimp. Pastry is average, same as ice cream. There are no umbrellas at the beach. Shouldn’t be five stars.

The staff was outstanding. The facility is in need of a general overhaul. There were some leaks in the roof and a water line in the wall burst. The air conditioning in the entire hotel went down for most of a day.

The entertainment and buffet was really great. Everyone was super friendly. The Elkhart restaurants were pretty good, but the beds are extremely rock hard! Was very disappointed . also make sure you bring your own toiletries. We only had one bar of soap and they are so thin. It only lasted three days. And there is no body lotion or shampoo provided only body wash.

Staff were definitely the best part of the resort. The room was the least desirable as we did not have running water for two days which meant no shower, hand washing or toilet. When the water was on the toilet had numerous issues.

Friendly staff , the building and outdoor areas beautiful

I was very shocked by the checkout experience. We had to wait two hours for our pickup, and during this time we were treated very poorly by the front desk because we had lost our room key. The receptionist said we would be charged for the lost key. What surprised me most is that there is no information at all on the room key stating that it must be returned or that there is a fee if it is lost. However, there is a large notice on the towel card explaining penalties for losing it, but nothing similar on the room key itself. I have never experienced a situation where returning a plastic room key was mandatory or resulted in a charge. We asked the manager for assistance, hoping to resolve the situation calmly, but unfortunately the manager (Ernesto) was even more aggressive than the receptionist. This experience completely changed our impression of the RIU brand. Based on how we were treated at checkout, I would not recommend staying at any RIU hotel.

Apparently my review being blocked. Trying again. This resort is awful. It’s a shame because it can be a nice resort. But there is a huge management problem. Check in: it’s worse than checking in to a Vegas hotel during peak season. Half the staff doesn’t do anything. Rooms: what Mexican resort doesn’t offer room service. God forbid you need water. Whatever is in your mini fridge is all you get. I asked multiple times for water. Nothing!! You need towels, if you hunting down the cleaning lady and taking them you’re not in luck. The cleaning lady won’t give you any. Dining: all the restaurants take an hour once you sit down to get bread. Then then you get your meals. They are awful. The buffet is decent but imagine doing this a week straight The pools: it’s a shame. The pools are nice but there are no waiters to serve you. You have to get everything yourself. And if you need a towel you only get only a day. So say you use up a towel and it’s wet. You cannot exchange for a clean one. Do not lose your towel cards $75 per card. It’s a shame. This can be a nice resort but the management problems are awful. Riu shame on you.

Towels in room are dirty and old they need to replace the them. In room service is slow , need to call 4 times and waited 5 hours for kleenex and sprite in the room. Food and staff is good.

Staff was very welcoming, made me feel like home. Housekeeping was spot on, very quick and efficient when it came to cleaning my hotel room

Let’s just say this can be a great resort. However, there is a huge management issue. I’ll start off with the positive. It’s a very nice looking resort. The lobby is nice. The common areas and dining areas are nice. The pools are great. So then you might ask what’s the issue. That’s as far as it goes. There is no service. Don’t ask for any water to your room. It will never show. Towels to shower. Good luck. Then there is no room service. How does a Mexican resort have NO room service. Then the quality of drinks. Awful. Beer selection. Nasty. And don’t lose a towel card. $75. Don’t ask for an extra room card. $75. Make sure you turn in all your keys or charge. And what resort says you can only have one towel per day per card. Say you get out of the pool and your towel is soaking wet. They will not give you a towel. So say you go to beach in the morning. And go on an excursion and come back and want to dip in the pool. Good luck. They max you out on towels. It’s a shame. It’s a nice pool but the service. Then there are no waiters to order food while you are lounging on the beach or by the pool. The pool food is awful. Then there are the variety of restaurants. It takes an hour to get bread. Then the food gets there and it’s cold and disgusting. Which leaves you with the only option which is buffet. It’s ok. But if you there for a week. That will get old fast. I didn’t mention the check in or check out. It takes forever. Overall management needs to fix their issues.

Depends what you are looking for. Thought October would be more quiet, was not. The music starts around noon and it is loud, cannot escape it, not even on the beach. There are animators with various activities, they use microphones to animate, very loud. There are many folks selling stuff on the beach, it can get annoying. Other than 1 issue, the staff are excellent and very helpful. The issue was that we had forgotten an ID at a restaurant outside the resort, we asked front desk to call to see if we could have it sent, front desk staff said they could not make calls external to the hotel except for the concierge who would only be back the next day. I checked with the concierge and this was not true, so they basically lied. The food is good. As this is not the type of resort i look for, mostly because of the loud music, I would nt go back.

We booked this trip for 5 awesome women traveling from different locations. We talked directly with customer service for this hotel and were assured that the way we booked our rooms and flights would not result in any extra fees once we arrived. When our first group arrived we went to check in and were told the second group of 2 women would need to pay $1,300usd more to stay in our double room that was already booked and paid for! I know this is not an Expedia issue and I am still trying to work with Hotel Riu Vallarta customer service teams to get this high extra expense refunded. We had no other option but to pay this fee since we flew in internationally and could not return home right away. Much of our first day on vacation was spent talking with management staff and trying to reach customer service. We have email records from all conversations while booking our trip in April and then email record of what went on at the start of our stay at this hotel in October. I have never left a bad review before but this situation has left me no other option. If this issue gets resolved I will come back and change my review to reflect the rest of the staff and amenities from our trip.

Front desk/ check out counter not the best people/ attitude

All the staff were great!!!

Beautiful hotel but it’s a long way from PV and Uber can be inconsistent. The hotel needs new umbrellas and more seating around the pools, more shade for sure. They were jackhammering walls in the hotel early in the mornings, not sure what happened there. The hotel is fantastic though and the staff were incredible, especially Victor from the entertainment team. Such a personable guy, was great with kids and families and crazy drunks (like me) alike.

Good food but place is a bit far from the main downtown

Highlight The beach was close. It was a very small property. Very crowded, you could not get a seat at any restaurant in the evening. Water sports were closed all week due to a croc sighting days prior. Fan was broken in room. The excursion to Yelapa was horrible. The taxi rides were verylong due to construction. Save your money. Go anywhere else.

The property is dated… you get what you pay for. Don’t bother with paying extra for ocean view upgraded room as we did… they didn’t honour it when we got there. Manager tried to get us to pay $110.00 US per person for a room higher up with view. When told and showed we already did they said nothing we can do. Our view was of the second floor ceiling. Pools are ridiculously hot… temperature was that of a hottub. Beach is nice except it was closed for 2 days as there were two crocodiles (obvious safety reasons). It is approx 20 min drive to Bucerias. Nothing to do around area but resort. Italian restaurant was good…. Buffet was mediocre but they tried. Bar staff were all very good. Entertainment staff tried although we didn’t do any activities. Wouldn’t stay here again

It was our first time going to an all-inclusive resort and Riu Vallarta did not disappoint. We loved the location for the beach, plenty of activities to kill time with and food options were amazing.

I really enjoyed this resort best food we've had in an all inclusive. Only complain is the crocodiles on the ocean we barely got any time to be in the ocean because of the crocodile sightings. I'm not sure if it was just our luck. Other than that excellent service, and very fast response to our needs. For instance, our air conditioning stoped working one day within minutes we had someone in the room fixing it. Highly recommend this resort.

Our stay was very good. The check in was a bit bumpy and it could be better. The rooms were always cleaned and left amazing each day. The buffet was literally the best place to eat hands down! The waiters there were attentive and kind. Overall, the service was always good when I had it but there weren’t enough people to help make it as luxurious as I’d thought it would be. The beds were cozy but the pillows were lacking. The shower was great! In general a great stay and felt safe. The construction in front of the hotel and on the road was a hassle.

Hotel is well cared for, the staff cleaned our room to spotless daily. The beach is cleaned by the staff daily, the breakfast food is amazing. Omelets made to order, lunch and dinner at the buffet or diner, awesome, the staff was great, and friendly. Great time in the pools, the resort and beach are amazing.

My wife and I were on summer holiday and entralled by the majesty of the palace upon arrival. We were excited to dine dip in the many pools and dine in the marvelous restaurants. One of my favorites by the way as the international buffet, which I enjoy a spectacular variety of my favorite delicacies.However, I was deeply saddened by the denial of a trip to the beach for the first three days. I was astounded that I could enter the playa. The reason being, a threat of crocodiles. I found that to be unreasonable because the truth being that there is a risk when entering the ocean. A deciding factor in choosing to stay at Rui, was the perception that I could enjoy the beach whenever I want with no qualms about it. Nonetheless, they let us in the beach sooner or later. I thoroughly enjoyed everything else. From the many pools, nightly entertainment, and wonderful staff that took care of us, it made our vacation one to never forget. Shout out to Mimi who led a fantastic zumba class and worked hard to keep the positive vibes flowing. Also, shout out to Frida who was an amazing referee in pool volleyball and who organized a variety of fun activities by the pool. Cant forget Juan the server who works at the beach and Pepe bar. He always knew when me and my wife needed another drink and was tentative to our orders. Lastly, shout out to room service who took care of our rooms better than our moms and who made our stay most comfortable. Thanks Rui!

The Hotel is in a very exclusive area called Flamingos with other luxury hotels and high-end condos. This area is quiet without public transit access (bus). I noticed only taxis and uber accessing the place. It is about 35 minutes from Puerto Vallarta. The hotel lobby is amazing. It has a private beach, several pools, bars and restaurants and offers entertainment both for kids and adults. All the staff was friendly all the time. The bars offer a good variety of drinks and cocktails. There are different restaurants. • Don Rafael is a buffet type which offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. It has a large selection of items to choose from with very good quality. • Pepe’s Food is located close to the beach and pools offering only burgers, hot dogs, nachos and fries. • Il Gusto, offering Italian food dinner. I tried two times. It was very good. • Nirvana, with oriental food. It was closed two times during the week I was there. Even though it said that it was closed for maintenance, I did not see any work done in the place. The trays with Beef Tataki and Tuna Sashimi got emptied very quickly and they were not replenished during the time I was dining, so I was not able to try them. The sushi, crab and other items were bad. I was very disappointed as my expectations were very high. • Kulinarium. This restaurant was closed all the week because of “maintenance”. However, no work was done during the whole week. I am under the impression that it was just the excuse not to open it.

Spotless clean! I highly commend the housekeeping department. Despite my partner’s food poisoning from the buffet. We still had amazing trip!

Pools were not clean. I understand this is a family resort but really should have at least one pool designated for adults . Buffett food disappointing . Staff was nice

Dirty, unclean, unsafe, inebriated man bleeding all over the floor outside the rooms. Worst food I’ve ever experienced. Nothing good to say, smellls like garbage and feces.

We stayed at RIU Vallarta for 6 nights with our family — 9 people across 3 rooms — for a family gathering. At first, everything seemed great: the resort is beautiful, the beach is lovely, and the staff were friendly. I was ready to give this place 5 stars. Unfortunately, two days before the end of our trip, all of us got food poisoning. I had the most severe symptoms and had to call the on-site doctor. The doctor confirmed a gastrointestinal infection caused by food or water and charged me $400 USD for the visit and medication. I ended up being sick for the last 2 days of our vacation and a full week after returning home. What made things worse was how customer relations handled the situation. When I reached out to report what happened, they showed no concern or empathy and simply told me to contact their corporate office. There was no follow-up, no reassurance, and no sign that they were taking food safety seriously. It’s extremely disappointing that a resort of this level would allow this to happen and then charge a fortune for medical care caused by their own food. What could have been a perfect vacation turned into a miserable experience for our entire family.

Property and room is clean | Staff are very helpful and accomodating Just needs improvement in food variety. Majority of food in buffet is served the same almost everyday. Which is difficult for guests staying for more than 7 days.

Great value. Food is 6/10, drinks are 6/10, but all inclusive means you can have many drinks.

This resort was a huge disappointment. If you’re thinking about booking a Riu, save your money and your sanity. From the moment we arrived, it was clear this place was not family-friendly. No welcome drink, barely any food options, and everything closed ridiculously early. No entertainment, no nightlife — nothing. My kids (9–15) were bored out of their minds. The resort was overcrowded, and it honestly felt like we paid to be stuck somewhere with nothing to do. We had to leave the hotel just to find activities, and even that was a mission with all the traffic. The final straw? A cockroach by the ice cream at the buffet. Bugs everywhere. Absolutely unacceptable. The only good thing? The rooms were clean — and that’s me being generous. If I could get a refund, I would in a heartbeat. Think twice (or three times) before booking this place. Total waste of money.

Good staff. Food wasn’t great but drinks were

Comida no calidad pizza muy mala presentación puro pescado barato tilapia los cocineros del bufet grande no saben cosínar es el 3 año que voy al riu este año la comida no es calidad lástima de hotel ánimo gracias

More service staff in pool areas. Restaurant and food need to be improved. Some meals were absolutely terrible.