Riu Vallarta - All Inclusive

Customer ratings & reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

9260 reviews

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  Generic Average Stay - Nothing More

  My family and I recently stayed at this resort for a week, and the best way to describe the resort is meh. The resort lacks character and personality. The property is very small when compared to other all inclusive properties I have stayed at. The pools are all rectangles, and there is really no tropical feel to the entire resort. There is actually more concrete and tile on the property vs grass, trees, and nature. The rooms are quite generic, and frankly smaller than most all inclusives I have stayed at. We were there in July, and the weather was extremely hot. There is very little way to beat the heat, as there is not much shade on the property, and the pools were so hot they were not refreshing. It felt more like a hot tub then a pool. The beach front is spacious and scenic, however, we were constantly harassed by locals who were trying to sell us knick knacks and cheap souvenirs. I was honestly surprised the resort didn't attempt to do a better job of controlling this more. These locals were trying to sell horse rides to the guests on the beach, however they did not clean up the waste their horses left. One day, one of the locals had a dog with him, that would go around and eat food off peoples plates that were left unattended. The restaurants also don't accept reservations and are first come first serve. We were there as a party of 8, so we never got a chance to eat at one of the restaurants and were stuck at the buffet everyday. The buffet was pretty solid though and offered many freshly cooked to order options that were authentic. Again, if you are comfortable with a resort that offers a run of the mill generic experience, then this hotel is more than adequate. If you are looking for something more memorable, then I would search out other options.

  Jul 29, 2025
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  Riu Hotel Vallarta Disappointing!

  Weeks before arriving at Hotel Rui Vallarta, we signed up for Riu Class membership. One perk of this is that the hotel sends an email with a link that allows you to choose your suite. My wife and I chose room 7010 which was on the front quiet side of the hotel and had a partial ocean view. However, upon arrival, we were given a room on the inner courtyard which overlooked the Karaoke stage. We went back to the front desk and asked why we had not received our Riu Class room 7010 which we had already chosen. We were told that this room was NOT guaranteed. However, in the original Spanish email confirmation, nowhere did it say, this room is not guaranteed. It just said congratulations on choosing this suite. At the front desk, they said that they would move us the next day. That night in our courtyard facing room, we were bombarded by rock concert volume level Karaoke singing until 11:10 pm. Not surprisingly, we had difficulty falling asleep. The next day, we received a room at the back of the hotel with a partial ocean view. It was quiet but not nearly as good as the 7010 room, we had originally chosen. We are experienced travellers, so if the hotel had given us a room as good as the 7010 room, all would have been forgiven but they refused to do that and this we cannot forgive. The food at the main buffet restaurant was fine at first but after a few days became repetitive. The bacon was burnt black every day which I have never seen before at a hotel. Also, the sausages were not cooked enough. This restaurant is self-seating. On our first day, we chose a table, turned up our drinking glasses, then went to get food. When we came back, someone had taken our table. The service was hot and cold. Sometimes, we could get service for coffee right away. Other times, we had to hail someone down. The desserts are not freshly made but frozen. Of the other restaurants which required a reservation, only the French one had good service. At the Italian restaurant, after eating the main course, we went to get dessert. When we came back the waiter had already stripped our table for the next customers. This was typical service unfortunately. The beach has no parasols, so we had to rent umbrellas twice at a shop on the beach for 200 pesos. We spent most time at poolside but unfortunately there is no quiet area. Around noon, an MC would come to start pumping up the crowd. We ate once at the bar restaurant Pepes, which had good simple food like tacos, hamburgers, and hot dogs. Additionally, the beach bar next to it was always very busy but had good drinks and good service. If you like to party, this is the hotel for you. If not, go elsewhere. It is unrelenting noise all day.

  Jul 26, 2025
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  Excellent trip!

  Husband and I took our daughter to Riu before heading off to college. First time to the area and hotel. Food, drinks, atmosphere was amazing! We will be back!!

  Jul 25, 2025
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  Another Great Visit

  After a a bit of a shaky start, our stay was great. The NexusTours transfer to the hotel was a nightmare. If the appropriate number of seats matched the number of guests transferring to the Riu Vallarta there would have not been a problem. After a good half hour delay with our luggage being taken on and off the seating area of the bus several times & being told we would have to stand at our own risk, they put us on the Riu Jalisco bus. Instead of dropping us & three more couples first, we drove by the Vallarta & went to the Jalisco first. When we finally got to the Vallarta, we were told there were no more bags on the bus & we didn’t have ours. My husband made them look again & were relieved they were actually there. By the time we got to the check in desk, there were no welcome drinks left for us & we were so parched. We were the last ones to get checked in & there was a mixup with our luggage again. We were put in a musty smelling ground floor room facing the parking lot & I have allergies. So went to the front desk, cleared up the luggage issue & asked to be moved. There were no more rooms available until the next day at 3. We were relieved that the buffet was still open & had plenty of food as it was after 9pm & we hadn’t eaten since we left Winnipeg around noon. After an uncomfortable night, we packed the next morning, had the front desk hold our luggage & lock up our valuables. We enjoyed our first day around the new pools & checked into our new room which was great! The cleaning staff were always Johnny on the spot & our rooms were cleaned by the time we returned from breakfast. As repeat guests at this hotel, we really like the room refurbishments since our last trip pre-pandemic as well as the fabulous pool changes. Plenty of seating areas either in the sun or shade, but as with most resorts, you have to get up well before sunrise to get some of the most desirable spots. The new pool bar line ups were long but moved quickly since it is quite a large now. We chose to only eat at the buffets on this trip & always found something good at every meal. While it is a very busy place, the flow worked really well. Yes the birds in the outdoor area can be a small nuisance but we enjoy eating out there. An observation is that the waiter station is not in a great location so it can get loud with the hustle and bustle of staff, clanking of & occasional breaking of dishes and glasses which get cleaned up very quickly! Staff works so hard. The beach is a great walk in either direction. We were there at low tide for the majority of our stay so the expansive flat beach made for very comfortable walk to Bucerias. Entertainment is typical for Mexico resorts and for the most part enjoyable. There was additional nightly entertainment from a center court stage before and after the main show which is new our last visit. Lots of dancing after the show. Some people complain it can be loud from the rooms in the center of the building but unless you have little ones who aren’t great sleepers, it not that bad if you close your balcony door and turn up your tv! We will be back to enjoy the fab sunsets from our room’s balcony which never disappoint. Question to hotel that I forgot to ask….did you not have a more convenient elevator to the main floor lobby to the right of the main staircase? Someone told us there was still an elevator from the pool level but never found it.

  Jul 23, 2025
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  Awsome vacation

  Overall the stay was excellent, great entertainment. Beach área is so so but ok. Would stay again. Workers with positiva actitudes at all times.

  Jul 18, 2025