Hotel Riu Guanacaste 5*

I'm giving two star because the air conditioning in my room made an intense, constant noise. Maintenance was supposedly sent to try to fix it, but the noise continued, and I honestly think it's just a strategy to keep giving out rooms with defective A/C. I came here alone, and the spa was closed. The gym was also closed, or so I thought. The hotel now claims it wasn't closed, but all they did was set up a tiny gym in a very small room. On the fourth day of my five-day stay, the A/C stopped working altogether, and there was nobody from maintenance available to repair it. Since I was leaving the next day, I decided to live without it. If you're a light sleeper, you simply won't be able to sleep in these conditions. For a 5-star hotel, it falls well short. If you're used to Royalton, Planet Hollywood, Palladium, four season, club Med or Secret, this is not a real 5-star. It deserves 3.5 stars at best, maybe 4, but certainly not 5. The staff also seemed overwhelmed and understaffed, and many services were self-service. There was no morning mimosa at breakfast, which is the first time I've seen that at a 5-star resort. Dining was also very difficult. The à la carte restaurants are mostly buffet-style, and there are no reservations, only first come, first served. Even so, over my 5 days, it was hard to get a table at any restaurant other than the main buffet. I want to be clear that the staff are clearly working very hard, and my review is in no way a criticism of them. My concerns are directed at senior management and the decision-makers, who are the only ones with the power to change these things. The people working at the hotel every day cannot fix the issues I'm describing. The only real positive was the beach, which is beautiful. But a beach can be found at any hotel, so it's not a reason to choose this one. If you have a choice to make, I personally wouldn't pick a Riu. I had a good experience at the Riu in Jamaica in the past, but after this stay, I'm not sure I would want to go back to a Riu. Finally, I expect management will reply with the same generic response they give everyone: that they're very sorry and will do everything to improve the guest experience. But I don't think that's the reality. The same complaints keep coming up in the reviews, which tells me they don't truly want to fix the problems.

Accommodateions were excellent! Very clean! Great pools! Food generally only fair! Eat at pool locations for lunch! Steakhouse only good for the great hamburgers!! Riu call center is very difficult to deal with! Email notifications are confusing! Riu included airport transfers needed to be booked 7 days before arrival but this information was almost impossible to execute from routine messageing! Staff were excellent and restrooms very clean! Overall 4****!