Hotel Riu Vallarta — Hotel in Nayarit

This was the first time I have ever stayed at any kind of all inclusive resort anywhere, and it is without a doubt going to be the only time I ever stay somewhere like it. I travelled with my girlfriend and her family and there really was not a single part about it that I enjoyed more than either of the other places we stayed throughout our vacation. Not only did they mess up with our reservation and then charge her parents an arm and a leg, but all the food we ate gave everybody in our group non stop diarrhea that did not start until we arrived ate the half cooked hamburger and hot dog self serve spread from the sports bar within 20 minutes of being there. Also, all of the “awesome” restaurants they advertise are impossible to eat at. Being there for 4 nights we ate at one of the restaurants only one time, not because we didn’t want to eat there though. First of all, you have to be fully dressed with no sandals/flip flops or tank tops for anything other than the buffet, which was stomach ache central. Not only that, the steakhouse that is advertised only seats 80 PEOPLE every night… not 80 reservations, 80 people from 5:30-9 o clock because they’d rather do that and not tell you than shell out a little more money to buy more steak for the guests. Seems absurd considering the extra charges they threw on top of our stay right when we arrived because they could not figure out our reservation we had made through booking. The last utterly horrible thing about the food that is completely lied about when booking is that the only food available the entire day except for dinner time is uncooked burgers, hot dogs with no buns, tortilla chips with cold nacho cheese, or cold and wet French fries because they’d rather serve them next to the pools where kids go and use their hands to grab. One other big thing that made me wonder how the Riu has stayed in business without being deemed a scam was the way their hotel credits worked. We were under the impression we had $500 dollars in credit at the hotel with each room to use on room service, the spa/massages, or with car rentals. Come to find out the 500 dollars is broken up into a bunch of 10 and 15 dollar coupons that can only be used on purchases of certain amounts. So essentially we all went to go get free pedicures to find out we could only take 15 dollars off of what would have been a 240 dollar bill. So essentially our room credits are made to force us to spend more money while giving us maybe a 5% discount. Not only was that part a crazy scam, but the car rentals were even worse. We would have had to rent the car, pay for it ourselves upfront and then apply for the refund through the hotel, which I am sure would have had something go wrong with how the rest of this place operates and we would have been out money. With the rooms which probably was the best part of the stay but still brutal. The bed was comfortable and that’s about the only positive there was. They came and “cleaned” our room without restocking our towels. The mini bar says they refill it every two days but we did not receive a restock of anything throughout our four nights there. We had a Pepsi explode in the fridge because they put the sodas at the top in the coldest spot and the water on the bottom, but then they didn’t even clean the floor where it had leaked or inside the fridge since I’m sure they don’t even check it. The shower was okay but they use a 3 in 1 body wash, shampoo, conditioner when you have to pay absurd amounts of money to stay there… the other places we stayed in Mexico were a fraction of the price for the same amount of nights and they supplied at least a separate body wash and shampoo lol. Not that important but shows you the low level of care that goes into running this corporate hotel. Oh and the pool bar! Sounds nice right? Well hopefully you don’t want to do anything other than be there all day because it closes at 6:30 as well as the pools themselves closing at 7:30… you read that right, you cannot enter the pool past 7:20 is really when they start...

This resort has taught me that being "5 stars" does not mean it is the best option for a person. This review is based on my experience. Good things and a list of strange observations.

Pros: The food is great, so much variety and all of it tasted good; from the buffet to the restaurants. They balance the needs of families, younger, and older generations. Lots for kids to do. Quieter spaces. 11pm silence. There is a nice app where you can get a lot of info, maps, request room service, etc. Amazing drink selection. Cool minibar in the room. Beautiful views! Lots of activities and shows. Wonderful and friendly staff! Excellent wi-fi on the beach! Housekeeping staff are amazing! Really, ALL THE STAFF ARE AMAZING!!!!

Cons/Observations: If you are a light sleeper, you aren't going to sleep before 11 pm. Strangely, no signage for elevators or bathrooms. Nor are they listed on the maps. Prepare to get lost, explore, or ask a lot for where things are. 4 small elevators off the lobby. 2 of them have been down since we arrived. 8 people max and it's tight. 1 other elevator on the one end (our friend's) but you still need to walk all the way to the lobby to then double back towards the beach/pools/food/bars. The other side (ours) had the elevator taken out when they put in the Steak House and the stairs don't take you out. We upgraded, had a beautiful suite above the Steak House, but we also had the farthest walk to and from the beach/pools/food. You are punished for spending more for a nice room. Looking at the emergency map in our room vs the floor map by the elevator, they didn't match. We concluded that 7065 was removed and added into 7066 (ours) and converted to the stairway to nowhere. Hundreds of people outside. 10 bathroom stalls per "gender". Yes. That's it. And not in one place. 2 for the whole beach, 4 for the entire pool area, and then when you learn of it, 4 hidden behind the bar by the theater all the way back at the lobby. Have fun doing the "I gotta pee" dance while waiting in line. And from some spots, prepare for quite a walk and try not to slip and fall. At the sports bar? You have to go all the way to the other end of the resort to the bathrooms by the spa, and again, 4 stalls. Pool and foosball in the sports bar cost money to play. The tile around the pool is dangerously slippery when wet and not wearing shoes. By the evening, the swim up bar pool is crowded and yellow. Just don't. Decent wi-fi in the rooms but zero in the bathrooms, any of them, including our room. Concrete square with water pipes, understandable a bit. Maybe a strange thing to comment on, but if you have ever had issues with your stomach, this is a thing you notice. Be prepared to go to the bar for all your drinks. We don't care, but if you are expecting that there will always be someone to come ask you and deliver drinks, you'll be disappointed because most of the time, it's just so darn busy and it's not the staff's fault. On day 3, we were surprised to have someone come up and ask us. No where to eat between around 10:30 am and 1 pm except for the single snack shack by the beach. Hot dogs, burgers, fries. Self serve.

Overall, the staff and services are amazing! But whoever was put in charge of these other decisions needs to be questioned or the company needs to look at their priorities. They got the 5th star, but really fell short on some pretty basic details, in my opinion.

We are here for 6 days. This is day 3 and I already know I won't be coming back, and I don't know if the other Riu locations will be any better for us. For others, sure, but for us, not likely.

For context, I am a 37 year old, able bodied woman, no kids. I visited with my partner and another couple that are long time friends of ours. This is our third visit to Mexico together. I'll be going back to the lower star resorts from now on because I just don't see the draw to come back here.

I hope this is helpful to...

I gave two stars because the buffet was good and the servers in the buffet had great energy.

Where to start... Checked into the first room, which had two beds pushed together to form a king bed. The sheets had stains, the room had hair and dirt on the floor. I called for the sheets to be changed and no one came. Spent one night in the room and it was quiet, but I was grossed out.

I decided to upgrade to a junior suite. We checked out of the first room and we're told to leave our bags in the room and the bell man would move them. I had a separate bag arrive late to.the hotel. A bellman offered to walk the bag to the room. First, he asked his co-worker for his badge, then went downstairs while I waited in the hallway and said he had to activate his badge. He opened the door I went in the room and I opened my bag and it was like I had packed it. I left it in the room and when we got to the new room, my bags weren't there. The same bell man said someone would bring them up and not to worry. I opened it and my purse and sandals were missing.

I notified the hotel twice. They did not let me know any protocol they said they would look into it.

The hotel called to say they searched employees and didn't find anything. Mind you, they never asked what the items looked like. They said they would keep checking and follow up.

Then, on the way to dinner, I noticed my scarf was missing too, which I didn't notice initially.

The hotel never followed up.

Two days before leaving, I talked with the manager, Veronica, and she said she woudnt file a report. She told me that I waited too long, when I was waiting on them to tell me the process and follow up. I asked her to check the door scans and she said too many days have passed. She couldn't check it after 4 days, but said she did check it earlier. Later, she said she never checked them. I asked her if I can file a police report and she said I could do that myself. She told me she couldn't dial out to call the police.

I followed up with Delta Vacations who came to the hotel and had management call the police. The police took the report. I was so grateful for Delta Vacations because the hotel did not help at all. It was overwhelming to have to deal with reporting processes when I was supposed to be there to relax.

Aside from this: the suite was so loud, you could hear the Riu Stage blaring from 8 to 11pm. You could hear guests through the door of the room. The junior suite was also dirty with stains on the sheets and the room smelled. I took a tide wipe and it came off so it doesn't seem like they are washing the sheets.

The pools were nice, but there was minimal service all day from wait staff. You have to plan to get your own beverages. The entertainers were sweet with positive energy. My son also had a good time playing with many kids from all over the globe. It is true, you are allowed one towel per day.

The restaurants were not good so we stuck with the buffet every day. The upside here is that it's first come first serve, you don't have to wake up early to make reservations.

The beach smelled like horses so we did not spend a lot of time on the beach.

The hotel is far from downtown and the area isn't that walkable.

The best days were the excursions like Las Caletas and San Sebastian. I highly recommend.

I also had a great massage at the spa.

I would not recommend that anyone stay at this hotel until the management, service and cleanliness improves.

This was hands down the worst resort experience I've had in Mexico and I've been about 10 times. Nothing about it...