Read all the reviews prior to going, and was a little concerned at what was in store, well I'm sorry but I can't believe I stayed in the same hotel. My wife and myself, together with our 21yrd old daughter stayed for 2 weeks, celebrating our silver wedding anniversary. We found the whole experience absolutely FANTASTIC, the hotel, rooms, staff,... more

My best friend and I (both females) contracted herpes from swimming in the pool at Riu Vallarta during Labor day weekend. We both were tested negative prior to our stay at the RIU and came out with herpes outbreaks 20 DAYS after on the same day. My dr. says the pool at RIU gave us the virus. The water is... more

My new husband and I stayed there for our honeymoon, we had a junior suite that was just .... right! We had a king bed, our room was facing the ocean on the third floor. The sunsets were beautiful. We decided to go with this after reading the reviews, and viewing tons of photos posted here on tripadvisor. The housekeeping... more

Transportation: usual tour bus stuck waiting for the vactioners who get sucked into talking to time share sales people. Long wait so split a cab with someone on the plane and get on with your vacation! Check in: Courteous greeters, though very shifty as they failed to mention they had no keys or locks to the safe in my room... more

My husband and I have vacationed in Mexico at least twice a year for the past 10+ years so I have experienced a range of hotels during that time including the RIU Palace and RIU Palace Mayan in PlayaCar. I was very concerned when reading recent reviews of the Riu Vallarta just prior to our vacation this month (9/6-9/20/08). The... more

Arrived on Aug 17th around 4:30 pm, at the Riu Vallarta for a 6 night stay. The two of us and our 6 year old daughter. Check in was smooth. No lines, friendly staff. We were greeted with Sangrias which was nice. We had booked a junior suite and upon check in requested ocean front view on the outside U... more

I apologize now for the long review. As a travel agent i am not the average traveler. I read many reviews on this property and emailed my concerns ahead of time to the hotel. After being there for a full day I realized that it is a 5 star canadian rated hotel as far as ammenities and location go. i... more

Stayed at the Riu from Sept. 5 - 12, 2008. This was a last minute booking due to hurricane activity in the Carribean. Overall we were very pleased with the hotel, with a couple of exceptions. We stayed at the Riu in Cabo and there is no comparison. The Riu Cabo is much better than this hotel, but the Riu... more

After reading some of the reviews on here we felt a little unsure about this hotel and resort, and wondered whether we should have perhaps returned to Cozumel (where we had a wonderful time last year) instead. I am delighted, however, to say that in my opinion the vast majority of negative reviews that I read on here are completely... more