I miss the jungle courtyards. I miss the lush landscapes. I miss intricate sculptures and beautiful fountains.
Last year, I had my destination wedding in Guanacaste, Costa Rica at the RIU Palace Costa Rica. Comment below if you would like me to do some content about my destination wedding planning process?)
Like many RIU brand hotels, there is a nearby sister hotel called the RIU Guanacaste. We were comped night at the Guanacaste by Delta Airlines, and we used this day to relax and unwind after the wedding festivities. What we didn’t realize is how different these next-door properties were.
The Palace and Guanacaste share some similarities but some very BIG differences.
Both the Palace and Guanacaste are 24-hour all-inclusive resorts on Matapalo Beach. The resorts share a spa, casino, and gym. If you stay at the Palace you have full access to the Guanacaste but not vice versa.
The Palace is more expensive, yet has an indoor lobby, lux and quality rooms and service, and overall better quality of food and restaurants. The resort has 4 gorgeous swimming pools and a swim-up bar. ( You can find a detailed review of this hotel here.)
Riu Guanacaste (pictured above this) gives you more of an authentic Latin feel with its open courtyards, outdoor ceiling fans, and jungle foliage landscape.
When we entered the open-air lobby to check-in, the heat was sweltering. This is a lobby you don’t want to run into any hiccups with your reservations because the longer you stand the more you melt. The staff is determined to help by offering cold drinks. The front desk staff was nice and hospitable. They handed us a key, no not a digital card key, a physical key like a house key for our room (very vintage).
We walk up to our room on the 3rd floor, opened the door, and saw a very different room than the one we stayed at the night before.
It wasn’t horrible, but it definitely wasn’t as nice. The mattress was a bit hard and there was less space in the room and on the balcony. We also woke up to ants, Eek!
The bathroom was more of a traditional setup and would be ideal for travelers that aren’t a couple because the bathtub and sinks are not out in the open like Palace. but it is more compact and less luxurious. The tub isn’t whirlpool and is a shower/tub combo.
Food Comparison
The dining options on Riu Guanacaste are numerous but not as high quality. Most of the restaurants at the Palace are indoors or have a barrier from the outside. The steakhouse at Guanacaste was open-air and swarming with bees around the soda fountain. Birds were everywhere eating scraps. At the Palace, the staff were much more attentive to dirty plates and tables and cleaned them up quickly. The food was similar to Palace but a couple of grades lower. And the presentation had less of an artistic appeal.
We visited the Furama, the Asian restaurant for dinner. It was not a memorable experience and very similar dishes and presentation of mid-level Chinese buffets in the states.
Pools
The pools were large but a bit outdated, and not kept as clean as the pools next door. We were swimming around leaves and insects the entire time. There was a spring break group there as well, and although I am all bout having a great time, parents may not have wanted their kids to see the mass twerk contest on the main pool wall.
Conclusion
The Palace comes with a hefty price difference of about $100 extra per night compared to Riu Guanacaste. It shares the same spa, gym, and casino as its sister resort but stands out in service, comfort, and amenities. If you are working on a budget you would definitely opt for Guanacaste, although I think you could find somewhere comparable for a cheaper rate. On the other hand, I HIGHLY recommend the Palace if you are looking for better quality, staff, and experience.
Have you ever visited either of these resorts? Share your experience. Would you return?
RIU Palace 
