More about Club Riu Jalisco Hotel
Love Riu Jalisco!
by A TripAdvisor Member
April 5-12My Husband and I just came back from Riu Jalisco and loved it! Flew Air Transat direct from Calgary , Canada! - no problems there, infact we pushed early on the way home and arrived 45 minutes early. This is an awsome resort - very clean - the staff is up at the crack of dawn scrubbing everything down including the "padded" lounge chairs around the pool and the hallways to your rooms. The kitchens are like surgical units - We did not find the beds hard as some have mentioned, but we sleep on a firm mattress at home so we were fine. Occasionly we could hear some late comers in the hall ways that echo, but we survived! Rooms are very nicely decorated in cherry furniture, and pale yellow walls and as mentioned there is 4 types of hard (albeit 14.5%) liquor in your rooms/pop and coronas - if you find the alcohol weak - make a tripple then! We ate like kings - not sure what others are talking about when they say they lived off of pizza and hamburgers - because I ate Calamari, fresh fish, Bay Schrimp, Smoked Salmon, Quesadias, an assortment of chicken, beef, ribs, fresh salads, Fresh Salsa and Guacamole - even the red and white wine from Spain was decent - better then some I have paid for in a restaurant in Calgary. Breakfast consisted of a fresh squeezed juice bar, Pineapple, Mango, Melon, Bannana juice as much as you wanted - I mixed bannana and Pineapple together - it was heaven! Plus made to order omlettes, scrambled, fried, poached and 5 minute eggs - fresh fruit, fresh baked pastries, pancakes, fresh donuts, french toast, and a selection of dried cereals and dried fruit and nuts(includng flax seed to put on your cereal) . I ate Creme Carmel non stop along with the other lovely deserts. There is a soft ice cream machine for the kids (and adults too) I could go on, but I thing you get the picture! No one walks away starved here. Oh and please people - this is a 5 star resort, as the signs posted say - please refrain from wearing your swimwear into the restaurants, it only takfast. We even saw three guys come in from a morning jog (heart monitor still on his arm) all sweaty grabbing a plate and walking around the buffet! When you eat at Riu Jalisco - it is like going to a Sunday Brunch everyday in an upscale restaurant at home with starched linen table cloths and having said that I do not think these people would attmept that where ever they come from- so why would you do it there?We booked a couple of tours with our Sunquest Rep, one was the "Night Moves"pub crawl which was alot of fun because we had a great mix of people and that is really what made the evening a hit and "The "Rythum of the night" tour which was a one hour catamaran sail with drinks (and Dolphins chasing along side us) to a hideaway where the Director John Hughes once lived. You arrive as the sun is setting so it is all torch lit, and feels strangley like you are going to tribal council on Survivor! Everyone one the tour was amazed at just how beautiful this hideaway is. We were served a lovely Mexican meal by candle and torch light on hand made mexican pottery followed by a lovely show under the stars. This was worth the $100.00 Canadian per person without a doubt! Hard to explain reallly, just beautiful and a very spiritual place that can also be visited by day where you can get spa tratments.The evening shows at the Riu were okay - they try thier best, and it was entertaining! Make sure you get the Spanish Coffees - these are a show unto themselves - especially if a group of you are ordering! The staff works thier tails off and smile all day long - they are some of the hardest working people I have seen.We did see where you can swim with the Dolphins in a pool (rather disturbing) you pay an arm and a leg to do it, when really you can take a Hobie Cat from the resort for free, go out and see dolphins swimming around you in thier natural habitat - If you want to swim with them, then jump off and do it that way - it is a heck of a lot cheaper, and then they are free to go where theyly complaint was that there are irons, but no ironing boards, so you have to iron things on your bed, they suggested ironing on the glass table tops, but as we found out - broke our glass from the heat of the iron! Ths Disco on the resort was also alot of fun. I can't comment of the kids club because we traveled without our kids this year, but will take them back for sure! Also there is a professional photographer that you can book to have your pictures taken at Sunset on the beach. It cost us about $40.00 (for 5 pictures) Canadian, and was well worth it. They are ready for you the next day. All-in All - we had a very relaxing stress free holiday, and would go back in a heart Beat! Our tan maybe fading but our memories are not!
RIU Jalisco - Not a real good vacation
by A TripAdvisor Member
The RIU is very clean, gorgeous, great beach, food was good, however.... there are some problems. The air conditioner in the room does not keep the room cool. The hotel hallways up until 2:00 in the morning are very noisy. They are completely understaffed. My husband had to wait in line for 20 minutes to get a hamburger. Most the time the buffet was out of the food I wanted before I got to get any. The bartenders were slow in making drinks. You do not get waited on while laying on the beach or the pool area and it is a long walk from the beach to the bars. It is also a long walk from you hotel room to the beach. The sand and the walking areas around the pools gets very hot so make sure to wear your sandals. I would not stay here again.
Stayed at the RIU Jalisco in...
by ddb3
Stayed at the RIU Jalisco in Nuevo Vallarta. It had only been open a month, but the accomodations were very good. Over sized room with terrace. Air conditioning, TV, mini bar, liquor dispenser. Two sinks in the bathroom w/granite counter tops. Separate toilet room. Nice colorful decorations, beds were comfortable.
Food was really good, but I imagine there will be improvments. Seemed like they had a hard time keeping up with demand on some items. Drinks were good but they need bigger glasses and a second in-the-pool bar.
Got a package through Suntrips. Before taxes it was a little less than $600.00 US$ before taxes (all-inclusive). I didn't like the late arrival into Puerto Vallarta, or the early departure. Apple seems to be better with departures. It had only been open a month, but the accomodations were very good. Over sized room with terrace. Air conditioning, TV, mini bar, liquor dispenser. Two sinks in the bathroom w/granite counter tops. Separate toilet room. Nice bright,colorful decorations, beds were comfortable.
Food was really good and diverse, but I imagine there will be improvments. Seemed like they had a hard time keeping up with demand on some items, but then there was a very wide variety. Lunch and dinner are great, but they really know how to do breakfast, the assortment of hot and cold foods is incredible; American, Mexican, and European. Drinks were good, and there was a good variety, but they need bigger glasses and a second in-the-pool bar. The on tap dark beer was a plus. Some of the bar tenders seemed to like the challenge of preparing the less common drinks. I think they get bored of the constant draft beer, Pina Coladas, etc.
Pool is nice, stays hot! They need some food service pool side; not a far walk though.
Nice beach, but the palm trees are new and don't provide much shade yet. They could use some palapas.
Night time entertainment could be better, but the disco was packed and pumpin' every night!
All of the employees were friendly and helpful. Some seemed to be more knowlegeable than others. Make sure your ready for maid service in the morning or you'll probably end up having to call for it later.
Not a 5* Experience
by A TripAdvisor Member
Just got back from the Riu Jalisco after two weeks and I am a bit disappointed. Don't get me wrong it was an enjoyable holiday but it was not the luxury experience I was expecting. The hotel is advertised by Riu as being 5* (Tour Operator suggests 4*) and from the reviews read on this website I was expecting something fantastic. The trouble was that after a few days, when the first impressions of great quality food, great weather, good staff and cleanliness wore off, I felt I was staying at a luxury Butlins camp. I would say the hotel is ideal for those with families who are from the US, Mexico and Canada only staying for the week, but it is not really suitable for couples coming long haul from Europe looking for a relaxed romantic holiday. Riu Jalisco has about 700 rooms but only 4 restaurants (one of which you have to book for and one of which is at the beach front and is invariably windswept). When the hotel is busy it can be difficult to find a set table (usually 50% of the cutlery is missing) and even more difficult to avoid all the kids racing for the chip pan! This is not helped by the staff keeping one of the large resaturants empty at peak time! The food was generally of excellent quality but where Riu let themselves down was the choice over the two weeks. By the end of the holiday it felt like each meal was the same and I just couldn't be bothered to eat there any more. Service was hit and miss but staff were always polite except on service report sheet day when more than a little pressure was applied to put 'Very Good' in each box. They even offered to fill the sheets in for some of the guests! The room was very good, we had a sea view on the top floor and it was always kept clean. We did have a problem with ants on a couple of days but this didn't really detract from the experience. The cleaning staff were excellent - and honest . I foolishly left the key in the safe when I went swimming and when I realised that I had done this I went back up to the room which had been serviced. The key hahad been touched. We were never hassled with having to leave the room for cleaning (infact I never actually met our cleaner in two weeks!).The bars also let the Riu down in a big way. The cocktails were not particularly strong (which when you are drinking them all day is probably a good thing) but if you want them stronger they will make them so, and you will discover how rough the liquor really is! The Corona beer is however excellent. The missus who is a wine buff could not stomach the red wine and the white was about bearable with tonic.Entertainment and activities at the Riu were of a poor quality (although the Riu band and the 'brought in' entertainment was good). It was pretty much the same thing every day. The beach was nice but there were too many sunbeds. Nobody hassles you to buy anything and there are no timeshare hawkers. The water was OK temp wise but was not very clear. Next year I'm not bothering with AI but will go to Goa and B&B it instead. If you want a better experience from an AI hotel go to Superclubs Breezes CostaVerde in Cuba - its better and cheaper!
I do not understand bad reviews
by A TripAdvisor Member
I've seen some unflatering reviews concerning Riu Jalisco in Nuevo V. but I I think I know what kind of folks have written them. I guess everyone has an opinion, right?! My girl and I stayed here mid-March and loved it. The skinny- we ate everything in sight with no complaints, we drank all the cheap booze in our room bar AND at the pool bars, we brought down booze from our room to fire up our weak drinks on the beach. We blew off renting a car and did not take taxi's, we took the bus everywhere including Punta de Mita, Bucerias, Sayulita and PV for just $2 US each way. The busdriver even let me take my surfboard on the bus with no complaint. You have to stand on the side of the road at bus stops but what an adventure. You wont believe who you could meet. The Riu staff was the best and went out of there way to help always. We would tip our room service girl and she would do a little extra on the room daily. We were kind to everyone there and we were treated as family. Very clean place. Downside was resort guests walking into the restaurants with no shirts on etc.. our neighbor drank to much and got sick all over the hall, what a P-I-G. Try not to get a room that faces the inside courtyard as the noise at night (bars and kidstuff) will drive you crazy. There is no surfing here you have to go out to Punta de Mita by bus around 20 miles or so. There is nothing to do outside the Riu but you can walk the beach north to Bucerias a nice small town with lots to do, a 30-40 minute walk one way.
Overall Great -one minor problem
by A TripAdvisor Member
Stayed at the Rio Jalisco from April 11 to the 18. The Riu was very clean, food was excellent, staff were all friendly. Staff had a hard time keeping children out of the adult pool as towards the end of our week the hotel filled up with families. We have never stayed in a resort that did not have washrooms in or near the restaurants and lounges. The Riu had no washrooms by the adult pool and bar nor were there any at three of the four restaurants. Just a little odd.
Fabulous Holiday
by A TripAdvisor Member
We just returned from the Riu where we were from March 18-25th. We had a fabulous time and found all aspects of the holiday to be top notch -- food, hotel room, entertainment, facilities. We were puzzled when we read the review below from "weatherston" and wondered whether we had even been at the same hotel. The so-called "non-existant" kids club had a schedule every day of the week beginning at 10:30 until 1:00 (including lunch) and then again from 3:00 to 4:30. The activities were varied and included a sandcastle contest, mini-olympics, birthday parties etc. There was even an opportunity to be in a kids "show" one night on the stage...this was a huge thrill for our kids as they had rehearsals, costumes etc. and received a certificate with their name printed on it for participating. As for the restaurants, we tried them all (and we DO count the buffet restaurants as "actual" restaurants). The variety of fresh food was staggering. Far from eating only "pizza and french fries", our kids (ages 4 and 7) also ate a variety of pastas, freshly cooked-to-order chicken, fish, quesadillas, beautiful salads, veggies (cooked and raw), cheeses, not to mention the nightly fresh carvery with roast beef and other roasted meats. The adults ate all this plus much much (too much!!) more! We ate one night at the Brazilian (fancy) restaurant and enjoyed it very much as well, but viewed it as more of a "special treat" rather than something that we wanted to do more than once during the week. Overall, we thought the variety and quality of the food was one of the highlights of the hotel (and this is our 3rd time to Mexico with kids).We had a wonderful holiday and would return without hesitation.
Forum Posts
Riu Jalisco
by bailey1000
We are looking to stay at the Riu Jalisco in PV.
Any thoughts on this resort would be great.
Also, we can't decide between the Breezes Jibacoa in Cuba and the Riu Jalisco. Has anyone been either one or both? Any feedback would be great.
Sign in with Facebook
