Riu Jalisco Reviews

This is the fourth Riu Hotel we have stayed in and definitely the poorest. The maid and restaurant service and quality of food were inconsistent. I had booked a surprise champagne meal at one of the restaurants to celebrate our wedding anniversary and they completely messed it up. They lost the reservation and looked blankly at us on our arrival.

The worst part of the holiday was that although the hotel claimed to be a family hotel it was bombarded by groups of young US people who came for 2 or 3 days to get completely drunk with the associated rudeness, noise and obnoxious behaviour that goes with that. This was at the end of May/early June so whether it is seasonal. I'm not sure.

They were rude to staff and guests and made a lot of noise day and night.

We would definitely not recommend this hotel.

My wife and I are relatively well-travelled and have visited many AI resorts over the past few years. We have been firmly of the opinion that while reviews are interesting, as a result of people's diversity everyone has their own expectations. I think a lot of the negative feedback on the Jalisco is from North Americans who do not seem to differentiate between privately booked five star hotels and package tour five star hotels and hence have a much higher expectation.

Our holiday was booked with First Choice, with direct flight from Manchester to Puerto Vallarta. We had upgraded to Premium class and were well looked after and comfortable: No queuing for check-in at either end is great. Having said that, the Star (standard) class cabin on their long haul flights has slightly wider seats and slightly more leg room than standard package tours, as I witnessed during a walk through the 'plane.

The Club hotel Riu Jalisco is at the north end of Nuevo Vallarta, a 'purpose-built' resort of hotels and condominiums with a shopping mall at its centre, and has no shops within walking distance. A taxi to the mall was 80 pesos, but for 'real' shopping or town life, a visit to Puerto Vallarta will cost about 180 pesos by taxi or if you feel adventurous, take the bus from the hotel immediately next door for 30 pesos. Building work next door, and close by, has little impact on your enjoyment.

It is a large hotel, which would possibly be noticeable in high season, and caters mainly for Americans, Canadians, Mexicans then Europeans. This is by no means a complaint but is probably a result of travelling distance. This was our second stay in a Riu group hotel and we were not disappointed. We found all the staff to be friendly and helpful - civility costs nothing and I think some of the complaints about staff were where the complainants forgot that. The food was of good quality and variety, and would become repetitive only if you treated yourself to gourmand six course dinners.

There were theme nights in the main restaurant with Asian, Mediterranean and Mexican themes. The Nayarit restaurant, which has to be booked between 7:00 and 8:30 for the same evening, has a Brazilian theme and is a meat-fest. It was enjoyable, but may require dieting in preparation. Wine with the meals is part of the AI and should not be expected to be connoisseur or vintage quality; it is palatable, and I found the red more so. Drinks throughout the hotel will be made to your requirement and if you like them a little stronger or with less/no ice, just say so. Noise after midnight in the corridors can be an irritation and must be difficult for the hotel security to curtail; its just a pity some people forget that they are not the only ones on holiday. We had room 6140 looking onto the well-kept gardens through the centre of the hotel. There was a slightly musty smell but certainly not overwhelming. The beds were very firm but we slept well on them. If you have any requirements - extra towels, glasses or bottles of water, a call to reception gets it sorted. During the rainy season, insect activity is at a high. If you do not bring repellent with you, buy 'Off' when you are near a pharmacy as it is very effective. Evening entertainment would benefit from more variety but again must be difficult when they are trying to satisfy a multi-national audience. It is generally either an audience participation fun theme or dance performance by accomplished dancers. The animation team works very hard throughout the day and are not as pushy as some we have encountered. Quite often, they announced at the end of the evening's entertainment that they were going to a club in Puerto Vallarta and interested parties should join them in reception at 23:45. Next to the Nayarit restaurant, there is a Disco which opens after the evening's entertainment )but is more popular nearer 01:00). There are two large swimming pools: One with a pool bar, for adults only and the other for both children and parents. Fresh beach towels available as required.

The First Choice representative was Sandra D. , a Canadienne who was very helpful. She was not pushy with the trips which was refreshing, however the trips were very popular getting booked up during our first week. We went on four (all through Vallarta Adventures; vallarta-adventures com): Swim with dolphins, Las Caletas boat trip, Sierra Madre off-road in ex-army lorries and a Cultural experience by air to two towns in the high Sierras - Mascota and Talpa. The guides were very knowledgeable, friendly and fun, and we had a great time. Trip transfers to Vallarta Adventures in Nueva Vallarta were not included in the price of the trips: This was the result of a transport 'war' between the tour operators/hotels and local taxi drivers. If you are confident with on-line booking and payment, it will be significantly cheaper to book your trips this way rather than at the hotel. However, you are not likely to accompany other hotel guests if you book this way.

In summary, this is a comfortable, well-run, large hotel with good staff, enjoyable food and a relaxed atmosphere. The standard is what one would expect of an all-inclusive 4+ rating.

Liked: Hotel and staff.
Disliked: Remoteness

4.5 out of 5

We were told the worst part of this holiday was the flight (nearly 15hrs with a stop at Dom Rep), this proved to be true, so did the part about it all being worth it,trust me it was.One word about the flight do not waste the money on the upgrade if flying air 2000,it is not worth the money, go for the extra legroom this may prove a better option.

On arrival at the impressive Riu the check-in was easy and very fast, allowing us to get to our room, showered and down to the evening meal.The staff were kind and helpful at all times during our stay.We left a doller every day for our room maid which ensured a different type of animal made out of towels every evening.The food was impressive and plentyful each day with the different resturants providing all types of food and drink-wine and beer and ice-cream all to be had either by waiter or by help yourself.

The mini bar and drink optics in the room was a nice touch,no catch there it really is what it says.The evening entertainment was different to say the least however it was enjoyable and watchable-remember it is hard to please all the people all of the time.We did a couple of tours,the tour of the area was ok and the swim with the dolphins was a once in a lifetime experience,worth the money.We also did the 'Rhythum of the night' which was a nice peaceful trip on the way out and a bit more lively on the way back in.We used the local buses twice which is not hard to do-it is a lot cheaper and more local in keeping than using a taxi,just ask for details at reception they are very helpful and will give you all directions.One word of caution-in the old town of Peurto Vallarta there are plenty of Mayan Palace time share sharks knocking around,they are not nasty however it gets a bit annoying being asked every 3 steps,the easy way around this was a trip to the nearest bar-easy isn't it.

I think you must be hard pushed not to enjoy this holiday and the hotel,if i was to give a negitive comment it would be the loudness of our American friends that is just their way i know, but if that is the only bad part so be it-to keep this holiday in perspective we had a hurricane vist whilst we were there and it did not make a difference to holiday.If you do decide on this location/holiday you will not be dissappointed.

Flew from Gatwick to Puerto Vallarta via Puerto Plata, DM. Fifteen hours! After arriving at Puerto Vallarta airport it takes ages to get your bags, get your visas and then they make you open your bags to look for food! If we were to go again, we would check in with the rep on arrival then get a taxi to the hotel (only 120 pesos) to save all the hanging around waiting for the transfer bus to move off. We were the only drop off and as we drove up the hotel we were amazed by the size. It looked huge and very very spectacular. The reception area of the hotel is gorgeous. Check in was fairly quick but the room we were allocated (1101) smelt and felt damp. We asked for another room but could not move until a day later. We actually moved from the second room they allocated as this was at the side of the hotel overlooking the drive way to the next door hotel (noise from taxis, etc.) plus the air conditioning units are to the front of the hotel and they are extremely noisy so we could hear those too! Then they were going to move us to a room that was next to the ice making machines (extremely noisy). We also heard that rooms situated by the lifts were noisy too. Our third room was lovely (3127) with a large balcony overlooking the beautiful courtyard and gazebo with partial sea view.

Rooms

The rooms are very nice and decorated in yellow with red wood furniture (plenty of drawers). We had two double beds pushed together which was fine as although the floors were tiled, the beds did not move. There are rooms that have king size beds in them. The balcony doors also have mosquito blinds on them too which is a great idea but the air conditioning will not work if the balcony doors are open. There is a ceiling fan too and we found it to be too cold to have the air conditioning and the fan on. We had to put the spare blankets on the bed at night time. In the bathroom area is the fridge (stocked with water, beer, 7UP, Fanta and Pepsi (regular - you need to leave a note for the maid to get diet). The optics (full size) are tequila, gin, vodka and rum and we thought they were very poor quality (guaranteed hang over material) but we didn't actually drink that much from them. The shower is very powerful but the shower unit does not drain very quickly and fills up with water so you are standing in soapy water up to your ankles. There is also a hairdryer in the bathroom which is surprisingly very powerful. There are plenty of towels and face clothes too and the maids will usually make animals out of them and put them on your bed. We left our maid little gifts and about 20 pesos every other day.

Food

There are two large buffet restaurants that mirror each other in what they serve each day. You eat breakfast and dinner there. There is so much choice for breakfast and stuff that you just would not think of eating. They also serve fresh fruit smoothies and the chef will make you a fresh omelette too. The waiters come to your table and bring you a jug of coffee or tea. Lunch is at the beach steak house or the Nayarit restaurant. There is also a daily barbecue and the fish (Mondays I think) is just gorgeous. There is usually always something to suit ranging from salads, rice, pasta to chips, pizza and burgers. You can eat at the Nayarit restaurant once a week during your stay and you need to make the reservation in the buffet restaurant early in the morning. We went to it but the food is the same every day and to be honest, not that spectacular for the only speciality restaurant on site. The food at the beach steak house is also the same in the evening but it is a nice setting for your evening meal and the waiters will make a speciality coffee for you (very nice) which they set fire to.

Drinks/entertainment

There are three main bars open in the evening (two until 12 midnight). The bar at the steak house is open for the duration of the evening meal sitting and you can get wine, beer and soft drinks at the two buffet restaurants. There is a bar on the same level as reception too which is a quite bar (after about 7:00pm). There is a disco open until 2:00am which is free as are the drinks. The bar staff will make you up anything you want at the main bars. They will also try and make you drink lots of tequila shots too. They make up a very lethal mixture that they set fire to and you drink it down in one with a straw (before the straw melts). The entertainment is not that great - they mime to everything like Grease but we didn't go for the hotel entertainment so it didn't bother us.

Pools/beach

We noticed that the loungers and parasols around the pool got snapped up (reserved) very early but we never thought it was that busy around the pool. We sat on the beach and we were always able to get our usual place every day (there is quite a bit of shade too from the palm trees). There is a free towel service too. There were always plenty of loungers on the beach. There are two pools and the bigger one is the noisier (has a swim up bar too). There is a Jacuzzi in both pools. You can body board, kayak or canoe free for one hour a day. The sea is quite rough with quite a strong undercurrent. The beach is not private and you can walk up and down past the other neighbouring hotels, apartments.

Hotel and grounds

Just beautiful. It is rated a five star but not graded in the brochure yet as it is a new hotel. We think it will definitely be a four star (suns) plus. It is one of the best hotels in the area we think. The grounds are tended to every day. There is a beautiful gazebo and water feature in the middle of the courtyard which looks spectacular. Great backdrop for your holiday photos. Could not fault the hotel design, layout or grounds in any way. The sunsets are pretty spectacular too.

Trips

We went to Las Caletas on the catamaran, swan with dolphins (great experience) and went whale watching (waste of money in our opinion). The other trips we heard were good were the trip to San Sebastian and the Marietas island trip. We thought that all the trips were overly priced particularly as you have to make your own way by taxi to the pick up point. But you have to do the trips otherwise you are stuck in the hotel. There is nothing around the hotel with the nearest town (Bucherias) being a good walk away (you can get to it by walking along the beach) but there is not a great deal there (flea markets selling the usual silver etc.). The resort of Nuevo Vallarta itself is a taxi ride away (60 pesos) but we heard there were nice restaurants there. We also went into Puerto Vallarta for the day shopping. So many shops all selling the same thing. It actually does your head in after a while. The silver is cheaper than in the UK but still expensive and you have to bargain with them and stand your ground. Lots of bars and restaurants too so a good place to go in the evening if you fancy a change.

Summary

All in all we had a great two weeks at Riu Jalisco and were very sad to leave. We would highly recommend this hotel and we want to go back in October. We met a lot of lovely people from our flight and a lot of Canadians and Americans too (the Brits are very much in the minority and the Americans and Canadians make up the majority). If you are going to the Riu Jalisco you will have a really great time. Strangely, we did hear people complaining whilst we were there about the food, the drinks etc. but it is a large hotel and it must be very hard to cater so much food for so many people. The people complaining were Americans and all we can say is that 5 star hotels in the USA must be out of this world if they didn't think the Riu was 5 star. As the hotel is new it looks quite pristine. Maybe in a few years it may have lost its sheen. They are developing the area quite heavily and in a few years time the pacific coast line will probably be another Cancun. Enjoy it now whilst it is still very quiet (if you like it like that).