Hotel Riu Vallarta
Hotel Riu Vallarta is a large, five-star family all-inclusive on Flamingos Beach in Nuevo Nayarit, built in 2006 and fully refurbished for its November 2019 reopening, when all 678 rooms were redone and a new lobby and restaurants went in. It does what big Riu properties do well: a 24-hour all-inclusive that really runs around the clock, four pools including a children's pool with slides and a swim-up bar pool, free towel and lounger service, a reserved beach area with Balinese beds you can book, and enough organised fun that nobody has to plan anything. The Pacific setting buys you west-facing sunsets and a wide golden beach, and costs you calm water.
Traveler Insights
Pros
- +The all-inclusive genuinely runs 24 hours. Food and drink are available around the clock rather than through a narrow late-night snack window, which is the single biggest practical difference between this and most resorts at the same price
- +Six dining venues and you can learn them in a day: Don Rafael for the main buffet with live cooking stations and themed nights three times a week, Kulinarium for gourmet a la carte dinners, Nirvana for Asian, Il Gusto for Italian, a Steakhouse doing buffet lunch and a la carte cuts at dinner, and Pepe's Food grilling poolside for anyone who does not want to change out of a swimsuit
- +Four pools, including a children's pool with slides and an outdoor pool with a swim-up bar, with towels, parasols and loungers all free, plus a reserved beach area where the hotel sets out its own loungers and you can book a Balinese bed
- +Direct access to Flamingos Beach, which is wide, golden and long enough for a proper walk, and faces west for the sunsets that Caribbean resorts cannot offer
- +Family programming is built in rather than bolted on: the RIU Land kids' club, Fun4All inclusive entertainment, RIU Fit classes for adults, nightly shows and live music, an on-site nightclub, and the themed RIU Party events the chain is known for
- +Renova Spa for treatments, a gym, and free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel rather than in the lobby only, which is still not a given at this price
- +Good base for the Riviera Nayarit side of the bay. You are in Flamingos, within a short drive of the Nuevo Vallarta marina and the area's golf courses, roughly 15 km north of Puerto Vallarta's airport, and this is one of the cheaper beachfront all-inclusives in the corridor
Cons
- −This is the open Pacific, not a sheltered bay. The surf is often too rough for comfortable swimming, and 2026 guests who loved the pools describe the sea as the weak point on windy days. Watch the flags and plan on the pools as your main water
- −There is no room service. A 2026 guest called it out specifically, and nothing in the inclusions covers in-room dining, so a quiet night in means a walk to Pepe's Food or the buffet
- −Several of the themed restaurants are buffets rather than a la carte. Nirvana and Il Gusto serve buffet-style, which leaves Kulinarium and the Steakhouse as the proper sit-down dinners. Opinions on the food split hard, with some travelers calling the variety the best part of the stay and others rating it among the weakest they have had at an all-inclusive
- −Rooms are functional, not stylish. Every one was refurbished for the November 2019 reopening and each has a balcony or terrace, a minibar and a safe, but the finish is plain and a standard double gets tight once four people and their luggage are in it
- −Golf is nearby, not on site. The Flamingos and Nuevo Vallarta courses are a short drive with their own green fees, so do not book expecting to walk out to a first tee
- −It behaves like the 678-room resort it is. Loungers get claimed early in high season, the entertainment carries across the property into the evening, and service gets stretched at peak, with warm praise for individual staff and complaints about how few of them there are at the busiest hours
- −Flamingos is a resort strip, not a town. Old Town Puerto Vallarta and the Malecon are roughly 20 to 30 minutes away by taxi depending on traffic, and there is little to walk to beyond the neighbouring hotels and the marina
Dining runs across six venues: Don Rafael for the buffet with live cooking stations and themed nights three times a week, Kulinarium for gourmet a la carte dinners, Nirvana for Asian, Il Gusto for Italian, a Steakhouse that goes buffet at lunch and a la carte at dinner, and Pepe's Food as the poolside grill. Worth knowing before you go that Nirvana and Il Gusto are buffets, so the proper sit-down dinners are Kulinarium and the Steakhouse. Guest opinion on the food genuinely splits, with the steakhouse and the Italian the most often named favourites and the buffet the most often criticised. Service draws the pattern you would expect at this scale, with specific staff named warmly in reviews and complaints that there are too few of them when the resort is full. Rooms are the least exciting part: refurbished, with a balcony or terrace, minibar and safe, but plain, and tight for a family of four.
Book it for a family holiday where the beach, the pools and the price matter more than the finishes, and for a short transfer from Puerto Vallarta's airport. Couples who want the same stretch of sand without children should look at Riu Palace Pacifico, which reopened as an adults-only Palace property after a full refurbishment, and the obvious family alternative is Riu Jalisco next door on the same beach. Off property you have the Nuevo Vallarta marina, the area's golf courses and whale watching in winter close by, with Old Town Puerto Vallarta and the Malecon a 20 to 30 minute taxi ride south when resort fatigue sets in.
Common Questions
Is there an adults-only pool, and can teenagers use the main pool?
Is the beach swimmable?
Which restaurants are a la carte, and do I need reservations?
Is there room service?
How does it compare to Riu Jalisco next door?
Can we get into downtown Puerto Vallarta?
Restaurants (6)
| Type | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| Buffet | Don Rafael |
| Italian | Il Gusto |
| Asian | Nirvana |
| Steakhouse | Steakhouse |
| American & grill | Pepe's Food |
| International & fusion | Kulinarium |
From the resort's own dining pages. Only restaurants the resort lists are shown. All are covered by the all-inclusive rate, per the resort.
What's nearby
Zona Romántica30 min drive · 15 mi
Los Muertos Beach30 min drive · 15 mi
30 min drive · 15 mi
Marina Vallarta20 min drive · 9.4 mi
Conchas Chinas Beach30 min drive · 16 mi
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church25 min drive · 14 mi
More things to do (24)
- Whale watching (December to March) · excursion20 min drive · 9.4 mi
- Sunset sail from Marina Vallarta · excursion20 min drive · 9.4 mi
- Splash Water Park · water park10 min drive · 4.7 mi
- Las Caletas beach day trip · excursion20 min drive · 9.4 mi
- Destiladeras Beach · beach25 min drive · 12 mi
- Camarones Beach · beach25 min drive · 13 mi
- Playa Litibú · beach35 min drive · 19 mi
- Puerto Vallarta Malecón · town25 min drive · 14 mi
- Paradise Village Marina · marina7 min drive · 3.0 mi
- Flamingos Golf Club · golf9 min drive · 3.2 mi
- Bucerías · town9 min drive · 4.2 mi
- Aquaventuras Park · water park12 min drive · 5.3 mi
- La Cruz de Huanacaxtle · town20 min drive · 8.0 mi
- La Manzanilla Beach (La Cruz) · beach20 min drive · 8.8 mi
- Evening show and dinner at Las Caletas · excursion20 min drive · 9.4 mi
- Sport fishing charter · excursion20 min drive · 9.4 mi
- Marina Riviera Nayarit (La Cruz) · marina20 min drive · 8.6 mi
- Islas Marietas and Hidden Beach boat trip · excursion20 min drive · 8.6 mi
- Playa de Oro · beach25 min drive · 11 mi
- Estero El Salado · nature25 min drive · 11 mi
- Boca de Tomates Beach · beach25 min drive · 8.3 mi
- Vidanta Greg Norman Golf Course · golf25 min drive · 8.3 mi
- Marina Vallarta Golf Club · golf25 min drive · 10 mi
- Playa Los Tules · beach25 min drive · 12 mi
Amenities
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Google Reviews★ 4.4 · 9,714 reviews
“Staying at this resort was great! I miss it everyday. Pros: -The staffs and the people were nice. -Location was great since the beach is pretty close by. I would recommend to walk during sunrise since it’s so beautiful and less people. -Foods were g...”
“This is a great resort. The food was all excellent- didn’t have a bad meal. We tried all the restaurants as there is no reservations. First come first served. Room was great- we had an ocean view and also could see the sunset from our room. But it’s...”
“We went for our first trip as a family with our almost 2 year old twins. The room was decent, balcony was bigger than expected, AC worked, mini bar and fridge were stocked. We spent every day at the beach and the pool in the morning. Dinner at the bu...”
