All You Need to Know About the Laundry Service
at Hotel Riu Jalisco
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Laundry Service review highlights
... No clocks, paper, pens or irons in the rooms. Laundry service is available. Wake up calls are made manually and...
... and say yes and then don`t do as asked. Don`t use the laundry service it takes days !!!! FOOD & BEVERAGE - Cross...
... your clothes during your stay, they have an on-site laundry service that will return your clothes clean, hung on hangers,...
Most popular question about the laundry service
What equipment is in the gym? What kind of fitness classes are offered daily? Also, how much is laundry service and are pesos or American dollars preferred?
Answer from Joylee
Dec 2023 |
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Reviews that mention laundry service
Write a reviewPreface: Please pardon typo and spelling errors. Our luggage was misdirected at O’Hare Airport and we were imprisoned at the International Terminal for two hours until we had our bags at 2:20am. I am very tired.
This two part review will deliver information that you might find helpful, followed by my personal vacation delights.
A tip before arriving at PVR, a black or blue pen is needed to complete customs/immigration paperwork on the plane. Be sure to take a pen with you for your flight.
FACILITY:
All the rooms were very clean in general. In fact, the entire resort is very clean with lushly manicured grounds. Extremely polite, unobtrusive workers maintain the beautiful resort aesthetics. The region is tropical or semitropical and humidity can be a problem. With that in consideration, I don’t want the following feedback regarding our room to discredit the resort unfairly. Please read this section completely before drawing conclusions.
Room #1: Smelled like cleaning/disinfecting chemicals initially upon entering. Stepped out onto the balcony for a few minutes and identified a moldy musty odor when we returned to the room. It prompted a room change request. No phone numbers posted for the reception desk, no answer after dialing “0”. I stayed and waited for luggage in our room while my husband went to talk to someone at the desk. He successfully obtained a different room and phoned me from the desk with the new room number. When I answered the phone, the handset cradle was filthy/moldy looking.
Room #2: Worse than room #1; triggered respiratory allergic response. It became my turn to deal with the desk, as I believed it was a health hazard. I requested an air purifier, but only four were available for the entire resort. My first encounter at the desk for an air purifier and a room change were met by an agreeable worker. He then left me and went to exchange money and settle a bill with two other customers. After standing around for 10-15 minutes I reapproached him, he denied that I ever spoke to him and acted too busy to continue our conversation. It drew the attention of another desk clerk who spoke English. After explaining the situation, the clerk stated that PVR is in a tropical environment the high humidity can result in natural consequences. I initially viewed this as a lame excuse. After speaking to guests of newer neighboring resorts, mustiness seems common and of little significance to those I spoke with. The clerk changed our room again and promised an air purifier that never materialized.
Room #3: Faint musty odor without physiologic response. The odor either dissipated during our stay, or we became accustomed to it, as it was not noticeable at the end of our stay at the resort.
In the defense of the resort, I also noticed a musty odor outside from time to time. It is possible that either mustiness is a natural unavoidable occurrence or I have a very sensitive sniffer.
Summary: If sensitivity to mustiness is a problem, either phone the resort ahead of time and speak to the concierge to secure an air purifier; hopefully one will be waiting for you. Or bring a small air purifier from home, or take a trip to PVR Wal-Mart and purchase one during your stay. The concierge was very helpful during our stay when the clerks at the desk cared less and language barriers created additional difficulty.
No clocks, paper, pens or irons in the rooms. Laundry service is available. Wake up calls are made manually and therefore prone to human error, but we did not encounter any problems with our wake up. No posted numbers on the room’s phone, requiring personal visits to the desk for information and obtaining necessary telephone extensions. No house phones within the resort can pose a problem with communication when party members are separated. We failed to pack toothbrushes and phoned the reception desk inquiring about complementary brushes. We were told that someone would bring toothbrushes to our room. After waiting an hour, we returned to the desk to learn that they do not furnish complementary toothbrushes. We were able to purchase brushes from the lobby shop at a reasonable price.
The shows change every night. Some shows are better than others, some seen drawn out and boring. Only one gripe from my end, directed at one performer. The tambourine player for the band, looked bored and never cracked a smile, no eye contact, and made it obvious that she did not want to be there as she kept checking the time on her watch during her performance. It was painful to watch and I usually spent the time during her performance writing my notes from the day. On Friday, the last evening of our stay, the different woman accompanied the band. She displayed more talented and related to the audience.
We had wonderful massages at the spa. Nuvia was my massage therapist and she did a great job. The spa receptionist tipped us off on a discount if we applied for RIU card. It is not a credit card and does not require credit information. The card is free, ask the concierge.
STAFF:
The RIU concierge seated at a table handled our questions and concerns once we discovered his presence. He recommended a website for travel information and suggestions, but I misplaced the referral; I believe it was: puertovallarta.com. The reception desk personnel speaks minimal English and handles conflict by walking away and attending to other guests at the desk. I later learned that one should tip the concierge for their service. I was not aware of it at the time.
Workers throughout the resort were very pleasant and will smile back at you. Obviously hard working, they make every effort for your experience to be a pleasant one.
OFF PREMISES:
According to a Mexican tour guide, Puerto Vallarta is the third safest city in Mexico.
Timeshare sales people unexpectedly hunt customers in places you would least expect. They present themselves as helpful, polite, well groomed locals. The greeter at Wal-Mart was exceptionally friendly until his sales pitch emerged. Wolves in sheep’s clothing, they attempt to nab unsuspecting vacationers as they attempt to leave the airport upon arrival in Puerto Vallarta. Even while waiting for a bus at a major transportation hub, a friendly young man initiated a conversation. Within fifteen minutes, the conversation took an unsuspecting twist. He offered us tickets to an excursion if we agreed to attend a 75 minute sales presentation. We’ve heard that the presentations promised to be of 75-90 minutes in duration are actually 3-4 hours long. We met guests who agreed to give their time in order to receive free or discounted excursions. Most of those people had lengthier vacations lasting a week or more. Someone who plans a shorter stay might want to think through to the real cost of their time.
Many excursions to pick from, varying in time, cost, and fitness levels. No one we spoke with seemed disappointed with their excursion selections. Be sure to bring the suggested items for the tour. Our Apple rep said that I would do okay on the Sierra Madre Expedition with sandals, he was wrong. It increased my risk of an injury.
Nuevo Vallarta is probably twenty miles from Puerto Vallarta. A taxi to Wal-Mart is about $25US each way. The bus costs $1.50 each way to and from Wal-mart. An additional fifty cents will get you to downtown Puerto Vallarta from Wal-Mart. We hopped on the bus right outside the resort, stopped at Wal-Mart and then went onto to downtown PVR with no problems. Even though we were the only tourists on the buses filled with locals, we felt safe. The language barrier on the bus made it a little difficult to know when we arrived in the downtown area. During our ride, we learned through hand gestures accompanied with minimal Spanish, that the Church of Guadalupe is called “Iglesia de Guadalupe” and “donde” means where. We especially enjoyed the return bus trip, dropping off workers at various resorts throughout the Marina and Nuevo areas. However, many guests at the resort were reluctant to try the bus. Perhaps it was easier for us to try as we live in a large metropolitan area where mass transit is a common form of commuting.
May is entering the dry period, in June heavy rains begin. The best time to see PRV is said to be November-February. The forests were dried out, the resort maintained its lush grounds.
COMMUNICATIONS:
Cell phone: Our carrier is Verizon and it was necessary to contact them and activate access for Mexico. Roaming is 0.69/minute plus Mexican carrier charges. Cell phone coverage is reportedly poor, and we heard of rumored rates of $3/minute. We also heard that it was cheap to text, but we turned our phones off. I don’t know whether there is a charge for using the phones alarm clock, we did not take that chance.
Walkie-talkies kept us in communication when we were separated at the resort, since there are not house phones available anywhere except in the elevators. I highly suggest walkie talkies.
We returned to the International Terminal at O’Hare airport at 12:30 am. Our luggage, along with everyone else’s luggage on that flight was misdirected to the domestic terminal. During the two hour wait for luggage, we could not leave the terminal, no cell phone use is allowed and phones reportedly would be confiscated if usage occurred. It was a very frustrating situation for travelers with waiting limos, taxis, friends, and family members, or for those facing a lengthy car ride during the wee hours of the morning following the flight. There is no method to communicate with the outside from the International Terminal. Since the International Terminal is a secured area, we could not leave the terminal and return. Families have to clear customs/immigration as a group; one person can not leave and update the waiting drivers. The baggage eventually dribbled into the terminal on baggage carts. The national security alert was at level orange on this particular day, I don’t know if the rules are different when security is at the yellow level.
MONEY:
Traveler’s checks can be cashed for pesos only at the hotel for an exchange rate significantly lower than the bank in Puerto Vallarta. Within the resort, change received for purchased items is in pesos only, and you lose some money there due to the exchange rate at the hotel. The resort will not convert pesos to US dollars. We heard that most credit cards charge an additional 5% fee for purchases in Mexico, but this has not been verified. It is something to look into if you plan to spend some serious money.
American money and travelers checks can be exchanged with a favorable rate at a bank in downtown PVR.
Bring plenty of singles and five dollar bills. Tipping is extremely important for the resort employees as the wages are unbelievably meager, and tourism is a major industry. Supposedly a very small allotment of the resort package price goes toward tips. However, some employees make extra effort to meet the needs of guests, and these people should be recognized. Typically, $5/day if you like the cleanliness of your room and it kept stocked with beverages and toiletries, acknowledge special attention at specialized buffet/carving stations, specialty drinks. Attentive waiters look forward to rewards for their service.
Rumor says that the Melacon, the flea market area in Puerto Vallarta raises their prices when cruise ships arrive on either Tues/Wed or Thurs/Fri and the vendors price their wares rigidly. Many of the same items are sold by booths occasionally set up at the hotel. We were told contrary information by other guests; some say the prices were better at the hotel, and others claim they got a better deal at the flea market in Puerto Vallarta. Our intentions did not include shopping, so I cannot tell you anything of certainty. I initially looked forward to rumors of shopping splendor, but after browsing saw little of interest.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY:
Bring along a light sweater, it is cooler in the evening and the constant coastal breeze can be somewhat chilling at times.
Evening attire is typically dressier, especially for women. Diners with reservations at the ala carte restaurant(s) were quite dressed up: black dresses, evening bags, strappy high healed sandals, halter dresses, sparkly tops, linen slacks. The sign up time for reservations is during a brief period each morning. We failed to do so and cannot comment first hand, but heard that it was a pleasant dining experience. If you wear shorts and a tank top in the evening, you might feel underdressed.
The resort serves to host a broad range of guests. Friendly people of all shapes, sizes, ages, skin color, dialect, and to a lesser degree sexual preference enjoy the resort to its fullest. If you’ve never had the guts to wear a bikini without feeling self conscious, here’s your chance. If you look fabulous when you hit the beach or pool, you will definitely enjoy turning a few heads.
It was obvious by blistering sunburns that the extremely intense Puerto Vallarta sun victimized many of the vacationers. We had good luck with Neutrogena Ultrasheer SPF 55. It screens both UVA and UVB rays. My husband is of Scandinavian descent and easily suffers sunburn. He pinked a bit, but faired much better with this particular Neutrogena product than with other sunscreens. It is a little more expensive than others, but worth the price. My husband also wore a tee shirt most of the time, even in the water.
If you have curly or wavy hair or a tendency for dry hair, forget trying to style your hair as the humidity will have its way in the end. Steps to avoid looking like Harpo Marx:
-Moisturizing shampoo
-John Frieda Frizz Ease Take Charge mousse.
-A little gel to hold it together
-Lay on your back and let your hair hang over the edge of the bed and scrunch it.
-Pull it back with a headband.
-Banana clips work if your hair is long enough
Fresh papaya is offered at all buffets. It is a delicious healthy food, but we heard that it can have laxative effects in some people who over indulge.
Things I enjoyed and hope to remember for a long time:
We spent an evening on the lounging on the beach watching a beautiful sunset over the mountains across the bay while listening to the waves crash at our feet.
After the sunset, we watched the stars come out, one by one. It felt like we were on the fringe of our planet.
We both saw our first shooting star! Actually we saw two shooting stars!! As said earlier, we live in a large metropolitan area and shooting stars are difficult to see. Stars in general are difficult to see due to tall buildings and bright lights around our home town. Or maybe it was a comet? It was faint and traveled fast. Awesome.
Enjoyed the tantalizing beach during the day; the heat of the sun as the cool breeze from the bay washes over you.
Ice cream. Flavored creamy hand scooped treats at Don Emiliano buffet at the resort.
Lots of fresh guacamole
Polite respectful Mexican people.
The concierge, someone that we could communicate with. He was very professional and helped pull our vacation together nicely.
Our excursion into the mountains. Tiny villages living very simple lifestyles.
David our tour guide. His passion for nature, history, Mexican people and tequila.
The beaches actually glisten golden as the tide recedes, leaving intricate patterns in the sand.
My husband’s joy for winning the air rifle competition at the resort.
This two part review will deliver information that you might find helpful, followed by my personal vacation delights.
A tip before arriving at PVR, a black or blue pen is needed to complete customs/immigration paperwork on the plane. Be sure to take a pen with you for your flight.
FACILITY:
All the rooms were very clean in general. In fact, the entire resort is very clean with lushly manicured grounds. Extremely polite, unobtrusive workers maintain the beautiful resort aesthetics. The region is tropical or semitropical and humidity can be a problem. With that in consideration, I don’t want the following feedback regarding our room to discredit the resort unfairly. Please read this section completely before drawing conclusions.
Room #1: Smelled like cleaning/disinfecting chemicals initially upon entering. Stepped out onto the balcony for a few minutes and identified a moldy musty odor when we returned to the room. It prompted a room change request. No phone numbers posted for the reception desk, no answer after dialing “0”. I stayed and waited for luggage in our room while my husband went to talk to someone at the desk. He successfully obtained a different room and phoned me from the desk with the new room number. When I answered the phone, the handset cradle was filthy/moldy looking.
Room #2: Worse than room #1; triggered respiratory allergic response. It became my turn to deal with the desk, as I believed it was a health hazard. I requested an air purifier, but only four were available for the entire resort. My first encounter at the desk for an air purifier and a room change were met by an agreeable worker. He then left me and went to exchange money and settle a bill with two other customers. After standing around for 10-15 minutes I reapproached him, he denied that I ever spoke to him and acted too busy to continue our conversation. It drew the attention of another desk clerk who spoke English. After explaining the situation, the clerk stated that PVR is in a tropical environment the high humidity can result in natural consequences. I initially viewed this as a lame excuse. After speaking to guests of newer neighboring resorts, mustiness seems common and of little significance to those I spoke with. The clerk changed our room again and promised an air purifier that never materialized.
Room #3: Faint musty odor without physiologic response. The odor either dissipated during our stay, or we became accustomed to it, as it was not noticeable at the end of our stay at the resort.
In the defense of the resort, I also noticed a musty odor outside from time to time. It is possible that either mustiness is a natural unavoidable occurrence or I have a very sensitive sniffer.
Summary: If sensitivity to mustiness is a problem, either phone the resort ahead of time and speak to the concierge to secure an air purifier; hopefully one will be waiting for you. Or bring a small air purifier from home, or take a trip to PVR Wal-Mart and purchase one during your stay. The concierge was very helpful during our stay when the clerks at the desk cared less and language barriers created additional difficulty.
No clocks, paper, pens or irons in the rooms. Laundry service is available. Wake up calls are made manually and therefore prone to human error, but we did not encounter any problems with our wake up. No posted numbers on the room’s phone, requiring personal visits to the desk for information and obtaining necessary telephone extensions. No house phones within the resort can pose a problem with communication when party members are separated. We failed to pack toothbrushes and phoned the reception desk inquiring about complementary brushes. We were told that someone would bring toothbrushes to our room. After waiting an hour, we returned to the desk to learn that they do not furnish complementary toothbrushes. We were able to purchase brushes from the lobby shop at a reasonable price.
The shows change every night. Some shows are better than others, some seen drawn out and boring. Only one gripe from my end, directed at one performer. The tambourine player for the band, looked bored and never cracked a smile, no eye contact, and made it obvious that she did not want to be there as she kept checking the time on her watch during her performance. It was painful to watch and I usually spent the time during her performance writing my notes from the day. On Friday, the last evening of our stay, the different woman accompanied the band. She displayed more talented and related to the audience.
We had wonderful massages at the spa. Nuvia was my massage therapist and she did a great job. The spa receptionist tipped us off on a discount if we applied for RIU card. It is not a credit card and does not require credit information. The card is free, ask the concierge.
STAFF:
The RIU concierge seated at a table handled our questions and concerns once we discovered his presence. He recommended a website for travel information and suggestions, but I misplaced the referral; I believe it was: puertovallarta.com. The reception desk personnel speaks minimal English and handles conflict by walking away and attending to other guests at the desk. I later learned that one should tip the concierge for their service. I was not aware of it at the time.
Workers throughout the resort were very pleasant and will smile back at you. Obviously hard working, they make every effort for your experience to be a pleasant one.
OFF PREMISES:
According to a Mexican tour guide, Puerto Vallarta is the third safest city in Mexico.
Timeshare sales people unexpectedly hunt customers in places you would least expect. They present themselves as helpful, polite, well groomed locals. The greeter at Wal-Mart was exceptionally friendly until his sales pitch emerged. Wolves in sheep’s clothing, they attempt to nab unsuspecting vacationers as they attempt to leave the airport upon arrival in Puerto Vallarta. Even while waiting for a bus at a major transportation hub, a friendly young man initiated a conversation. Within fifteen minutes, the conversation took an unsuspecting twist. He offered us tickets to an excursion if we agreed to attend a 75 minute sales presentation. We’ve heard that the presentations promised to be of 75-90 minutes in duration are actually 3-4 hours long. We met guests who agreed to give their time in order to receive free or discounted excursions. Most of those people had lengthier vacations lasting a week or more. Someone who plans a shorter stay might want to think through to the real cost of their time.
Many excursions to pick from, varying in time, cost, and fitness levels. No one we spoke with seemed disappointed with their excursion selections. Be sure to bring the suggested items for the tour. Our Apple rep said that I would do okay on the Sierra Madre Expedition with sandals, he was wrong. It increased my risk of an injury.
Nuevo Vallarta is probably twenty miles from Puerto Vallarta. A taxi to Wal-Mart is about $25US each way. The bus costs $1.50 each way to and from Wal-mart. An additional fifty cents will get you to downtown Puerto Vallarta from Wal-Mart. We hopped on the bus right outside the resort, stopped at Wal-Mart and then went onto to downtown PVR with no problems. Even though we were the only tourists on the buses filled with locals, we felt safe. The language barrier on the bus made it a little difficult to know when we arrived in the downtown area. During our ride, we learned through hand gestures accompanied with minimal Spanish, that the Church of Guadalupe is called “Iglesia de Guadalupe” and “donde” means where. We especially enjoyed the return bus trip, dropping off workers at various resorts throughout the Marina and Nuevo areas. However, many guests at the resort were reluctant to try the bus. Perhaps it was easier for us to try as we live in a large metropolitan area where mass transit is a common form of commuting.
May is entering the dry period, in June heavy rains begin. The best time to see PRV is said to be November-February. The forests were dried out, the resort maintained its lush grounds.
COMMUNICATIONS:
Cell phone: Our carrier is Verizon and it was necessary to contact them and activate access for Mexico. Roaming is 0.69/minute plus Mexican carrier charges. Cell phone coverage is reportedly poor, and we heard of rumored rates of $3/minute. We also heard that it was cheap to text, but we turned our phones off. I don’t know whether there is a charge for using the phones alarm clock, we did not take that chance.
Walkie-talkies kept us in communication when we were separated at the resort, since there are not house phones available anywhere except in the elevators. I highly suggest walkie talkies.
We returned to the International Terminal at O’Hare airport at 12:30 am. Our luggage, along with everyone else’s luggage on that flight was misdirected to the domestic terminal. During the two hour wait for luggage, we could not leave the terminal, no cell phone use is allowed and phones reportedly would be confiscated if usage occurred. It was a very frustrating situation for travelers with waiting limos, taxis, friends, and family members, or for those facing a lengthy car ride during the wee hours of the morning following the flight. There is no method to communicate with the outside from the International Terminal. Since the International Terminal is a secured area, we could not leave the terminal and return. Families have to clear customs/immigration as a group; one person can not leave and update the waiting drivers. The baggage eventually dribbled into the terminal on baggage carts. The national security alert was at level orange on this particular day, I don’t know if the rules are different when security is at the yellow level.
MONEY:
Traveler’s checks can be cashed for pesos only at the hotel for an exchange rate significantly lower than the bank in Puerto Vallarta. Within the resort, change received for purchased items is in pesos only, and you lose some money there due to the exchange rate at the hotel. The resort will not convert pesos to US dollars. We heard that most credit cards charge an additional 5% fee for purchases in Mexico, but this has not been verified. It is something to look into if you plan to spend some serious money.
American money and travelers checks can be exchanged with a favorable rate at a bank in downtown PVR.
Bring plenty of singles and five dollar bills. Tipping is extremely important for the resort employees as the wages are unbelievably meager, and tourism is a major industry. Supposedly a very small allotment of the resort package price goes toward tips. However, some employees make extra effort to meet the needs of guests, and these people should be recognized. Typically, $5/day if you like the cleanliness of your room and it kept stocked with beverages and toiletries, acknowledge special attention at specialized buffet/carving stations, specialty drinks. Attentive waiters look forward to rewards for their service.
Rumor says that the Melacon, the flea market area in Puerto Vallarta raises their prices when cruise ships arrive on either Tues/Wed or Thurs/Fri and the vendors price their wares rigidly. Many of the same items are sold by booths occasionally set up at the hotel. We were told contrary information by other guests; some say the prices were better at the hotel, and others claim they got a better deal at the flea market in Puerto Vallarta. Our intentions did not include shopping, so I cannot tell you anything of certainty. I initially looked forward to rumors of shopping splendor, but after browsing saw little of interest.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY:
Bring along a light sweater, it is cooler in the evening and the constant coastal breeze can be somewhat chilling at times.
Evening attire is typically dressier, especially for women. Diners with reservations at the ala carte restaurant(s) were quite dressed up: black dresses, evening bags, strappy high healed sandals, halter dresses, sparkly tops, linen slacks. The sign up time for reservations is during a brief period each morning. We failed to do so and cannot comment first hand, but heard that it was a pleasant dining experience. If you wear shorts and a tank top in the evening, you might feel underdressed.
The resort serves to host a broad range of guests. Friendly people of all shapes, sizes, ages, skin color, dialect, and to a lesser degree sexual preference enjoy the resort to its fullest. If you’ve never had the guts to wear a bikini without feeling self conscious, here’s your chance. If you look fabulous when you hit the beach or pool, you will definitely enjoy turning a few heads.
It was obvious by blistering sunburns that the extremely intense Puerto Vallarta sun victimized many of the vacationers. We had good luck with Neutrogena Ultrasheer SPF 55. It screens both UVA and UVB rays. My husband is of Scandinavian descent and easily suffers sunburn. He pinked a bit, but faired much better with this particular Neutrogena product than with other sunscreens. It is a little more expensive than others, but worth the price. My husband also wore a tee shirt most of the time, even in the water.
If you have curly or wavy hair or a tendency for dry hair, forget trying to style your hair as the humidity will have its way in the end. Steps to avoid looking like Harpo Marx:
-Moisturizing shampoo
-John Frieda Frizz Ease Take Charge mousse.
-A little gel to hold it together
-Lay on your back and let your hair hang over the edge of the bed and scrunch it.
-Pull it back with a headband.
-Banana clips work if your hair is long enough
Fresh papaya is offered at all buffets. It is a delicious healthy food, but we heard that it can have laxative effects in some people who over indulge.
Things I enjoyed and hope to remember for a long time:
We spent an evening on the lounging on the beach watching a beautiful sunset over the mountains across the bay while listening to the waves crash at our feet.
After the sunset, we watched the stars come out, one by one. It felt like we were on the fringe of our planet.
We both saw our first shooting star! Actually we saw two shooting stars!! As said earlier, we live in a large metropolitan area and shooting stars are difficult to see. Stars in general are difficult to see due to tall buildings and bright lights around our home town. Or maybe it was a comet? It was faint and traveled fast. Awesome.
Enjoyed the tantalizing beach during the day; the heat of the sun as the cool breeze from the bay washes over you.
Ice cream. Flavored creamy hand scooped treats at Don Emiliano buffet at the resort.
Lots of fresh guacamole
Polite respectful Mexican people.
The concierge, someone that we could communicate with. He was very professional and helped pull our vacation together nicely.
Our excursion into the mountains. Tiny villages living very simple lifestyles.
David our tour guide. His passion for nature, history, Mexican people and tequila.
The beaches actually glisten golden as the tide recedes, leaving intricate patterns in the sand.
My husband’s joy for winning the air rifle competition at the resort.
Read more
Read less
Value
Location
Cleanliness
Check-in / front desk
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
ROOMS - These were clean, tidy, OK and acceptable. Great having a free mini bar in your room !
POOLS - Poor quality in terms of cleanliness and debris. One pool is supposed to be adult only, but isn`t. Pool users stand around drinking, smoking, throwing tab ends in the pools and at night there is evidence of sex (i.e. condoms floating etc.)
RECEPTION - Don`t seem to know what they are doing. They nod and say yes and then don`t do as asked. Don`t use the laundry service it takes days !!!!
FOOD & BEVERAGE - Cross contamination of red and white meats and bread and vegatables was witnessed in the open cooking areas. Staff didn`t wear gloves for food prep or serving or wash their hands when they should. Food was below average standard, often served luke warm. Mexcican `restaurant`is only a buffet ! The `brazillian`is only turkey and one type of steak and the steakhouse near the beach is just not worth a visit. Saying this..................breakfast was excellent though !!!
We demanded to move to the Riu Vallarta which is next door but one and compared to the Jalisco, this was like a 7* and the standards were excellent.
PS - We discussed the above with the Riu Jalisco management and they agreed with everything we have noted.....................they just said they were busy and had too many guests staying !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
POOLS - Poor quality in terms of cleanliness and debris. One pool is supposed to be adult only, but isn`t. Pool users stand around drinking, smoking, throwing tab ends in the pools and at night there is evidence of sex (i.e. condoms floating etc.)
RECEPTION - Don`t seem to know what they are doing. They nod and say yes and then don`t do as asked. Don`t use the laundry service it takes days !!!!
FOOD & BEVERAGE - Cross contamination of red and white meats and bread and vegatables was witnessed in the open cooking areas. Staff didn`t wear gloves for food prep or serving or wash their hands when they should. Food was below average standard, often served luke warm. Mexcican `restaurant`is only a buffet ! The `brazillian`is only turkey and one type of steak and the steakhouse near the beach is just not worth a visit. Saying this..................breakfast was excellent though !!!
We demanded to move to the Riu Vallarta which is next door but one and compared to the Jalisco, this was like a 7* and the standards were excellent.
PS - We discussed the above with the Riu Jalisco management and they agreed with everything we have noted.....................they just said they were busy and had too many guests staying !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Read more
Read less
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Check-in / front desk
Service
Business service (e.g., internet access)
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
The best description I can give this all-inclusive package is that it is very much like a cruise...without leaving land.
A lot of the negative comments you will read in other reviews are actually correct. The rooms smell like mildew, you cannot drink the tap water, the beds are hard, some of the food is mediocre, etc., etc., etc. But, that being said, like a cruise, you have a to sort of look at it as a whole picture, and cannot really pick it apart.
Like a cruise, no single element in an all-inclusive resort is likely to get a 5 star rating, but as a whole experience, can be really nice and hard to quantify with a number. For instance, our family loves camping in the desert. And, were you to rate desert camping in terms of food and accomodations, it wouldn't even rate a 2....but we still love the whole experience.... So, I think a lot of the negative reviews are not really looking at this resort as the total experience it should be taken as.
That being said, here are some logistical notes of our stay in late June that may be helpful and may not have appeared in other reviews:
1. This is not the best resort for people who like to sleep-in late. Dinner reservations (for the couple of restaurants that require them) must be made early in the morning. Also, the maids could knock on your door as early as 9:00 AM unless you place a "do not disturb" sign. Finally, breakfast is over at 10:30 and there is no real "brunch" except for one restaurant located near the beach which is the least appealing of the 5 included restaurants.... This apparent lack of accomodations for people who want to sleep in some while on vacation is something that the hotel should address. This is "vacation" after all.....
2. There is no ATM on site. The nearest one is located about a 5 minute walk to the adjacent hotel and only dispenses in pesos. The next closest seems to be about 20 minutes away in the town of Puerta Vallarta. Being a tourist from another country, this makes things difficult. Also, the front desk cashier will normally only break any large bills down in pesos. I had to use my credit card out of necessity a couple of times, but probably would not do that again. So I definitely recommend taking plenty of cash with you, preferrably in small bills, and expect to deal in pesos sometime during your trip.
3. If you need to refresh your clothes during your stay, they have an on-site laundry service that will return your clothes clean, hung on hangers, and smelling nice in 48 hours for about what you'd pay for dry cleaning in the U.S. This was a necessity for me, and I found the service to be excellent. As an additional note, I even left my watch and some pesos in my pants pocket by accident, and everything was returned to me, which I thought was impressive.
4. Even though the deal is "all-inclusive", and even though it includes "gratutity", if you want better service than the average schmo, I highly recommend that you tip. We tipped our waiters, our bartenders, our maid, and pretty much anyone that assisted us in any way. We never saw a bill, so there is no way to really figure a percentage, but we usually laid out the U.S. equivalent of about $1 per person at meals and $1 per person at the bar and $1 per person for the daily maid to clean the room and stock the refrigerator with whatever drinks we wanted. I even recommend tipping in advance or at least putting the money on the table where it is visible to your server, and I think you'll find the level of attention you receive is elevated some and perhaps your drink will be a little more to your liking, etc. During my stay there, I witnessed a lot of shameful treatment of the staff there by tourists who seemed to think that the staff members were their slaves for the week or something.... So, I felt good about balancing things out with a little kindness and generosity.
5. Here's a friendly tip: The drinks tend to be...NOT so strong. So, when you order a drink, order TWO. It doesn't cost you any more, and you'll get double the alcohol content of one and not have to return to the bar as often. It took me about 5 days to finally figure that one out, so...there...,I just saved you some time. And, amusingly, they had a beach party once and actually took coconuts from the surrounding trees, opened them with knives, and put straws in them. You could take one for yourself and they even offered alcoholic fillers for them.... Very cool.
6. If you are sensitive to mosquito bites, they tend to get active when the wind dies down and things are still. I recommend taking some kind of repellent and using it whenever you go out. My wife and daughter got "eaten up" toward the end of the trip when the weather changed and things got still. That, of course, is not the fault of the resort. But it is a fact of this region and something you should know.
7. It's really true... You cannot drink the tap water. We even brushed our teeth with bottled water. No getting around this one. Again, no fault of the resort, I suppose. However, the restaurants and bars all offer filtered water and ice (so they say), and your maid service will stock your room refrigerator with bottled water, and you can take that water to the beach or pool if you want.
8. My wife and I chose the beautiful coconut tree lined beach over the pool...but my "kids", 18 and 20, went to the adult pool once and came back reporting that it is REALLY an "adult" pool, and didn't feel comfortable there and wound up only going to the beach the rest of the trip. There is a "kids pool" but that was too young for them. So, there may not be a really...acceptable...pool there for the teenage crowd. But, that's just my opinion.
9. Before going, we read the review about the noise level at night, and requested and got a location near the back / side, away from the elevators and a lot of the noise. Even so, there were still a few late night drunken vacationers who seemed intent on making spectacles of themselves in the hallways.... But, being toward the back / side seemed to help, and you might want to consider that.
10. The complaint of the room smelling of mildew is correct and was slightly bothersome to me. I suppose it has to do with the humidity, as I noticed the outside of our balcony door glass was covered in moisture every night. Running the AC and usually the fan as well is pretty much mandatory to keep the smell in check. Though my wife tells me it can be the same in Hawaii, so, whatever.... It's a small complaint I suppose.
11. My wife and I had a bedroom, as others have mentioned, that had two small beds pushed together to give the illusion of one large bed. I have never seen that before (?), and it is not too couple friendly.... But, again, a rather small complaint. And though the beds were sort-of hard, we requested and got extra pillows, and did sleep well at night.
12. The resort is very clean and photogenic. Be ready to take lots of pictures of its architecture, landscaping, and the ocean views. The sunsets are gorgeous. There are plenty of beach chairs, towels, and coconut shade trees to offer a relaxing venue for your whole stay. The ocean water is almost bathwater warm, and the soft sandy beaches bare-foot friendly (though sometimes a little hot). The UV rating is high, so bring a lot of sunblock and apply liberally and often!!! We all went home burnt and peeling... ha!
13. The food is pretty good. Again, a whole lot like the food you might get on a cruise. Because this resort seems to cater to an international crowd, you will not find any "authentic Mexican cuisine" here, unfortunately. However, there is a wide variety of menu items, and we never had a problem finding something for everyone's tastes. Breakfast was really good, the coffee and table wines are acceptable, and there was a large assortment of fresh fruit and freshly squuezed fruit juices. The pineapple was actually the best I have ever eaten. And, for dinner, the Brazillian restaurant (included, on-site) was the most...exotic. That one is a MUST DO.
14. Like a cruise, they have a good staff on on-site entertainers and activity hosts, as well as local vendors who set-up on the grounds 3 nights a week. There seemed to be an outdoors stage show almost every evening that was acceptable for all ages.
Okay, so those are some comments and tips. Hope they are helpful. All and all, it was a really good trip, especially for the price. Very relaxing. And I would do it again, and a little smarter this time. We are also looking at other locations offered by the Riu Resorts.
As long as you understand where you are and the package deal you are in, and if you can get beyond the idea of picking every detail apart and just relax into the whole picture, I think you'll have a good and relaxing time just as we did. The resort planners obviously did a good job of laying things out so that you are always close to food, bar / beverage, restrooms, shopping and entertainment. Also, the layout and good elevator access make navigating the site easy and fast.
Out of the country travel tips for first timers:
1. Call your bank and inform them that you are leaving the country and may be using your debit / credit card there. Otherwise, they will / may assume it was stolen and freeze your account and you will not be able to access money while you are there....! Not a good situation............ You need to call the bank at least 2 days before you depart and let them know when you are leaving and whe you will be returning. They will mark your account accordingly.
2. Make a photocopy of your passport and keep it separate from your original. When boarding the plane, make sure you have a pen with you as you will be filling out the required international travel paperwork while in the air, including your Customs form. If you are taking any purchased goods back home from the foreign country, before leaving make sure you write them all down on a piece of paper and note their value as you will need to list this information on your Customs claim forms while on the plane during your return flight.
A lot of the negative comments you will read in other reviews are actually correct. The rooms smell like mildew, you cannot drink the tap water, the beds are hard, some of the food is mediocre, etc., etc., etc. But, that being said, like a cruise, you have a to sort of look at it as a whole picture, and cannot really pick it apart.
Like a cruise, no single element in an all-inclusive resort is likely to get a 5 star rating, but as a whole experience, can be really nice and hard to quantify with a number. For instance, our family loves camping in the desert. And, were you to rate desert camping in terms of food and accomodations, it wouldn't even rate a 2....but we still love the whole experience.... So, I think a lot of the negative reviews are not really looking at this resort as the total experience it should be taken as.
That being said, here are some logistical notes of our stay in late June that may be helpful and may not have appeared in other reviews:
1. This is not the best resort for people who like to sleep-in late. Dinner reservations (for the couple of restaurants that require them) must be made early in the morning. Also, the maids could knock on your door as early as 9:00 AM unless you place a "do not disturb" sign. Finally, breakfast is over at 10:30 and there is no real "brunch" except for one restaurant located near the beach which is the least appealing of the 5 included restaurants.... This apparent lack of accomodations for people who want to sleep in some while on vacation is something that the hotel should address. This is "vacation" after all.....
2. There is no ATM on site. The nearest one is located about a 5 minute walk to the adjacent hotel and only dispenses in pesos. The next closest seems to be about 20 minutes away in the town of Puerta Vallarta. Being a tourist from another country, this makes things difficult. Also, the front desk cashier will normally only break any large bills down in pesos. I had to use my credit card out of necessity a couple of times, but probably would not do that again. So I definitely recommend taking plenty of cash with you, preferrably in small bills, and expect to deal in pesos sometime during your trip.
3. If you need to refresh your clothes during your stay, they have an on-site laundry service that will return your clothes clean, hung on hangers, and smelling nice in 48 hours for about what you'd pay for dry cleaning in the U.S. This was a necessity for me, and I found the service to be excellent. As an additional note, I even left my watch and some pesos in my pants pocket by accident, and everything was returned to me, which I thought was impressive.
4. Even though the deal is "all-inclusive", and even though it includes "gratutity", if you want better service than the average schmo, I highly recommend that you tip. We tipped our waiters, our bartenders, our maid, and pretty much anyone that assisted us in any way. We never saw a bill, so there is no way to really figure a percentage, but we usually laid out the U.S. equivalent of about $1 per person at meals and $1 per person at the bar and $1 per person for the daily maid to clean the room and stock the refrigerator with whatever drinks we wanted. I even recommend tipping in advance or at least putting the money on the table where it is visible to your server, and I think you'll find the level of attention you receive is elevated some and perhaps your drink will be a little more to your liking, etc. During my stay there, I witnessed a lot of shameful treatment of the staff there by tourists who seemed to think that the staff members were their slaves for the week or something.... So, I felt good about balancing things out with a little kindness and generosity.
5. Here's a friendly tip: The drinks tend to be...NOT so strong. So, when you order a drink, order TWO. It doesn't cost you any more, and you'll get double the alcohol content of one and not have to return to the bar as often. It took me about 5 days to finally figure that one out, so...there...,I just saved you some time. And, amusingly, they had a beach party once and actually took coconuts from the surrounding trees, opened them with knives, and put straws in them. You could take one for yourself and they even offered alcoholic fillers for them.... Very cool.
6. If you are sensitive to mosquito bites, they tend to get active when the wind dies down and things are still. I recommend taking some kind of repellent and using it whenever you go out. My wife and daughter got "eaten up" toward the end of the trip when the weather changed and things got still. That, of course, is not the fault of the resort. But it is a fact of this region and something you should know.
7. It's really true... You cannot drink the tap water. We even brushed our teeth with bottled water. No getting around this one. Again, no fault of the resort, I suppose. However, the restaurants and bars all offer filtered water and ice (so they say), and your maid service will stock your room refrigerator with bottled water, and you can take that water to the beach or pool if you want.
8. My wife and I chose the beautiful coconut tree lined beach over the pool...but my "kids", 18 and 20, went to the adult pool once and came back reporting that it is REALLY an "adult" pool, and didn't feel comfortable there and wound up only going to the beach the rest of the trip. There is a "kids pool" but that was too young for them. So, there may not be a really...acceptable...pool there for the teenage crowd. But, that's just my opinion.
9. Before going, we read the review about the noise level at night, and requested and got a location near the back / side, away from the elevators and a lot of the noise. Even so, there were still a few late night drunken vacationers who seemed intent on making spectacles of themselves in the hallways.... But, being toward the back / side seemed to help, and you might want to consider that.
10. The complaint of the room smelling of mildew is correct and was slightly bothersome to me. I suppose it has to do with the humidity, as I noticed the outside of our balcony door glass was covered in moisture every night. Running the AC and usually the fan as well is pretty much mandatory to keep the smell in check. Though my wife tells me it can be the same in Hawaii, so, whatever.... It's a small complaint I suppose.
11. My wife and I had a bedroom, as others have mentioned, that had two small beds pushed together to give the illusion of one large bed. I have never seen that before (?), and it is not too couple friendly.... But, again, a rather small complaint. And though the beds were sort-of hard, we requested and got extra pillows, and did sleep well at night.
12. The resort is very clean and photogenic. Be ready to take lots of pictures of its architecture, landscaping, and the ocean views. The sunsets are gorgeous. There are plenty of beach chairs, towels, and coconut shade trees to offer a relaxing venue for your whole stay. The ocean water is almost bathwater warm, and the soft sandy beaches bare-foot friendly (though sometimes a little hot). The UV rating is high, so bring a lot of sunblock and apply liberally and often!!! We all went home burnt and peeling... ha!
13. The food is pretty good. Again, a whole lot like the food you might get on a cruise. Because this resort seems to cater to an international crowd, you will not find any "authentic Mexican cuisine" here, unfortunately. However, there is a wide variety of menu items, and we never had a problem finding something for everyone's tastes. Breakfast was really good, the coffee and table wines are acceptable, and there was a large assortment of fresh fruit and freshly squuezed fruit juices. The pineapple was actually the best I have ever eaten. And, for dinner, the Brazillian restaurant (included, on-site) was the most...exotic. That one is a MUST DO.
14. Like a cruise, they have a good staff on on-site entertainers and activity hosts, as well as local vendors who set-up on the grounds 3 nights a week. There seemed to be an outdoors stage show almost every evening that was acceptable for all ages.
Okay, so those are some comments and tips. Hope they are helpful. All and all, it was a really good trip, especially for the price. Very relaxing. And I would do it again, and a little smarter this time. We are also looking at other locations offered by the Riu Resorts.
As long as you understand where you are and the package deal you are in, and if you can get beyond the idea of picking every detail apart and just relax into the whole picture, I think you'll have a good and relaxing time just as we did. The resort planners obviously did a good job of laying things out so that you are always close to food, bar / beverage, restrooms, shopping and entertainment. Also, the layout and good elevator access make navigating the site easy and fast.
Out of the country travel tips for first timers:
1. Call your bank and inform them that you are leaving the country and may be using your debit / credit card there. Otherwise, they will / may assume it was stolen and freeze your account and you will not be able to access money while you are there....! Not a good situation............ You need to call the bank at least 2 days before you depart and let them know when you are leaving and whe you will be returning. They will mark your account accordingly.
2. Make a photocopy of your passport and keep it separate from your original. When boarding the plane, make sure you have a pen with you as you will be filling out the required international travel paperwork while in the air, including your Customs form. If you are taking any purchased goods back home from the foreign country, before leaving make sure you write them all down on a piece of paper and note their value as you will need to list this information on your Customs claim forms while on the plane during your return flight.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Questions & answers about the laundry service
Answer from Joylee
Dec 2023 |
There is no self serve laundry., only send out and not cheap.
Check with Animation staff, lots of activities, exercises, yoga etc. gym soso.
Answer from farah i
Jan 2020 |
Yes to laundry
We were there a month ago weather was not too hot
We did have rain a couple of days
Tracy M asked a question Jul 2019
Answer from Joylee
Jul 2019 |
Others have said the price of dry cleaning at home. Not cheap.
1