Hotel Riu Palace Costa Rica — Family Review
Sardinal, Costa Rica · 5-star · 4.2/5 (7,775 reviews)
- Kids club
- Beachfront
- Water park
- All-inclusive
- Connecting rooms
- Sleeps up to 8
- Infant-friendly
- Spa
Hotel Riu Palace Costa Rica is a 5-star family-friendly resort in Sardinal, Costa Rica, about 48 minutes from Liberia (LIR). For families, it offers a kids club, direct beach access, a water park, connecting rooms, rooms that sleep up to 8, cribs on request and a spa. Guests rate it 4.2/5 across 7,775 reviews. KindredTrips ranks complete trips here — flights plus hotel — by total cost for your exact family and dates.
Quick verdict
| Best for | Families with toddlers and preschoolers · Kids who live for waterslides · Big families (rooms sleep up to 8) · Beach-first trips |
|---|---|
| Not ideal for | Families who need every detail confirmed up front — verify specifics when booking |
| Best ages | Infants & toddlers, school-age kids, tweens & teens |
| Closest airport | LIR — Guanacaste (Daniel Oduber Quirós) International Airport |
| Transfer time | ~48 min |
| Kids club | Yes — minimum age not confirmed |
| Beachfront | Yes |
| Pools | Yes + water park |
| All-inclusive | Yes — live AI rates seen |
| Family room fit | Verified: Two Bedroom Family Suite sleeps up to 5 |
Family fit at a glance
| Star class | 5-star |
|---|---|
| Guest rating | 4.2/5 (7,775 reviews) |
| Location | Sardinal, Costa Rica |
| Nearest airport | LIR — Guanacaste (Daniel Oduber Quirós) International Airport |
| Airport transfer | ~48 min |
| Kids club | Yes — ages not confirmed |
| Beachfront | Yes |
| Pools | Yes — plus water park |
| All-inclusive | Yes — we've seen live all-inclusive rates |
| Infant-friendly | cribs available |
| Largest room sleeps | 8 |
| Connecting rooms | Available |
| Sofa beds | In some rooms |
| Booked with our partner as | Riu Palace Costa Rica - All Inclusive |
Why families like it
Based on the amenity fields we've confirmed for Hotel Riu Palace Costa Rica:
- A kids club
- Direct beach access
- A water park
- Connecting rooms
- Rooms that sleep up to 8
- Cribs on request
- A spa
Best for / skip if
Book it if…
- Families with toddlers and preschoolers
- Kids who live for waterslides
- Big families (rooms sleep up to 8)
- Beach-first trips
Skip it if…
- You want a guarantee on a specific room type — always confirm the exact room when booking.
Room fit for families
- Verified family room: Two Bedroom Family Suite — sleeps up to 5 (max 3 adults + 4 children), 2x Double bed + Queen bed, in one unit. Verified 2026-05 from the LiteAPI room catalogue; confirm the exact room for your dates when you book.
- Connecting rooms are available — a practical option for families of 5+ or trips with grandparents.
- Some rooms include sofa beds, which usually count toward the room's stated occupancy.
- Cribs are available, so an infant typically doesn't consume a bed spot.
- Suites are on the room map for extra space.
Room fit can still vary by date and party size. Search your dates and kids' ages to see which rooms actually fit your family.
Planning a family trip to Hotel Riu Palace Costa Rica
Hotel Riu Palace Costa Rica sits in Sardinal, Costa Rica. KindredTrips doesn't make you pick a destination first — enter your home airport, dates, and your kids' ages, and we compare the total cost of flying your family here against every other Caribbean resort we track, ranked together. Prices are live flight + hotel rates for your exact party, so the number you see is the trip you'd actually book.
Recent guest reviews
Real guest reviews of Hotel Riu Palace Costa Rica from our booking partners, with reviews from family travelers shown first. We show both what guests liked and what they'd warn you about.
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5/5This 5-star hotel is absolutely incredible.
Liked: A friend recommended this all-inclusive hotel to us, which I found very beautiful, so we decided to book it for a week. We also hired a tour operator to pick us up from the airport.
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5/5Riu Palace Costa Rica Resort + Best Tours in Guanacaste |…
Liked: Our second stay at Riu Palace Costa Rica was absolutely fantastic once again. Everything exceeded our expectations, from the delicious meals and entertainment to the excellent bar service and the lovely staff members who always made us feel welcome.
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4/5Ok but the CR people made it…
Liked: The Costa Rican (CR) people are PURA VIDA. The Riu Palace's rooms are dated, but we had an ocean view. In my opinion, the buffet was better than the other restaurants on the property.
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1/5Avoid: Safety Breaches, Outdated Rooms, and Misleading "Adults Only"…
Liked: I recently stayed at the Riu Palace Guanacaste with a group of six (3 rooms), and it was a massive disappointment. We chose this "Palace" level resort for a premium experience, but what we got was an outdated property with serious management issues.
Similar family resorts in Costa Rica
Matched on family features, star class, and use case — not just proximity.
- El Mangroove, Autograph Collection
- Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort, Costa Rica
- The Westin Reserva Conchal, an All-Inclusive Golf Resort & Spa
- JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort & Spa
- Planet Hollywood Costa Rica
- Margaritaville Beach Resort Playa Flamingo
- Hotel Riu Guanacaste
- Dreams Las Mareas Costa Rica
See all family resorts in Costa Rica →
Hotel Riu Palace Costa Rica appears in
- Best All-Inclusive Caribbean Family Resorts
- Best Caribbean Resorts with a Kids Club
- Best Caribbean Family Resorts with a Water Park
- Best Beachfront Caribbean Family Resorts
- Best Infant-Friendly Caribbean Resorts
- Best Caribbean Resorts for a Family of 5
- Best Caribbean Family Resorts with Connecting Rooms
Hotel Riu Palace Costa Rica FAQ
Does Hotel Riu Palace Costa Rica have a kids club?
Yes — Hotel Riu Palace Costa Rica has a kids club, but we don't have a confirmed minimum age on file, so check with the resort if you're traveling with a child under 4.
Is Hotel Riu Palace Costa Rica all-inclusive?
We've seen live all-inclusive rates for Hotel Riu Palace Costa Rica through our booking partners. Board types can vary by room and date — run a search with your dates to see which plans are currently offered.
How far is Hotel Riu Palace Costa Rica from the airport?
Hotel Riu Palace Costa Rica is roughly 48 minutes by road from Liberia (LIR). Actual transfer time varies with traffic and transfer type.
Can Hotel Riu Palace Costa Rica sleep a family of 5?
Yes — the Two Bedroom Family Suite sleeps up to 5 (max 3 adults + 4 children) in one unit, and connecting rooms are available for bigger groups. Verified 2026-05 from the LiteAPI room catalogue; confirm the exact room for your dates when you book.
Is Hotel Riu Palace Costa Rica good for toddlers?
Hotel Riu Palace Costa Rica shows toddler-friendly signals in our data: cribs are available, there's a kids club. Always confirm kids-club minimum ages directly.
How much does a trip to Hotel Riu Palace Costa Rica cost?
It depends on your origin airport, dates, and party — so we don't publish static prices. Run a KindredTrips search and we'll price live flights plus live hotel rates for your exact family, and rank this resort against every other Caribbean option by total trip cost.