Hotel Riu Ventura - All Inclusive

“Would Visit Again for a Long Weekend”

Let's begin with I'd highly recommend this resort to friends and family for a long weekend and hope to return myself next year. GREAT: The facilities are exceptionally clean and constantly being retouched by staff throughout the day. The staff has been trained well on customer service. Everyone f… more

Let's begin with I'd highly recommend this resort to friends and family for a long weekend and hope to return myself next year. GREAT: The facilities are exceptionally clean and constantly being retouched by staff throughout the day. The staff has been trained well on customer service. Everyone from the man taking the pool water sample to those you would expect in service jobs were very friendly. The beds were the right mix of firm but comfortable for me. We found blankets in the closet and the housekeeping staff made the bed with it each night after. The RIU app made housekeeping and minibar requests super easy. Loved having a drying rack on the porch and towel clips worked really well for keeping things from blowing away. Loved having a room (422) looking up the beach and over the beach club next to the resort. We could enjoy their music and entertainment in the afternoon when we were escaping the heat of the sun. LESS THAN GOOD: Yes, we did notice a slight sewer smell on occasion when in our hallway. That really was the only place we noticed it. We didn't notice it at the pool or on our balcony. Yes, there was sargassum on the beach. No, it didn't smell. Yes, it was picked up from the beach. And yes, we could see it in the water but it wasn't a solid mat like we did see further up the beach. Floor surfaces in the buffet were very slippery; walk with care. ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT: Some of the staff that was customer facing really struggled communicating. My travel companion often was unable to order what she wanted from bars and restaurants because of this. We also found the entertainment crew would give instructions in Spanish that seemed to contain a lot more information than the instructions given in English. Lastly, my travel companion lives in sobriety. We aren't sure if language was the barrier or if staff should be trained better, but adults ordering drinks without alcohol shouldn't be an opportunity to peer pressure someone into adding alcohol. SUGGESTIONS: Have a wrist band for adults who live in sobriety or have an allergy to alcohol. Have clocks visible from the various pools for sun exposure tracking purposes. Don't rely on QR codes as much because I don't always want to have my phone with me. OBSERVATIONS: As a mom of two young adults, I think this would be a great resort for those with kids seven and under. But I feel the eight - seventeen year olds may be bored unless you spend time together in the activity pool.

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