Hotel Details
- Various Lounges/Bars
- El Cerro
- El Estero
- Sports Bar
- La Plaza Bar
- Playa Bruja
- La Tambora
- Margarita
- Pepe's Foodv - Various Restaurants- Las Tres Islas- Bamboo- El Malecon- Tabasco- Las Gaviotas
- Standard
Bedding - 1 king bed or 2 queen beds
Bedding requests are not guaranteed. They are based on availability upon check-in.
Occupancy limits - 3 adults, 2 children, 4 total.
Maximum of 2 children through the age of 1 stay free in existing beds with at least 2 adults. Children 2 -12 are surcharged.- Air conditioning
- Balcony/Lanai/Terrace
- Bathtub/shower combination
- Cable television
- Ceiling fan
- Hair Dryer
- Iron
- Ironing board
- Minibar
- Safe
- Telephone
- TV
- Duplex
View - Partial Ocean
Bedding - 2 Sofa beds on the first floor and 1 king bed on the upper floor.
Occupancy limits - 6 adults, 4 children, 6 total.
Maximum of 4 children through the age of 1 stay free in existing beds with at least 2 adults. Children 2 - 12 are surcharged.
- Air conditioning
- Balcony/Lanai/Terrace
- Bathtub/shower combination
- Hair Dryer
- Iron
- Ironing board
- Minibar
- Safe
- Satellite television
- Telephone
- TV
- Standard Oceanview
Bedding - 1 king bed or 2 queen beds
Bedding requests are not guaranteed. They are based on availability upon check-in.
Occupancy limits - 3 adults, 2 children, 4 total.
Maximum of 2 children through the age of 1 stay free in existing beds with at least 2 adults. Children 2 -12 are surcharged.View - Ocean
- Air conditioning
- Balcony/Lanai/Terrace
- Bathtub/shower combination
- Ceiling fan
- Hair Dryer
- Iron
- Ironing board
- Minibar
- Safe
- Satellite television
- Telephone
- TV
- 2 Bedroom Standard Ocean View2 rooms connected through a private hallway with an exterior doorBedding - 1 king or 2 queen beds (each room)
Bedding requests are not guaranteed. They are based on availability upon check-in.
Occupancy limits - 6 adults, 4 children, 8 total.
Maximum of 2 children through the age of 1 stay free in existing beds with at least 2 adults. Children 2 -12 are surcharged.View - Ocean
2 rooms connected through a private hallway with an exterior door
- Air conditioning
- Balcony/Lanai/Terrace
- Bathtub/shower combination
- Hair Dryer
- Iron
- Ironing board
- Minibar
- Safe
- Satellite television
- Telephone
- TV
- Suite Jacuzzi Oceanview
Bedding - 1 king bed.
Occupancy limits - 2 adults, 0 child, 2 total.
Children not allowed in this room category
View - Ocean
- Air conditioning
- Balcony/Lanai/Terrace
- Bath tub with spray jets
- Ceiling fan
- Hair Dryer
- Iron
- Ironing board
- Jacuzzi
- Minibar
- Safe
- Satellite television
- Shower
- Telephone
- TV
- Family Room Oceanview
Bedding - 1 king bed and 1 double bed.
Occupancy limits - 4 adults, 3 children, 5 total.
Maximum of 3 children through the age of 1 stay free in existing beds with at least 2 adults. Children 2-12 are surcharged.View - Ocean
- Air conditioning
- Balcony/Lanai/Terrace
- Bathtub/shower combination
- Ceiling fan
- Hair Dryer
- Iron
- Ironing board
- Minibar
- Safe
- Satellite television
- Telephone
- TV
- Junior Suite Oceanview
Bedding - 1 king bed.
Occupancy limits - 2 adults, 0 children, 2 total.
View - Ocean- Air conditioning
- Balcony/Lanai/Terrace
- Bathtub
- Coffee/Tea Maker
- Hair Dryer
- Iron
- Ironing board
- Minibar
- Safe
- Satellite television
- Shower
- Telephone
- TV
- Standard Superior
Bedding: 1 King bed or 2 queen beds.
Bedding requests are not guaranteed. They are based on availability upon check-in.
Occupancy limits: 3 adults, 2 children, 4 total combined.
- Air conditioning
- Balcony/Lanai/Terrace
- Bathroom amenities
- Cable television
- Ceiling fan
- Hair Dryer
- Iron
- Ironing board
- Minibar
- Safe
- Shower
- Telephone
- 2 Bedroom Family Suite
Bedding: First room with 1 King bed and sofa bed and second room with 2 double beds.
Occupancy limits: 3 adults, 3 children or 4 adults, 2 children or 5 adults, 1 child or 6 adults. 6 total combined.
- Air conditioning
- Balcony/Lanai/Terrace
- Bathroom amenities
- Ceiling fan
- Direct dial phone number
- Hair Dryer
- Iron
- Ironing board
- Minibar
- Safe large enough to accommodate a laptop
- Satellite television
- Shower
- Wireless internet connection
- 2 Bedroom Family Suite Superior
Bedding: First room with 1 King bed, and second with 2 double beds and sofa bed.
Occupancy limits: 4 adults + 4 children or 5 adults + 3 children or 6 adults + 2 children or 7 adults + 1 child or 8 adults. 8 total combined
- Air conditioning
- Balcony/Lanai/Terrace
- Bathroom amenities
- Ceiling fan
- Direct dial phone number
- Hair Dryer
- Iron
- Ironing board
- Minibar
- Safe large enough to accommodate a laptop
- Satellite television
- Shower
- Wireless internet connection
- 24-hour front desk
- Accessible facilities
- Babysitting*
- Baggage hold
- Bell staff/porter
- Children programs
- Children welcome
- Children's play area
- Elevators
- Exercise gym
- 24-hour front desk
- Complies with Local/State/Federal laws for disabled
- Babysitting*
- Baggage hold
- Bell staff/porter
- Children programs
- Children welcome
- Children's play area
- Elevators
- Exercise gym
- Free high speed internet connection
- Game room
- Golf, Offsite*
- Housekeeping - daily
- Laundry/Valet service*
- Lounges/bars
- Meal Plan Type: All Inclusive
- Non-smoking rooms available
- Pool
- Restaurant
- Sauna*
- Spa*
- Wakeup service
- Water sports*
* Fees may apply
- Children's poolThere is a children's pool on-site.
- Fitness center on-site
- Hot tubThere are 2 outdoor hot tubs.
- Motorized Water Sports *
- Non-Motorized Water SportsCatamarans
Kayaking
Body board
1 introductory scuba diving lesson in the pool
- PoolThere are 5 pools on-site. This property has swim-up pool bars
- Sauna *
- Spa
- Golf *There is a golf course located within a mile of the property.
- Splash Water WorldAquatic park
- On-site EntertainmentDaytime entertainment program for adults (daily)
Shows, Riu evening program or live music (daily)
Complimentary entrance to "Pacha" night club and drinks (open six nights a week)
* Fees may apply
Property Information
Customer Ratings & Reviews
TripAdvisor Traveler Rating
6341 reviews
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May 23, 2026Fun stay at the RIU EMERALD HOTEL AND RESORT
Very nice and luxurious feel hotel and resort. Very friendly staff food is good drinks are good amd overall vibe was good aswell. My wife and kids enjoyed and had lots of fun just as i did. Definitely will be planning another trip to the Riu Emerald. 2 thumbs up.
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May 22, 2026
Mazaclan visit
The hotel is nice loves it and it’s beaches the only thing was the quality , varaiety and blandness of the food served at the restaurants in all three that I tried the food was exactly tha same every brackfast lunch and dinner the entire time I was there other than that it was nice
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May 15, 2026A fave. Great Service and Stunning Views — A Few Fixable Issues
We’ve stayed at this RIU five times now, as well as several other RIUs in the Vallarta area, and one thing that always brings us back is the incredible staff. They are truly the soul of this resort. From the bartenders to the servers to the front desk team, everyone was warm, attentive, and genuinely kind. They handled every small request quickly — extra towels, more water in the mini‑bar, anything we needed — always with a smile. A special touch that meant a lot to us: because they knew we were celebrating our anniversary, they left a sweet handwritten note and a lovely bottle of wine in our room. It was the first thing we saw when we walked in, and it set such a thoughtful, welcoming tone for our stay. Moments like that are exactly why we’ve returned so many times. The property itself is clean, well‑maintained, and offers some of the most beautiful sunsets you’ll ever see. The views alone make this location feel special. That said, there were two areas that didn’t quite meet the 5‑star standard this time. The food quality was fine — there was always something to eat — but it didn’t have that standout, memorable quality we’ve experienced at other RIUs. The bigger issue for us was the lack of English‑language TV options. There were no English movie channels, no ability to change the language, no subtitles, and no casting options — only news and sports. After a hot, long day outside, it’s nice to come back to the room, cool off, and unwind with a movie, and this made that surprisingly difficult. For us, this is almost a deal‑breaker, simply because room comfort matters on vacation. We still love the staff, the views, and the overall atmosphere of this resort. With improvements to the food and especially the in‑room entertainment options, this would easily return to being a perfect stay for us.
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May 05, 2026
Overall decent experience
Overall good experience, were not able to book any restaurant reservations, sometimes short on food and cooks wouldn’t want to make more, half of the staff weren’t not friendly. Lots of activities for families, shows at night activities at the pools, beach is nice and clean not big waves.
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Apr 28, 2026
Was a nice hotel
But your elevators need repair or replaced. Often they would be going down and would pass people waiting to go down. They are old and show their age. The best restaurant in the hotel was the cafeteria style restaurant. The Special did not hold up. Would not would go back to any of them.
- AdvisoryStudent Groups/Spring Breakers (either groups or individuals, regardless of age) are not allowed at any time during the year. Guests disturbing or generating complaints from other guests or hotel may be removed from the property, at their own expense. Parties in rooms are not permitted.
- Check In: 3:00 PM
- Check Out: 11:00 AM
- Minimum Check-In Age: 18
- General Policies:
Check-in Policy - Deposits or credit/debit card hold authorizations are not requested at check-in. "Minimum age of 18 is required for check-in, an ID/Passport will be requested upon arrival.
Convention Policy : Groups traveling together can book this property for their stay taking advantage of group benefits such as 6th or 11th complimentary guest, Group dinner reservation, One complimentary cocktail hour with a selection of appetizers, One complimentary massage for the group leader, Complimentary room upgrades to the next category, Fruit plate and bottle of wine for the VIP, Private check-in when arriving together, Welcome sign. Applicable with Wedding Collections and Social Packages. Consult terms & conditions.
Spring Break Policy - Student Groups/Spring Breakers (either groups or individuals, regardless of age) are not allowed at any time during the year. Guests disturbing or generating complaints from other guests or hotel may be removed from the property, at their own expense. Parties in rooms are not permitted.
Transfer Policy - A price may display when children stay free, if your vacation includes transfer to your hotel.
General Information - Room taxes and service fees are included in vacation price.
Minimum night stay restrictions may apply.
Reservation changes may not be permitted unless authorized by the hotel. - Pet Policy : Pets Not Allowed
- Early Departure Policy
- Early Departure Penalty:1 NightApplies: Sunday - Saturday 04Jul24 - 23Dec26
- Early Departure Penalty:1 NightApplies: Sunday - Saturday 24Dec26 - 31Dec50
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*Prices per person based on double occupancy including round-trip airfare via U.S. certified air carriers (unless otherwise stated), hotel taxes and baggage handling, fuel surcharges, and all pre-collected U.S. and foreign taxes. Round-trip airport/hotel transfers are included in Mexico (excluding Loreto), Central America and many Caribbean Islands. Transfers not included for air-only passengers. Prices valid on new bookings only and in some instances, pricing may specifically apply to one of multiple flights on select departure days. All packages are based on the lowest hotel/air classes available at time of publication, capacity controlled, subject to availability and change without notice. Promotional pricing may only be available for a limited time. Restrictions & black -out dates may apply. Fees may apply for carry-on and checked baggage-view Baggage Policies. Some resort fees, environmental levies and departure taxes are not included and may be payable in resort. View Frequently Asked Questions for more information. Apple Vacations is not responsible for errors or omissions. Bookings are subject to the current General/Cancellation Terms & Conditions. All public charter flights Allegiant Air: PC 20-070/PC 21-043; Swift Air: PC 21-056; Viva Aerobus: PC 20-081; Volaris: PC 20-099 are operated by ALG Vacations Corp. Apple Vacations materials (including, but not limited to, names, trademark, service marks, logos, marketing materials, etc.) shall not be used, reproduced, transmitted or distributed in any way, except with the express written consent of Apple Vacations. CST2139014-20. This information is current as of June 3, 2021.