820 rooms. A new family layout that sleeps six in a single room. A brand-new American restaurant. A new ice cream parlour. And a new name.
The resort formerly known as the Riu Jalisco is now the Riu Flamingos, following a comprehensive top-to-bottom renovation that has reimagined nearly every corner of the property — and elevated it into one of the more family-focused all-inclusive resorts on Mexico’s Pacific coast.
The new name is a nod to the property’s location in the heart of the Flamingos Condominium, the upscale residential and resort enclave that anchors this stretch of the Riviera Nayarit, overlooking the famed Banderas Bay. The renovation was completed at the end of 2025, with the hotel reopening for the 2026 season under its new identity.
Why the New Name
The rebrand is more than a cosmetic exercise.
According to RIU, the new name reflects both the property’s privileged location within the Flamingos area and the scale of the transformation the resort has undergone. It’s a familiar pattern across the broader all-inclusive market — where a major investment cycle often comes paired with a repositioning, particularly when the goal is to signal to repeat guests and travel advisors that the property has fundamentally changed.
In this case, the change is substantial. The 35-year-old Riu Jalisco has effectively been rebuilt around a new layout, a new aesthetic and a new core audience — large families.
What’s New
The refurbishment has been substantial.
The Riu Flamingos now has a total of 820 rooms, the result of 120 new rooms added during the renovation — a significant expansion that positions it as one of the larger all-inclusive properties on the Riviera Nayarit.
The biggest functional change is the introduction of new family rooms that can sleep up to six people, designed to accommodate larger families without partitioning the space — a meaningful upgrade for one of the most-requested guest categories at all-inclusive resorts across Mexico. Travelers familiar with the family resort segment will recognize how much this matters; a single open room that sleeps six (rather than two connecting rooms or a suite with a divider) is one of the more difficult product categories to deliver at the all-inclusive price point, and one of the most requested.
The design has also been fully refreshed. The renovation leans into a more contemporary aesthetic across both the public spaces and the guest rooms, with an emphasis on maximizing natural light and opening up the common areas. The result, according to RIU, is a more modern, more open property that takes better advantage of the Banderas Bay setting.
The pool deck, the beachfront access points and the resort’s signature common areas have all been touched as part of the renovation, with the brand emphasizing a brighter, more spacious feel across the property.
The Food and Drink
The dining lineup has been refreshed alongside the rooms.
The new American Country restaurant joins the lineup as one of the property’s signature additions, serving classic American cuisine in a fully redesigned setting — a useful addition for the resort’s growing US guest base. The new Candy ice cream parlour has been added as a casual, family-friendly snack venue, positioned to appeal to families with kids. And the existing buffets across the property have all been completely revamped, with refreshed concepts, updated menus and the kind of design improvements that have become increasingly central to how guests evaluate the all-inclusive experience.
The food and beverage refresh comes as RIU continues to invest more heavily across its dining program globally, with newer signature concepts being introduced across the brand’s flagships in Mexico, the Caribbean and beyond.
It’s a meaningful upgrade for a property positioning itself more aggressively in the family all-inclusive category, where dining variety has become an increasingly important differentiator. Travelers booking family all-inclusive trips tend to evaluate properties heavily on the dining lineup — and the broader the menu, the better the chances of pulling in repeat business.
Where It Fits in RIU’s Riviera Nayarit Strategy
The relaunch is part of a broader investment cycle for RIU Hotels & Resorts on the Riviera Nayarit, where the brand has been steadily refreshing its entire portfolio.
The Hotel Riu Vallarta completed a full renovation of its facilities in 2019. The Hotel Riu Palace Pacifico was relaunched in 2023 with the introduction of exclusive services including an adults-only positioning and access to the brand’s Elite Club. And the Hotel Riu Flamingos now joins them in 2026 as the family-focused flagship of the brand’s Pacific coast lineup.
The result is one of the more cohesive all-inclusive brand presences on this stretch of Mexico’s Pacific coast — with RIU now offering a clear product range across the destination, from family-friendly large-format to adults-only premium.
The strategy is consistent with how RIU has been operating across its global portfolio: a steady cadence of refurbishments designed to keep the brand’s core properties competitive without rebuilding from the ground up. The brand currently operates more than 100 hotels across more than 20 countries, with a particularly deep footprint across Mexico and the Caribbean, where the all-inclusive model has the strongest market position.
Why Riviera Nayarit, Why Now
The Riviera Nayarit has been one of the strongest-performing destinations in Mexico over the last several years, drawing growing US, Canadian and European arrivals to its mix of long Pacific beaches, established luxury resorts, surf towns and the increasingly buzzy Punta Mita enclave just to the north.
The destination’s airlift remains strong through nearby Puerto Vallarta International Airport — about 30 minutes from the Riu Flamingos — with nonstop service from across the United States on American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines and others, alongside meaningful service from Canada on WestJet and Air Canada, and a deep domestic Mexican lineup. It’s one of the most-served airports in the country.
The Flamingos area itself has emerged as one of the more dynamic stretches of the Riviera Nayarit, with the area’s championship golf at Flamingos Golf Club and El Tigre, established beach access along Playa Flamingos, and proximity to both the colorful Bucerías village just north and the larger Nuevo Vallarta development just south making it a strong fit for the family-focused positioning that the new Riu Flamingos is leaning into.
Beyond the immediate area, travelers staying at the Riu Flamingos are within easy reach of Sayulita — the surf town that has become one of Mexico’s most-talked-about destinations — as well as San Pancho, Punta Mita and the broader stretch of beach towns that have come to define the Riviera Nayarit’s identity.
The Bigger Picture
The relaunch of the Riu Flamingos lands at a moment of particularly strong momentum for the Riviera Nayarit.
The destination has been steadily climbing the Mexico tourism rankings, with record visitor numbers driven by both the established Puerto Vallarta-Riviera Nayarit travel corridor and the growing appeal of the more boutique, more lifestyle-driven stretch of coast north of the airport. The hotel pipeline has continued to deepen across price points, with luxury openings at Punta Mita and Litibú at the high end and refreshed family-focused all-inclusive properties — including the new Riu Flamingos — anchoring the broader mid-market.
For RIU, the timing also lines up well with the brand’s ongoing repositioning across its global portfolio, which has emphasized refurbishment, family product, dining diversification and the introduction of exclusive services like the Elite Club premium tier.
Prices at Riu Flamingos
So what does it cost to stay here? I found rates of $776 for four nights on the Riu website. That’s for a double standard room with a balcony or a terrace.
For a family room, the price goes up to about $208 per night. A family room with a sea view will run you about $264 per night. Either way, it’s pretty serious value.
Karen Udler
2026-05-27 19:32:00