Riu Palace Aruba - All Inclusive

I loved how close this property was to the town and airport. I booked a Junior suite with a partial ocean view. Upon check in, I was provided with a room that was NOT a Junior suite. The staff tried to explain that my original room (100 something) was considered a “suite”. This room also DID NOT have an ocean view. After discussing this with reception, there all of a sudden was an “cancellation” and I was then provided with the room I booked. Aruba is a small island and it’s nice that a lot of activities are within a 10-20 min drive. Staff were friendly and hospitable. Staff were willing to accommodate needs. I loved the multiple dining options. I wish you were able to make reservations at the restaurants for special events. I went for my birthday and “first come first serve” doesn’t work for someone who wants assurance for their birthday. I didn’t feel there was much accommodation for guests who spend $3,000 to stay at the property. Like I said, I stayed for my birthday and I wish there was better accommodations for what I can do to make it special. I also wish staff would provide new comers with more information about the island and make them want to engage & explore. I did do two excursions. They have people stationed at the property who are willing to assist with booking. The beach was beautiful. Loved that it was right on the property. Very clean and the upkeep was excellent.

We had a great stay at Riu! Staff were friendly and the hotel had everything we needed. The only complaint is that at some of the restaurants the wait was a bit long for dinner to get our food, but it was good non the less!

We came to Riu Palace for 4 nights in January to avoid a blizzard in Boston. The room was large and very clean. It had a great balcony. The bed was comfortable. The daily cleaning was excellent. We did leave a tip every day. The room service was good and they filled our fridge with the beverages we requested. The beach was AWESOME, maybe the best beach we have ever been too. The pool was great too. The only complaint was if you wanted a ‘Hut”, you’d have to get up at 6:00 AM, get your towel the night before, and run to the beach to secure your space. I sat there 4 days in a row for 5-6 hours per day and some people didn‘t show up until noon or later or not at all. The staff was supposed to remove towels and belongings after 2 hours but it never happened. Same thing happened at the pool. Also, they give out cards for one towel at the beach. That was annoying. The food was just OK. The drinks were watered down and the wine was terrible. Bring your own. You shouldn't drink 8 drinks and feel nothing. Everyone tried hard to make it the best. It reminded us of a cruise on land. There isn’t much to do besides sit on the beach and go to the pool and eat. Overall, it was a good experience and we would return. We went for the beach and it delivered.

Alot of the staff did not understand English beyond hello, good morning, thank you. When we had a question most times couldn't get an answer. Alot of food at buffets and restaurants were mislabeled, or wrong location.

Activities and engaging guests was missing for kids as well as grown ups. I just attended the dance party and that was ok

The customer service was excellent at this resort. There was also plenty to do during the day & entertainment in the evening. The junior suite for my family of four was spacious & we had a beautiful view of the pool & of the ocean.

All in all, it was a good trip. While checking in they told us that you could not guarantee getting two beds although that was what the reservation stated clearly. That’s a big one for us. Other than that it was a good experience.

This is a good mediocre resort with limited dining options. The restaurants do not accept reservations as it is first come first serve. The seating at the 4 restaurants is limited which usually ends up in long wait times (over an hour to get a table). The only other option is the buffet which is expansive but gets old after a while. The rooms are nice but a bit dated. The bar has beer and liquor but premium liquor is not included and not offered.

I dont usually leave comments unless its from a bad experience, but we were pleasantly surprised with this resort. There were some areas inside of the rooms that were 'dated' but overall it was very nice. Very clean. The staff were hard workers. The food was excellent. The buffet had so many choices that we were never bored with the food. We only ate at Krystals and the steak restaurant and both were very good. Service was excellent. My husband and i and 3 adult kids were set up in 2 jr. Suites across from each other that shared a private hallway. They added a third bed for our third kid in the 2 full size bed suite (it was a twin but we arent complaining). The suites are a bice size. The only complaint i had was the fact that there were very few wash rags. I asked multiple times for wash rags and would get just one -- which the cleaning person would take upon cleaning and not replace. We didnt understand their issue with wash rags. I guess if thats the only complaint i had, i'll take it!