Riu Palace Aruba All Inclusive

This hotel was clean and unimaginable. From the moment you walk in you get greeted with champagne and friendliness at the desk. The food was delicious no matter where we ate and the coffee at the coffee shop was great!! Only downsides were 1 bathroom near the pool which at some points were closed for construction so you had to go all the way into the lobby. Also the WiFi cut out a lot but “letting go” of the outside world was fine by me (kids were wishy washy with it. Also the “playground” was just a slide near the pool so for kids obsessed with playgrounds you might want to say something different (for the parents).We can’t wait to go back!

We traveled to Aruba at the end of April and chose the Riu since it is a hotel I stay at most of the time. This is the 22nd Riu I have visited. I contemplated whether to stay at an Airbnb or an all inclusive. I went with the all inclusive and of course the Riu. The ride from the airport is about 20 minutes with no traffice. Be sure to fill out your ED card. It cost $20pp. The hotel although it is one of the older ones is really nice. The rooms are not the new styles rooms like the newer or remodels Riu's but still not too bad. The lobby is very large and looks newer. The hotel is under construction. You will hear jack hammering and it can be a bit noisy at times. This is a phases construction and will probably last for about a year. You do have access to the Riu Antillas next door which is a newer hotel and very nice. (more on this shortly) Rooms - We had a balcony room facing the pool and beach. It was more on the corner but still had a decent view. The bed was a king size and very comfortable. You have a seating area and two chairs on the balcony. We were in the main building. The side building have a balcony but not all have chairs where you can sit on the balcony. You also have a bar with Rum, Vodka, Tequila and a fridge with beer, soda and water. The room was extremely clean and I had absolutley no issues with the AC. The hallways are a little dated and the windows could use a massive cleaning but that did not bother me so much. But for calling yourself a palace, clean the windows. Property- The property is very clean. You see the team working hard every day cleaning the space and they do a really good job at it. I found the care for the area by the pool and restaurants to be treated very well. Restaurants - They have 3 restaurants plus the buffett. We did the Italian one night and the wait was very long. It wasnt bad and probably worth trying if you can get in. They have steak nights at this restaurant every other day but we did not get to it. We also tried the asian and it was good but its not my favorite food. The third restaurant Krystal they said was pretty good but never go to eat there. The buffett was pretty good. Breakfast was good you know the regular breakfast. Lunch was also pretty good and they have so much Shrimp. If your a shrimp lover you will be happy here. Overall lunch was pretty good althoug kind of the same thing everyday except in the first location where they always had something special. Dinner at the buffet was also pretty good. But we did go to the sister hotel Antillas to eat at their buffet which had entertainment which was a nice touch. Pool and Beach - The pool area is very nice and large. You can do pretty well getting seats at the pool area and it may be due to construction as it gets a little loud sitting there. The bartenders are really good especially Johnson his drinks are on point. The beach is also very nice and super busy. You have to get there early if you want a hut. It is first come first serve. The water I found not to be as clear as I wanted it to be but if you walk down to the left a few hotels down right after the barge you can jump off the water gets clearer. There is a beach that we went to and took a bus there that was amazing. Take the bus one day and go to Arashi Beach. The bus costs $2.30 and they give you change. What an amazing beach the water is crystal clear and just an amazing place to go. Do not skip out on this. And hey you can take a bus to it. It is about a 20 minute bus ride. Issue I did not like at the pool area is there are no bathrooms near by. You have to go to the hotel to go to the restroom next to the restaurants. This is due to the construction and the restroom probably under construction on that side of the building. You can also take a bus going the other way to eagle beach. But it wasnt any better than the Riu beach and for some reason there is a weird odor in that area that is not pleasent. We were able to walk there about 20 minutes from the hotel. If you need a supermarket you can either take a bus towards eagle beach or from eagle beach walk to Super foods. They have everything there. Apparently there is an asian market that is cheaper but we did not try going there. Riu Antilas is a beautiful hotel and all adult. We spent a lot of time there and it actually felt a little classier. The space and property is really amazing and you can see a great sunset there. They have some really cool bars and a casino on site. They also have specialty drinks and a good Margarita bar. At the pool and the beach the restrooms are very close at this resort. There is a small boardwalk that you can walk on an evening and it is very nice. You get to take a look at the different hotels from their pool areas to the beach area and different places to eat if you feel like it. You can see more of this when you are facing the beach to your right then to your left. You should take this walk and enjoy the scene. Entertainment - The shows were not bad. The only one I did not like was the Pirate show. Not my favorite and would skip that and do something else. Sorry guys but this show was not great. Nighlife - It is safe to walk around and plenty to do at night. There are so many restaurants and bars. A lot of fun at night. Apparently there is a speak easy but I did not get to it. Airport - Arrival was great and easy. Departure what a freakin mess this airport. They need to fix this and I suggest the all the resorts get together and have the government fix this. No one should have to leave and get to the airport 4 hours before their flight. This could be a damper to an amazing vacation. Work on this or it can hurt tourism to Aruba. Overall we loved our trip and everything was great. I would go back with a few things in mind. Honestly the departure being one of them. The construction can drive you crazy so if you cannot handle the noise, I would book Antillas although you can still hear it there. The Riu will be done in about a year and then it will be untouchable. Thanks to the team for an incredible stay and look forward to seeing you again.

We really enjoyed our stay here. The outside and pool areas are gorgeous, and the beach is really nice. Staff were super nice, professional, and service was really good. Food was really great with robust offerings in the main dining for all meals. We tried one of the specialty restaurants one night and we were more impressed with the main dining. Some dings - rooms are a bit dated (we stayed in Jr. Suite Sea View Frontal in main tower) with worn out fixtures in bathrooms and overall room having bleak furnishings and decor, hallways are very institutional and not climate controlled, not enough elevators. Biggest negative is the fact that the hotel is under renovations with jackhammering and loud bangs all day long in one of the side towers. No one said a word to us when we booked and there is no notice on their website This will be going on for a few months in all of the towers (according to staffer that we asked) - they should disclose this as it really disrupted the pool and beach experience. All that said, I would do it again - especially after the refresh of the rooms.

This hotel just takes your breath away as how beautiful it is and how well maintained it is! Not only the building but all of the employees! The room we where giving was not the best, when we opened the curtains to our disappointment all we could see was a new hotel next door being built. No ocean to be seen. My wife and I came for the pool, food, shows and atmosphere not the room, so we decided to stay. Unfortunately during the night the room became very warm and very uncomfortable for my wife and I to sleep. Next morning I mention at front desk that the room was very warm and they said they would send maintenance to check it out. Unfortunately again the room could not get any cooler than what it was and again my wife and I spent a very uncomfortable night. Next morning again at front desk I mention that I was very dissatisfied with the room temperature that was not fixed. I asked for manager who happened to be running late that morning and was of course unavailable. Raylan the person at front desk I was speaking to could see my displeasure with the circumstance and said unfortunately no rooms were available at that time but that he could possibly get us another room but not till after three PM. Raylin was able to get us another room that was totally the best thing that could have happened to us, top floor, corner excellent view we were happy. Thank you Raylin for getting us this exceptional room. Also want to send out a shout out at the the buffet supervisor Eliana and to our server at the steakhouse and the buffet Tatiana who just gave us exceptional service like if we were family and the omelet cook that can cook up the best omelet ever! She also made me her own remedy for curing a hangover almost immediately. "This truly was a week in paradise!" My wife and I have stayed at many hotels and resorts in the past but this hotel in this beautiful country of Aruba stand alone as the ""best we have ever experienced especially the staff all around.