Riu Palace Paradise Island AI Adults Only

I never thought I would write a negative review about the RIU hotel chain. One of my favorites to this day. Over the past few years, my husband and I have visited several RIU hotels in Zanzibar, Aruba, Jamaica. And everywhere we were waiting for excellent reception and service. We are members of the RIU Class Club. Coincidentally, my family had two significant events in March, my husband’s 60th birthday and 20th anniversary together. We decided to celebrate these two events in Cabo Verde on the island of Boavishta, at the RIU Palace Hotel.When booking, on the RIU website in special wishes, I indicated about the anniversary and the date of our life together, and it coincided with the arrival at the hotel. I was sure that RIU would pay attention to my wishes!!!! Upon arrival at the hotel on March 14, no one paid attention to my wishes!!! I was hoping for an upgrade, as is the case in other hotels. But it was a complete disappointment that two days before the anniversary, I was denied a reservation of any restaurant, the manager at the reception said, No seats for you!! My holidays are spoiled... Today, I say RIU goodbye forever. If friends and acquaintances ask me if I can recommend the RIU hotel chain, categorically NO!!!!

Pros: The music and general feel at the pool was great. I love the chair setup where you can pull a cover overhead if the sun is too much. The DJ had a great playlist and the bartenders make amazing cocktails. Cons: Overall, there was no sense of service or welcoming. There was no care if we were enjoying ourselves or not. They don’t let you make group dinner reservations. So for a girls trip with one room of 2 and one room of 3- we couldn’t make a 5 person dinner reservation. We had to make 2 table reservations each night and ask the tables to be put together. They are super stingy on towels- which became a problem when you wanted to do yoga. They don’t provide mats and say to get a towel, but your one allotted towel is used to hold your pool chair. The app- they say to use it to make reservations. But the spa doesn’t recognize reservations via the app. So one of us made reservations in person and was fine and the one who used the app was not treated. She has to rebook. The rooms are dated, showing wear and tear- but biggest thing is the beds are small. Again, we booked a room for 3 people but they just gave us 2 full beds, not queens. They moved the group of 3 to a king bed room with couch (not pull out).

Exceptional service. Wide variety of food and drinks. Cook to order gluten free. Rooms are very nice on the pool side overlooking the ocean. Definitely will be back.

I recently stayed at the RIU in the Bahamas and, unfortunately, the experience left me disappointed. While there were a few positives, several issues significantly impacted our trip and have made me hesitant to book another RIU property in the future. To start with the positives, the resort itself was clean. Housekeeping maintained the rooms well, and the common areas were generally tidy. The beach, though small, was beautiful and relaxing — one of the highlights of the stay. The breakfast was excellent, with a wide variety of options and consistently fresh food. Lunch was decent and offered enough variety to get by. However, dinner was a major letdown. The reservation system through the hotel’s app is unnecessarily complicated and frustrating. For the first two days of our stay, we couldn’t make any dinner reservations because everything was already fully booked. Even after that, availability was extremely limited. When we did dine at the specialty restaurants, the portions were surprisingly small, often leaving us hungry enough to visit the buffet afterward. The buffet dinners were inconsistent and, overall, disappointing. The food quality seemed to decline after the first couple of days. The room itself was very outdated and in serious need of renovation. The decor felt old, and the space lacked any modern touches. On top of that, the room was constantly freezing cold no matter how we adjusted the thermostat, making it uncomfortable to relax. The gym facilities were also a major disappointment. The fitness center was extremely small for a resort of this size. With only two ellipticals and three treadmills, it was nearly impossible to get on a machine without waiting. The weight area was overcrowded and difficult to use comfortably because of how many people were packed into such a tight space. Service was another area that fell short. Many of the staff members came across as rude and unwelcoming. On several occasions, employees would cut you off while walking rather than acknowledge you, and their demeanor often made it feel like guests were inconveniencing them. While the outdoor bartenders were friendly and personable, the indoor morning bartender — especially when ordering coffee — acted as though you were bothering them just by asking for a cappuccino. The nighttime bar area was dark and felt somewhat dingy, lacking atmosphere. There were no appealing outdoor bar options in the evening, which was disappointing. It would have been much nicer to enjoy drinks outside in the beautiful Bahamian weather rather than being limited to an indoor space that felt closed off and uninviting. The pool area was nice visually, but it was often overcrowded. At one point, a guest became sick in the main pool, which resulted in everyone having to get out for approximately three hours. Incidents like that certainly detract from the overall experience. As for the drinks, they were underwhelming. I understand that this is an all-inclusive resort, but there were no top-shelf liquor options, and the drinks tasted watered down. The champagne was especially disappointing. Overall, while the resort had a few redeeming qualities — particularly the beach, breakfast, and general cleanliness — the outdated rooms, frustrating dining system, inconsistent food quality, overcrowded gym, weak drinks, and lackluster service significantly overshadowed the positives. This stay unfortunately tainted my perception of the RIU brand, and I would think twice before choosing another one in the future. The property has great potential given its location, but several improvements would be necessary for me to consider returning.

This hotel is such a mixed bag. Pros: the service is great. Super friendly employees that take good care of you. The beach is great and has plenty of room. The drinks are easy to get and all very tasty! Most of the food was pretty good. Not outstanding by any means. Workers will bring you chairs on the beach and make sure you’re set up. Cons: The rooms are outdated and ours had a funky smell. The room was also hot the entire trip. Room service may give you what you ask for, or it might not. One of the restaurants Kalypso was actually horrible. You cannot get a food reservation at all the first night which is not a welcoming experience at all. Then when you can get a reservation, they are late in the day for the second and maybe third night. Need a better system. Tough to get them to give you extra bottles of water.