Hotel Riu Palace Aruba

Pioneer573166 wrote a review September 2025

HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE NOT WORTH IT

Beach is beautiful, atmosphere too loud, renovated rooms poorly done (no hot water), rooms to expensive for time we were there during construction. Rooms should have been cheaper, staff were excellent, restaurants could not accommodate dinner crowds since only 2 were open daily and the wait was over 1/2 hours. Wound up eating out and what we did eat the quality was horrible. Seems Riu cut back on quality and staff to make up for the cost of renovations. We have been coming to Riu yearly since it opened in 2007 and when renovated in mid 2000's, hotel was closed (smart move) because they should have closed during this renovation. They even made it that you no longer could eat at the restaurants in the sister hotel, Antilles. All in all, VERY VERY DISSAPOINTED and probable will no longer go back :(

Date of Stay: September 2025

deecX1320GA wrote a review September 2025

RUN from Elite Club at Riu Palace Antillas is n Aruba

Omg, where do I start?
1. Check in took over 2 hours, we were 6 Elite Club guests:
2. Pls, print your quoted itinerary/reservation, the Elite Guest services lied n said we booked a higher rate! I kindly presented our confirmations which led to an hour call to their Corporate.
3. Elite Club is a total waste of money! We received No massages, No VIP airport lounge access as part of the Elite Club package as advertised! While at airport, we were asked to PAY again for VIP services: No way!
4. Waiting to hear from Riu Hotels corporate complaint department regarding reimbursement for the Elite Club membership. The emails bounced back from the address given “Compliant” department. Should be the real name.
5. I will NEVER use any Riu properties again because of their deceit!
6. Had to BEG for clean towels everyday!

Date of Stay: September 2025

mpc1966 wrote a review September 2025
Olathe, Kansas

Great RIU experience

The RIU Palace Antillas was a wonderful place to stay - the room was nice and had a balcony with a view of the ocean and pool.
The pools were beautiful - the pool with the swim up bar was lively with games and entertainment while the large pool was great for relaxing. The beach was pristine and the water was as clear as any I have ever seen. We enjoyed the different drinks served at the bar cart each evening in the lobby. The breakfast buffet was consistently good - special shout out to Carmen who worked the omelette station. She works so hard and is always pleasant and makes delicious omelettes to order. We also really appreciated Mariangel - an especially friendly hostess who seemed to be at every restaurant - not sure if she ever leaves.
The only negative was the lack of restaurants for a nice sit down dinner. There were no reservations and to get a place at the Steak House required getting in line by 5:00pm to get in at 6:00pm or getting in line around 6:00pm and hopefully getting a pager to eat around 7:45pm. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful and the property was well maintained.
Overall, we had a fantastic time, but were disappointed with the restaurant options, which is an important factor in choosing an all-inclusive.

Date of Stay: September 2025

Q783RJmichaell wrote a review October 2025

I HAVE NEVER WRITTEN A REVIEW BEFORE- THIS PLACE IS SO BAD I HAD TO- PLEASE READ

DO NOT GO HERE- YOU WILL REGRET IT

This place is awful- Check out the pictures I posted. I have never taken the time to write a review, but I'm hoping someone reads these and it saves them from booking the place. We travel a lot and I was shocked at how bad this place is. Room was awful- mold, broken door, rust everywhere, exposed wires etc.

NOT A FAMILY PLACE- I have kids - wouldn't do this again for free-

CONSTRUCTION: They are renovating their hotel next door- Heavy construction noise all day long- jackhammers/ load banging- not even close to be being done. Honestly feel this place shouldn't be open to guests right now

I truly hope someone reads this and skips this place- many other places in Aruba that are much better and way less expensive- I honestly feel like someone played a joke on me- couldn't believe I paid that much for this place- still bothers me.

I complained to the front desk and they offered to change my room- I asked if it was a better room and they said it would be a downgrade-

Their was 12 of us staying there and my entire family is still in shock how bad this place was. People in the hotel were also complaining- Have no idea how people give this place positive reviews.

Please listen to me

Date of Stay: July 2025

kathypZ80AY wrote a review October 2025

Vacation with the Roaches!

I would like to express my dissatisfaction with our stay this year. We have not had any television service for the whole week. The excuse was that the satellite was out. Other places on the Island had television service. The elevator in the lobby was not working and my husband has issues going up-and-down steps. It has been very hard for him to get around. Some of the restaurants were closed and our food choices were limited. The all-inclusive price has greatly increased (which we were aware of) and a lot of the food in the buffet was cold and salty. We saw many roaches in the building that housed the Naitilius every day during the whole week. I spoke with a lady who was staying in that building and she informed me that her room had roaches. She witnessed one giving birth and babies were crawling all over. The pool was in need of repair as some tiles were missing. The gym was closed so I had to go next door. We were not able to stay in our normal room and the noise from the shows was irritating at night. We have always enjoyed our stay here but this year not so much. On a good note, the staff and service has been fine. We have been coming here over 20 years but will now rethnk returning. I paid a premium price and did not receive all the amenities that are included. The answers that I received from the Riu regarding my concerns were excuses for the lack of amenities. If the hotel was not able to provide all of its amenities we should have been informed before our trip.

THIS WAS THE RIU’S RESPONSE
Could not get your room because it was a Trade room. Tv, was a problem with the satellite, it was that the hotel completely had no TV. Elevator was the beauce of construction SAFETY for the guest not to use. for the Theme restaurant. We had some open and rutaded them. The price for the all inclusive was given from January 2025.Cocoaraches was because of construction. It was handled immediately with an outside Company. GYM has a new location at Riu Antillas. It will no longer be open at Riu Palace. So sorry for the inconvenience. Sorry it was not a great vacation. But I can not do much about it.

Date of Stay: September 2025

bernardrenee wrote a review October 2025

Far from a good experience at this property.

There is quite a bit of poor operations here that made enjoying our stay almost impossible NOT worth the money they charge. Elevators were not working the whole week. You would wait for 20 minutes for the one working elevator, and it would be stuffed with people. The staff were tired of hearing elevator complaints because they have never worked. Room service didn't show up. TV never worked. At least two restaurants were closed every day so you would get a beeper and paged when they could seat you. Then the food quality was very poor. Their only 24 hour food option had about eight booths and always had a wait. A large percentage of the staff do not speak English or just did not want to deal with the guests. Many stood around poking at their phones. Pool is huge but in poor condition. Shower drain was backing up. Saw a few bugs in the rest room but don't know what they were. Restaurants have very limited open hours (4 hours). The buffet was the only food service worth the time. The Casino staff is very rude although I understand it is not operated by the hotel. The beautiful island and weather were the saving grace for our stay, but I'll take a pass on the RIU hotels from now on.

Date of Stay: September 2025

F5858CWdannyv wrote a review October 2025

Hotel should be closed!! Please don’t make the same mistake we did!! STAY AWAY!!!!

We paid a high price for a dreadful vacation.
The entire main building is under construction. They call it renovations but it’s really a demolition. Construction noise / jackhammers and banging all day every day 7 days a week. If you are going there for some rest and relaxation it is next to impossible. The noise will wake you up first thing in the morning. The noise is so bad it can be heard on the beach. There is just no escaping it.

And with regards to the beach, we were never able to find a free palapa. We found that odd considering half the resort is closed due to the construction. One morning, my boyfriend went for a walk at 6am and noticed a staff member going to many palapas (at least 15) and was reserving the palapas by placing towels on the chairs. Not right !!

This review is meant for travellers. We ask the hotel to not respond and to keep their comments to themselves. Don’t want to hear that you are “sorry”, don’t say you “aim to improve the experience of your guests”, don’t say “management takes care to minimize any possible inconvenience”, and don’t say “appropriate measures have been taken to ensure a pleasant stay” The hotel should be closed or should disclose the truth about how bad the construction really is !

Aruba is a beautiful island but stay away from RIU palace !!!

Date of Stay: October 2025

121giancarlom wrote a review October 2025

Second time even better

This is the second time I've been to this hotel as a family, and we still love it: the food, the rooms, the staff, the proximity to the sea, the tranquility. The only thing you should keep in mind is that for some reason, people start trying to reserve spots on the beach/pool starting at 6 a.m. It's unhealthy.

Date of Stay: October 2025

evanr689 wrote a review October 2025

A $1000-a-Night Disaster: RIU’s “5-Star” Resort Is a 2-Star Construction Site

If you’re considering staying at this RIU resort, please don’t make the same mistake we did. My wife and I are experienced travelers — we’ve stayed everywhere from boutique hotels to true five-star resorts around the world — and I also happen to have worked in hotel marketing for years, including with the RIU brand themselves as a client about 15 years ago. I once respected this company. After our honeymoon stay here, I never will again.
We booked directly through RIU’s own website, expecting a polished 4–5-star experience based on what we saw online and on Expedia. What we got instead was something closer to a run-down roadside motel that happens to serve buffet food. The property was under heavy construction during our stay — loud drilling, hammering, and machinery from early morning through evening — yet none of this was disclosed on RIU’s website or during booking.
Inside our room, it was even worse:
• No hot water for showers during our entire stay.
• A moldy bathroom with an overpowering odor.
• Cockroaches — I killed at least a dozen myself.
• Dirty floors, dusty glassware, greasy pillows, and not even a proper duvet — just thin sheets.
• Pool tiles falling apart, “hot” tubs that weren’t hot (and had no jets), and general neglect everywhere you looked.
When we raised these issues onsite, we were met with polite shrugs and empty promises. No one could “do anything.” We were told to email management, which we did — three times — only to be directed later to the corporate complaints department. So, while trying to enjoy what was supposed to be our honeymoon, we spent our time chasing basic decency. In fact, we never even received a response until a week after we returned home.
To RIU’s credit, the food was fine. But even there, the service was inconsistent. We were twice turned away from restaurants because of reservations made by others, despite being told no reservations were allowed or accepted.
All told, we paid roughly $1,000 per night for an all-inclusive “luxury” stay, but this experience wasn’t worth even a tenth of that. For that same amount, we could have stayed in a real 5-star property nearby that wasn’t under construction, wasn’t infested with insects, and actually delivered on its promises.
To add insult, RIU arranged a prepaid shuttle for us to the airport. But their shuttle could only drop us off five hours before our flight — too early and unreasonable. When we canceled the shuttle, they never issued a refund for that prepaid ride.

After leaving, we gave RIU multiple chances to make this right. At first, they offered two free nights at another property (which, frankly, we would never risk staying at again). When we declined, they countered with $600 — far less than fair, but at least a gesture. After we respectfully explained that we believed more of a refund was reasonable, given our experiences and the fact that they had clearly been well aware of these problems prior to our arrival, they withdrew the offer entirely and refused to compensate us at all.
That tells you everything you need to know about this company’s integrity.
As people with decades of experience in marketing — including in the hospitality industry — we know the difference between damage control and honesty. RIU knowingly misled guests by hiding ongoing construction and charging full luxury rates for a property that, by any standard, should have been partially closed or deeply discounted. For certain, we shouldn’t have been placed in the same wing that was actively being constructed.
If you’re looking for a true 4–5-star resort, look elsewhere. Until RIU starts treating guests with honesty and accountability, I’d strongly recommend avoiding their properties altogether.
Bottom line: Save your money, your time, and your sanity. This was supposed to be our honeymoon — instead, it was a loud, dirty, cold-shower nightmare.

Date of Stay: August 2025

jrj921 wrote a review October 2025

WORST VACATION AT RIU PALACE ARUBA

This was the worst vacation we have ever had. It was the biggest disappointment. Such a waste of our time and money. We were not made aware by RIU or Sunwing of the construction taking place at this hotel. There is construction on the entire main building causing excessive noise and dust from early morning until late at night. I travel twice a year and have been to many resorts around the world and this has been by far the worst ever. In addition to the noise, there are restaurant closures, outdoor terrace is closed, the gym is closed, the main elevators are not working, the pool is falling apart, the food was average, and many of the staff were dismissive and downright rude. Complaints were ignored with zero accountability. They tried to cover up construction noise with loud music at the pool but this only made things worse. DO NOT GO THERE, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!

Date of Stay: September 2025

rick51barb wrote a review October 2025
Mississauga, Ontario

Excellent vacation

We did our annual trip to the Riu Palace in late Sept. Our first rip this time of year as we usually go late November or early May. It was a bit humid so I bought some dehumidifier packs (Amazon) for the group and they were great in the room. We had a group of 7 and I had written ahead to ask if we could get on the same floor and they came through. We were in the older Building "C" and our rooms were great. This building was renovated a few years back now but still in good repair and we had no issues. The staff and food were excellent once again. The main building "A" was under repair so the hotel wasn't at capacity so the Buffett and pool & beach were not busy which I like. The noise from the construction was minimal. They redid the Sports bar and put it where the Nautilus used to be. I really like the set up there and the food and staff were excellent and very attentive. All in all another great trip to the Riu. Special thanks to Jefferson & Julia & Anna (who my wife & I met in our first trip in 2007.. Wow.. ) and all the others servers who've we've met through out our trips. Thanks again for another memorial trip.

Date of Stay: October 2025

X2287ZSphilips wrote a review October 2025
Bedminster, New Jersey

Totally SUCK. Would never go to RIU again

The time we were they closed one bldg and opened a bldg that was just just revovated because they closed the main bldg. the elevators were not working right. There was no Air Condition. No hot water if there was water at all. The 7th floor had a foot of water when a main water line was broke. Water ran off down the elevator shaft. Everything about this bldg was wrong and nobody would take responsibility for its opening there is more but it brings back bad nightmares

Date of Stay: August 2025