Riu Palace Aruba - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

9448 reviews

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  Fantastic stay!

  Overall a wonderful experience ! Pros: Great beach location, good variety and presentation of food ( even for vegetarians) , friendly and accommodating staff ( they gave us an upgrade to a jr suite beach view ( no extra charge). Entertainment was very talented!. You could see they really take pride in cleaning the common area and rooms daily. I noticed all the machines at the bar were cleaned out daily., pools cleaned and well cared for daily. Cons: I think the only reason I didn’t rate it a 5 is that out room on the top floor was not updated or renovated yet. However, that being said, it was kept clean and cleaned daily.

  Dec 05, 2025
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  Wedding at Riu Palace Aruba - Hainer/Adrienne/Ryan

  My husband and I had purchased the Indulgence package for our wedding at the Riu Palace in Aruba. November 2025. To be honest, the wedding interview 3 months out was easy - I had every answer by that time. There was email co-ordination with Hainer and Adrienne. I had always received responses to my questions in a timely manner. Although the one side of the Palace had not been renovated and a few guests had moved over - the food, the beach, the service.... incredible. Adrienne met me in the lobby a few days before our day and as someone whom had been there OVER 5 years, I trusted her to know the process better than I. She did NOT disappoint. Even though I set high expectations for myself, I didn't find myself wanting to tell her what to do. She heard me out and I trusted her. I think she did a WONDERFUL job. I couldn't have had a more perfect wedding. It exceeded my expectations. I think I set myself up to just hope the guests enjoyed the trip and whatever happened with the wedding was what I going to get. Even the sun came out for my ceremony, the sunset. Adriennes confidence and instruction, rehearsal, touring. I was so confident with her next to me, I just worried about my making sure I get to the alter in time. I had 46 guests. She handled everyone and they listened to her. You have to expect that there will be others enjoying the beach at the time of the wedding, but everyone spectated and most were respectful. I suggest dressing up a little more than you would expect for a beach wedding and the respect follows. It's a very pleasing thing to watch when everyone looks extra good. I got my hair done at the spa in Anthillas, I was so relaxed in with Rayna, it was the MOST relaxed I could have been the whole day. Starting in the morning it really set the tone for my nerves. Highly recommend Rayna at the Spa. She was so lovely. She's done wedding hair a millions times - I can feel it in my bones. I suggest 5:00pm for the Ceremony when everyone starts to head in for dinner and the Sunset hit 6:15pm for photos. RYAN... the photographer... he has left me speechless. There was nothing I could really suggest to him because he has also been doing it for a long time. His instructions are professional and firm. Which is exactly what I love - I am good at following instructions of a confident lead. He showed me a couple when he started taking them. I just melted. I was like "OH my goodness, VOGUE." His eye is incredible. Well DONE. I can't wait to see them (photos attached are personals) Someone will always have something to complain about but I had to seek out all ways to review to leave something positive, it was well deserved. My suggestion is don't over complicate things - base your day itinerary off the photographers schedule. They truly have done this many times to know. Leave it to the professionals. Don't be a "bridezilla". Don't make it an excuse. Do what YOU can and accept the things you can't control. Just love your partner, enjoy the food and sun with your family and friends. Don't get burnt before the ceremony. Thank you so kindly to all the staff, Adrienne, Ryan, Riu Palace for the best week of most of our lives. 7 days over one day for a wedding - 10000%.

  Dec 04, 2025
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  Heaven for kids, average quality, great buffet.

  Good location, great beach. The hotel is huge, yet you do not feel it overcrowded. The best food is at the Buffet, contrary to other resorts we have stays at. The variety, quality, and abundance is remarkable. On the other hand, the acoustics of the dining room are in the Buffet is horrendous, extremely loud, to the point the you have to shout for the person across the table to be able to hear you. The specialty restaurants have a very limited menu, the food is not that great, the dished are served lukewarm. the Italian restaurant had one pasta option - Lasagna, and the carpaccio appetizer was frozen. I ordered the filet mignon medium rare at and lobster the Grill restaurant, the beef was rare (uncooked), and the Lobster overcooked (rubbery). the grounds are kept very clean as are the pool areas. The entertainment is limited to a few activities, and there is not much advertising. The cornhole boards are damaged, there is no ping pong table at the Riu Palace Aruba, and there is a table at the Adults next door RIU, with paddles that are at best for children learning how to hit a ping pong ball. There is enterteinment every night, which is a good thing, but.... the music level is so loud beyong health safety levels, to an extreme. you can litterally not talk nor hear any conversation, and even if you go inside the lobby to have a cup of coffee at the coffee place, you nead to should in order to be heard. It is so loud, that when we went to our room on the 8th floor on the other side of the building, we could still hear the loud music coming from the 1st floor level in the theater area. The drinks at the bar are very well made, with a variety of quality alcohol. For some reason, they limit the type of ingredients at the bar next to the pool, and when I ordered a mud slide there was no chocolate. When I asked, I was told that they do not put the chocolate at the pool bar, so only a "slide without the mud".... Also, they DO NOT serve any drinks at the restaurants, just limited red / white wine or champagne. Many people go to the bar then bring the drinks into the restaurants for their meal, (something the servers could have done, which is common in other resorts). Rooms are OK. When we got the room we found an ashtray with a half smoked cigar in the balcony. It was still there on the day we checked out. I called and asked for an additional pillow, and was told one would be sent to the room, but it was never delivered. The bathroom is very basic, compared to other resorts we stayed at. The building #1 we were staying at has been remodeled, so it it the upgraded section., The elevators do not have the display on the floors showing where the elevator is (except for the 0 and 1 floors), so you are waiting withput knowing if or when it is coming. One of the elevators inside display shows 9th floor constantly. The resort sits on the public beach, and there are venues for activities, as well as a shopping center in the back opposite the entrance to the hotel, where you can find vendors promoting activities.

  Dec 01, 2025
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  Beautiful Resort

  What an amazing all inclusive resort . The grounds were beautiful. Wonderful pool area with poolside and swim up bar. Water Zumba every day at noon. Walk down to a beautiful beach. The Don Nicolas restaurant has the best buffet 3 times a day and no matter how picky you may be there was something for everyone.

  Dec 01, 2025
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  Unsafe Room Conditions and Poor Service

  This was our third stay at this hotel, but unfortunately this time we did not feel the level of service expected from a 5-star resort. Our family of four was placed on the ground floor in a section that was said to be newly renovated. However, the cleanliness was shockingly poor — something I would never expect from Riu Palace. The floors were never properly cleaned; my children wore white socks inside the room because the floor felt so dirty, and after one walk around, their socks turned completely brown. Safety was also a concern. Our ground-floor room had a main door lock that kept sliding loose and wouldn’t stay secured. We called staff to fix it, but it kept happening again. With construction happening right outside and people able to walk past our door, this felt very unsafe — especially with children. Service was nonexistent. Not a single smile, no greeting, nothing welcoming — especially from the lobby staff and the café area. It simply did not feel like we were staying at a 5-star resort. If you are looking for an all-inclusive experience, I strongly recommend reconsidering. For the price we paid, the service and cleanliness were far from worth it.

  Nov 24, 2025