Riu Palace Aruba - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

9219 reviews

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  Relaxing Time in Aruba

  The Riu Palace is a great place for families. The resort is close to the airport. We landed in the early afternoon and still had time for a swim before dinner. The complex is compact with everything you need in close proximity. There is one very large central pool with a swim up bar. Right next to it is a much smaller rectangular pool with little tables. Also, there is very small round warm up pool for little kids. When in the pool it never felt crowded and there was always a positive vibe created by the very energetic entertainment team. The loungers and umbrellas were always full, so at times around the pool, it could feel busy, but you are at a family resort, so I think that is to be expected before you go. One note is that the umbrellas are the mesh type, so make sure you are still applying sunscreen because you are still getting a fair amount of sun exposure under them. There were always lots and lots of fresh towels available and we had no problem exchanging them at the end of the day. On a quick side note…the entertainment team works overtime to make everyone feel welcome and involved. You will see them throughout the day at the pool and later in the evening at the entrance to the buffet or entertaining the kids. They are amazing and very upbeat. There is one main bar at the pool that services the beach and the pool area. Most of the time we went to the bar to get our own drinks and the service was outstanding. Very fast and very friendly servers. Shout out to Rafael, Billy and Diego who were always so kind. Also, thank you to Melvin who took the time to explain the whole set up of the resort the night we arrived. We appreciated his insights. The beach is fantastic! Beautiful white sand and easy entrance into the calm, clean, clear blue water. We took our 9-month-old granddaughter into ocean no problem. The staff work hard to keep the area clean. I love how they have stands for guests to place their empty cups to help keep the beach clean. The palapas were great with full coverage and thank you to Jansy who got us hut when we arrived in the afternoon, particularly because we had a baby with us. The only drawback was having to get up so early to secure a palapas. The sign says that they are available at 6 am, but my husband went out every morning at 5:30 am to ensure we had one for our two rooms. You are allowed one hut per room, but we shared so other people could have one too. Also, there is construction going on next to the resort, so try picking a spot on the beach a little further down so lessen the noise. There was only one day where we couldn’t find a spot away from it, so it was distracting. Otherwise, it didn’t bother us. There are four restaurants, plus the buffet…Italian, Fusion, Japanese and Steakhouse. We loved that they were first come, first serve, so you didn’t have to make reservations. You do have to line up for the Steakhouse which fills up quickly…they have 2 seatings, so we came off the beach a bit earlier one day to go to the early seating. Each restaurant offered an appetizer, entrée and dessert. I wouldn’t say there were an extensive number of options, but I always found something that I enjoyed. We enjoyed the buffet for breakfast each day, lunch twice and dinner once. A tremendous amount of fresh fruit and fresh juice. Lots of options here for sure! The evening entertainment was very nice to watch in an open-air atmosphere. A nice way to wind down the evening is with a fun show. It varied from night to night with karaoke, singers, dancers, couples’ participation night… It is a family resort, so it was heartwarming to see kids dancing freely to the music in front of the stage before the more adult portion started. On Friday nights they have a white night at the adjacent adults only resort. This was amazing and they go all out to make sure everyone is having a blast. Great music and dancers…so fun! Our room was adequate. It was cleaned really well each day and we appreciated the absorbent towels, great water pressure, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, dryer and consistent air conditioning. Our fridge was refilled each day with beer, pop and three large bottles of water. Also, there are large permanent dispensers of liquor. We are not big drinkers, so we didn’t use them, but it is abundant if you want it for sure. The mattress was comfortable, and we had a Juliette balcony with a partial ocean view. The rooms are dated and could use a refresh, but we didn’t spend a lot of time in our room. Also, they were fixing the elevator so at times it was quite noisy. Overall, we had a great time. The resort is very clean, the staff is very friendly, and we were impressed by the kindness of other guests. There was always enough food with a sports bar and coffee bar to enjoy in between meals and later at night. The weather was amazing with a lovely warm breeze most days and I highly recommend chair clips…we found them very helpful. The beach was definitely the main attraction. A relaxing time on a beautiful island with beautiful people. Unrelated to the resort, but related to our travel experience, we were left at the airport by our tour company. This has never happened to us before, so we were a little shocked when we walked out with our luggage and the bus was gone. Two planes arrived at the same time, so it was a little slow going through immigration and getting our luggage. We weren’t the only ones delayed. I write this only to suggest that if you feel like it’s taking a bit of time through immigration and/or to get your luggage, maybe consider sending someone in your party to go out and secure your spot on the bus before it leaves without you. But perhaps that’s why it’s good to carry some extra cash in case you need to pay for a taxi.

  Mar 17, 2025
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  Everything was great

  My wife and I spent a week here and everything was great. Found the food good, but wish I didn't have to wait in line for an hour to get seated. All the people were nice. The only thing that was disappointing was having to get up at 5 am to get a spot on the beach. Has to be a better solution to that. I understand the beach is public, but was disappointed that had to do that.

  Mar 17, 2025
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  Friend's vacay!

  Riu was a beautiful place to stay. Rooms were clean, slightly outdated but fine. Food was very good. The beds are only full size but they wheeled in a separate twin bed. The staff was friendly and very accommodating! The only negative was the loud repetitive music that was playing. I think they should have music that appeals to a wider range of people. The beach area was beautiful but you need to get down to it at the crack of dawn to get chairs in the shade.

  Mar 15, 2025
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  RIU Palace

  Can’t wait to return to paradise. The hotel was awesome. The breakfast and lunch offerings were endless. The restaurants were excellent. Pool service and pool bar were excellent

  Mar 15, 2025
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  Wonderful !

  My husband and I visited Riu palace Aruba March 2–9…… just got home yesterday ! What a wonderful place! The workers ( front desk, maids, bartenders, servers, everyone were extremely friendly! ☺️. Beautiful beach, pools, food, a definite 5 ✨

  Mar 10, 2025