Riu Palace Antillas Adults Only - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

6391 reviews

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  Star — RUINED My Birthday: The Worst “Resort” Experience of My Life

  My girlfriend and I stayed at the Riu Palace Antillas from October 28, 2025 to November 2, 2025 to celebrate my 31st birthday. What was supposed to be a memorable trip turned into an absolute nightmare. I’ve stayed at countless resorts, hotels, and all-inclusives, and I have never experienced anything remotely close to this level of incompetence, dishonesty, and filth. 1. My “Elite Room” Was Not an Elite Room — Complete Scam I booked and paid for an Elite Room, but the hotel did not give me one. They tried to pass off a regular room as Elite, but it clearly wasn’t. I received the Elite bracelet and none of the Elite benefits (besides the terrible elite restaurant, lounge, and private pool area). No app access, no room service, no Elite bag, no tumbler. The app wouldn’t even allow me to make dinner reservations. I had to call the Elite desk and hope someone happened to pick up. This wasn’t a misunderstanding. It was false advertising and total misrepresentation of what I paid for. 2. The Room Was Disgusting The room itself was unacceptable: • Stains on the bed • Footprints on the bathroom floor • A general lack of cleanliness that made us uncomfortable staying there For a “Palace,” this was embarrassing. 3. The Food Is Completely Inedible We tried the food for the first two nights and could not stomach it any longer. Everything was bland, poorly prepared, and simply not edible. We ended up booking dinners outside the resort for the remainder of the trip just to have a decent meal. As a New Yorker with higher standards, this was extremely disappointing. If you enjoy good food, do not rely on this resort. Restaurants near the resort were very good specifically any from the Gianni Restaurant Group. 4. Management Is an Absolute Disaster This was the worst part of the experience. Carlos initially appeared helpful but never followed through with anything he promised. Another manager, whose name I can’t even recall, was rude, arrogant, and clearly not suited for a managerial role. Carlos did manage to secure approval for a partial refund (the difference between the Elite room I paid for and the non-Elite room I was placed in) on October 30, while I was still staying at the resort. But that’s where the chaos began. From the moment I left, I was given week after week of lies and excuses about how the refund had been processed and the delay was my credit card company’s fault. Today is December 8, and I can finally say I received the partial refund, but only because American Express had to get involved and take action. The managers at this resort were absolutely incapable of handling this issue honestly or professionally. 5. I Will Never Stay at a RIU Again This trip, meant to celebrate my 31st birthday, was completely ruined by this resort. Between the bait-and-switch room, filthy conditions, terrible food, and managers who lie without hesitation, I can confidently say this was the worst customer experience I have ever had. Save your money. Eat at Aruba’s incredible local restaurants. Stay literally anywhere else. After this experience, RIU has permanently lost my business.

  Dec 08, 2025
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  Not what we expected

  Photos look great but overall the property is a bit rundown. Hallways smelled like old tennis shoes. If you aren’t waiting in line at 6pm you are unlikely to get a table for dinner. The keys are a known problem and stop working all the time. It took 3 trips to the front desk to get our key to work upon check-in only to have it quit again mid-week. Asked if we would get a refund if we changed hotels. Was told to contact corporate by staff at the front desk. Ask to pay for an upgrade and never got a response. No bar service on the beach. The hotel app does absolutely nothing. Buffets were a kind of dirty and very crowded. There are much better options on the island for the price.

  Dec 03, 2025
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  A perfect getaway

  From the moment we arrived to the moment we left the service was outstanding. The room were spacious and always kept clean.The food was excellent with something to suite all tastes. Riu parties were a blast on Friday nights regardless if you stayed 20 minutes or through the entire party. Highly recommend as a resort to go to. Shut out to Alejandro and Sofia for their great service and attention to detail. Hop to see you again next November!

  Dec 01, 2025
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  Celebration in Aruba 5 stars

  This was our first trip to Aruba and it was a vacation that we will remember! We’ve stayed at other RIU resorts and this one did not disappoint. We love the attention to the small details that RIU provides. On our first night, we weren’t happy with our room which was on the North side (room 1231). It was facing the rooftop of the RIU Palace and was quite loud at night. We requested a room change and Luis made sure that we were completely satisfied. He gave us the opportunity to upgrade for a reasonable charge and we ended up with a beautiful room facing the pool/ocean. The food was excellent! Buffet had a nice selection. We did find that to done at the specialty restaurant, we had to line up by 5:45. Two nights that we went over closer to 7 pm we were turned away as the restaurant was full, Entertainment was not great. We ended up going to bed early, as the shows and entertainment line ups weren’t appealing to us. The views and ocean front beach views were amazing! We loved being able to float in the water with no seaweed. There is no drink service on the beach but it’s just a short walk to the pool bar. Getting a chair was not an issue for us at any time. To have a palapa in the front row, you have to get up early to reserve. But, if you’re ok to have one further back or no palapa, there were plenty of options. Thanks to the staff - we will return and bring friends!

  Nov 29, 2025
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  A little disappointed

  We were first given a room with two twin beds. Luis fixed it the next day. We were grateful for him. My husband asked the front desk 3 times, 3 different people, to decorate for my birthday. It was never done. There were no kayak races in the pool like in 2023 nor was there the water balloon fight. The fruit in the afternoon was very enjoyable. In the buffet at breakfast in 2023, there was a table with mimosas and bloody Mary's so you could grab one when you entered. It wasn't there this time. Same at dinner. In 2023 at dinner, you walked in and on the right was a display of glasses in all colors. Not this time. I even asked Alejandro and he said you'll see it. It never happened. Grits should be added to the buffet. Many people asked for them. There were a few broken chairs at the beach. These things should be checked. We also saw 3 people using chairs on the beach and they didn't have a wrist band. They stayed for over an hour. There needs to be a reservation system for the restaurants and the menus should have more options. One day at lunch there was teryaki chicken. I got a salad and when I went back 20 minutes later, there was no more. I really wanted to try it. Instead, they threw together rice, chicken, olives and some vegetables in its place. It was 2:00 and the buffet closes at 4:45. This was unacceptable. Four times, 3 at the breakfast buffet and once at the dinner buffet, they cleared our table and we weren't finished. One day at breakfast I even told the waitress that we weren't finished. It didn't matter. They were plenty of open seats too. I wish they would replenish the ice cream when it runs out. I asked someone to replace the pistachio. She said give me a minute. I waited 10 minutes and she never came back. The room was clean and the bed comfortable. The tv's in the rooms need to be fixed to have a clear picture. The picture was fuzzy all week. The tv's in the casino were fine. Paola at the towel hut is the sweetest. Emma the server at the pool was wonderful. Luis st the front desk was so helpful. There's a charge for local calls which is ridiculous. I wish the hotel provided a shuttle to the airport. Overall, we enjoyed our stay and will go back again. The location is perfect and it feels like home when we are here. I wish management would really take the suggestions in these reviews and make some changes instead of just giving the same response to everyone.

  Nov 25, 2025