Riu Palace Aruba - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

9365 reviews

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  Disappointing Stay – Poor Communication and Unmet Expectations

  Our check-in and room experience was underwhelming from the start. Despite booking and paying for a room with two beds and an ocean view, we were given neither. When we raised the issue at the front desk, we were told that two beds was only a “request” and that the hotel doesn’t even offer rooms with two separate beds—a detail that should have been made clear during booking. As for the ocean view, staff admitted our room didn’t include it, even though we paid for one. There was no explanation, no apology, and no offer to move us. It felt like our concerns were dismissed. Eventually, we learned that the bed could be separated into two, but the process took over an hour, and we had to wait in the room while it was done. By the time we reached out to hotel management directly, the beds had been split, we were unpacked, and too exhausted from travel to deal with further disruptions. While a room change was mentioned, no one followed up with us afterward. There was also no elevator access to our room—just one flight of stairs, which was manageable, but again, not something disclosed beforehand. Another major issue was the construction. A large portion of the hotel was under renovation, and jackhammer noise was clearly audible even at the pool. Music helped cover some of it, but the disruption was still noticeable. We even saw construction workers lounging on guest balconies, which was concerning. I’ve included photos showing the actual view from our room, ongoing construction, and workers in guest areas. Overall, the experience was not what we paid for, and the lack of communication and customer care was disappointing. Unless significant improvements are made, we’ll be avoiding RIU properties in the future. A partial refund or some kind of compensation would be more than fair under the circumstances.

  Jul 16, 2025
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  First trip out of the US!!!

  This was my very first trip out of the US and it was the best. The hotel was beautiful the staff was amazing. The view I had was beautiful to wake up too every morning. My over all trip was excellent and I will definitely be coming back!!!

  Jul 15, 2025
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  Disappointing Stay – Items Went Missing from My Room and No Accountability from Staff

  I stayed at Riu Palace from July 7 to 14, 2025, and unfortunately, my experience was marred by serious security concerns and a lack of accountability from hotel staff. On the second day of my stay, I noticed that my eyeliner had gone missing. At the time, I assumed I had simply misplaced it. However, in light of what happened later, I now believe that was not the case. Upon arriving at the airport for my return flight home, I realized that my 11-inch iPad Pro, valued at $1,099 CAD, was missing from my luggage. It had been in my room, along with its protective case worth approximately $100 CAD, and had clearly gone missing during my stay. I contacted the hotel immediately, but the response was incredibly dismissive. I was told that housekeeping claimed to know nothing about the missing iPad. No effort was made to investigate the situation or to show concern that a guest’s valuable belongings were taken from their room. This experience left me feeling violated and frustrated. I paid a premium to stay at what I thought was a secure and reputable resort, only to have personal items disappear and be met with indifference when I raised valid concerns. If you are considering staying at Riu Palace, I urge you to be extremely cautious with your belongings. While the resort may look beautiful, the lack of security and accountability from staff completely ruined what should have been a relaxing vacation.

  Jul 15, 2025
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  The staff is amazing

  This was my 7th time coming to the RIU in Aruba in the last 4 years. I keep coming back because of the employees like Mimi, Shamila and Diego, and many more. Mimi is the most positive person I have ever met on any vacation and is such a joy each and every time I see her. She has helped keep me positive through some personal issues that I have shared with her during my visits, including the loss of my father, which is what brought me to Aruba. Shamila was the first person I met in the buffet on my first trip and she still hugs me and treats me as family when I am there. Diego has been great with me and my mom the few times I have brought her on my visits, and is always asking about her. The rest of the bar staff is also incredible and fun to be around. The employees have smiles on their faces, greet you with a wave and happy to see you. I have so many great memories from my times at the RIU. I have gone here with family, friends and solo and have had the best time each time. I love the food and drinks. I love the sushi nights in the buffet. For a buffet, the food is amazing.

  Jul 15, 2025
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  Family Friendly Excellent service All-Inclusive

  Outstanding service at this resort. Other reviewers complained about the construction noises, but the constant entertainment drowned it out so it did not bother us at all. While our8th floor partial ocean view room showed it's age, it was clean, well-stocked as all -inclusive goes and the staff is always ready to provide whatever you need if you need anything from wash clothes to more water bottles. Housekeeping was very efficient. We did not use the room service. Buffet was more than adequate and delicious for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. The poolside grilled lunch seemed to always have chicken (patties), burgers and hot dogs with trimmings and condiments. We did not eat at the steakhouse or the Italian restaurants, but others with us did and said they were excellent. The Japanese restaurant was excellent, and we had no wait time at 6:30PM. We opted for this family friendly resort over the adults only attached " Antilles" but were welcome to use all but the specialty restaurants there. The small casino did meet our personal gambling cravings. It was a short 4 min walk to the Butterfly Garden which was lovely. Ample shopping was only about 18 minutes walking along the Blvd down by the other "high rise" resorts. Taxis are affordable and arrive quickly. We found out last day that there was a hut between the two resorts on the beach to obtain free floats, snorkels and other equipment as part of the stay. Had we known we could've also seen the seat turtle that visited the reef just off the hotel beach daily.

  Jul 14, 2025