Riu Palace Paradise Island Adults Only - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

2807 reviews

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  Bahamas Trip Recap – Paradise Island

  Our recent trip to the Bahamas was seamless in many ways, and we thoroughly enjoyed the natural beauty of Paradise Island. However, for the price we paid, the overall experience at the RIU was disappointing. While the island itself was a highlight and one I’d gladly return to, I would likely not stay at the RIU again due to the mismatch between cost and quality of service. Positives: We never had any difficulty finding space at the pool or beach. The beach staff were consistently accommodating, always having enough chairs and umbrellas for our group of nine. The views were stunning — waking up to the sight and sound of the ocean each morning and night was truly a highlight. The rooms were clean, quiet, and conveniently located. We were able to walk to nearby attractions like Margaritaville, and taxis were easy to find for exploring the island and visiting major tourist spots. Housekeeping and room service were both excellent and responsive throughout our stay. Areas for Improvement: There was an unpleasant odor upon first entering the hotel, which gave us some initial hesitation. Additionally, the lack of bar service on the beach meant a considerable walk to the nearest bar. Even there, the pool bartenders often appeared either disengaged—prioritizing conversations with one another—or overwhelmed, as there were typically only one or two working at a time. The specialty dining experiences were especially disappointing — both the food and the service fell short. Our server took the drink order from only one person, and we had to flag her down just to get the rest of our orders in. She returned about 10 minutes later, having forgotten what we had said, and after another 30-minute wait, the drinks finally arrived — incorrect. On top of that, the overall staff demeanor felt rushed and inattentive, as if they couldn’t wait to end their shift. The rooms, while clean, felt dated. Several of the patio doors in our group’s rooms were either extremely difficult or nearly impossible to open, and in some cases, so loud they disrupted others’ sleep.

  Jun 28, 2025
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  Great graduation vacation

  Everyone at the Riu Palace Paradise Island was very nice and attentive. The facilities were always clean, and the food had tons of variety for even the pickiest eaters. The beach was gorgeous and clean, not any seaweed and very little trash.

  Jun 27, 2025
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  First time all inclusive

  I wasn't quite sure what this was going to be, but it was a Father's Day gift and I'm really glad I went. I generally don't drink every day so wasn't sure I would get my money's worth. The food was excellent; the selection and choices were very broad and once you understood the different hours and locations I would say the food was a highlight. In addition, friends had told me that most "all inclusives" gave you really watered down drinks. Not the case, the drinks were as strong as you requested and the staff listened. Honestly, my only complaint is that I was on the top floor (15th) and only one of the 3 elevators went to the top so had to wait a bit. Pretty minor complaint and only applies to that one floor.

  Jun 26, 2025
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  Luxury? Definitely not it has more of a spring break or girls weekend vibe, but a viable option for an all inclusive.

  If you are looking for a luxury all inclusive, this is not your hotel. If you are looking for a way to stay at an amazing beach without paying outrageous food prices and VAT fees in the Bahamas, then consider this resort. We are used to Luxury brands in Riviera Maya, and definitely had to adjust our expectations, although the prices here rival the best hotels in Mexico. Here is the good and the not so good: The good: BEAUTIFUL beach. Nothing I’ve stayed at has compared to this. Clean beach, good chairs and umbrellas, and there is help to set your stuff up. Hotel staff is responsive- we used the app to request help with A/C, a plug that didn’t work and a few other things and they were very quick. Lots of employees around to assist. Rooms were cleaned daily and done well. The Jerk Chicken grill at the pool had AMAZING food every day, fresh grilled and delicious- we ate there every day for lunch The not so great: Food was average at best. The steakhouse was the best of all the restaurants but dishes overall lacked flavor. Towels: there is a ridiculous towel policy here where they issue a card to you at check in and emphasized to us that if we lose the card, its $100 fee. Then you have to present the card to an attendant to get ONE towel. The cards are literally thrown on a counter with little supervision. Between my husband and I we had two towels which is not enough, plus the system seems like an easy way for the hotel to ding guests with another fee. Also we were told at check in if the wrist band comes off it’s a $275 fee to put it back on. ????. This is a very compact resort, you are either on the beach, in your room or in the pool. You have to make reservations on the app for dinner, we are early eaters typically and ate every night at 8:30 PM because those were the only openings (space was very limited for al a-cart) There is not reco space to get out to the sun and read or work except for a lobby with some couches. The rooms are HOT. We couldn’t not get our room to a comfortable temperature despite calling for the engineer to help us, there are no ceiling fans in the rooms and the air shuts off if you open the French doors for a breeze, I sweated my way through each of the 4 nights. Coffee shop opens at 10 AM (???). No snacks- beside the coffee shop where you can get a danish once it opens, you only have access to food at meals A decent enough option next to Baha Mar or Atlantis, and probably the only all inclusive on the island, just set your expectations accordingly.

  Jun 25, 2025
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  My room lady was very kind and helpful with any questions or concerns!

  Our front desk attendant and luggage carrier was very helpful with telling us about nigh life clubs and other things to do ! Help us a lot because my group had a lot of different ages from 22 to 62!

  Jun 24, 2025