My husband and I went on our first all-inclusive tropical vacation in Aruba from November 3rd-November 10th and we had a great time!! I only have one word to describe the island "PARADISE"!!! People were so nice and friend and it is definitely a happy island as what it states on their license plates. Our tour bus driver and the representative was great, they were accommodating and provided information as we were driving through the roads. Riu Palace is amazing! The Hotel is gorgeous!!! The check-in process was very fast. The hotel offered us drinks right away as soon as we walked in the main lobby. They were very organized; they made us line up based on the first initial of our last names as had our envelope and bracelets ready, we got upgraded to a better room. Our room was great; we were able to see the ocean from our balcony. My husband and I were able to take pictures of the sunset through our balcony. The food was great!!! We've tried all the a-la-carte (Sayuri, Krystal, Nautilus and Milano) and they were very good. Our least favourite was Sayuri; I find that it was just okay but the best one for us was Nautilus; it was their steakhouse/seafood. Milano is an Italian restaurant and it was amazing as well!! The selections at the buffet were extremely good as well; they had a lot of selections and the servers were very friendly. The only thing I can advise is to make sure bring bug spray as there were a lot of mosquitos at night when we went just because the storm just ended and we were told that Aruba doesn't really get mosquitos but because of the storm that happened in New Jersey/New York we had mosquitos during the time to were there. People were so friendly and very helpful. About 5 minutes’ walk from the hotel you will find all these vendors that open from 6-11pm every night where you can buy souvenirs. The way the items are priced are not cheap. The items that they are selling are decently priced but it is not something where you can bargain it down really low. My husband and I would walk there every night after eating just to digest. We were able to buy our souvenirs from there. If you keep walking you will find outdoor malls and different restaurants. I couldn't tell you if they were good because we didn't bother trying it out since we were very much satisfied with the selections they had at the hotel. My husband and I noticed that when you cross the road cars would stop to let you go through. We rented a 4x4 Jeep wrangler to tour the whole Aruba and it was so worth it. We saw the California light house, natural baby bridge, and natural pool and goldmine ruins. We were able to enjoy off-roading because there were no roads to get to the natural pool. We also took their Arubus and we went to their town and walked around; it was a very nice experience. If you are adventurous I highly suggest renting a jeep to tour the whole island. It’s very small and you can do it in half a day and if you do get lost just look at the palm trees and follow where the wind is blowing it to as they blow through the direction of where your hotel is located. I also forgot to mention that on my birthday the hotel gave us a complimentary champagne. We had our room cleaned that day and when we came back they left a letter on the bed with a complimentary champagne. Over all, Aruba is very beautiful and it truly is paradise and I would love to go back to the island.

Firstly after reading the last review I am totally shocked as we were in the Riu Palace Aruba last 2 weeks in October 2012 and can honestly say that the remark about Aruba being filthy is ridiculous, not sure where that reviewer was? We have travelled all over the world on different Continents and have had lots of life experiences and have stayed in places that can only be dreamt of and some not so good but we can can honestly say that we were not disappointed in Aruba or the Riu Palace. After reading some of the reviews it was with trepidation that we went on the holiday as we travelled about 12 hours in total to get there and after spending the last 5 years in Barbados on holiday we were hoping that we had not made a mistake in going to Aruba. We were not disappointed at all with either the hotel or Aruba. As another reviewer pointed out you will always find some negative with a holiday if you look hard enough. Our room was great, clean and well kept, the food was terrific in all restaurants, we did not use room service as we had no need. Staff all over the hotel and beach were very helpful and we had no problems with anyone. The manager Carlos was always on hand therefore if there was anything you wanted to talk to him about he was available it seemed at all times of the day and evening wandering round both the hotel and beach to ensure that all was running as smoothly as possible and speaking with staff. It would appear that the staff were always motivated rather than ruled by management. We had a great holiday and would not hesitate to recommend to anyone.

stayed at the hotel from Nov 10 to Nov 16 - Firstly Aruba is filthy. the drive from the airport to the hotel showed me a country and its people in dire poverty. The natives were rude and at every chance try to get as much money as they can from the vacationers The golf course was over priced and in terrible shape ($130 a round). The food was average and the service by the staff leaves a lot to be desired. NEVER AGAIN.

My wife and I have recently returned from our 3rd visit to Aruba in 3 years. The last twice has been at the Rui Palace which hasnt disappointed us. Yes, if you wanted to find fault I'm sure you can, as you can in ANY hotel. However, we have thoroughly enjoyed another holiday in Aruba and cannot rate it highly enough
The food is excellent, the drinks are good with some cracking cocktails to be had. Everyone is so friendly in Aruba and at the Riu Palace.
Yes, sometimes the entertainment in the evening was so-so. Yes, the pool bar was sometimes loud and very busy. And of course it was often difficult to get a bed at the pool if you were not up early enough. Live with it and enjoy your holiday in the sun
We will be back to Aruba again in the future but after 3 years in a row, we will probably take a break for a year or two and try somewhere else
However, the MAIN thing about Aruba in general, you feel very safe ! The weather is always fantastic and if it does rain, it lasts minutes and is soon forgotten.