We were here during the week of March 13th. The staff was amazing, friendly. Front desk always kind and helpful. Special shout out to the bartenders at the sports bar. So kind and accommodating especially for my son who wanted to watch the WBC and play ping pong. Best food at an all-inclusive buffet. My boys (11 & 14) usually complain midweek about buffets at all-inclusives because it's the same thing over and over but not here. New things all the time and great taste too. We only went to the Steakhouse one night - no other specialty restaurants because the boys loved the buffet and we also had 2 nights off-resort dining. Which is another great thing about this place - great location. Shops and restaurants within walking distance. Yes, the beach chair early morning "reservations" are a bit ridiculous but we've had this at other places too. The beds are pretty uncomfortable if you don't like a firm mattress but if you do, then you will have no complaints. Overall, very clean and wonderful place. We can't wait to return!…
Not sure why people are reviewing Riu Antilles on the Riu Palace page? Just returned from an 8 day/7 nights stay. We had our 18 and 16 year olds along. We were checked in by the amazing Dwight. He was so efficient and got the vacation started with his great personality! We had two connecting Junior suites in the main building on floor 8. Our room was cleaned everyday by the wonderful Deanna, couldn’t have asked for better! The mini bar was stocked daily. I celebrated a birthday while there and received balloons, a bottle of champagne and a small cake when we returned from the beach. Customer service AMAZING. We enjoyed the buffet for breakfast and lunch, hopefully now that Covid restrictions are relaxing they can start some kind of poolside barbecue for some variety. We tried the Steakhouse and the lobster and steak with a grilled chicken Caesar salad was delicious. Most nights we walked off resort, across the street to the fun restaurant and shopping area for dinner. Not because we didn’t want to eat at Riu, but just because we enjoy the Islands vibe. Do not miss the flaming cheese wheel at Gianni’s! The main pool was so fun, the activities crew engaged everyone and tried so hard. The bar at the pool was great too. BUT we were there for the beach, and it did not disappoint. The water was calm and we spent hours in it. I brought a blow up tube from home and the guys at the water activity hit blew it up for me. They also had some rafts at that hut you could check out for the day if you didn’t have your own. We bought our own snorkel gear and went to the left of the Riu to the rock formation and saw beautiful fish every day. One day during our stay one of the elevators was out for several hours, which was a pain, but it was fixed by the time we returned that evening. All in all we loved our stay and the Happy Island and will hopefully return one day!…
Ok - this hotel has good and bad.... Good 1. Staff is very friendly and nice 2. Good location - you can walk to most bars/restaurants 3. Buffet is good - lots of dining options. Just be aware they close between 11 and 1 - so plan accordingly Bad 1. The entire hotel smells of mold - they try to cover it with some sort of deodorizer that smells worse than mold 2. Rooms are old and in disrepair. No cold water, blocked drains/toliets, shower doors don't close. The AC shuts off if the balcony door is opened. Rooms are humid and bedding is damp. Doors to rooms slam loudly - will wake u up. 3. Specialty dining restaurants are impossible to get into without waiting in line for 2 hours before they open 4. Beach/Pool chairs in the shade are impossible to get unless you get up at 5am and put towels on them 5. Basic drinks are ok but anything else is not good - bartenders are not trained but expect tips 6. They have only 2 elevators in the main building - you will spend lots of time waiting 7. Room service is a joke - very limited menu and they take forever to deliver- especially breakfast. My overall opinion - there are better hotels - I would pass on this one…
Don’t waste your money here! Site states all tipping is included but if you don’t pre tip in the restaurants you get no service. Difficulty finding open chairs at pool, outside bar area and occasionally beach as people put towels down then leave for hours blocking for someone else to use. Restaurants not kid friendly as far as menu goes and the buffet area is only open during certain hours. Our room, which we booked ocean view ended up being a view of the top of the building. There are only 2 elevators for the main building and a simple wait could sometimes end up lasting over 5 minutes. The room was very damp, actually even giving me a sinus infection. This visit I actually looked forward to returning home. This hotel was a complete waste of money and we would never return.
I’m currently at the Riu Palace Antilles with a group of 35 women. Upon check-in the rooms where still dirty. Hair on the beds, in the sink and the shower. The rooms need to b updated. The food is really subpar and the staff’s response to issue was uncaring.
We brought three 18 year olds for their graduation celebration and my birthday and we all loved the Riu. We only ate the buffet and we all enjoyed it. Lots of variety and all you can eat sushi, yum. The pool and swim up bar was so much fun. There were a lot of screaming kids though, but not a big deal. My only complaint was the scary, small, dark elevator. It would pause and act weird and I dreaded using it but we were in the 9th floor so I had no choice. Would stay at the Riu again in a heartbeat!
Recently vacationed at the Riu for 2 weeks. Was concerned about the poor reviews. Upon arriving everything was excellent. Went to restaurants several times and there was not any waiting. The buffet was very good. A special shout out to Jessica Corona (Public Relations Manager). All staff very hard working. This was my 4th visit and will certainly return.
Well, view from room great. Broken air conditioner, moved to a new room broken air conditioner. Noisy refrigerator, Had a steak at restaurant Krystal could not cut. Management doesn't care. Will never return to RUI no one here has a good story. Broken toilets, old broken elevators.
This was our second stay at the Riu Palace. We’ve stayed at many of the other hotels but this is our favorite. It has the best beach. It is big and comfortable, unlike the rest of Palm Beach which is so congested. You can rent umbrellas from a private vendor near the pier for $35 day. The beach chairs are hotel property and are free. The grounds are beautiful and meticulously kept. There is always someone cleaning and maintaining in top condition. The staff is so friendly. The rooms are a nice size, and although a little dated they are very well maintained. Breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets have everything you can imagine and the food is good. There is a coffee bar which serves all different type of coffee. The cappuccino was delicious, and they have a variety of desserts. There’s a great bar with top shelf liquor. There is also a nice gift shop with beautiful well priced resort wear. Across the street, a very short walk away you can have dinner at a variety of restaurants, there’s shopping and access to the other casino hotels. All in all, we had another fantastic experience at the Riu and we will return in the future.…
Sharing an honest review debunking some claims and adding support to others! We enjoyed our stay and plan to return in the future. If you’re on the fence and consider yourself low maintenance, just go! Our family travels a lot and typically stays in Marriott properties and dineson property, just to give some background on the level of traveller we are. Facts (from my POV) 1. Room: beds are absolutely hard, pillows stink, setup is two twin beds pushed together for a king (and sheets are done in a way that would prevent any snuggling with a significant other. Daughter for a roll away bed that was comfier. Son was in a crib-bring your own crib sheet 2. Buffet: great options for all, including many veggie options with every meal. No one in our family got sick and everyone enjoyed a variety of food. 100% true that restaurants are hard to get into on premises so it’s nice to have the buffet to fall back on. Lunch and dinner always offered some sort of “special” item like make your own Caesar salad bar, paninis and ceviche. 3. Restaurants: as previously mentioned, must get in line well before 6:30 to guarantee a dinner spot. (We found 6:15 to be tbt sweet spot). Was able to get into steak house, Japanese and Italian. Italian and steak house better than Japanese in my opinion for kiddos. All were yummy and staff great. Nice touches like serving Italian wine at Italian restaurant. 4. Entertainment: great! We travelled with a five and two year old and there was an early option for them (kudos to Jessica for being a great kids leader) but then we all loved the later shows brought to you by RCC Aruba (check them out on Americas Got Talent). The performers were amazing-not to miss were the Pirate, Circus and Rock shows, but all were great! Live music in between shows and at the pool in early evening also awesome 5. Pool and beach: never once had an issue getting two chairs under light cover by pool and we were typically getting out there around 10am. Didn’t even try for the palapas but I did notice vacancies at the adults only resort so maybe worth a try for those without kiddos. Tip for kids-you can borrow sand toys from Riuland! 6. Staff: genuinely appeared to enjoy their coworkers/guests/jobs. Many did a variety of gigs from childcare to poolside aerobics to PM emcee. Incredible workers who seem to be having fun too. The price tag is steep, so I can understand complaints based on $, but you’re also getting access to incredible things outside of the room-and if you’re planning to be in the room a lot, probably pick a different vacation.…
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