We have stayed at RIUs in Cabo, Cancun, Playa Del Carmen and the US. Each of these hotels offered quality customer service, comfortable rooms, good food and an atmosphere which made us want to return. RIU Antillas in Aruba did not meet our expectations and was more equal to a low-end all inclusive hotel. This was a common opinion based on our conversations with other patrons. The "good" items: • Main bar service was good and we liked the bartenders. • Buffet service had several servers who provided good service. • Pool servers (ladies) were friendly and provided good service. • Live music was good and we enjoyed each of the performers. * We enjoyed the entertainment group. • The casino was a clean and good change of pace. * Shops offered good merchandise. The “bad” items • Front desk employees were not friendly and standoffish when we discussed issues with our room. * Information regarding activities, restaurants, entertainment was poor. * Our room was very dated, showed many defects and did not feel clean. * The pool area was dirty and a lot of bugs present. * Snacks available between restaurant hours were not good. * Buffet food was a mixture of average to bad. * Getting a restaurant reservation was difficult. We were told the wrong times to make reservations each day and had to complain to eventually get a chance to eat at a specialty restaurant once out of our 4-nights at the hotel. * The pool bar was a problem. The bar tenders were more concerned with looking at the women and hitting on them than providing bar service. * Pool bar drinks tasted watered down. Unfortunately, we would have been happier staying at another hotel in the Palm Beach area.…
We have just returned from a 2 week stay. I'll start with the only thing some would find negative. Yes the rooms are dated BUT they are very clean and why visit a beautiful island like aruba to spend time in a room. They are cleaned thoroughly every day and lots of fresh towels daily. Location of hotel is excellent right on palm beach 10 minutes walk from town where you'll find shops bars restaurants. We enjoyed the buffet more than the a la carte restaurants however all the food was really good. Even with covid restrictions the talented performers on each night were better than most entertainment weve experienced in hotels pre covid. The whole staff team at the hotel are excellent by far the best customer service we have ever experienced. The entertainment team at the pool also the best we have ever had anywhere they were so inclusive of everyone there was no pressure to take part but I would say just do it we had so much fun. The team who serve you around the pool work tirelessly every day service was fantastic. We can not wait to return when carnival is back on. …
We were given a room with a clogged shower, a dresser with all broken doors that did not close, there was no Duvet on the bed, no directory in the room, and our Jacuzzi was NEVER cleaned, Disgusting..
My husband and I arrived back from the Riu Palace Antillas on 2 days ago. What a great holiday! We would have given this a 5 star review as everything was truly excellent at this hotel, however the room we stayed in (1437) was tired and needs an upgrade in line with the rest of the hotel site. So, this review is more like 4.5 out of 5, so close to being a perfect stay! Everything in the hotel is brilliant. The staff were consistently superb - service was always cordial and friendly - staff from waiters, cleaners, room maids, mini bar service, pool staff, bar staff, security... really great. In fact probably the best staff service we’ve experienced on any of our holidays! Food & drink: wow! All meals we had - and we ate across both the Antillas and main Palace restaurants - were all fantastic. We particularly enjoyed the New Years Eve buffet dinner, as well as the Aruban restaurant. Really great, can’t find fault in any of the restaurants, the buffet was never too busy and always a great selection of options. Bar service was fab, we enjoyed the swim up pool bar the most, and loved how the cocktails were properly made, not premixed. Entertainment across both sites was brilliant. As someone who works in the professional performing arts, I can definitely say that the music acts we watched were all excellent and we really enjoyed our nights after dinner, sat singing along with a cocktail (or 3)! The beach area is also nice - one little downside is we felt the sun parasols were too close together and it feels a little squashed. We personally like a little more space on the beach and so only spent one day, the remaining days we spent by the pool (one day at the palace - also great) and/or out and about day tripping. The beach was however clean and well attended. The animation team weren’t too intrusive unlike some entertainment staff in places like Spain - enjoyed the music quiz by the pool and also Aqua Zumba! Overall, we had an awesome time here, and would not hesitate to return. Which we rarely say as we don’t like to do anything twice! This hotel is in a great position for exploring the island (we hired a jeep and went off-roading for a day - worth doing as well as did a sunset cruise - also well worth it!), it is easy walking down the beach promenade and into the main resort centre. There’s also a bus stop outside for getting to/from Oranjestad which we did one morning. Everything from the moment we checked in to the moment we left was super, highly recommend a holiday here. And, Aruba is totally enchanting! Book here for a guaranteed great time.…
We stayed her for a week over new year period and the hotel staff seemed a good bunch the food is good the WiFi works everywhere but was disappointed at the fact there was no fireworks or new year we had to walk up to the Hilton the rooms r dated balcony floor looked like a workshop and the handrail was rotten wouldn’t go again and we payed quite a lot for this 5* hotel
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