Riu Palace Aruba - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

9303 reviews

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  AS A RIU BRIDE

  To begin, I’d like to highlight some of the positives from our stay: The grounds and location of the RIU remain beautiful and well-maintained. The food and beverage staff were friendly and accommodating throughout our stay. Many of our guests enjoyed the all-inclusive amenities and had a wonderful time celebrating with us. That said, we unfortunately encountered several issues that impacted our overall experience, both as guests and as a couple getting married. Please know this message is not meant as an attack, but rather constructive feedback in hopes of helping future brides and guests receive the level of hospitality that we had anticipated when choosing RIU Palace Aruba. Here are some of the key concerns from our stay and wedding: Upon arrival, we were assigned a junior suite with a partial ocean view that directly faced the Hilton* construction site. The room had damp floors and sheets. Meanwhile, several of our guests were upgraded to ocean view rooms on the same day. After an hour of back and forth, we were moved to a pool view, and then finally to an ocean view room the next day. This was especially disappointing given that my bridal party was getting ready in our room and we had hoped for a beautiful, consistent backdrop for photos. There was active construction during our wedding ceremony, and unfortunately, it can be heard in our wedding videos. This continued during key moments such as my father-daughter dance, even as late as 8 PM, despite being told construction would end by 5 PM. I was never notified ahead of time about the construction or its potential impact—something I believe any bride or guest should be made aware of, especially when booking a destination wedding. Our rehearsal was cancelled two hours prior without alternative arrangements, and we were advised to “just practice walking down the beach.” This left us unprepared and stressed on the wedding day itself. Our coordinator, Hainer, texted me (instead of physically coming to get the wedding party) when it was time for us to walk down to the beach. I didn’t have my phone with me, so we were late and confused. The final pricing quote was sent to us just two days before the wedding. We were also told no deposits were taken, though we had to track down proof that we had paid one six months prior. The glow sticks we planned for guests were handed out by my husband and me personally, as our coordinator was nowhere to be found at that point in the evening. I had requested that guest name cards be laid out on a long table for pickup, but they were instead placed at individual tables against our preference, and incorrectly. The beach venue has a large water sports hut behind it, which we were not informed of in advance. Thankfully, the “LOVE” sign we paid $750 for covered most of it, but this was not ideal for photography. We paid $35 per black table runner, but received black and white paisley patterned ones instead, with no explanation or prior clarification. After the wedding, I never saw or heard from our coordinator again, which left us with several unresolved questions and a general sense of being abandoned. Despite our best efforts to remain positive and go with the flow, our overall experience left us disappointed, especially after so many years of loyalty to the island. While there were bright spots during our trip, we left feeling that the guest experience, particularly for such an important event, was not prioritized. Sadly, this has led us to conclude that we will not return to the RIU for future visits or celebrations.

  May 18, 2025
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  I hope you like the sound of jackhammers and enjoy broken elevators

  Avoid the 8th floor. The elevator was broke for the 8th floor guests. We had to use the maintenace/employee elevator. The elevator was disgusting and smelled like sweat. We were told it would be fixed within three hours. We were then told it will be fixed tomorrow. It was never fixed. Wait times to use the elevator were very lengthy. The last day of our trip I cracked the glass on the coffee table inside the room. The room is filled with a lot of humidity. The furniture is very old. When I spoke to the girl at the front desk about it she told me I will have to be charged $80.00 U.S. dollars. I requested to talk to the Resort manager. His name is Junior. He hangs out at the buffet restaurant quite a bit. The woman at the front desk said I could not speak to him because he was in a meeting. She didn't care about the inconvenience of the elevator or jackhammer going. She told me I had to pay the bill. I did pay and left the resort five minutes later to avoid missing my transfer to the airport. Restaurants: everybody is miserable. Especially, at the Italian restaurant which is now the steak house. Just stay with the buffet. You will get the same food at the buffet. Yes, steak, lobster, chicken, pastas, salads, and desserts. Ask for Jose Luis (speaks fluent English - great service) for dinner. Ask for Luis (speaks broken English but great customer service) for breakfast. Cabanas: get to the beach early to claim yours. I mean no later than 6:30 am. It is HOT this time a year. You will need the shade. Bring several bottles of sunscreen lotion with a high protection number. The resort sells them for $27.00 a bottle. Oh, one more thing. Per the resort manager renovations will not be complete until April 2026. This trip was a lot of money. We will not be going back.

  May 18, 2025
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  Riu Palace Rocks

  We have forged some relationships with your employees, and they make us feel like a family rather than a visitor...Junior could not have been more welcoming, and the coffee bar young lady Deanna made the best cappuccinos ever ...we will forever be Riu Palace visitors

  May 16, 2025
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  Stay Away from the Rui palace Aruba

  The resort is old and under construction, with loud construction noise day and night. The old room has furniture that is damp and moldy. The staff are like unhappy zombies that are not there to provide hospitality. The food is poor and room service food is spoiled. I would avoid staying here. It also was expensive.

  May 14, 2025
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  Beautiful memories

  This hotel was clean and unimaginable. From the moment you walk in you get greeted with champagne and friendliness at the desk. The food was delicious no matter where we ate and the coffee at the coffee shop was great!! Only downsides were 1 bathroom near the pool which at some points were closed for construction so you had to go all the way into the lobby. Also the WiFi cut out a lot but “letting go” of the outside world was fine by me (kids were wishy washy with it. Also the “playground” was just a slide near the pool so for kids obsessed with playgrounds you might want to say something different (for the parents).We can’t wait to go back!

  May 13, 2025