Riu Palace Macao - All Inclusive - Adults Only

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

6844 reviews

• 

  The good, the bad and the ugly

  The Good - well appointed hotel with nice rooms although beginning to show their age. Ours definitely wasn’t a suite and although I booked and paid for pool view they tried to give me garden view til I pointed out their error! Food is generally good particularly in buffet where there’s plenty of choice. More limited in restaurants where menus never change but still quality food. Lots of sunloungers although they need more umbrellas dotted about as these are very much sought after. Beach is lovely, lots of palm trees and sunbeds but sea is quite rough. Two of the three pools are very nice and seem clean and you can change beach towels all day. The Bad - Swim up rooms are wrongly marketed. I doubt anyone other than a small child could swim far in waist deep water thats about 10ft square and consequently they barely seemed used. The swim up pool it appears is solely used by those wishing to drink all day in murky dirty water and probably not use bathroom at all. It gets very lively and music gets way too loud at 4pm. The Ugly- reserving cabanas at 5am shouldn’t be allowed. Music in swim up bar after 4 is intrusive in all pool areas and can even be heard on beach. Inconsiderate drunken people shouting as they make way back to rooms at 4am probably after reserving cabanas they won’t use til after noon.

  Jan 26, 2026
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  Good setting, adults only, all inclusive

  The smallest and most conservative of the 4 RIUs on this site. All the others are family hotels, with the Punta Cana being very classy and opulent. But while the others have created a grand reception and a fountain lined walkway to the pool area, Macau's offers a colonial style reception, a short 25m walk through a garden to the first pool, and you see a beautiful sandy beach with tall palms swaying in the breeze, and the sea just beyond. It's so inviting, you have to go. And it's a beautiful 50m stroll on a white beach with palms. Then you get to the beach, and see the current Punta Cana problem; Sargassum seaweed. It's not the hotels fault, and they do work at trying to remove it. But they're battling against nature, and in those situations, there's usually only one winner. I'm sure one day we'll find a way of harnessing it, and move the problem elsewhere (rather than fix the root cause; climate change?) Anyway, back to the hotel. If has 3 pools, all regular uninteresting shaped pools. The largest has the relaxing beds in, theres one near the beach, and there's the pool bar. Which does get rowdy. There's plenty of sun loungers, you should be able to get one up until about 10 (even though there are 'no reserves'). There's also a host more on the beach where you will still get the occasional bar tender coming over, and because it's in the boundary of the hotel (a pathway), you won't get the beach peddlars. Go over the pathway and you will. There's a good choice of restaurants. The buffet serves pretty good mix of food (not a massive vegetarian choice though), great salad displays, and wonderful fruit and dessert displays. The food can be a little on the not-quite-hot side, unless your canny and wait for the fresh batches. They'll often do steaks etc to your liking too. There are theme nights - Mexican, Latin America, Asian etc - and there's often a nice looking roast, occasionally with mash and gravy available! And they do fried fish bits, haven't seen any mushy peas yet. Maybe I'll suggest they do a British themed night; fish, chips, mushy peas, and roast beef, Yorkshire pud for those that are feeling a little homesick. There's also an Asian themed restaurant (dim sum, Thai curry, etc), an Italian themed place, a French style cuisine, and a steakhouse (which is very good). In addition, there's a sports bar which serves hot dogs, burgers and nachos 24 hours, and a coffee shop for pastries. As for bars, there is the aforementioned Sports Bar, Joe's Bar (a small place tucked away between the steakhouse and Italian), the Pool Bar and the main Cubano bar. Onto the rooms. When we arrived, after a very effective, professional service at reception, we got to our room. We had requested a room on a low floor, relatively quiet. We got into a ground floor room, facing away from reception etc (so 10 out of 10 for meeting  our request). However, this room had an overwhelming smell of damp. As we investigated further, there were mould spots on some of the fabric of the lampshades, and some of the wall paper was bubbling up. I immediately went to reception, and again, they very professionally and effectively handled my request, and moved us to a room, this time on the third floor, again facing away from the party zones. No smell, and a much bigger balcony (we were on a corner of the building). We were overlooking some of the hotel service areas, but sitting on a sun lounger at the end of the day, you just watched the sun go down over the mangrove. Big, comfortable king size bed, nice big shower, double sink, hairdryer, soaps, shampoos etc all included. Room also has iron and ironing board, safe, small fridge, minibar and coffee machine (no kettle though). And plenty of coat hangers. There's also a laundry service, which looks pretty cheap. All in all, the room, reception service and facilties are pretty good. There's a reasonably equipped gym on site (basic weights, multi gym machines, 3 treadmill, 3 cross trainer, 3 bike), and a nice looking spa. A casino on site too (free entry for hotel residents), which does free bingo on some nights, a disco and a gift type shop. If you walk down the beach to the Punta Cana RIU (about 5 mins), there a small avenue of gifts shops too (which are a bit cheaper). Half way through our hotel, we decided to upgrade to the Elite Club rooms (these weren't offered through TUI), which cost a pretty penny, but we got a bigger room, our own swim up pool, another exclusive restaurant and 2 more exclusive bars. And the hotel team who facilitated this, couldn't have been more helpful - particularly Lauda (hope I've spelt it right) and Nicole. They were honest, factual, not pushy in any way, and showed us round all the available rooms. In fact, the service overall at this hotel is outstanding. Everyone is really helpful and happy, and very pleasant to speak with. You obviously get some exceptions (and these seem to be towel booth guys here - must be the RIU naughty step), but on the whole service here is great. The final 'facility' they have here is the 'legendary' RIU pool parties. They have 4 a week, 2 in the afternoons, 2 in the evenings, and they are available to all adult guests at the 4 RIU hotels in the complex. It's not at any of the hotels. They've a purpose built facility in between the Macau and the Punta Cana, and it's probably a 500m walk from either. You can't really hear it from any of the general hotel grounds, although maybe some of the Bambino rooms are too close for comfort. The evening ones are over by 11. As a 60 year old, I took a stroll to one of the afternoon ones. I lasted 15 minutes I think. I don't think I'm it's target market. Good on them for putting on a party, and putting it on away from the hotel. We had a very pleasant stay, and I'd be happy to go back again. Why not 5 stars? The food offer didn't blow us away, even in the Elite Club restaurants. It was good enough, but didn't match the Sensatori standards from our last visit to Punta Cana.

  Jan 25, 2026
• 

  Tale of two halves

  We are still here on our honeymoon and thought it would be a peaceful and chilled vibe . When we arrived we were given an upgraded room which was very unexpected and very appreciated so a great start. All the staff are very hardworking and try to make your stay as smooth and comfortable as possible. The problem isn't the hotel itself its the clientele and the very loud music at the pools . Because the pools are close together the music played by the entertainment team at the swimup bar pool is very obtrusive .So if you want peace and relaxation you have to go to the beach . This hotel is lovely but if we had known it was going to be so rowdy we would not have booked here . We are not killjoys by any means but there should be a quiet pool area for people who don't want loud music and drunken pool goers all day long. It's such a shame as its got potential but the noise is a big issue and makes it feel less than a 5 star riu .We will enjoy our honeymoon no matter what but would not say this is a peaceful relaxing holiday so can't recommend it as such .

  Jan 24, 2026
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  GOING BACK!!!!

  January 2026 Riu Palace Macao is absolutely beautiful and truly takes great care of its guests. The staff was phenomenal friendly, helpful, and very informative throughout our stay. The food was a bit hit or miss, but a little salt and pepper usually did the trick. The fruit was outstandingly fresh, flavorful, and plentiful. I would have loved to see more authentic local flavors in some of the dishes, but overall, the dining experience was still enjoyable. It's very clean. The room was a mess, and it got cleaned daily. Nothing was taken, and everything was put back in place nicely. The noise level was not bad at all. You heard a little bit of noise, but the sound of the ocean was louder ( best part). A special shoutout to the wonderful staff at the steakhouse, who went above and beyond by singing Happy Birthday and were incredibly accommodating. Their kindness and energy made the evening unforgettable. Truly phenomenal service. The entertainment was great! Club Pacha had excellent music for all ages and a fun atmosphere, though it could definitely use more air conditioning. The spa is a must-do and absolutely worth it. Also, a helpful FYI: the shops on the resort were actually cheaper than shopping off the resort. The only issue we experienced was that the air conditioning in our room leaked the night before we checked out. We reported it to the staff at checkout so they were aware. Overall experience: 10/10. We would absolutely return. 🌴✨

  Jan 23, 2026
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  Amazing!

  Our stay at RIU Palace Macao was nothing short of incredible! From the moment we arrived, we were welcomed with warm smiles, excellent service, and a beautiful resort atmosphere that made it easy to relax and enjoy every second. The resort itself is stunning—immaculate grounds, gorgeous pools, and a pristine beach that felt like paradise. The food was consistently delicious with plenty of variety, and the entertainment kept the energy fun while still maintaining that adults-only luxury vibe. A very special shoutout to the amazing staff who truly made our trip unforgettable: Stephanie – absolutely wonderful, attentive, and always made us feel welcome Oni – full of energy and kindness, always going above and beyond Willy – professional, friendly, and made every interaction enjoyable Uma/Coco – the life of the resort! So fun, engaging, and unforgettable Each of them brought so much personality and care to their roles, and they genuinely made us feel like VIP guests. Their hospitality is what sets this resort apart. If you’re looking for an adults-only, all-inclusive getaway with top-tier service, amazing staff, and a beautiful setting, RIU Palace Macao is a must. We can’t wait to return!

  Jan 19, 2026