Hotel Riu Palace Aruba - All Inclusive

We stayed in one of the elite rooms but I noticed our shower leaked each night. The renovated rooms are nice overall and rooms were cleaned each day. The service was not great, everyone was on island time which was expected but it felt like every server was unwelcoming and borderline rude. Bars/restaurant closed at 6 pm and only 1 restaurant remained open for the entire resort when everything else was closed. There were only a handful of tables where they were willing to serve food there too. We tried ordering room service to avoid the food scarcity from 3-6 pm but it took room service 4 hours to allegedly deliver the food. We left without eating because we would lose out on an excursion if we waited. Pools close at 7 pm. For the reservation restaurants, I liked the Fusion restaurant and Steak one but could’ve skipped the Asian one. The buffet restaurant, I only tried the breakfast and it was decent. Servers were nicer in the buffet than anywhere else. The beach was pretty but I was expecting crystal blue waters and the water was very average - similar to average Florida beach.

We were there 8/11-18. Our room was ready when we arrived which hardly ever happens. It was comfortable and spacious. The sofa cushions and back of the sofa were dirty. I turned the cushions around so not to look at it. Wish there were more electrical outlets/charging ports in the room. The steps leading down to the deck blend in with the floor, an accent color on the edge would be helpful to prevent slipping off the steps (which happened to me). Bar staff were friendly and responsive. The food in the buffet was just OK and it had a high school cafeteria feel to it, I guess that is to be expected with children. The food and atmosphere was better at Antilles. The water cooler in the gym was out of service all week.

Top praise for all aspects of this resort hotel. The staff is endlessly efficient and eager to help. The restaurant ambience is intimate and wonderful and the rooms are spotless. Pool side waiters are cheerful and it’s nice that they remember you and your choices. Special shout outs to Santana and Kassem at the front and elite desks and Rigoberto (Rigo) the bellman for super pleasant interactions and helpfulness. Also, from the Riu Antilles next door, Jacqueline the sales manager really goes out of her way to be helpful. Thank you so much Jacqueline. The dining experience at Krystal was exemplary. Every service person was pleasantly professional and highly attentive. Great job to that staff and the chef too, the food was great!

Wonderful experience. Newly renovated room was beautiful that was one of the most comfortable I'd ever slept on. Pillows wonderful. Shower pressure great. In room bar, plenty of water, wonderful options for food everywhere we went. Friendly staff. Never felt more comfortable.