Riu Palace Antillas

I had a great time with great food. My one only negative review is that the Pacha night club that they have, the DJ played a total of three songs in English while I was there for two hours. ALL of the rest of the songs were in Spanish. No diversity’s. It was Sept 16, 2026. I’ve never had this happen in any of the others Rius that I’ve stayed at…Paradise Iskand Bahamas,(twice) Cancun, Mexico, Punta Cana, DR. And this is my second time staying at the Riu Antilles. No bueno. Otherwise, our stay was good but, that level of exclusion for some guests is a no go.

My wife and I just finished a 7-night stay at the RIU Antillas in Aruba. This was our 11th trip to Aruba, and our 8th stay in the Antillas. As always, we had a wonderful time and enjoyed all the amenities the all-inclusive Antillas has to offer, great food and drinks, great views of the ocean and sunsets, and of course, the beautiful beach just steps away from the resort. The rooms were all updated several years back and are comfortable to relax in. We were in the Elite Club, which we find perfect for us. We had room 1600 which offered two balconies with unobstructed views overlooking the pools, beach, ocean and sunsets. We are retired and enjoyed the relaxing private Elite Club pool and bar. We also enjoyed the Elite Club bar where the drinks and bar tenders are top notch. It’s also a bit quieter, allowing you to easily hear the conversations you are having. For a livelier crowd, the front lobby bar serves up some amazing cocktails, and you can meet great people from around the world to chat with. The buffet had a great selection food options and was delicious too. The specialty restaurants all served great tasting meals, and we recommend trying them all. Reservations are recommended. Later in the evenings, you can sit at the bar and lounge area down near the beach, people watch, have a few cocktails and just relax hearing the ocean lap against the shore. The staff at the hotel meets your needs with professionalism and friendliness. The property is kept spotless. Room service is daily and your refrigerator and water are also stocked daily. If you need more water, beer or soda for your room, you can usually find the beverage cart and guy in the hallway or just call the front desk. One tip, since this is an older building, bring a charging station for your phones, tablets etc., outlets are 110V but only a couple are available. I used the double outlet on the dresser by the tv to plug ours into. Whether you visit once or often, you will become friends with many employees. A couple of special shout-outs go to Carlos at the front desk, Freddie, Diane and Sebastian in the bars and John and Yajaira in the dining areas are a few that we have gotten to know well over the years and are an exceptional part of the RIU team. We are already looking forward to our return next year!

Unfortunately, our stay at RIU Palace Antillas has been a major disappointment, especially considering our previous experiences with RIU. This was our 8th stay with RIU, and we specifically chose RIU Palace Antillas – and paid more for an adults-only hotel – because this trip was our honeymoon and included my birthday. Before arriving, we had been in contact with RIU and were told that our special occasion would be taken into account. This made us even more excited about our stay. Sadly, the reality was very different. There was no special welcome or acknowledgement of our honeymoon. After expressing our disappointment, Genova Gonzales personally apologized and told us she wanted to make the remainder of our stay special. She promised champagne in our room for my birthday and arranged a restaurant reservation. Unfortunately, the champagne never arrived. We received four balloons, and at the restaurant nothing was arranged or even acknowledged for our honeymoon or birthday. What made this even more disappointing was meeting American guests staying at the RIU next door. They told us they had paid around 13% less than us, had Elite Club benefits and even received their airport shuttle for free – a transfer we had to pay for ourselves. We deliberately chose and paid more for the adults-only Antillas because this was our honeymoon, so it is difficult to understand where the added value was for us. We never expected extravagant gifts. The disappointment comes from the expectations RIU itself created – and from promises that were still not fulfilled even after we expressed our disappointment. After eight RIU stays around the world, this is sadly the first time we leave feeling genuinely disappointed in a brand we have always trusted.

Though the hotel does need to be revamped and updated in terms of modernization so that it looks much more like the newly updated Palace next-door, aside from the cosmetics we were very pleasantly surprised with everything at the resort. The staff was fantastic. You were never greeted with anything less than a smile. The food was better than we thought considering some of the reviews we saw. We were able to eat at the À la carte restaurants every night using the buzzer system with zero problems. Yes we would have to wait for a table, possibly up to an hour, but that’s what the bars were for. Being able to access both resorts using the more updated facilities such as the pool and lobby bar at Riu Palace was a huge advantage. If your expectations are realistic, and you’re not expecting fine dining Michelin star restaurants or Sandals type facilities, this place is great for the price point. Should the rooms be updated as well as the facilities, it would b even better. The location cannot be beat in terms of walking everywhere. It is very safe, extremely clean and close to everything. We would recommend this resort to anyone wanting to try Aruba and experience the breathtaking beauty that it has to offer.

Great resort, perfect size, great beach, amazing food, and friendly, attentive service!