Riu Palace Antillas

I had an extremely disappointing experience at RIU Palace Antillas in Aruba, and unfortunately, what should have been a relatively simple billing correction turned into weeks of frustration and an ongoing battle to get my money back. During my stay, I was incorrectly charged on my credit card. Before checking out, I brought the issue to the attention of the front desk and was explicitly assured that the incorrect charge would be corrected and the refund returned to my credit card within seven days. I was even provided with documentation from the front desk on October 7, 2026, indicating that the matter was being addressed. Unfortunately, that was the beginning of the problem, not the resolution. More than three weeks later, I still had not received my refund. I have sent multiple emails, contacted customer service, reached out to the complaints department, completed an additional complaint form at their request, and repeatedly followed up with hotel management. Despite all of this, I have been unable to get a straightforward answer to one very basic question: On what exact date was my refund actually processed? I was repeatedly given assurances that the refund had been handled, yet no one could provide a transaction confirmation or refund reference number. My emails have gone unanswered for days, and I have had to spend an unreasonable amount of time chasing down money that should never have been incorrectly charged in the first place. The lack of accountability and communication from management has been absolutely unacceptable. A hotel should be judged not only by the experience it provides while guests are on vacation, but also by how it treats customers when something goes wrong. RIU Palace Antillas has failed miserably in that regard. I should not have to spend weeks chasing a refund, repeatedly contacting different departments, and threatening to dispute a charge with my credit card company just to get a billing error corrected. My advice to anyone considering this property: carefully review your final bill and monitor your credit card statements. Based on my experience, if a billing issue arises, do not expect it to be resolved quickly or without considerable effort on your part. This experience has seriously damaged my confidence in RIU, and I would have a very difficult time recommending this hotel to anyone.

This resort is very nice. A group of 16 of us from Pittsburgh, PA went from 10/11-10/16, and had a great time. We spent most of our time at the swim up bar, where the bartenders wear funny hats and give out drinks and shots with happy smiles. The staff had games for guests to play at the swim up bar and at the bigger pool where the volleyball net is. The Casino offered a lot of table games and skill games. The food was really good at the big buffet, and we had the Elite package, so we were able to make dinner reservations at the restaurants, where if you're not Elite you can't. The beach is breathtaking and the view from our room on the 18th floor was right out of a postcard. The evening shows at the Carnval (next to the Disco) were great to watch each night. And, if you walk out the front door and turn left, about two blocks away were a ton of restaurants, bars, and shops. The Disco doesn't open until 11pm, and it seemed to only play salsa music, so we didn't stay in there long. Overall, I thought this was a nice hotel and would stay here again.

Honestly the hardest workers I’ve seen. The cleaners, bartenders and staff made our trip great. However, the facilities are honestly so old, every single place in this resort needs an upgrade. The bathrooms are gross because they are so old not that they aren’t being cleaned. If you need something from the front desk you need to wait a VERY long time. There’s no direction on where to go and do things just ‘download the app.” Forget about trying to get into a restaurant if you don’t line up exactly at opening 6pm and ask for a reservation time. It almost ruined our trip. Every pool chair is taken and every beach chair is taken by 9am. It’s a hassle and makes it hard to relax. The palace next door was much nicer and I wish we stayed there. Thanks to the hard workers it made our trip. J wish the facilities were nicer and not as cruddy.

My recent stay at Riu Palace Antillas was, by far, one of the worst all-inclusive hotel experiences I have ever had. While Aruba is beautiful, the hotel's lack of compassion, poor customer service, excessive restrictions, and lack of management accountability significantly impacted my vacation. On my first morning, I experienced what appeared to be a severe allergic reaction, leaving my face extremely swollen and red. Although the front desk arranged transportation to a hospital, there was absolutely no follow-up from management regarding my well-being. While recovering in my room for approximately two days, I was repeatedly denied the ability to have hot food brought to me, even though my friend explained that I was ill and had paid for “all-inclusive”. Other incidents further demonstrated the hotel's lack of concern for guest satisfaction. When a server spilled red liquid onto my personal belongings in the restaurant, I received virtually no assistance, was given a single paper napkin to clean my belongings, and received no management follow-up despite reporting the incident to the front desk. Throughout our stay, the response to reasonable requests was repeatedly "no," with little effort to offer solutions or involve management. Equally concerning was the lack of transparency regarding the property. We believed we were booking a recently renovated Riu experience, but only after arrival did we realize we had been placed in the older Antillas property, which we subsequently understood had not been renovated in approximately 12 years. Had this distinction and the property's condition been made clear during booking, we would have reconsidered our reservation. Hotels certainly need policies, but hospitality requires compassion, common sense, flexibility, and a genuine commitment to guests. Unfortunately, those qualities were largely absent during my stay.

My stay at Hotel Riu Palace Antillas was deeply disappointing and uncomfortable. As a Black woman, I experienced repeated discriminatory behavior in how I was treated comparison to white patrons and/or patrons appearing to be white. Upon arrival, I received no greeting, while a bellman immediately and enthusiastically greeted white women behind me. At the pool bar and an evening party, bartenders prepared my drinks but walked away without serving them, requiring me to order from other employees. I also experienced noticeably different treatment in the dining area. These incidents involved multiple employees and left me feeling unwelcome throughout my stay. The room also fell short of expectations, with a rusted ironing board, worn-off iron temperature markings, a stained sheet, and hair on towels and decorative bedding. After my stay, I attempted to address my concerns directly with RIU. Rather than substantively acknowledging my complaint, RIU directed me back to Expedia because that was where I booked. Expedia later informed me that RIU declined my refund waiver, but its responses have focused on the cancellation policy rather than the underlying complaint. The lack of meaningful acknowledgment afterward compounded my disappointment. I would not stay at this property again.