Riu Palace Palmeras

We had a very pleasant stay at the Hotel Riu Palace Palmeras. Check-in was excellent, with very helpful and friendly staff who made us feel welcome from the moment we arrived. Our room was clean, spacious and comfortable, with a very comfortable bed and a lovely balcony with seating. The bathroom was a good size with a decent shower, and the complimentary minibar was a nice touch, stocked with beer, soft drinks and water and replenished every other day. The food was really good throughout our stay, with an excellent variety and plenty of choice. Having food and drinks available 24 hours a day was also a real bonus. The pool areas were very enjoyable, with comfortable sunbeds, and we never had any trouble finding one. The staff throughout the hotel were always friendly, helpful and welcoming. The only slight negatives were the lack of organised daytime activities, and in the evenings it could sometimes be difficult to find seating for the entertainment. The hotel is in a great central location, easy walking distance to the beach and shopping centres. Overall, we had a very enjoyable and relaxing stay and would happily recommend the Hotel Riu Palace Palmeras. Thank you to all the staff for making our stay so pleasant!

We have just returned from a week’s holiday at the Riu Palace Palmeras. The hotel is beautiful. It is absolutely spotlessly clean, the staff are lovely, very friendly and always happy to help. They all work very hard to keep the hotel looking good. No issues getting a table at meal times, plenty of sun beds and waiter service in the main bar. Couple of negatives,the food isn’t very hot, maybe because it’s a buffet and the staff are not great replenishing drinks. The soft drinks are served in very small bottles and the water is not left on the table. We have stayed in several Riu Palace hotels and the water and wine has always been left on the table. The courtesy room is awful. It is clean and there are plenty of towels but no ventilation or air con so it is more like a sauna especially after a shower. All that said I would happily stay here again.

Only disappointment was the courtesy shower room which were spotless but no air conditioning so after showering to go home were left way too hot and sticky I think that staff should have allocated different rooms for comfort. Reception staff were not interested. Also when I enquired about the beach bags being given out was told none left however a party of German or Dutch people arrived an hour later were given one each. Seems a two tier system in place which is unacceptable I regularly stay in riu hotels so disappointed

I am extremely satisfied with my stay, right from the smooth check-in process. Everything was simply great. Dining & Drinks: The food was delicious and varied. Great access to bars with high-quality drinks. A 'La Carte Highlight: The Kristal a 'la carte restaurant was incredible! Service: Exceptional staff throughout—both the bar crew and the housekeeping team delivered top-notch service. Pro Tip: Check out the Kristal restaurant menu on the board outside beforehand. The dishes are fantastic, and decoding the options in advance is definitely worth it!

We have just returned home after booking a 10-night stay at this hotel, but unfortunately we only managed to stay for 5 nights before deciding to cut our holiday short. What can I say about the hotel? Well, firstly, it is far too small for us. It feels like going back in time, and calling it a “boutique hotel” feels more like a way of dressing up the fact that it is a very small, dated-style property in a few ways. Our room was far too small for two people. My wife unpacked her clothes, but there simply wasn’t enough wardrobe space for both of us, meaning I had to live out of my suitcase for the entire stay and could only hang a few things up. There is only one à la carte restaurant, which we didn’t think was particularly good. The food overall was also disappointing. It was repetitive and, in our opinion, nowhere near the standard we have experienced at other RIU Palace hotels — particularly RIU Gran Canaria that’s not even a Palace. The hotel itself was incredibly quiet. At times you could genuinely hear a pin drop in reception. The clientele was predominantly much older, with a significant number of guests using Zimmer frames. This wasn’t something that was made clear when booking, and had we known, we probably wouldn’t have chosen this hotel. The entertainment was, quite simply, the worst RIU entertainment we have ever experienced. And if you know RIU, you’ll know that entertainment isn’t exactly their strongest point! There is no real in-house entertainment team. Instead, outside acts are brought in, and unfortunately the quality during our five nights was extremely poor. The singers weren’t particularly good, and the music seemed aimed almost entirely at a much older generation — lots of Elvis and predominantly 60s music. There were people in the hotel in their 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s, so surely the entertainment should cater for a wider range of ages. Instead, the entertainment was so poor that people were simply going upstairs to the bar and playing cards rather than watching it. The top bar was particularly soul-destroying. There was no background music at all, which added to the atmosphere of being in an old people’s home rather than a luxury Palace hotel. Even the drinks menu was disappointing. For a RIU Palace, I would expect a much better selection. There wasn’t even pink gin available, whereas RIU Gran Canaria offers it and has a much better drinks menu. Another disappointment was the service. The majority of the staff we encountered appeared as though they simply didn’t want to be there. Many came across as grumpy and unwelcoming. There were around four members of staff who were genuinely lovely and stood out, but unfortunately the majority didn’t give us the service we have come to expect from RIU. The positives To be fair, there are positives. The hotel was exceptionally clean and very well maintained. In fact, it was probably the cleanest RIU we have ever stayed in. Our room was spotless every single day and housekeeping could not be faulted whatsoever. However, cleanliness alone isn’t enough when you’re paying for a holiday at a RIU Palace. We are RIU Gold members and, sadly, we have now decided that this will be the last RIU hotel we stay at for quite some time unless we travel long haul. The standard of RIU hotels on this side of the Atlantic has, in our opinion, definitely declined. We have stayed at RIU Palace Mexico, not to mention a few others and this hotel simply wasn’t in the same league. It wasn’t a patch on RIU Palace Mexico. We were so bored with the hotel and the overall experience that we decided there was no point forcing ourselves to stay for another five nights. We cut our holiday short and came home. We’re now looking at booking another holiday before the end of the year to make up for the days we lost. Our honest opinion: if you’re in your 50s or younger, think very carefully before spending your money here. If you’re looking for a lively atmosphere, good entertainment, a decent choice of restaurants and bars, and something that feels like a luxury Palace experience, we’d recommend looking elsewhere. For us, this was a very disappointing RIU experience and certainly not what we expected from a Palace hotel.