Riu Palace Maldivas

My husband and I spent 2 weeks at this hotel (11-25 Feb), and had THE best time. The island is stunning, nothing prepares you for the colour of the water. It is like paradise. The hotel is spotlessly clean, the food was good. I am gluten free but the hotel catered very well for my dietary needs. The biggest asset to this hotel is the staff, ever one of them from the gardeners, waiting staff and domestic staff were all so pleasant and helpful. A big shout out to all our "friends" at the bar, Samee, Puja, Poonum, Singhe, Desy, Chamod,Chamee, Roma, Roy, Marchee, Anu, Chameera and Thusha. They all helped make our holiday so special.

We visited the Maldives for the first time ever in February, and what an unforgettable stay it has been! RIU Palace Maldivas is everything you dream of when you picture the Maldives - perfect beaches, clear blue water, coral reefs... A location that feels like a postcard come to life. Pictures don't really do it justice - it's almost surreal! We stayed in a Junior Suite with beach access, and for us, it was the perfect choice. The rooms are spacious and lovely decorated. But again, the location takes it all! Waking up steps from the ocean was simply magical. Never did a cup of morning coffee taste better ;-) And thanks to Husan, our room was always spotless. He kept everything tidy and somehow managed to keep the sand outside - no small feat when you’re living on the beach! A heartfelt thank you for making up our room with such attention to detail every day. And thank you for all the lovely decorations. They put a smile on our faces every day! Even though the location is hard to beat as the main reason to visit this hotel, the real stars of our trip were the staff. No matter where you go, you are met with nothing but smiles. Be it in the lovely restaurants, in the bar, at the pool, in the reception, or simply when walking around the premises. You will find nothing but friendly staff members, doing their utmost to make your vacation unforgettable. Yes, they even scare away crows from the outside buffet restaurant with a smile! While most of our time was spent on the empty beach in front of our room, a fair amount of time was also spent in the bar ;-) Here we'd like to especially thank Desy and Sameera (aka. Sammy), who made every day brighter. They were so friendly, fun, and welcoming that we found ourselves stopping by just to chat. Their energy, friendship and kindness made the resort feel like home. Another big shout-out goes to Shifaz in the restaurant, who treated our daughter like royalty :-D Many more staff members would deserve to be mentioned by name, but I'll stop here and just extend my gratitude to every single person working at the hotel. You are all doing a most excellent job! If you’re considering a trip to the Maldives, do not hesitate to book RIU Palace Maldivas! The location is stunning, the service is incredible, and the people make it truly special. Are there no things to improve? There are, but in the larger picture, they simply do not matter, and other reviews make a pretty good job of pointing out the details, so just keep reading :-) To our conclusion then: Will we return? Most certainly. We've visited many beautiful places on earth, but this spot will forever hold a special place in our hearts. Five stars without hesitation!

Hands down best vacation ever! We absolutely loved it here and hope to go back someday. We are Riu members and only stay at Rius. This Riu is just a step above the others in food and service! The food was delicious and we can’t stop raving about all the friendly people working there to ensure you have a fabulous stay. As I said we hope to go back someday but it was definitely a long haul to get there from home, but well worth it!!

We choose Riu Palace for our 50th wedding anniversary. Carole and I had a great time together, relaxing and experiencing this wonderful idyllic paradise island. Fantastic staff all round, from gardeners, bar staff, waiters, cleaners and of course the beach security man with the catapult, funny to see the crows playing him. Palm restaurant food was good with lots and lots of choice. Nice to walk on the white sand together and sit on the seat at the sunset end of the isle and chat, something that we had forgotten to do nowadays in our rushed lifestyle. Thank you all at the RIU Palace for making our anniversary (14th February 1976) special for us. Carole and Kim Hughes (February 9th-20th 2026)

Our vacation was absolutely fantastic! The location was excellently maintained and super well cared for, everything was neat and clean. What stood out most was the friendliness and dedication of the staff. They really did everything to make you feel at home and exceeded our expectations time and time again. Nothing was too much for them! Every day, they created a beautiful piece of towel art for us, which added a nice and personal touch. The food was truly above expectations—everything was super fresh and always at the right temperature. Hot dishes were indeed hot and cold dishes were perfectly cold, something we really appreciated. One small point for improvement: the alcohol in the minibar was not very good. For a palace hotel, you would expect them to offer premium brands. That was a bit of a disappointment, especially if you like good drinks. In short, a vacation to remember! Definitely worth repeating. We would also like to compliment the entire staff for the service and kindness that each and every one of you provide. From housekeeping, kitchen, restaurant, bar, and management. We don't want to mention any names here because I would be doing others an injustice. Thank you so much Sandra & Patrick Regards Sandra en Patrick