Riu Palace Maldivas

My son and I arrived in Malé on a grey and drizzly morning after a long flight, and made our way to the lounge to wait for the seaplane to RIU Palace Maldivas. Our original seaplane slot was unfortunately moved back by two hours, which made the wait feel even longer. However, the seaplane journey itself was an amazing experience and definitely something I would recommend doing at least once. On arrival at the resort, we were quickly allocated our room and taken there by buggy. Our luggage took a little while longer to arrive, and we didn’t receive much assistance or information from reception, which was a little disappointing. Thankfully, our room itself was lovely. I would also strongly recommend downloading the RIU app before or during your stay, as it contains pretty much all the information you need about the resort, restaurants, activities and facilities. The weather wasn’t particularly kind to us for the first two or three days, with some very heavy rain. Of course, we were visiting during the rainy season, but we had heard from other guests who had visited in September and enjoyed fantastic weather, so it really is a matter of luck. One person we must give a special mention to is Rai. One evening, after dinner at one of the restaurants at RIU Atoll, a particularly bad storm came through. Rai very kindly came to collect us and drove us back to RIU Palace by buggy. It was quite a scary experience in the storm, and we were incredibly grateful for his kindness and assistance. Fortunately, the following seven days brought us exceptional weather, and that’s when we really understood why people describe the Maldives as paradise. The water is crystal clear and turquoise, the sand is powder-soft and white, and the whole setting is simply breathtaking. It really is the perfect place to escape the stresses of everyday life and completely switch off. We managed to visit all of the restaurants during our stay, and each had something different to offer. Personally, I preferred the piña coladas at the sister resort, RIU Atoll — particularly those served at the sports bar. They were creamier and, in my opinion, much better! The staff there were also incredibly friendly, and we enjoyed spending some time playing pool at the sports bar. The spa, which is located at RIU Atoll, was another highlight. We had massages on three occasions during our stay, and the therapists, Michelle and Intan, were fantastic. They both had magical hands and did an amazing job of working out the knots in our backs and necks. We left every treatment feeling completely relaxed. Breakfast had everything you could want, with plenty of choice. A special shout-out to Sindy, Aami and Aru, who looked after the buffet. They were always welcoming, friendly and happy to help with anything we needed. Yomi was an exceptional chef making eggs to order and very cheery. Another special mention has to go to Naeem, who looked after our room throughout our stay. He kept it absolutely spotless and always made sure we had everything we needed. It was also my birthday while we were there, and he went above and beyond by decorating the beds to wish me a happy birthday. It was such a thoughtful gesture and genuinely touched me. Initially, we spent time sunbathing on the beach near the pool, but we found that some guests were quite loud and there was also quite a lot of smoking. We eventually discovered the beach area directly outside our room — and wow! What a difference. It was so peaceful and secluded that we could easily have imagined we had our own private island. This became our favourite spot to relax. The quality of the food overall was pretty good, although one small disappointment was that the restaurants mainly offer wine or beer with meals. As we don’t drink either and prefer cocktails or spirits, it would have been nice to have a wider choice of drinks available with dinner. Despite a few minor issues, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at RIU Palace Maldivas. The beautiful surroundings, crystal-clear water, powder-white beaches and wonderful staff made it a truly memorable holiday. If you’re looking for somewhere to completely switch off, relax and rejuvenate, the Maldives certainly delivers. We left feeling rested, refreshed and very grateful to have experienced such a beautiful place. Would we return? Absolutely. The Maldives really is something special.

It’s time to write a review. My wife and I vacationed there from August 30th to September 7th. The trip got off to a great start when the hotel upgraded us from the Male-based accommodation to an island villa accessible by seaplane—a very pleasant surprise! We stayed in villa 153 (on the east side), and I still believe it’s the best villa: it was very peaceful, and right next to a beautiful sandspit (where we’d often go at night to admire the stunning sky and have a drink 😍). There was excellent ocean access and a nearby breakwater that was great for snorkeling. The island is small; everything is within easy walking distance and conveniently laid out. The main restaurant, PALM, served excellent food—plenty of chicken, fish, grilled items, vegetables, and fruit. During our stay, there were two themed grill nights and one—let's call it—"seafood day," featuring lobsters and other delicious treats. As someone who enjoys a drink, I was extremely pleased with both the selection and the quality. The bar could whip up absolutely any cocktail you wanted; you could simply say "any tasty cocktail with..." and the result was top-notch. The à la carte options were pretty good—we visited the Steak House at the Atoll and Krystal at the Palace, and everything was solid. The tenderloin and burger at the Steak House were particularly impressive. Service was 10/10. The staff were incredibly polite, friendly, and attentive—there was absolutely nothing to complain about. Room cleaning was daily and high-quality; the minibar wasn't restocked one day, but that was a minor issue—we just stopped by reception, and by the time we got back from our walk, it was fully stocked. You can request whatever extras you want for the minibar; I’m a fan of beer and Coke Zero, so I asked for an extra 6–8 cans, and they always provided them without question. The hotel occupancy was low; the guests were mostly European and Chinese, with Russians making up a maximum of 20–30%. A cool bonus is that you can use all the amenities at the Atoll; we went there for walks and the discos—plus, there are some great extra spots for photos. By the way, the 5-star section has really cool DJ sets at 5:00 PM; the Balearic music fits the setting perfectly. The weather was gorgeous, the mood was fantastic, and the vacation was a 100% success. The only downside was the high humidity in the rooms, but we aren't particularly fussy, so we took it in stride—especially considering the local climate. I’d still recommend going for a 5-star hotel; if we had tried to save money and booked a 4-star one, we would have been left with a bit of a bad impression—it tends to be noisier there, and the level of service just doesn't match up to a 5-star property. Also, a special thank you to the bar team: Puja, Punam, Sanju, Desy, Samee, Dasun and more) You’re the best—we love you—and the cocktails were delicious.

Nothing will ever come close to this holiday. It's a beautiful place with beautiful staff. The food was excellent everyday there is a wide choice in the buffet restaurant. Yobi was a lovely friendly chef and the restaurant staff, Milan, Suarez, Abu, Cindy and big chef were so friendly always taking time to talk and laugh with especially Abu and Suarez. Desy was my favourite bar lady such a beautiful lady. I cried when we had to leave. We took the seaplane on and off the island and its an experience that was so special. If I could go back tomorrow I would I have never enjoyed a holiday as much as The Maldives. Thankyou to all the staff for our amazing experience its been the best 2 weeks of our lives. Joanne & Stuart Carney.

Wow what a place Just returned from our 10 day holiday for our 25th wedding anniversary , we had a beach room on the sunset side, right next to the buffet and pool . All staff were excellent & very polite , stopping to say good morning or afternoon and always had a smile and polite conversation, We used all the speciality restaurants which were good & the buffet was brilliant ,thank you to the head chief and chief yomi , who always had a chat and asked if we were enjoying the food . We sat by the pool every night listing to the band and enjoying our drinks served by the amazing staff there . Thank you to desy who always greeted us by our names and with a lovely smile and the rest of the pool bar team for making our holiday , so friendly & polite . We went over to atol side for the flower power & white night for disco nights on the golf buggy which comes past every 2 mins . My self and my wife had a message at the hotel which was great . I Would recommend taking swimming shoes and snorkels , as the water is so clear and you will see lots of fish , turtles and baby sharks going past the waters edge . Aircon in the room was great along with our room cleaner who did a great job and drinks was filled twice a day , Thank you to all at this amazing 5 star hotel and 5star staff who made this holiday amazing, Mr Phil & Mrs Maria as we was known

Thank you for the wonderful stay at this lovely hotel. Special thanks to the restaurant staff, particularly the chef, Yomi. He is an excellent cook, as well as friendly and polite!