Riu Palace Macao

I love the vibe of this updated hotel. It is classy, spotless, and has a fantastic energy. I walked away a big winner after playing the machines

Possibly the worst beach I have ever been on. Hotel rooms were clean but the pool area had black scum on the walls near the top of the pool. Could get extremely load at times with the same music repeated every day at the pool area. Some waiting on staff in the buffet restaurant would leave us waiting quite along time for water and coffee. Another waiter cleared our table when we went for our main course and said did you want another drink when we had full glasses. Also TUI are aware of the problem with the beach but insisted on showing us an amazing beach. Not impressed with TUI

I left a review on Riu Palace Macau on August 9, 2026 and it was not posted, Truly a disappointing family anniversary experience, musty and mouldy room, paint peeling off the walls and furniture, dirty drapes, broken washrooms sinks taps, fully icy mini bar freezer due to luck of cleaning and poor management customer service. Marketed as a 5* but truly a 3* , never again!

Second time at this hotel and it did not disappoint. A few niggles that I will outline below. No welcome drink on arrival: not a major negative, but something we had previously. The room was generally ok; great size, comfortable bed, bathroom in good condition. However, there was a leak of water from the a/c panel in the ceiling and part of the interior doorframe was hanging off. Reported via the app and both were resolved very quickly, but this seemed a sign of general wear and tear that shows that some areas need an update. The pools were warm, but expected in this season. The swim-up party pool is good for the first hour and then it turns into a noisy, drunken morass of a social experiment, coupled with a veneer on the surface of the water that I hoped was sunscreen (but I think it may have been more human in origin). The larger, central pool was never too busy and the smallest pool tended to be quieter, but not always. There was never a need to get beds early, although the cabanas seemed to be bedecked with towels from any time after 6 a.m. Speaking of that time in the morning: the sunrise over the beach was nothing short of spectacular. Drinks were fine: typical large measures and premium labels available if you asked for them. There was an inconsistent making of cocktails; outdoor bar, Cuban bar and sports bar all made the same drink in very different ways, so not sure if there is a training issue. Not sure if the resort actually stocks any sugar free mixers which I asked for frequently and never actually received. The food was great. The buffet was a massive improvement on our previous visit. The variety, diversity and quality of what was available, whether at breakfast, lunchtime or in the evening was first-rate. We tried all of the à la carte restaurants at least once and they were all good, but as the buffet was more than sufficient, we were happy to eat there most nights. We tend to be early risers, so cannot comment on the evening shows. Entertainment staff were lively, energetic and respected if you declined to get involved. The staff are the stars of the show. Everyone was pleasant, courteous and smiling. Notable staff members were Juana around the pool, Alejandro and Polanco at breakfasts and the staff in the sports bar. There have been many comments about tipping. There is no obligation to. I certainly did not feel overlooked if I was standing at a bar not waving dollars. The area between pools and beach had the trees maintained while we were there, which reduced the shade available. However, to watch the men at work with just two ropes and a machete was an eye-opener. There were days where seaweed came ashore but valiant efforts were made to allow people access to the sea. Adults-only hotels have a real mix of clientele and this was no exception. There were times when the noise from the party pool petri dish became a little intrusive, but you could mostly find quieter corners to relax. Is this hotel worth it? Yes. For what we paid, it was a couple of hundred pounds each more than Europe. Would we return? Yes, but in a different season. Met some great people, had some great food, had a few too many drinks, switched off, rested and loved every second.

Myself and my partner have just returned from a 2 week stay at this hotel and we would definitely return! Starting with the cons: Rooms are VERY damp/humid and smell the same, and had mould on the walls, HOWEVER, with it being so humid and hot in this country, I don’t know if that can really be helped… We kept the aircon on whilst we were out, and this seemed to help, along with a few dehumidifiers we brought from home, we did get used to the smell, but upon returning home, we could smell the damp on our clothes. Another con, was that the pools are EXTREMELY HOT. Almost bath warm. No reprieve from the heat, and you very rarely see the pool cleaners, so the pools don’t look the cleanest, we seen 1 pool cleaner in our entire 2 weeks, and we seen them testing the water maybe twice, but testing it from the filter source, so not sure how accurate those readings were for the cleanliness of the pool. We went in the swim up pool bar once because it’s quite literally a breeding ground… I’ll leave that to the imagination!! We weren’t so keen on 2 of the female entertainment staff, they came across as quite rude, kissing their teeth, and pulling faces every time you looked in their direction, but we just avoided them. And then our room key stopped allowing us into the room, we had to return to reception in around 4 separate occasions which was frustrating. Pros: The food!!! We didn’t have a single complaint about the buffet restaurant! Usually when you get to the end of a 2 weeks all inclusive holiday you’re sick of the food, but not here, lots of options every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Fresh steak for lunch and dinner daily, chicken, shawarma kebab station, burritos, omelettes made fresh to order, the most delicious juicy fruits, everything you can imagine really. Great choice of drinks, but they are very strong, especially when you order a spirit & mixer so you need to prepare for that! The staff members whom made our holiday: Juana, poolside waitress, an incredible woman, she just doesn’t stop! Taught us bits of Spanish, spoke with us about our lives and shared parts of hers. She is wonderful at her job and could not be more attentive! Roosevelt/Ozuna/Adonys - waiters in the restaurant, amazing group of guys, that couldn’t do enough for you, seated us as soon as we walked in, filling up drinks without prompt, clearing away rapidly! They couldn’t do more if they tried! Rosanny - nighttime entertainment waitress, very attentive and friendly, wonderful at her job! “Sexy Carla” and Willy were out favourites from the entertainment team and kept us happy, entertained and laughing the whole time! Honeydi the TUI rep was amazing and even organised a surprise anniversary gift for us! Thank you!! The al a cartes: Italian, wouldn’t return, the parmigiana was extremely over cooked, burnt and dry but the bread for starter along with olive oil and balsamic was delicious. Steakhouse, ordered the fillet steak medium and it came rare so did send back but came back much better, a lovely cut of steak Asian, our favourite by far, went twice for almost tapas Asian food. Soo good! The KFC bao buns, hawkers wings and the Thai fried rice are a must! Overall a fabulous 2 weeks at this hotel, if the pools were able to be regulated in terms of cleanliness and temperature it wouldn’t be far from 5*!