Riu Palace Aruba - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

9281 reviews

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  Rooms smelled of mold

  We stayed at many Rius and Riu Antillas last year and it was great. This year we brought our three kids to the Riu Palace Aruba and are extremely disappointed. We spent $6K on two rooms. Both rooms smell horribly of mildew and mold. The view is of construction and while I don’t mind the construction noise, the state of our rooms are not worth $6K. My son sliced his finger open on a glass railing that has a ridge in it. The grounds are beautiful, pool is beautiful, but no floats are allowed for kids and we got yelled at by a security guard for throwing a pool ball back and forth. When we told the front desk of the mold smell, they said it was because the other building is under construction and the entire building smells of mold and they were working on it (which doesn’t make sense). And they made us a reservation at dinner as compensation, specially telling me I wasn’t going to get compensated with money (which I wasn’t looking for, just clean rooms). I feel for the amount we spent, the rooms should have been in a much nicer state. Pretty disappointed in Riu this time.

  Apr 24, 2025
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  Aruba visit

  This was our first visit to Aruba as well as our first stay at a RIU property. We were very satisfied with all aspects of our week’s stay. Would highly recommend this property.

  Apr 24, 2025
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  Fun in the sun

  RIU Palace in Aruba was absolutely AMAZING! We visited Aruba over the Easter weekend - so if anyone is planning to do so in the future, please know many shops and restaurants are closed on Good Friday and over the weekend. For the RIU, we were so happy with the services, the pool, the food and highly recommend the buffet as it was very relaxing with no pressure. The entertainment was on point! Plan to bring a "white outfit" to dance the night away on every Friday night at the sister resort dance event. It was SUPER. The site is renovating now for the next year, so be mindful. I would recommend to the palace to perhaps have a separate swim up bar for the children who wish to order a "mocktail", to have them out of the adult swim up bar area.

  Apr 23, 2025
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  Gorgeous Resort but Needs some Improvemnents

  We enjoyed our stay at Riu Palace Aruba, especially thanks to the beautiful beach and well-kept hotel grounds. The weather was amazing the entire time, and the refreshing trade winds kept us cool even when it got hot. The beach was gorgeous, and the pools were clean and inviting—perfect for relaxing or letting the kids splash around. The buffet was a huge plus—lots of variety, fresh food, and open for long stretches throughout the day, which is a lifesaver when traveling with kids. We especially loved the rodizio and seafood nights—plentiful and fresh with lots of different options. Shoutout to Yolanda and Luz at the buffet—they were so friendly and helpful! We also loved stopping by the Cappuccino Coffee House for warm milk for our little one’s bottle—thank you Diana for always being so kind. Now, for some things that could use improvement: The keycards were a big frustration. We had to replace ours over five times during our 7-night stay, even though we kept them away from phones and wallets. It became especially annoying when it happened late at night. The lineups for the à la carte restaurants felt very outdated—this process should be available through the app. The entertainment was lackluster and barely catered to kids. More engaging family-friendly activities would go a long way. Accessibility is not great—there are little steps everywhere, and it’s frustrating if you have a stroller or mobility issues. Ramps and automatic door openers are definitely needed. Only two elevators for the whole resort is not enough. Wait times were long, especially during peak times. The rooms are in serious need of an upgrade—no smart TVs, outdated decor, and just a general feeling that they’ve been left behind. Not enough palapas on the beach, which meant getting shade was a bit of a battle. The front desk was also noticeably understaffed. Wait times were long, and since we had to keep replacing our keycards, we had to visit them more often than we would have liked. That said, a huge shoutout to Raul and Jeffrey at the pool bar—they were awesome and kept the drinks and good vibes flowing all day. Another bonus is that the resort is 20 minutes from the airport which is great when you're traveling with kids, All in all, we loved the beach and poolside experience, but the hotel definitely needs updates in service, accessibility, and room quality to match the beauty of the resort grounds. With some changes, this place could be truly amazing.

  Apr 23, 2025
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  Riu Palace Aruba

  Hotel was beautiful. Food and service outstanding. The only negative thing is the beach chair situation. To be able to have shade my husband had to go down about 5:30 am to reserve chairs. It seemed as if other guests were paying the staff to reserve their chairs because at that time there would be almost nothing left!

  Apr 23, 2025