Hotel Riu Palace Antillas

I had very high expectations for the elite club. My wife and I had stayed at the Marriott Stellaris twice previously and decided to venture onto the Riu property based on a separate elite experience. Sadly we were very disappointed. When we arrived at the hotel there was no bell captain outside we had to walk our own bags into the hotel. When we were brought to the front counter we were then told that there was a separate desk for elite club members that was banned by no one and they had to go get the clerk from the back. I would have been better off checking in at the counter That was just the beginning. In my room I had an outlet that was off the wall with exposed wires. There was a piece of what I believed to be the door left on the table in front of the couch. There were scuff marks and excess paint throughout the room and very much the hallways. The faucets on both sinks when turned on leaked enough to a point that I put a towel on the counter to avoid the water from running down to the floor. The elite club dining area was only open for one meal had a limited menu and along with a limited menu it did not change. Being at the hotel for longer than 5 days if I decided to eat at the elite club restaurant I would have had no other option then to have the same thing more than once. Unlike other hotels there was no discounts for any services including the spa that my wife and I paid full price for. The Marriott offered a card that all I had to show in various places around the island to get 10% off. The part of the hotel that was converted to the elite club had no real upgrades except an overly painted white door and a sign on the ground to delineate where the elite club was. We did not enjoy any special seating we did not enjoy any special treatment on the beach (such as a saved palapa) or even having special seating during the Christmas show. A final thumb to our eyes was we received an email one day prior to my wife and I checking out from the manager on call his name was Jason. When we brought our displeasure to him he claimed that he was stepping up because there were other people off for the holidays. That to me shows that there is no difference in the treatment of your regular guests from people that have an expectation of being treated as elite in your establishment.

Very friendly staff. There when you want them and gone when you dont. Great food great pool great beach and the people that stay there are great too.

First time in Aruba and chose the worse hotel. Have to get up by 5 to get your palapas reserved have to tip for your seats cause they are locked up. They are not friendly and buffet is repetitive and steak house very unorganised had to wait in line for 1 hour and left. Safety is.not their priority. Will NOT go there again !!!!! Will stick to Punta Cana.

The best hotel to stay at as a solo adult. No screaming kids, great food, a fun casino , close to a tonne of shops and restaurants. The beach was stunning and so easy to get around. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Probably the best hotel I’ve ever stayed at. I was over whelmed with where to stay as there were so many options - but I definitely made the right choice!

My husband and I booked a long-awaited vacation hoping to stay at a 5-star hotel as “advertised”. We definitely paid for such an experience, over 7k for a week’s stay (Dec. 24-31). Comparatively speaking with other AI properties we’ve stayed at this hotel did disappoint. Our experience began with front desk staff member (Davidson) checking us in to our “reserved” sea view junior suite only to find out when we go up that the room has now view of sea but a wonderful view of cement roof. We immediately called the front desk to let them know our dissatisfaction. Whoever we spoke with (not Davidson) told us no problem, they found another availability but they had to make sure it was clean. Waiting for about 15 minutes for the callback, we went back to the lobby to see Davidson. Neither he or anyone else seemed to know who we had spoken with from the “cement view room”. Finally, after about 20 minutes he finds a room for us which is what we originally signed up for. Left a bad taste in our mouths for first impressions. With the exception of our cleaning staff (Nocha and Gloria), a couple of female bartenders (lobby bar- unfortunately lost paper with their names on it), and a couple of the ladies serving beverages where we ate breakfast, nobody else really impressed us. It seemed to us they mostly are resentful for having to serve others. Our massages were okay although overpriced for the experience , $360 for couple’s deep tissue massage. The beach area is rather small for as many people as they allow on it. The polabas are a commodity, especially if you don’t wake up on or before 6 a.m. to stake your claim by putting towels on them which signals other guests they are not available. But, the beach staff will take your “tip”, $20 to “reserve” one for you…not very classy. The lounge chairs are also reserved by putting towels on them…some folks had their towels removed from lounge chairs by other guests…we were two of the victims. You are allotted two towels per couple, they give you towel cards. If those towels mysteriously disappear, we did get an “inside tip” to go to front desk to receive more towels without being charged. As far as their restaurants, we enjoyed the French restaurant the most. No reservations for any of the restaurants, it’s first come first serve. We were dumbfounded when we heard from more than a few couples about their dismay after not being able gain entrance at the Steakhouse…their supposed most popular restaurant. We did get to dine there a couple of times, nothing to write home about considering all the fuss. Thankfully, we’re in love, enjoy each other’s company and made the best of it. If you’re accustomed to better than average, don’t waste your money or time. Overall, will not return to the Antilles. A new property is opening up next door which staff considers their competition. I’m sure they are right about that.