Riu Palace Aruba All Inclusive

This was my second trip to Aruba and the RIU Palace was by far a nicer place to stay. The staff was great and the food was very good. It is hard to find anything to complain about.

Aruba and the Riu Palace is a great place for the beach and water activities. The hotel is lovely and the service is really good for a hotel this size. The specialty restaurants are fabulous, the breakfast buffet is good but the lunch buffet is just okay. I would definately go back. The beds aren't the most comfortable (especially given that the Westin is right next door and has very comfortable beds).

Our trip was fantastic. You wanted for nothing. It was great!!!!!!!!!

hotel was great, clean,

Beautiful island ! This was our second stay at this hotel. The island is small enough to rent your own jeep and travel the island on your own. Navigation is really easy and you can drive off road along trails on the beach. ( make sure to hit Baby Beach ). Not as much to do as other destinations with mountains, rain forests though. Most excursions are on the water as the island is small and flat. Weather in January was 88 degrees with a 15 mph breeze ( heavenly ). If you like to gamble you're in luck as every hotel has a casino , but we highly recommend the 2 downtown stand alone casinos. Taxi ride from airport is only about $20 and from hotel to downtown is only $11 !! Very nice taxis as the drivers own the vehicles ( no cab companies ).

This location has a lot of things to beside what the hotel has to offer. There is a great boardwalk style strip outside the hotel, which includes shopping and eatery places. The weather was great. As for the hotel, the food selection has a little bit to offer to every type of person. Everything was great, except there could be some improvement on the nightly entertainment. I have traveled to many Rui's and I have repeatedly come back to this location.

The staff was fantastic! Everyone from the front desk to the waiters behaved like we were family. The food was great at all the venues. All the parts of this wonderful resort just seemed to work beautifully. We will definitely do a repeat visit.

Had to ask for hair conditioner and breakfast room service menu. Hand towels weren't replaced one day. Drinking glasses we dirty and never replaced. Had to ask for wash clothes. Room view wasn't what we booked, although they downgraded us to give us the view we wanted, which was our highest priority. So, we wasted money there. All in all, the rooms are very nice, the food is plentiful and good (Milano restaurant stood way above the others). There were plenty of chairs at the pool but not nearly enough cushions, so many went unused and left a lot of us looking for a comfortable place to lounge. The chairs at the beach were very worn and uncomfortable. The staff was friendly and helpful. There is no gift shop on site.

The room phones didn't work most of the time, I requested extra diet cokes (finally got them at the end of the trip). No gift shop. Liquor dispenser broke and was never fixed. Food good and the staff was great

This is actually my second review of this hotel. I stayed at this hotel last year (October 2009) and wrote a review. This is a more up-to-date version on current hospitality!Hotel OverallThe hotel overall is very clean. Room service is also included in the all inclusive, which is very nice. The best part is the beach. A lot of the hotels in Aruba are near the beach or on limited beach space. The Riu has plenty- and beach combers can use the Westin's convenient clock located at the top of its hotel next door to keep time. The downside- this time, we noticed that there was a bit more "attitude" from the staff. Last time, everyone lived up to the "One Happy Island" motto, but this time, the staff seemed to be cut (maybe because of the economy?) and unhappy. They would still help you with whatever they could, but the smile may not be genuine. Also, the beds were AWFUL. Definitely bring some advil if you plan to sleep on those babies! Sleeping on the floor may be better.FoodThe Riu is equipped with plenty of restaurants. One is a buffet style with some theme nights (like Mexican night and Gala night), but there are also french, italian, steak, and japanese restaurants. These require reservations the day of. Last time I believe I listed the Steakhouse as the best- NOT anymore! It's definitely lacking now.... and one of my friends got sick. The best restaurants right now are the italian and french restaurants. The italian offers various pastas, steak, chicken, etc. The french was absolutely to die for. Unlike the other restuarants, each of the french's choices were to die for.DrinksAnything with rum is recommended (they're known for it!). Biggest thing around is the caiperina (2 shots of rum, sugar, and lime - sometimes they will use lemon instead) and mojitos. The bartender at the Palm Beach bar is also very good at chocolate martinis. Transportation[...] tries to sell you a transportation package to the hotel from the airport (De Palm Services). Don't do it! Aruba is really easy to get around and the bus is not needed. It is convenient at the beginning of the trip.....but at the end, they will make you leave your hotel AT least 3 hours (and more like 4 because they have to stop at other hotels to pick up more people) before your flight. For example, the time we used them, they picked us up at 2:15. Our flight wasn't until 6pm at night. A taxi is cheaper and easier. To get around town, the bus stops outside hotels and it's only about $1.50 to get to town.