Riu Palace Antillas

This was our first trip to Aruba. It was pretty, blue skies, blue waters and beautiful beaches. The people were friendly. It was nice to be able to walk freely and feel safe. We took the public bus to town and had no issues (bring correct change, tho)!! As for the hotel, we were disappointed. We paid the same price in Jamaica and DR and the rooms, service, food and liquor were much better at both of those locations. My husband likes Crown Royal and Coke and they didn't have any Crown Royal. So, he asked for a Jack Daniels and Coke and some of the hotel bars didn't have Jack Daniels or told him "go to that bar" and they should have it. When it is all inclusive why are we chasing down our drink of second choice? Also, their pina colada, daiquiri, etc., came from a slushie machine! They were terrible, I'm on a tropical island, why are these not made from fresh fruit etc?? We didn't care for the fact that no reservations were taken for the specialty restaurants. I'm on vacation, I don't want to stand in line and wait for a table. I can do that at home. I would like to see them take reservations. For this reason, we ate at the buffet each evening. The food was good, but did lack variety. Seems like the menu repeated itself . Once again, on a tropical island, and they served fish but not lots of other seafood, crab legs, shrimp etc. We stayed in the Villas as they called them. This area has a private pool. We didn't get much drink service. Also, the pool deck and chairs were dirty and sticky. There was bird droppings on the chairs. You had to be careful which chairs you picked. All it would take is a good power washing on the deck and chairs to remedy this problem. All the pools were a little chilly for our liking. Most of the guests we talked to felt the same way. Our room was a little dated and the covers on the loveseat cushions were torn and stuffing was popping out. This is an adults only resort which is nice. You can visit the sister resort next door but it is a family resort. We walked over to check it out and it is so much prettier than the adults only. Something we had never experienced before was "towel cards". Only 1 towel per card and had to turn in the towel to get the card back. For the most part, the staff was friendly. Brian, at the front desk, was very nice, friendly and helpful. All of the bellmen were friendly and helpful as well. We attended the evening shows and they were enjoyable. There are some very talented young men and women who are part of the show. We loved that the theater was open. The evening breezes made the show even more enjoyable. Great way to end the evening!! Overall, we enjoyed our stay but for the price and our previous experiences we were a little disappointed. Bring sunscreen and towel clips! The hotel does not provide sunscreen (gift shop-$23) and it can be quite breezy. It was a good vacation, lots of rest,relaxation and sunshine.

All in all, this was a wonderful week-long vacation. Sun, sand, warmth.....and a much needed break from the looong winter! However, we think that if we were to return to Aruba, we would stay at a regular hotel so we could visit the many bars and restaurants in the area without feeling like we wasted money since we were at an all-inclusive. The island is a desert, so don't expect lush greenery and tropical flowers! It is also breezy-to-windy every day. The UV index is beyond intense....sunscreen is a MUST!! PROS: The main pool was clean and warm, but refreshing. The lunch buffet in the Malmok restaurant was excellent every day (I especially enjoyed the stir-fry station one day, and the Caesar salad station another day). The main buffet restaurant was excellent for breakfast and dinner, with a wide variety of tasty options. Staff was accommodating but not falsely friendly like I have seen on other Caribbean islands. The island is small enough (and safe enough) to explore on your own in a rented car in less than a day. We went end to end and side to side with several stops in about 7 hours. The bed was comfortable, even for my bad back! If you need a blanket, check the closet. Reservations are not taken for the specialty restaurants -- they are first come, first served, but when the venue is full they turn you away. (see comments under CONS, too) Front desk and lobby staff were extremely helpful answering questions and giving advice about getting around the island. We walked the few blocks to the shops near the majority of the hotels to the west -- be aware that most of them are closed during the day, and most don't open until 3 or 4 in the afternoon! Wifi is free and available throughout the resort. You have access to the pools and restaurants at the neighboring Riu Palace Antigua -- we took a walk over there, but didn't try any of the restaurants. CONS: Our room was rather spartan, and in definite need of some TLC to update it. There was only one dim lamp in the living room of our suite, so reading was impossible. That room also only had a couple of small pictures on the walls, both of which were hung crooked! Despite the water on the island being touted as safe to drink, there is a tiny warning plaque near the bathroom sink indicating that the tap water is NOT potable -- we didn't see that warning until the morning of day 3 because we deposited our toiletry bags on the counter in front of the plaque....oops! There is bottled water provided in your room every day, so no worries! Several items in the room were in need of repair (the handle on the sliding glass door was about to fall off, the sink drain drained extremely slowly, the AC didn't remove much humidity, the floor was dirty the entire week, the toilet flushed slowly...) We went to the steak house restaurant one evening, and were the 2nd and 3rd people in line .....the person ahead of us was there saving a place for her group, which ended up being 26 people who straggled in over the next 30 minutes. We were able to be seated, but MANY people behind us were not and were VERY unhappy (justifiably so!). The resport needs to review their policies for larger groups in the specialty restaurants for sure! The Malmok is the Aruban restaurant -- it was listed in the resort info as being open for dinner, but was closed every night we were there. As has seemed to have become the norm for resorts and cruises, chaises on the beach and at the pool are saved very early in the morning. Getting a decent spot requires getting up early and scouting out a spot. I hated having to become "one of those people", but since I need shade it was necessary unless I wanted to sit indoors. If you rent a car, study the traffic signs -- they are very different than the ones in the United States! Very few intersections have stop signs or traffic signals. Pedestrians are given the right of way to cross the street even when there isn't a marked cross walk. Drivers seemed to be polite and decent to each other -- not at all like we are used to! IN SUMMARY -- Our trip to Aruba was an excellent vacation, and we would definitely recommend it as a tropical destination.

This is our first time at any Riu but our 6th time to Aruba. This hotel is worth the money in drinks alone. The food was good, never waited for a table or a seat at any of the bars. The rooms do need updating but ours was very clean. We had a jr suite on the 11th floor with a nice view of the water and pool. They need to have a clock in the rooms though, it's not easy to find your cell phone in the dark to see the time. The staff was amazing,, the grounds were spotless. You do need to get to the pool or beach early to get a lounge chair but I've had to do this at the Hyatt as well. The beach was nice except for the rocky part right after the walkway from the hotel, it was hard and packed down. Overall it was fantastic and will return in October!!