Riu Palace Aruba - All Inclusive

Customer ratings & reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

9215 reviews

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  Another wonderful vacation

  My wife and I recently returned from another wonderful vacation at the Riu Palace Aruba. All was excellent from the staff , to the accommodations, to the food and to the weather. We are looking forward to our return.

  Mar 07, 2025
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  Worst spa experience ever

  Avoid This Spa at All Costs – Worst Massage Experience Ever I just had the worst massage experience of my life at the RIU Hotel spa in Aruba. I booked a hot stone massage, paying extra for what I expected to be a relaxing and high-quality experience. Instead, the therapist told me she could only do a Swedish massage—something that was never mentioned in the service description when I booked. To make matters worse, the deep tissue massage was only $100 USD, while the hot stone massage was $210—a significant difference in price. At that rate, I expected to be able to request deep pressure, but I was told that wasn’t an option. Nowhere in the description did it state that deep pressure wouldn’t be available. If I had known this, I never would have booked this service. This experience was so terrible that I stopped the massage after only 20 minutes and demanded my money back. With the hundreds of massages I’ve had in my life, this was by far the worst. Adding insult to injury, when I asked to speak with a manager, I was told that none were available—which is completely unacceptable for a supposedly high-end spa. Do not waste your hard-earned money or valuable vacation time at this spa. The lack of transparency, poor service, and total disregard for customer satisfaction make it a place to avoid at all costs.

  Mar 05, 2025
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  Pass up this RIU Palace all inclusive!

  This place is in desperate need of updating. Rooms have very strong musty or mildew odor. Curtains have holes in them, outside patio was horribly littered with cigarette butts . Our balcony lacked chairs which we asked for a total of five times through the app and at front desk . The front desk girl was downright rude . We like to sit on the balcony to relax and read but was told by front desk she didn’t know if she could get patio chairs . I don’t think that was an unreasonable request since I paid for it . This is the worst all inclusive we have ever stayed at .

  Mar 05, 2025
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  Beautiful beach! Relaxing vacation.

  My husband and I went with friends who had their 9-year-old with them. It was our first time in Aruba. The resort has got one of the best beaches I’ve seen, second only to the Cayman Islands, but this type of resort would not be affordable on the Caymans. Our room was always clean, the food was very good and there was a lot to choose from. Sometimes the specialty restaurants had a line so get there early but that ‘s true in any resort we’ve stayed. There were a LOT of shops within walking distance of the resort so we didn’t really have to rent any transportation. My husband & I have usually gone to the Riu in Playa Del Carmen in the past so my only complaint is the service is not as swift or attentive in Aruba as it is in Mexico. The entertainment at night was okay during the weekday but very good on the weekends. The gym needs a lot of work — it is not up to the standard of a Riu resort. All in all, we had a wonderful and relaxing vacation, would like to come back in the future.

  Mar 04, 2025
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  Dissatisfied

  Restaurants were terrible! Slow service and the food was sub-par. Very disappointing. The buffet was decent. Would not go back. Bar staff was nice. Nice beach. Hard to get a covered spot out of the sun. Decent but small pool. Needed to give more information at check in regarding the amenities of the resort.

  Mar 03, 2025