Hotel Riu Palace Paradise Island

It all started with Daphne, the front desk attendant. She was spectacular. Our app wasn't in English. She assisted me in removing and reinstalling English presences. I explained it was a birthday trip for my husband and restaurants we wanted weren't available She helped us get reservations squared away ...BUT...

It all started with Daphne, the front desk attendant. She was spectacular. Our app wasn't in English. She assisted me in removing and reinstalling English presences. I explained it was a birthday trip for my husband and restaurants we wanted weren't available She helped us get reservations squared away ...BUT WAIT! She also arranged a surprise for him. When we arrived in our room, there was a birthday 🎂 cake too. All around service was fantastic, so accommodating. Everyone went out of their way to ensure all was well.

Check in was quick when we arrived in our room the dresser was broke we called right away no one ever came to fix it during our week visit. The cleaning crew was just ok. When we came back to our room (twice) we had no towels, we called at...

Check in was quick when we arrived in our room the dresser was broke we called right away no one ever came to fix it during our week visit. The cleaning crew was just ok. When we came back to our room (twice) we had no towels, we called at 5:30 no one ever came, we only had 1 robe in our room which we had to share as a towel to get ready because we had dinner reservations at 6:30 so we went and got back around 7:30 STILL no towels, had to call again and FINALLY they came. Our in room bar leaked vodka (we never used it) the whole time they came to replace the bottle but just left it on the counter and did not place it back in the locked cabinet. Getting change for larger bills is almost impossible at the front desk and they are not nice about it you are told to ask the bars to exchange money. ( there is not an ATM or cash exchange machine) The bar tenders are awesome and work hard. A special Thank you to Hugh and Marco for their attentiveness and friendly personalities! The food was good although having to make reservations two days in advance is annoying and most times we’re unavailable until 8:30 in the evening. Honestly the food in the Buffett was better than the steakhouse. We had reservations twice for steakhouse and wanted to substitute the surf and turf filet for ribeye and were told we couldn’t have two entrees but the couple next to us were allowed, we complained about it but were brushed off like oh well! Zero consistency amongst staff members. The pool and beach staff were amazing and really work hard every day! The entertainment was Great however that is the only thing to do at this place. If you are looking for shopping, other entertainment, or a variety of anything to do this is not your place. The Essential store they have in parking lot across the street has the essentials for sure but be prepared to pay big money for it! Everything is double what is should be. Knowing that they bleach the chairs by the outside bar might have been helpful to know before we sat in them both my husband and I left with beach all over our clothes the last morning. We had a Great week with each other in spite of some of these experiences but would not choose the RIU again.

First, nobody got our bags when we came in, the bell boys may have been busy but the whole time we are checking in no one came to offer to take our bags and the person checking us in said nothing about it. So we assume we just manage our...

First, nobody got our bags when we came in, the bell boys may have been busy but the whole time we are checking in no one came to offer to take our bags and the person checking us in said nothing about it. So we assume we just manage our own bags here (no big deal). After we get checked in we go to find the bar to get a drink for or celebration of being in paradise. We walk around the corner to the bar and as we do I get yelled at by the BELL BOY who doesn’t offer to take our bags but tells me I can’t have my bags outside of the lobby. Of course at this point I am annoyed and ignore him while I get my drink. It’s late so we get dressed for dinner and try to get into a restaurant. We find out you have to book two days in advance to get to the specialty restaurants. We decide to go and check out the restaurants and there are empty tables everywhere. We ask to get in. We are told no so we ask if we could wait and if someone doesn’t show up if we could have their seat. Again told no. We try every restaurant by the time we get to the 4th it’s been over 15 minutes after the first seating. Each place refuses to let us eat even though 3/4 of the restaurants are empty. Come to find out there is one chef cooking everyone’s food and they only do a quarter of the room at a time. This is ridiculous for the money you pay for an all inclusive. The next morning we go down very early to go on a beach walk as we always do. We typically do not take shoes or shirts with us we are in a tropical paradise and don’t want to carry them. Off the elevators there is a short walk to basically the only door to the pool which leads to the beach. We head out and get yelled at for not having shirts on. At this point I am already annoyed so far so we just keep going and do our beach walk and decide to walk the 12 flights of stairs back to our room since that entrance is adjacent to the outside. We try to be respectful after that but over and over and over again we see people doing the same thing and NO ONE says a word to them. We literally watched two guys check in at the front lobby with no shirts on and no one said a word. Again getting more irritated. We finally get into a restaurant on our third night. Mind you if you want to pick your choice of restaurant get up at midnight and log into the app to book your choice of time and restaurant. OR slide the manager a $20 or more and they’ll slide you in no big deal. It’s a joke. My husband is vegan so he asks for vegan options. On the RIU app the menus all show vegan options but when you get to the restaurants they act as they’ve never seen that menu. Throughout the course of our stay every night they acted like they have never heard of a vegan or even vegetarian. On three occasions they gave him two options for dinner and all three times brought him the exact opposite of the option he chose. 99.9 percent positive they walked to the buffet and got cheese pasta and piled lasagna on top! When we talked to the manager for each restaurant they just played dumb… the last two nights they got it right but that was the same and only restaurant that did. If you drink the beers in your mini bar while enjoying the decent view that we had, trying to get it refilled was like pulling teeth. Even water was hard to get. Time and time again we would put in the request on the app. We would get a notification the bar was filled but miraculously it was still empty. This happened almost every day. Good luck talking to the front desk. They will tell you they will take care of it and of course it still doesn’t get filled. Then they will tell you it’s too late because the mini bar can’t be filled past 7. Even though you put in two requests at noon and 4 again (because it wasn’t filled) and talked to the front desk. They will give you an excuse that you had the red tag on your door which we never put out the entire time we were there. The most frustrating service I have ever seen at an all inclusive. This is our second experience in a row with RIU that felt like a massive waste of money. We will never stay at a RIU anywhere in the world. I would recommend for others that you do the same.

Our toilet clogged every day, never an offer to switch rooms Food was horrible, never informed about the app to make dinner reservations Staff cares more about tips and tip jars out on display at all times Gym ac very poor and no shades making cardio in the evening blinding

Staff: the nicest people in the Caribbean or across the board Food: average but lots Property rooms: except for ocean frontal suite, terrible (mold, non flushing toilets, no hot water, noisy mechanicals, ac not adjustable - either on or off; water damage visible, damp, bumpy floors from water damage, but...

Staff: the nicest people in the Caribbean or across the board Food: average but lots Property rooms: except for ocean frontal suite, terrible (mold, non flushing toilets, no hot water, noisy mechanicals, ac not adjustable - either on or off; water damage visible, damp, bumpy floors from water damage, but mainly lots of mold everywhere inside and out.

TLDR: 2.5 stars. Wouldn’t return. Didn’t have a “bad” time but set your expectations appropriately, and you’ll be fine! Front desk: 9/10 (Daphne and QT were phenom) Bar Service: 3/10 (we had 2 bartenders/servers who served us with a smile; the rest were curt. I was also yelled at for...

TLDR: 2.5 stars. Wouldn’t return. Didn’t have a “bad” time but set your expectations appropriately, and you’ll be fine! Front desk: 9/10 (Daphne and QT were phenom) Bar Service: 3/10 (we had 2 bartenders/servers who served us with a smile; the rest were curt. I was also yelled at for asking for water when we arrived - first interaction with anyone besides front desk) Minibar Service: 3/10 (had to ask for waters 3+ times) Restaurant Service: 5/10 (weird to have 3-4 different folks during a service; no music. No ambiance. Lemarco was amazing on our last night though!) Restaurants and Food: 7/10 (had some really good food and some really bad food) HATE the reservation system! Sad there are no “open air” restaurants besides Jerk Chicken for breakfast or lunch! Room: 7/10 (clean and the cleaning staff were so nice!!) Daytime Entertainment: 7/10 (Blush, Mickey, and Enrique were amazing! But they need more things to do - ping pong, pool, etc) Evening Entertainment: 8/10 (exactly what youd expect) Gym: 4/10 (several broken machines; very small) Pools: 5/10 (clean but very warm which isn’t really refreshing when it’s super hot!) Location: 7/10 (we walked to downtown nassau but there are other closer places you can walk to if you want to get off resort) Overall, this resort is 2.5 stars. We’ve been to many other AIs in lots of different countries. This visit does not make me want to visit another Riu, but it wasn't terrible…just set your expectations appropriately! It’s a vacation!!

Went for a week at the RIU Paradise Island. It was very disappointing. Check-in - no one shows you to your room. The key cards didn't work and it took three times for them to get them to finally work. Room- Very small balcony but a standard hotel room. The...

Went for a week at the RIU Paradise Island. It was very disappointing. Check-in - no one shows you to your room. The key cards didn't work and it took three times for them to get them to finally work. Room- Very small balcony but a standard hotel room. The TV was limited and sometimes the picture would scramble. There was water and soda provided along with a variety of liquor. There was a coffee maker but during our stay they ran out of coffee for it. The shower was really nice, plenty of hot water and pressure. We did have an ocean view but it also overlooked a hotel that looks like it is being demolished and there was construction noise all the time. Room service- a limited menu but we ordered for the mornings and they were prompt Restaurants- There are 4. You needed reservations which were hard to get. They only allow you to book 2 days ahead. The frustrating part was the restaurants were never full, they always had a lot of empty tables even though the app said they were unavailable. The food was mediocre at best. We ate at the Japanese restaurant and I got really sick from it. At each restaurant you were given 1 appetizer, 1 entree and a dessert. Very limited choices. We were able to try all the restaurants and none of them were great. The buffet was good for breakfast with lots of variety. Pool and beach- you were given a pool card for towels. You were given just 1 towel per person, that was it. If you lost your pool card it was a 20.00 charge to get another. The pool was small and very warm. The beach was nice and they would set you up with a lounger and an umbrella. The beach was crowded so you didn't have much personal space. Bars- there were 2 bars and a coffee shop. The one bar was open 24 hours, the pool bar closed when the pool did. The 24 hour bar was in the entertainment area it got very loud and crowded in the evening. For the amount of money they charged, I was expecting better. Needless to say, I will not be returning.

Our honeymoon was nothing short of magical! From the moment we arrived, we were greeted with warm hospitality and a special welcome treat that set the tone for an unforgettable stay. The room was absolutely stunning—elegantly decorated, spacious, and with breathtaking views. The private balcony and jacuzzi added the perfect...

Our honeymoon was nothing short of magical! From the moment we arrived, we were greeted with warm hospitality and a special welcome treat that set the tone for an unforgettable stay. The room was absolutely stunning—elegantly decorated, spacious, and with breathtaking views. The private balcony and jacuzzi added the perfect touch of romance. We were even surprised with a beautifully arranged honeymoon setup, complete with rose petals and a complimentary bottle of champagne! The service was impeccable; every staff member went above and beyond to make our stay special. From personalized recommendations to small gestures like hand-written notes, we felt truly pampered. The dining experience was exquisite. We enjoyed a romantic candlelit dinner by the beach, where the gourmet cuisine and fine wine made for a perfect evening. Breakfast in bed with fresh pastries, tropical fruits, and delicious coffee was another highlight. The facilities were top-notch. The infinity pool overlooking the ocean was a dreamy spot to relax, and the spa treatments left us feeling completely rejuvenated. We also enjoyed a private sunset cruise organized by the hotel, making our trip even more memorable.

The most attentive and friendly Pool Bar tenders I've ever encountered on vacation! Hugh, Kay, Fritz, and Shaqueile are amazing at making the best drinks! They dance, sing, smile, playfully tease each other and are SO just wanting you to be happy. The Beach out front is among the best...

The most attentive and friendly Pool Bar tenders I've ever encountered on vacation! Hugh, Kay, Fritz, and Shaqueile are amazing at making the best drinks! They dance, sing, smile, playfully tease each other and are SO just wanting you to be happy. The Beach out front is among the best on Paradise Island. Plenty of chairs and umbrellas for everyone. We really liked the Poolside Jerk Chicken hut that also served Hot Dogs, Burgers, Porkchops for outside Lunch. The Coffee/Bakery stand inside the RIU made great treats and Milk shakes to die for! If I was the owners, I would take care of the peeling paint on the outside of the entire RIU building...that would polish it up a lot! So, to say again, we had a lot of fun at the RIU and Huge Kudos and BIG THANK YOUs to Hugh, Kay, Fritz, and Shaqueile !!!

Good experience! The Riu wasn't a luxury hotel but it was very nice and delivered a great experience. The staff were super helpful and very pleasant. As a vegetarian, I had no shortage of options and the food was really good, the buffet in particular. It was a lively resort,...

Good experience! The Riu wasn't a luxury hotel but it was very nice and delivered a great experience. The staff were super helpful and very pleasant. As a vegetarian, I had no shortage of options and the food was really good, the buffet in particular. It was a lively resort, on a very nice beach, largely consisting of Gen X , elder millennials. It was a short walk to Atlantis. We would go again!