Riu Palace Antillas

Best all inclusive I've ever experienced. We'll be back. Beach was outstanding and not overcrowded. Pool was relaxing and then exciting in late afternoon. Drinks everywhere you go. Food service was top notch. Our third time to Aruba and this place is a must stay.

If you are looking for a place to stay during your trip this is the place to go! Kid free and all the drink and food you could ask for. The staff was phenomenal along with the food. I suggest doing the buffet because they switch it every night. The...

If you are looking for a place to stay during your trip this is the place to go! Kid free and all the drink and food you could ask for. The staff was phenomenal along with the food. I suggest doing the buffet because they switch it every night. The pools were amazing, and we even had iguana friends come and hang with us pool side. Highly recommend waking up early to grab some good seats at the beach and pool as they fill quickly. The hotel room was absolutely gorgeous. We had the view of the ocean from our suite (highly recommend). Every Friday they have a party right across from the buffet. Its either a white party or neon party. It changes every week. We fell on the white party night, and it was super fun and definitely the way to end the vacation. They are super interactive and even got my boyfriend to dance on the dance floor (he doesn't dance ever!). Big shout out to Brandon and his crew (they worked the party, and they work outside at the pool doing exercises) for the phenomenal experience. I didn't catch his name inside, but he was super interactive with the crowd and got me and my boyfriend to dance the night away. All this staff deserves a raise! The only downside I would say to this hotel is the casino is kind of small, but it was still a good time. They even offer bingo in the casino on some nights. Can't wait to do another week this December at this hotel!

The Riu Antillas exceeded my expectations and I wouldn't hesitate to return. I want to particularly thank Jacquelina Kelly who addressed a concern early on and ensured we had a memorable vacation. There is a lot to like about this resort and a few recommendations that would really make it...

The Riu Antillas exceeded my expectations and I wouldn't hesitate to return. I want to particularly thank Jacquelina Kelly who addressed a concern early on and ensured we had a memorable vacation. There is a lot to like about this resort and a few recommendations that would really make it a 5 star review. Note, we went Elite club so I'll also comment on whether you need this upgrade. Likes - Hands down the most attentive and friendliest service we've ever experienced at an all inclusive and we've been to many all over the Caribbean. There is a reason why they call Aruba the happy island and the folks at the Riu remind you of this daily. No concern is too small, they genuinely want you to enjoy your vacation and they are super attentive - The food, both buffet and sit down restaurants, was exceptional. Very high quality with variety everyday - you will not go hungry and will be impressed. Elite club restaurant, Krystal and Steakhouse were stand outs - Elite club provides you with access to a separate private pool, online app to book your restaurants daily, Elite club lounge and restaurant and upgraded rooms. This is a great upgrade given those that didn't have Elite status had to line up at restaurants a 6pm and often had a wait time of 90-120 mins. That said, given the quality and variety of the buffet, not really such a big deal - Beaches are spectacular. Fine sand, crystal clear water, no vendors... and most importantly, no algae which has been a big concern in other Caribbean locations - Rooms in the tower are recently refreshed, modern, clean and views are fabulous - Special thanks to Yismel, server extraordinaire Patrick, mad hatter Nelson and our Elite lounge host Sebastien - we very much appreciated your personalized service Recommendations - If you are opting to go Elite club, stay in the tower and not the villa. While villa rooms are large and spacious, decor and furniture are tired and dated. Views are limited as well given the height - Elite club really does need a dedicated beach area. You have this for pool, but not beach which means you have to be on the beach at 6am to reserve a palapa for the day (5:30a if you want front row). While there are plenty of loungers, if you want shade (highly recommended) set your alarm clock and arrive early - Elite club also needs a better breakfast. Elite gives you a sectioned area in the buffet and your waiter runs to the buffet and gets what you ordered. We opted to sit in the general area and do it ourselves; elite should have a separate restaurant where meals are made to order - Elite club concierge check in was fast and efficient and took no more than 5 mins. That said, it took over 1 hour for our bags to arrive at our room. Recommendation - grab your own bags if you want to get your vacation started - While the main pool is very large, the swim up bar is located in a much smaller pool which is beyond crowded by early afternoon by people that...well, they don't leave the pool all day. Enough said, we left it to the louts In summary, you will have a fantastic vacation at the Riu - people, food and spectacular beach, what else could you ask for. Is Elite absolutely necessary? No given the quality of the food but it is nice to have. Lastly, we've avoided Riu in the past given its 'party reputation' but I can honestly say that after this trip, I wouldn't hesitate to book again with Riu and would actually put it near top of the list.

This resort exceeded my expectations! I could only say a few negative comments if I were to really nitpick. If you don’t get down to the pool area or beach early enough, it is sometimes difficult to find a chair (or shade). The pool attendants do their best to find...

This resort exceeded my expectations! I could only say a few negative comments if I were to really nitpick. If you don’t get down to the pool area or beach early enough, it is sometimes difficult to find a chair (or shade). The pool attendants do their best to find something for you though. The buffet has everything and then some available. We only tried one of the a la crates - the Italian but found the buffet outshone it for sure. We heard from other people if you wanted to go to the Steakhouse a la carte (which opened at 6pm - no reservations taken) they lined up just after 5pm to get in. Not worth it! They had awesome filet and meat choices at the buffet. The rooms are in need of a bit of a deep clean (the curtains which drag on the floor were pretty dirty as were the runners at the ends of the beds. Bathroom grouting is kinda messy as it looked like they tried to redo it but didn’t clean up too good afterwards. This resort is in a great area where you can leave the resort and venture off to the neighbouring shops, restaurants and bars safely. The staff seem genuinely happy to work there and it is reflected in the great customer service we received by everyone. Smiles all round!

Just returned from 6 days at this resort with 3 other couples and we had a great time (but then again, we always do!) Pros: checkin was super easy and the staff were very friendly-everything was SPOTLESS and if we needed something we had no problem getting it. The property...

Just returned from 6 days at this resort with 3 other couples and we had a great time (but then again, we always do!) Pros: checkin was super easy and the staff were very friendly-everything was SPOTLESS and if we needed something we had no problem getting it. The property overall is beautiful. Our room was a junior suite, ocean view and that description was a liiiiiiiiiittle bit of a stretch. Our room was more of a rooftop view than ocean-not a deal breaker because I was enjoying the fact that I was in Aruba :) The lobby bar and pool bar was spectacular, cocktails were amazing! You can’t get cocktails at dinner other than beer and wine which kind of was a bummer. The restaurants…we ate at all but the steakhouse. In order to eat there you have to pretty much line up at 3:30 to TRY to get a seat….so we mainly ate at the buffet which was really good with tons of choices. I am notorious for ordering room service and I tried to do that but the app said it wasn’t available. Again not a deal breaker but the room service menu is SO LIMITED-and when you want late night stuff, a salad isn’t gonna cut it lol! The beach: absolutely beautiful but the people claiming chairs at 5am only to then go to the pool everyday was ridiculous. Every day we sat and watched towel covered chairs sit unoccupied taking up someone’s opportunity to have an ocean view and it was really sad. Overall it as a beautiful place, and I’d probably stay there again-just know there’s little hiccups that aren’t necessarily deal breakers :)

Great location on a beautiful beach. Swimming pool and bar pool clean and lively. Plan to be up by 6am to get a first come/first serve spot on the beach or by 7am for a pool side chair. Your towel holds it for you so you can go back to...

Great location on a beautiful beach. Swimming pool and bar pool clean and lively. Plan to be up by 6am to get a first come/first serve spot on the beach or by 7am for a pool side chair. Your towel holds it for you so you can go back to sleep if you like. Staff was (almost) always friendly and helpful. To be sure of getting an upper shelf liquor, Lobby Bar is the only sure thing. Others (pool bar) are hit or miss. Disco bar is low shelf in paper cups…not very appealing. DJ would not play requests even though we were the only group in the disco. He ran everyone else out with his chosen music…or maybe it was the liquor. Evening entertainment was comical, but I don’t think it was supposed to be. Though the Friday night RIU party was a display of very energetic dancers. Food…well, it was fuel. We ate outside the resort most evenings for more memorable meals. And with no reservations taken, you would never know if your wait would be 5 minutes or 1.5 hours till you show up. Check in was smooth, check out was miserable. Busiest day of the week (Saturday) for check in and check out and no dedicated checkout area. You have to stand in line with those checking in (which takes 5 to evidently over 20 minutes) and it takes about two minutes to checkout once you get to the counter. Please add a dedicated check out line! All in all, it was a mixed bag, but we won’t be back.

Well happy 22nd anniversary to us! NOT! I visited a RIU Palace for the first time a month or two ago in Costa Mujures Mexico and it was fantastic. This is the polar opposite. I tried to not notice the obvious upon arrival to keep the bear from losing her...

Well happy 22nd anniversary to us! NOT! I visited a RIU Palace for the first time a month or two ago in Costa Mujures Mexico and it was fantastic. This is the polar opposite. I tried to not notice the obvious upon arrival to keep the bear from losing her S*&t. She saw what I saw and it didn’t get any better. The pictures says it all. Checked in and checked out within an hour! Delta Vacations assisted in removing us from the disaster in the making.