Fantastic Resort!

Grounds were beautiful. Food was fantastic and service was great! We had no issues reserving a car to help us tour surrounding beaches and shopping areas. The only negative aspect about the hotel is the nightly entertainment.

A mixed review of this resort.

We had a mixed review of this resort. Pros: Beautiful scenery and beach. The gardens and grounds are lovely and well maintained. There is a good variety of food at the buffet restaurant. Many of the staff are helpful and friendly. The large infinity pool was quite nice, with a view of the ocean. Rooms were cleaned and restocked in a timely manner. A calm and peaceful atmosphere. Cons: Rooms would benefit from updating. The air conditioning could have been more effective (didn't circulate  [... read more]well throughout the room). No hair dryers in the room. Check-in process was very slow. The beach restaurant (L'Ile) had a real problem with flies. It was hard to find an appetite with flies surrounding the food. We wish that the hotel had more activities available (not much to do unless you were swimming or laying on the beach). There should be more than one pool and a swim-up bar would be a nice added feature. Overall, we enjoyed our vacation, but we feel that this resort has a little work to do to meet the high standards of a Riu Palace resort. We have stayed at other Riu resorts that had more amenities to offer.

Amazing!

This hotel was perfect! Great food, amazing beach and great service, perfect! It was the perfect place to take a young family. The beach was perfect for playing in the waves and sand. The variety and quality of food was perfect!

Great staff, hotel is just okay - deadly pool!

This was our first time to St. Martin, we've previously travelled to Mexico, Jamaica, Cuba, St. John's, Bahamas staying in 4 or 5 star hotels. This hotel is smaller which was nice as we did not have a hard time finding a spot on the beautiful beach or by the pool. The pool needs work as many tiles on the steps and edges are broken/cracked with exposed sharp edges (picture the edge of a broken bottle). I cut my toe on the last day as did my daughter (6). My cut was about an inch and luckily n [... read more]ot very deep but it did end my time in the water as it did end the life of a very old rag looking towel. Rooms are average, they are not suites, basic room with two/one bed, bar fridge and in room bottles of alcohol RIU hotel style. Hotel room is clean and fresh looking but on the edge of needing some work. The grounds are tired looking, grass is brown, water fountains filled with gravel because they broke. Cabana cushions are terrible shape, its like that bed sheets you love and don't want to toss out but you should.... Service was great, just one lady at the front desk was a bit soup Nazi style, the rest of the staff were great! Margarita (kids club) was amazing with the kids, Mimi at the restaurant, pool side doctor sharing her "medicine" sorry I never caught her name but she was great. Food was fine, at times it was great, we did not take advantage of a la carte because the kids wanted more choice. I'd give this 4 stars maybe, not 4+ or 5. Not worth the money, especially during Spring break (March 12 to 19 for us). We also took a cab to Philipsburg, not worth it unless you want to go shopping. If she says I only want to go to buy one thing, Its a trap!

Great Resort

Great hotel location, room need update carpet should be replace and AC clean because there is mossy smell at time in the room , but the bathroom very nice and modern, size of room is great with very little upgrade it would be perfect. Night entertainment is great on some night but the rest of time it is dancer or the guest that make the evening entertainment . There is a local band that came on one night and it was awesome. The food is the best I ever eat very European , This is a [... read more] resort food that set them apart of a lot of resorts for food , service day after day. Beach very well located and calm I would go back there any time

4 Star advertised as a 5 star... needs improvement

A friend and I stayed at this resort from Oct 20-Oct 27 2016. While the resort was clean and beautiful, there were definite issues during our stay. We found the staff was dismissive of us as we spoke English and catered more to the French speaking visitors. It was evident that we were "visitors" and not so much "guests". I felt this was an obvious interaction during the entirety of our stay. On our first full day at the resort, we visited the spa to book massages for mid week. Upon arriving  [... read more]on our scheduled day for our appointments, the staff at the front desk of the spa advised that they did not have our appointments and no record of us ever being there to book massages. We were obviously upset and the male worker said there was nothing we could do but re-book for a later date. We re-booked for the end of our trip but due to their mixup, we could not even get our massages at the same time. We were very disappointed and after having a lengthy conversation with the staff, the worker finally advised he would give us 50% off if that would make us happy. We were treated like we had done something wrong and he was bending over backwards for us. It was very unprofessional and unfair. The saving grace was that the massage therapists (when we did get our massages) were very good at their jobs and very kind and attentive. After the fact, we also realized they charged me more for my massage than my friend without us knowing and we both received the same treatment. We were very unhappy about this but let it go. The pool area was well kept but the tiles in the pool were coming off and no one was doing any type of maintenance to fix or at least keep the pool clean. The pool area had lots of chairs and umbrellas which was nice but since there was no swim up bar, there was minimal opportunity to get drinks besides walking out of the gated area to go to the small side bar. Two days out of our seven day trip, for an hour or two, a female worker travelled the area around the pool offering drinks but there were minimal options on her cart. In her defence, she was lovely and very energetic and very good at entertaining the people around her. She did a great job when she was around. By the pool, were two small individual male/female washrooms. They were poorly lit and rarely stocked with toilet paper and paper towels. There was another bathroom attached to the lunch buffet restaurant that was better maintained. A few days into our trip, we went to the front desk to inquire about extended check out hours and the cost as our flight wasn't until late evening on the day of our departure. The staff advised us it would be $40 American to stay in our rooms for the day and to return to the front desk the day we were leaving, early in the morning, to request this extension. On our departure day, we arrived at the front desk at 8:30am and asked to pay for our extension at which time a female worker, advising she was the manager, said the cost was $90 Euro. We were both shocked and asked why it had changed. She said it was never $40 American. We advised her we were told that and she was not responsive. We had no choice but to pay the $90 Euro as we had planned our day accordingly. We were very upset and felt scammed out of our money. Further, we spoke to other visitors later who said they did not have to pay that much to extend their stay. The food was average and well made. The staff advised since it was their "off season" that some things would only be available certain days which we understood and planned for accordingly. The a la carte restaurants were first come first serve but were poorly managed. People would show up at 6pm waiting for a 6:30pm seating only to find out it was full. They said they didn't take reservations in the "off season" but somehow the a la carte's were always full. We managed to get in to the Krystal restaurant but the food was bland and not well prepared. We ended up going back to the buffet afterwards and every other night we were there. A bit more attention could have been paid to the availability of plates, forks, spoons etc as I found it hard some days to get my hands on a spoon for ice cream. It was obvious that all the restaurants were under staffed and I felt for the workers as they tried their best to make each experience worthwhile. Our rooms were clean and well kept but needed updates. Bar fridge did not work, we were missing blankets, tiles were falling off the tub surround and lights were burnt out. We did call to get more blankets which came after 3 calls to the front desk and about an hour and a half wait time. The cleaning staff did a great job of cleaning the room daily. It was always done by 3-4pm and towels, soaps and toilet paper were restocked regularly. The beach was nice but small. It was well kept and there were a good amount of chairs. Though we only spent one day our beach, there were no complaints in that area. Very nice and the water was warm. Overall, I would say this resort was a 4 star at best on its way to becoming a 5 star. I am a regular visitor of Riu hotels and it definitely was not up to par with the others I have visited in the past. (Jamaica, Costa Rica) I would not charge such a high cost for this resort as it still has a lot of upgrading that needs to be done. I would not recommend it to others wishing to visit this island until it gets the maintenance and love it so needs. St Martin is a beautiful island and I would definitely visit again but maybe next time, I would stay on the Dutch side and explore its options.

Ok resort

The hotel was ok but I wouldn't say it's a 5 star. The pool tiles were falling off , the food was just ok, entertainment was weak. The staff at the front desk were not friendly. We needed to have a late check out in our last day and they charged us $90 American to stay an extra 4 hours. I think that was ridiculous. Also when we had booked massages they lost our reservation and we had to book a completely different day. I wasn't happy

Beautiful Resort

The beach, grounds, and pool were great. The food and drinks were amazing. The staff was fantastic. The spa was good. The rooms were clean and comfortable. The entertainment was very poor. The advertised resort credit are coupons.

Not a 5 *

Food was excellent. Grounds seemed to be under construction- lots of wasted space with grass, many lights were not working at night. Staff was friendly. It service was not stellar. Entertainment crew was amazing during the day but lacked in evening. Evening entertainment should not be volunteering from the audience. Hotel itself is secluded and for night entertainment outside resort is a 20 min cab ride. Only shuttle service to casino on Friday.

Riu? maybe not

When we arrived at the hotel we were greeted with a cocktail drink which was warm. The grounds were dark we arrived at night they could have used more lighting around the premises. This hotel is still undergoing renovations it was another hotel (I believe, Radisson, so I heard) and Riu acquired it 2 years ago. The pool is at the very end of the property right next to the ocean. There is no swim up bar, and it makes it inconvenient for those in the pool to get drinks. The ground were okay, n [... read more]ot that many flowers it could have been the time of year we went in late Sept.-early October. The service in the buffet restaurants was slow. We had to wait almost every day to get a drink; the food was great, the selection was good. The employees area all awesome people, very friendly and almost always happy. I would rate this hotel 3.5 to 4 star at max. No way it is a 5.

Beautiful resort

A resort that offers everything for a family, couples, group gatherings, etc. Staff in this resort are the best in service...very attentive to your needs. This resort is situated in a bay that the sea water is calm.

Pretty and Quaint Resort

Very nice grounds, amazing drinks made from fresh fruit, great martinis. Beds comfortable with nice linens. Carpet in room and in hallways needs upgrading. Service in a la carte restaurants slow and with two mass seatings per night, very impersonal. Buffet was reliable and good variety. Beautiful beach in a private bay. Very nice and friendly staff. Remote location and expensive to taxi anywhere. Access to ocean tours great with marina outside the front door.

Excellent resort, can't wait to go back!!

First time at Riu Palace St Martin and we had an amazing time over there! beautiful beach , excellent food (french chef !), very clean resort, amazing service! we also loved the fact it is not crowded at all, so no issue to find a chair on the beach or by the pool. Can't wait to go back!

RIU Hotels and Resorts

No swim up bar and the entertaining was not that great. Everything else was great! Would recommend this resort but will not return myself as I like to try new resort and travel elsewhere next time!!!!!!

Very good place

stayed in a suite the room was very nice could not ask for better. the food and service were very satisfying. The resort is very secluded. the beach is small but clean. i would go back again . I rate this resort a four and a half star

Nice vacation

Small, quiet resort. Clean and well maintained. Good food and pleasant staff. Road into the hotel is very steep and could be improved. We would have liked water sports including catamarans included. TV service very limited.

Beautiful island, awesome resort!

Hotel is great, staff are very friendly and cheerful, grounds well maintained, room was very clean and beds super comfortable, beach is splendid and food was extra-extraordinaire taste-wise, variety is good but limited.

Riu St Martin

Was at the Riu St Martin Nov 26 to Dec 3rd.We booked this resort as we were looking forward to a relaxing week. It was not too busy which was nice, so no waiting for tables for breakfast lunch or dinner and always found loungers at the pool and the beach.The rooms were nice, clean, and the bar was always stocked. The grounds were also nicely maintained. As for the food we found we liked the French restaurant, the Fusion and the Steak one were average. The buffet was good, they changed the select [... read more]ions for lunch and dinner but breakfast was always the same. I have to say the freshly made croissants were pretty awesome. With the exception of a few the staff was very friendly. We were told the snorkeling would be awesome but that was not the case. Perhaps we will have to go back in the spring to see the fish. I would recommend this hotel and hope to go back soon.

Very nice resort!

The grounds were lovely and the staff were amazing! Rolinda and Charmaine are gems! The front desk staff are not particularly attuned to guests needs and almost appear to be inconvenienced when asked a question. It was very upsetting to discover that we could not extend our check out on our last day, as our flight was leaving at 9pm. Every other hotel that I have ever stayed at was able to accommodate a later check out. This situation must occur every week and they should consider rearranging th [... read more]eir housekeeping schedule in order to provide a better customer experience.

Great staff, resort needs updrage

The hotel is not bad but compared to other Riu Palaces it has a long way to go, grounds were dry, hallway in building 22 smelled like mold at night. The variety of food needs to improve, also the hotel is situated in a very secluded area and access to anything outside is quite difficult as there is up and down steep hills. Taxi are about 35-45 US to go anywhere and the entertainment is very poor with the exception of Tuesdays and when they have a nice live Latin band, show ends at 10:30 so after [... read more] that there is nothing to do nor one can't walk anywhere unless a taxi is taken. I would recommend to perhaps offer a shuttle service in the a.m. and maybe at night. Room was ok. we found a little blood stain on the blanket upon our arrival. The staff is amazing they made our stay more enjoyable.