Needs to improvement to be five star

Very short drive from the airport which was great. Check in was fast. They upgraded our room because it was our wedding anniversary, very happy about that. Our floor was renovated but the room still needef much more work. Bathroom needs complete makeover. Water pressure so low you could barely shower, bathtub needs to be replaced, more comfortable chairs on the balcony. The bed was too hard. Room was cleaned every day, lots of towels, bar stocked every day. Wish they had brand name beer. Food wa [... read more]s excellent, better than any other place in caribian we went to. Had a chance to eat only in one of the restaurants. You had to be in the lobby at seven in the morning to join a huge line up to make a reservation. Unbelievable! Two bars outside close to each other with music so it was hard to hear either one. No bar on the beach or any kind of service. We felt neglected. Entertainment needs some improvement. We went for a walk to the closeby streep mall, got some souvenirs. Always windy. Not so great on the beach if you don't like sand in your hair, ears.....Check out was fast. WiFi great

Amazing Vacation

My first impression was that the rooms were dated but the resort is being updated from the former Westin to the RIU standards. The staff all through the hotel delivered the best customer service I have ever seen, everyone went out of their way to make you feel at home. The dining and choice of meals was superb. Management was very hands on to make sure everyone was enjoying their stay, thanks Justin and Allison and all the other Management staff. Special mention to Nelson the bartender and Tamik [... read more]a from the animation staff, both were always smiling and chirpy everyday. Great pool and beach with service wherever you were, drinks always came to you. It's a few minutes walk down to the main strip with lots of restaurants, bars and discos. Stayed from March 26th to April 2nd 2016, looking forward to going back soon.

Wonderful trip

Overall I would rate this resort 9/10. The only constructive feedback is that our room wasn't thoroughly cleaned, there was stuff in the bathroom that was not ours on arrival. Second, we paid to be in an adults only resort and due to issues at the RIU next to us there were children at our resort. Otherwise the staff was wonderful and so was the food.

Pretty good organization

check in/out was well organized but special restaurants required lining up every two days to book, a bit much for the money. very warm which was nice but there weren't enough umbrellas for shade around pools

Over rated

This is not a five star hotel. The rooms are very tired and in need of renovation. We had to ask for something to put on the bed as it was so hard you could feel the springs at the side of the bed. They fixed this with a quilted cover which improved it. The service was excellent as far as towels and replenishment of bar etc. Beach had a portion of it with sharp shards in it so sandals a must. Also lots of cigarette buts. Beware to there is no smoking policy here. You can smoke anywhere. The food [... read more] was just ok. I have to eat gluten free and it was very difficult as nothing is labelled and the staff are not trained as to what is in the food. The restaurants have to be reserved and there isnot much choice in them and again with my allergy it was very hard to eat. We did eat off the property. Few nights and they were excellent with my dietary requirements. The pools and the sea and weather were beautiful no question but we will look for either another island or an alternate vacation propery in aruba.

RIU ARUBA IS A MUST!!!!!!!!!!!

the resort was very clean and room are very large and the veiw breath taking, food was good many selections of everything, management was wonderfull, not impressed with the entertainment,weather was great, pools and beach amazing

RuiAntillas

Great place to stay in Aruba, beautiful beach, food & service. Every room has a partial ocean view & comfy beds.great selection at the buffets and also get to use the Palace buffet and bars and pools.

Awesome Resort

We have travelled to many resorts and found this resort to be top notch for food, drink, service and management. Management was there each and every night to talk to guests to ensure you were happy. Steak house restaurant is to die for!

Great Resort!

Everything was pretty good overall. I think they are going to be doing further renovations to the building. The bathroom had been recently done. The mattresses and pillows were awesome!! Best I ever had in the Caribbean, and I've stayed at a lot of 5* places. The beach was beautiful, but too many chairs being saved. The food at the buffets was varied and very good quality. Beef Wellington was to die for...so tender. The service was really good in the buffets. The service at the pool bar was slow [... read more], and got the wrong drink on more than one occasion. I would go back in a heartbeat.

Riu Aruba palace Antillies

This trip was wonderful everything was perfect!! From the food, resort, and service was excellent . Thanks trip central for making this suggestion of Aruba, the beaches were beautiful and the staff was great

Beautiful People

The resort,grounds, beach area were extremely clean. The Food was Fabulous and the Staff so friendly, respectful and helpful. Long beach to walk on, lots of activities, good entertainment at night and during the day.

Relaxed vacation

Hotel was pretty clean, staff was very inconsistent - food was pretty good. Not sure if an Adults only is supposed to be that quiet. Usual daytime entertainment, next to none in the evening. For my honeymoon I expected alittle more attention and service. Wasn't treated any differently. For the value of the trip I felt I overpaid.

Loved our trip at Riu Antillas!

We loved the resort with excellent food selection lots of seafood and great service. The adult only resort was our preferred choice and we were not disappointed. The beach area and resort grounds were always clean and tidy. The higher floor rooms have a great view of Aruba. Would definitely return and recommend Riu Antillas.

Great resort, exceptional people

First of all the flight was fantastic. Pilots were very informative and staff was great. The hotel was beautiful, rooms were clean, staff was exceptional! We had a problem with our safety deposit box (it wouldn't open/close) so they decided to change rooms and upgrade us to an ocean view without us asking. I can't say enough about the hotel staff. Every afternoon someone would come by to refill our fridge and every evening someone would come by to see if we would like extra towels. Food was grea [... read more]t. I wasn't too keen on a couple of the a la cartes or the way to book them though, but the buffet was amazing. The weather is hot! A bit windy but without the wind it's unbearable so it's appreciated. We had a dinner on the beach for my birthday that was a huge disappointment and it was quite costly so I definitely would not recommend that to anyone. We were completely left out on the beach in the dark wondering if they had left us. It was discussed before hand (twice) that I couldn't have seafood so my boyfriend was reassured that there would be none. We get there and it's all seafood! I sat for 45 minutes waiting for something to eat and then finally a few slivers of steak came out. Instead of placing us in a private location on the beach they plopped us down in front of all the people who were tanning and swimming so we had people taking pictures, a soccer game where the ball went under the table, people pointing and wondering what was going on. It was pretty awkward. The other downfall is how every morning people will put a towel on the chairs and then leave all day and now no one can sit in that spot. We barely ever got a seat. We noticed how people would put towels down and not show up all day because they had also taken a prime seat for the beach and sit there until they decided to switch to the poolside. Some people had their towels down for 8 hours before coming to occupy their spot. we felt that it was a bit too busy for our tastes but again, just our opinion. There was lots to do, lots of activities and staff was so engaging that it was hard to be bored. I would recommend Aruba for sure!

Honestly, best island I have ever been too!

From my flight and transfer to the hotel and back to the airport was flawless. Check in was a breeze, staff was friendly, resort wasn't huge so not a lot of walking. The Rui has the best part of the beach, where the sand is soft and never gets hot, so you don't burn your feet. We stayed at the antillas side in the villas. All 24 rooms face the ocean, you have a quiet private pool, with beds or lounges. You had waiters come and get you drinks. The pool was salt water, and always clean. Fod w [... read more]as excellent. The a la crates were ok.....I wouldn't waste my time on them, I would rather eat at the buffet, choices were amazing. I would rather eaten off the resort then do the a la carted. Casino paid well at the slots. The casino was giving eat person 50.00 to play in there casino when you sign up for a card. I loaded 25.00 on my card and won 800.00 at a 5 cent machine. Shopping for souvenirs was cheaper by 3-8 dollars off the resort. Spa was amazing...I booked a relaxation massage for 50 min cost 99.00 but the girl found a knot in my shoulder that was causing pain in my arm and when she was done working on the knot my arm pain was gone. We hooked a jeep for the day and went to the aloe Vera factory, they gave a free 10min tour, which was very informative. The price for products are the same in the factory as they are at the hotel and airport. We drove to baby beach, very nice, then to the national park, cost is 11.00pp you need 4x4 to get down to the natural pool...it was so much fun and scary at the same time. We also went to the restaurant in the park...that was a rip off a small hamburger and fries cost 20.00 not worth it at all My over all feeling of Aruba was this: The weather is always beautiful with an amazing breeze to keep you cool. There are no people begging for money. There are no vendors on the beach bugging you to buy stuff. The hotel staff don't expect tips, and still give great service. Everything is in walking distance or a short cab ride. There isn't tons of excursions, so therefor easy to choose one. You can drink the water, eat the salad and fruit without worrying about getting sick. This hotel had the best part of the beach! The age range average from 30-75 I would definitely return to this island, and try another resort just for variation. Thank you trip central!!

Great place!

The advertised photos shown of this Riu that we saw were actually of the Riu palace Aruba and not of the Antillas. The room was nice but not what we were expecting. We have been to several Riu palaces and this one just did not compare. It was originally a Westin and the renos and upgrades were not up to Riu standard. We were very disappointed when we arrived and went up to the room. It was not the standard clean, had broken tiles, the bathtub had paint marks in it and it was not the junior suite [... read more] that we expected. Management tried to make things better but hotel was fully booked.Overall we had an amazing time. The staff, the food, the management and especially the entertainment crew were all amazing.

Loved our trip to Aruba

We have visited other areas such as Negril, Costa Rica, Mexico and would definitely chose Aruba as our preferred destination. We loved the seafood choices at lunch and dinner. Great friendly service. Beach was nice with beautiful sunsets. Would definitely return and recommend.

A happy resort in a Happy Island

Perfect in every way except the poorly renovated (just a paint job) rooms profumed by a musty old smell. Wonderful atmosphere with happy guests & very genuine friendly staff, amazing varied buffet,great amenities, very clean,The best entertainment group led by "chico" Sergio.Best experience among all other Riu Palace properties we visited.Thank you to: Juan,Yuly,Lilian,Rolando,David,Victor and all their hard working staff.It was indeed an unforgettable vacation!

Relaxed and rejuvinated. :0)

We stayed from Dec 7th to the 14th /15. a wee bit windier (according to the locals and repeat travelers), if this is the worst people have to complain about please put a sock in it, Yes the hotel is still being updated, but that is too so a non issue. The weather (hot and sunny every day), "food" way above just being good (more like a higher end buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as the specialty restaurants, we hit all three, "Italian twice") and finally the staff, everyone we had  [... read more]any contact with was very friendly, greeted us with a smile and sincerely genuine. If anything some of the guests should remember there manners, the staff are not your personal servants nor are the other guests interested in hearing your whining, if it's so below your standards, stay home and let the rest of us enjoy what life has to offer. We would love to come back.

Great resort

I think the property is well looked after with great staff ! The pool area & bar well done , happy staff . Food choices are very good ! Buffet changes every night so you never know what's up for lunch or dinner.