Almost perfect!

Our priorities in choosing a hotel are safety, cleanliness and service. The Riu Palace Antillas more than exceeded our expectations. The entire hotel was impeccably maintained and we never worried about our safety or that anyone would violate our belongings at the beach or around the pool. The service was superb; requests handled promptly and efficiently. A staff member was never more than a few steps away. The food was fantastic, especially the 4 restaurants, the Italian being our favorite. [... read more] The only criticism we would have is the amount of activity and music around the pool. There are 2 pools, a smaller swim up bar and directly beside it a larger “quieter” pool with a pathway separating the pools from the beach area. From about noon until 5 every day the entertainment staff hooked up their speakers to engage the pool guests in games, activities, dancing etc. It would have been nice if the “quieter” pool was a little further way. A few notes for first-timers… - Exchange your dirty pool/beach towels at the end of the day so you have them to reserve your palapas/pool chairs early the next morning. For front row palapas, you need to be there by about 6:00. 7:00 gets you second or third row (which really isn’t bad!). There always seemed to be palapas available, albeit closer to the pool). Each palapa has a number but we left a book to identify which was ours…just in case we forgot the number. - Make sure you download the Riu app and go to “Bars and Restaurants”. You will find the menus, hours and a description of the restaurants/bars. There are QR codes to scan at each restaurant instead of menus (although they are available if you don’t have your phone). Besides the noise issue, we really did enjoy our stay and give full credit to the staff and management at RIU Hotels – they are top class!

Beautiful resort

As usual the RIU did not disappoint. I enjoyed the beach and pool area. Food was superb and staff very helpful and friendly. Room was comfortable although the bathroom lacked any kind of towel bar or hook. It was inconvenient as there was no place to hang towels. I did not have a an ocean view room. The only negative was a construction project right next door of the new St. Regis resort and a barge in the water in front of it. It was noisy all 7 days. But that can’t be a negative about RIU, ju [... read more]st a comment about the surrounding area.I enjoyed walking to the strip at night, felt very safe. Took public bus to Orajenstadt, it was a beautiful short ride, getting to know the island. Cost was US$2.60 one way. No need to take taxis or tours. Lots of tourists everywhere. My vacation was a success.

Excellent resort !

Hotel was really great. Rooms were large and clean. Service throughout was efficient and very friendly. The buffet was very extensive and of high quality. The other restaurants were excellent for dinner although there could have been a couple more for greater variety. The location of the hotel being right on the gorgeous beach was perfect.

Excellent

Everything was fantastic. We are saving and planning to go back next year. Unfortunately, the entertainment/theatre was under construction later in the week, but that was okay, we walked around the area and visited the sister resort.

Amazing Resort

It’s are 7 th times at this Resort and again are best one so far again . The staff, house keeping, Bartenders , Waitresses, pool entertainment, Beach teams . All excellent . The Buffet is just amazing.

Great Resort

The hotel was beautiful. The rooms were very spacious. Constant cleaning around the hotel. Really appreciated that. Staff were so friendly and always trying to please. Beach spectacular. Felt very safe no matter where you were on the resort. Food was amazing. Always a good variety and an abundance of quality food. Entertainment a bit weak and stopped too early. Would definitely return.

RIU Rocks!

Simply perfect -- not a thing to complain about ! The rooms were lovely and clean Staff was extremely friendly, helpful, and sometimes even funny and engaging. Food was spectacular -- many options, but honestly could eat at the buffet every meal and never tire of it.

Almost perfect

This is our forth visit to the Riu in aruba. The resort is spotlessly clean, service impeccable, friendly staff. Food was fresh and delicious. Pools and other amenities are fantastic. The only disappointments are the fact that reservations can’t be made for specialty restaurants and the outdoor entertainment is too loud. There are very few rooms that are not impacted by the booming noise from the outdoor venue and the noise does not stop until 11pm.

Fantastic Resort

This hotel has it all. Fantastic staff, great entertainment, awesome choices for food and beverages and a extremely clean resort. This is our second time at the RIU in Aruba and I know there will be a 3rd visit.

RIU Palace Antillas: AMAZING

Stayed for 1 week at this truly amazing hotel. Well equipped large Jr Suite with bar and mini fridge that's restocked as needed. Beautiful walk in shower with a rain head, and detachable handheld showerhead. Resort was extremely clean and well maintained. Can't say enough about the food, restaurants, and staff. So many dining options, and the food itself was excellent, with outstanding presentations. Danny, the manager was often in the main buffet area, always available to answer any quest [... read more]ions or concerns, or simply to chat to. All the staff were easy to talk to and helpful. Pool was actively used by exercise classes, volleyball, swim-up bar and people standing around, especially during the foam party. We preferred the beach and ocean swimming. Crystal clear water, and no seaweed whatsoever,. That said, the beach down by the Divi Phoenix was rock strewn and did not make for good swimming, so the Antillas beach was by far a superior choice. Palapas were plentiful, but usually taken by 7:00 a.m. as were the loungers, poolside. Nightly entertainment was available in, we watched a great Pirate Show with talented acrobats. Some bar tenders were better than others, as is the case at any hotel. Try the Aruba Ariba drink - powerful stuff. The Expresso bar had your choice of fresh coffees, beer on tap, desserts, sandwiches, hot dogs, nachos with deep, 24 hours a day. Some staff wore masks, most didn't. Very few guests wore masks. We wore our masks on the flight there and back, but not at the hotel. We will definitely be coming back to this hotel.

Would go again tomorrow if we could….

An excellent vacation opportunity awaits you at RIU Antillas. Adults only made for a moderately peaceful meal time at one of the 4 a la Cart restaurants. Since the alcohol is all inclusive, you will most likely encounter at least one party group that will think it is the most fun and do something to remember their High School amazingness. We only had a few interruptions to our meals from a younger crowd. The food as such at all meals is excellent. From the theme nights at the buffet, the Ita [... read more]lian with an appetizer/salad buffet then a la cart, the Main Fancy Krystal with drink service at your table side, the steak house, and our favourite the arubian themed restaurant. Drinks are not watered down and they have a set menu with the occasional diversion if they know it. From the bar in the lobby with real glasses, to the pool side and then the waterfront at night with sturdy plastic look alike glasses (ie Martini or highball) the service was nearly always excellent and the drinks well made. For our beach days we always would take our ‘yeti’ mugs and they would fill them to the rim with whatever we asked. In fairness, we always tipped for every drink as they did this without being asked. The coffee bar with snacks is convenient and made a nice mix of espresso and other coffee/milkshake drinks with fancy cakes and treats available…. Even nachos and bagged sandwiches. The rooms were perfect…. You are not there for the room, but from the bar fridge with coke product (thank you!) and local beer, they also had the RIU four booze bottle bonanza in the room for your pleasure. I honestly just used the vodka to clean our yeti’s lol. But there is also Rum, whiskey and brandy awaiting you for your mixing ideas. Nightly entertainment can be fun or avoided. Ice cream was around for lunch and supper as an after dinner treat or a late night pizza snack. Stores are in the basement for knickknacks, aloe, bathing suits, hats or more alcohol and minor medical or bathroom toiletries. The shuttle bus and tour guide from the airport were insightful and helpful in understanding the island and the lay of the land and the people. The check in was amazing. I give high marks for this alone! Beach and poolside. The only chink in the armour. If you are not up by 630, you will NOT have a palapa. If you are not up by 0700, you will not have a chair at the pool. If you are not at the beach before 9am, nearly all the chairs will be gone. Keep your towel from the day before ( you get a chit and get your beach towel with it. Must be returned at the end of your stay or pay for a towel ) and lay it out on your beach chair to claim it. You have two hours. If you are not back your chair or palapa could be given to someone else. We only had two people try to claim our dirty towels and palapa once but they relented fortunately. Then change your towels for clean. The final downside… people drink, people get loud. We had a group of 50 ( they claimed ) teachers and professors from southern Ontario (Windsor area…. Guess while kids write exams, they take off) who began to claim a large berth of the beach area for themselves. This does happen with big groups. Big groups get loud and with alcohol get louder. Then they start talking like they are in high school still ( potty humour ) and think that everyone would like to hear their choice of music. Loudly. By the time the afternoon had begun we were sitting side by side with this large loud group. Seniors around us looked over with disgust and moved elsewhere. It’s a vacation. Everyone is entitled to a good time and enjoy themselves and this group was on day one. Instead of making a performance, we picked up and moved as well since their drinks and chairs were all mixed with ours and we were getting upset. Take a deep breath and relax again in quiet. No point in ruining my vacation because they felt theirs was more important. Yelling from the water, making fools of themselves is what we have sadly come to expect from that group of professionals. A bit entitled I fear. So depending on your crowd (which for nearly the entire week was excellent for us!) and what music groups like to play at the beach ( really? With all the headphones created you think I still want to hear your 9 hrs mix tape?) You will have an excellent time at the Beach. I was totally relaxed the rest of the time. The kayaks, paddle boards and snorkelling is free. We saw over 26 varieties of fish at the ‘come back kid’ coral reef. It’s trying to live but people don’t understand and walk all over. Please just float…. Don’t touch. We even saw two different types of eels around it. Almost saw more there then on some Scuba trips. Conclusion? Resort is awesome. You cannot eat at the a la cart at the neighbouring RIU ( depends on who you know… or if it’s not busy ) but yes to the Buffett. Yet, you have your own sans kids with almost the same goods. Pools and such are interchangeable…. Some guests found the bars didn’t like making drinks for opposite resorts. We never tried. Tip for every big diner, tip if you want for breakfast and lunch ( they do work hard and smile a lot thru a lot of crap ) and the bar tenders. Housekeeping is amazing… tip big. And the pool/beach guys. Working hard dragging chairs and such around for a lot of unhappy people. Don’t know why people can’t relax and enjoy such a paradise. Tip them big once and they will help you the rest of the week. I only had a dollar one day and he was just as happy as with the big one. “Tips is tips” he shrugged. Good on him. You will love it. Just be prepared to move your beach position or get security involved if it’s really a problem to you. Please enjoy! We most certainly did!

Amazing resort

This was a great place to go. The grounds were incredible, people very friendly. The food was excellent. One of the best vacations I've ever been on. Very clean throught out.I look forward to going back again next year.

Aruba is a Dream!

Hotel Riu Palace Antillas is a great hotel. Pro's: amazing beach, good food(although repetitive), friendly people, fun casino, clean. Con's: facecloths & toiletries are not replenished unless you call the front desk, you have to line up for a beeper to dine at the restaurants (I would prefer to make reservations), entertainment is lacking. Biggest con of all: the bed is very hard... did not sleep well the entire trip as I prefer a softer bed. We had so much fun playing cornhole with Mona by the  [... read more]pool! The gentleman who played Saxophone by the pool was phenomenal! Enjoyed a little dance party with live music in the outdoor foyer one night. Rooms are a little small, but you don't spend time in there anyways. Overall would go back!

Good Hotel

The rooms at the hotel have been updated and are very generous in size. The hotel is well maintained and offers a great selection of food choices and the coffee bar was an excellent stop for coffee, pastries and other various item including some delicious sandwiches. There was always some type of entertainment from the disco to the pool to the stage shows

Amazing resort

it is a good hotel ,location is nice ,food tasty .rooms big enough, beach is clean, water is clear, some entertainment and people are the best .we would highly recommend this place, and we would like to go back again.

RIU Antilles - amazing!

This is my 6th time to Aruba, second time to the RIU. The others were timeshares. As a solo traveller, it was easy to meet other travellers, everyone is so happy to be on "one happy island". Resort is close enough to walk to Palm Beach village or grab the bus to head downtown Orangestad for the day. Short walk to grab the "boardwalk" that runs all the way to past the divi's. The rooms are bright, clean and good for what you need them for. Water/beer/pop in the mini-bar fridge replenishe [... read more]d when necessary. Cleaning staff are always on hand and do a great job! Food excellent - prime rib, hamburgers, sushi, ceviche, chicken, fresh vegetables, pasta, cheese, bread, desserts, and so much more, plentiful. Ate at the steak house one night, IMO buffet is just as good! Lobby bar & 24 sports bar - delicious cocktails and treats! Pool bar - Elsa, Camillo and rest the staff work tirelessly and always with a smile. Great service and quality! And they have Caesars for us Canadians. Beach - best in the Caribbean! The guys who bring you your chairs are always so accommodating. My one beef is people get up at 445am to save palapas, I gave up trying, ugh! Grounds - well manicured and someone always cleaning. Sunwing rep - we had a hiccup with our delayed flight and had to seek out our rep to find out what was going on. Would have been nice to let us stay longer in our room but I kind of get they have other people to put in those rooms. Misc. - room service is great, small/simple menu, foam party was a blast, security is everywhere - always felt safe, didnt go to the disco or any of the shows. I would say, do yourself a favour and just book it, but then the prices will go up and it will cost me more. So ... book somewhere else ... LOL

Loved it

Great resort, very friendly staff and helpful Best buffets ever so much variety to choose from Close enough to walk to small town on road or down beach Lots of beach chairs and paplas although they do fill up fast in the morning

Awesome Aruba

Hotel was mid sized, Rooms were recently refurbished and perfect. We were in room 1004 and view of sunset was slightly obscured by construction next door. Staff amazing and received prompt service from front desk.

Amazing!!!

Our stay at this hotel was amazing! It lived up to all the great reviews! Food beach staff and rooms did not disappoint!!! Worth the money. Any bad reviews should be ignored!! Great pool vibes and Casino!

Amazing resort

Everything was great at this resort. Food was amazing. Service was great. I would definitely recommend this resort and I will come back. The weather was great and I felt very safe at this island. Casino slots did not give much.