Riu Palace Aruba: Fantastic stay!

We had a wonderful time at this resort. The food was amazing. The room was clean and service was great. We enjoyed every minute of our stay. We had a room with Cinderella balcony would have liked one we can out chairs to sit outside but that wasn’t a big deal for me. The air needs to stay on with door closed or the room will sweat and feel even more damp. I would definitely recommend this resort and intend go back sometime. We get consistent service at RIU never disappoints.

Riu Palace Antillas: Very impressive resort.

Obviously a pretty smart hotel chain that will be around for a long time. My only beef was that some people still tie up a lounge chair all day by placing their belongings there early in the am and leaving them all day - plus a few actually take more than 1 chair each and pretend it's in use by someone else. No easy way to police that, but the beach and pool staff were trying.

Riu Palace Antillas: Good Resort but could be better

My family of 4 (2 adults, 19 and 20 year old) decided to visit the first week of January. Firstly I want to say that our agent Robyn was great and will happily use her services again. It was a sunwing package and we weren't expecting much however they proved us wrong. They were great and on time. The only part we didn't enjoy flying out of Toronto is that you have to shuttle to an alternate mini-terminal to board the plane. That is not their fault but still not great when you are coming back  [... read more]and are subject to cold in the winter time. Arrival: Great shuttle, easy to find....welcome was lovely. We asked to see if we could be upgraded as our AMEX card allows for free upgrades. We were given the run-around about their definition of upgrades, etc. Not cool. As was charging us for the extra hour past check-out despite them not needing the room that day...nickel and dime-ing. However, from then on the hotel experience was a lovely one. We had 2 rooms, 2 junior suites. We ended up on the North side of the building (odd numbers) and got a partial ocean view. My kids had the end unit which was much larger as it accommodated 3 people. The only issue I had with our room is that there was a large frosted window between the bed and the bathroom shower. There was also a motion-detector light so if one of us got up to go use the bathroom it woke the other as the light shone through. Just didn't make sense to us. Housekeeping was excellent and friendly. They do need to upgrade to having the room passes on the hotel wristbands as we had to reset our cards at least 10 times as they demagnetized despite us being careful not to have them near our phones. Which is also an inconvenience as you always have to be aware of that. The pool was lovely as is the beach. You can't beat Aruba weather and we didn't see any bugs! So far staff is great, hotel is clean, ambiance is lovely.....now the 2 reasons we would make this only a fair hotel: 1. Having to get up at 5 am in the morning to get a palapa on the beach or poolside. This is ridiculous and you would think by now resorts would have a system that would allow you to enjoy your vacation without having to stress about this. Just unbelievable. and 2. The food was just mediocre. Now some reviews have said it was great and you have to keep in mind what everyone's baseline is.....we used to work and frequent Club Med with our kids. We were always under the impression that Riu was at the same calibre....definitely not when it came to food. Us as non-drinkers (and they were generous with alcohol), this is important. Of all the restaurants we enjoyed the Krystal the best (were also disappointed to find out we could not use the restaurants at the Palace though we were told we could). We did end up eating out one night at that was fantastic...so not an Aruba issue...definitely a Riu one. The cafe was a nice spot to hang out. And again the staff was great, I can't say that enough. The issues are a systemic one. Not a reflection of the Arubians. Would I go back again? Not likely but it was a good intro to Aruba. PS one bonus: they used real coconut cream in their Pina colada's....the way it should be.

Riu Palace Antillas: Amazing resort

Hotel is very nice and well kept. Employees are constantly cleaning. I was there with my daughter that just turned 18. Some employees I found them to be a bit unatentive because I wasn’t there with my husband. During meal time they would ask if we have a drink but they would never bring it. Beach guys weren’t nice at all. They were nice to males but not females that were alone. At least that was my experience.

Eagle Aruba Resort and Casino: 3rd time here!

Just got back from December 2023 stay here. This is a great resort if you don't want all inclusive or an ocean front room. The price savings is worth it for us. Short walk through LaCabana Resort to get to the beach. We never minded the walk. Huge safe beach area designated for both hotels. Adult's pool and 2 family pools. Resort is clean and well looked after. There are BBQ's on site, kitchen with full size fridge and Super Foods grocery store within walking distance. Bus transfer to and from t [... read more]he airport was easy. We have stayed for 7 days each time but next year we are planning for 14 days.

TRYP by Wyndham Aruba: Brickell Bay

We arrived at Bricknell Bay Beach Club Adult Boutique Hotel in Palm Beach and found the place under construction, this was not advertised we had no clue before hand, if we did we would not have booked the place. We checked in to an old, dungy room with no balcony and window that opens. We went going to look for ice on our floor but the ice machine was dry so we headed to the floor below via the stairs. The stairs were not lit well and we both fell. I smashed my head and hit the wall and my [... read more] wife twisted her ankle, we went to the hospital right away. They cared for our wounds and were released. The night manager right away said they were not at fault, and did look into are care or help us at all. Nor did they ask the day after how we were doing or if we needed any assistance. The breakfast was not at the hotel as indicated from the web site and we were given coupons for a small meal at a restaurant not far from the hotel. We immediately contact our travel agent and they took 24hrs to respond. They contacted Air Canada rep and Air Canada rep took over. Our travel agent had no idea it was under construction, she would have definitely informed us. We explain the situation to them and we did not want to stay in a hotel under construction And we weren’t going to pay for any upgrade. They said no problem but it took them 3 days before they moved us out of that hotel. We stayed on the resort the remainder of the time due to my wife not able to walk and my pain in my head due to the accident. We had to cancel our water sports, this completely ruined our vacation! As soon as My wife arrived back in Ontario she went for X-rays, at present were waiting for the results. We want a complete reimbursement of our vacation and bill paid for the hospital.

Riu Palace Antillas: Amazing Resort

The resort room was very nice with a good sized balcony. The dinning rooms where well staffed with excellent food and variations being served. No problems getting drinks with your meal. Just went to the buffets since the A-La-Carts where always full. Pool area was clean and also easy to get drinks delivered to your lounger. Had to go early to get a lounger. Beach loungers where near impossible to get unless you got up before 7am. Was a bit dissapointed in the entertainment. Music was very loud a [... read more]nd shows weren't very good. The staff was extremely friendly. We would definitely go back to this resort.

Riu Palace Antillas: Amazing Resort

Would highly recommend RUI Antilles, staff very friendly, grounds super clean, rooms modern and maids very friendly, will over stock your fridge daily. Food amazing, buffet large variety of meats, vegetables, oh and dessert. Pools are clean, bartenders friendly and have a great sense of humor. Walking distance to town, bars are hopping at night. Nothing bad to say!

Tamarijn Beach Resort: Great time

The hotel is in a great area with access to a beautiful beach area on the Divi side. Food was really good. Just note that you should download the app as reservations can only be booked 2 days in advance and start at midnight so if you wait for concierge to open in the morning, most good bookings are gone already. If I had one negative, it would be the inefficient check in and out but that was minor compared to all the other great services

Riu Palace Antillas: Good

My husband and I stayed at the Riu Palace Antillas from Nov. 25–Dec.2, 2023. The vacation was booked through Tripcentral earlier in the year and we travelled with Sunwing. We booked a Junior Suite. My overall impression of the hotel was a solid 7/10. The Good: Lots of staff – that are friendly and caring, speak English fluently and are attentive (Hi! Miguel at the pool bar – you are the best!). The food was great, drinks were plentiful (mix of top shelf and off-brand liquor) and strong, [... read more] and wine was readily available. The hotel was clean, and the calm pool was a good size (albeit a bit chilly – which we found strange given how warm Aruba is). The Fun Pool is lively and the afternoon Entertainment staff are a blast) prepare to get the most sun all day in this pool from 2-4 p.m.) Check-in was a breeze with no credit card given or swiped, nor did they ask to view our passports (which I also found to be different, but appreciated). The White Party on Friday night was a lot of fun and the disco afterwards was good too (although the disco is closed on Sunday and Monday I believe). The beach is perfection – white sand, turquoise water, no seaweed. We walked to the break a few times and looked at the beautiful shells that wash up (Note: you are not allowed to take shells, coral or sand off of the island). The hotel is compact and you don't need to go outside to get to dinner (good for the hair!) and the a la cart restaurants are located in the lobby where reservations are on a first come, first served, basis (they give you a vibrating disc like you'd get at The Keg to know when your table is ready based off a list they keep). The lobby bar serves an excellent espresso martini while you wait. The gift shops on the lower level are really good – you can get anything you need there – liquor, wine, beach bags, souvenirs, personal toiletries, etc. The Mediocre: People from the Rui Palace next door came over a lot (no kids though) to use the lawn chairs at the pool and beach (they had the peach coloured towels, we had blue). Beach side lawn chairs and palapas are limited in numbers and claimed VERY early in the morning by guests (as early as 6 a.m.) who often don't show up until later in the day. There were many days we needed assistance from the Pool & Beach staff to help us setup a makeshift place to sit (although they were very helpful in doing so). The room service menu is very limited (sandwiches and ceasar salad, plus a fruit plate – no burgers or fries or pizza) although there is a 24/7 café that has a cappuccino machine and tuna/ham sandwiches (made fresh daily) along with desserts, nachos and a fountain pop station in the main lobby that you can go to. The room itself was average at best. Small with a view of the connecting rooftop below us and just a glimpse of the ocean. The show at the Palace next door went until after 10 p.m. each night and was loud!!! Also, the buffet was so noisy with service and clearance stations in plain view beside patrons. The clacking of cutlery was so noisy I felt like I was in a high school cafeteria (but in fairness the servers were attentive – bringing you your drinks and clearing plates promptly) and seating was plentiful. Overall, I would say that if you have been eyeballing this property for a while (like I did) it's worth checking out. Aruba itself is nice although far (5 hours from Toronto YYZ) but the resort is only 20-minutes from this airport and the transfer was easy. I can see why this resort draws a mostly older (55+ crowd) because it's pricy, but the food and beach are very good – so you do get what you pay for. If we return to Aruba we might go to a different resort to get a more luxurious room or upgrade our room at the Antillas (maybe). We felt very safe there (both the resort and in Aruba overall), and used our time in Aruba to relax (forgoing all day trips, excursions and not even going into town – which I do which we had done) choosing to lounge, read and sleep.

Riu Palace Aruba: Wonderful Resort!

I would highly recommend the Riu Palace Aruba. Such a beautiful location with amazing ocean views. The ocean is warm and not too wavy to swim in - very enjoyable swimming location. The resort is well run and very accessible. Many great restaurants with great food and wonderful staff. The room we stayed in was very comfortable with the largest bed I've ever seen! The entertainment staff was amazing too - such a nice variety of daytime and evening entertainment. The daily aerobics/Zumba ses [... read more]sions in the pool were a hit with me - so fun!! All of the staff were very friendly and helpful. By the end of the week, we felt like we'd made many new friends with the servers, bar tenders and entertainment crew. All in all - a great place to vacation (either as an adult couple or a family with children). Aruba is a very safe feeling destination. It's wonderful to be able to walk out of the resort and explore the area without feeling nervous. It was also great to sit on the beach and not be bothered by peddlers. All in all - a great place to visit!

Riu Palace Aruba: 25th Anniversary

Stayed Nov.25-Dec.2. This was our 5th time here but the last time was 5 years ago. The resort grounds are very well kept as well as the lobby and general areas. Food was ok. Never went hungry. Beach an ocean are amazing. You can’t beat it but to get beach palapa and chairs be prepared to be out there in the dark at 5:30 am. For the pool by 7am.now for the rooms. We had a superior ocean or view on 6th floor. The rooms are very musty smelling when you enter. It took several days for it to subsid [... read more]e and your sheets always feel wet. . The curtains have mould on them as well. There is rust in the showers. Both of our sinks were also plugged and took forever to drain. This place is very humid so don’t leave patio doors open or everything will be soaked. Now for the entertainment team. They work hard and were excellent to watch. Servers around the pool were slow and no service to the beach so you have to walk to get drinks. Sometimes they filled our mugs and other times they would only give us 1 drink in a plastic cup refusing to use our mugs which is totally ridiculous. First off we are saving dishes by bringing our own mugs. Secondly it’s a pain to have to walk from the beach to the pool bar every time you want one. We took a cab for $14 to tres tapis to snorkel with fish and turtles. Well worth it. To be brutally honest I’m not sure I will return to this resort because of the awful state of the rooms however would definitely keep coming to Aruba. Also it was our 25th anniversary and my adult son was in our room and they gave us 3 separate beds and didn’t do any little gestures to acknowledge our anniversary. Last of all the hall was cluttered with cots and room service trays that took a long time to get cleared. This place definitely needs improvements

Riu Palace Antillas: Amazing vacation

Loved this resort. Newly renovated rooms are very well done and comfortable. Excellent service all around from front desk to restaurants and bars and all other areas. Beach is beautiful and lots of chairs for everyone. We will be back. One area of improvement I would suggest that they have hand sanitizer available in the restaurants especially the buffet areas.

Riu Palace Antillas: Paradise

This was one of the best vacations I have ever had!!! Absolutely no complainants…. Hotel was extremely clean, professional friendly staff in all areas of the hotel Food was amazing at buffets and all alacartes Pool area was beautiful and clean Beach was amazing lounge chairs n palapa available ocean was always warm

Eagle Aruba Resort and Casino: Great resort!!

Transfers to and from the resort were seamless. Check in went well. Upon arrival, our room was clean and inviting. Grocery store was within walking distance just across the street making it easy for us to make our own breakfast and lunches. Use of taxis and busses made it easy for us to explore the downtown and to go for restaurants for supper. All restaurants we visited had excellent food. We used the on-site BBQ for a group supper. Tony’s restaurant that was also onsite provided breakfast, [... read more] lunches and suppers should you choose to do so. Happy hour was from 3-5 and 9-10 each day. Staff worked hard to provide fun activities. There was a Dunkin’ Donuts onsite. A store onsite provided souvenirs, some groceries and health and beauty items. Staff were welcoming and very helpful. Beach was awesome and a short walk. Easy at this time of year (November) to get chairs/loungers under palapas.

Riu Palace Antillas: Excellent location!

Resort was very clean, check in was easy & room was updated and well kept. Grounds were also very clean & staff were exceptional. Buffet was excellent with many options daily, catered to all diets! Lunch buffet was my favourite! Snack bar/cafe open 24 hrs, you won’t go hungry. Endless options for cocktails & delicious! Beach was phenomenal! Did not spend any time at the pool as there was construction on the neighbouring site, eye sore to look at, be sure to not have a room on this side! Did no [... read more]t like that you needed towel cards, resort does NOT have unlimited towels for the day, was told I could not get more than 3 towels per day? A little ridiculous. Also, getting a palapa in the morning wasn’t easy, signs say “No reserving” yet there was multiple chairs with towels sitting for 3-4 plus hours with no people using!!!! Workers on the beach were being bribed to keep your spot on the beach…Overall had a wonderful trip, will be back, resort just needs to step up the game with removing towel cards, room cards & the whole “reserving” of the palapa situation! Love the island & would stay at this resort again, just needs minor changes to keep up with the times! :)

Riu Palace Antillas: Great Fun

We had a great time. Rooms and resort were very clean. Staff was very helpful and accommodating. The only negative was the food. We at one if the specialty restaurants and the food wS cold when it arrived. The buffet was good but often had repeat items.

Riu Palace Antillas: Wonderful in every Way!

Sept 3-Oct2/23 wonderful experience, ROOM 1014, couldn’t have asked for more, maid service and fridge stocking was great. ($5 a day and) always had towel swans, 3 facecloths, clean towels and beer and pop in fridge. Didn’t even use booze dispenser. BEACH AND POOL both great, yes had to get towels on beds at ocean early but staff always there to help. Ocean had small dip getting in for us older folks on one windy day. Pool and every chair cleaned every am. Every bathroom always spotless. Nev [... read more]er saw such cleanliness. STAFF wonderful especially Allen at pool was the best!!! FOOD, ate at Buffett, can’t go wrong, lots of variety. (Went to one Al la carte, Italian, not very good Lasagna,, but some meals looked ok, not much to choose from. We got soup for starter, but it was SALAD OR SOUP, make sure you pick salad bar cause the salad bar had tons of stuff (should not be one or other) we left hungry. DRINKS WERE very good, sure had lots of variety! If I had to say one negative it would be that there is no bar service AT THE BEACH and for us older folks the walk was not easy.lol Elevators worked, always got clean beach towels from a very friendly lady. If you need room service, not much variety. We were MORE THAN EMPRESSSED!! Love to go back but flight seemed long in “sunwing sardine can” with no movies, snacks, one glass of water and no movies, one window per 2 rows.

Riu Palace Antillas: No medics on site

I got a nasty cut to my arm on the first day. When elevator door closed on my arm and I was surprised at lack of medical attention available. But up and above it was a beautiful resort and the staff were tremendous 🥰🥰🥰

Barcelo Aruba: Amazing

Absolutely beautiful hotel, Very friendly staff and amazing beach, pool , restaurants etc Food was great especially the Japanese restaurant. The weather was awesome and the trips we decided on were excellent too. Thank you Kevin Dupius for helping us book this awesome vacation.