Hotel Riu Palace Macao

We’ve had a lovely stay at RIU Macao. The hotel is beautiful, the rooms are clean and spacious, the bed is really comfortable and the balcony is a great bonus. The atmosphere around the hotel is nice and relaxed, and the entertainment team are brilliant. There’s plenty going on without it feeling too full-on, which we really enjoyed. The food has been a real highlight. The steak restaurant was absolutely amazing, and the fish restaurant was just as good. The main restaurant had a great choice of food throughout the day, and the service was excellent. The only restaurant that let things down a little was the Asian restaurant. We waited around 30 minutes before anyone took our order, and we ended up spending 90 minutes there in total. The food was good, but the service was very slow. Hopefully, it was just an off day! The pools are clean and well maintained, but my one big criticism is the smoking around the pool areas. There’s nothing worse than trying to relax on your sun lounger and getting a face full of cigarette smoke. I really think a designated smoking area away from the pools would make a big difference and allow everyone to enjoy their time relaxing. Overall, we’ve had a fantastic holiday. Beautiful hotel, lovely rooms, great food and a brilliant entertainment team. We’ve really enjoyed the chilled atmosphere and would happily recommend RIU Macao. 🌴☀️

Stayed here in September, a few months after Riu Palace Bavaro, mainly for the adults-only side of Riu. Since I've done both, here's how they compare. The 18+ setup is the first big difference. There are no kids anywhere in Macao, and the vibe is calmer. The lobby is nowhere near as impressive as Bavaro's, but the smaller size is a plus. Most guests, us included, loved how cozy and private the resort feels. The buffet is the biggest surprise. At resorts we're usually most excited about the à la carte restaurants. The à la carte here was great, with Krystal as my favourite (the octopus was fantastic), but the buffet was even better. It's very clean, the choice is huge, and we had a themed dinner every night of our stay...sushi, cold cuts, fresh eggs, daily fish, deserts, avocado, mangos, smoothies etc. The drinks are amazing, and the main pool is one of the best I've been to. Bermudez is the king. The real value is that booking Macao gives you the best of both resorts. As a Macao guest you get full access to Bavaro. We went there for morning coffee in the lobby, which is great, and to their pools when we wanted a different ambiance. We also hit their ice cream shop, which Macao doesn't have. Bavaro has a bigger sports bar and a much bigger entertainment area at night. It's the bigger resort, so that makes sense, and going over there is a must. Bavaro's food court is also nicer than Macao's. It's a 5-minute walk, with pizza, tacos, fried chicken and a noodle/fried rice spot. It doesn't work the other way around. Bavaro guests can walk over to Macao and use the pool, but that's it.