Hotel Riu Palace Antillas

I genuinely wish someone had posted an honest review before I booked so I could have chosen a different resort. Knowing what I know now, I would have never stayed here. 1. SEVERE MILDEW & DAMP ROOMS (BIGGEST ISSUE): The worst part of our stay was the overwhelming mildew smell on the guest room floors (especially the 17th & 18th floors). The moment you stepped off the elevator and walked down the hallways, the odor hit you very strongly. Once inside the room, the pillows and sheets felt damp—the mildew smell was deeply embedded into everything in the room. As a Southwest Florida resident, I am very familiar with dampness, humidity, and how crucial it is to have clean, properly running air conditioners and vents. The HVAC system here is clearly neglected. My allergies were triggered the entire stay, and when I unpacked at home, every item of clothing reeked of mildew and had to be washed immediately. To top it off, on our last day—when we had an approved late checkout until 1:00 PM with Elite status—all of our keycards stopped working right at 11:00 AM. On top of that, the air conditioning seemed to be raised so the room couldn't stay cool, almost as a tactic to force us out of the hotel. Extremely unprofessional and unacceptable. 2. IGNORED GROUP REQUESTS: We had a group of 9 celebrating two birthdays. Despite emailing weeks ahead as instructed by management, our request to stay near each other was completely ignored and we were scattered across the property. 3. INCONSISTENT ROOMS & MISSING AMENITIES: We all paid the exact same rate, yet room quality varied noticeably. Elite status amenities were inconsistently provided—some rooms got welcome gifts, while others got nothing until we went to management to speak up. 4. INEDIBLE STEAK & PROPANE GAS TASTE: Having Elite status just to skip dinner lines is not worth the price tag. The specialty restaurant decorated nicely for our birthdays, but the filet mignon was inedible—tough as beef jerky. At the steakhouse, the cut was better, but it was completely ruined because it tasted heavily of propane gas from the grill. Dinners were so disappointing we ate off-property multiple nights. 5. CHAOTIC POOLS & RUN-DOWN ELITE AREA: By 5:00 AM, guests reserved all prime loungers with towels. The main swim-up pool was chaotic, and the resort would be much better off playing consistent island music throughout rather than blasting one specific genre. Staff handed out half-filled water balloons to drunk guests who threw them at alcohol bottles behind the bar until staff had to pop them. Worse yet, the Elite pool we paid extra for was disappointing and run down, with substantial pool tiles chipping and peeling off inside the water. That area desperately needs a complete makeover. 6. HIGHLIGHTS: Our housekeeper was outstanding and kept our room spotless every day. The Elite Lounge Bar was peaceful with excellent staff. VERDICT: Between the embedded mildew smell, keycard/AC issues on checkout, poor food, run-down

My Wife and I stayed at the Hotel Riu Palace Antillas Aruba for a 14 night stay from 1st September until the 15th September 2026 as part of our 50th Wedding Anniversary celebrations. We traveled from Glasgow, Scotland to Aruba via Amsterdam. We booked a Junior Suite Ocean Front View room with Elite Club and also transport from the airport to the hotel. On arrival at the Hotel we were greeted with a glass of champagne and the friendliest front desk staff we have ever experienced. We were allocated room 1300 and taken to the room within around 15 minutes of arrival. The room was spacious with separate toilet and shower rooms and was immaculately clean. The room was serviced daily to a very high standard and clean towels provided every day. We were also greeted with a Bottle of Champagne which was sitting, well chilled, in the ice bucket. The room had 2 balconies and a magnificent uninterrupted view across the beautiful Palm Beach and the Caribbean Sea with the added bonus of watching the brilliant sunsets each evening. The food throughout our stay was excellent. We ate at all 6 restaurants. Our favorite was Krystal and with Elite Club we were able to book our restaurants on a daily basis through the app on our phone. The Elite Club members had a separate restaurant, lounge and a private pool area with a dedicated bar, again the service was fantastic. The hotel staff we were always helpful and friendly and I wish I could list them all by name, but the truth is every single member of staff would be on the list! Our Heartfelt thanks go out to every member of staff at the Hotel Riu Palace Antillas for helping to make our 50th Wedding Anniversary celebration Holiday such a wonderful experience. Our very best regards ALIMAR50