Hotel Riu Palace Peninsula

What a horrible experience! We’re only on day 2 of our trip with our family of four, including a 5-year-old and a 13-year-old, and both kids are already terribly bored. The hotel itself is nice and recently renovated, but unfortunately, there’s very little to do besides the pools—which are absolutely scorching hot. The staff has been just okay, and the food is nothing exciting either. I even asked the Riu manager if there was any possibility of transferring to another Riu that might be more fun and family-friendly for the rest of our week. His response was, “All RIUs are the same,” unless you stay at an adults-only property. 😳 You know a hotel is boring when it’s only 8 PM and the entire lobby is packed with kids sitting around on their iPads and phones. I’ve honestly never seen a hotel lobby this full at this time of night! If you’re traveling with kids, I would seriously think twice before booking this resort. STAY AWAY if you’re looking for entertainment and activities for the whole family—your kids will be bored!

New resort with plenty of potential - but not ready yet I’m currently staying at the hotel and, having experienced it first-hand, I think it’s important to give a balanced review. The hotel has only recently opened and, to be fair, everything is very clean, fresh and new. However, it is clear that the property still has a considerable way to go before it can genuinely be considered fully operational. One of the biggest disappointments has been the swimming pools. With temperatures of 90°F+ (32°C+), the pool should be somewhere to cool down and escape the heat and direct sun. Unfortunately, the water is extremely warm and provides very little relief. In this climate, I would expect at least one properly temperature-controlled pool. There are also still a significant number of floors and rooms undergoing renovation, with loud remedial/construction work taking place daily from morning through to evening. This can be quite disruptive and is not what you would expect when paying for a relaxing resort holiday. The hotel itself has plenty of potential, and I’m sure that once the remaining works are completed and the operational issues are resolved, it could become a very good property. Based on my experience while currently staying here, my recommendation would be to wait at least another three months before booking. Give the hotel time to finish the renovation works, resolve the operational issues and get everything fully up and running. At the moment, it feels more like a new hotel still finding its feet than a fully operational resort.