Riu Palace Paradise Island - All Inclusive - Adults Only

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

2923 reviews

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  Mixed bag

  This hotel is such a mixed bag. Pros: the service is great. Super friendly employees that take good care of you. The beach is great and has plenty of room. The drinks are easy to get and all very tasty! Most of the food was pretty good. Not outstanding by any means. Workers will bring you chairs on the beach and make sure you’re set up. Cons: The rooms are outdated and ours had a funky smell. The room was also hot the entire trip. Room service may give you what you ask for, or it might not. One of the restaurants Kalypso was actually horrible. You cannot get a food reservation at all the first night which is not a welcoming experience at all. Then when you can get a reservation, they are late in the day for the second and maybe third night. Need a better system. Tough to get them to give you extra bottles of water.

  Mar 02, 2026
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  Nice staff, bad resort.

  My wife and I stayed at Hotel Riu Palace Paradise Island to celebrate our 20th anniversary with friends, and unfortunately, the experience fell far below expectations. I booked a suite three months in advance, believing (based on how the property is marketed) that it would include a balcony. Upon arrival, we were assigned one of the very few suites without a balcony, which was never disclosed at booking. When I asked to move, I was only offered a smaller, lower-category room with no price adjustment. Throughout our stay, we experienced multiple operational failures: The resort lost power at least five times on our first evening. Key cards were programmed incorrectly for both our original and reassigned rooms. We could not control the room temperature. Patio chairs were ripped and unusable in our "new" room. The lobby coffee machine was broken for the final three days. We were assigned two separate beds instead of the king bed we booked. While the company acknowledged many of these issues in writing and apologized, they declined to offer any monetary compensation. Instead, they offered a two-night complimentary stay. Given that this trip was for a milestone anniversary and the experience itself cannot be recreated, a future stay does not address the financial loss or the diminished experience we already paid for. I attempted to resolve this directly and respectfully through customer care before considering a public review. Despite multiple follow-ups and a formal escalation request, the company ultimately refused compensation while stating they had “nothing further to add.” For a property positioned as a premium “Palace” experience, the execution and post-stay resolution did not match the brand promise.

  Mar 02, 2026
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  Would stay again

  The staff was superior, the hotel could use updating but still very elegant to stay. We enjoyed the beach, the pools and all the bar tenders. All the restaurants had amazing service and food. I would stay here again in a heartbeat!

  Feb 28, 2026
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  Cabbage Beach is Dangerous!

  Very close to the beach which is EXTREMELY dangerous! Look it up "Cabbage Beach" I am a strong swimmer, but an aggressive wave slammed on top of me and broke my back. Another lady at the same beach broke her neck. No lifeguards or dangerous current warning flags or signs.

  Feb 23, 2026
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  Not a Palace

  My wife and I stayed at the Riu Palace Paradise Island in February 2026. We have stayed at a number of Riu resorts mainly in Mexico. This is not a Palace. It is overpriced and average. The weather is not good at Paradise Island and difficult to sit outside. Either too cold or too windy. One day was 13 degrees C. The hotel did try to accommodate with activities in the sports bar which were fun ie Trivia. Food - Average. The buffet was average/very small and many items cold. Japanese restaurant was good. We liked the Steak house and the lobster was excellent. The system for booking the restaurants is not good and we couldn't attend all the restaurants as a result. Entertainment - not good. We did enjoy MJ It is a small resort but not such a bad thing as all the restaurants, fitness center are very close by. The staff are not friendly for the most part. Some waiters were good but for the most part not very friendly including the bar staff. For example our first night we when to the buffet after a long flight and the waitress just said "WHAT DO YOU Want!" in a unfriendly tone. No wonder your tips are low. The bartenders do a good job but not friendly at all. It was cold but the pool was heated and the swim up bar was full on warmer days The Rooms are small but functional. WARNING - my wife was injured by the glass siding door to the bathroom. It shattered when she opened it and was injured a great deal requiring a medical trip to the hospital The front desk staff are the best and very accommodating. The bars do not have high end alcohol not a Palace The hotel is very over priced based on the service and food. Coffee shop - not friendly at all, seems like an inconvenience to serve us However, deserts in the afternoon were very good. The cheesecake was outstanding. There is no store on site but a store across the street which is highly overpriced. The rooms were cold and we need extra blankets at night. Even Ocean view on our reservation we had a view of the empty lot next to the building and the roof top. They wanted to upgrade our room for a better view for an additional cost. Not the Riu hotels I am accustom to. Fitness room was functional but needs some work on the weight machines. Overall not recommended for the high price, average food and poor service.

  Feb 20, 2026