We arrived in Aruba for the 27th time on January 26th for another 7 days in paradise.

My husband and I have traveled to many islands but once we discovered Aruba, we were hooked. The people, the beaches and feeling safe and not bothered by anyone was what kept us coming back 3 times a year.

Aruba is great to discover on your own. Rent a car and go discover the beauty of the island. Don’t waste your money on taking a tour. It is much more fun venturing out on your own. If you feel nervous driving, just pull over and let the cars pass. It is a great experience. We always start at the lighthouse then travel to the Alta Vista Church and then Baby Beach with stops along the way.

If you like to shop or just people watch, there is a mall across the street from the Holiday Inn. About a $6.00 taxi ride from the Riu, or a 20 minute walk which is safe to do, even in the dark.

This time we stayed at the Riu as we did 3 times in 2011. Although there are many fine restaurants on the island, we choose to go all-inclusive and the Riu offers a great selection of food. We LOVE the buffet!

Our room was on the 4th floor in the A tower facing the pool with partial ocean view. The rooms are clean but the bed is firm. I’m not kidding, sleeping on the floor might be softer. A fridge stocked full of beer, pop and water was great! The Riu also offers room service which is part of the all-inclusive .... great if you enjoy breakfast in bed.

This was our first time visiting Aruba in January and the pool was very cold. I assume it is because the hotel blocks the sun from the pool for most of the day. It was refreshing though! The pool bar staff are amazing and lots of fun. We spent most of our day lazing by the pool. There was no problem getting a chair but most people reserved chairs with towels early in the a.m. We did not do this and never had any problem. If you sit around the pool, you will get drink service but not on the beach.

Barry’s bar is a great place to relax with a cocktail before dinner. Free wifi came in handy for checking in with the kids back home.

On our final night, we plugged in our laptop and camera to charge so it would be ready for our return flight. We went down to the casino for one last night of fun. It wasn’t till the next morning we discovered my new camera, laptop, ipod and jewelry where all stolen from the room. The police where called and as it turns out, the maid supervisor was the only one who entered our room that night. I guess temptation was too great for her. What made it worse was how the General Manager treated us. There was ‘no sorry’, there was no apology, there was nothing but rudeness. He could not have cared less that a repeat visitor was just robbed from the hotel. Never, in my entire life have I been treated so badly by anyone. I was so upset and if I had of received some sort of compassion, I may have been able to have forgiven. But no, this was not the case.

I can replace the items stolen but I cannot replace two memory cards filled with family and trip pictures. I am not sure either if I can replace the love I felt for Aruba. I truly hope I can because it is a wonderful island but I’m left with a sour taste from the treatment received by the Riu. I have e-mailed the General Manager twice now asking the outcome of their ‘investigation’ but it is obvious from no response that my business is no longer wanted. Shame on them.

We learned from talking to others at the airport that they too had their rooms robbed. Some had money taken out of their safe. Yes, you need to enter your own code to open/shut the safe but it takes one dishonest staff member with a master code to share it. Don't be fooled.

If you are planning a visit to the Riu soon, be warned, your room is not safe. Do not leave anything out and learn from me…..if your camera is left in the room, don’t leave your memory card in it or you will loose all of your precious pictures. Keep it separate. All I have left is my camera battery charger left which I guess she did not see charging in the bathroom or that would be gone too.

I will go back to Aruba, how could you not? It is a beautiful island. The people are heart warming. BUT I will NEVER, EVER go back to the Riu. They do not want my business nor do they deserve it.

If I can be of any help or answer any questions, feel free to ask!

Dated hotel, tacky, but a great location. Still far from the airport. It looked like some great hotels nearby, and the strip of beach is one of the best in Aruba if that is what you are looking for. The buffet is so so, and was a disappointment in fact. The restaurants are good to so so , but there is a ridiculous sign in procedure where you line up at 9am every morning to get a seat, and if you dont, tough luck. A lot of europeans stay here. The fiance enjoyed the Zumba in the pool, which they had daily. The lobby smelled slightly damp and always appears disrganized. The views from the room were great, but they were also humid most of the tim, as the hallways are open to the outdoors. I saw a guy fall flat on his face in the hallway after a quick storm shower. I tried to stay on the beach, but beware: folks will head out and place their towels on all the best umbrella seats at 3-4 am (?!?!). If you go at 7-8am as we did, you can still get folding loung chairs however. The mixed drinks at the pool bar were amateurish and tasted like the drinks we mixed for ourselves at junior high parties. If what you are looking for is bach, however, I have to say the beach itself is nice. Just dont expect to enjoy the food, drinks, service or hotel.

We booked this holiday with thompsons beware all the british people get put into c block unless you pay in uk for upgraded room we did try to upgrade on day one because the rooms were like something from the 70s the air con couldnt be turned off and it was freezing in the room the carpets were stained and mouldy very outdated furniture and what they call a step out balcony is just that a step but on the plus side the pool is lovely, food excellent staff ,except reception are very nice it just seems to be the horrible c block which thompsons rent really does ruin the holiday

Our trip ran from Sunday, February 5, 2012, to Friday, February 10th. We flew US Air to Aruba, after booking the trip as a package. Upon our arrival, we opted to utilize a private taxi ride to the hotel, rather than booking ground transport ahead of time. We watched the folks who paid for ground transportation wait while their bus driver loaded all of their luggage, while we quickly loaded our belongings into the cab, and were on our way. The cost? Twenty five dollars each way, twenty eight dollars on Sundays. A good choice, I think, when compared to the forty four dollars quoted on the travel site for round trip bus transportation.It was about a 30 minute ride, door to door.
There was a Canadian convention checking into the Riu Palace when we got there. As a result of taking a cab, we beat the throngs of conventioners who arrived in Aruba, and who rode the bus. Check in was a breeze. We were fitted with a plastic wristband, which insured our all inclusive accommodations. Though we booked the least expensive room, we were placed in room 1014, which was on the top floor center of the main building, with a FULL view of the Caribbean, pool area, and beach. Absolutely STUNNING view of everything, but high enough to avoid all the noises that come with being placed close to the pool. ANY room on the 5th through 10th floors of the main building should offer fantastic full caribbean views.
As advertised, the all inclusive is real and truly all inclusive. Top shelf bar drinks, in room liquor and soft drinks, 4 theme restaurants (Japanese, Steak House, Italian, and Gourmet), all of which require a reservation, which must be placed in the lobby, at a desk that is open from 9 to noon...OR...You can have a FABULOUS meal at the fifth choice of restaurants, the buffet, which is very classy, well stocked, well maintained, well run, and SPOTLESS. Table linens inside, changed continuously, and less formal outdoor (covered) seating, also well maintained, though more common to see diners in swim attire or shorts and t-shirts, than inside. Though the temps were in the 80s, with the constant Aruban breeze, outdoor dining is very comfortable. To sum up, We loved our stay here. If I had to name any downsides to our stay, there were only two. The "king sized " beds are really two double beds, which have been permanently joined, creating a REALLY wide bed, which is VERY VERY firm. If you like firm, you'l love this bed. Secondly, though there are signs near the pool advertising Jacuzzis, there are NO outside Jacuzzis. The entire swim up bar pool ( which is huge), shares the same water, which was cool, as a result, I believe, of lowering the water level, about a foot after dark, so that necessary maintenance could be performed on the pool's concrete edge. The repairs were performed (thoughtfully) after nightfall, but the chilly water that refilled the pool resulted in a chilly swim the following days. A Jacuzzi would have been a great alternative.