I loved it, it really felt as though you were staying in a palace. Only thing I didn't like were the beds because they were doubles just pushed together. And, when you leaned against the headboard, the bed would slide away and apart. Other than that, the food was great, the pool area breathtaking, service gets honorable mention, and the beach - spectacular!

Very hard beds and problems keeping the room from feeling damp. Food and service was excellent

blowing sand at the beach was a big problem. for years I stayed at the radisson and this was never a problem.

Traveler's tip:

It's hard to not like any hotel in paradise! The Riu is clearly a work in progress but overall nice. The landscaping is unfinished, rooms are large and clean, but the beds are terribly uncomfortable. The food was good and bad. It was inconsistent, some meals were great, then not so much. The staff overall was very friendly. The Spa is unorganized. I had a couples treatment and the room was loud being next to the lobby. I explained that it wasn't relaxing..and for $400, I expected more. The manager (I think) just said, well people are loud when they come in. He wasn't so concerned but did apologize. The pool staff was great...great drinks, fast service everywhere in the resort.

For those enticed by the All Inclusive appeal stay away! Rooms = nice, liquor dispenser = great, but the beds are rock hard. The grounds themselves are ok, decor = quite ornate, pool = great. But the food options & operations were terrible. Breakfast & lunch are buffets. For dinner you are told you have a choice of 4 restaurants or a buffet, the restaurants require reservation. I planned to try each restaurant once, decide my favorites, & eat at those places for the rest of the week. However, your options are limited to 2 seating times: 6:30 or 9pm. You can only make reservations the day of from 9am - Noon. By 10am all the restaurants were "sold out". The times I was able to secure a spot in one of the restaurants, the restaurant itself was not full? After talking with some other guests I was told if you went to any of the restaurants & there were empty tables the hotel still refused to let you in since you didn't make a reservation! I am a pretty reasonable person, but I did not plan (& pay for) a relaxing beach vacation to then have to wake up at 8am to ensure I eat dinner - the dinner which I paid for as part of the All Inclusive experience! All the complications with the reservations forced me to try Room Service. The booklet appears to contain many pages of options, but its really 1 page in 10 different languages. I had tried several items & not 1 item I ordered came with what the room service menu described. Please avoid this place at all costs, totally not worth it!

Traveler's tip:

The staff is excellent, they can not do enough for you. The buffet is excellent, avery large selection of food and tasty also! The new mgmt has some kinks to work out. The pool and beach were excellent.

Traveler's tip:

I have never done All Inclusive in 14 trips to Aruba. This hotel was wonderful. I loved the food. Did the buffet most times and went to the Steak House restaurant. Standing in line for the reservations was a pain and the food in the buffet was outstanding. Beds were a little hard for my taste. Sservice was great! Hotel still trying to hire enough people and will not have their Grand Opening until October 2007. Pool design was fantastic and the spa a little pricey compared to other on the island.

Traveler's tip: