Riu Palace Paradise Island - All Inclusive - Adults Only

Customer ratings & reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

3086 reviews

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  THEFT at RIU Paradise Island, Bahamas

  THIS IS A FOREWARNING SO PLEASE TAKE HEED! We recently stayed for 5 days at RIU, Paradise Island, Bahamas. Lovely place, but I will not be returning to vacation there again! My daughter’s Beats headset was stolen from our room on the 2nd day. We alerted Customer Service and Security at the hotel. Security informed us that the hotel is not responsible for any item that is not securely placed in the safe. We have never experienced theft at other RIU resorts where have previously stayed in Jamaica, Mexico, and Dominican Republic, nor other hotel resorts including Royalton and Breezes. Although we were told that employees don’t steal at RIU Paradise Island, Bahamas, the proof is in the pudding - my daughter’s Beats headset was stolen from our room the day after we got there. It is very sad and unfortunate that this happened. Lesson learned, lock up all your valuables in the safe - money, jewelry, travel documents, electronics … - everything that you value because SOME STAFF AT RIU, PARADISE ISLAND, BAHAMAS CANNOT BE TRUSTED!!! That is the reason why I will never stay at that RIU again and others should be forewarned before booking to stay there! Take heed if you want to keep your valued items! I want to give credit and express appreciation to Iris in the dining room for being very pleasant, joyous and helpful. Thanks also to Anthony who works both at the pool and inside bar areas for also being very pleasant and skilled with preparing delicious drinks! Thanks also to the poolside DJ, Arnold, for his music selections and mixes and also for the birthday shoutout. Adios RIU, Paradise Island, Nassau. We rank this hotel as the lowest of the RIU chains due to the theft from our room. We know, from other reviews, that this has happened to other guests who stayed there. Management should do a better job at screening and selecting staff and with disciplinary actions to try to prevent this type of occurrence. THEFT IS UNACCEPTABLE!!!

  Oct 10, 2026
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  Disappointing Stay, Especially for a Milestone Birthday

  I recently stayed at Riu Palace Paradise Island for three nights as part of a group celebrating a friend's milestone birthday. Unfortunately, the overall experience fell well short of what I expected, particularly in terms of food quality, service, cleanliness, and hospitality. **The biggest disappointment was how management handled a dinner reservation issue.** On Sunday, I used the RIU app to try to reserve the Japanese restaurant for eight people. Our first attempt produced a system error, so we tried again. The second attempt appeared to go through successfully, and two other people in my group were present when I made the reservation. We reasonably believed we were all set. When we arrived for dinner that evening, the restaurant had no record of our reservation. I understand that reservation issues can happen, and I would have accepted that if the staff had handled the situation professionally. The restaurant manager was incredibly insistent that he had no reservation for us and that he could not accommodate our group. As he continued explaining that he had no record of our reservation and could do nothing to help, his volume gradually increased. Rather than trying to understand what had happened or explore possible alternatives, he ultimately brushed us off and directed us to the front desk. At the front desk, staff repeatedly insisted that I could not have made a reservation for eight because the app supposedly restricts reservations to the number of guests registered in one room. The front desk supervisor was particularly dismissive, with a somewhat smug attitude as she insisted it was impossible for me to have made the reservation. The interaction left me feeling as though they thought I was making the whole thing up. No one offered a meaningful apology or made much effort to find an alternative beyond directing us to the buffet. After the trip, RIU provided an explanation through my travel agent. According to the resort manager, the app may display seating availability for a larger party when it isn't properly connected to the guests' room reservation. The resort's system therefore did not recognize our reservation as confirmed. This explanation helps clarify what may have happened, and I appreciate having more information. However, it doesn't change my disappointment with how the situation was handled in person. Rather than explaining that there might have been a system issue, staff repeatedly insisted that I could not have made the reservation at all. The distinction matters because **the missing reservation wasn't the main problem; the lack of hospitality when we tried to resolve it was.** This was a milestone birthday celebration, and Sunday was my only opportunity during my short stay to have a sit-down birthday dinner with the group. I wasn't expecting the resort to perform miracles, just to acknowledge the confusion, communicate respectfully, and make a reasonable effort to help. **Food and dining** My first meal at the buffet was particularly disappointing. The selection seemed limited, several dishes were not labeled, and flies were buzzing around the food. Breakfast was better, but overall, the dining experience did not meet my expectations. **Room cleanliness and maintenance** When I returned to my room after the pool on the first day, the floor was visibly dirty with sand and debris. After housekeeping cleaned the room on Monday, the floor was left with a sticky, slimy residue that made walking barefoot unpleasant. There was also a very strong sewage odor coming from the shower drain whenever the shower was running. The housekeeper herself was friendly, so my concern is with the condition of the room and the quality of the cleaning, rather than the individual employee. **Service and hospitality** Service was inconsistent throughout the stay. Some pool bartenders were friendly, but other interactions left me feeling as though basic requests were an inconvenience. At breakfast, we often had to flag down servers for drinks, water, and refills rather than receiving attentive service. Checkout was also impersonal and confusing, with the employee taking my room number and key cards before walking away without explaining whether I had been checked out. Individually, some of these issues might seem minor. Together, they contributed to an experience that felt noticeably below the standard of hospitality I've received at other resorts. **A note about the overall experience** I recognize that no resort stay is perfect, and I understand RIU's position that the other concerns were not reported during our stay, which limited the resort's opportunity to address them at the time. However, after the interaction with management over the dinner reservation, I didn't feel encouraged to pursue further complaints. The way I was treated during that interaction left me feeling belittled over what was ultimately a reservation mix-up, and it made me question whether raising additional concerns would be worthwhile. I've stayed at many resorts over the years and have never been disappointed enough to request a partial refund until now. I understood that I had paid for and stayed at the hotel, and I was never expecting a full refund. I simply felt that the combination of issues warranted some consideration for partial compensation. I contacted my travel agent after returning home, and she reached out to her RIU contact on my behalf. Although the resort explained the reservation issue, no refund or other compensation was offered. I genuinely wanted to enjoy this trip, and I did enjoy spending time with the friends I traveled with. What disappointed me was that a special milestone celebration was overshadowed by an experience that fell so far below the level of hospitality I've come to expect. I wasn't expecting perfection, but I did expect respectful treatment, reasonable service, and a willingness to help when something went wrong. Unfortunately, this experience, combined with a similarly disappointing stay at RIU Cabo in the past, has made my decision easy: **I will not be staying at another RIU resort.**

  Oct 08, 2026
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  Cockroaches in rooms… cleanliness issues

  We had cockroaches and mold in our room. Other than the e beautiful beach and friendly people at the resort, I would probably stay elsewhere due to cleanliness concerns. Riu corporate could care less about our experience after we contacted them about this with pictures of the roaches we were killing in our room. We had to move rooms. Never again!

  Oct 08, 2026
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  Outstanding!!!

  Absolutely amazing!!! Magical atmosphere. Great staff, excellent food, great location. Me and my twin sister Gina travelled here for the first time ever to the bahamas from England, what a magical place Riu Palace, Clean rooms, excellent gym, spa and pool, ever single member of staff were amazing very attentive and welcoming. We will be back in 2028. Thank you for the memories.

  Oct 07, 2026
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  Wonderful vacation!

  For anyone who gave this resort a negative review, we must have been at different places! This resort is heaven on earth! It has the most gorgeous beach with the bluest water I have ever seen. It has 2 beautiful pools, plenty of seating (nobody had to fight for or reserve chairs). Our room was spacious, high post king sized bed with a sitting area. It had a beautiful up to date bathroom with 2 different shower heads, plenty of hot water and double sinks. Very nice balcony with chairs, overlooking the ocean, pools and beautifully manicured vegetation. We’ve been to many all-inclusive resorts and the food here is among the best. The offerings at the buffet are staggering. The quality of the food was very good, well seasoned and very tasty. It has a nice pool side casual eatery with jerk chicken etc. This resort is a few blocks away from the Atlantis. You can visit and enjoy the casino etc without paying Atlantis prices. We had a wonderful experience!

  Oct 05, 2026