A check-in at The Hotel Riu Palace Aruba now leads into a fully renovated resort, with redesigned rooms, new restaurants, updated pool areas, an expanded café, and a premium adults-only section inside one of Aruba’s largest family-friendly hotels.
RIU Hotels and Resorts has reopened The Hotel Riu Palace Aruba following a property-wide renovation, bringing redesigned rooms, new restaurants, updated pool areas, an expanded café, a sports bar, and the company’s premium adults-only Elite Club service to the Palm Beach resort.
The reopening restores a major 24-hour all-inclusive resort in Aruba, where meals, drinks, entertainment, Wi-Fi, pool use, and many daily activities are included with your stay. RIU has operated on the island since 2007, and the renovated hotel gives you more room choices, more places to eat, and several new ways to spend a beach vacation.
The biggest addition is Elite Club by RIU, a premium room category and service program reserved for adults. Elite Club includes upgraded rooms, an adults-only restaurant, a reserved beach area, premium drinks, expanded in-room amenities, and more personalized service.
Among the Elite Club rooms, 31 have private pools, giving couples and adults a quieter option while keeping the restaurants, bars, entertainment, and conveniences of a full Aruba all-inclusive resort close by.
A New Look Across the Palm Beach Resort
Every room at The Hotel Riu Palace Aruba has been renovated.
The new interiors use light colors, natural tones, updated furniture, contemporary bathrooms, and balconies facing the pools, gardens, or Caribbean. Room categories include standard rooms, junior suites, two-bedroom rooms, and larger suites for longer stays or family trips.
Many of the best sea-view rooms are now part of Elite Club. Some include private pools connected to outdoor terraces, so you can go from your room to the water in a few steps.
The renovation continues through the lobby, restaurants, bars, gardens, pool decks, children’s areas, and entertainment venues.
The lobby keeps the formal decorative style associated with RIU Palace hotels, including high ceilings, columns, chandeliers, and large seating areas. New materials, lighter finishes, and more natural light give the entrance a brighter look.
You still get the same Palm Beach address and familiar 24-hour all-inclusive format. The difference comes through in the rooms, the expanded restaurant lineup, and the new premium services for adults.
What Does the All-Inclusive Plan Include?
The Hotel Riu Palace Aruba operates as a 24-hour all-inclusive resort, covering meals, snacks, drinks, entertainment, and many resort activities during your stay.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included. You can choose from buffet meals, live cooking stations, specialty restaurants, casual food counters, and à la carte dinners. Selected drinks are served across the hotel’s bars, and rooms include minibars and liquor dispensers that are replenished during your stay.
The all-inclusive plan also covers daytime entertainment, evening performances, children’s activities, fitness facilities, pool use, beach loungers, towels, and Wi-Fi.
Elite Club rooms come with additional benefits inside the same all-inclusive resort. Premium drinks, upgraded minibar selections, enhanced room service, an exclusive restaurant, and a dedicated beach section are included with the Elite Club category.
The format makes it easier to plan your vacation budget before you arrive. Most meals, drinks, snacks, and entertainment are already covered. Island tours, rental cars, spa services, shopping, off-property dinners, and excursions remain separate.
You could spend the whole day between the beach, pools, kids’ club, food counters, and ice cream parlor. You could also reserve a private-pool room, spend the afternoon in the Elite Club beach section, and finish with dinner in the adults-only restaurant.
An Adults-Only Experience Inside a Family Resort
Elite Club gives you an adults-only experience inside a larger family-friendly Aruba all-inclusive resort.
Your stay includes a dedicated bracelet, priority reception service, upgraded in-room drinks, premium liquor dispensers, a welcome gift, aromatherapy options, and an enhanced room-service menu. Late checkout may be available depending on hotel operations.
The most noticeable benefit appears near the beach.
Elite Club includes a reserved sun-lounger area with dedicated bar service. Premium drinks are served near the sand, giving you a quieter place to spend the afternoon when Palm Beach is busy.
An exclusive restaurant serves adults staying in Elite Club rooms. The smaller dining room gives you another choice beyond the resort’s larger restaurants, while Elite Club also includes an à la carte breakfast at Don Nicolás.
The 31 private-pool rooms will be especially appealing for honeymoons, anniversaries, and adult getaways. Each room connects directly to a private swimming area, letting you split your time among your terrace, the hotel pools, and Palm Beach.
Families remain a major part of the resort. Children have pools, water features, entertainment, restaurants, and the RIU Land kids’ club.
The concept also makes sense for multigenerational trips. Parents, grandparents, and adult relatives can choose Elite Club rooms while younger family members stay elsewhere in the hotel. Everyone can meet for meals, beach time, entertainment, and excursions during the same all-inclusive vacation in Aruba.
Eight Restaurants Are Included
Dining received extensive attention during the renovation.
RIU updated menus, ingredients, preparation methods, dining rooms, and service procedures throughout the resort. The reopened hotel now has eight restaurant experiences, including buffet dining, steak, Italian food, Asian dishes, fusion cuisine, tacos, casual poolside food, and an adults-only Elite Club restaurant.
Don Nicolás is the main restaurant. It serves international buffet meals with live cooking stations, breads, juices, salads, meat, seafood, vegetables, desserts, vegetarian dishes, and gluten-free selections.
The buffet is useful when you are traveling with children or a larger group. Everyone can choose individual dishes, return for another plate, and eat at their own pace. The restaurant also offers themed dinners during the week.
Elite Club includes an à la carte breakfast here, giving you a table-service option before the beach or pool.
Krystal serves fusion-inspired cuisine in an à la carte format. The menu includes meat, fish, seafood, and vegetarian dishes, making it one of the more formal dinner choices in the all-inclusive plan.
Sayuri focuses on Asian cuisine, with dishes influenced by Japanese, Chinese, and Thai cooking. Rice, seafood, meat, vegetables, and sauces give you a different dinner option during a weeklong stay.
Milano serves Italian food in a buffet format. Pasta, meat dishes, salads, breads, vegetables, and desserts make it a useful choice when everyone in your group wants something different.
The Steakhouse serves grilled meats and international dishes during dinner. The à la carte service adds another full-service restaurant to the Aruba all-inclusive package.
Pepe’s Food offers casual meals close to the hotel’s outdoor areas. It is the kind of place you use during a beach or pool day when you want lunch quickly and plan to return to your lounger.
Tiki Taco adds tacos and other casual dishes to the daytime lineup. The concept expands the quick-service choices near the pools and gardens.
The eighth dining venue is the exclusive Elite Club restaurant, reserved for adults staying in qualifying rooms.
You have enough variety to eat differently throughout a longer Aruba all-inclusive vacation. Breakfast can come from the buffet or à la carte Elite Club service. Lunch can mean tacos or casual food near the pool. Dinner could be steak, fusion, Asian, Italian, or another visit to Don Nicolás.
Five Bars, Coffee, and Ice Cream
The renovated resort has five principal bars, running from the lobby to the pool deck.
Daiquiri is the lobby bar, serving drinks near reception and the main indoor gathering areas. It is an easy meeting point before dinner, an evening show, or a visit to the casino.
The renovated Cappuchino café now includes an ice cream parlor. Coffee drinks, café items, and ice cream give you another stop between meals, especially if you are traveling with children.
Barry’s serves the hotel plaza, where entertainment and social activity continue after dinner.
The Palm Beach bar serves the pool area, keeping drinks close to the loungers and swimming areas.
The climate-controlled American Country sports bar shows major games and sporting events. The indoor room gives you an air-conditioned place to watch a game or meet friends later in the evening.
Elite Club beach service adds another drink option for adults staying in premium rooms. Staff serve drinks in the reserved sun-lounger section near Palm Beach.
Selected drinks across the resort are included in the all-inclusive plan, although premium products and specialized services may depend on your room category.
Pools, Slides, and RIU Land
The oceanfront gardens and pool areas have also been redone.
The main outdoor area connects the guest-room buildings with the swimming pools, sun terraces, casual food, bars, and Palm Beach. Loungers and umbrellas line the pool decks, with more seating closer to the beach.
The principal pool includes a swim-up bar. A separate children’s pool has slides and water features for younger kids.
RIU Land provides supervised children’s activities as part of the family-friendly all-inclusive experience. The hotel also offers games, sports, music, performances, and entertainment for different age groups.
You can divide the day between the beach, pool, kids’ club, and casual dining. Children have their own water features and activities, while adults can use the principal pools, sports bar, restaurants, or Elite Club areas.
The family program gives The Hotel Riu Palace Aruba a different identity from the neighboring Hotel Riu Palace Antillas, which operates as an adults-only all-inclusive resort.
The choice between the two comes down to the trip you are planning. The Hotel Riu Palace Aruba welcomes families and includes Elite Club rooms for adults. The Hotel Riu Palace Antillas remains entirely adults-only.
Friday Nights Next Door
Adults staying at The Hotel Riu Palace Aruba can attend the weekly RIU Party at The Hotel Riu Palace Antillas next door.
The Friday event features DJs, music, themed décor, performances, drinks, and large outdoor production elements. The neighboring location gives you another nightlife option beyond the bars and shows at your own hotel.
The two RIU resorts occupy adjacent sections of Palm Beach, making them useful for groups with different needs.
A wedding party, reunion, or extended family group could place families with children at The Hotel Riu Palace Aruba and adults at The Hotel Riu Palace Antillas. Both groups would remain in the same part of Palm Beach.
Why Palm Beach Fits an All-Inclusive Vacation
The reopening returns a major all-inclusive option to one of Aruba’s busiest hotel districts.
A stay at The Hotel Riu Palace Aruba places you directly on Palm Beach, close to catamaran trips, snorkeling excursions, water sports, casinos, restaurants, shopping centers, and nightlife.
You can walk from the resort to many businesses along J.E. Irausquin Boulevard. Taxis connect the hotel with Oranjestad, Eagle Beach, Arashi Beach, San Nicolas, and restaurants across the island.
Aruba’s dry climate, steady trade winds, and southern Caribbean location support vacations throughout the year. Nonstop flights connect the island with major cities across the United States, Canada, Latin America, and Europe.
You arrive through Queen Beatrix International Airport, generally a 20-to-30-minute drive from Palm Beach depending on traffic.
U.S.-bound passengers complete American immigration and customs procedures before departure through the airport’s preclearance facilities.
The all-inclusive plan gives you a practical home base, although Aruba has plenty to explore beyond Palm Beach.
You might spend a day at Arikok National Park, visit the restaurants and murals of San Nicolas, walk through downtown Oranjestad, snorkel near Boca Catalina, or head to the California Lighthouse.
Back at the hotel, dinner, drinks, entertainment, and evening activities are already included.
A Bigger All-Inclusive Choice on Palm Beach
The renovation gives The Hotel Riu Palace Aruba a broader all-inclusive experience across its rooms, restaurants, bars, pools, and family facilities.
You have a beachfront resort with children’s activities, water features, buffet meals, casual food, entertainment, ice cream, and direct Palm Beach frontage.
You can also choose Elite Club, reserve one of the 31 private-pool rooms, dine in the adults-only restaurant, and spend the afternoon in a dedicated beach section with bar service.
The resort now brings together eight restaurant experiences, five bars, 24-hour all-inclusive service, redesigned rooms, and a central Palm Beach location.
You can plan a full resort vacation with meals and drinks included, add a few island excursions, and return each afternoon to a renovated beachfront hotel with the Caribbean a few steps from the pool deck.
What Does It Cost to Stay Here?
I found rates for $607 per night at the Riu on Google Hotels. That covers an early September stay.
