Hotel Riu Palace Macao - All Inclusive

“Beautiful Resort”

RIU Macao resort exceeded our expectations! Extremely friendly staff, resort was clean and beautiful. Food was Very good-even the buffet had something for everyone.

“Good value. but not 5 Star, but great people!”

location-- hotel is 4 star; not 5; on the atlantic side, we just came back- July tons of seaweed. Water was not blue, no one was in the ocean. Need to go on a tour to get to clear water, rooms- we stayed in 3rd floor, side ocean view. Room was fine but considering they post the hotel has been updat… more

location-- hotel is 4 star; not 5; on the atlantic side, we just came back- July tons of seaweed. Water was not blue, no one was in the ocean. Need to go on a tour to get to clear water, rooms- we stayed in 3rd floor, side ocean view. Room was fine but considering they post the hotel has been updated, feels worn. We had to get our room changed twice when we first got here because the first two had moldy smell and rust. Staff - people who work here are amazing and friendly. Hotel employees sre 5 star, hotel not so much. No Conceierge, Pools-3 pools, but one is the small swim up bar pool; which made the best drinks. Big pool is nice and we personally had no issues getting loungers in covered spaces. Pools were all way to warm. Not refreshing. - Atmosphere- the hotel grounds are beautiful, palms, pretty lights, lit pools, Open air lobby is updated, pretty statue. Disappointing the are no tropical birds, no water features with fish, like in other islands we have been to, - Rui entertainment- at night at the open air theatre there were some very good shows. Note, there is theme days; white party, etc. If you like that check Rui itinerary. - Food - so being this is an all inclusive at a modest price I think it was good. Krystal was by far the best; very upscale but outside so go late when its cooler. The buffet was hit or miss. Breakfast was always Amazing! Omelette making stations. - Trips - we only did the 2 hour Scuba Caribe snorkel for $50, it was well worth it. Boat left from in front of hotel. The staff super safe and professional. Snorkeling is amazing. - Water park - if you are over 40 would not recommend. I hurt my back on the water slide. Only 3 slides, no sitting, no tubes. Its not safe; do not go. For little kids and teens. - Spa - very nice spa, I did get a massage and was. fairly priced and good. Gym is in Spa and again very nice. Our first time ever in DR, Punta Cana. If we did it again we would not stay here snd gind a hotel on or near the caribbean side.

less

“Mixed experience”

This is a lovely hotel in a fabulous setting. On arrival we were assigned a beautiful room on the 4th floor, unfortunately on day 3 we had to unexpectedly move due to an animal in the bathroom. We were given another room but had a 6 hour wait until it was ready. There were a number of minor issue… more

This is a lovely hotel in a fabulous setting. On arrival we were assigned a beautiful room on the 4th floor, unfortunately on day 3 we had to unexpectedly move due to an animal in the bathroom. We were given another room but had a 6 hour wait until it was ready. There were a number of minor issues with the second room. The food was excellent, there was a wide and varied choice at mealtimes. The restaurants were good. Also, all the staff in the bars, restaurants, etc work extremely hard and are so friendly and engaging. The only other issue we had was the noise from other guests returning to their rooms late at night. Some individuals were extremely loud. Overall, we had a great holiday despite some issues.

less

“Great time...and the last time!”

I'll start by saying this was my 2nd time here and the 1st time was during Covid (June 2021) so I was expecting a few things to be off. When we first came, the main things that stood out that I DIDN'T like was that the room was SUPER humid like the sheets felt like a used bath towel. It was bad. An… more

I'll start by saying this was my 2nd time here and the 1st time was during Covid (June 2021) so I was expecting a few things to be off. When we first came, the main things that stood out that I DIDN'T like was that the room was SUPER humid like the sheets felt like a used bath towel. It was bad. And the main other thing was that the water in the shower would not get above lukewarm. Everything about the other visit was fine: entertainment, food, service, pool, people. Fast forward to this visit...the only reason I even came was because of the "newly renovated" being advertised and I wanted to see what changed. The first thing I noticed was that it "felt" renovated soon as we walked in the lobby. Front desk was nice as expected and we were greeted with champagne. I had a corner room overlooking the pool (Room 3026) and in general I liked the room a lot. It was a suite, so the bedroom was separate from the general area. Furniture was a little outdated but was in decent condition. The room was clean and the housekeepers did an excellent job on the upkeep. There was no full-length mirror in the room, which is a small detail, but when you're trying to check out your outfit that definitely helps out a lot. The room was humid but nothing like my first visit. Luckily, I got some tips from previous visitors that said to bring DampRid which I believe definitely helped absorb some of the humidity. The water temperature (nor pressure) was not an issue this time. It was able to get really hot actually. So glad to see 2 of my main issues were resolved. But nothing about that room felt renovated, but it was a decent room. The was the biggest balcony I've ever seen. Last thing I'll say about the room, but I feel this was a one-off: one night I was sound asleep and was woke up by my arm itching which I smacked my arm in my sleep. Looked to see why my arm was itching and I had been bitten several times by based on the carcass I found where I was laying was a type of roach (mid-sized). I did not see others anywhere, so I assume it just probably got in as insects do from outside. Pictures of the crushed insect and my arm are attached. Enough about the room. The RIU Parties were fun if you are into that. The entertainment team while not bad, was probably the least entertaining and engaging that I've experienced at a RIU. They were just bland as an overall team, but the entertainment at the resort itself was fine. They had great live music and of course you gotta love the Michael Jackson shows :) . Don't forget you have access to the other resorts for entertainment as well so if you don't like what's going on out Macao, venture out and maybe you'll find something you do enjoy. Punta Cana and Bavaro have the best sport's bars. The food was great in my opinion at all the restaurants. Some were better than others, but I enjoyed the Steakhouse, Krystal, and the Italian restaurant the best. Buffet had amazing fruit throughout the day, and the service staff was amazing the whole time. The alfredo pasta (I think it was alfredo) with shrimp and chicken at the Italian restaurant was amazing! And the steaks and the shrimp mac-n-cheese at the Steakhouse was great as well! We ate lunch most of the time at the food court at the Bavaro. RFC (Riu Fried Chicken) was on my mind so much lol. Also, at the ice cream shop at Bavaro (Candy), they had this strawberry gelato that was soooooooo good and the woman working there (wish I had gotten her name) was so sweet. Beach crew did a good job working hard to keep the sargassum levels down, so kudos to them for that. And lastly...the highlight of my trip came in the form of the BEST bartenders on the complex. Danny (at the Cubano bar) and Adonis (Cappuccino in the morning, and Cubano at night) were THE best bartenders I've had to joy of coming across. Brightened up my day every time and I saw them and those interactions with them and their bright personalities and smiling faces will be the main thing I remember from this trip. But the renovations I was expecting on the room side is why I won't be back, but nonetheless I had an amazing time and would still recommend it to others.

less