Boynton Travel Advisors

Riu Palace Aruba was Awesome! After landing the bus driver suggested we go ahead and confirm our transfers back so that we wouldn’t have to worry with it later. However, once we arrived at the hotel we were then told to wait until 1 day prior to the departure day other then the slight confusion the transfer was soooooo easy (I am sure he was just mistaken which caused us no inconvenience what so ever). We really had a wonderful time. 

The Things I loved

Restaurant Food was great ( they had a extended time to make reservations compared to other RIU hotels)

The 1 person jetted tub was great to have and very relaxing I am glad this came standard in our room

Resort size was perfect for walking

Ocean water was clear and beautiful

Had the options to order room service breakfast, lunch, dinner and there was no additional charge

Weather the winds were strong but were welcome in Aruba’s heat

The boat that was half submarine was something that LeKeshia and Reggie enjoyed very much (I got sea sick during this excursion)

We all enjoyed the tube ride. It was only 20.00 per person and can hold up to 4 people on the same tub

The Staff did speak English fluently and they were extremely courteous

We took part in the last night of the Annual Soul Beach music festival held at Nikky Beach the concert tickets was 70.00 per person. There were VIP tables available 150.00 per person plus the cost of the concert ticket but we opted to stand which gave us a better view of the artist that were performing. Their website is http://www.soulbeach.net/2013/index.php Although, there is an option to purchase tickets in advance we decided not to do so, we purchased ours at the beach when we arrived for the concert.

We ate at the Barefoot Restaurant at Nikky Beach the food was really good

We also ate at the Bugaloe Beach Bar and Grill on the pier/dock right in front of the resort. Monday they have Crazy Fish day, Tuesday Joyride Band plays, Wednesday is Salsa night, Friday The Equator or Bamboo Band plays, Saturday Spareribs & Karaoke Night, Sunday The Equator Band plays… The food was Excellent there! Best Burger I’ve had in a long time.

No Room Deposit required

People were there offering Timeshare but there was no high pressure sells this was relief (in Cancun they were very heavy on high pressure sells). 

Things that were less appealing

I had to call maintenance Twice before they actually fixed the Jets on the tub but the shower worked fine during this time

The shopping options were limited the stores were small and didn’t have much variety

The Nightly Entertainment location was not displayed on the Activities board

The swimming pools seemed to frequently have this thick film/layer of dirt that gathered and floating in the corners pool. With this there were times I had to think twice about whether or not I wanted to really get in the pools. (The pool situation was mentioned to the staff multiple time by not just us but other guest as well and they simply explained it was an accumulation of the oils, lotions, from the people that were in the pool. After it was mentioned they took a bucket to fish some of it out.)

There are a very long list of good things about this resort that made this another truly an amazing experience. Would I do this again? You bet I would!

Depart: Saturday, May 25, 2013 (Delta Air Lines Flight#: 655) / Airline Confirmation: GQIQLG Seats: 31C, 31B / Departing: Atlanta (ATL) 10:00 AM Arriving: Aruba (AUA) 2:00 PM

Return: Thursday, May 30, 2013 (Delta Air Lines Flight#: 654) / Airline Confirmation: GQIQLG Seats: 21D, 21E / Departing: Aruba (AUA) 3:00 PM Arriving: Atlanta (ATL) 7:18 PM