RIU PALACE ARUBA

Riu Palace Aruba reopened on 31 July 2026 after closing for close to four months for works valued at roughly 110 million US dollars. RIU's first hotel on the island, opened in 2007, it holds some 450 rooms directly on Palm Beach, on a 24-hour all-inclusive plan. The rebuild added 31 Elite Club suites with a private pool or direct water access, entirely restructured the gardens and pool area, and renewed the restaurant line-up.

Riu Palace Aruba at a glance

Few Caribbean hotels can say they have just reopened. This one closed in the spring of 2026, was rebuilt from top to bottom over close to four months, and reopened on 31 July. The sum invested, some 110 million US dollars, exceeds what many new hotels cost outright. A company director summed it up: it amounted to buying a new hotel.

The result holds around 450 rooms directly on Palm Beach, eight restaurants, five bar venues, a kids' club, an adults-only Elite Club zone and a nightclub. All of it runs on a 24-hour all-inclusive plan, the brand's signature.

What the renovation changed

The works reached the substance rather than the surface. Thirty-one new Elite Club suites appeared, with a private pool or direct water access from the terrace. The gardens and the entire pool area facing Palm Beach were restructured to open up more space for sunbathing and lounging.

The restaurant line-up changed as well. One point deserves flagging: almost every review published online covers a stay from before the works, and some come from guests who lived through the construction. The rating shown on review sites therefore does not yet reflect the current product. Our advisors, who track feedback from our own travellers, will give you an up-to-date picture. Call 1 866 628-6241.

Which room to choose

Categories run from the standard double to the Junior Suite, then to its partial and full ocean-view variants. A two-bedroom Junior Suite takes families, and a Suite category completes the classic range.

Above that sits Elite Club, RIU's upper tier. It opens an exclusive restaurant, private beach areas, a beachfront lounge with bar service and various personalised perks. The 31 suites added in 2026, with a private pool or direct water access, belong to this range and go quickly.

Elite Club: an adult space inside a family resort

This is the address's most interesting feature. Riu Palace Aruba welcomes families, with its RIU Land club and children's pool, but Elite Club forms an adults-only zone inside the complex: private beach, exclusive restaurant, dedicated lounge.

In practice that lets a child-free couple and a family travel together without imposing the same rhythm on everyone. Few properties on the island offer that flexibility in a single address.

Where you eat on site

Eight restaurants make up the new line-up. Don Nicolás handles the international buffet, a steakhouse takes the meat, Krystal works fusion, Sayuri Asian and Japanese cooking, Milano Italian. Pepe's Food and Tiki Taco cover the casual register, and an exclusive restaurant serves Elite Club guests.

Five bar venues round things out: the Daiquiri lobby bar, the Cappuchino café and ice cream parlour, the Barry's plaza bar, the Palm Beach poolside swim-up bar, and an air-conditioned American sports bar. The Pacha nightclub admits guests eighteen and over.

The RIU all-inclusive

The plan covers meals and snacks at any hour, unlimited drinks, entertainment, non-motorised sports, the gym, the nightclub, room service and a restocked in-room minibar. Renova Spa operates as a paid extra.

The generosity of the formula built RIU's reputation, and the 2026 renewal of the restaurant line-up answers the main criticism aimed at large all-inclusives: fatigue after a few days. Eight distinct venues change that calculation considerably over a week.

Travelling with children

The RIU Land club takes four- to twelve-year-olds with a daytime entertainment programme, alongside the Fun4All activities. A children's pool and the resort's family spaces complete the picture.

The water off Palm Beach shelves gently and stays calm, free of strong currents, which leaves young swimmers a wide zone where they can still stand. The Elite Club zone, for its part, stays adults-only.

Who this resort suits

It fits families who want a full all-inclusive on Palm Beach in a hotel that has just been rebuilt. It fits couples drawn to the idea of an adult zone inside a family resort. It fits multi-generational groups, who rarely find one address able to satisfy everyone.

Anyone looking for a seventy-room hotel, or a formula without a package that leaves them free to eat out every night, will be better served elsewhere on the island. Our advisors will say so plainly.

What to know before you book

Allow fifteen to twenty minutes by road between Queen Beatrix International Airport and Palm Beach. Aruba lies outside the hurricane belt and the trade winds blow year-round: they hold the humidity down, keep seaweed away from this coast and mask how strong the sun is, so sunscreen goes on more often than you would think.

The Aruban florin is the official currency, though US dollars circulate everywhere and outlets follow the North American standard. A bridge links the hotel to the adults-only Riu Palace Antillas next door, whose casino is open to guests. For entry requirements, consult travel.gc.ca before departure.

Booking Riu Palace Aruba with an advisor

At a hotel that has just reopened, online information lags by several months. An advisor who tracks feedback from our travellers will tell you what actually changed, which category to pick and whether Elite Club is worth the step up for you.

Reach a Voyages AquaTerra advisor at 1 866 628-6241, or explore our Aruba packages, our Aruba travel guide and the full range of southern all-inclusive vacations.