"We originally booked at Riu Palace Aruba – All Inclusive but were moved to Barcelo Aruba due to renovations — with no price adjustment despite a glaring downgrade in quality. We traveled as a large family with three separate rooms, and the issues were consistent across all of them.
Rooms lacked essentials you'd expect at a 3-star hotel — no conditioner, no body lotion, showers clearly not cleaned daily. Multiple requests to replenish the shower gel dispenser went ignored. Our children reported identical conditions and virtually nonexistent service in their rooms. My son's room phone didn't work — despite promises, it was never replaced. Paint was visibly peeling off hallway ceilings.
Beach umbrellas were severely insufficient, forcing us to wake up at 4:30 AM to secure shade and chairs — an artificial problem not seen at neighboring hotels and easily fixable. Towel service was listed until 6 PM, yet staff refused to distribute towels after 5 PM while the pool and beach remained open and in use. Food quality, variety, and dietary options were disappointing and well below what the hotel's rating and price suggest.
Overall, a deeply disappointing experience for a large amount of money — consistent across our entire family. Riu Palace Aruba should acknowledge the differences, provide a price adjustment, and set proper expectations before transferring guests to a clearly inferior property. None of that happened."