My family and I have been visiting Riu Palace resorts for 11 years now. The level of quality has definitely decreased and is simply just another Riu resort. The complaints are:
• No longer offer live entertainment in the evening (around 6:00) before the evening show. Prior visits had live entertainment in the “central plaza” plus a pianist in the lobby bar. On this visit, the pianist in lobby bar was the only live entertainment and inconsistent from night to night.
• The show was moved to significantly later in the evening, from 8-ish to 9:30. Changing the time of the show prevents families from engaging with the resort.
• Encouraged to attend parties at the neighboring Riu resort which is full of drunk college kids. If I’m paying a premium price for the resort, I expect to have entertainment at the premium resort.
• RiuLand for kids was closed daily. In prior visits, RiuLand was open daily from 8 to 6-ish.
• For lunch time, the buffet didn’t open until 12:30. In prior visits, they opened much earlier around 11-ish.
• The VIP area, which is three stories high, didn’t have an elevator, so not really VIP.
• No longer offer specialty drinks throughout the week served in coconuts or pineapples, bubble bath parties in the swimming pool, salsa dancing, or specialty-themed barbecues near the pool.
• Trash scattered throughout the grounds and pool area. The servers wouldn’t take the time to pick up the trash as they passed by it.
• Pool music inconsistent.