RIU Palace Antillas versus RIU Palace Aruba

Aruba All Inclusive Resorts

Last week, I had the chance to spend a day in Aruba visiting all inclusive resorts.

Aruba is a terrific vacation destination. The island is south of the Atlantic hurricane zone. This means your summer vacation plans won’t be disrupted by a hurricane.

Aruba is a desert island with great snorkeling and beaches. Aruba also has terrific dining. The local restaurants have far superior dining options than you’ll find at the all inclusive resorts. The good news is that the all inclusive resorts tend to price so well compared to the regular hotels in Aruba that you can do what we did a few years ago: Book an all inclusive stay and then go out to dinner each night. Best of both worlds.

RIU Palace Antillas and RIU Palace Aruba are on Palm Beach. Palm Beach has that beautiful white sand and blue water. These two resorts are right next door to each other and have exchange privileges to the pools, buffet, and beach areas. The exchange privileges do not extend to the a la carte restaurants. You’ll only be able to eat in the a la carte restaurants where you are staying.

RIU Palace Antillas has a few distinguishing features:

• Recently Renovated rooms (shown in video below).

• Adults Only

• Beachfront swim up bar (Warning: As the wind picks up, you may get a little sand in your drink.)

• The a la carte restaurants are: Krystal Fusion restaurant, Rimini Italian Restaurant, Palm Beach Steakhouse, and Malmok Arubian restaurant

Take a peek:

RIU Palace Aruba is the family side. Here’s some of the distinguishing features:

• Rooms are a little bigger, but haven’t been renovated.

• This side has the Spa.

• The swim up bar area is much larger, protected from the wind, but doesn’t have that beachfront view.

• The a la carte restaurants are Krystal Fusion restaurant, Milano Italian Restaurant, Palm Beach Steakhouse, and Sayuri Asian restaurant

Take a peek:

Assuming everyone traveling is an adult, how do you decide which resort is best for your vacation?

• Price - Since you have exchange privileges, you could pick the resort that is pricing the best for your dates of travel.

• Rooms - If an updated room is important, RIU Palace Antillas is the best choice.

• Restaurants - If you do plan to eat at the a la carte restaurants, you could decide if you want Asian or Aruba cuisine more. If it’s Asian, book the RIU Palace Aruba. If it’s Aruba cuisine, book RIU Palace Antillas.

• Children - If you definitely don’t want to see kids at your evening meals, RIU Palace Antillas is the choice.

Which resort would you pick?