Don't believe all the bad reviews on this hotel. We were very happy with our stay at the Riu last week. The place was clean, employees were very friendly and helpful and the food was wonderful. We had a room on the 15th floor, and yes you do have to wait sometimes for the elevator but not for very long. Since the hotel is a high-rise the place is very compact which we found to be just what we wanted. When you came down from your rooms, the dining rooms were just a short walk through the lobby. We ate at all the speciality restaurants and the food was excellent at all of them. If you didn't care for that food, you could always eat at the buffet. We tried a lot of new foods that we haven't had before and found all of them to be excellent. We didn't have any trouble getting reservations for the restaurants. Towards the beginning of the week not all of the restaurants are open but that is because most of the people arrive on Thursday. We hired a taxi-cab driver named Bruce to take us around the island and show us how the people live there. He took us to a mom-and-pop restaurant named Beverly's which served us Bahamian and Jamaican food family style. It was excellent and the owner Beverly came out to talk to us. There were two other couples with us and they also enjoyed their stay at the Riu. The Atlantis is very close and if you enjoy gambling you can walk over there any time.
We would go back anytime to stay at this hotel and would probably look for Riu hotels in other countries.

I stayed for four nights with family members in late January, 2012. The location is very nice, with a beautiful little beach and great views (we were on the 14th floor, even numbered room so we did not have the pool view, which was a plus to me). The pool temp was great. One day, there was a waitress for poolside drinks, but the other 3 days we went to the bar ourselves - no big deal (be sure to try their Dirty Banana!). The buffet food was pretty good, especially breakfast. Our stay was during a "low occupancy" period. Because of this, the hotel decided to open only two of the four reservation restaurants each night. The problem was that the hotel did not communicate this to us - we figured it out on our own when we couldn't reserve the restaurants we wanted even though we were first in line at 8 a.m. We would have planned differently had we known (we didn't get to try the Krystal restaurant due to this lack of communication). The Japanese restaurant was OK (sushi appetizers and the fried ice cream dessert were great. The rest - just OK). The gourmet restaurant was pretty good (waiter Elkin made this restaurant especially fun!), and most of the food at the steak restaurant was good, though the service wasn't up to par and my shrimp appetizer was half raw (how long does it take to cook shrimp?). This hotel should NOT advertise a fitness facility, as more than half of the machines in there aren't even functional.

The rooms were cleaned well, though the hotel must have a severe shortage of washcloths. We didn't get any, and multiple calls to housekeeping did not result in the requested washcloths. We ended up grabbing some ourselves off of the maid's cart when she was down the hall. What is the big deal about washcloths? I think this is the only all-inclusive on Paradise Island itself, so the lack of competition could be the reason they don't try harder at the Riu.

I was very disappointed in this hotel. I really am not a fan of all inclusives and for good reason. Cheap booze, and lower standards. This was the same. The gym, which i was looking forward to was the WORST i have ever experienced. It smelled like cat urine...half the machines were broken, others were from another century and no weights. ARCHAIC. I complained about the smell but it never changed. The alcohol...could not recognize any bottle except the barcardi. rest were probably the cheapest crap you could find. The process to book a restaurant was absurd. They tell you to get up and be in line at 8 am...on vacation...to book a reservation. Well, FYI, that day is always sold out. SO really you are booking for the next night...and, why do you have to go and do it in person. How ridiculous is that? And dont even bother. The restaurants are mediocre. The main dining room, despite zero ambiance is much better and you have choices. Only wirless in lobby> Why? Everyone is huddled in the lobby checking email, etc. I would rather be in my room (which was lovely) sitting on my balconey enjoying the view...cheap is why. and the entertainment....the WORST ever. Lovely bands and music at 8...enjoy but leave before the "main acts" i have seen grade schools with better performances. HORRIBLE and embarrassing. They chase people out. depressing.

The ONLY STANDOUTS...the staff, front desk, maids, servers and especially the Entertainment staff are OUTSTANDING. They deserve any praise for a good stay. Also, the location..the beach....stunning.

This hotel needs to invest in the property and get their act together. I would never go back

We stayed at Riu in September, 2011, but I am just now submitting a review (oops). We ended up at Riu because we had booked at Breezes, but since they sustained hurricane damage we were relocated to Riu. Riu is near Atlantis, with a very long white sand beach. Nice large lobby area with a bar. Our room had a small balcony overlooking the pool and ocean, with 2 chairs and a table. The in-room frig was stocked with water, soda and beer, plus there are 4 bottles of liquor in your mini bar. There are plenty of lounge chairs near the pool or down on the beach. The lunch buffet was decent, but dinner was better. Staff was friendly. Evening entertainment was okay. All in all a very nice place to stay (but to be very honest I prefer Breezes Bahamas),