Riu Palace Paradise Island - Bahamas

Home » Caribbean » Bahamas » Paradise Island

Know Before You Go!

Have you visited Riu Palace Paradise Island? We'd love to know what you think...
Please write a review with as much detail as possible. Tell us about the amenities, facilities and staff.

Click Here to post your review for Riu Palace Paradise Island.

It was very nice. Visited: May 2003 Posted by nimblefingers We stayed at the sheraton for three nights. We found the resort to be very clean. The food was excellent. The rooms were very nice - except for the pillows, which were very small. For a four-star resort, they should have had standard size pillows to sleep on. We are looking forward to returning to the Sheraton. I would recommend the all-inclusive plan. It can be very expensive. 1 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Not what we expected. Visited: October 2002 Posted by sonnieh We love the Bahamas and would go back in a heartbeat. This was actually our 2nd time, but we would not stay at The Sheraton Grand again. On the positive side: The two sit-down eateries were excellent. The food was very good and service was great. The buffet breakfast every morning was fine, but they never varied the choices. The beach was sandy and clean and the water was warm and clear as clear as could be! THE REST – To us there was little to be desired. We arrived at 2pm and the room was not ready. We were sent to have lunch poolside (the only place to get lunch at the hotel). It took 2 hours for a fruit plate, chicken fingers and a burger; we had 2 drinks each and the bill came to $69. At 4pm the room was still not ready but we were tired from the traveling of the day - so they gave us a room with 2 double beds, a peek of the ocean and 2 restaurant fans blowing right beneath our balcony. (Make sure to get a room on the pool side!) I asked them to just give us our money back and we would stay next door. They did upgrade us to a room on the other side and that was very nice with a great view and was very clean. There was never any entertainment, no band. There was not any type of music by the pool as they state on their website. The sandbar beach bar never opened at 10 am as we were told and it was printed in the all-inclusive booklet. When it did open it was to cater to the cruise ships. The people came, ate, used the pool and left. It seemed as though the staff encouraged this although there was a sign that clearly stated pool and resort for guests only. Drinks were very weak and took a long time to get; too little for too much. We paid $2700 for 4 days. We did get the all-inclusive plan, which was basically 3 meals and all drinks. (Thank goodness, because the food and drinks were really expensive!) We spent most of our time next door at the five-star resort. 1 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? So-So Visited: August 2002 Posted by mcharlene5 Our decision to stay at the Sheraton was based on many of the reviews I saw on this site. I was not as thrilled as others were. The hotel was nice, but that's all I can say. All Sheratons are nice. It certainly wasn't relaxing. The beach was crowded and had no character at all. Since there was no entertainment to speak of, the people in the room next door partied until the wee hours. We actually left early and went to Harbor Island. That was the best move we could have made. For a lovely Bahamian experience I recommend Harbor Island. Otherwise, just go to Florida. 1 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? A very pretty resort! We loved it! Visited: August 2002 Posted by Stevenlizzy The Sheraton was a wonderful place to stay. They had a very pretty beach, the sand was very clean and the water was crystal clear. There were also lots of chairs always available. We always had something to do Some tips - Get a room on the side of the hotel that the pool is on, the air conditioner units on the other side of the hotel were loud! Also, get a room on the first few floors. We stayed on the 14th floor and the elevators seemed to stop on every single floor. You can also get a great view of the beach from the roof! Just go to the end of the hallway on the 14th floor and go up! It was a great place to get good pictures, too! Take lots of money, everything here was super expensive. Bring your own snorkel gear (if you're into snorkeling). There were plenty of places to snorkel up and down the beach. Also, take food for the fish - it was a blast! They loved potato chips! Drink bottled water. Also, the soda was made here, so it tasted funny. There was a nice little grocery store near the resort where you can buy 2 liters and cans of soda to keep in the room if you didn't want to spend $2.50 on a 10 oz cup of fountan pop. We didn't encounter any hidden charges associated with the hotel and did not have an all-inclusive package. The hotel did require a room deposit of $300. We did get that back. The rooms were very clean and the maid service was great! 1 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? It is beautiful, and an excellent value for your money. Visited: August 2002 Posted by crystalc My husband and I stayed at the Sheraton Grand August 1-4. The hotel was beautiful (recently renovated) and immaculate. The beach was beautiful and was never over-crowded, there were plenty of beach chairs and towels. We went with the all-inclusive plan and I highly recommend it. Otherwise, plan on spending a great deal of money on food (extrememly expensive). The restaurants were great (try the Rotisserie). The Atlantis hotel was right next door with a huge casino and aquarium ($25 per person). I definitely recommend this resort, it won't disappoint. It's also a great family resort (lots of kids). 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? The Sheraton was a very relaxing hotel. Visited: June 2002 Posted by lhaines We just returned from our honeymoon at the Sheraton Grand Resort. Overall, it was a wonderful and relaxing vacation. We checked into the hotel with no problems, but we when got to our room we were kind of disappointed. We were on the 11th floor, but it did not have a full ocean view like we thought we paid for. Plus, the phone was not working. They gave us a new room on the fourth floor. (Which was good because there was small fire one day that made the hotel lose power for six hours, so we had to walk up and down the stairs.) We still didn't have a full ocean view. The rooms were nice but there was nothing special about them. The maid service was very good. Our rooms were always made up and we always got clean towels. We sat on the beach every day. They had nice lounge chairs. The beach was very clean. But, the beach did have a few down sides. There were natives everywhere who kept asking you to buy stuff. Also, the hotel was right next to the public beach which meant that the people from the cruise ships kept coming over to our beach. Starting at 11:00 a.m. every day the waitstaff would come down to the beach and bring you drinks or lunch. Overall, the food was pretty good. You only had one choice for breakfast. You could have the buffet or order something from a small menu. For lunch, there was only one choice as well. They had a medium size menu. For dinner there were two choices - either an Italian restaurant or the Bistro. It helped to make reservations, but it was not necessary if you did not mind waiting a bit. The Italian restaurant was surprisingly good for a tropical island. My husband got the Chicken Parmesan every time we went there. The Bistro was the nicer of the two. It had a nice view of the ocean. They had steaks, fish and chicken. The menu was not that large. We both got the same thing both times we went – Surf and Turf. On the down side, the service was very, very slow. It took the staff a very long time to even come over to us. They would take our order and not be seen again for 20 minutes. And forget refills of drinks, because they never came back around again to ask if you were okay. I think it may be because they automatically added 20% gratuity on every check. We went all-inclusive and it was a great idea. Food and drinks were very expensive. We sat at the bar one day with another couple for a few hours and racked up a $75 tab just on drinks. The hotel did not have any activies at night or during the day. But the hotel was right next to Atlantis. We went over one night. Basically, we spent the whole time sitting on the beach, enjoying yummy drinks and eating. If you are looking for a nice, relaxing hotel to visit this is the place to go. 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? A very nice hotel with a great beach! Visited: June 2002 Posted by snippycat My stay at the Sheraton Grand Resort in Paradise Island was very pleasant and relaxing. The room was very clean and bright (although I wish I had a full ocean view instead of only partial), and the beach was great! The prices for food were rather expensive, so be prepared to spend money there. Otherwise, I would highly recommend staying at the Sheraton, which was right next door to the Atlantis (which can be a bit overwhelming for people who have never been to Paradise Island). You save a whole lot more money! 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Wonderful! Visited: September 2001 Posted by amy_kearns We went on our honeymoon here and it was absolutely wonderful. We had to stay an extra 5 days due to the terrorist attacks on the U.S., September 11th. But the staff was very courteous and knowledgeable and was able to comfort us with their thoughts. The food was great, especially at Julie's Italian restaurant. We walked to Atlantis twice. The Sheraton is more private and secluded with access to everything. The only thing I didn't like was that 3 or 4 times during the week the cruise ships dock at Nassau and a lot of people came to Sheraton's beach, even though there were signs that said, "no public access." The lifeguard told several to leave, but it was still very inconvenient. Then they left their trash behind. I wished they monitored the beach traffic more. Overall, everything was great! The bartenders were a fun group to talk with, Wesley and Jermaine! 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? The best place to stay! Visited: July 2001 Posted by t_johnson My boyfriend and I went July 4th weekend. It was our first vacation and we weren't disappointed. The maid service was excellent. Our rooms were always clean, and very spacious. Jermain and Wesley worked at the bar and were wonderful. The food was excellent! Though there wasn't a lot to do at the hotel, there was plenty to do off-site! We rented bikes and went siteseeing. We also walked over to Atlantis and took a bunch of pictures. If you're looking for a relaxing, romantic, and comfortable vacation, this is the place to be. But, please make sure it's all-inclusive! Everything is very expensive! 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Excellent accommodations and staff Visited: July 2001 Posted by Teazer_1 I stayed at Sheraton Grand Resort Hotel for five days and the staff was friendly and service was excellent. The hotel’s restaurants served excellent food and the hotel bars served varied drinks-all good. The room was very nice and clean, but the best part of this resort was its location next to the Atlantis and 3 miles of beach to enjoy. You can walk to Atlantis for shopping and the casino. Atlantis is a big place-too big to enjoy staying there-if you want a Bahamas vacation that you will truly enjoy, remember to stay at the Sheraton! 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? First class hotel! Visited: May 2001 Posted by abadaluc My husband and I just spent our 25th wedding anniversary here (6 days). It was the best vacation we have ever had. The staff was extremely pleasant, friendly and helpful. The rooms were clean and large, and the view from the balcony was terrific. We had the all-inclusive package and were glad we did. The food and drinks were a little pricey, but very good. All of the restaurants were excellent. The beach was beautiful. We can't wait to get back and would recommend this hotel to anyone going to Paradise Island. 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Excellent hotel with a friendly staff Visited: April 2001 Posted by sjungweber My husband and I spent eight days here. It was our second time at the Sheraton and it was just as wonderful as we remembered. The rooms were very clean and quite large with awesome views. I think the Sheraton had the best beach on Paradise Island. The staff was always friendly and helpful. The only restaurant we ate at was the Veranda, which had an awesome buffet breakfast and it wasn’t a bad price. We will definitely return. 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? This is the place to stay. Visited: March 2001 Posted by Jackieshamrock This is a beautiful hotel, with a great pool, and a nice beach. The rooms are clean, large, and all have a good sized balcony. The hotel is an easy walk to all sights and even to the Atlantis. That is a mammoth hotel that I don't suggest you waste your money on. It's perfect for entertainment, but stay at the Sheraton. The staff is very helpful and, unlike most of the Bahamians, actually friendly. 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Wonderful place to stay with very personal service Visited: June 1999 Posted by cparker_12 My girlfirend and I stayed here for 1-week during June of 1999. It was great. Every room had a balcony with a great view. Our room was great! We ordered room service for breakfast just about everyday, always on time and very nice. The front desk staff were always very polite. 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful?