Hotel Riu Palace Maldivas - All inclusive

WOW – Paradise Found! What can I say? This holiday was an absolute dream from start to finish, pure paradise in every sense of the word. As a young couple looking to experience the Maldives for the first time, we chose RIU Palace based on a recommendation from our travel agent, and we’re so grateful we did. From the moment we arrived, despite a dramatic entrance in a tropical storm, we were warmly welcomed with refreshing drinks and taken by buggy straight to our room — a lovely touch after a long journey. We stayed in a Beach Walk-Out Suite (Room 150) on the sunset side and the location was perfect. Just a short stroll to the main restaurant, and every evening we were treated to breathtaking sunsets right outside our room. The suite itself was spacious and modern with a gorgeous walk-in shower. The TV didn’t work, but honestly, we didn’t need it we were far too busy soaking up the beauty around us! The island grounds are immaculate truly spotless. The staff work around the clock to maintain the resort, and their hard work doesn’t go unnoticed. When it comes to food, the buffet breakfast was a real highlight especially for us Brits who love a proper fry-up! Fresh bread, live cooking stations, and plenty of variety. Lunch was consistently good, though slightly repetitive, which didn’t bother us. Dinner could use a bit more variety, particularly in the Asian section. We were hoping for more local curries, given the Maldivian reputation, but they were limited and not as flavourful as expected. That said, the two à la carte restaurants on the Palace side were excellent and offered a more elevated dining experience. If you're a hardcore foodie, you might find the buffet slightly underwhelming but for us, it was more than satisfactory. The resort is split across two islands, the Palace and Atoll. The Palace side is more peaceful and relaxed, with attentive service and mellow evening entertainment like singers and acoustic bands. The Atoll is more lively, with all the main entertainment — quizzes, live shows, and beach parties plus the 24/7 sports bar and watersports centre, where we enjoyed a fun canoeing session. We had booked a dolphin tour for our final day but sadly had to cancel due to the weather, so we’d recommend booking excursions early in your stay, just in case! Now, let’s talk about the snorkelling, absolutely unforgettable. We swam with sharks and turtles, and saw vibrant marine life just metres from our room. While the Atoll side has a house reef, we found the Palace side just as rewarding. The water is crystal-clear and beautifully warm. One tip: bring sea shoes! The seabed can be sharp in places, and we wore ours every time we went in, totally worth it. But what truly sets this resort apart is the staff. They made our trip unforgettable. A heartfelt thank you to: Sanju at the pool bar – fantastic service and such a friendly face every day. Torry at the Atoll – always eager to help, took amazing photos of us without even being asked, and gave great drink recommendations. Cindy at the Palace restaurant – always greeted us with a big smile and consistently delivered impeccable service. And most importantly, Abu at the Palace restaurant – he went above and beyond every single day. Abu made us feel special and genuinely cared about our experience. He is an absolute star and a huge credit to the resort. This was our first trip to the Maldives, and thanks to RIU Palace, it certainly won’t be our last. The memories we made will stay with us forever and we can’t wait to return. Thank you, RIU Palace, for the most magical holiday. We’ll be back very soon!

Amazing country

The service is perfect, everyone's service is fantastic. Roma, one of the waiters, served us very kindly, we appreciate the care he had with us and our daughter.

We had a fantastic stay at the RIU Palace Maldives. The hotel was outstanding & the staff were incredible they all went above & beyond for us. The food was incredible with lots off choice. The hotel was absolutely spotless ❤️.

Well overdue review! Visited in January 2024 for a 4-night stay with my family of 4 to celebrate my 50th. Arrived to the resort via a boat as it was late at night. Smooth check in. We had 2 rooms - both were the overwater villa with the private plunge pool. I was so happy with the setup of the villa. Absolutely loved the pool and how we were able to take the steps down into the ocean; after we no longer saw any rays or sharks…LOL. Our unit was closer to the buffet restaurant so we walked. However, there is a golf cart that would pass by to pick up and drop off folks; which was convenient especially for my mother who is a senior. Was able to secure a dinner reservation at one of the restaurants the night of my birthday. Food was great, and the dessert was fantastic! The ONLY downside was that we encountered a couple of roaches that last 2 nights. Cleaners did what they can, but we had to make sure that we didn’t have any stowaway pets upon leaving. We were fortunate to leave the resort via a seaplane. It’s a must-do, if you’ve never experienced it before. It was giving Fantasy Island vibes! I would go back, in a few years though since it’s so far to get to from Canada.

It was our first time traveling to Maldives. And the hotel was perfect, the staff is super friendly. The room service was excellent. We really had nice time at RIU. Thank you!

This was a Paradise getaway with stunning location and amazing staff—relaxing, unforgettable experience

What truly made our stay unforgettable, though, was the incredible service. Husham, Supun, Roma, and Sanju went above and beyond every single day to make sure we were comfortable, happy, and completely spoiled. Whether it was the thoughtful touches in our room, the friendly conversations, or the perfectly crafted cocktails by the beach, they made us feel genuinely cared for. We left feeling refreshed, relaxed, and incredibly grateful. Can’t wait to come back!

Heaven,wow,for all our travels around the world,this is the most wonderful place,paradise,our experience from when we arrived on the atoll was 1st class,every staff member treated you like a royal guest,our room was a junior suite beach access and private terrace,it was pure heaven,our room maid ensured it was clean and smelt fantastic each day,the food on the palace side was again 1st class,always something hot and tasty to eat,it was fresh,the chefs ensure your well fed,the management team are outstanding,mr pedro & mr mohammed,you are true gentlemen,the bar staff looked after us during our 2 weeks dream,sanyoo,dasun,chammi romesh etc,thank you,if we can give a holiday tip,bring beach shoes, as the coral is sharp, We were lucky to get upgraded to a water villa for our last 4 days,wow what a dream,waking uo to the sunrise was out of this world,again we thank shafaz,you my friend are a credit to the riu group,mini bars are topped up daily,beer,water,soft drinks,and your optics are also replenished if required,i could write all day about the palace,all we can say is, we hope to come back soon.

Stayed at RIU Palace Maldives for our honeymoon in May 2025. The seaplane is about 50mins away from the island. The resort has 2 sides - if reserved in the Palace side, you are access to both Palace and Atoll. If you reserved in Atoll you’ll only have access to Atoll side. Palace side is the more quiet, slow, relaxed side, with more premium liquors. The Atoll side is the more lively side, which has all the water activities, sports bar, gift shop, etc. Both sides have their own pool and beach, and nightly entertainment however Atoll has more lively entertainment. The beach at Atoll side has less corral/rocks. The beach at Palace has more coral and rocks, which brings so many beautiful fish! The overall service at Riu Maldives was outstanding. We booked an overwater villa (you can see manta rays swim by!) We moved rooms 3x: the water from our balcony in first room was too deep and had more rocks and corals than we wanted. The 2nd room was too shallow. The 3rd room was absolutely perfect. The receptionists that worked with us were so accommodating and we are so thankful for them allowing us to move until we found our perfect room. Overall the bar and wait staff and even chefs were all so nice and friendly, and very attentive! We absolutely loved our honeymoon stay with Riu Maldives and is definitely one to remember.