Hotel Riu Palace Tres Islas

We booked this hotel through Tui. It was given five Ts although there was officially a four star. A place is tired and neglected. The food was unimaginative repetitive and pretty tasteless. Please note the following points : - [ ] No spoon to stir tea in room - [ ] Tea, sugar and milk not replenished - [ ] No one to explain restaurant protocol - [ ] Smoking area not segregated/ stench of smoking everywhere - [ ] No lock on balcony door - [ ] Balcony sliding door very stiff. Needs oiling. - [ ] 2 out of 4 lifts not working at one point and one permanently out of service - [ ] Lifts that were working were old, very slow and, at times, malfunctioned alright just better that we cool down a bit out - [ ] gates to beach left unlocked/ anyone could get in. - [ ] No rules about reserving sun beds - [ ] Staffing levels vary - Half an hour to be served a drink one evening - service in restaurant slow - [ ] Toasting machines broken. - [ ] General decor neglected - flaking paint, peeling wallpaper Air conditioning not adjustable - [ ] Overall, this hotel is tired and how it can be given five Ts by Tui, I really don’t know. I won’t trust Tui’s grading again.

We booked as a last minute NY break - to relax and get some heat. We paid little for a week's half board but were encouraged by TUI rating . This was not the experience. We travel an awful lot and use RIXOS and H10 usually - this Riu was nowhere near their standards of the same rating. As all the reviews state, the hotel was like an 80's time lock. But credit where due - very clean and wonderful staff. Food particularly basic and tasteless - no signs of an Head Chefs or any chefs at all really. Just young staff griddling bits !! Very very basic - and usually going cold. That said - I titled it a cheapie and it was, but would have been distraught to have been paying full-ticket !!! Beach is spectacular and views truly breathtaking. Get a cheapie and all will be well

Reception check in Very efficient and quick did not have to wait long. Staff very friendly and happy to deal with any issue you had. I had an issue with the Riu diamond class policy regarding premium drinks which i mentioned to one of the staff . It wasn’t a complaint but the next day had a call to meet manager and discuss it which was resolved without any problems. Room Was clean and adequate a little outdated but I believe the hotel is due a refurbishment in the near future. Restaurant Food was very good and a wide range to suit all kinds of taste . Lots of salads and desserts to choose from. Staff in restaurants excellent very efficient and friendly . Krystal a la carte Very good nice ambiance and we had an excellent steak in there. Needs to be booked via reception. All inclusive snack bar in my opinion was poor compared to other 5 star palaces I’ve been to. Very basic and to be honest hardly used. Would be better of using that space to create a second a la carte restaurant or improve the food to include chips , toasted sandwiches, burgers and sausages which is standard in any 5 star in Caribbean . Mainly had bread cold salads and ham, cheeses and fruit I think the reason for this is because they also do half board at hotel so those guest have to pay for snacks such as chips and other cooked food, but hotel needs to find another solution as all inclusive snack bar is not what you would expect from a 5 star palace Bars Pool bar and piano bar were excellent. Waitresss and waiters serve you at your table so u don’t have to go to bar if you don’t want to . I went to the bar a few times and was served very quickly and hardly had to wait. Pool bar similar waiters and bar staff walk round the pools and tables to take your orders on a regular basis and bring them to you. All bar staff were very friendly and couldn’t do enough for you. Again service excellent. Pools Pools very good and water was not as cold as was expecting for November . Sunbeds again a little outdated and difficult to change settings without physically getting off your bed to adjust. Beach Beach is beautiful and we went for walks on a daily basis. There are naturist on the beach but no signs to warn u so if you have young children you might not want to venture to far away from the hotel on the beach , but to be honest wasn’t an issue as everyone basically just carried on as normal. If your beach lovers be prepared to pay 9 euros for two sunbeds and an umbrella as they are not free as part of hotel package as Rui do not own beach so charges apply Entertainment There is no animation team so if your looking for a quiet relaxing holiday this is the place. There’s a pianist and live singers in the evening which was very good with many guest getting up to dance . Overall an excellent holiday and the staff make it even more special. Corrajello town is a 10 minute drive away by taxi costing around 10 euros and we went there a couple of times for a Chinese a