We have stayed at several Riu resorts over the past several years so we already know what to expect. I was shocked that we were unable to take food and drinks out of bar area. We flew for 16hours and arrived at 11p so the restaurants were closed, we stopped at the 24 reception bar to grab a sandwich and a drink to take to our room, we were stopped at the door and informed that we had to finish in the bar. There were no seats available because the area is small and everyone was pretty much hanging out because the entertainment was done for the evening. So we had to stand up to eat our burger and drink our beverages. Normally there is a alcohol dispenser located in the rooms at every Riu we have ever stayed at but not this one the mini bar was juice boxes, sodas and water that's refilled every other day. So after a day of excursions and touring Dubai, you really can not unwind in the bar because it's too small and crowded, and you can not unwind in your room because there's no dispensers in the room. No face/wash cloths in the rooms had to request. We stayed at another Riu last year and was informed that they were no longer going to offer them only hand towels and body towels. Overall we enjoyed our stay, but not happy with the new beverage rule. This makes your resort fall on the same lines as a regular/ mediocre resort.

I loved it here. I will be back. I was exhausted, so i wish check-in was a little faster. Other than ghat, i had an amazing time. The pillows feel awesome.

Everything was beyond wonderful! Beautiful wide open private beach and a perfect pool. Only thing that was a little inconvenient and an eye sore was the ongoing major construction by the beach/pool area, however I should point out that both the pool and beach were still completely accessible and open for use! I would definitely stay again when visiting the Dubai area. We traveled from Chicago, USA.