It's been a time of ups and downs for everyone during the pandemic, but great things have happened too. Our youngest son got his learners permit. Our oldest son graduated high school in May 2021. So in early May while driving back back from a work errand, two weeks before our oldest graduated, I said aloud - I want to go somewhere. That's all I had to say to get my husband's interest peaked! He said - okay, where to?! I responded - oh I don't know yet but somewhere with clear ocean water. He asked me if I wanted to go that week, quite intensely at that point. I realized he was serious. I had to bring us back to reality and remind him no, not yet, but soon. He begrudgingly agreed. Senior year for our oldest was wrapping up and they had a near constant schedule of fun things for the class to do in its final high school days. I was prepping for a graduation party the night of his graduation with friends and family. I was also prepping and cleaning for someone to come clean my house the day before. That line will only make sense to women. Yes, we clean before someone we pay to comes clean our house for us. I mean, we don't want them to see how dirty it really is, Ha! Regardless, my husband Will began the search of our next adventure. That landed us in the Bahamas two and a half weeks post graduation. The Hotel RIU Palace Paradise Island in Nassau, Bahamas to be exact.
What a beautiful place! I could already see it as we are flying over, getting ready to land. The water so pretty and so clear that the varying teal blue colors seemed to extend forever. It had been since September 2002 since we had been to the Bahamas - for our honeymoon. We always loved it, so why on Earth did it take us so long to come back and visit the area? Well, life, kids, etc. - that's why. Who cares now though because we were there! No watching it on the millionth beach episode we've seen on HGTV. Not online, not in a video, not in someone else's picture, but live and in person for 4 nights / 5 days. I will add in here that if you want to visit anywhere in the Bahamas, be prepared. That is a big part of why it was two and a half weeks post graduation. They require you to get a covid test 5 days prior to your arrival, then once you have the positive test (not the instant test but the one they send off and call you back about) you have to apply for a health visa for the Bahamas. Thankfully that visa was a super quick turnaround. We took our test the Friday before we left, got the results back sometime Monday, then applied for our health visas and then boarded the plane on Tuesday the day after. On Wednesday, the day after our arrival, we had to take another covid test to be able to fly out. Thankfully for us, we were all in the clear.
We booked our trip through Expedia as we normally seem to do (this is not a paid advertisement, we just typically find the best deals there. Hint hint Expedia.) For whatever reason this time though, it did not give an option to book transportation from the airport to the hotel. That did not matter too much, it just took a little longer. I did have sticker shock at the cost of a thirty minute ride at $60 USD plus tip for a one-way trip. We later found out that was the norm, not due to us not pre-booking a ride. So we are driving with our very polite and chatty driver. As we drove I starting noticing the humidity was not anywhere near like it was back home in McKinney, Texas. It was also not anywhere close to as high as it was when we visited Cancun, Mexico the September before for our anniversary. I REALLY began to get excited then! That meant I could actually wear my hair down again. It's the little things. Thanks to one, being in my early forties, and two, post covid syndrome I've had since I got sick in January, hot flashes appear often and out of absolutely nowhere. I'm not even menopausal so I truly cannot imagine the unbearable torture that must be!! I don't think I ever stopped perspiring in Cancun. However in Nassau, I felt absolutely great! It was in the 80s all week and very little rain, and those wonderful trade winds kept it all breezy. It was fabulous!
We kept driving, seeing the downtown area of Nassau and its history, and then as we pull up to the RIU we were wowed. It's large and open, and you see the ocean as you walk up to the check-in counter. They were very professional, specific, and informative, then walked us over to the elevator for us to move on to our Jr. Suite Superior with sea view. The lobby was decorated in blues and silvers that framed the views that I am sure were designed to relax from the words get-go. Breathtaking - that's a word said daily during our stay. We selected an all-inclusive stay for this adults-only paradise, however I will add a couple of "bummers" thanks to rotten ole' covid. During the time of our stay, there was no 24/7 Room Service - at all (it has since resumed.) Thankfully there was however a 24/7 buffet, as well as a 27/7 coffee shop with treats. We drink a lot of water, so we took advantage of the all-inclusive water bottles. Your room was stocked with two large liter bottles, two 16 ounce bottles, and a few sodas and beers for you to enjoy. Covid caused them to close the swim-up bar in the infinity pool, but very easily you could just walk around to the other side of the bar and grab whatever drink you could think of no matter the type, then walk back to either the infinity pool overlooking the ocean, or large walk-in lounge pool. our biggest complaint was that the pools close at 6pm daily, which was not only odd but annoying for an adults-only hotel. Thankfully it was not enforced to harshly. There was only one night they came and told us we all had to get out...at 7:30PM...and that was due to overnight work they were doing on the tile in the walkway areas. Still, that is something that I truly feel needs to change to 10PM like most hotels and resorts. Due to a covid curfew, downtown pretty much shuts down at 9PM, so you need to catch a ride back before then. Luckily for us, it was the one trip we planned on doing nothing and just to remain at the hotel, and so that was never an issue for us.
There were plenty of sunning/lounging chairs, with our without cover. On the beach there were also plenty of lounging chairs and umbrellas, at no extra charge, just mere steps from the ocean. There were the unfortunate salespeople for parasailing, not with the hotel. They did not seem as pushy as others areas we have visited, so it did not feel too intrusive. The one thing I will STRONGLY urge you not to do is get suckered in to jet skiing. Apparently you cannot on the island in general, or possibly it is only allowed in certain areas, though that part was still fuzzy. That did not stop a couple of guys from coming up and trying to sell you a ride - two skis for one hour for $150 USD. We watched a couple ride for about five minutes, and I even said okay let's do it. That was, until a police boat came barreling down all of the sudden and those same two guys ushered them back to shore. The two men hoped on and left the couple without their fun, without their money, still in their rented life vests and all. We all should have known two guys wearing full head and face coverings weren't a good idea, but with covid mask wearing, we all thought nothing of it at the time. We never saw those two men again. Don't do it.
Now for the good stuff. The hotel is more quiet during the week, and then picks up for the weekend. They have five restaurants to choose from including the buffet. The food is incredible! My husband's favorite was the salmon sushi tapas and mine was the lobster risotto. At the restaurants everything starts with tapas, followed by your start, entrée, and dessert. The meals are on the smaller portion size compared to American restaurants, but the point is to eat healthy, try new things, and dine in style regardless if you are dressed up or just came in from one of the pools. In the very large bar and entertainment area, they had karaoke one night, various dancers another night, and on Friday night the five-piece band took the music from the entertainment area to the pool - and back. You wouldn't have thought one tuba, two trumpets, and two drums (and a whistle,) along with dancers in full costume would be able to produce sounds so loud the entire hotel would take notice. It was awesome!
One unusual thing, though not a deal breaker, was that there is no gift shop in the hotel. There is one small one across the street in walking distance, so that was not an issue. On the cleaning service, there was one day they forgot to restock our mini-fridge. Then it happened again the next day too, so that time we called down to ask what happened and they brought our daily waters up. The final day we were there the hotel had an unfortunate issue were the water shut off, and we lost power for a brief couple of minutes. It was a good thing I took a shower the night before and had already brushed my teeth that morning, or I would have been using a water bottle. I guess that's what I get for sleeping in during my stay in paradise and my hubby got the full shower. Ha! That part at least wasn't their doing. My final note is that for whatever reason, online reviews show only a 3.5 star reviews out of 5. This one is a little tricky, because I do feel they deserve 4 stars. I will admit that for the money spent and the environment, we were a little taken aback that the customer service was not completely up to par. It was 50/50 on whether you were going to get treated like you were a burden and without a smile, or if you were going to be treated like you were the only people in the world. We chose to focus on those attendants who made you feel like you were staying at a Ritz-Carlton, and they got tipped very, very well.
So my advice would be - to RIU - they DO need to beef up their customer service and outwardly display kindness and excitement. You are in paradise! I certainly do hope they reward their awesome employees well. That, and change the pool hours to close at 10PM daily because it's just not realistic on vacation. Other than that, my advice to you is to ignore the negative reviews and go try them out for yourselves. We had a very enjoyable time, the hotels and pools are gorgeous, the private beach and ocean were stunning, and we would definitely go back again! Side note - We went over to Atlantis while waiting to drive to the airport since it was just a few minutes from the RIU. We planned on playing a little Roulette and see what all the hype is about. It most definitely is a place we want to stay at and it lives up to the hype. For that trip though, prepare financially like you're going to Disney, because it is costly and surprisingly not all-inclusive. Nassau tends to be a bit more expensive than other areas in general, but then again, they have those breathtaking ocean waters and beautiful beaches. So YES - it's worth it!
Until next time ~ Nikki Smith
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