"I'm writing this review a few hours before checkout, which feels like the right time to be honest about how the week went. If we hadn't enjoyed ourselves, leaving would be one more line on the itinerary. We're spending our last hour here on the beach instead of packing early, and that tells you most of what you need to know.
The thing to settle first is what this place actually offers. Anyone arriving with RIU Cancun, RIU Republica, or RIU Santa Fe in mind should reset their expectations on the drive in. The energy is different here. The atmosphere stays quiet, the pace stays slow, and the whole resort leans toward rest rather than entertainment.
The location carries everything. The beach is world class. You get wide stretches of sand, clear blue water, tall dunes, volcanic rock, and long open walks that don't seem to end. We've spent plenty of time on beaches along the U.S. East Coast and the West Coast, and the thing we kept coming back to here was the lack of crowds. No rows of umbrellas jammed together, no busy boardwalk noise, no sense of fighting for a patch of sand. Even at the busiest points of the week, the beach felt open and tied to the land around it.
Anyone hoping for shops, bars, and restaurants lined up behind the sand should know that's not the setup. The beach sits inside the Corralejo Dunes Natural Park, and the absence of development is the point. The dunes, the ocean, and the landscape run the show.
You're not cut off here, either. Corralejo town has a lively waterfront with restaurants, bars, shops, and an easy promenade, and we went in and had a good time. A taxi from the resort runs about seven euros each way, so you can have both, the quiet of the dunes by day and a normal resort town whenever you want it.
One practical thing to flag. The beach in front of the resort is public, and so are the beaches across the park. Topless sunbathing is common, and nude sunbathing turns up more often the farther you walk from the resort. None of it was disruptive during our stay. It's part of the local beach culture, and you're a guest in another country with its own norms.
The staff were the highlight from the first day. Everyone we met was warm, professional, and glad to help. Mara at the pool bar deserves a real mention. She remembered our drink orders again and again and built the kind of personal touch people carry home long after the trip ends. Employees like her lift a whole property.
Food and drinks held up well all week. We never had trouble finding something we wanted to eat, and the presentation usually matched the quality of the food. Real glassware instead of the plastic cups you find at some other RIU resorts was a small thing we appreciated. My one complaint is that a few drinks, milkshakes and latte macchiatos among them, carried an extra charge at a resort sold as all-inclusive. Guests shouldn't find out about those exclusions after they arrive.
Most of my criticism lands on the building itself. The rooms, the elevators, the mattresses, the shower design, the furniture, and several of the common areas show their age. None of it ruined the trip. Taken together, it still leaves a gap between the Palace name and what's actually there. The hard mattress, the small bed, the dated elevators, the shower curtain setup, the uncomfortable deck chairs, and the narrow towel exchange hours stood out most.
The number of repeat guests said a lot. We talked with several people who come back year after year, and by the end of the week I understood the draw. The loyalty comes from the location, the beach, the staff, and the feel of the place. Nobody's returning for the rooms. They're returning because the whole thing works.
My own view shifted as the days went on. I showed up measuring Tres Islas against the other RIU resorts I've stayed in. By midweek I'd stopped measuring and started taking it for what it is. The quiet that felt like a flaw on day one turned into the best part. My wife and I fell into a simple rhythm of beach walks, slow afternoons by the pool, good food, good drinks, and long uninterrupted hours together. That rhythm became the trip.
The location, the beach, the staff, the food, the drinks, and the overall experience all landed above what we expected. The property is tired, and the coming renovation has a real chance to bring the facilities up to the standard everything else already meets.
I wouldn't rebook it as it stands today. After the renovation, I'd come back without thinking twice, and that gap is the strongest thing I can say in its favor. The vacation already succeeded. The beach, the staff, the food, the drinks, and the setting all delivered. The renovation doesn't need to rescue the trip. The trip works. It needs to bring the building up to the level the rest of the experience reached long ago.
The beach photo I'm attaching shows the property's biggest strength better than I can describe it. If your idea of a beach holiday means space, quiet, natural beauty, and walks that go on as long as you want, this setting is hard to beat."
