Think we must have stayed in a different hotel to the others who have commented. We have stayed in many Riu's in the Caribbean and this one is not in their league. Hotel Manager very rude, staff very rude, when we asked to move to another room which had a balcony we was asked to pay £220, not a chance, we was told there was no double beds in hotel, was a lie other couples had one. There was 2 sittings for evening meal 6.30 and 8.30 pm. Would not let you in a minute before this time. Food choice was rubbish, only a few choices to have, salad bar very small. I lived on egg salad for 2 weeks and I am not a fussy eater. Towels were too small for sun loungers only went half way. You could only get towels from 9-10 am. Return them from 5-6pm. Not enough sun loungers for amount of guests, beach very crowded had to pay £10 per day for umberella and 2 beds. All in all Hotel was more a 2 * plus in my opinion and, would not go back to the resort or Hotel. Hotel was not what I expected from a Riu, sorry about the negative comments but i suppose I have been spoilt by the other Riu's.

The cleanliness had to be seen to be appreciated.

Excellent choice,quality and quantity.

Best part of Sunny Beach.


The staff are all exceptionally polite,and eager to please,from the top management to the chambermaids.
The animation team tried hard,but failed fairly comprehensively.

Yes,yes and a thousand times yes,without question.

the hotel was fantastic

Had the pleasure of staying here for 1 week.

Nothing bad can be said about the hotel or its staff.

When I return to sunny beach I will be resting my head here.......great food.....polite and fun staff......most comfy beds ever (I'm 6'5" so beds are sometimes a problem).....excellent location!

Special mention has to go to the restaurant staff, they were always on hand to help. Restaurant was always spotlessly clean and the food fresh and well presented.

The kids club is great too, although my lot only used it once or twice they had great fun when they did.
The pool bar was the centre of daytime activity and as such there is quite a lively atmosphere around the main pool, but if you prefer it quieter then you can always opt for the second pool at which it is easier to get sunbeds.

The location of the hotel is great, being right on the beach it is easy to pop down there for a short period without having to take the usual beach supplies with you. The hotel is also only a 10 minute stroll along the prom from the centre of the resort although you will find plenty of shops and restaurants within a 1 minute walk of the hotel.

If you are planning a trip to Sunny Beach and this hotel will cost slightly more than the other options then my advice is don't hesitate just book it......it cost us about an extra

food superb, plenty of choice and also served hot. pasta, pizzas, meat, fish, salads, potatoes, veg, puddings in abudance. stayed for a week and still plenty of variety food wise. hotel very old but very clean. staff very friendly and always happy to help. location just set off from beaten track so you can still get a good nights sleep. entertainment done by animation team who did their best but it needs upgrading. would definitely go back

Stayed at the Riu Helios Hotel in july 2009. The hotel and holiday was so good we are going back again this July.

Room was great overlooking the pool and beach. Our room was cleaned every day and if we wanted fresh towels, you just have to leave the used ones on the bathroom floor.

We went all inclusive and could not complain about the food one bit or the happy smiley service from the restaurant staff,very friendly and helpfull. Once you were given a table on the first day, you had that one for the rest of your holiday on the sitting of your choice, early or late.

The hotel has a great location, right on the beach. This made it easy to cool off a bit from the sun mid-afternoon for lunch leaving our tools at the beach for later.

The Entertainment was ok however, we often went for a stroll into the main resort of Sunny Beach on an evening for something different to do.

Last year we got to the hotel in the early hours of the morning so you do miss out on the first day however, because we were getting picked up on the last day at midnight, we booked the room we had for longer so we could have all of the last day to enjoy ourselves for about

Hotel is in a great location, ask for a sea view as other side overlooks bars, great food great staff an plenty to do. Just be careful at night if you

This hotel is great. It is spotlessly clean. Nothing is too much trouble for the staff. If you are unhappy with any aspect they do their best to resolve it. Food is brilliant lots of choice and all fresh. How anyone can say its repetitive is beyond me. One example of an evening meal selection:- Lamb, Chicken, Beef, Fish, potatoes, chips, pasta and sauces, various veg,salads, freshly made pizzas and garlic bread, a large selection of sweets, ice cream and cheese and biscuits some of the food is cooked at the buffet, always hot.

The entertainment staff were great very friendly I have only rated a 3 because we didnt always stay in the hotel in the evening and dont really get involved in daytime activities, although we enjoyed watching those that did.
The only downside is if you are allocated a room on the back at the hotel as this is the main drag to the late night bars and there is alot of noise until 6 am in the mornings, we did sleep through it most of the time (probably the many vodkas at the pool bar) but those that did raise concerns were moved to other rooms.

Free bottled water is available from reception 24hrs a day. You are not limited to the number of drinks allowed at the bar (most all inc limit you to 2). Although sunbeds are hard to find around the main pool the smaller 'quiet pool' we had no trouble at all up to about 9am - 9.30am

This was an excellent Resort Hotel.

Two pools were great and a brilliant size, all beds on big pool reserved by 7 am but you never struggle for a bed on the slightly smaller pool if you sleep in!

Pool entertainment was good for the kids water polo etc.

Well located for the beach, you just walk out the back gate by the pool and your there.

Free towels which you can change every day by the pool, which meant you can lie on these and use your own good ones for just getting dried off.

Food was good, its never going to be excellent in all inclusive abroad, but no compaints. The only annoying thing is the restaurant manager trying to get me to wear pants or them silly long shorts, after a few nights of harassment and explaining to him that I am on holiday and only have shorts he left me alone after that.

bars were good, you get as many drinks as you like and never have to wait really. Night entertainment wasn't great but you could see the entertainment staff were working there socks off for you so it was ok and they put a few professional show on which were good (Magic acts, dancers etc).

The main night indoor bar air con just doesn't work and it is always boiling hot in there but other than that it was great.

Not sure whether it would be best in a room at the front overlooking the beach or at the back overlooking the street. Overlooking the Beach you can hear the beach bars till early hours I was told but at the back overlooking the street where we where there is only one pub and it is completely quiet by 12:30 - 1:00 althouth the view isn't that great.
We were on the fourth floor and had no complaints.

Rooms were great, nice and clean, cleaned everyday and the air con worked perfectly in our two rooms.
The carpet was strange through, every Holiday hotel I've been in has had tiled floors!

Reception area and bars are really laid out nice and decor is fab for a holiday hotel.

The inside area is very comfortable, loads of couches to relax on and a big screen tv to watch the football on.


The kids had a great time here and would love to go again.

I would definitely book this hotel again and would definitely recommend it, everything about it is spot on for a holiday for the price I paid.

Stayed for one week with my daughter (19) for a short relaxing holiday.

Please be aware that although this used to be a Riu Palace hotel (and the name is still displayed within the hotel), if you check their website, it has had the 'palace' designation removed from the name.

The hotel is officially 4* but not up to that standard in my opinion. Food was okay, definitely nothing special or up to the standards of other Riu hotels I have stayed in. Also ittle things like the small vases on the dining tables - had extremely cheap-looking dirty, plastic flowers in. It would have been better not having them at all, they were that bad.

It is quite an old hotel but rooms have been updated. We read several reviews before booking and followed advice and booked a sea view. Thank goodness we did. We were given a suite! If you go to the Helios and fancy your chances, ask for room 5156 or 5157 - both suites and with absolutely stunning views right over the bay. Balconies are very small only about 3 feet deep and be aware that rooms on the first floor do not have balconies whatsoever.

Some guests got no sleep whatsoever in the rooms which overlooked the street at the front of the hotel. Even overlooking the pool and the bay, we could hear the thud thud music from the beach bars until 4 a.m. but was loud enough to keep us awake. Some guests at the front of the hotel ended up buying earplugs.

The the public areas are small and the only seating is plastic settees - not good in the heat! The air conditioning was good in our room and the salon bar where the entertainment took place but everywhere else was horrendous.

We arrived to a heatwave and the temperature was over 40 degrees on the first 5 days and no breeze whatsoever. The last couple of days were much better as there was a substantial wind.

Sunbeds by both pools were all reserved by 7 a.m. and the British were as bad as the Germans for this. I looked out over the smaller pool one morning at 5.50 a.m. and there were already towels on some beds!!!!There are signs up stating the usual about the hotel reserving the right to remove towels etc but they turned a blind eye to the practice.

The daytime entertainment programme was okay but the nighttime was very mediocre. There were no professional shows so the entertainment team did their best to entertain the guests. Riu should look to the Princess chain of hotels and follow their example and actually provide some reasonable professional entertainment on an evening.

Although we were all inclusive, we still like to go to the local bars but these were not brilliant either. Not very clean but were quite cheap.

Overall, the hotel is good but not of the standard you would expect of a 4* property. I would also recommend it for the under 30s. However, before we went, my daughter was thinking of returning later in the year with a friend of the same age but even she is having second thoughts now.