Aruba Trip Reports

Near Fatal Stay at Riu Palace Feb 2013

February 10 - February 17 by Greg

Aruba Forum Profile: gkline

My wife and another couple stayed at the Riu Palace from 2/10/13 to 2/17/13. First let me say that until the accident, we were having a wonderful time. The Buffet food was delicious. We couldn't wait to see what the main entree was for the evening. Our favorites were the Beef Wellington and Turkey dinners. Our Waiter Carlos, From the Dominican Republic, was hilarious. He would walk by our table and say "Yippee" and we'd all laugh. The room does need updating. There was mold in the shower because the ceiling fans did not work in either room. But our maid kept the rooms immaculate. The Beach was the widest of any resort around us, and was beautiful. The Wi-Fi service only worked in the Lobby and even then it was sporadic.

Besides a day of shopping in town, we took the 6 hour Lunch & snorkel cruise on the Tranquilo. My wife and I had done this the last time we were in Aruba, and wanted our friends to experience the tour. Once again we had a great time. The private cove Capt Anthony goes to is beautiful and the snorkeling is awesome. I highly recommend this sail.

Now the near fatal accident. On Saturday Feb 16th, I was laying on a lounge chair, on the beach, when it felt like a sledge hammer hit my chest. A palapa (round thatched palm roof) that was rotten at the base, blew over and hit me in the chest. It broke two of my ribs. Had it hit higher, it would have broken my neck or given me a possible fatal blow to the head. I would like to thank the young Canadian men that were sitting behind us. Three of them got the structure off of me. It was too heavy to lift so they had to roll it off of my chest!!! Many thanks to a fellow guest at the Riu that was a MD from Buffalo NY. He examined me and said he did not feel I had any internal injuries. Dr. Dave asked when we were leaving and it was the next day. He advised me not to go to the Hospital in Aruba and to wait till we got back to the States. The Hotel General Manager showed up with his entourage & the Dr spoke to him in Spanish. He said that they had called for an ambulance. While we were waiting (took them 30 minutes to get there) the manager told me he would pay any medical bills & also got into an argument with the Aloe Man, who just stopped to see if he could help. The ambulance finally arrived & all they did was take my Blood Pressure and tell me I had to go to the Hospital. Following Dr. Dave's advice I refused. They looked at my wife & said: "That will be $250!" I looked at the GM and reminded him that he said the Riu would take care of the bills, which he agreed to.

The pain was horrible. I couldn't lay flat because I couldn't breathe. I also needed assistance walking and could not get out of a chair without help. For dinner that evening, I didn't want to ruin everyone's time, so my best friend helped me down to the Buffet. To get ready my wife had to dry me off after showering and dress me. The GM of the Riu sat 2 tables away from us & never got up to see how I was doing. I also encountered him at the check out desk, & he did not speak. In the 24 hours after the accident, no one from the resort called to check on me. I could have been dead for all they knew.

As soon as we got back to the States I went to the ER. They confirmed that I had 2 broken ribs. I missed two days of work and had to have my wife dress me for a week. Since our return my Travel Agent and I have been contacting the Riu Corporation and have yet to hear from anyone. I am shocked, saddened, and angry over the Riu's TOTAL lack of concern over my accident. I thought they were a First Class Resort, but my treatment while there and afterwards is appalling!!!!

Greg Kline
Pittsburgh, Pa