In 2004 the Spanish all-inclusive Riu chain renovated the old Sheraton Grand on the north beach of Paradise Island into an all-inclusive resort. Its 14-story tower, right beside the Beach Tower of the sprawling Atlantis resort complex next-door, is angled so that most room get at least a partial sea view. The grand spaces of the lobby give way to a pleasant kind of cookie-cutter, island-Colonial look in the guest rooms: All dark woods, pencil-post beds, charcoal carpets, and accents of rich burgundies and aubergines. 
 
While all-inclusive, the Riu is nowhere near as complete a resort as the 800-pound gorilla of Atlantis next-door. The pool is small. Most of the beach concessions are private vendors (the hotel offers nothing included beachside aside from proximity—it’s a public beach). You need to book any dinner in an a la carte restaurant at 7am each morning, and none are spectacular; also note: bring long pants and a collared shirt. While the staff is usually unfailing friendly, they seem stretched a bit thin.
 
As with some other independent Paradise Island hotels, you kind of get the feeling they may just be biding their time until the lease is up and the Atlantis—owned by the same person who owns the entire island, after all—gobbles up the property.