Riu Republica: Very smoky Resort.

Thecastles Feb 2, 14:47 EST I recently stayed at the Riu Republica in the Domincan Repbulic. Very nice resort. But there were a large number of smokers, and no place to go if you were a non-smoker. Good food, service, staff, nice beach. But there were a tremendous amount of smokers. Smoking was encouraged everywhere. There are ashtrays in the lobbies, bars and even in the theatre. I did see some non-smoking areas in 2 bars, but since they were surrounded by smokers, what was the point? Th [... read more]ere was smoking all over the theatre. As a result, we did not see any shows, due to the number of people vaping, and smoking cigarettes and cigars. We tried sitting in the last row outside the theatre, but it too was very smoky. Even the large buffet had a smoking section outside. In short, there was no place to go to if you were a non-smoker. Bars, lobbies, pool area, beach, theatre were full of smoke. We retreated to our room. But since the buildings are not smoke free, guests smoked on their balconies, and of course, the smoke drifted towards us. This might seem petty, but I had an operation for lung cancer a few years ago, so I don't want to be exposed to smoke. My friend quit smoking a year ago,l and was also repulsed by the amount of smoke. I guess we are too used to non-smoking public places in Canada. I think Sunwing should be aware of this and warn future clients.

Riu Republica: First time to this amazing resort.

My husband & I were very impressed with the resort. Everything was well looked after by the staff & grounds people. The staff at La Altagracia & the bar La Guira were awesome. Always happy to see you, willing to help in any way & make you feel comfortable. The beach was great & we didn't feel that we had to "fight" for a lounge.

Riu Ocho Rios: My trip with the mostest

Hi! I was travelling alone single woman and made it a point to notice details and take notes so I could write a mindful honest review because others reviews really helped me in booking my trip! Starting with booking with Trip Central Marlena was lovely to Sunwing check from home to front desk at the Riu Resort...Everyone along the way made things easy quick and done with a great attitude! The resort its self had beautiful grounds, location and beaches were divine. It's a 90 min drive with 2 st [... read more]ops at other resorts on the way so be prepared for the drive. Once arrived it's well worth it. The place is huge, lots of families, couples and older guests. Private quiet beaches and beautiful white sands. Food was very good lots of variety. Not big on buffets but they did a good job with cleanliness and there was an la carte steak house option. Asian restaurant (deluxe guests only). Always a place available to eat until late at night. Fun entertainment nightly. I felt very safe the rooms were basic but clean and comfortable. The only thing was I had to change rooms after my first night due to noisy construction outside the hotel but they changed and upgraded me to an ocean view for my troubles no extra charge. I only have praise for the entire staff from the front desk, Amoy, Richard, Anna Maria, Neto etc...all so helpful and courteous. Chef Mozel and his jerk hut on the beach was a major highlight! Daily jerk on the beach and fresh coconut juice thats Jamacia! Staff service from the beach to the restaurants, Desroy, Harkel, Martin...Keshawna, Sharron in housekeeping to onsite Sunwing rep Sandra aka Mama Sunshine👍🏽All amazing!!! No peddlers the beach, clean beaches and lots of beach chairs for guests. They offered every excursion onsite very convenient. I worked out daily gym could use an upgrade but was functional. Spa was lovely. Expect loud music during the day around the pool with interactive games with staff and guests but it didn't disrupt your quiet in the beach. All in all I loved my time and will be back for an annual trip to Rui Resorts Ocho Rios. Thank you I hope this helps the next guest plan their dream vaca to Jamaica ya mon🇯🇲 ✌🏾

Riu Flamingos: Riu Jalisco

The hotel was very nice and the resort was incredible. Staff- excellent Food- the breakfasts were amazing, the buffet restaurant was excellent all the time, the specialty restaurants were a little disappointing. The snack bar was excellent. All desserts were great. Rooms - were very nice with great views, however, the rooms always smelled musty and there was some black mold in the bathroom. Loved the towel critters we found on our bed after the rooms had been cleaned. Pools- the water w [... read more]as cooler than the ocean...however, they were GREAT and there were lots of lounges.

Riu Palace Tropical Bay: Beautiful Resort

This newly updated resort will not disappoint. From check in to check out everything was flawless. Meals were outstanding. Andre can prepare a fantastic omelette and kept the line moving and the choices for each meal was extraordinary. Lobster even at the evening buffet! Sweetie, Chicken and Chocolate Thunder kept it fresh and hopping on the beach and at the pool so many laughs. Sheldon and Conrad always made sure towels were ready to go and always had a smile and couldn't do enough to make your [... read more] beach or pool time fun. Shayne working both the front desk and steak house (saw him in different locations) was always looking to make sure all your needs were met. Drinks at all bars were fantastic and you never had to wait long for a drink. Our rooms were very large and always clean. The grounds were beautiful and the guys were out there everyday grooming. We walked down to the Negril Riu which is at the other end of the bay, you could definitely see the difference in resorts as the Negril Riu looked very tired. Over all this Riu resort will be a good choice . We were disappointed with our Sunwing rep at our resort but this does not reflect the Resort itself. We will definitely return to Riu Palace Negril.

Riu Emerald Bay: Will be back again!

The Riu Emerald Bay was a perfect all-inclusive choice! From the moment we arrived, we were treated well by all the staff, even treated with a cold beverage right off the bus. The resort itself was very well kept. The rooms were comfortable, and every room had a beautiful view of the ocean (upper floors are better). The elevators were very slow, but at least you had a view while you waited. The hotel was clean, and had plenty of eating options. Of course, by the end of the week, we were bored of [... read more] the food (the main buffet is the same every day), but the food tasted really, really good. We did not have one bad meal there. The only thing that could have been improved was the night-life. The beach party was very fun, and karaoke another night was ok. The disco was empty whenever we went, but it does not open until 11 (which is late). We are young and only met a couple people the same age as us. There is a lot of construction going on around the resort, so it was a little annoying listening to all the noise all hours of the day/night, but nothing can be done about that! Some tips: 1) get a beach or pool chair first thing in the morning (7:30), or you will not get them. 2) take the stairs if you are floor 4 or less, 3) you cant get a new towel before 8am, so when you return your old towels, grab a new one at night. 4) you MUST try Mr.Lionso's restaurant at the end of the beach to the right of the hotel- best coconut shrimp ever. There are a lot of people on the beach trying to get you to buy stuff- ignore them EXCEPT for Euardo (or something like that) who is selling deep sea and bottom fishing. We went deep sea fishing and it was awesome! We spent 1/2 the amount that we would have if we had booked with the resort, and we caught a ton of fish. We will definitely be visiting another Riu- either this location, or another.

Riu Republica: Nice Resort

Nice resort but overbooked all the time causing frustration for customers having to be moved to other resorts, this is the second year for this, not acceptable! We requested close to beach as possible, we were returning guests bringing friends, placed us as far from the beach as possible, at least we didn’t have to move to other hotels like a lot of guests, wedding party of 30 people that arrived were split up in several hotels due to overbooking!

Riu Palace Costa Rica: Riu Palace - Beautiful Place

It was our second time at this resort. Loved it the first time. Both vacations were a week in length. The only issue we had was we booked a jacuzzi suite well in advance but were still put on the ground floor. No privacy there. We attempted to use the jacuzzi and red ants and their larvae blew out of all the jets. Never used it all week. Complained to the front desk about the ants and the cleaning staff were sent in about 15 mins. The issue here is that they started cleaning the room instead o [... read more]f the jacuzzi. Lost in translation I think. Another staff came back later that evening with ant killer. Tried to clean the jacuzzi. All looked good until the following morning. I went out to enjoy a coffee and there were approximately 50 dead ants still in the jacuzzi tub. I’ll never book one of these rooms again. Wasted money!!!

Riu Flamingos: Beautiful

This is the second time we have stayed at a RIU and were not disappointed. Staff are wonderful, grounds are clean and tidy. We did enjoy all our meals from the buffets to the ala cartes. The entertainment was great! And was always fun to see the guests join in!

Riu Santa Fe: Not so relaxing...

This was my first time to Cabo (which is beautiful) but one of many all inclusive trips. The scenery from the resort was fatastic and the location was great. You could see the water, mountains and were a short distance from town. Also not too far from the airport. But aside from that I don’t have too much good to say. The service at this resort was awful. I have been to many resorts and have never received such poor service. At all meals, wait staff very rarely (if ever) offered a drink, m [... read more]any times having to ask for cutlery, napkins, etc. When staff did offer service it was slow or forgotten. The staff weren’t overly friendly and some even seemed annoyed when you asked for assistance. Most of their English wasn’t great either. Most of the a la carte restaurants and bars were closed most of the time. At the main pool, there was only one of four bars open typically, which often resulted in a line of 10+ people to get a drink. I’ve never seen bar service done this way at a resort. Not a single swim up bar was open when I was there either which was disappointing. The resort seemed very unstaffed. Along the beach, there are vendors hassling you to buy their things. I understand this is the Mexican lifestyle and is often seen on many islands, but the hotel allows them to come basically right up to the chairs. I couldn’t even sit there and read a book without somebody asking every few minutes if I wanted to buy cigars, bracelets, braids in my hair, etc. I paid for a superior room which was extremely basic — I would hate to see what a standard room looks like. There was a shower only, extremely thin sheets and my balcony was facing a wall. I also requested a upper floor as I was a solo traveller and was placed on the ground. The biggest concern with this resort was how rowdy and party focused it was. I totally understand many people go to resorts to party but you couldn’t get away from it at this resort. People were yelling and screaming everywhere. 4x a week they have “riu pool partys” that are beyond loud and annoying when they run until 11pm. If you want quiet, request to NOT be in building 8, as the party was literally right outside my window. The weather was great and the food was okay — nothing spectacular but I always found something to eat. I definitely would not go back to this resort to relax. If you like to party, it may be for you! I talked to many other travellers while there and many had similar comments so I wasn’t alone in my opinions.

Riu Guanacaste: average hotel

you can never complain about the weather that's for sure. But for smokers your in trouble ,its a no smoking hotel either you walk to the beach or behind a building, not that nice for ladies come evening ,3 bars within 50ft of the entertainment area 1 bar for the four pools. The beaches were never combed and full of venders. The food was ok, your regular resort menu, I was expecting a little of Costa Rican specialty. the rooms were kept ok clean but the toilets had no flushing power.

Riu Palace Costa Rica: Excellent Experience

Was probably one of our best experiences in traveling to resorts. Check in amazing, great food, rooms very clean. The staff could not do enough for you to make the stay better. The staff that cleaned the rooms were in and out, always while we were away from the room. Always acknowledged us when walking by. Restaurants were very accommodating. Only recommendation I would make would be to look at more washroom facilities in the pool area. I would definitely have this resort on our return to list. [... read more] Costa Rica is such a nice country.

Riu Republica: Great resort

We loved the rui ! Food was great, lots of choices. The bars are fast! No extra long lines The beach is nice,but the chairs re really crammed together and no easy way to get around, as palalpas are very close together and no clear isles, also have planted many small palms with this area. Red flag is usually out, but this did not deter many.. also a hundred yd trek through loose sand, if you have mobility issues this would be a hard trek Jerk hut on beach is good for snacks, burgers and hot do [... read more]gs, chicken is fantastic If you are a NON smoker, this resort is NOT for you! Smoking everywhere, lobby, bars, beach and all walkways. Riu does not discourage non smoking, as there are very few areas non smoking.. we had to leave the theatre, as it was really smoky, half enclosed but mostly outside. I would Not recommend this hotel to my non smoking friends

Riu Palace Costa Rica: Beautiful resort

The rooms are very clean, staff is amazing and very helpful. The staff at the pools keep the drinks coming! The Krystal restaurant had the best food on the resort and the staff are very accommodating!!! My only advise is to get to the ala cartes early. They only have so many spots. For example the steakhouse only sits 100 people per night. They were already at the max at 6:45pm. The rooms only have 2 English channels fox news and CNN. The beach wasn't the best but we knew that before booking  [... read more]and that didn't stop us deter us.

Riu Republica: RIU REPUBLICA

We really like this hotel, that is why we returned to this hotel for second time in two years. We love the environment, the room, dining room, the pool, the entertainment, especially the beach is close the hotel. We really love the beach with strong wave to play with.

Riu Guanacaste: Large Resort

The good; very clean, good service and excellent grounds. Rooms: very average, clean and in need of some TLC. Food: Average but plentiful. Best meal of day was Breakfast. Restaurants: Buffet average, a la carte: Steak ( steak was very salty), Asian (very good), Italian (good) Beach: Never had to chase chairs down, service on beach and water was nice. Recommend bringing water shoes as a bit rocky. Shows: Average Bars: Watered down Alcohol. Premium drinks hidden under counter. Tipping: It [... read more] was almost mandatory to tip as they put the tip jar for everyone to see. Local Bathrooms: this was a poor area as there are only two public ones throughout this large resort. We averaged 8k-10k steps per day. The best part of the trip is the country, lots to do. All in all a good trip. Resort is a 4 star.

Riu Flamingos: Good

Hotel was great Sunwing sucks both times I flew with them my luggage was gone through first time I had two red locks arrived at hotel with one red and one gold second time we bought tea combination locks upon arriving missing one lock. Both times no paper in suitcase explaining why never flying Sunwing again

Riu Palace Antillas: Nice resort

Hotel staff very attentive. Food quality good Food presentation good. Food selection good. Pool was cool, could have been warmer. Activities good. Room needs updating. Beach was beautiful. Lots of places to walk.

Riu Flamingos: 8/10

We found the resort to be awesome! This was our 2nd visit to this resort! First off, the area of Nuevo Vallarta is wonderful….so clean and safe to go for long long walks. Would stay there in a heart beat. The Riu Jalisco was also great….We only had one complaint our room was never clean. The guy tried for sure, but the first night, I stripped the bed and pillow cases and got someone to put fresh bedding on. There was someone else sand in our bed and the floors made my black socks di [... read more]rty. We had to ask for bath towels 3 times in a week. But still we tipped 50 pesos a night and still a pi$$ poor clean job. I will write the Riu and mention this issue... But other than that it was great!

Riu Palace Baja California: Top Notch Resort

I stayed for a week in January with my brother. Everything from the smooth check in our room, the food, the grounds, staff and cleanliness of the resort was fantastic. I would highly recommend the Riu Baja California in Cabos San Lucas as a destination to visit.