SIMPLY AMAZING!!!!

This was our second year at the RIU Republica and again, we were blown away. The place is simply outstanding on ALL fronts. The hotel and the entire resort are super clean, the rooms are nice and big with a nice balcony and the bed is very comfy. ALL the staff is so, so friendly and welcoming - and the service is incredible. And the food - OMG!!! Everything is delicious, there is a lot of variety at the buffet, which is very nicely presented. The "a la carte" restaurants are also quite nice a [... read more]nd there are several different interesting selections to choose from - and no reservations needed. And the beach - there are no words to describe how beautiful it is. We've been to several resorts on Bavaro Beach and every year, it just takes our breath away. All in all, it was a fantastic holiday again this year and we highly recommend this resort. We may even go back for a third year in 2019! Thank you Jennifer (Trip Central - St-Laurent) for all your help. (NOTE - I am rating this as "very good" (below) but "outstanding" would be a better rating.

Awesome Vacation

This is our 3rd time at this resort. It is very clean and spacious. The food was good and drinks as well. Plenty of options for both. As for the pools many options quiet , party pool and many activities. Hotel animators are very good as well especially Blondy69 and Manta. Sad not seeing Chanty because she always made you feel good and got you going. Beach is beautiful and clean as well. No complaints at all. Will go again for sure!!!

Overall this hotel was just, Meh

Flying directly out of Kitchener was a real treat. So much better than Toronto. When we got to Riu we were initially impressed. Unfortunately that didn't last. We were not given a welcome package for the resort, nor did we get assistance finding our room resulting in us carrying our luggage up 3 flights of stairs as we couldn't find the elevator. We had to get information from other guests on how the restaurants worked. The room was fine and appeared clean. with exception of a couple ballo [... read more]ons on the first day, there was no towel art as we have come to expect in good resorts. The food was just ok, with the steak house being the saving grace. Most of the staff were nice but standoffish with exception of a few very friendly staff from the entertainment team. The "shopping" excursion was a complete joke. The bus dropped us off at a warehouse filled with either the same junk souvenirs u can get at the airport or expensive clothing stores that I could visit in Canada. The best part about this place was the short tour showing how cigars are made and the little bits of history provided on the walls. The beach was lovely however, as long as you don't get suckered in to the 4 hr long hard sell timeshare presentation at the Royalton. The pools were good, could use a little more shade in the earlier hours. The entertainment was good. Although the hotel advertised "no spring-breakers" there was quite a bit of howling in the early hours of the morning. Definitely tones of spring-breakers...won't make that mistake again. The other suggestion for this hotel would be to have some sort of concierge desk set up to help coordinate excursions. I know the hotel isn't responsible for those however there was so many customers and drivers wandering around trying to find each other, this could be a great way to help keep customers happy and alleviate frustrations.

Spring Breakers Invade Riu

Invaded by spring breakers for 7 of 14 days. Sunwing website policy clearly states no spring breakers groups or individuals any time during to year are not permitted. Policy also indicates unruly disruptive behaviour and guests causing damage to property would to removed from property at own expense. these are false statements. We experience unruly, disrupted sexual behaviors with profanity. Riu staff seemed to cater to this majority group of guests. There was very minimal security. unacceptable [... read more] behaviours were not addressed by the Riu. it was pretty much a free for all with no rules enforced or complied to. There was noticeable damage to resort property and rooms. Mattresses seen removed from rooms, broken patio door, garbage (cups cans plates etc) thrown from balconies to courtyard and other rooftops. buffet a la carte bars pools were all completely overtaken by young spring breakers. On the positive side there were always lounge chairs available and our room was comfortable with all amenities needed. that was a good thing as we pretty much spent 7 evenings in our room to escape loud unruly behaviour in all common resort areas.

Got very sick

I stayed at the RiuRepublica from March 10-18. On the second night an hour after eating dinner at the Asian restaurant I got very sick. Vomiting and going to the bathroom from 9pm till 4am. For the next 48 hrs I was exhausted and could not eat or drink. I slept most of those 48hrs. After that I was back to myself thank goodness. The hotel itself is very nice and new. Modern and the staff seem to work very hard to keep it looking nice. Pool bar staff were great, beach was great, food I didn’t r [... read more]eally care for. This was my 4th Riu and although it was he prettiest it was not the best overall. Our room was cleaned everyday and she did a great job. The water slides were super fun, this is a nice addition for adults only. Last thing was there was about 500 spring breakers..... they were ridiculous, and obnoxious. Screaming, vomiting in the pool, having sex in the pool, banging on doors at night. This is not the hotels fault but again they could have not allowed so many universities to be in one resort.

Amazing Experience

This hotel is amazing. The staff is unbelievable. They are so kind and do everything to ensure you have an enjoyable stay. 100% recommend this resort!! We have already booked for June. There is something for everyone. The food was very good and the rooms were so modern

Great resort

This hotel is quite large however they do a great job of keeping it clean. You always see staff mopping floors picking up empty glasses in lounge areas and around pools. Rooms are very nice, only one complaint about replenishment of coffee and face cloths - ran out of both in our room. Food was good at both buffet and a la carte restaurants. Found the staff to be friendly and very little problem with language barrier.

Riu Republica

Hotel was very clean and service from staff was excellent. Extremely large resort but with lots of entertainment. Beach was sometimes difficult to use because of rough waters. Pools were well kept and very clean. Only one shop for such a large resort, but seemed adequate for any purchases required.

Nice resort

The rooms were very clean and beautiful on the new side. The grounds were good. The pool and area was clean. Entertainment at night was poor except the Michael Jackson show. Only one store on site. Food was so so. Waiters and waitresses some very nice others very serious. Will I return to that specific motel. Probably not. It is to small not enough to do. And beach was closes for 3 days do to the wind. Waves were dangerous.

Very large resort!

Very clean resort, food was fantastic. On the Website the package details indicates that Spring Break/Student Group Policies: Student Groups (either groups of individuals, regardless of age) are not allowed at any RIU property, at any time during the year. This is absolutely false advertisement, we were at the resort from March 1st to March 8th, 2018 and the resort was 80% of students because of the March break. I was disappointed, could not relax, they were very loud.

Was ok

This was a bigger resort than I expected. I was disappointed with the restaurants because out of 8-9 only a few were "à la carte" all others were like eating at the buffet. Would be nice to go for a meal with some atmosphere and get served. No issues with cleanliness of the resort Besides the drunken games in mid afternoon with all the 18-25 year olds, not many games or things to get people off their pool chairs, especially in the middle pool near the beach. In my opinion this was n [... read more]ot a 5 star. Maybe a 4-4.5 star

Interesting resort!

We have been to the DR 11 times. The Riu Republica is a nice adults only resort. What we liked: The resort is new, very clean. Rooms very comfortable and when we had a small issue with the toilet the staff showed up immediately to fix it. All the staff were very helpful and quick to help. The beach was very clean as well as all the pool areas. No matter what time we went to the pool or beach we could always find a place in the shade. The beach bars were great and staff were very friendly. The [... read more] public washrooms were attended by staff all the time and spotless. If you wanted a lively pool experience you could find it as well as quiet pools to relax and read. There was no one trying to sell you a timeshare as they have a loyalty program. The ocean was a bit rough but fun, beautiful turquoise water with white beaches. We took many long walks. I participated in the yoga and stretching classes daily. Great instructors! We liked the Jerk Chicken shack on the beach. Geat chicken, ribs and burgers. Entertainment was very good. The food was very good n the main buffet and we could always find something interesting to eat. We liked the Chinese restaurant and enjoyed our dinner at the Indian restaurant as well. What we didn't enjoy. The Riu is a very large resort with over 1000 rooms. The dining experience was like a school cafeteria. Limited service, staff did their best, and crowded and extremely loud. Hard to hear your partner at the table. Trying to find a table was difficult. Had to get to the restaurants before opening time at 6:30 pm to get in at a reasonable time. The wait could be over 1 hour.

Our Stay at Riu Republica Dominican Republic

There are many points that I want to review. Firs the hotel itself was very nice, nice clean room but with our stay our balcony faced the laundry so it was noisy and not the best thing to view. The overall hotel grounds were very good and easy to get around you just need to walk as it is a large complex. The grounds were clean but I thought more attention was needed to cleaning up cup, plates, and litter around the facility. I have stayed at the RIU in Aruba and they were constantly policing [... read more] the grounds for litter, plates, cups, etc. A plus was the numerous swimming pools at the complex so there was never a problem finding chairs by the pool, in Aruba the RIU usually did not have enough chairs. The hotel staff were great and I thought always friendly and accommodating to our needs or questions. Yes not all the staff speaks fluent English but I thought they still did their best to help us. The hotel surprised me by decorating my room on my birthday with balloons and towels that reminded me how old I am :). The hotel as RIU's do had daily poolside entertainment and games which are fun and I recommend you participate in. Evenings the hotel put on shows at the two stages which are loads of fun and you get to see local entertainers show their talent, I also highly recommend you see the shows! Now the RIU is all inclusive (food and drink). The food was ok but we found much of it to be to salty and limited in taste and flavor. You can manage but do not expect to be overwhelmed. We did attend some of the themed restaurants (Indian, Asian, US) and again they were fun but limited in taste and flavor. The drink was not great. Much of the hard drink, like whiskey, gin or jack Daniel's taste watered down I usually do not drink hard drinks but I tried them. I am a beer drinker and the only beer available was Presidente. That beer had no taste and no flavor or impact, the RIU must do something to either improve it or instead offer other beers both local and foreign. I had multiple cups of the Presidente beer and after two days (we stayed 6) I just stopped drinking it. So overall if the food and drink was better I would say that the price we paid was worth it, but I feel like I paid to much because of the food and drink quality. We did take a 1/2 day tour of the local area which included a local family and farm, I would recommend seeing the local community.

Riu Republica Punta Cana

Great food and customer service. Loved it. A variety of restaurants. Great entertainment. Night club. Lot's excurtions. The dolphins were my favorite. I learned how to scuba dive in tbe pool! A variety of shopping malls.

Fun Resort

First time at an Adult Only resort. It was fabulous. Food amazing, had something for everyone. Bar was great! I found most of the staff did not speak english except for the bartenders and receptionist, so this was a bit of a challenge, but did not hamper my vacation. The beach is awesome, lots of loungers, the water is a little choppy, red flag everyday during Jan to Feb 2018, you can still swim, but at your own risk. The lifeguards are very attentive and watch out for guests while in the o [... read more]cean should they go too far. The pools, WOW, there are approximately 6 and they are all great, again, something for everyone. I would recommend that management turn up the music a that the beach pool, there are many young guests, including me, and I am sure they would appreciate it. The evening entertainment such as the nightly shows, was okay, nothing spectacular. All in all, I enjoyed my stay, it was sad to leave. We would return definitely :)

Average Riu resort

We just stayed at the Riu Republica in Punta Cana. The rooms were clean, no bugs at all. The beach was nice, you could walk for miles down the beach if you so desired, the ocean was rough which made it fun to play in the waves (if you are a good swimmer). The food was very average, the buffet was decent, nothing special about the specialty restaurants.

Nice Option on Bavaro Beach

The Riu Repúblic was a well maintained property with easy access to many pools/slides and Bavaro Beach. The rooms were clean and insect free. Hot water for showers was always there. Restaurants were decent and a nice change to the buffet that was adequate but lacked some citrus fruits (0ranges & Grapefruit) as well as real OJ. The Jerk Chicken bar located on the way to the beach was a nice option for lunch. The beach waters were rough but the waves added some fun in the sun. Long walks were n [... read more]ot a problem on the clean manicured sandy beaches. The gym was more than adequate if you needed to workout indoors. Outside of a few members of our group getting stomach illness and headaches etc... the overall experience was positive but the resort was definitely not a 5*.

Good Resort - A few minor adjustments needed

Beautiful resort inside and out. A lot of outdoor areas to relax and enjoy. The rooms are nice and clean. They just need to make some adjustments. Most of the staff that work in the front line service areas ( dining rooms, pool areas) spoke very little to no English at all, very hard to communicate. The resort should look at designated smoking areas as we have seen at other Riu's. Sitting in the buffet area and having dinner with someone smoking three rows over. A lot of guests were smoking in t [... read more]he swim up bars as well.They also need to get better pillows. The vacation was good, a few minor changes would have made a better experience

Awesome Resort

Stayed at this hotel from Feb 2 to Feb 9, 2018. A beautiful resort but was a little too big for me. It was quite a walk to the beach because we stayed at the FUN pool which was located at back of the resort. The staff were amazing. The food was excellent. The rooms were very clean and modern, however I had to phone the front desk twice because when we went back to our room after 5 pm it was not yet done. They came within 10 mins and we just asked for clean towels. Overall, had a great vacat [... read more]ion at this resort and I would definitely go back but would stay at the pools closer to the beach. I do recommend this to all adults looking for fun.

A 3 star resort

This resort is very large and not suited for people who are seniors with any type of walking disability. We fit this descriptor and were assigned a room a distance away from the lobby, restaurants and buffet The food was good especially the buffet. The liquor is not premium unless it is stocked and you ask for it. The rooms were quite comfortable and clean. The shower water was not consistent in temperature. One minute it would be perfect in temp and the next minute the water would be scalding h [... read more]ot. This would continue throughout the shower. Approximately 90 % of employees at the resort do not speak or understand English. A very major problem when ordering drinks or trying to resolve problems.There were no do not disturb signs and the cleaning staff would be banging on your door quite early followed by the fridge stocker. Not very relaxing. When the Maids ran out of clean glasses on their carts they washed the glasses in sink water and replaced them on the tray. This caused me illness for 6 and a half days due to water bourne protazoa. This resort is listed as a 5 star. In my experience this resort is a 3 star.