Riu Palace Punta Cana: Great Resort with some

Our vacation at this resort was great! We had a great vacation -- amazing service, the people are friendly, and lots of food and drink.....you didn't even have to get off your lawn chair (either at the beach or the pool), and you were served! For such a big resort, it was well maintained, kept clean (dining, lounging, and bathroom areas, including the grounds). The food was excellent.....there is something for all types, so try all the restaurants. We went to the Japanese, Italian, the Ste [... read more]akhouse, and the buffet. We didn't have to reserve to go to the a la carte restaurants and we could go as many times as we wanted....so we took advantage of that. We have no complaints in that regard. Our room was not up to our standard (for what we paid) - it had a very bad smell and we overlooked the next resort and street and parking lot and the noise (evening entertainment) from the other resort was annoying. And, horns blowing early in the morning (4:00ish). And, when we asked to be moved, they wanted to charge us another $35 US / night (that's $245.00 US or $318.5 CAN)....for something we thought we had already paid for. We felt our demands were not met by Trip Central and doubt we will book a trip through them again. As we spoke to several other couples, everyone had a cheaper rate and they all had the nicer rooms. One thing you will find at this resort, is that the rooms have a very bad smell - like a musky basement smell and you can't seem to get rid of it. But, the rooms were otherwise roomy, very clean, and up-to-date. The nightly entertainment was not the greatest. In fact, one night people were walking out.....we didn't go to two of them. The daily activities were only around the pool from what we could see or understand. We had 3 days of severe wind, etc., and no activities were planned because of it -- there should be an alternate plan (due to weather) -- these could be planned in the main lounge area or something so that we (the guests) have something to do (take it indoors). I didn't want to go up to my room because I had no view and it smelled. There was also the smell of sewer backup from outside in our room. One thing I would recommend with this resort is get rid of the vendors on the beach.....every two minutes they were bugging you. When I want to relax, I don't need someone coming up to me, whistling and trying to sell me stuff. For such a big resort and such a great distance on the beach, I recommend the Riu create a 'beach shop area' - set up tables, etc., for these 'outside' vendors.....they are walking around in that heat with all of their products/materials - unreal, and not pleasant to see when I want to relax! Put them all in one area, let the guests go to them if they want to buy something - quit bugging the guests. As for me, I just let on I was sleeping or something.....I was there to simply relax and unwind. There was never a shortage of beach lounge chairs on the beach or at the pool. And, no shortage of towels either.

Riu Reggae: Great resort!

We stayed at the Riu Reggae the first week of March. I am hard pressed to have anything negative to say about this resort. The food was great, staff were all very attentive and friendly and the rooms were very clean. The animation team goes out of their way to say 'good morning' to everyone each day. I thought this was a nice personal touch. I am a very picky eater and pretty particular about my room when I travel so to have no complaints is saying a lot. We did have a garden view room [... read more] but honestly had no issue with it. You don't go to Jamaica to spend time in your room. When we did use the balcony at the end of the day, it was relaxing to have a peaceful place to sit away from it all. We had a few windy days at the beginning of our trip and the balcony was sunny and protected from the wind. If you leaned over the railing you could even get a small glimpse of the water. I never felt unsafe, security was constantly walking by so no one was going to try and climb the fence. We did not try the gourmet restaurant as the menu did not appeal to us however the other restaurants were great and we never waited long, if at all to get in to them. I liked that you didn't have to wait in line for hours to make reservations like I have at other resorts. You could eat at the a la carte restaurants as frequently as you liked. There was always something going on during the day. This was the first time I was at a resort that had live music during the day and it was fun sitting by the pool and listening to the bands. I would definitely recommend this resort and would go back again.

Riu Flamingos: An over-stated 5-star

All of the service persons were wonderful, perhaps except for one waitress. Customer service people were very helpful, on anything you need which goes for the medical attention we unfortunately needed as well. Food was adequate with all the basics. A la carte restaurants were about the same as the buffets. Don't expect high end foods. Asian restaurant was poor. They should give that up. Building is old as is the interior, rooms are small, pools are small but are family oriented. Beach is f [... read more]ine but not suitable for swimming. Good nightly entertainment. On balance of all attributes, The Riu Jalisco is to me a strong 3.5 or a weak 4.0. If priced accordingly, I would be happy.

Riu Playa Blanca: Beautiful Riu Resort

The hotel was lovely, modern, clean and only 15 minutes from the airport . The staff were wonderful, we weren't happy with the location of the room we were assigned on arrival. I went to he Lobby prepared or a hassle or request for extra $ to upgrade. No problem, our room was changed to a better location for us, closer to the stairs on a lower floor. The only negative is the beach and ocean, the sand is dark and coarse, and the ocean isn't the beautiful blue of the Caribbean. They current [... read more]ly have a problem with jellyfish, there was a red flag up all week, that was disappointing. There are 3 specialty restaurants and 2 buffets, all serving typical resort meals. The pools were great, 4 in total, one for the children with slides, the children were really enjoying themselves.

Riu Palace Tropical Bay: Most beautiful beaches I have ever been to

Most beautiful beach I have ever been too. All staff are wonderful, very polite and helpful. I did not like the location of my room and within 15 minutes they had me set up in another room. My only criticism is that being a "palace" I would of expected the room to be a bit more upgraded and it was very regular , nothing differentiated from most all inclusive resorts I have been in the past, but was still nice, clean and good size. The catamaran ride was the best $59 dollar spent , very fun after [... read more]noon. The jeep , 4 wheeler was not worth the cost do not waist your money on this tour.

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: Great time!

This hotel is happening. Clean rooms, good service and food. Good entertainment... can be a bit tacky at times but fun overall! I would return...weather did not cooperate on some days but beautiful on others!

Riu Santa Fe: Good!

The food was good.There was a good variety.Drinks were good except red wine.It was kept very clean.Staff was very friendly and helpful.There were a lot of spring breakers.Would not go in March again too noisy.

Riu Bambu: Average Resort

This is the 3rd RIU have been to and we were a little disappointed. Food and drinks were great, however the accommodations were not so much. We were in a building that faced the driveway between this resort and another - lots of traffic at night and early morning. There were wheel barrels outside our patio area for the entire stay. Also, the grounds leading back to our room were never kept up. There was garbage and actual dinner plates in one of the garbage cans for the entire stay. I can't [... read more] say I think about the entire resort - it appeared neat and tidy. We just found it strange that the garbage cans outside of the units were not cleaned out daily. Did this effect our trip - no, however it did not leave a good impression. We did require medical attention of which was excellent and appreciated. We had to take a taxi to the hospital and this was handled wonderfully.

Riu Palace Costa Rica: Costa Rica is Awesome!

Sunny and hot every day in Liberia. The Riu Palace is a First Class Resort: the food is delicious, the restaurants don't require a reservation, the Brand name Liquor is excellent and the Staff is very friendly and happy!

Riu Palace Antillas: Great Resort

We were guests from March 4 - 11, 2017. Very good resort in all categories. Guests could partake in activities and buffets at the Riu Palace next door. Nightly entertainment was average, however the circus act one night was excellent. Food and drinks were excellent. Specialty restaurants took no reservations and were on a first come first serve basis. If you lined up about 1/2 hour before 6:30 pm opening you were assured a table, if not, you needed to wait until 8:00 pm for a sitting. As a beac [... read more]h volleyball player, the equipment and court needs some attention. This has been our second stay at the Antillas and will most likely return next time in Aruba.

Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas: Great Resort

This is my second time to the Riu Palace in Los Cabos and I was not disappointed. The renovations to the lobby and theatre are great. Not as much variety in the buffets but still lots to choose from and the food is excellent. Great service and you can't beat the weather.

Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas: In one word - ELEGANT!!

The whole experience was wonderful. The grounds are absolutely gorgeous, the rooms were clean and spotless - felt like I was at home. Cleaning Staff was very obliging - we did not lack for anything. Food was great - and lots of it!! Staff was the best - always friendly and remembered our names. The evening entertainment was great - albeit a little too loud. Sometimes it would have been nice to have quiet by the pool - music was very loud - but all in all, it was the best Riu Palace we  [... read more]have been to (I have been to four of them). Thanks Stephanie!!! Sarah xxxx

Riu Palace Antillas: Repeat customer

This is the third year that I have been to the Antillas. As usual we had a wonderful week at this resort. The food at the buffets and restaurants were very good. They served some some nice Chilean wine with the meals. We often would have meals at the Riu Palace. The pools at the Antillas and at the Palace are lovely. If you like swimming laps go over to the Palace and you can make a 25 metre lane for yourself. I would often go there @ 8am in the morning and I was the only one in the pool.  [... read more] It is kept at a good temperature. If you have a choice for rooms pick ocean view (rooms with even numbers) preferably above the 10th floor. I will be back next year!!

Riu Playa Blanca: Totally Outstanding Resort

EASY CHECK IN EVELOPES CONTAINING ACCESS CARDS, TOWEL CARDS. MAP OF RESORT ETC BEST RESORT WE HAVE BEEN TOO. FOOD WAS OUTSTANDING GREAT SELECTION AT BUFFET AND NEW ITEMS ADDED DAILY . A LA CARTE RESTAURANTS VERY GOOD FOOD. POOLS IMMACULATING CLEAN. , THE LANDSCAPING CONTINUALLY BEING MANICURED. BEACH VERY CLEAN . LARGE NUMBERS OF PALM TREES LOCATED ON BEACH GIVING IT A VERY TROPICAL FEELING. STAFF VERY HELPFUL, FRIENDLY AND SMILING ALL THE TIME. THE BEST PART WAS A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF  [... read more]STAFF ESPECIALLY IN RESTAURANTS AND RECEPTION AREA HAS A REASONABLE COMMAND OF ENGLISH AND MADE EVERY ATTEMPT TO LOOK AFTER YOU, NOT LIKE SOME SPANISH COUNTRIES AT RESORTS WHERE THEY COULD CARELESS IN ATTEMPTING TO LEARN ENGLISH OR BE HELPFUL. THIS RESORT IS TRULY A GEM. NIGHTLY ENTERTAINMENT IS VARIED AND PROFESSIONAL. A BIG PLUS IS THE RESORT IS LOCATED ONLY 15 MINUTES FROM A NEW AIRPORT. THE ONLY ISSUE IS THERE SHOULD BE ANOTHER WASHROOM FACILITY BY THE POOLS (4 IN TOTAL POOLS) IF YOU ARE THE FURTHEST POOL IT IS A BIT OF A WALK TO THE WASHROOM FACILITIES. ANOTHER WASHROOM FACILITY SHOULD BE NEAR THE BAR WHICH IS LOCATED BETWEEN ALL THE POOLS

Riu Republica: Ok, but won't return!

OK resort, don't ask for a garden view room, ours looked out to an industrial park with a generator always humming, very noisy. Couldn't sit on the balcony. Changed our room to have a slight view of the ocean. Noisy at night with the sound of the shows. Food was average. Themed restaurants were horrible. Entertainment crew was great though, but still wouldn't return to this resort.

Riu Palace Paradise Island: Just an amazing place!

The food was amazing...lots of choice at the buffet. Specialty restaurants were great. Hotel was very clean. Mattresses need to be replaced. Lie sleeping in a hammock. The linens were good. Liquor dispenser in room is convenient. Pool is warm. The local musical entertainment was great. Would go back.

Riu Ocho Rios: Great vacation!

This hotel was outstanding! From the moment we arrived until the moment we left, the staff were friendly and attentive and wanted to be sure we were having a great time! The accommodations were clean, the food and choices were awesome. The beach was by far the best we have been to in Jamaica...and this is our third time. The water was crystal clear and the beach was long with tons of lounge chairs in the sun or shade. Even the nighttime entertainment was great! Great job RIU Ocho Rios!!!

Riu Republica: Vacation Oasis!

I recently stayed at Riu Republica for 5 nights. This was my very first ever vacation out of my country, very first all inclusive resort. Best time ever, great food, great service, will certainly return!!

Riu Merengue: The Good, Bad and Ungle

My husband and I arrived at Riu Merengue in Puerto Plata, Dominican on Feb 24th for a 2 week vacation and I wanted to fly home on Feb 26. The hotel was advertised as a 4.5 star but I would give it a 3 or under. The Good - My husband had a birthday and they went out of their way to help with the celebrations. Our room was decorated, received a bottle of wine with dinner, received a bottle of mamawana and some coffee and had a special birthday cake. No time share hassles. I`m not sure if the h [... read more]otel was just not up to par for time shares or if the Riu chain doesn`t allow them to hassle customers. Every evening after dinner they had a band that played dancing music, very nice to enjoy with a special coffee. Our Nexus rep, Stanley, mentioned that we should move up an excursion we booked because the weather was going to change. We did move it up and had a great trip snorkeling. Also did the city tour which was very nice. The Bad - Buffet restaurant was very busy and several times we could not find a clean table to sit down and eat. They have 500 rooms and they don`t have the facilities to accommodate the numbers in their dining room. They had 2 al a carte restaurants which only served 100 guests per night so you had to line up early to get in. No reservations. Italian was awful and the steakhouse was just OK. Ran out of keg beer on February 27th which was a holiday so the staff was scrambling to get canned beer from everywhere. In the buffet restaurant they had bread that you could cut which was great, however, many people didn`t use the napkin to hold the bread when they were cutting it and of course the germs on their hands were spread across the entire loaf of bread. They did have butter, some places have switched to margarine so I was glad that they offered butter. The Ugly - our first room 1611 had cockroaches. I have been travelling to warm climates for 20 years and have never had any roaches in my rooms. The hotel sprayed the room (which we didn`t like due to the impact on the spray for humans.) We meet with the NeXus rep and wanted to know what it would cost to move resorts or to fly home. The sales office was closed because it was a Sunday and Monday was a holiday so the earliest we could talk to a sales rep was Tuesday. My husband demanded to talk to the hotel manager and we did get another room on the 2nd floor and did not see any roaches in our room after that. They advertise that they have internet in the lobby - they don`t. We had to go to one of their other hotels to get internet - the lobby was so busy with people trying to communicate with others that it was insane to find a place to sit and most people had to stand. If you have any reaction to smokers, don`t go to this hotel. There was smoking everywhere except the dining room. Lots and lots of smokers. The dining room had a lot of flies. I believe this was because they had place mats that were never wiped off. I watched how they cleaned the tables and they would wipe around the place mat. It was kind of sickening that we had to swat flies as we tried to eat.

Riu Republica: Garden view rooms are not garden view

I was very disappointed that I was put into a room that overlooked the laundry facilities of the hotel next door, plus there was always a loud generator sound. It was not pleasant sitting on the balcony and I continuously left my curtains shut. Two of the friends I was travelling with also had the same experience. They 'haggled' with the front desk (wasted a 1/2 a day) and they were moved to a much nicer location. I didn't want to waste a beautiful sunny day negotiating so just stayed put for th [... read more]e week. On the positive side, the maids did a great job! I enjoyed the food and was happy not to have to make reservations. The wine was the worst I have ever had and I have been to several resorts. I only drink wine so this was another big disappointment. I could hardly wait to get back to have a nice glass of cabernet-merlot. Had I of known, I would have purchased some at duty-free. An improvement could be made in expanding the number of washrooms in the public areas (especially by the pool) -- three is not enough for the ladies and there was always a line-up. The dining room staff were excellent when we were first seated but never came back to see if we needed refills on our water, etc, and we are generous tippers. We always had to flag someone down. They were great at the a la carte. We loved the entertainment staff. I sure hope this helps to make improvements for others travelling to the Riu Republica. I, unfortunately, will never book there again.