Wonderful Resort

Fantastic landscape and the most beautiful beach with lots of lounges and great scenery. The food was always good no matter what your preference. Rooms very clean and good maid service. Front desk staff were wonderful and the Sunwing rep was very helpful and always available on site every day. Good pool and plenty of shade when needed. Entertainment was good with plenty of auditorium room. One of the best if not THE best we ever have stayed.

The whole family had a very good time at this hotel!

Excellent service, very well maintained huge territory, nice beach line, good variety of food! We have been having great time there! Went for 7 days with family ( 2 adults, 2 kids of 5 and 7 years). Very spectacular night shows, well organized mini disco and animation program for kids. The Riu Merengue is joined with Riu Bachata. You can feel free and attend shows at the neighboring hotel too, as well as visit their restaurants and use their beach. So lots of options to make your stay not bo [... read more]ring and not routined. There is the cruise ship terminal beside Riu Bachata and it was impressive to watch those huge ships coming to the harbour. The pool at Riu Merengue is not too big but you can always find a spot. And you can always go to Riu Bachata's pool which is bigger. I would definitely suggest going there !! Nice hotel for a good price!

Very good vacations in a nice resort

The resort is a large open resort right next to the beach. The different pools are accessible, clean and you have a choice between a busy and noisy one or a very quiet one a bit further. You have bars everywhere so you won't be thirsty. Kids club was good for the kids even though it could have been a bit more organized to be honest. Food is honestly very decent. The only problem is the reservation system for the "a la carte" restaurant that doesn't make any sense. Rooms were clean, but a bit t [... read more]oo cosy for a family of 4.

Not bad for the price

The hotel room was always kept clean, though the addition of toiletries would be nice and the bathroom is quite dated. We had requested 2 beds as we were travelling with our daughter and got 2 3/4 beds pushed together rather than 2 doubles or a double & a twin. There was never enough bottled water in the room. The beach had a lot of coral and rocks in the shallows, plus it has a major sand bar covered in seaweed so forget about swimming in front of the resort. There was an abundance of beach cha [... read more]irs and natural shade on the beach so it was never a problem to find a place to lounge. I like that drinks were served in washable plastic cups of a decent size or recyclable paper cups *like the eco-friendly approach*. The daytime animation was practically non-existent and the evening shows tended to include quite repetitive dance routines. The bar staff was friendly and efficient. The dining room staff was slow to serve drinks & clear plates. Food was quite good.

Awesome hotel

Fun and friendly hope to get back soon entertainment out of this world Bar staff are great room amazing great value for money would go back tomorrow food was amazing lots variety very safe resort I went alon

Very disappointed

I need to first premise my review. I have lived in the D.R. for extended periods. I have been on vacation there maybe 30 times at 10 or more different resorts.My wife is Dominican. About the only good thing about this was the amazing people that worked there in reception, the bars and the restaurants. In saying that, this was the most disappointing resort experience I have ever had. The room was decent and we had a good location.The problem was that if you did not leave a tip it did not ge [... read more]t cleaned very well. The fridge was never stocked like they said it would be. The last day we were there it was not cleaned at all. Food. from 1 to 10, a 2. It was the same thing every day with maybe 2 or three items that were changed. 3 days we had to wait over an hour to have dinner because there was no seating left. The food was quite tasteless and there were little flies always invading the fruit bar. Here is what made this resort miserable. They overbooked their day passes with 100's of Dominicans. This is where some people are going to think I am horrible. I love Dominican people but when get them in a resort they want to take over the place. They crowd in front of you at the restaurants and bars. They make the pool unusable, drinking in the pool and leaving the glasses (paper or plastic) in the pool. They were loud and obnoxious. Several times I would leave our loungers for a couple of minutes and found people trying take them over when I got back! One day I was sitting in a place where I could see the bathrooms. I did not see 1 person in a bathing suit go there! That is not conducive to me to want to go into the pool. I wish I had something better to say but quite frankly, I have more positive in my review than how I actually feel. I in no way have any animosity towards trip central. This may have even been a very rare event. Phil Dunn

You get what you pay for!!

Ok lets start from the beginning and work our way to the end. First off the check in was easy and the hotel was able to accommodate our room request for a room on the ground floor and close to most hotel amenities. The room had a slight musty smell, but it was not that bad and my wife and I got over it real fast. The beds were a bit lumpy but we were able to sleep on them. I found one cock roach on day 2 of the vacation in the room which soon became fast friends with the business end o [... read more]f a sandal. ( I kept my eyes open for the remainder of the stay and did not find anymore, nor did I tell my wife until we returned home!!) The grounds are nice and the staff were constantly working and seemed very happy. The beach was fair but the sand fleas were very active and fell in love with my legs.( still itchy as heck ) Lots of lounge chairs at pool and at beach. The food was not as good as I was expecting for a 4 or 4.5 star depending on the site you looked at. I was able to usually find one or 2 items each meal that was not that bad. For the a la cartes we went to the Steak House and that was disappointing. My steak was to be a medium well and it was well done and tough as old heck. The bars were clean and the drinks were not that bad. The bartenders were very friendly and service was excellent. The maid service was excellent as well and no complaints can I make about that. The on site activities were the norm for the Dominican. The team were friendly and approachable. Check out was as easy and painless as the check in process which was nice. Overall it was not the worst experience of my life, but I would not return to this resort.

Nice Resort poor service.

It was fair. The food was better than when we visited in 2012. We thought the service was lacking this time. Also we found a huge cockroach in our room our third night as well in the public washrooms I saw them running around.

Enjoy this resort

We enjoyed this resort for it's beautiful landscaping and long palm tree covered beach. No shortage of good selections at the buffets. Love the architectural detailing on the public buildings (lobbies, bars etc). Disappointed that the Merengue bar painted over it's original yellow details with all white, but still pretty. Improvements could be made by upgrading the room and safe keys, and more importantly - there are not enough pools, especially in Merengue section!

Perfect resort

This is a beautiful resort which I have stayed at before. Friendly staff, long beach with both shade and sun. Food was wonderful with lots of selection and options (riu bachata breakfast and lunch along with pools, bars, etc included). Shows were quite good (don't miss the diva, magic and audience participation ones). Rooms were very well kept, current and large. No problems with water, a/c, etc. Room fridge and bar were stocked daily). Town is not far ($25 one way or $40 return) but you can als [... read more]o take the bus. 40 minutes from the airport. Small shopping street with the standard tourist items. Offers all the basic tours. It is a little isolated tho but great in my books if you just want a relaxing get away. Sand is tan (not white) and water not as clear as other places such as Mexico and Cuba (which I don't mind). Dive shop on site. Lots of water sports as well. Highly recommend. Taking a group next time.

Excellent holiday

Holiday started great. Room was always very clean, fresh towels daily, they would stock bar fridge every 2nd day. Never had a bug in our room the entire time. Excellent water pressure and always hot water whether morning or night. Food was remarkably good. Breakfast omellettes were fantastic, fresh pastries, coffee pot brought to your table. Smoothie bar. Lunches were okay but if you get a chance to have the special lunch made by the pool at noon, that was a nice surprise (cooked chicken,  [... read more]paella, Mexican pasta and all with a special punch drink). Dinners were very good at buffet. They tried to add different foods nightly, Saturday was the best w a Mexican night. Only went to Steakhouse restaurant because Italian was closed at the Village in mid April. Steakhouse was nice (definitely not Cnd Steak) but no complaints. Wifi was best early morning in lobby and two devices only. Lots of people rely on phones etc so lobby can get busy. Bars were all well stocked, most staff spoke pretty good English. They had different drink specials. The slush machines are okay but as soon as you add the booze they are not as slushy. Beer is Presidente but very good. Saw three shows and you can watch at either resort Merengue or Bachata, they seem to alternate days. (Michael Jackson, African and Magic Show.). All excellent. Unfortunately little to do as far as activities for kids but that could have been because we were in April. Spent most of the time on beach, ping pong, volleyball, and basketball. Village pool is the quietest all pools very clean and you can get fresh towels whenever you want. We didn't have to get up early to reserve a chair at pool. Village tons of chairs and same at beach. Garden area or bachata the chairs under the huts went first. Overall for the price we paid for a family of four we had an excellent time and no real complaints. I would give this resort a solid 3.5/4 star

Awesome and amazing resort

The resort was a beautiful, no complaints what so ever. The flight with Sunwing was perfect and on time. Anyone who does not like the resort don't know what they are talking about because they are wrong. Staff are more than friendly and would help in any way they can. Food at buffets and ala cartes was excellent. Very very clean rooms. Beaches were beautiful. I would definitely visit this resort again in a heartbeat. I can't say enough good about it. It was just a fantastic trip. Also, [... read more] the entertainment crew are great and the nightly entertainment was great. Staff at the resort work very very hard to keep it clean and fun for everyone. It is a five star for us.

Funny Vacation

The check in was quick and fast. They brought us drinks when we arrived. Our room was close to the beach and buffet. They offered hand sanitizer all the time. Lots of traditional/authentic Dominican food. Friendly cleaning staff. Rooms were cleaned well. Our cleaning lady was the sweetest lady. We received bottled water every day. There's a cute veranda to dry your clothes. The grounds were well kept on our side. Pretty vegetation and very pretty colours of the buildings. You felt like you were  [... read more]in the caribbean. The entertainment was really good. Cheeky Monkey was the best! He has the best laugh in the world. Great music, dancing, and theatre performances. Lots of games for the kids. There were lots of beach chairs on the beach. The beach was usually quiet, no loud music. Great way to relax on the beach. They offered many activities like beach volleyball, stretching classes, bachata classes, darts, ping pong, etc. They offered fresh coconuts to drink on the beach. They had a beach party on our last night there. Cons-There were not many non-smoker areas. There was lots of seaweed on the beach. Needs a larger gym. But the Pros definitely outweigh the Cons. Will definitely go back! Had a great vacation!!

Muy bueno!!!

Gateway to Atlantis!!! This PARADISE has been carved out of the cliffs of larimar! The beaches is absolutely perfect! Little to no vegetation in the water! If it rains during the day, it's only for 5min and then it's bright and sunny! The food!!! We got 4 places to choose from and then 2 more at the other resort we had access to! Never bored, always something to do ( massages, spa treatments, kayaking, paddle boarding, ping pong, beach volleyball, just to name a few) the staff was very friendly [... read more] and giving, same with the market vendors. I went as a celebration for my 40th birthday and I think I will make an effort to visit every year!

Another great trip

The Riu Merengue was great. The staff are extremely helpful and friendly. The grounds in the Merengue Garden are well kept. The flowering plants were in bloom making for a very pleasant setting. The beach is constantly being raked to keep it clean, the water was warm and pleasant. The quality of the food has improved since our stay last year with lots of choice to suit every taste. All in all the Merengue Gardens is our resort of choice and we will be returning next year.

Great Resort, Great Value

We stayed at the Rui Merengue from April 4 to 11. The resort grounds are well kept. Our room, a little small with limited space for luggage, lots of hot water for showers, but the bathroom got very warm after showering. As i am a fussy eater i was concerned about the food but i never had an issue filling my plate, lots of variety to choise from. The beach has lots of seats in the shade, but the water is always rough and the ocean bottom is rocky. The pool area is very pleasant to relax in but t [... read more]he water was always dirty. Our stay at the resort met or exceeded what we expected and with what we paid was a great value and we would return.

My husband and i were at the riu bachata not riu merengue

very friendly and helpful staff the grounds were well groomed ,my husband is in a wheelchair and was able to access all areas of the resort .our room was a disabled room which made our vacation stress free .when we arrived at the resort due to miscommunication we had no disabled room available but the sunwing representative looked after us and in no time there was a room available.we enjoyed ourselves met a lot of nice people if our health continues we are booking for next year.

Good times at Riu Merengue

Little ways from Puerto Plata makes this place nice and quiet. The food is good but I would add some day to day variety. The eastern part of the beach is more swiming friendly, although not a spot for snorkeling. The staff is awesome and really friendly everywhere on the resort. As far as the activities outside the resort, I suggest to use the packages sold at the resort; if you're trying to do it on your own, you will most likely ending paying more to get less. Bring some tip money!!!

Amazing Resort !!!!!

The staff was very friendly ,very good service and fast,food was great ..the grounds were very well kept,the rooms were done every day and very clean..we got there right after they had lots of rain and big winds , it kind of put a damper on the beach but all in all the next 5 days it was better ,we have no control over nature...Its a big Resort ,no problem for restaurant and bars ,everything was very close ,beach also ,great pool,we met a couple it was there 18 time there and would not change , [... read more]they said they've been to many other Resorts and they made this one there regular place..We would go back there no problem...

Decent Resort

The hotel was decent to stay at. The room was clean but a bit dated. The beds were not very comfortable. The pools and the hotel grounds are nice and clean. The restaurant serving staff and bartenders did an excellent job and were super friendly. The food was decent but I'm not a picky eater. The entertainment at night was ok... Don't think the hotel is spending lots of money on it. The front desk staff were not always accommodating. Overall about a 3.5 star hotel.