Excellent Resort

At first presentation it was all we could have hoped for, we arrived late and grounds stunned us so well kept and clean, Room air conditioning was cooled for the humidity upon arrival. Location was perfect steps from Ocean or Pool, and staff we exceptional. Food quality was excellent. We will definitely be back to this resort.

Fantastic Getaway

This Resort was amazing ,, beaches were gorgeous,, staff bend backward to make u feel like u are in a adream ..Food was above & beyond .. Activities were constant and very cheerful.. Would go back again no hesitations..

Unforgettable Resort

Amazing resort, staff was great the resort was very close to the beach, rooms were clean, fridge was stocked up everyday. Sports bar had the all the games and was open 24hrs. Would come back again and will recommend to my friends and family, thank you trip central

Riu Palace Bavarro , Punta Cana

Just returned from the Dominican Republic where I stayed with a friend at the Riu Palace Bavarro ( June 5th - 12th /2018 ). I have been there a few times prior to this visit and once again , was not disappointed. The hotel is kept immaculately clean, rooms freshened up daily, always lots of fresh towels each day. Staff always had a cheerful greeting each morning to guests. Only real negative thing I would have to say is that the food in the buffet could have been warmer. When the food was [... read more] prepared at a station ie: pasta or omelet the food was fine. I noticed that the a la carte restaurants never seemed to be filled to capacity so not sure if that was an indication of what the food was like or not. The buffet did offer a wide range of food choices, so picky eaters could still find something that would agree with them. I also visited the other Riu hotels on the complex and did find that they had gone thru major renovations to bring them up to the Riu level one would expect. One , the Riu Palace Punta Cana was closed for reno's so did not get a chance to see inside that one but did notice they are expanding towards the beach area. I took a walk down the beach to visit the Riu Republica ( adults only ) and found it to be more of a young persons resort as it seemed to cater to the under 50 group. The hotel is set back quite a ways from the beach which is located behind a large sand dune. There are two main buildings set a fair distance apart. I spoke with a number of guests while having a drink and got a mix bag of responses. The hotel is new so going thru the early growing stages. Overall, the week was great and would have no qualms about going back. Big plus, the hotel is 20 minutes from the airport.

Disappointed

Staff: mostly nice untill u get to the buffet and it gets worse when you stop giving tips. Beach: beautiful but dirty and no waiters.my wife found a big Peace of broken glass sticking out of the sand. The pools: cigarette butts all over the place no one cleans up. People spitting all over the place disgusting. The other restaurants on the resort I would give it 2.5 out of 10 my wife and my buddy's wife both got food poisoning and my buddy got a little sick. The only store on the resort: Do n [... read more]ot buy anything from there the workers overcharge and pocket the rest it's rediculous. The Rooms: so dirty our sink wouldn't work. No air fan in the washroom. No blankets just a very thin and very very cheap blanket knockoff.

Riu Palace Bavaro, Punta Cana

About 20 minutes from Punta Cana airport. This resort is in great condition. No signs of any hurricane damage from this past fall (2017). Easy check in at front reception with friendly staff. Access to Sunwing rep in lounge was always easy for planning excursions. Food was good at the buffet and multiple restaurants. WIFI is exceptionally good at this resort. It is free everywhere on the resort and in the rooms. There is a small fitness centre in the spa if you want to work out. Bavaro beach [... read more] has beautiful white sand and you can walk for miles.The closest casino opens at 7pm but is so small it is not worth going to. All in all a great vacation location.

Awesome Resort

Room was very nice and clean. Always had a well stocked fridge, bottled water and fresh towels. Grounds are amazing and clean. Three different pool areas and gorgeous beach with plenty of chairs for everyone. Food at the buffet was always good and steakhouse was awesome. Staff is very pleasant and friendly. Thanks to Kevin Dupuis from Trip Central for helping us with all details to make this a wonderful trip. Would definitely go back.

Great vacation in Dominican

Stayed at the RIU Palace Bavaro July 16-20th. Bus ride from the airport was only 30 minutes, and when we arrived we had a very easy check in process. We were upgraded to the VIP section. Our room was very spacious and clean. Walk to the pool, beach & restaurants was very short, as the resort is not large. Food was really good. Service was good. Only ate at the buffet restaurants as the other restaurants have a lot of fish & seafood on the menus (which didn't appeal to us). Bars were good [... read more], enjoyed the coffee bar in the lobby - they served good coffee and soft serve ice cream. We went to the shows each night and they were not the best shows we have seen but they were entertaining. Beach was nice, not overly crowed and could always find a beach chair (same for pool but it was a bit more crowded). Only complaint about the beach was all the seaweed. I did see them out clearing it one day but they could certainly do it more frequently. Overall really liked the resort.

Riu Palace Bavaro

We had a 1 week stay at the Riu Palace Bavaro, Punta Cana Dominican Republic. We found the resort very well appointed. Rooms were updated, clean, spacious and modern. The food was very good, with lots of selection on the daily buffet. The restaurants were okay, but we found we had a few picky eaters and they prefered the options the buffet provided. The resort pools and beach front were very nice and clean, and ample beach front with plenty of shade from the numerous palm trees. The bar co [... read more]uld of had more premium liquor options, but otherwise there was plenty of selection of beverages. The evening shows were entertaining and the day activities were just right if you wanted to participate.

Good resort

The food and service was very good, the hotel rooms were clean, the beachfront was spectacular. Not many activities/games took place during the day - other resorts appeared much more lively. Entertainment at night was ok.

Beautiful spot!

Great place to stay. The rooms are very clean , and towels and sheets changed daily. The variety of food was amazing. If you couldn't find something you liked ! , I would be amazed. The staff were really friendly and helpful. The beach was heaven. I would recommend this resort to all of my friends and family.

Amazing beach holiday

The hotel is great, rooms are well kept and nightly entertainment is fantastic. Some nights restaurants were closed without explanation. There were no reservations of the restaurants that were open so you show up and take your chances. This is s very poor arrangement. As a long time RIU member I prefer reservations.

Fantastic Resort!

Had a great vacation at the RIU Palace Bavaro! The food was amazing, the resort was very clean and the rooms were modern and big. We travelled with 3 teenage children and they also had a great time. We will return to this hotel.

Decent resort with not great food

The resort did not live up to what I expected from a Riu. Appearance wise the resort looks beautiful but lacks a in a lot of other areas. From any other resort I've been the a la cartes have always had the better food here the buffet was better as all the other reviews say. Our room key didn't work more than 7 times, each time we had to go all the way to the lobby so that they could send someone to fix it. Another time our safe wouldn't open. Someone came and fixed it but the same thing happened [... read more] again the following day which led to it having to be broken. The manager, Roberto I believe was very helpful and helped us quite a bit. The other thing that they may want to stop doing is putting flowers on the beds and scattered in the room. Everyday we would find numerous ants crawling around the flowers. It's a nice touch but when it brings so many bugs into the room maybe another approach should be taken. The sports bar is very nice for the only problem being people constantly smoking. We had to go early so that we wouldn't be exposed to as much second hand smoke. The shows in the evening were amazing! Definitely one of the best shows I've seen at any resort. The beach had a lot of seaweed making it hard for anyone to go into the water. Not sure if it was the time of season or if it happens all the time. Overall I would not recommend this resort to anyone not worth the money.

Good, but not great

Stayed at the Riu Bavaro 7 days, entertainment in the day and at night was great. Room key did not work on 7 occasions, had to make the long walk to the lobby to get keys changed, similar issue w/safe.

Nice Place

Very nicely kept resort!Not very big so it is easy to get around;the staff is very friendly and do an excellent job at trying to accommodate their guests.The food is somewhat limited in choice though.

Not worth the money!

Beach was nice,pools were dirty,the resort was small so easy to get around.Service was mediocre,entertainment staff is pleasant.Shows were good.Food is terrible,rooms are terrible.Wine and beverages were terrible.Too expensive for what is offered.Place needs a refacing.Difficulty getting internet access and phone access.Staff does not speak enough english.Definitely not a 5 star as rated.

Not all Riu's are created equal

We have stayed at several Riu Palace's and this is by far not up too the standards that it should be. The food was exactly the same day after day. The beach was none existant in front of our hotel, just hugh boulders trying to stop tge errosion. The rating of the location really should be dropped down because there is no way it should have a 5 or 4.5 star or palace rating. Be careful just because it says it is on Bavaro beach doesn't mean the location is good. We made this mistake. We have staye [... read more]d at Barcelo Bavaro beach 5+ time and the beach is beautiful so we assumed that it would be just as beautiful.....you know what they say about assuming! !!!!!!!

Nice modern resort.

We enjoyed our stay at the Riu Palace Bavaro. The good points include the room - great air conditioning, very clean, great maid service, beds a bit firm, but good. The jacuzzi tub was comfortable. The bar service was well run in the entertainment area. The servers were very friendly and efficient. The food had a good variety at the buffets all meals including lunch. The service at the a la carte restaurants was not very friendly. Our best service was at the Steakhouse. We went twice. We always t [... read more]ip and perhaps many guest do not and perhaps that is why the service seemed unfriendly at the a al carte restaurants. VIP section was nice, but not much special treatment other than our adult only pool. Should have had more waiter service dedication. Bar should have stayed open in the evening the same as the Sensimar section. I heard this section was primarily for the Europeans. Or they could have allowed the VIP people to access the pool bar in the evening. The coffee bar should open at 8 am rather than 10 am. The front desk personnel were very friendly as well as our towel/pool attendants in all areas. Overall, we would recommend this resort.

Riu palac barvaro

Clean, well kept grounds Good service at front desk and at a-la-cart restaurants Maid service was inconsistent (se days they came early and did a great job, other days they didn't come until dinner and did a half fast job) Service in buffet was also inconsistent (great service some days, at some meals we were not even served water--at one of these occasions the wait staff were arguing for a tip left at a table instead of serving us) Food was good, wide selection of drinks both alcoholic and non  [... read more]alcoholic