Grand Memories Varadero: Great staff....

Well.....no hot water in our rooms (3) all week. Only 2 towels all week, with no beach/pool ones. The only reasons to go to this hotel is the amazing staff. Friendly helpful and unfortunately for them held back by lousy management and a lack of supplies.

Riu Playa Blanca: Wonderful experience

This was the first all inclusive we have experienced, however it was more than we expected. The staff at the Riu was absolutely wonderful!!! The food was delicious with so many options to choose from. The entertainment was excellent. The nightly shows became a must on our "to do list" for each day. The scenery was great. The temperature was perfect. The excursions were also wonderful and we had 2 wonderful tour guides on our trips. We had the best time with the family and are extremely pleased w [... read more]ith the whole vacation.

Riu Guanacaste: Excellent food and pool

The food at the buffet was excellent, no need to go al la carte. Rooms are nice but the view was average. Resort grounds are in excellent shape. A great place to get away and do some eco-tours or just relax in the sun.

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: Great resort

The Bachata was great. The rooms were clean, the food was fantastic. The pool is huge. There are always chairs but you have to get them early in the morning. The beach is ok. You will have to wear water shoes, there is coral reef on the beach.

Riu Negril: Nice place

Newly renovated, perfect size resort. Nice clean rooms, great food, excellent entertainment team, calm ocean water, good snorkeling. The ocean floor has sea weed and sand muck in some areas. Be careful not to step on sea urchants. 2 hour drive from the airport.

Riu Merengue: Very Relaxing Resort

The grounds at the Riu Merengue were Beautiful and well groomed.I loved all the wide cobblestone walkways to and from the dining and living areas,so easy to walk on and most were shaded.There was a Great variety of foods for all meals and dining areas were very tidy and wonderful ambiance.I liked the idea that we could dine at the Riu Bachata for lunch which we did on a couple of occasions ,just a short walking distance away.

Riu Santa Fe: Second time there and it got better!

We stayed at the Riu Santa Fe from Feb 25-Mar 3 of this year. This is our second trip to this resort as we went in March 2009 and lo and behold I think the place actually got better over that period! Not that we had anything bad to say about it then but I really feel that they have even improved since then. We booked through Debbie at Trip Central, that was a flawless and easy process. There were 6 in our group and she ended up getting us right next to each other in 3 different rooms. Great work [... read more]. We have travelled extensively with Sun Wing in the past and have never had any real bad experiences other than the odd delay here and there but they do a very good job as making things go very smoothly from start to finish. I recommend doing the Elite Plus, sure it's an extra $200/couple but you avoid lines, don't have to worry about weight in luggage and typically get better seats with leg room, being a tall person it's much needed as the seats are tight. Overall: Love it. We're going back. Riu chain is fantastic and I could sit here and rattle off some complaints but I'll stick with my general vibe and that's from a very good place! Enjoy!

Sol Turquesa Beach: Best of Sand and Surf

Beautiful resort on multi levels with spectacular views. Well maintained facilities, and friendly staff. Great for walking and wandering. Daily buffet and specialty restaurants all had enjoyable food. Enjoyed a tour to Holguin City.

Riu Santa Fe: Beautiful Resort with Breathtaking Views

This hotel is amazing from the moment you arrive to the moment you leave. The staff are so friendly and go over the top to make your stay enjoyable. The rooms are average, very clean which is most important. The infinity pools and views are breath taking. The food is just okay but what are you supposed to expect when they are trying to please thousands of people. Overall this resort is fantastic and I will continue to go back.

Riu Merengue: Wonderful Resort!

I loved the time spent at this resort.Everything from the food to the amenities to the grounds were top notch. The only downside was that there were never enough chairs at the pool side,the beds were hard ( like all resorts I have been to) and the lobby at our resort(the Village Merengue) was nothing special and needed updating. Otherwise,we would definitely go back and might stay at the Bachata.

Riu Merengue: Old and run down

This resort is in dire need of a complete overhaul. Our room was always clean and done so in a timely manner. That being said it was overrun by cockroaches and mosquitos. The furniture was falling apart right in our hands. None of the drawers would work and were falling apart in our hands. The shower head was falling off the wall . There were no toiletries in the room. We couldn't even get a Kleenex. The air conditioner was more like a humidifier than an A/C unit. We have never had such poor qua [... read more]lity food in all our travels to the Caribbean including Cuba. The lowest quality and the same every meal. Smoking is a huge problem for the majority of guest who come from North America as the Europeans smoke everywhere including nonsmoking areas. One day we watched a waiter serve a guest several times in a nonsmoking area and do nothing until we called him over and complained. The beach was riddled with cigarette butts and never cleaned up. The ala Cart restaurants are not bad if you don't mind getting up at 6:30 to line up for a reservation. This is the last timeI will stay at a RIU resort.

Riu Playa Blanca: Fanama of Panama

Beautiful resort & very clean. Rooms were very nice & well stocked. Nice pools & loved the sparkling sand, even though it was extremely hot to walk on. If I had to make a suggestion, it would be to add a washroom near the pool bar.

Riu Playacar: The "Ideal Resort"

Exceptionally clean, grounds very well maintained, food was excellent....the staff are very friendly, helpful and accommodating. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Also, the resort was not too big that you had to walk long distances to the beach area or eating areas... it was also a great location as we were walking distance to Playa del Carmen to shop.

Grand Memories Varadero: Beautiful clear water beach.

Beach is nice and close to the resort and the food was good - beer was cold. The restaurants are a bit loud for those over 30. The shows were good - well the performers were great but the sound system was far too loud. We spent a second week at Playa De Oro and enjoyed the atmosphere much more.

Riu Playa Blanca: Nice Resort

The hotel and grounds were amazing. It was very clean and the staff were nice. The weather is hot and sunny every day and I mean hot!! The beach was nice looking, but of course you have the darker sand but there was a red flag up every day so you couldn't go in the ocean. There were alot of jelly fish, friends went on a banana boat and when they fell into the water, they were stung by jelly fish, they were all around them. The food was very good and the specialty restaurants were good too, espec [... read more]ially the steak house. There definitely could be more entertainment during the day. We were a little bored as we like to keep busy. All in all, it was a good resort.

Riu Palace Antillas: Over rated

This is not a five star hotel. The rooms are very tired and in need of renovation. We had to ask for something to put on the bed as it was so hard you could feel the springs at the side of the bed. They fixed this with a quilted cover which improved it. The service was excellent as far as towels and replenishment of bar etc. Beach had a portion of it with sharp shards in it so sandals a must. Also lots of cigarette buts. Beware to there is no smoking policy here. You can smoke anywhere. The food [... read more] was just ok. I have to eat gluten free and it was very difficult as nothing is labelled and the staff are not trained as to what is in the food. The restaurants have to be reserved and there isnot much choice in them and again with my allergy it was very hard to eat. We did eat off the property. Few nights and they were excellent with my dietary requirements. The pools and the sea and weather were beautiful no question but we will look for either another island or an alternate vacation propery in aruba.

Sol Turquesa Beach: Not impressed

We had no hot water for the whole time we were at this resort....Beds were very hard and outdated....light in shower did not work the whole time we were there, we asked for them to fix it and they said they did but it never worked

Riu Santa Fe: Awesome Holiday !!

We just got back from a week here on Feb 29..was an awesome resort ! Very large, if you stay in 7 you have a long walk to the lobby and buffet, but the steak house was close and had very good food. Found it was quite the party place, lots of young adults, not easy to get room in the swim up bar pools. Very nice beach, although you cant swim in the ocean here. We went on some very nice excursions. Large variety of food each day, but every day had the same choices. Our room was classed as oceanvie [... read more]w, and if you leaned over the balcony, you could see a bit of the ocean. We were a party of 3 adults, and found the room a little small for us, and not really set up for that many adults. Lots of closet space, and bathroom was nice. Minibar was good :) Good location as far as getting to Cabo downtown, and to the marina, was a short cab ride. Go to Cabo Wabo !!!

Grand Memories Varadero: resort was nice

went with a group of 4. Pools where nice and clean, bedrooms were good for 4 star. Food was bland but we brought our own spices. Grounds we nice. Gym was too small and 2 machines were not working and should be removed. Snack bar workers were always very rude to everyone no just us. Pool bar workers were very efficient and cordial. Lounge bar excellent drinks and service but expected to be tiped. Coffee area was excellent. Did not wait long to register. 6:30 sungwing flight that we paid extra to  [... read more]leave was delayed till 4 hence missing one full day so out of pocket 200 bucks. Why book an extra plane if ther are not enough sold tickets? No impressed. People we have have paid 1050 and booked one month ago. We paid 1260 plus missed one day. Likely will book on our own next time. Tripcentral agent was good.

Riu Palace Paradise Island: Amazing Resort and Excellent Service

Although it's an older hotel, it's very clean, the rooms are nicely renovated, the food is amazing, the service is great, the beach is clean, it's literally steps to Atlantis. Most of the guests are with couples or older.