Riu Guanacaste: Amazing Resort! Riu Guanagaste- Liberia

The lobby..foyer was beautiful! Staff was great...pool and swim up bar fantastic! The entertainment was great In the evening ..must have hired professionals! Rooms were very nice and the food was great at the buffet...great coffee omelettes.....desserts! The Italian restaurant and steak house were great too!

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: good resort!

Pretty good resort! Entertainment its great, food gets boring, restaurants are average. The beach seems to be nice. Lots of people and lots of chairs. Be sure to wake up early to get a spot at the pool, people tend to place there "towel" on chairs to save them as early as 6 am

Riu Santa Fe: Impressive but too big

Mega resort. If you have mobility issues, might be a problem as only one building has elevators. If you are on the 4th top floor, you can except to ascend 9 sets of stairs. this fo-called 5 star resort ran out of sparking wine for Mimosa by mid week, pecans for the breakfast cereal bar also disappeared. There is no junior suites at this resort. The beds are actually 3/4 and pushed together to form a king size bed. Lounge chairs in high demand during reading week. Beaches has little beach umbrell [... read more]as and again chairs you had to claim by 8 am or you were out of luck. A la carte restaurants good, food tasty and service impeccable. Area to watch for are uneven cement around the pool ( I fell hard). Lighting poor at night time, so be mindful.

Sol Turquesa Beach: Much to improve

Nice resort, pool area very nice, a lot of space and chairs, entertainment sub par, food redundant and bland. Nice rooms, staff rude, food rationed. Had 3 bad days of weather and the staff was invisible. Beach nice when cleaned, had 2 days of dirty beach.

Riu Guanacaste: Absolutely Amazing

This hotel is an amazing place to vacation as a couple or as a family. It has everything to offer!! Day to night pool activities, a casino, a disco, a show nightly for the kids and then one for the adults, tennis courts, basketball, pool and beach volleyball, scuba lessons in the pool, aerobics, paddle boats, kayaks, jet ski's The service was excellent the pools were amazing the restaurants had you begging to go back for more!

Riu Tequila: Perfect holiday at the Riu Tequila

This hotel is everything you want, it's amazing! Not one bad thing to say about this place. The food, the drinks, the staff And it is ery clean. Would go back in a heartbeat!!! Excellent resort!! We loved it!

Grand Memories Varadero: Just Wonderful

We were at the Riu Varadero Feb.17-24/15. We had two days of cold weather but the rest of the vacation was wonderful. We stayed in the Deluxe section of the hotel and just loved it. Our room was great and the cleaning staff were so friendly. We had three big water bottles in our room at all times. My daughter and her husband were return guests to the Riu so they were treated to one of the biggest suites they had at no extra charge. What a surprise, they were tickled pink. There was never any sho [... read more]rtage of food. I was so worried before we left because I am a picky eater. We ate at both of the buffets and all of the restaurants, they were all simply irresistible. No one had any complaints. The pool boy was great, as soon as he saw us in the morning he brought us cushions. We had brought with us a half dozen baseballs and gave them to him and he was just so greatful. I left gifts every morning on our bed, I gave gifts to the servers around the pool and the servers in the restaurants. They were all greatful. The grounds were kept up and so lovely. The entertainment that was provided in the evenings was great. I have been to two other islands and the entertainment at the Riu was the best. Thanks also to TripCentral for arranging the vacation.

Riu Palace Costa Rica: Wonderful resort

The resort was beautiful, spotlessly clean and very well looked after. The staff were extremely pleasant and helpful. Our room looked out into the forest where we watched and listened to the monkeys and the tropical birds such as parrots. Internet connections in the room was sometimes spotty and the resort was about a 45 minute drive from the airport. The entertainment each night was very enjoyable although a bit amateurish. We really enjoyed our time there and will definitely return.

Sol Turquesa Beach: Very enjoyable resort

The grounds we're well maintained, staff was friendly, resort was clean, the food was good, enjoyed the daily entertainment, was a little disappointed that the bar did not serve Mojitos until the last day of my trip...

Riu Palace Paradise Island: It was all good!!!!

Despite all the bad reviews we have read on line lately ... It was all good. So relax folks!!! The room was nice, the water was hot and clean, the staff was friendly, the food was good, lots of premium booze and the beach was fantastic. Remember ... This is a 3 star hotel ... For that I give them 2 thumbs up. Ramon, our Sunwing rep was fantastic. He was at the hotel from morning til night. He was extremely friendly and helpful!!! He was at the airport when we arrived at 10 pm ... And was there a [... read more]gain when we left at 8 am!!! We would not go back to this Riu because we prefer the quieter resorts but we definitely book thru Sunwing again.

Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas: Lovely

We just returned from a one week vacation to this resort, the grounds and service are impeccable. The food is generally quite good and there is a lot to choose from. My favorite was having the pasta made fresh to your liking, and it was delicious. The steak at the steakhouse was excellent as long as you ordered the fillet. We did not love the Japanese,however we do not eat sushi. The mexican was decent and the view from here is outstanding. At lunch though the mexican restaurant turns into a wal [... read more]k in Italian and it was very good. On the downside, the rooms really need some updating, even at least the curtains and bedding, our first room was definitely musty and I coughed the first two nights. We moved to a higher floor closer the the activity pool and it was a lot better. Same decor but I never coughed again. We would go back , the service is amazing, and the wait staff are kind and hard working.

Sol Turquesa Beach: A resort with a special character

I loved the grounds. The rooms are ok housekeeping kept them clean on a daily basis. Lots of activities. Paddle boats, catamarans,aquavit .the freshly baked fish and the fresh fruit was delicious there was a large variety food an always filled up..the staff was friendly and always ready for you. There were more than 850 people at the resort, and we did not eel overly crowded.

Riu Santa Fe: The best all inclusive I ever been to

Absolutely fantastic,what a gem in western Mexico.From staff to grounds,from food to drinks,from beach to huge pools-PERFECTION PERFECTION PERFECTION !!! I had the time of my live there,very pleasurable stay.I would recommend this to anybody.Would definitely come back there in no time.

Riu Guanacaste: Amazing resort

The resort grounds were kept immaculate especially for the number of people using the resort. The proximity to the beach was great. Each of the staff encountered were personable, pleasant and helpful.

Riu Ocho Rios: Nice but not a 5 star

This is an older hotel , but well kept. I personal don't have any complaints with the exception of external noise which came from off property. The room are neat , but dated and house keeping was regular. Premium Liquor was only found at the deluxe pool bar which I found strange and you needed to ask for it. Staff were friendly and polite .Nice beach, unfortunately we did not have the greatest weather , 1 day of sunshine out of 5, Feb 18-23, One more thing, the transportation from the airport to [... read more] the resort needs to be improved upon, 2.5 hour travel with a 1 hour wait at the airport once we arrived. Only 1.5 hour travel from resort to airport ?

Riu Palace Antillas: NOT A 5 STAR!

If you have never been to an adult only 5 star resort then you probably wouldn’t know any better.... however, after staying at Excellence Riviera Cancun & Punta Cana, Secrets Wild Orchid for the past number of years, this hotel was not the standard we have become accustomed to for a similar price point. It is really a hotel masquerading as a resort. The biggest positives have nothing to do with the Riu – consistent high temperatures, hot sunny days, great walkable beach, warm ocean water, bo [... read more]ardwalk(safe at night), beautiful sunsets. These positives helped to make up for the lack of 5 star qualities. Hotel positives: Strong Wifi that reaches the pool & beach area. Cappuccino Bar & 24 hr self serve food & drink area. The self serve coffee machine (coffee, cappuccino, decaf, hot chocolate) was better than the coffee in the restaurants. Wine, beer, alcohol also available here. Due to a delayed flight, we arrived at close to midnight and appreciated the drinks & sandwiches. Clean rooms & hotel premises. Comfortable beds. Refrigerator in room. Piano player in lobby. Rum punch upon arrival. Smiling, friendly staff. Strong a/c in rooms. Soundproof rooms - Never heard any noise from neighbours or from hallway. Breakfast buffet – lots of variety; fresh; cooking stations. Lunch - 2 buffet types of restaurants available – one indoors & one semi-outdoors. You can sit in either & get food from either. Good variety of food choices that varied from day to day. Great salads! Lots of seafood. Chaise lounges – never had a problem getting 6 lounges together at the pool under a retractable canopy. Lots of available shade in the pool area (which is needed because the sun is so intense). Pool towel service was never a problem. There was never a line up in the morning or late afternoon when towels were being returned. Pool temperature was perfect. One afternoon, jello shots were served. Another afternoon, kitchen staff brought around cups of ice cream. Pool bar service was good. Daytime activities: some activities were visibly available – darts, bocce ball, bean bag toss, water aerobics (also not the best I have experienced) Even numbered hotel rooms have the best view – pool and ocean. Odd numbered rooms look out at the Riu Palace but if you look to the left, you can also see the ocean. Reasonably priced store on lower level of hotel. Mexican & Italian restaurant: great appetizer buffet prior to ordering your entree. Entrees were okay. Fusion Restaurant – ok. Good desserts which included a liqueur. Steakhouse -men could wear shorts as it was semi-outdoors. Lobster was FANTASTIC. Steak was very tasty–the best we have had in the Carribbean. Good Caesar salad. Ate there twice as we felt it was the tastiest restaurant with the best semi-outdoor atmosphere. Good service. Relaxing meal. Never felt rushed. Hotel Negatives: Rooms – plain hotel room and furniture – nothing wrong with it – but not as nice and atmospheric as the other resorts we have stayed in. 6 of us travelled together– in 3 rooms-all rooms were fine–no smells, no mustiness. We were told that our room was a “partially renovated room”- that meant new granite in the bathroom, maybe a fresh coat of paint – hard to tell. Things missing in the room: no clock; no pen or paper; toiletries were NOT replaced once used up; no WINE in the room bar; no snacks in the room bar; no order form for room service. Lobby – Small Bar area, hard to find a seat & only open until midnight. Lobby chairs – some are incredibly uncomfortable (made for giants with long legs) A la carte Restaurants - a HORRIBLE method of reserving. Unless you had read about the process on trip advisor, you would have no idea of the procedure involved in making dinner reservations as nowhere did anyone inform you of this process at check in, nor in the information sheet given to you at check in. The longest lineups waiting to make reservations were at 8 a.m. We would go around 9 a.m. and were able to get into all the restaurants we wanted and twice to the steakhouse. You have to be flexible as to which restaurant is available. 6.30 was the more difficult time to get a reservation. They allow you to make 2 reservations within 3 days. If you have a group of people, you will need all the room numbers. Once the reservation lady writes your name and room numbers on her list, she gives you a small piece of paper confirming the date, which restaurant and for how many people. You have to give this paper to the greeter when you arrive at the restaurant. Dinner seatings are only 6.30 & 9 p.m. & at each meal there were empty tables. It is difficult to understand why they won’t let people walk in and eat to fill up the tables. Only wine and beer is served in the restaurants. Alcoholic drinks were not available. Also very odd – pinot grigio was only available in the Italian restaurant & nowhere else in the resort that we could find. Mexican, Italian & fusion food was ok. The waiters totally rushed us in the Mexican & Italian–we were in & out in less that 1 hr15 mins. Breakfast Buffet Restaurant – good food & lots of variety. An indoor cafeteria like atmosphere. Definately lacked atmosphere. Needed some music as all you could hear were dishes clanging. A small area available that was outdoors (surrounded by cement) Buffet for dinner - each night had a different theme – theme was posted outside the door on the day of. If you asked at the front desk, they could tell you the themes for the entire week. Perhaps this information should be shared & posted somewhere, so that you could organize yourself with which buffet theme you would like to attend. Poor Communication: Poor signage explaining where things are located. (One sign outside of the breakfast buffet listed the times the restaurants and bars were open until) No signage telling about the daily activites. (yet we noticed there was a board like this next door at the Riu Palace). Hotel information sheet given at check in did not address all things that would make your stay helpful. No daily activity sheet. Only one sheet was given upon check in which listed things for the entire week. We found a lot of it to be not correct. Trip advisor comments had said you could go and eat next door at the Riu Palace. We went there to find out that as of a month ago, we were no longer able to make reservations at their a la carte restaurants, but only could use their buffets. Theatre Bar - completely out of the way of foot traffic. It took us 2 days to find this theatre (which is just past the breakfast buffet room). This room also lacks the Carribbean atmosphere. The chairs are very uncomfortable. It feels like you are inside a steel structure despite the fact that a portion of the long rectangular room had no roof and one side of the room was also open. Night Entertainment – probably the absolute WORST night time theatre entertainment we have seen in the past 7 years of going to 5 star resorts. Musical bands were decent enough but were not completely live – used prerecorded music and even singers. They needed to be playing in a warmer atmosphere in a more central location of the hotel where people may walk by and maybe stay for a bit. Music at Pool area -2 totally different music systems playing 2 totally different types of music. If you were sitting in between, you couldn’t really tell what music was playing from which system – it all meshed together. The best music was one afternoon when a 3 piece band played out by the pool and in between their taped music was played. Unfortunately, this only occurred once during the entire week. No air mattresses allowed in the pool. No hooks on public women’s bathroom doors to hang purses, towels, beach bags. (Floors always wet in pool area). No waiter service at Beach (probably because it is a public beach). Very poor waiter service around pool. Not enough waiters for the number of people; but bar service was good. No drink of the day. Only 1 type of beer available – Balushi. If you wanted a hut on the beach you needed to be lined up by 5.45 a.m. waiting for the beach attendants to open up for service at 6 a.m.(It was still dark at this time!!) 5 Elevators - some waiting at prime time.(lots of new granite around the elevators). Casino - very smoky! Turn down night service meant “closing the curtains”. Sunday night beach party had live music and a bar. Lack of decorations to set the mood. Luckily we were walking by so we saw it happening. People from the Riu Palace taking up space around pool, bar in Riu Antillas. Communication of front desk staff - We were trying to arrange a late check out as we didn’t need to leave the hotel until 6.30 p.m. We had tried to call the hotel prior to arrival, but could only get through to a general Riu customer service line who told me to ask upon our arrival. I e-mailed the hotel 10 days before arrival, & received an e-mail back that said to request the late check out when we arrived. Upon arrival, the front desk person told us to come back 3-4 days prior to departure to make that arrangement. 3 days before departure, front person told us to come back the morning of departure between 7 and 9 a.m. At midnite,(the night before departure),front desk person took my name & room no. said they would write it into the orange book –no problem–1st hr free and then $20/hr for however long we wanted & to come back in the morning before 9 a.m. to reconfirm the arrangements. At 7.45 a.m. on the morning of departure, front person told me it was absolutely impossible – no rooms available and my name was NOT in the orange book. 2 different managers came out to deal with our request & with a lot of haggling, were given a later checkout. Inconsistent customer service replies

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: Great Resort

The Resort grounds were well kept and public areas as well. We really enjoyed our room and the view. Food was very tasty. The wifi could have been better. The nightly shows were very enjoyable and the interaction with the audience made it even better. Great time, with no snow.

Riu Bambu: Good Value - Amazing Beach

Just returned from this lovely resort. Punta Cana has an exceptional beach and the Riu Bambu has one of the best locations. Some of the other resorts were experiencing some sea weed issues but the Bambu seemed to have little to none. The beach is fantastic, you can always find a lounger but we would head down in the morning and put our towels on our desired spot. The resort is very nice, it is well maintained and the staff are very friendly and helpful. My only complaint would be the smoking – [... read more] people smoke EVERYWHERE and as a non-smoker it can be quite overwhelming. The food is fine, you can always find something to eat however, AVOID the steakhouse. It is absolutely awful verging on inedible. We would return to this hotel.

Riu Santa Fe: Nice hotel

Nice, but we noticed a bit of shabbiness in our bottom floor room and on the grounds. It felt like a nice resort that is aging. I have to give credit, though. We expected worse, after a terrible hurricane shredded the area just four months prior, and caused flooding throughout the entire resort. There was barely any sign of the damage this resort incurred. These poor people must have worked around the clock for months, to restore it all. We enjoyed our stay, and our every need was seen to....no  [... read more]complaints from us!

Riu Bambu: Great holiday

Just got back from two weeks at the RIU Bambu and had a wonderful time. Our room was very clean and comfortable. The food was very good and the staff were very friendly. The grounds are beautiful and everything is immaculate.