Riu Republica

Just returned Oct 20,2024. Food was excellent and always well stocked. We'll not return. Ocean always rough and limited swimming or sports. This is a pool party hotel with lots of loud music all day & excess drinking/drunks/drugs. Room keys failed many times, elevators worked most times,& pool bars substandard. Internet was amazing but don't try calling reception they will not answer-good luck in an emergency. [Details]

The Hotel itself is beautiful. Food amazing. Rooms lovely. Staff can't do enough for you. My only complaint. You allow smoking EVERYWHERE!!! There is no escaping it! They even smoke in the pool it's horrible! It's like you cater to smokers and none smokers have no rights! [Details]

Stayed at many RIU resorts, for a newer resort only 8 yrs old, pretty run down, majority of elevators were not working, room AC barley keeps up, restrooms around resort an not up kept, food was below par for a RIU, A la carte restaurants were good, buffet not really, staff was pleasent, over all poor experience for us.. [Details]

overall the resort was a really nice place to go to. the food was really bad. the beach needed a little clean up and the beach vendors were really annoying would not take no for an answer. all the parties and shows were good. needed more activities for a regular day when not partying [Details]

Overall decent, staff was friendly and helpful. Food was ok, drinks where ok, however if you asked for a certain drink the bartenders went out of their way to make it with what they had available. [Details]

There are many things to like about this resort. Our favorite things about this immaculate resort include the quiet pool, the food, and the proximity of our room to the restaurants, the pool, and the beach. The staff were excellent.

The resort is not really intended for seniors 60 as it is known as the party resort. The guests are mostly much younger than us, I would estimate most were in their 30's and 40's and maybe 50's. While waiting for our check-in, we were advised by other (younger) guests in line to ask for a quiet room. So we did ask for a quiet room, and we did find that it was quiet. It was a great suggestion. There were a few self-important guests who felt the need to be very noisy in the middle of the night. This was not the resort's fault of course.

We loved our quiet room being located next to the 24-hour sports bar where we could get lovely hot coffee/cinnamon rolls early in the morning before going for our big breakfast.

We enjoyed the food. The buffets for lunch were given lots of options. We only took our suppers at the a la carte's. Only 2 of the al-a-carte restaurants were full table service. All the others were specialized serve-yourself buffets. Asian, Italian, etc. We tried them all and preferred the table service restaurants for the true restaurant style.

The quiet pool did not have its own music, but it was easy to hear music from the two pools on either side of us. It was just right for us. There were lots of lounge chairs. We never did see anyone looking for a chair. The pools were sparkling clean and not very busy at all.

We found the transportation to and from the airport took a long time because it was picking up from several resorts. The bus arrived at the airport at the same time as other buses carrying passengers on our carrier's 10 flights that afternoon. If you do the math, you can just imagine how long the lineups were. Next time I would take private transport and arrive a little earlier. This resort's advertising claims that they include airport transportation, but this resort does not.

We did enjoy our time there but don't think we will return to this place. [Details]

Our experience was beyond our expectations the quality of the food was great and the entertaintement was unbelievable. The water park added a thrill to the resort. We had an amazing week and would go back anytime. This resort had people of all ages but be ready to party! Ordering water without being called out is impossible here! The mimosas are being offered as early as 7am. This was a great resort as we are 25 year olds. We enjoyed the party some days and were able to relax other days. We highly recommend the riu republica! [Details]

Everything was great, as advertised! Service was great, food was great, atmosphere was great! Clean surroundings, jerk chicken is a must (at the beach). I'd book again! [Details]

Very good resort
Beach
Food
Accommodations
Personal [Details]

there is only one electric socket and one USB connection in the room. The use of bleach for floor cleaning. [Details]

Overall a good impression, good place if you enjoy party scene. [Details]

Very disappointed [Details]

The rooms were clean, but the hotel is dirty, food is cold, they didn't clean the beach area, no security at beach and beach sellers overrun the hotel guest.

In 2017 I had a great two week vacation at this hotel. Now that it's twice as big it's really gone down hill. [Details]

When we first arrived in our room, there wasnt much lol Our room had a musty smell, like water was laying around, but seeing that we are surrounded by the ocean and pools we figured we'd let it slide. We sometimes didnt have water and we sometimes didnt have very hot water for showers, now i am a very picky person, but the room was not at all bad! We had free pop, water and liquor in our room, the staff refill it every 2 days. But when we'd see the guy id always ask for a coke or pepsi and he always gave us some. We spent most of our time out of the room. The lobby and other surrounding areas were great, always staff cleaning floors, washrooms, garbage etc. We only ate at the buffet. I once seen staff checking temperatures in the food, that pleased me. They really went all out to make sure the food was perfect and the buffet was clean and neat. I dont think the tables are overly clean, once one couple or group get up to leave, they dont clean the tables with spray and a cloth, they wipe stuff off by brushing their hand over it and place the next napkin and cutlery down lol [Details]

I was quite disappointed with my visit to the Riu Republica this time. I last went in Feb 2017 when it was practically brand. It's only been 7 years and the neglect is very obvious. I attached photos from our room.

The electrical plugs in the room (and I was told, throughout the resort) were horrible! I was lucky that the plug for my CPAP machine (used for sleeping) worked after fiddling and fiddling with it. I had called down to request assistance 3 times. When they didn't come (they thought I was calling about the ice machine!), I hung up. I also called for the bathroom plug which wouldn't hold a charge. Their resolution was to put an elastic band around the faceplate to hold the plug into the socket (see photo). It didn't work.

The bed and bathrooms had the barest of necessities. I had to ask for additional pillows which were practically the size of postage stamps! Despite requesting a sheet change in the manner the hotel requested (leave the sheet change card on the bed), our sheets were not changed. I had to ask that it be done by writing a note in Spanish. Also, there were no face cloths. I had to call down for them and when they were soiled and removed during cleaning the next day, new face cloths were not left. I, again, wrote a note to the room attendant in Spanish to leave face cloths but none were left. I had to call down to the desk. We were missing a floor/shower towel on one occasion and had to use one (of two) of our hand towels.

There was also missing furniture.

The food was very good; large selection, fresh produce, well prepared (most of the time). There was definitely something for everyone.

The ice-based cocktails were awful. It seemed that no matter what you ordered, it was made with one of three slushie mixes. Yuck! And, no two were the same.

The general cleanliness of the hotel has also declined.

The people/staff were, as always, very polite. I honestly think they're doing the best that they can with what they've been provided by corporate. [Details]

Check in was smooth, got the room we wanted. A few small issues with the room, but nothing significant. Food was good, service EXCELLENT, especially breakfast at Mangu where server Daniel always paid close attention to his guests with warmth and care. All restaurants were good, food could be hotter. Entertainment was good, drinks were good (real juice would be a nice addition to available mixes). We opted to not do excursions so all of our time was spent at resort. [Details]

My boyfriend and I had a fun time at Riu Republica BUT we were hoping to relax a little more than the resort allowed for. There was American music playing at the main party pool by the ocean all day long. The "quiet" pool beside it was therefore never quiet. The "Latin Music" pool with the Ola swim up pool bar did have nice Spanish music but it was often overshadowed by the loud American music coming from all the way across the resort. We had a good time but would not return. Our advice is to spend a bit more money and go to a better adults-only resort. This is really a place for single 18 year olds - not couples in their early 30s as we are.

Pros:
- Delicious food! Everything was so tasty and they provided a great variety of buffet options across all of the restaurants. It was also nice to not have to reserve the restaurants - they were first come first served (except the Quesqueya steakhouse)
- Water slides!!
- Beautiful swimming pools
- Incredible nightly resort entertainment including dance productions and a magic show
- Super fun daily Aquafit in the main pool with the best and funniest instructor!
- We lucked out and had incredible weather the entire trip so we were very lucky!
- The White Party was a BLAST! Great DJ and amazing decorations
- The resort, restaurants and the rooms were clean

Cons:
- The ocean was wavy the entire week and the beach was filled with washed up seaweed which the staff never cleaned up. Therefore, we didn't get to swim in the ocean at all because it was too dirty. The red caution flag was up the full week.
- This is known as a "Party Resort" yet you have to shuttle bus to the "Main Riu Resort area" to attend two of the three big weekly parties
- The rooms are not great quality - more of a 4 star than 5 star. Basic, simple rooms with two double beds
- Filthy swim up pool bars. You can tell people spend the whole day there and pee in the pools. As a result, the pools at the swim up bars are murky and you can barely see to the bottom. We avoided the swim up bars so we wouldn't get sick
- Some staff are very kind, but many of them acted bothered by the guests and it was often uncomfortable asking for anything when dining

Pro Tip
- Make sure to prioritize getting your towel first thing in the morning because they go fast and they do not replenish enough to serve the whole resort. So, if you're too late, you don't get a towel that day. [Details]

I've been to this resort 3 times pre Covid and it was so great, that's why I continued to come back. This was my first return there since Covid and it was nothing like how it was before. Beach towels are constantly gone so you have no towel to use if you don't get up at 8 am. The rooms cleaners barely clean or provide you with all the stuff you need. Our sheets and pillows were dirty when we arrived. Our toilet was actually broken (like the knob was hanging from a thread) and took a while to have them switch rooms for us, on that note getting in touch with front desk is nearly impossible. It's so busy they don't answer the phone so you're better off walking there which sucks if your room is far.

Food: subpar at best. Stick with omelettes and bacon for breakfast.

Cleanliness in the resort: not the greatest, the pools constantly have dirt floating in it. It's pretty nasty.

Service: amazing. The workers are great and really go above and beyond to make you feel good.

This is a full party resort now. There used to be a good blend but not anymore it's catered to young partiers so the luxury part is MIA. When I went in 2018, servers walked around pool side with a platter of fruit. This time. No

Drinks: liquid is watered down, juice is super sweet and gross

Wifi: great, never had connection problems.

Beach: very crowded. Get there early

Overall: 6/10 - won't be going back again. Only giving it a 6 because it was my first trip since Covid and it's a blessing to be able to travel but it's not luxury anymore and had I known this I would have spent my $1500 at CHIC and just spent the extra $200-300 there knowing it's higher quality. [Details]

The hotel was huge but really modern and very beautiful, at our arrival we were greeted warmly by the reception when they were told that my wife had a knee replacement surgery they upgraded our room to near the pool and beach and provided us with a wheel chair for all our stay.The food was very good and the choice was amazing , we would highly recommend this hotel . [Details]

This hotel is for the younger crowd that loves to party. The food was the only downside. Ate at the sit-down restaurants most nights to avoid the buffet. If you care more about having a good time partying all day rather than the quality of food, then this place is for you. [Details]

When you arrive at this Hotel anytime before 3 pm (local Time) be prepared to not have your room ready. The Check-in process took over an hour and then was asked to come back after 3 pm to get your room key. I would recommend that you have a change of clothes in a carry-on so that you are comfortable waiting around in the lobby. Guest service is friendly but we approach them 4 times on 3 different days for our A/C not cooling down the room and Maintenace always came up with a lame excuse that A/C will start to bring the temperature down by 1 degree every hour. Our room which was 3041 never got down to 25 degrees.

As for the restaurants, the food was average at most of the establishments. I definitely would not consider this restore to being 5 or even 4 stars. I would rank this hotel more like a 3.5 Star at best. The breakfast hot station was not very good. I was never able to get eggs done the way I prefer. When I ask they point me to eggs already sitting there I decide to just walk away.

The Bar staff was friendly but if you didn't tip it would take so much longer to get a drink. This hotel is very large and the entertainment was really awful. One of the worst I have been to in several hotels I stayed at Punta Cana

One of the best things this hotel has is the Beach and the Wi-Fi. One of the best Wi-Fi coverage I ever had was also free. [Details]

A few things to mention:
PROs:
* Very clean campus/site;
* Bars everywhere (and the alcohol is not watered down
* Service at bars is above average, and most batenders are fun;
* Pool animation is mainly reserved for the party pool (beside beach entrance);
* Plenty of "quieter" pools;
* Large site (also in my CONs);
* Excellent beach and plenty of chairs;
* Good towel system;

CONs:
* Large site - 8 minute walk to beach from farthest building;
* Restaurant service below minimum to low (quality);
* Avoid shopping trips...not worth it. Either too expensive, or filled with crooks (Punta Blanca, Blue Mall, etc);
* Food medium to below average;
* One restaurant was closed every night (cycled through all the restaurants available);
* Rooms need TLC (at least for #3 and #4 buildings);
* Workers don't seem to care about guests, as they were mowing the lawn in front of my room at 7am!;
* Average age of guests is 40 years old (so, yes, a patry crowd);

CONCLUSION:
The site itself is wonderful. The beach is one of the best I've been to, other than Cuba, but better in PuCa. The room I was in (#3 and #4 buildings) are not 5 stars. 3.5 at the most. They are really in dire need of renovations, but lack the "look" and layout of true 5-star exclusivity. I deplore that not all restaurants were opened (as stated, they cycled a closure every night). Chances of me returning to it is 3/5. [Details]

Hotel is very basic its not a 4.5 start more like a 3 star experience.
The food was also not AMAZING it was manageable for a 5 day stay.
Staff were friendly, and the hotel itself was clean. [Details]

Room exceptionally clean, pools great, nightly entertainment , beach very windy no huts for shade , no À la cart even though they say there is it is still pick up your own food except one spot and limited option there not fancy [Details]

The hotel itself is nothing special. It's massive, so we had to walk sooo much to get to our room that was on one side of the hotel, and the beach was on the complete opposite side.

Aside from that, our room was very average. The mirror was rusty and the sheets are very low quality. But the room itself is a comfortable size and the cleaning ladies clean it every day properly.

As I mentioned in the title, you should only go here for the fun. The entertainment is amazing, shows are alright but the parties are great. You will meet tons of new people if you go at the right times.

The food is VERY average. I mean every single food was low quality. Ketchup, salami, eggs, burgers, fries, salad, fruits, jusses, you name it, everything tastes like the cheapest quality they could get their hands on. And all you eat is buffets. No A la cartes even though they say there is, which was disappointing.

The service was alright. We asked for more towels to the room and never got it. Also, the window of the shower was leaking water, and when we asked them to come clean it, they took more than one hour and did a very poor and fast job.

Overall, go here to have fun but definitely don't expect luxury. [Details]

Great stay.

Some minor issues: beach flag was always red throughout our 8 days stay with very large waves, room card did stop working once - we got it replaced with no issues, masks not enforced in the gym and parties 24/7 - so a bit of music and drunk people passing by was frequent all night. [Details]

13/12/21-20/12/13
Overall an excellent hotel, with friendly staff who know what they are doing and always make sure guest are okay. Wonderful amenities at this resort! [Details]

Food was good lots of variety, could be hotter. All but two of the ala carts we're actually buffet. Three swim up bars but we didn't use the party pool one. Shout out to the two bartenders Tomas and Jonathon great service. We went to the sports bar every night shout out to Juan, great service. We were there for two weeks and really never watched the evening shows, watched sports instead. Shout out to Rosy and Stephanie who worked at the back of the buffet. Always had our coffee in the morning and wine in the afternoon waiting for us. We had Rafael as the main entertainment guy. He was amazingly friendly, funny and engaging. About the only bad thing I can say is that the resort was 50% Russian. Some we met were nice but too many were rude and demanding. They also rarely tipped. We met lots of friendly people from all over. [Details]

Staff was super friendly and helpful [Details]

The room was clean and well kept. Staff was always helpful and friendly [Details]