Riu Palace Bavaro

We stayed from Feb 18 to the 28th 2024. All the people that worked there are very friendly and helpful except for one person who works the front desk.

On Feb 25 at 1:30 in the afternoon I went back up to my room and as I was walking towards the room there was a couple coming out of my room. They were told the room was going to be empty that day and they were looking at it as they wanted to move rooms. My cards did not open the door and this strange couple had to let me into the room. After they left the phone rang and it was a lady at the front desk telling me I had to leave that day as they needed the room. I told her we were there until the 28th. She told me my check out was the 25th. I went down to the desk and showed her my paperwork with my departure date being Feb 28th. I had to go back to the front desk three times and it still wasn't straightened out. They tried to blame my travel agent and then they said it was Sunwings fault. The next morning I went to the Sunwing representative at the resort and told him the situation. I went back to the front desk after lunch that day and was told everything was ok. I asked what happened and was told their reservation desk did not give the right departure date. They did not once say they were sorry. Also, during this time they cut off my internet and I then had to go back to the front desk to get it restored.

I did not like the fact that they let strangers into our room and then blame other people for their mistake. [Details]

The hotel was impressively clean, staff very friendly, food at the buffet was your regular buffet style food but good. The evening entertainment was just okay as there was not much variety, was pretty much the same each night.
Overall my husband and I loved our stay and would go back. [Details]

I recently stayed at this resort where the overall experience left much to be desired. The food quality was disappointing, with an excessively high salt content that overshadowed any attempt at flavor. The eggs were notably horrible, and the fruits lacked any discernible taste. The dining choices were limited and fell short of expectations.

On top of that, the night activities for kids were not only terrible but also incredibly boring. It seemed like there was a lack of effort in creating engaging entertainment options for younger guests. Moreover, I couldn't help but notice that the staff's friendliness was directly tied to receiving tips. Without incentives, their demeanor became noticeably less accommodating.

In summary, while the resort may have some redeeming qualities, the subpar food quality, unimpressive dining choices, lackluster kids' activities, and conditional friendliness of the staff make it a less-than-ideal destination for those seeking a truly enjoyable vacation experience. [Details]

Huge resort. Great service by everyone at the resort. Had our best meals at the Steak house and at the Japanese restaurant. Plenty of long chairs around the pool area. Huge room. Bed was firm and very comfortable. RIU party was amazing and a must. Entertainment, both during the day and at night was not very good. Keep away from Italian restaurant...portion we're very small and not very tasty. We waited 15 minutes for our dessert, that never came. Staff seemed to be very disorganized at that restaurant. Would we go back to this resort? Unlikely, would spend a bit more for a better overall experience. [Details]

Thought I had booked a room in the quiet Villa Section, was placed in the hotel section upon arrival initially. I found there to be a lot of hallway noise amplified by the long corridors and many families on the go. Issue was resolved somewhat through my onsite rep, the nice friendly folks at the front desk, and guest services. Food was great, grounds and gardens were immaculate, pools were very nice, beach excellent with lots of space between loungers and lots of palm trees on the beach, nightly entertainment was very good. Not many Riu resorts with caribbean/tropical style pools though. Other Riu resorts have migrated to square/rectangular style pool similar to what you would find at your local aquatic center in Canada. Glad I chose this resort over the others. The disco was open however they played mostly Spanish music and the drinks were extra. A better balance of both North American music and Spanish music would have been more ideal and pleasing to the guests of the resort. Bathroom is somewhat open - not sure if the layout would be ideal for families. Still a great resort and I had a relaxing time after the room change. I will strongly consider returning here. [Details]

We had a great time!!! Great Service done by nice people. Beach amazing!! Good Food [Details]

Beautiful and very clean. Lots activities for kids and adult. Food great, variety options. [Details]

About us: We travel the Caribbean quite a bit and this is our 8th RIU experience. This resort is a solid 5 star.

Beach: Bavaro beach is great / huge, plenty of chairs and shade if required. Any seaweed is taken care of first thing in the morning.

Food: Some was amazing but overall very good. For those that complain...people what do you eat at home??

Rooms(VIP): beautiful, a modern theme and spotless.

Drinks: Good, nothing high end but solid choice of international brands.

The service: Overall amazing. Sure, when staying at a resort for a week you may have 1 or 2 interactions that aren't great but overall this staff tries very hard to accommodate and the Dominican people in general are very happy / pleasant people.

VIP Pool: This is one area I think may need some improvement!!!

There are three pools at this resort, 1) the main activity pool where kids are having a blast and its loud. This also includes the adult party pool which indeed it is every day from 10:30 am to close, an all out party.

2) the quite pool which is exactly that and rarely used. I seen a max of 2 couples using it all week at one time.

3) The VIP Pool and my bone of contention. We, like many others chose the VIP section to be away from the young kids on our holiday as ours are older now..... but we also like to party a little and prefer not to get in the cesspool where people drink for hours upon hours and no one gets out,,,,and the music is thumping all day. You get my drift!!
The VIP pool is beautiful, swim up bar and large speaker system yet the entire time we were there the music was kept at a minimum. Anytime, it was raised the older clientele would complain and it would be turned very low again. I thought we paid VIP for a kid free experience, not for a cemetery pool experience as many began to call this pool. After all, there was an empty quite pool 200 feet away that the older folks could have slept and read their books by all day without killing the vibe by the VIP section.

The staff should set the tome at this pool and any that want to sleep or read quietly should be directed to the 2nd pool. It's a waste of a facility now and the VIP pool is signing up for a very quiet holiday. [Details]

No bellboy to greet or help with the luggage, you must carry your luggage from the bus drop off to inside the hotel. I had to place my own stickers on the suitcases. I was then given a map and told to go for something to eat because the room was not ready. When I returned I was given room keys and told the suitcases would follow shortly. 45 minutes later I phoned and was told that they would arrive shortly.
“no internet connection” is the only message you get when you try to logon, when you ask they tell you that a new supplier has taken all the old system down and that the new system will work by the end of next month (do not believe the Riu site that tells you that they have WI-FI and that bathrobe & slippers in the room) clean beach towels are available at 8 AM and you can not bring your beach towel to your room, it must be turned in every afternoon. No bar service on the beach. This is a great place but certainly not what it is being marketed for and certainly not in the same league as the Paradisus or the Royalton
Cons:
So no bathrobes, no evening towel service, no bellhop when you arrive from airport, no secure or even segregated area for luggage until room is ready, no bar service on the beach, no internet other than lobby, no fresh beach towel until 8 AM, no privacy bathroom/bedroom, no help finding your room, terrible service at outside sitting area by main buffet, in all fairness it has been raining a lot so I suppose they require a lot of sitting area by the main buffet but the tables are now so close to one another that it is almost impossible to walk to your table with your meal.
Pros:
Good looking lobby, food, chefs and cooks go out of their way to please the customers, one of the nicest buffet I have seen in North America, beach, plenty of beach chairs, red wine (legitimo) is excellent for a resort, Wi-Fi signal in the lobby is quite strong. [Details]

The hotel it self is immaculate, the workers are constantly cleaning the grounds all day. The room it self was cleaned twice a day. When we arrived we mentioned that we were on our honeymoon and our travel agent notified them as well before we arrived but we were put a jr suite that was very very far and inconvenient from the main pool and the rest of the amenities. We were in the main building with our balcony facing a pool but what we learned from another family from Toronto is that we have to pay extra to access those pools which is VIP and get an orange braclet. So even though they have 3 pools you can only access the main pool without the VIP braclet. And the pools close at 7 pm. We probably would have gotten it but apparently everyone was offered the upgrade accept for us and we only learned about the VIP option with 3 days left. The champagne was only given half way through our stay and that was only with the help of the Nexsus rep speaking to the front desk. Everyone on there honeymoon we met staying at any of the RIU's was not given a room upgrade and we're having many of the same issues as us. The wifi almost never worked and when it did we constantly had to log in. The beach was spectacular but it's not private so many locals will continue to come up to you trying to entertain you or sell you items. The a la crate restaurants were pretty horrible. Especially the Geisha restaurant. The best was the Italian restaurant but one is closed each day. Almost everyday at one of the a la carte restaurants many people would walk out after the main course or would only get half way through the menu and leave. The excursions were great, the Seona Island was too long on the catamaran burning all day. And the excursion was a full 12 hours. The Seaquarium was a half day but far more fun and entertaining. The staff at the resort including the front desk, the restaurant, the cleaning ladies were all fabulous. There is a different show every night but other than that there is no night life unless you want to pay to go Coco Bongo (It's like a Vegas show) night club but we heard it's about $70 USD. I have to say the greatest help was our Nexsus Sunwing Rep at our hotel Aneudy. If I travel again I will definitely use Sunwing again just because of the rep. From everything from excursions, help with front desk or any other issues he really went out of his way to help us. If a bus was late he knew the drivers numbers and would call to see where they were. I recommend to anyone if they are having any issues while traveling with Sunwing to speak to you're Nexsus rep. Overall the hotel is very clean but is way too massive and to me is not meant for a honeymoon. We will definitely travel to the Dominican Republic again but may try another resort next time. For the price we paid I think it was not worth the value. [Details]

Great in every way, staff, beach, food, animation. Beautiful beach, plenty of beach chairs under palm trees. Buffet very good, plenty to eat, good variety of fish and meats. Initially given room above theater...very noisy, kindly upgraded to vip section the next morning, free !! Coco Chanel and animation group were very entertaining and pleasant. We tried the Steak House and Krystal restaurant, highly recommended. They serve good red wine exclusively at the Krystal. Nightly live music before and after the theater show...I can go on and on, will definitely go back. [Details]

Hotel was quite good. Language could be a challenge. When you need english you can find someone to help. The rest of the time, it can be worked out.
Food in a la carte were never really served what I consider meal temperature. More like room temperature. Didn't starve but there were few pleasant surprises when it came to food.
Hotel staff were outstanding. In fact, I would say very very few exceptions. [Details]

We arrived about 830pm on a Saturday and were promptly checked in and taken to our room (VIP Adults Only Villa). The buffet was open until 10pm and we quickly changed into summer clothes and went there. The food was fantastic!
The staff could not have been nicer, the room spotless and very cool decor. The entire resort is very modern and funky. The lobby is bright and marble with contemporary furniture. Not a tropical feeling but cool nonetheless.
We tried 3 ala carte's, the Italian, the Steakhouse and the Krystal. The Italian was excellent as was the Krystal. The steakhouse had excellent salad and grilled chicken. The steak left a lot to be desired but I have yet to hear of a good steak in the Caribbean. Even guests at other properties were saying the Steakhouse was terrible at their resorts too.
The beach is beautiful but there had to be 50,000 people walking on it at any given time. You are constantly dodging around people while walking. They have had some terrible storms that have caused erosion but if you go in front of the Riu Bambu it's better.

Too pool is fantastic ~ both the adults and family pool. We spent the majority of our time at the Adults Only pool with the swim up bar and the bed loungers ~ it was heavenly. Sebastian and Carlos are the bar tenders and there were awesome. Filling our Bubba's and making perfect drinks. Never expected a tip at all.

The entertainment was okay ~ 3 out of 7 nights had fun stuff going on ~ the other nights it was mediocre. Michael Jackson show was excellent, Karaoke was hilarious as was the Newlywed Game ......... Sexy Cocoa is one of the animacion staff and he was all that and more! LOL

My biggest concern is the wet tile when it rains......it is downright dangerous......I saw many many people fall (myself included) and for elderly people that is a real concern. The tiles from the rooms to the restaurants and stage area is unbelievably slippery....

I can't wait to go back ~ it was everything I hoped for and more :) [Details]

Style. This is a magnificent modern hotel built with taste. Good architecture. Whereas Riu Palace Punta Cana is a sample of a bad taste (in fact of absence of any taste), Riu Palace Bavaro has its style and sticks to it not just in architecture but in sculptures, paintings, decoration and furniture. The resort is not too big (you should not travel from your room to the lobby by a commuter train) and not too small (enough space for walking). I believe this is the optimal size for such type of a resort.

The hotel staff is very nice. Friendly and lovely Dominical people. A very good service.

Rooms. Rooms are comfortable and rather big, with the standard set of pops and strong drinks (vodka, rum, gin, whisky). The beds are good but I'd prefer softer pillows. There is a jacuzzi separating the room and the bathroom. We never tried using it. I think the water pressure at the top (3-rd) store is not strong enough. Sometimes it's a bit too weak even for the shower, especially in the daytime. (Although we did not have any real problems with water). No problems with toilet as well, but push the flush button strongly! We had two sinks outside the shower cabin. I called them Good Cop and Bad Cop. While the first one gave a calm and even stream, the second one spat and shouted on us. Well, it is convenient to have sinks separated from the bathroom but there is no hope that you do not awake your partner using them at night. (And the latch of the bathroom door is too loud as well).
Room cleaning is perfect. (By the way, the whole resort is extremely clean).
There is a shampoo jar at the wall of the shower cabin. The shampoo is cheap; it might be better. (Although the conditioner and body lotion are good). The button on the jar doles out exactly one drop of shampoo. You can get the next drop only couple minutes later. So just raise the jar's lid and take as much of the shampoo as you need!

Beach. The beach is good. A lot of beach loungers. No need to catch them at 5 am. Shadow might be a problem. No palapases, just palm trees, big and small. The palm grove is not thick enough. There is much more shadow in Riu Macao, just because their palm grove is much better. The sand is great (as everywhere in Punta Cana). The shore is even, although at Macao it is better. The water is a bit murky (again, as everywhere in Punta Cana). A lot of seaweed but it did not impede swimming. In any case, for snorkeling and scuba diving you should take a boat and go to a reef. We never observed too big waves. The ocean is caressing in Punta Cana!
The beach towels are fairly good... Not too big, not too new. Attention, lack of towels! Although officially the towel kiosk works at least until 6 pm, you cannot change the towels after 5 pm. They just do not have them after 5 pm.

Food. The food in the buffet is excellent. I think everyone can find something which is good for him. Wines are good as well, but they are better in a la carte restaurants. There are 4 a la carte restaurants. All are good. We would recommend Geisha. This is a Japanese restaurant but without traditional show of fire and cooking in the presence of the visitors. Just exquisite Japanese dishes. Not big portions but really tasty. Another one is Cristal. Try there sea-bass! Tayno is just a steak house. Nothing special. The fourth is an Italian. (Traditional Italian cuisine. Not bad).
Massage on the beach. My wife tried it... Well, we think that massage should be performed by specialists, not by young girls slightly caressing your shoulders.

Entertainment. Evening shows are really good and professionally made. Excellent dancers and singers. And you must listen the concerts of their violinist. (Once or twice per week, before and after the show). The violinist is a great musician from Warsaw. Some other musical groups play as well, but nothing prominent. And no piano in the whole resort.
There are entertainments for kids and traditional games on the beach.

Wi-Fi. Poor. Do not expect that you will be able chat, surf, and skype from your room or from the beach. Well, sometimes when you are lucky... The connection in the lobby is better.

Drawbacks. The first one is smoking. The second one is smoking. And the third one is smoking as well. There are a lot of visitors from Europe, particularly from Germany. (As far as I know, in Germany it is considered unbecoming to appear in a public place without a cigarette in the mouth). Of course the resort managers do not want to lose European clients and do not forbid smoking in open or semi-open premises (bars, restaurants, entertainment areas). And a German resort Sensimar stands side by side with Riu Palace Bavaro. Sometimes we even felt smell of pot.
And so called "island time". The bus carrying you back to the airport usually comes to the hotel 15-20 minutes after the settled time. So no rush! [Details]

We had a great time. Will definitely be back! [Details]

I used the review section to help make my decision on where to go this winter, so i thought i'd leave one back. Overall, it was a great vacation and I would recommend the resort if you're in Punta Cana. The food was excellent, the staff was friendly, the hotel was nice. The beach is world class. As for downsides; there are nicer Riu Palaces out there, but that's not something you can blame on anyone. Would i go back? Punta Cana, yes, this resort, no. There are simply too many options out there for a last minute $4k trip and nothing that hooked me to justify it. Hope this helps. [Details]

Nice resort, access to the other resorts was allowed, however it seemed as though the restaurants and food was essentially the same. Great staff. Lovely beach. Exceptional weather. Nightly entertainment was fun and entertaining! Watch the vendors up the beach, they are quite aggressive, same deals can be found at the resort. Bring sun screen, as it is quite expensive to purchase there and storage is questionable. [Details]

This hotel is the one to go to. [Details]

This is probably the best resort we have been to in Punta Cana. The room and grounds are modern and well maintained (airco actually worked!) with a long stretch of white sandy beach. We were surprised by how good the food was - most days the buffet was even better than the a la cartes. Service was genuinely friendly. Would highly recommend this resort. Book in the VIP section for access to the quiet pool (no kids). [Details]

Beautiful hotel with the best customer service I have ever had (14th trip to DR). The staff are amazing and the resort is above average. I have never encountered so many beach/pool chairs, you could find one anytime. This place is a must stay. [Details]

I booked this 5 star resort for comfort. Service was good. Hotel looked great. My biggest issue is that no bar fridge in any rooms work.
How can you be rated a 5 star resort and have fridges in rooms not working. [Details]

Riu Palace Bavaro was a really great place to stay. Service was excellent especially the cleaning staff who made every day special to Normelly who started each morning with a great smile. Room was perfectly maintained, food was excellent and the champagne was wonderful. [Details]

This hotel was below my expectations as a Riu I expected more. Drinks were watered down and they could not make drinks taste like they should?
We got hotel credits that we could not use as there was a catch for everything. All the desserts were the same...mousse and more mousse! Lots of great fruit! [Details]

The specialty restaurants were not very good so after going twice we opted for the buffet. Also we like to be on the beach but we were disappointd because there was no bar service there. If you were on the beach there were no washrooms close enough ...you had to walk to the restaurant to go. I expected more from a Riu. The drinks at the swimup bar were good but at night in the theatre they would often forget to add the liquor to them. I don't think that my husband and I would go back to that Riu. [Details]

Beyond Expectations.
Nice rooms/Good service/Excellent food/
Very friendly waiters at all locations. [Details]

iT IS A BEAUTIFUL RESORT AND THE SERVICE OF THE STAFF WERE AMAZING IN EVERY AREA OF THE RESORT . THE ROOMS ARE VERY CLEAN AND SPACIOUS AND NICELY DECORATED AS WELL AS THE REST OF THE RESORT VERY NICE AND MODERN DECORATED. I STRONGLY RECOMEND THIS RESORT. THE BEACH IS CLEAN AND THE WATER IS CLEAN AS WELL. [Details]

The hotel was more we expected. We had a junior suite and for 2 night our hot up had been filled with salt and bubble for us. Room was very comfortable and always immaculate, as well as entertainment always had some activities and show for us to enjoy to glass of wine or champagne. Wi-fi access was available everywhere on the complex. [Details]

I absolutely enjoyed this resort. [Details]

This was our first time at a RIU anywhere to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. The hotel is lovely - modern décor and colour on a grand scale. Food in buffet restaurants and Krystal is excellent with great variety and presentation but other specialty restaurants disappointing. Beach, as always in Arena Gorda Bavaro is great - long for walking, soft powder sand, deep water with sandy bottom good for adult swimming but not small children - not shallow at all. Hotel entertainment activities at pool broadcast loudly ALL DAY LONG making beach and pool uncomfortable for those who just wanted some relaxation and peace. Rooms are ultra modern - stark with open bathroom to room - at least toilet is in a separate WC. Whirlpool tub a big bonus - so nice after a hot sticky day at the beach. Staff very helpful and courteous, and service at bars, beach and café very good - always ready to take a drink order. Café in main lobby with specialty coffee and ice cream etc. a bonus. Evening entertainment professional with some exceptions and kids pre-show was mostly fun for all. Pool was too small and crowded, especially pool bar - the biggest drawback as the pool could not be used for swimming or lounging, because of crowds, size and noise - partly from entertainment activities. An adults only pool is sorely needed, as is a pastry chef as desserts all made of sweetened whipped hydrogenated oil and gelatin. Wi-Fi everywhere was very nice - bring your devices! Water sports limited availability and equipment and a long way down the beach. Group party was disruptive. [Details]

I wasn't expecting alot because I have been to Punta Cana before but never to this hotel. I decided to give it another chance since I loved the beach but hated the resort. Im glad I did! [Details]