Riu Bambu

This resort was great! The service was excellent. All the serves went above and beyond to make our stay unforgettable. My friends and I truly enjoyed our stay in Riu Bambu.

I recently returned from an 11-night stay at RIU Bambu, Punta Cana, travelling with my family, including our young child. Airport Our experience at Punta Cana Airport was unfortunately a disappointing start to the holiday. Our flight from the UK was delayed by around 30–45 minutes. After landing, we entered passport control where there were two queues - one to the left and one to the right. Airport staff directed passengers where to go, so naturally we followed their instructions. What they didn't explain was that the left-hand side includes self-service passport kiosks and moves much faster, whereas the right-hand side is manual passport control only. Once we had joined the queue, we weren't allowed to move across to the quicker line. We ended up waiting for around two hours just to clear passport control. After an 8-9 hour flight, with no air conditioning or ceiling fans operating, this was far from the ideal start to our holiday. When we eventually reached baggage reclaim, our luggage had already been removed from the conveyor belt and left on the floor because the next flight's bags were already coming through. Before leaving the airport, there was yet another queue to put all luggage, including hand baggage, through an X-ray machine. Once outside, you're immediately approached by numerous people offering luggage assistance, taxis and excursions. As we were travelling with TUI, we simply ignored these approaches and followed the TUI signs to our transfer. Hotel Check-in Unfortunately, our arrival experience continued at the hotel. I joined the check-in queue while my family waited nearby. The queue continued to grow, and I waited around 90 minutes before reaching reception. At one point, a member of staff advised that only one person from each group needed to remain in the queue while the rest of the family could go to the bar for a drink. However, when my family tried to do this, they were refused service because they hadn't yet been issued with wristbands. Once we reached reception, the check-in process itself was also very slow. The receptionist repeatedly disappeared into the back office for long periods without explaining what was happening, leaving us wondering if there was a problem. Room After such a long journey and check-in, we were relieved to finally reach our room. Before travelling, I had specifically requested a room that wasn't on the ground floor, but we were initially allocated one on the ground level. On entering the room, it looked untidy, and we immediately spotted a cockroach crawling across the floor. I returned straight to reception where I was helped by Mario, who was absolutely excellent. He offered us another room in the same block but on an upper floor. He even suggested we view it first because he wanted us to check whether we were happy with the air conditioning noise, which he explained can be noticeable. The air conditioning wasn't an issue at all, so we happily accepted the room change. Mario's customer service was exceptional, and my family and I were extremely grateful for his help. We stayed in Block 9, which is aimed at families and is directly opposite the private TUI area. Our room overlooked the beach and the Atlantic Ocean, providing a beautiful view every morning. Overall, the room was good with no major issues. Like many hotels, there are areas that could benefit from refurbishment, but we don't spend much time in the room anyway. The bed was huge and very comfortable. We also had a sofa bed, wardrobe with hangers, ironing board and iron, and a safe. The minibar is included within the all-inclusive package and was stocked with Sprite, Pepsi, Presidente beer, tonic water and sparkling water. The bathroom featured a very spacious walk-in shower with twin sinks outside. There was also a TV - although most channels weren't in English, we found both a movie channel and a children's channel in English. The balcony was a good size, with two chairs, a table and built-in drying lines. Pools The hotel has several swimming pools, so there's plenty of choice depending on the atmosphere you're looking for. As TUI guests, we had access to the exclusive TUI pool and bar. However, we preferred spending our time around the main activity pools. The two main pools are lively, with music, organised activities and bars nearby. One has an adults-only swim-up bar, while the other hosts water games and entertainment throughout the day. There's another pool towards the rear of the resort with its own pool bar, although we didn't use this one. The pools we used were all very clean and well maintained. During our stay, one of the pools closed temporarily one afternoon for chemical treatment, and we saw other pools undergoing similar maintenance on different days, which was reassuring. Sunbeds One of the best surprises was the availability of sunbeds. Unlike many resorts where people reserve beds before sunrise, we never struggled to find somewhere to sit. Even around 9am there were still plenty available. There were a handful of guests reserving beds early, but it wasn't widespread and never caused an issue. Beach The beach is literally a 30-second walk from the main pools. The sand is clean, soft and beautiful. Although many people think of Punta Cana as the Caribbean, this stretch is actually on the Atlantic Ocean. There was some seaweed during our stay, but staff worked continuously throughout the day using tractors to remove it. Compared with previous Caribbean holidays we've had, it really wasn't excessive. The beach is private to the hotel, although independent sellers do walk along offering excursions and souvenirs. As always, just use your own judgement if you decide to purchase anything. Bars There are plenty of bars spread throughout the resort. The main pool area has both a swim-up bar and another shaded bar nearby. There's another bar behind the theatre, a sports bar with air conditioning (perfect for cooling down), the exclusive TUI bar, and another beside the quieter pool. Drinks are also available from the snack restaurant. Service was generally quick, and the staff were fantastic - always smiling, dancing and creating a fun atmosphere while serving guests. Restaurants There are six à la carte restaurants, none of which require reservations. They operate on a first-come, first-served basis and generally open between 6:00pm and 6:30pm. We only visited the Asian restaurant, which we really enjoyed. The BBQ chicken wings were especially delicious. Most evenings we ate in the main buffet. The food was generally good. Like many all-inclusive resorts, there is some repetition with staples such as burgers, hot dogs, chicken and pork. However, there were also different themed dishes each evening along with an excellent seafood selection. Vegetarians are well catered for with vegetable noodles, curries, pasta dishes and vegetables in various sauces. There's also a clearly labelled gluten-free section. For lunch, we alternated between the main buffet and the snack restaurant. The snack restaurant offers a smaller selection but is much quieter, whereas the main buffet has a far greater variety. Breakfast is served in the main buffet and, although the selection is largely the same each day, the variety is so extensive that we rarely chose the same breakfast twice. Options include cereals, oatmeal, cooked breakfasts, numerous egg choices, fresh fruit, pastries, pancakes, churros, doughnuts, muffins, cookies and much more. There are two made-to-order omelette stations. The only criticism here is that each station has two cooking hobs but staff generally only use one. Cooking two omelettes simultaneously would significantly reduce waiting times, as I sometimes queued for around 20 minutes. Staff The staff throughout the hotel work incredibly hard. Everyone was friendly, welcoming and always smiling. A special thank you goes to: Farias (Main Buffet) – He served us throughout our stay and quickly got to know our family. Every day he greeted us with a smile, high-fives and fist bumps for our little one. He genuinely cared about making our meals enjoyable and worked incredibly hard. If RIU reads these reviews, I hope they recognise him for the fantastic employee he is. Farias, if you happen to read this, we're the family of three from England who took a photo with you on our final breakfast. Edralina & Kermin – Always friendly, smiling and attentive whenever we saw them. Mario (Reception) – Thank you again for resolving our room issue so quickly on our first evening. Your professionalism and customer service made a huge difference to our holiday. All-Inclusive Drinks There's an extensive drinks menu available, which you can access easily by scanning the QR code through the RIU app. Presidente is the beer served throughout the hotel. There's also a good selection of wines, spirits, cocktails and mocktails, along with a featured cocktail each day. My personal favourite was the Passion Tequila cocktail. Although I didn't visit myself, several guests mentioned that one of the neighbouring RIU hotels also served Budweiser, Heineken and Stella Artois alongside Presidente. Excursions We only booked one excursion - Saona Island - through TUI, choosing their Exclusive Tour rather than the standard version. Although it costs more, we felt it was worth every penny. TUI has its own private section of the island, which is much quieter than the areas used by other tour operators. You also spend longer on the island. The day began with a catamaran cruise featuring two snorkelling stops where we saw plenty of fish, starfish and even stingrays. Throughout the journey there were drinks, snacks, music and dancing. Lunch and unlimited drinks were provided on the island. My only criticism, which I passed on to TUI, was that once everyone had collected their food, the serving stations were packed away immediately, so seconds weren't possible. Drinks were also served in very small plastic cups. After spending a couple of relaxing hours on the beach, we returned by speedboat, again with music and drinks. It's a long day, but absolutely worth it to experience such a beautiful place. Would We Return? Absolutely. Despite the frustrating arrival experience at both the airport and hotel, we genuinely loved our stay at RIU Bambu. The beautiful location, excellent staff, clean facilities and relaxed atmosphere made for a fantastic family holiday. Thank you to everyone who helped make our holiday so enjoyable. We hope to return again in the future.

Rooms outdated air not working in 1st room gave us new room and the fridge didn't work, food is horrible so bad my husband was worried I would get sick from not eating,fixtures around lights all rusted and dresser drawers all broken,stains all over floor

Fui con toda mi familia occupants 4 habiataciones, desde el primer dia el aire acondicionado de dos habiataciones no funcionaba los tecnicos fueron varias veces pero solo lograron mejorar una habiatacion la otra ninca enfrio con una bebe de 6 meses que tuve que mudar al cuarto de mis padres pq yo me pase toda la estancia sin poder dormir llamando e iendo a receptionist para que hicieran algo los tecnicos Ivan y venian y no buscaro nunca otra solucion no disfrute nada la estancia pq estaba cansada al no poder dormir. Me dijeron que escribiera una queja a Espana que es donde estan las oficinas de RIO y me propusieron como compensation una estancia de una noche para dos personas, algo mas que ridiculo e ilogico el hotel esta viejo los enchufles de corriente no sirven ni los telefono para ser un hotel con esos precios te Forman a reservar mas de 3 noches para vivir una pesadilla. I stayed with my entire family, occupying four rooms. From day one, the air conditioning in two of the rooms wasn't working; technicians came several times but only managed to fix one room—the other never cooled down. I had to move my six-month-old baby to my parents' room because I spent the whole stay unable to sleep, constantly calling and going to reception to get something done. The technicians kept coming and going but never found a real solution. I didn't enjoy the stay at all because I was exhausted from the lack of sleep. They told me to write a complaint to Spain—where RIO's offices are located—and offered a one-night stay for two people as compensation, which is completely ridiculous and illogical. The hotel is old; the power outlets don't work, and neither do the phones. For a hotel with those prices, they force you to book at least three nights just to experience a nightmare.

I already knew not to expect much based on the reviews and the amount of money that was spent on the trip. What sold me on this location was that when you read all the information on the resorts. It stated that we would be able to use the other RIUs around us. But we were told that we were not allowed to go into other RIUs even though the people that were staying at the other RIU resorts could come to our resort. So when we decided to try to go into the other RIU resorts The waiting staff told us we couldn't use their restaurants and that we couldn't use the bars and that we couldn't even get anything to eat. I feel that was a lie that was used at time of booking and that should be rectified.