Riu Bambu

This hotel is a disgrace should not be anywhere near a 2 star too much to say all bad never ever again

This hotel definitely has more of a party vibe. Yes, there are areas where you can relax, but there aren’t a lot of them. The resort NEEEEDDDSSSS a much-needed upgrade. The rooms are VERY outdated, and there are little broken or missing things everywhere. No matter where you go, you’re likely to find something that needs fixing or replacing. The rooms are clean, but everything is just so dingy that it doesn’t always look clean. The hallways are definitely in need of some attention as well. That being said, the food was actually really good! We also stayed at Lopesan, and while Lopesan had more options, the food there was pretty bland. When it comes to taste and flavor, Bambu definitely gets my vote. This was our second trip here within 45 days, and I think that says a lot! I honestly can’t wait for the remodel in 2027. I’ll definitely be coming back after the upgrades—and honestly, I may even come back before then too! 😂

A fantastic hotel with plenty of greenery. It has a great beach and offers lots of entertainment and parties for young people. The restaurant staff are friendly. We are very pleased with the hotel and will visit again.

I don’t normally leave reviews but feel that I need to warn people about this hotel, especially if travelling from the UK. We travelled as a family of seven and recently got back from a 2 week holiday to celebrate a 40th birthday. I have travelled to lots of different countries and stayed in a range of different levels of hotels but never experienced anything as bad as this place. If you are thinking of booking I would strongly suggest that you don’t and if you have already booked, I’d look to change it. If you feel like you’re getting a good deal because it’s a bit cheaper, you’re not!! Since booking I discovered that the Riu Bambu is due to be closed for a refurbishment, we booked through TUI and were never made aware of this otherwise I would not have booked it. The hotel needs a LOT of work doing to it. It is very run down and its dirty. There are tiles missing in the pools and broken sun loungers just left around the pools. The rooms are very outdated, unsafe and smell of mould. One of our rooms had broken glass hanging out of the patio door and the other rooms Patio door didn’t even lock. After reporting this multiple times as the room was not secure they just stuck an old screw in the lock. The air con did not work properly and was very noisy. The safes kept breaking and there was only one plug socket in the rooms which was either hanging of the wall or had to be propped up, not very safe at all. We had ants all over one of the rooms and nothing was done after we reported this. I was electrocuted when I turned the bathroom light on, we reported this several times but was just left with no power for 2 days. When the manager and maintenance team did get round to looking at the electrics they had removed the ceiling lights and cement/debris was left all over the bathroom floor, sinks and toilet. We were left to clean this up ourselves to make the room safe but in the dark as they still didn’t fix anything. A couple that was around the TUI pool told us they had to move rooms as they had rats in their room, RATS!! The food and restaurants are terrible, especially the main buffet. Once you tried to get over the horrid stench that hits you as you walk in you are met with food that looked like it had sat there all day and most of it covered in flies. We tried to use the à la carte restaurant instead but this wasn’t easy - you cannot make any reservations so you either have to be at the restaurant at 6pm or spend your evening queuing up for a long time or just be told that you can’t go in. We were given a buzzer for the steak restaurant that never buzzed. While we were trying to enjoy meals in the à la carte restaurants, guests were still using the pool area after the stated closing time and playing loud music through personal speakers. There were signs stating that the pools closed at 7pm, yet staff appeared to allow people to continue regardless. I’m all for having fun on holiday but when you to relax and enjoy dinner it’s impossible here. On one occasion, I witnessed guests pulling each other’s swimming shorts off and exposing themselves and dragging each other around the pool, all in front of my daughter. This was completely inappropriate and unacceptable. They were people being carried out of the pool as they were that intoxicated they couldn’t walk all while others were trying to enjoy their evenings. It’s nothing more than a run down party hotel, not family friendly at all and if you do not speak Spanish then be prepared to be either ignored at bars or be treated disrespectfully. Myself and my daughter went to collect beach towels from the kiosk and the member of staff literally threw the towels towards us. I had requested six towels but was given five. When I pointed this out, another towel was simply thrown at me. Thankfully there was a pool and bar that is separate to the main pools that was exclusively for TUI guest. It was still very run down with tiles missing and the broken sun loungers were here too but at least it was away from the other part. They did run out of drinks though and people were told to use another bar. Like I say I don’t normally like to leave a bad review but I wouldn’t want anyone else to endure what we did. We ended up moving hotels to the Riu Palace Bavaro, which was a beautiful hotel. It had great service, lovely food and the staff were very welcoming. Rooms were lovely and modern and you would expect from a 5 star hotel too. It is definitely worth spending the extra money if you can than staying in the Riu.

We had an absolutely amazing holiday! Yes, the hotel is dated, but we already knew the upgrade was coming, so we were fully prepared for that — and honestly, it didn’t take away from our experience at all. 🌴☀️ 🧼 Cleanliness: Absolutely immaculate! Reception, the pool areas and our room were all spotless. Our room was cleaned every single day and the fridge was restocked daily too — brilliant service! ❤️ Staff: The staff genuinely made our holiday. Everyone was so friendly, welcoming and happy to see us enjoying ourselves. We never once felt unsafe and always felt well looked after. 🎉 Parties & Entertainment: Brilliant! There was a great atmosphere and plenty going on. The daytime parties were fantastic… although they were far too hot for me! 🤣☀️ The evening atmosphere was right up our street! 🍽️ Food & Restaurants: Plenty of choice for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so there was always something different to enjoy. And the steakhouse was absolutely beautiful! 🥩❤️ 🌴 Location & Views: Waking up surrounded by palm trees with the beach and Caribbean Sea right there was pretty special. You really can't beat it! 🌊🌴 Overall, we absolutely loved our stay. The hotel may be showing its age, but the cleanliness, incredible staff, atmosphere, food and location more than made up for it. We came for the Caribbean sunshine and left with some amazing memories that we'll never forget. 🇩🇴❤️ Would we come back? Absolutely! 🌴🍹