Riu Palace Bavaro

Overall, I had a wonderful time at RIU. The staff was very nice (especially Valentin y Ozuna at the buffet) and welcoming, also very helpful; from reception, cleaning services, wait staff and bartenders. The beach was lovely and for the most part relaxing; there are a lot of vendors walking around selling things like bracelets and massages. My favorite was the Dominican food (Yuca fries, plantains, empanadas) for lunch. The cons were the room service if you are not VIP was not the best. The fruit depending on the time you order room service is very bland and cut way too early (received watermelon that was mostly white and not close to being ripe), the turkey club was very minimal and the chips that come with them were always stale no matter the time ordered. The nachos were also stale with cold cheese on the side. Our room also had a lot of ants, so we had to ensure that any snacks or left over room service was stored in the fridge or else there would be ants all over the counters. Room service was the one thing I was excited about, as the previous RIU hotel we stayed in did not offer room service; but the room service was subpar but did the job if everything else was closed for the night. Our shower in the room also had issues draining, so there were a few occasions that the water overflowed if more than one shower was needed back to back. Other than most of the room/room service cons, my friends and I had a great stay. Would return in the future.

Great experience, amazing parties, great people and probably the best beach I’ve ever been to 🏝️- I fully recommend

Had an amazing time at this resort with my husband and friends. Would definitely return again in the future!

The front desk staff was very friendly and helpful, The room, keeping staff was always on time, efficient, and kept everything clean and organized. The buffet food was amazing. The only downside, but not worth removing a rating; Would be the à la carte restaurant waiting times. But the food was still amazing. Everything was great!

This was one of the worst resort experiences I have ever had. We spent a significant amount of money to travel internationally expecting a relaxing vacation at Hotel Riu Palace Bavaro, and instead got five straight days of stress, filth, and complete lack of service. From the moment we arrived, the room was dirty with visible dirt and sand in the bed. After multiple unanswered calls to the front desk, we were forced to physically walk down just to get help. Even worse, we submitted requests through the RIU app that were marked “completed” despite no one ever coming. It took nearly EIGHT HOURS just to get a basic cleaning. The next day, we found ants crawling throughout the room. We called and reported it but received no answer and no one ever came. That night, I ended up cleaning the ants myself. The following day, after another failed attempt to reach room service and get help, we went down and spoke with management directly. That was when housekeeping finally came and sprayed insecticide (Raid) all over the room including on the coffee area, near our drinks, and even directly on the BED and PILLOWS where we sleep. The room reeked of chemicals, and nothing was actually cleaned. After complaining to management, we were promised an “upgrade to a villa.” We packed everything, only to be moved into what was clearly the SAME category room. No upgrade. Just more wasted time. The nightmare continued when our room keys didn’t work. We made MULTIPLE trips back and forth to the front desk, and even after staff assistance, the keys still failed. We carried all of our luggage up four flights of stairs only to wait nearly FIVE HOURS for keys that actually worked. Then the final blow: BLACK MOLD in the new room. We were then woken up at 7 AM for no reason with a phone call asking for flight information days before checkout. To make matters worse, we were denied access to the spa despite wearing completely appropriate attire (swimwear and sandals), which made absolutely no sense. Instead of enjoying our vacation, we spent hours dealing with problems, walking back and forth to the lobby, waiting on staff who never showed up, and constantly fixing issues that should NEVER happen at a resort like this. This place is completely mismanaged. The lack of cleanliness, lack of response, and false promises from staff are unacceptable. Do not waste your money here. This was not a vacation. It was a frustrating, exhausting experience from start to finish.