Riu Palace Bavaro - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

11286 reviews

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  Bravo to Bavaro!

  Recently returned from a spring break at this RIU property, and we really enjoyed our stay! It's the first time we've traveled as a family to an all-inclusive resort. Our children are older teens (and one is technically an adult), so I can't really speak to amenities for children. We all enjoyed the pools and camping out under palm trees on the beach. The sand was very soft, the ocean was warm, and the beach and water had very little seaweed. Bars and food were never far from where we stationed ourselves, and most of it was good. Overall I'd give the food a "B" grade. The main buffet is solid with many, many choices for entrees, sides, salads, and desserts. Individual restaurants had hit or miss dishes, and we found ourselves surprised to enjoy the "American Country" themed restaurant best...although I really liked the Asian-themed restaurant as well. Members of our group also enjoyed the steakhouse. Be warned that you'll need to queue up a little early for popular restaurants, as it doesn't appear that you can make reservations. They will accommodate some special requests though -- one of the kids we traveled with had a birthday during our stay and they brought him a birthday cake and sang a spirited birthday song for him, which was cute. There is entertainment every night on the patio, and while I absolutely have the "RIUland" children's theme song stuck in my head, I learned to avoid the entertainment until that was over and the adult show rolled in. The waitstaff is very quick to take orders and deliver them, no complaints there. I do wish there was a good spot on the property to play cards... that patio seemed to be the only place to gather as a larger group, and it only had cocktail tables. Since we traveled in a large group with other families, being able to bust out some card games would have been nice but there just was never a good space to do that sort of thing. We did not go off-property at all, so I can't speak to the town. There was a gift shop at the resort, which came in handy for items that we didn't bring (e.g., feminine products), but please note that you will pay quite a premium for those things! The person who checked us in might have been new, and the process was so smooth that we later discovered she had not given us all the info we needed. For instance, we should have received towel cards during check-in, but we were unaware of this, and had to go back later to request them. Not a big deal. Overall, we had a great time!

  Apr 13, 2026
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  Wonderful property, not so great food

  Enjoyed our 3 night stay at palace bavaro. The property and beach are beautiful. The food was not great. Not much flavor. But there were a lot of choices! The drinks were good. The hotel bathrooms could use a deep clean, grout is dirty. Sheets and towels had stains on them, but otherwise everything was clean and in good shape. We were disappointed that all the equipment for sports and water required a cash deposit. That would have been helpful to know before arriving. Kind of felt like getting nickel and dimed after paying a lot to be there. Also the place to get sports equipment is far from the sport courts. Basketball backboard had a hole in it. Pickleball would be fun to have! The resort was not crowded and always easy to find chairs in the shade by the pool and beach.

  Apr 11, 2026
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  love it

  will be back soon the workers are perfect the place is beutiful we the family enjoy every minute of it

  Apr 11, 2026
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  Absolutely beautiful Resort

  We really loved the resort! It was extremely clean and super comfortable. My only complaint was the sheets had a sour smell!! We had them changed several times and they all smelled the same! Like they don’t use bleach on them! The towels were completely fine so it’s odd!! But the food was amazing!! The staff was even better. I would definitely recommend this resort and will absolutely be back again!!

  Apr 09, 2026
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  Family vacation

  Our family of 5 was at Riu Palace Bavaro in March. We were there with a very large group. This hotel did ok job accommodating the group size. I will list pros and cons Pros: beautiful beach - one of the best beaches we have been to. Plenty of chairs, shade if you want it. The pools are very nice too. Rooms were clean with comfortable beds/pillows. They daily housekeeping was superb. The Riu parties at night were fun, and club is fun of you like to dance. Would be nice if club opened a little earlier. Cons: 1) the food - our family was mixed on our opinion of the food. I thought it was bad, husband thought it was good. I got quite sick (stomach) on day 2, which may have affected taste for food. The restaurants were VERY difficult to get a table (unless you are Elite). They weren't worth the wait when we tried. The buffet had decent options, some days better than others. Many people in our large group came home sick (stomach - won't go into detail) - not sure cause of food vs water etc. 2) The bartenders work their tail off, but seemed quite understaffed. In lobby bar and sports bar was not uncommon to wait 10+ minutes to be served. 3) the number of people on the beach trying to sell things (some things that aren't legal in the US). Did not appreciate being bothered so frequently, and wish this wasn't allowed. Overall, I would not return to the Riu Palace Bavaro. It is decent hotel with a beautiful beach. But, the food was not what I expected and the stomach illness I came home with was not worth amount of money we spent to go there.

  Apr 08, 2026