Riu Palace Bavaro - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

10418 reviews

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  Great stay!

  We had a great stay here. I the rooms were clean and in great condition. The food was good, nothing outstanding but your typical all inclusive food. Beach and pools were amazing and no issues. Bar tenders and drinks was all good. Jesus at the buffet was amazing. He went out of way to memorize everyone’s breakfast drinks had tables setup for our group. All around made a memorable experience. The zen sit down restaurant would be my only issue. Hostess and wait staff at zen were board-line rude. Food portion was really small. Overall, would stay again in a heart beat.

  Feb 04, 2025
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  Dirty towels

  The hotel was in excellent condition following recent renovations. The beach, while stunning, was quite crowded during this season. I would rate the food a 2 out of 5, as it lacked a professional touch. The staff were moderately friendly. However, my most disappointing experience was the cleanliness of the towels in my room and the beach towel. On several occasions, I had the unsettling feeling that the towels had merely been dried rather than properly washed, which was quite off-putting. I addressed this issue with the manager, who seemed to be aware of the situation and offered his apologies. Consequently, I have decided not to return to a Riu hotel in the future.

  Feb 03, 2025
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  Amazing stay at Riu Palace Bavaro !

  This will be a short review ;-). A wonderful RENOVATED hotel.Reopening from September 2025. Fresh rooms, green areas, pools.restaurants etc...... THE BEST RIU PARTY in Punta Cana ! THE MOST BEAUTIFUL beach in Punta Cana Arena Gorda Hard working crew: room cleaning ladies, entertainment staff, bar staff, cooks, maintenance people, and all the service.... (greetings to the guy at the adult bar DANIEL ;-) from the guys, at BAILEYS ;-) ... One with ice, one without, and 2 fanta. He always had a good smile and by very friendly ! SPECIAL GREETINGS to the girl at the reception SUGE ;-) !!!!!!! She was amazing when we arrived ( 12 - 26/01.2025 ) and we changed rooms twice ;-) Sorry for that, and thank you !!! finally we got the room of our dreams (3035) !!! thanks again SUGE ;-) . We will definitely come back. Best regards !

  Feb 03, 2025
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  Kids club- lame, lazy, rude staff

  Kids club- they don't watch your kids whatsoever or care for their wellbeing. They are on their phones, ALL of them, not even looking up for a second. They are late, theyll even see you at the resort and tell you about events at the kids club, you show up bring your kids and event is an hour late. They don't care to disappoint kids even though their sole purpose there is to make them happy. They try everything to make the area less welcoming not more, so they do Even less. There were moments 3 to 5 staff are in there laying down on their phones and ignoring everyone around them.

  Feb 01, 2025
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  RIU Palace Bavaro.... what a pure JOY

  Excellent Time! I am in my 50's ...male and went solo to get my needed sun. FIRST --- this is a real bucket list / dream come true. To fly to the summer in January. I live in PA, USA. It was HOT. I flew direct out of Newark, and beside the aggravation with passport stuff, it was great. It takes me longer to fly to AZ than Punta Cana. The weather was SUMMER TIME! No chill or cold like you might get in FLA. The sun was HOT. I went the last week of Jan as a strategy to get the sunshine I need living outside of Philly PA. I was almost ready to click buy with Hard Rock but just didn't want to spend the extra money. This place was 60% what Hard Rock would have cost. TIP: try to book with airfare included. try your airline vacation package link, booking, priceline, etc to find the best deal. days do vary in cost. I got a super deal at the same price if I book JUST the hotel separately. If you go through priceline, booking or other, you do have to get a shuttle or taxi. No big deal. Plenty of people looking to help. I got a stretch limo for $30. FOOD: spectacular. I left and only did less than half of the restaurants. Why? The main buffet was just that spectacular and you can sit outside and overlook the courtyard. THE TASTE of the food was wonderful. Full of flavor and massive variety. The seafood was a touch better than the steak, but not by much. I ate and drank WAY more than i usually do. Drinking wise it can become a tad addictive ... i drank in the 5 days what I think i drank the entire year of 2024. ha TIP: I found a MAGIC combo of drinking green tea or black tea with my alcohol beverage at night to keep sharp, alert, but feeling good. I also slept great with no issues. When i landed on the way home, heard others in my cab saying how the food """" at the other places they stayed was not very good""""" So, that made me happy I choose RIU. DRINKS: they made almost everything. 'maybe' the alcohol is a little watered down, so just drink double. A few people said they were trashed at times, so, some had to be good. i did not do shots or drink straight alc. Ohhhhhh the breakfast fruit drinks -- they were so tasty. All freshly squeezed. So dam happy..... I drank a TON of cappuccino's when I was there and they were wonderful. ROOM: I was very very happy with my room. It felt like it was just built or just a few years old. The mattress was large and fresh. **** Super loved that that toilet was in a separate room vs the shower area which was large. Location was perfect. 3rd floor and that worked fine for me. OTHER GUESTS: OK !!!!!!!! listen very closely here!!!!!! I went to Punta about 15 years ago, and experienced the same thing this time. The majority of the guests, or at least at this time, is about 90% non English speaking. Get it? The first time i went 15 years ago, this depressed me because I am social. This time, it worked out great. The sports bar had the most USA English speaking people, and most were more than happy to talk to you for the same reason. KIDS AND FAMILY: there were a good amount of families and kids and oddly for this trip I enjoyed seeing happy kids so it worked. *** YOU CAN ALSO just walk to the next door RIU which was all adults. That place was honestly only about 1/2 the size of the palace. I checked out the pools and bars, and was like "The Palace is simply way better." Plenty of fine looking people ... if ya hear me as well. BEACH: Dang sweet. Bavaro beach has a large sand bar very far out. This keeps the waves calme enough for the sound but not too strong. Plus, no fear of any sharks at all. the Water was beyond beautiful. I love how RUI has the layout at the beach. There are many palm trees ... possibly there to help with storms or wind... that you to go through to get to the water. You can also sit there and get some shade. SIZE: the place is friggen huge. Beyond words. i used the gym which had 'enough' to get by. There was so much to do. The spa was great. and you can do the caisno next door. PARTY: Going solo, I did want some night life. The FOAM pics in the water are HELD at a RIU separate place. You take a very short bus ride to the place, and it is like a rave. Of course the drinks are free. And that just works so nicely. TIPS: being from USA ... I really felt guilty for not tipping but I did about half the time. For some 1-off drinks or lunch food, no tips. but more exotic or big meals I did. They are happy with a dollar or more. I ate at the steak house, and they really went nuts on service. my drinks were never empty. STAFF: They are super staffed. Most spoke common word English for drinks, bathroom, certain types of food, etc. other stuff, ask for help. MONEY: I got taken at the airport exchange vs the hotel. Airport was 47 peso per dollar. hotel was 58. rate is about 61. TIP; this is dominican Peso and NOT Mexican. BYOC; Bring your Own Crew: If you are from the USA, bring your partner, family and friends. Keep expectations low for meeting people. It was a little challenging. I met a nice woman who was also pissed that it was not too English, BUT for me... I would not have had a chance talking to her if not. LOL LOL! It was also nice to TAKE A BREAK for the SAME OLD USA people. It was great to over hear people talk and not have a clue what they were saying. Bottom line: I really loved it and SUPER happy for the choice. It is a mega place that is in great shape, very clean, with great staff. I would do it again... The Hard Rock would be the only other temptation, but at a way higher price. What a PURE joy to fly to the summer time and have a full summer experience at a great place in Jan, 2025. PS: I was sooooooo waiting to right this review. Hope it helps with your decision. ENJOY!!1

  Jan 31, 2025