Riu Republica - All Inclusive - Adults Only

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

10807 reviews

• 

  Great Resort Horrible Rooms

  The actual resort was amazing, the people were very nice, if you are tipping the staff they take really good care of you. The beach is beautiful and the water is so clear and teal. They rake the beach every day so we had no seaweed which we didn't even realize until we took a walk down the beach in-front of other resorts and theres were covered. The drinks were also amazing at all the bars, they are very flavourful, and if you tip them they will pour a bit stronger for you too. We didn’t do this but seen other people bring to-go cups and water bottles for the bartenders to fill with drinks or beer, which is a great idea for keeping them cold and sand out when your on the beach. The servers and bartenders were very fun and seemed to all be having such a good time, they seemed like they genuinely wanted you to also have a good time. The disco bar was also really fun and they played a good mix of music. The themed parties were also really fun however it would've been nice to get information about the events going on throughout the resort. We never got an itinerary, schedule, or calendar for all the fun things they had. We had to find out from other people we talked to (even stuff like bingo or beach games). Now for the horrible part… The rooms were absolutely disgusting and full of mold. The beds that were supposed to be doubles were actually singles and two people could barely fit on the beds (and we were two small girls, so two men definitely couldn’t). When we arrived we also only had 2 pillows for 3 people. Whenever we tried to call the front desk they never answered (for the whole trip) so we had to go down and ask, they said they would send someone up and they never did. We went down the next day and the same thing happened, so finally on the third day we had to go down three separate times, and obviously frustrated we were going to make sure we got a pillow. The guy at the desk walked into the back and brought us a pillow, that seemed really weird because they could’ve just done that in the first place. So we looked at the pillow and it have brown marks all over it, he gave us a dirty pillow. So we ended up going into the linen room to get a new pillow case and when we went to change it thats when we seen all the mold. We then checked the rest of our pillows and the mattresses and they were covered in it. We also had an issue with our toilet. We got back to our room around 4pm one day and the toilet was leaking everywhere and had flooded our bathroom. We tried to call the front desk but no one would answer. We had to go all the way to the front desk to ask if someone would come look at it, and they said they would send someone as soon as possible. Hour went by and it just kept flooding so we had to put our garbage can under to collect the water so it wouldn't flood into our room. By the time someone came to fix it around 7:30 pm the garbage can was full to the top with water. It took the maintenance guy 5 minutes to fix it. We couldn’t understand what he was saying so we thought he was saying someone was coming to clean up the water, but they never did. So we had to put shoes on to use the bathroom for the rest of the night. The next morning the poor housekeepers had to mop up the mess, we tipped them very well because we felt so bad, even though it wasn't our fault the toilet broke. Our closet door also broke and fell off the tracks the first day we were there. The front door got slammed shut by accident and the closet door on the other wall fell and hit one of the girls on the head. We had to wait 4 days for them to finally fix the door and it was just laying on its side on the ground were we propped it up. The mould caused one of the girls staying to get pink eye, and got everyone sick. 2 had sinus infections that lasted almost the entire trip. Having a clean room would have made the entire trip much more enjoyable and we wouldn't have gotten so sick. On another more mediocre note, the food was alright. There was lots to choose from but it was the same stuff everyday. They did have themed restaurants which we went to, but they had the same foods in the main buffet so it’s not worth the wait. Overall the food was very bland and had no flavour. A warning if you are going to go to the themed parties, the bus rides stop at 4pm to go, so make sure you are ready early. We also had to wait for over an hour to get on a bus to get back to our resort, in which we were standing in such a big crowed they started pushing and were trampling some people. We didn't go to any of the parties off resort again after that experience. The parties also move around what resort they are at and where they are held, which where also didn't know because we were never given any information. So they party we did go to was in a pool, and the one at our resort was near the stage, so one you wore a swimsuit and the other more dressy clothes, so we didn't pack properly. It would have been so much better to have more information about what was going on because we always felt left out and in the dark. We even downloaded the RIU app and it didn't help much.

  Mar 24, 2026
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  Riu Republica

  Resort was nice. Restaurants and staff where very good. The pools and pool bars where excellent. A great location on the beach. Over all maintenance and cleanliness of the resort was poor.

  Mar 24, 2026
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  Friends vacation

  I will say, for the price we paid we got what we expected. The hotel definitely could use a remodel, but as long as you were having a drink, you could overlook some things. We ended up at this resort while college spring break was happening. The crowd was loud, but that definitely wasn’t the resort’s fault. They for the most part were accommodating of almost any request we had. The only thing that we had trouble with was restaurant reservations. We were told originally that the steakhouses required reservations. We showed up to one of them and they were fully booked for the night within 5 minutes of opening for reservations. We then went to the other one where a staff member said a reservation was not required. We showed up later and were turned away because we did not have a reservation. It seemed like maybe there was a misunderstanding. There were only maybe 8 tables with people at them. That was disappointing as we were trying to celebrate a friend’s birthday that evening. Other than that, the hotel was about what we expected for the price. The people who make videos complaining about the food must not know what to choose when in a setting like this. If you’re expecting your mom/grandma’s cooking, your obviously not going to get that, because it’s someone else in a foreign country cooking it. They put their own flair on it, but it was overall pretty good. The bars were fun, there’s plenty of them so you can find the ones that best suit your vibe. I will say, though, that they all have slushie machines for frozen drinks…definitely wouldn’t recommend drinking those all day unless you want a gnarly hangover. The room could use an update, but we had everything we needed, and anything that wasn’t there, you can order on the app and it would be delivered to you. Like I said, an update would be good, but when you’re in a place like this, how much time are you actually spending in your room? Some people go into this resort expecting to have the diamond/platinum/5-star+ experience, but without reading the hotel ratings, and knowing much about this property. If you’re looking for a budget friendly escape, strong drinks, and decent food, this hotel is your place to go. I’d recommend it to anyone who’s younger looking to have fun and are not concerned with small details.

  Mar 23, 2026
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  Definitly a party so don't go during spring break (many rowdy teens)!

  Check-in took way too long and our FIRST room (7 day trip) didn't have two beds for my cousin and I so we had to share a king. The room was so far from the beach, in a sad state of repair and overall did not seem very clean. Our SECOND room was more central, very clean and we were happy until we found that the a/c didn't work! Took several requests to have it looked at but, in the end, they couldn't fix it. Our THIRD room was very close to the beach, top floor and very well kept. Everything worked except the elevators (one or both) being out of order on different days! Inconvenient as we had many trips to/from the beach, the eateries and evening entertainment. Several rowdy teens were destroying hotel property by knocking down room numbers and punching supply closets. They were playing loud music and constatnly yelling "senior trip" at all hours of the night. I suspect they were to blame for the elevator(s) being out of order, they were that rowdy. A security patrol/presence could have helped as I did not see any around whenever I was out and about, at late hours. Food was okay, good variety, buffet style so get there early before it gets picked over! The quality seemed to improve during our stay with better entrees as the days went on. There are two steakhouses with a confusing reservation system. First try - garden steakhouse, lined up at 5pm (as instructed by them the night before) but there was already a long line and by 5:25pm all spots were taken so we waited for nothing. Second time, my cousin lined up at 4pm so we got a spot but the service as lacking and food was not so great. The beach steakhouse was markedly better, from the table service to the food, even though it was the same menu! The wait for reservations did not take long at all, starting at 6pm when they open! The beach steakhouse isn't even on the paper map provided to us at check-in and is only mentioned on the hotel app, which is probably why it wasn't as busy as the other one. The day time activities seemed to be fun although we decided to lay on the beach or swim in the ocean instead but it was nice to have options. The evening entertainment was enjoyable. Would have been helpful to know some Spanish, which we didn't - coming from northern Canada where it's not prevalent but we appreciated that most staff members could speak a little English. Rating with only three stars for the many inconveniences that we encountered!

  Mar 23, 2026
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  Fantastic stay - Don’t let the negative reviews scare you!!

  Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5) Title: Fantastic Stay – Don’t Let the Bad Reviews Scare You! Our trip to Thailand was cancelled the day before departure, so our travel agent swapped us to the Riu Republica in the Dominican Republic. Having very little time to research, we were nervous after seeing several negative reviews about the food and service, but we were pleasantly surprised! Check-in & Rooms We arrived late on March 10th and were told the systems were down. We headed to the sports bar for an hour, and once back, a lovely receptionist named Darling checked us into room 2419 who was so accommodating during our stay and it was always a pleasure to speak with her. Since we were considering an upgrade, she gave us one key card and told us to come back at 7 AM to discuss options. Our room was in a quieter part of the complex on the second floor and was perfect for three ladies. It had three double beds, a walk-in shower, AC, and a balcony overlooking palm trees. A basic room but that’s all you need. The optics in the room were very low especially rum and vodka and it does state they are changed every couple of days but ours wasn’t and only changed on our 9th night even though we had asked about this at reception during our stay. There is also a fridge in the room which they do replenish We decided not to change rooms as we had so much space so we decided against it ! Dining/Drinks I truly don’t understand the complaints about the food—it was fantastic. We were there for 9 nights and looked forward to every meal. Even the veggie in our group loved the food and never struggled to find anything. • Mangú Restaurant: Our main dining spot. The food was great and the waiters/waitresses were amazing. Daurix I believe his name to be or chuggy chuggy as we called him is an asset to the brand always finding us a seat and could not do enough for us !! Although all staff in this restaurant were polite happy and welcoming!! We had roast beef in here one evening and it was delicious better than most of the carvery’s back in the UK!! • American Country: We went twice; the nachos and chicken fingers were exceptional, and the staff were very accommodating. • Steakhouse: This was our only dining disappointment. The supervisor was miserable, which reflected on all of the staff. The food and vegetables were absolutely stone cold, and the steak wasn't cooked to our request, we got up and left. • Jerk Chicken: Don’t miss the jerk chicken shack by the beach—it’s the best! Garden bar/pool Bar Drinks brilliant and some great cocktails served, pina colada is lush and ask for the samisosa that is gorgeous! This in my opinion is the best bar as the other bar by the main theatre in my opinion is not as good and the drinks taste different!! Atmosphere & Entertainment This is a party hotel. During March, there were many Americans on Spring Break. While there was screaming and shouting in the corridors at 3 or 4 AM, we didn’t let it ruin our stay. If you want quiet, stay on the side we were on even though there was still noise to be heard I believe it’s not as bad as further down the resort towards the beach: if you want the action, head to the beach/party pools. The hotel hosts great themed nights (White Party, Neon Party) and talented singers and also karaoke in the garden bar which I do think they should start earlier as they were great nights but once they got going it was time to stop!! The duet that perform regularly at the garden bar are brilliant but it would be nice to mix it up a bit and see other singers too as they did tend to do the same sets. The guests staying were of all ages and my group were 40s and 50s and we all had a fab time!! Excursions • The Chic Cabaret & Restaurant: We organized this ourselves. It is a phenomenal six-course meal with acrobats and singers in a theatre setting. It was about £100 per person but absolutely worth every penny. • Scuba Caribe (on-site): we booked through Benny who was absolutely brilliant We did the Saona Island trip (fantastic party atmosphere!) and the Whale Watching/Bacardi Island trip (enjoyable but the boat wasn’t suitable to view the whales, Saona was better). The One Downside: Reception Staff The only bad experience we had was during checkout on March 19th with a receptionist I think her name was Marinally. She was exceptionally rude and tarnished our view of the otherwise amazing staff. She accused us of losing two key cards (we were only ever given one) and demanded $20 per card. She refused to listen to our explanation and was incredibly aggressive. When cutting off our friend’s wristband, she did it so vigorously that she actually scratched her arm and drew blood. She was a complete letdown to the Riu brand and if this had have happened earlier in our stay I would have made a formal complaint. Overall Verdict The hotel is immaculately clean, the drinks are great, 99% of the staff encountered were brilliant and the pools are perfect with swim up pool bars. Your holiday is what you make of it. We didn’t encounter any sickness but we always carried hand sanitiser and used it before and after meals and drinks. Despite the Spring Break noise and the one rude staff member at the end, we had an absolutely fantastic stay and do not regret our visit at all!

  Mar 22, 2026