Hi
Just returned from the Bachata yesterday. I was originally booked into the Riu Mambo but they upgraded me to the Bachata on arrival. Check- In was very quick (about 10 minutes). Arrived in my room to find a very pleasant spacious area that was very cool and elegant. Sleeping was on 2 double beds pushed together. A mini bar and optics was there which were refreshed every other day. If you leave a tip for the maid or mini barman you will be treated as royalty. You will have fun locating programs to watch on the TV. It is cable TV with about 50 Channels, there are about 8 English speaking channels that cover news,sport and movies. The bathroom is very clean and will cover your needs. DO NOT take hair straightners as they will not work. MP3/Camara battery's can be recharged using the European Adapter. They do offer a laundry service over a 48 hours period but it is expensive. The hotel grounds were always clean and tidy and the pools were kept spotlessly clean. You will have to be up with the larks to get the best positions by the pools, my tip to you is to change your towels on the day before and plant them on your chosen sunbeds before the rush. The beach is very clean with soft sand. The Restuarant offers Buffet style meals 3 times a day. All meals are presented hot with a wide selection for both vegitarean and meat eaters and hygiene is paramount. The sweets are a touch repetative but the ice cream has a morrish touch. You can either eat inside the restuarant or on the verander. They offer both smoking and non smoking areas. We did not try the Steak Restuarant but did here good reports about it. We found that the Steak Restuarant was the place to get your midday day meal as if was never crowded and the food was cooked in front of you. Do not leave your plate unattended as the local birds nip in for a snack as it is a alfresco place. There are several bars to drink from that open from 10am ( There is a small bar that stays open through the night for the Insomniacs ). The beer is weak but the shorts will keep you happy also they create different cocktails for you to try every day, try a couple of shots of the 151 brand of rum that will warm your cockles. On the trips out side of things we only went on a couple. The Monster Trucks was good but hard on the bottom. The horse riding was a good half day out and cheap. The trip to The Ocean World is the place to encounter the Dolphins etc. Its very close to the Hotel, we paid the Tour Rep to go on this trip but found out its cheaper just to get a taxi to the Ocean World and pay the entrance fee on arrival. It cost $149 for the dolphin swim with the Rep but would of cost us half that if we had just turned up there. You have a long time with the dolphins and a must. Be aware of the VIP Club reps who hang around the entrance they try to wisk you off to show you a new hotel facility, its a form of Time Share scam so beware, they offer you food/drink and a free ride home to your hotel. The only downsides to this holiday are that the entertainment is not long enough each night apart from the time they had a Les Dawson guy playing the Piano he was playing normally but kept hitting the wrong keys, boy it bought tears to the eyes with laughter. On the weekends the Hotel has to let the locals in by law if they are not fully booked. The first weekend was Ok but the 2nd weekend it was pandamonium so my tip to you is to book your trips out on a Saturday or Sunday to miss it. All in All tho you will have a great time at a special place and will return tanned and refreshed.

My Husband and I just returned from 2 weeks at the Bachata and I can easily say that this was the best holiday we have ever had.

We got off to a really bad start as our out going flight had technical problems and left the UK twice and turned around before we took off 3rd time lucky and arrived safely in DR. We had a 36 hour delay and arrived stressed and miserable, however we were so impressed with the hotel that we chilled out during the first day and all the hassle seemed worth it.

The weather was fantastic, we saw rain late one night around midnight and on one afternoon but other than that bright sunshine all the time.

The beach was perfect for us, plenty of sunbeds, plenty of shade and a lovely cool breeze off the ocean. We could sit out all day and came home with the tan to prove it.

The pool area was spacious, not too deep, plenty of sunbeds and the swim up bar fantastic however we found it a bit to hot to stay round there for long as there is no breeze. We liked to hang around there at lunch time as the animation were around and the music was on, they also had some themed lunches around the pool which were good.

Our room was possibly not up to the standard of other places we have stayed in Cancun however it had everything we needed, air con was fine, fan was also a help mini bar and optics helped to pass the time while waiting for my hubby to get ready! Bathroom very clean with hairdryer and shower very good and excellent water pressure. Our maid was great and left us lots of clean towels even when we didn't put them for washing and made lovely things out of towels or left us some flowers every day. We tipped her well because she was worth it.

The garden areas are lovely and so well kept, we stayed in building 1 which is right up by the wedding gazebo. This is the only place you can get a mobile signal on most networks so if you go up there everyone is using their mobile.

The restaurants were very good. I was impressed by the selection of food and I'm sure that noone could possibly go hungry. We tried everything but were careful with hygeine and didn't have a single minutes illness. The maids will give you alcohol gel before you enter the restaurants and after visiting the toilets... use it its for the good of everyone else as well as yourself. We saw a few people refuse it and one lady who said it ruined her fake nails... better than catching some horrible stomach bug because someone has refused the gel and left germs on the plates or serving tongs.

The entertainment at night was very good, the hotel run entertainment in Cancun is very boring in comparison and we rarely watched it but we didn't miss a night here. The only problem we found was that it was over too early but then when you think that the animation team work 0900-2330 I don't think they could carry on much longer. I must give a mention to Minime (he sure can dance!!!), Lova Lova, Casanova and Elvis 69, these boys are on the go all day long and do nothing but smile laugh and dance, they are amazing.

We were taken by surprise on our first night when we saw a procession of waiters walking around the hotels clapping and singing then theyu line up at the restaurant doors and applaud as anyone enters. I've never seen this before and they did it every day.

We did a day trip on the monster trucks and thought it was great. It was a full day with lunch and all drinks included. We saw some beautiful countryside and some really poor people. We gave sweets and pencils to the local kids andbought some souvenirs of which the proceeds are reinvested in the sponsorship of a hospital and a school. The river where you stop to swim is so clean and beautiful i could have stayed forever.

All in all this holiday was so great I will definitely return in the futureas we never even got as far as the other hotels or the disco.

Finally I must mention our Thomson rep Vicky who organised a bottle of champagne and a cake for us in the Italian restaurant on our wedding anniversary.

If anyone is unsure about Dom Rep please please go you will not be disappointed.

My daughter and I have just returned from this fantastic hotel. We were only there for a week (which is not enough) but it was everything we expected and lots lots more. The staff are so friendly everyone smiles !! The food was excellent the entertainment team were brilliant. We enjoyed a day on the Freestyle Catamaran feeding the fish on Bananas (they love them) and snorkeling around the coral reefs at Sosua.
All in all this holiday was the best yet. Next year we are hoping to go back but it will definatley be for 2 weeks!!!

Accomodation: Excellent
Pools: Excellent with swim up bar
Beach: Just OK, dark sand and darker water than Punta Cana
Watershoes recommended
Food: Excellent in main dining room
Steak house al la carte was very good
Scenery: Fantastic with mountains and water
No other hotels in area other than the three RIUs
Travelled with wife and two children ages 12 and 7