The Good:

Im from Santiago and I wanted to give Puerto Plata a rest so I decided to go somewhere near.

The Hotel was full of tourists, there were a lot of activities, place is HUGE [If you dont get a close room you will have to walk a lot!]. Assistants are very polite and nice. The rooms are nice and clean. We had a safety deposit box and drinks in the refrigerator!

The Bad:
There are not many parking for clients, Service on the reception was kind of slow, food was bad [Specially desserts, wine and whisky]. My A/C did not work eventhough I follow the instructions [It was my bad I didnt call the room service, at the end the weather was cool]. Some parts of the beach has a lot of stones and seaweeds. I couldnt enjoy the beach because of that and the weather, it was very windy/cold... but that's not the hotel's fault :)

The show at night was very "SEXUAL". Not appropiate for kids IMHO.

I understand the hotel was full and maybe they were overcapacity. I could go again just to give them a second chance and to visit the Disco in the other Riu Hotel.

One of the most impressive all-inclusive locations anywhere. Friendly staff who actually do what they say they will do, everything is very clean, there is always something very good at the buffet and the setting is gorgeous. Only one complaint... the beer is awful, which is silly in a country that has Presidente and Bohemia, both very drinkable brands. Clearly this must be a RIU executive level decision as every local management decision seems very customer focused..

This is my first time writing a review on TripAdvisor, but I have been to a few resorts. One in Mexico, Cuba, and this is my third time to DR. I had a really bad feeling after booking this resort and then reading the reviews. The travel agent said that it was very nice and that she had been there herself, so I figured that it would be nice.

Yes, the resort itself is very nice and clean. The staff is very friendly and helpful. I agree with the last review from jessicabaxter_8 about most of the resort.

The beach itself is very lovely with nice soft sand and plenty of loungers. At first you look at all the trees and say oh no I will not get any sun, but you get plenty and you can always just move your lounger, but the trees are nice with you need some shade. It gets very hot on the beach, although there is a nice breeze.

My only complaint is the water. If you are a person that likes to swim in the ocean or snorkel, then you may want to find another place to go. Yes there are some sandy spots, if you want to call it sand, I say it is more of a small peddle. There is way more rock, coral, grass, and sea urchins. Bring your watershoes, although we took ours and my husband still got stung. Went right though the shoe. The water seems to drop of really close to shore and then there are rocks and then all of a sudden you are in ankle deep water and then next you are up to your waste. The are lots of like holes that the urchins are in and you can not see them because the water is very murky and you can not see anything.

If you plan on doing an excursion and you like to snorkel than go to Paradise Island. It costs $94.00 per person. It is an hour and twenty minute drive from resort. You then take a boat ride for twenty minutes and then you truly get to paradise. You stay there for 2 and a half hours with all the alcohol that you want and ham sandwiches and cheese sandwiches, not the two put together, and some fruit. Then you come back and they take you though the Mangrooves and then back for lunch and more alcohol. Very enjoyable day. It is an all day thing.

Did the Fourwheeler excursion also. Booked that from the guys on the beach. For $65.00, for 3 hours it was a good time. Where your watershoes, not your white sneakers for this one, it can get muddy, although we had no rain the whole time we were there. The bikes are a little iffy and a 10 year old boy will give you your driving test to see if you know how to drive a ATV or not. Being Canadian we did, Overall a good time.

The vendors on the beach are not as bad as some of the reviews have said. They all say "Oh, you are my first sale of the day, I give you a good deal, cause I like you" but that is all a part of the trip. If you just say no they will not bother you. One guy even has his hut called WALMART.
If you dont like that kind of thing dont go. You can also go to the Carribean St., there are some stores that charge tax and then there are also so vendors, but they are not as cheap as the ones on the beach.

All in all in was a good trip to relax and get some sun, ok too much sun, because now I am peeling like crazy. But the only reason that I would not go back to this resort is because of the water. It is its only downfall

Last comment, the A la Carte's. The Steakhouse is the snack bar that half of it becomes the A la Carte. They offer you the buffet and then three choices. We had the steak. Not very good.
The Italian one was our favorite. People say that they dont serve Italian, but it is in the buffet. There is lasanga, spaghetti, ceasar salad, etc, Then there is your choice of Salmon, Chicken, or Steak. I had the Chicken and my husband had the steak. It was our best meal the whole time we were there, and it is in its own private room, so you feel like you are actually away from the resort feeling.

Ok, this is my last commet. We to your in building #7, back side and you couldnt hear a thing. Great spot because you are close to everything, mind you it is a small resort so no matter were you are at you will be close to everything.

Hope this helps.

We arrived and found a clean, amazing looking hotel set in stunning surroundings with a really friendly atmosphere. The guests during our stay were mostly Canadian and mostly very friendly in fact we made some very good friends both Canadian and American. The staff were constantly busy cleaning. gardening and generaly keeping the place in top condition. The swimming pool is fantastic with a swim up bar and waterfall as well as a water polo area and areas for children to play safely. The entertainment staff are always around the pool and dreaming up games and ways of entertaining.
The first problem we had was with the local sellers in the foyer on our first evening. We were very tired after a full 12 hours of traveling and to get to the main food hall you have to run the gauntlet of these people. They are very pushy and will give you small gifts to ensure you come back after your meal to buy from them. If you do stop to buy they will try to charge extortionate prices. Luckily this only happens once a week on a Thursday evening.
On our fourth day my Partner had the misfortune of slipping on a greasey floor outside our room and damaging her ankle. The onsite Dr came to our room and recommended hospital. He wouldnt do any thing untill we had an insurance claim number which took around two hours. He then examined her ankle and sent us to Puerto Plata by Taxi to the Hospital. The Hospital was quite modern and clean. The staff were friendly and within an hour my Partners ankle had been x rayed, diagnosed as broken, set in a cast and manipulated into a "better position" all this without pain relief.
In our oppinion the hotel were at fault and we let them know this. We were never asked to tell our version of events and allthough not treated badly we certainly were not helped to make the remainder of our stay easier. I had to argue for twenty mins to get the use of the hotel wheelchair.
We had to insist we were moved to a disability room. We had to cancel the excursions we had booked and were looking forward too. We were never officially approached by the management to ask how we were managing. We tried to get an early flight home but to no avail. During our flight home which was far from comfortable we heard of a boy who stood on a sea urchin and was charged $80us to remove the spines. A little girl with an eye infection. Her perents were charge £340 for eyedrops and a Lady with an ear infection charged £200 for ear syringing and drops. Luckily our insurance took care of all our expenses. Insurance is a must wherever you travel
The worst thing was to get back to UK and discover that the ankle wasnt broken and was set in a way that had had hindered the healing process and actually done more damage.We had heard stories that Hospital staff in Dominican Republic had exagerated medical conditions to get more insurance money. Maybe there not just stories. I am sure that if my Partner hadnt hurt herself we would of enjoyed a dream holiday. The Hotel is really nice. The scenery is Stunning and the people are very friendly not just in the Hotel but outside too. Please dont let this stop you going to Dom Rep Just be carefull whilst you there.