We have have just arrived home from the Dominican Republic after an 11 day Holiday. We have traveled to many places around the world and all i can say is that the Dominican Republic is the most relaxed place we have ever been to.
we stayed at the Riu Bambu in Punta Cana. on arrival we were greeted with cocktails in reception and then shown to our rooms. Check in was easy and straight forward. We had a family room which was spacious extremely clean plus the air conditioning was bliss also the beds were really comfy.
The hotel has three pools the pool with the swim up bar is where all the entertainment happens but if you want a quiet time there are two other pools plus the beach which is gorgeous!:) Sea is quite choppy at times but that brings more fun to it!!
Sun beds are easy to get so there is no rush to grab one like it has been in other hotels we have stayed in previously.
Food you cant complain about there is so much choice even for fussy people. we tried all 3 al'carte restaurants Asian, Italian and steak house. The Asian was the best by far the steak house was not very good. However there was a Mexican restaurant opening as we were leaving.
The entertainment team work extremely hard but if you don't want to join in with silly games they leave you alone and do not push you into doing anything you don't want too. Some of the shows were amazing such as the Africa show which was our favorite however the karaoke was so good -_- hahaaa. But please take what some of they say with a pinch of salt or some can seem kind of creepy but it brought laughter to us.
We went on 2 trips The outback safari and the treasures of the sea. The outback safari you get to see the real Dominican and how they really live be aware its a bumpy ride. The treasure of the sea was a half day trip which left at 12:30 and we didn't get back till gone 7. it was an amazing afternoon which involved swimming with sharks sting rays also snorkeling and a boat trip to the natural swimming pool.
All in all we had a fabulous holiday and we would definitely go back!

P.S Pelluca one the entertainment team is the Dominican version of Louis Spence!!!!!!!!!

Ok friends, we paid a little amount of money to stay in Riu Bambu. In the beginning I read lotta negative reviews and hesitated a bit. But then I told myself '' go and see there with your own eyes''...and definitely worth it! Whatever people say, do not take them seriously because they have their own ''different'' expectations just like us. If you are looking for good brands of alcohol...nope you cannot get anything! But look at the price! Great foodand everything! I have lot of photos for all of you!

Whatever negative you read about this place is either not true or something that is not a hotels fault (like the fact that a la carte restaurants are booked fast; they are booked fast because they are good ! And we never had any trouble booking! ) There is construction in the very back, but you never actually hear it. For bugs outside, take bug spray, like you would for any place. But there are not a lot of mosquitoes anyway.
The beach is beautiful! White soft sand. Very clean, no seaweed. Very close to the hotel, about 30 seconds walk from the lobby. Ocean is warm, see through clean water. The best beach location I've seen so far!
There are 3 pools and 1 more kid's pool. All of them very nice. One has a swim up bar. Plus there are like 10 or so more pools in other Riu hotels that the guests of Riu Bambu can use.
The food was great. The main buffet had a lot of selection and different nights, such as Mexican, International, Dominican, etc. Three a la carte restaurants - Steak House, Italian, and Asian. All very good. I liked the Italian one the most. Lots of different drinks at the bar. Beer, I actually loved! It's light, kind of like Stella or Corona, which are my favourite.
Entertainment was great. There are games going on from 10 am until 5 or 6. And if you win a game they give you a bottle of rum and a certificate, which was pretty cute. All entertainers are very nice and funny. The shows were great. I especially liked the circus show. Some of the things these guys did were unbelievable !
Overall, we had a great time. I would definitely go again! Awesome place!!!

If I compare to the Grand Sunset Princess 5 star resort in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, this Riu Bambu is at the maximum 3.5 star.
Good: the beach...clear water, calm, nice fine sand, no sea shell, no stones.
Bad: Food..too salty.
Room..the bathroom is small; no covered walkway to the restaurant/front desk; no umbrella available; old CRT TV
Safety..outside people can get inside the hotel compound from the beach.
Land excursion..went to this "small mall" which was arranged by the Sunwing rep and was really disappointed. It's a small store.
Service..just OK
Overall..with the price that I paid, it was an Ok trip.