I traveled from Dec 15 - 22nd with my family (11, 22,24, and three 50 yr olds).
This was a very nice and clean resort. Everything is within the U-shaped hotel and in front of it, and was within a 5 min walking distance. The beach area was great and kept clean (though my favourite beaches are still in Cuba - I haven't seen anything like those crystal clear turquoise waters yet!). We had to wake up to save chairs as it was a busy time for traveling. There are big waves, and if you've been to Punta Cana before, I think all of the resorts pretty much have the same beach style.
We tried the Brazilian and Italian restaurants - the Brazilian was a lot better in my opinion. They bring out a variety of meats for you which were excellent. The Italian was average. The food at the buffet was great, though a little repetitive and not as much selection as I have seen at other RIUs, and that bothered some of the people I traveled with.
This was my first time at a RIU Palace, and the one thing that stood out as being different from the other RIUs is the customer service. The staff were very friendly, and every 10 minutes, there was someone walking around with drinks (at the beach and pool area) - I never had to get up and get a drink at the beach! They also came around with a selection of fresh fruit, which was nice!
There was a nightclub called Pacha that all the RIU resorts had access to (plus locals). The drinks are not free there, though it was fun to go for a couple of nights.
Since I'm 24 and single, I like knowing the general age category of a resort and find it is hard to tell until you go there to see for yourself! This resort had a mix of people. There were a lot of seniors and couples, though there were families with children and groups of friends. My sister and I met a lot of people to hang out with at night from Canada, the States, Germany, Russia and South America who were anywhere from 19 - 30.
My ONLY complaint for this resort was the entertainment. I found it to be the worst that I have seen. The performers were not that great. This may have also been because the music was so low. For some reason, the music they played at the shows was never loud enough. I asked one of the animation team members the reason for this, and they said it would be too loud for the people that may already be sleeping, because of the way the hotel is designed (The U-shape would amplify the sound to all rooms, I guess). So most of the time we just went over to the RIU Bambu (next door) for the shows, which were great and the music was nice and loud and got you in the dancing mood!
I would come here again because of the variety of people I met from all over the world, and for the cleanliness and service. The food and entertainment were not amazing, so I'd probably try out a different resort the next time I travel to Punta Cana.
- Also Known As:
- Riu Palace Punta Cana Hotel Punta Cana
- Riu Palace Punta Cana Hotel
- Punta Cana Riu Palace
- Riu Palace Hotel Punta Cana
- Official Description (provided by the hotel):
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* Located on Arena Gorda Beach in Punta Cana
* Inside the Riu Resort, along with the Riu Palace Macao, Riu Taino, Riu Naiboa hotels and the ClubHotel Riu Bambu
* 4-story building
* Surrounded by 63,000 m2 / 75,000 sq. yards of lush gardens
* Complimentary sun loungers on the beach
* 50 km / 31 miles from Hig??ey
* 30 km / 19 miles from Punta Cana Int???l. Airport
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