Absolutely beautiful hotel. The food is very good in the buffet restaurant and in all the "a la carte" restaurants we tried. We received an exceptionnal service everywhere in this hotel. The cleanliness is outstanding. I never hate a good steak like there in the Caraibes, as well as the lobster. We never look for a chair on the beach or aroud the pool. Good drinks and good shows at night.

We just arrived back from our vacation at the RIU Punta Cana and it was a great way to spend a week. The qualify we received there was what we expected from the RIU chain. It looked & felt a lot like the RIU in Cabos. Grounds are kept beautifully & clean, rooms were tided up daily, buffet provided an assortment of good food that enabled all tastes to enjoy a nice meal. The beach was probabbly one of the nicer ones along the stretch with lots of sandy beach area. Lots of chairs on the beach area for both sun & shade seekers. Pool water was warm as was the ocean! A few items I would put on my wish list for this RIU:

1. A snack bar near the pool/beach that offered small snacks all day long rather than always going to the buffet everytime you wanted a munchie but you could only go when the buffet was open.

2. For a resort that is a fair size, the one pool was a drawback. The swim up bar area was always filled with guests who camped out there pretty much all day, and getting a drink could prove difficult. Also, there was always a film of "guk" around the corners of the pool and it made us a little squeemish dipping into it - But we are beach lovers, so it was not really an issue for us.

3. While the Entertainment Staff at the RIU tried their best with the evening entertainment, this RIU needs to invest some money into their programs. Being limited to what you can do in the evening, better entertainment would be welcomed. The qualify is poor and gives off a cheap feeling.

4. Get rid of the Japonese & Italian Restaurant- horrible is the only way I can describe them- change the cooks or change the venue- the buffet was by far a superior choice

Overall, the RIU was quite good. I would go back and recommend it. Remember it is Dominican Repubic, and you should reset your expectations to what is considered in 5 star Caribbean Countries- if your really picky and fickle- find yourself a diamond resort!

We have stayed at several of the Riu Palace locations and this one is almost identical to the Mayan Riviera in design and layout. the property and staff are great and it was absolutely amazing walking along the beach in the moonlight with my wife. The vacation was very relaxing and the entertainment was a nice end to the evening. However there is no comparison between Palaces when it comes to the food and alcohol choices. The Punta Cana property is lacking severely. All of the alcohol tasted the same no matter what you ordered whether it was rum, vodka or whiskey. The food quality was substandard to any 5 star resort let alone a Riu Palace. Don't get me wrong I have been to the Dominican before and adjust accordingly. At best the food was a 2 star. We also had an issue with items of clothing that had "gone missing" from our room and when addressed the front desk responded that they would check with their cleaning staff . The initial response was that maybe we had misplaced them . After a lengthy dicsussion we assured the front desk/security that the athletic work out clothes were placed on a hanging rack on the balcony (2nd floor). There was no resolution and security had no idea as to what had happened with the articles of clothing. This was the second day of a weeks vacation. We chalked it up to a lesson learned and figured that the someone more needy could utilize the articles of clothing. If any of you have booked Riu Palace properties one of the perks is that you have access to any of the Riu properties. In reading a review, prior to our vacation, it stated that there was limited access to other properties with this particular Palace. After of which I had called Riu hotels direct only to be informed that this was not the case and that with the Palace properties you had full access to other properties which included food and drinks. Well I guess Riu Hotels needs to be informed that this is not the case with the Punta Cana Palace. Upon arrival we were informed by our Sunwing representative that there were indeed restrictions with the sister properties and that the Riu Palace Macao did not share the Riu chain of Hospitality.
I am not writing this reivew to condem this vacation but just to make you aware of the issues that may arise. We still had a great time, the staff could not do enough for you and it was truly amazing to see how many jobs one employee could hold. The culture, the beach front market, the weather and the ocean breezes made for a lasting memory. P.S if you decide to venture to this property and happen to see someone running around in a black LULU Lemon work out outfit just remind them that it came from a kind hearted Canadian. :)

We had a wonderful time as always. We have been to this resort as well as other Riu resorts in the caribbean and all meet our needs. The beach here is clean and their is always plenty of chairs. We prefer the buffet and our waiter and friends Marino & Juan Carlos do a fantastic job as always. The other restaurants also have a pleasant menu and we do dine with them also. The property is well keep and very clean.