The Riu Palace Punta Cana is, in my opinion, no longer a five star resort. It's still a great resort but it's getting a little tired. The rooms are clean and spacious and beds were comfortable. The wood in the door in my particular room had dried so much that it cracked and you could see through the door. The food was good in the main dining room and the restaurant by the beach. They serve the same type and quality that any other high end resort in the Dominican would serve. No matter what your taste, you will not go hungry. the only disappointment was the pasta bar. Served luke warm (twice) in a dull tomato sauce with not much choice of other sauces. Only tried three of the five specialty restaurants. Surprisingly, the steak house was good and the lobster tail that came with the steak was done to perfection. The Brazilian was a disappointment as the meat was tough. The Crystal (fusion) was excellent. As good as the Riu in Cabo.
As a non-smoker, I have difficulty accepting smokers in the pool. They have no regard for others and ashes and butts can sometimes be seen floating in the pool. The pool is in dire need of repairs Long sections of the bottom have missing tiles. As with all resorts, reserve you chair by the pool early in the morning. You won't get a prime spot after 7:30 AM. There are always good spots on the beach. As a frequent visitor the Dominican Republic you learn all the ins and outs.
This is an all inclusive resort and that includes all alcoholic drinks. They even have liquor dispensers in the rooms. Gin, Vodka, Rum and a local Brandy. Disappointed that there was no Canadian Club. It was however available at the Lobby Bar. For a purported five star hotel, you would think they would serve a better selection of beer. Presidente gets a little boring after a couple of days and the draft is downright terrible. I think this has to do with the draft lines not being flushed of bacteria on a regular basis. Stick with the canned beer in your mini bar. Not counting the dining areas, there were three bars. The Pool Bar, the Lobby Bar and the Sports Bar. In the latter, the stench of stale smoke and spilled beer made it a good place to avoid.
The thing that will make me come back here are the people who work at this resort. The service from the front desk to the dining rooms and pool area was excellent. While a lot of these people don't speak English, they make up for in enthusiasm and trying to please the customer.

My husband and I just got back from staying at the Riu Palace Punta Cana and it was amazing!!
The hotel is beautiful and very clean. The staff is very friendly and make sure you are taken care of. The food was very tasty with lots to offer. Front desk was very fast and efficient. The beach is stunning!! Nothing bad to say about this place. We will definitely be going back!!

Traved the first week of Feb 2013 , our 3rd time there the RIU Bambo before that . We go for the beach , some of the best stretches of beach here . Hotel , food , staff , drinks are awesome . Thankfully RIUs don`t let timeshare reps on their grounds , when walking beachs by Bahia and Hard Rock among a few they seemed bothersome . On our return , contacted our Apple rep told her of our awesome vaca . She asked if we were upgraded because she contacted Palace mentioned of our 4th consecutive trip there . No problem we had a clean room with great view . Oddly enough a couple that got off the bus with us , first time there got upgraded to a corner room with spiral staircase . We always tip 10 bucks at check in . Oh well .........

This hotel was chosen for us by a friend getting married on location.
So, we didn't have a say. We looked at the countless reviews on Tripadvisor and became very anxious before leaving. We went there nervous about what we would find. Here's what we found. Check in was extremely easy. Some people complained about the size of the room keys?? You receive one key and yes it is on a large key ring but takes a whole 3 seconds to separate the two and then the key will fit in small spaces. Our room was on the top floor. We had a great view of the inland. It was quiet at night and throughout the day. Our house keeper had our room cleaned between 9 and 11 every morning and always made a beautiful towel animal to greet us. You need something extra just call room service…no problem. Each night in the plaza there is live music followed by a show on the stage. I found the shows entertaining...Broadway quality, no, but I wasn't going there for a show. The beach is unbelievable. Every morning the crew is out there clearing away any trash or debris. The water was amazing. The many palm trees along the beach provide great natural shade. The grounds are absolutely stunning and you can watch them trim the hedges with machetes! Such a quiet way to maintain the grounds and eco friendly. Some people talk about tips. We tipped for sure. These workers live on grounds for several days at a time and make only $150 a month. So when Joel and Juan Carlos at Don Manuel’s buffet pulled out our chairs, refilled our drinks and struck up conversation they were tipped. In the states we tip on how much the bill was so why not tip on how the service was. The service was fantastic to say the least! On the beach there are the drinkie drinkie guys that bring drinks around. Some people complained about the quality of alcohol. The lobby bar and stage bar had good quality alcohol. So not a big deal. Quality of food. We always found something to eat. There were about 40 people there for the wedding and NO ONE got sick! The wedding was absolutely beautiful. The bride was extremely impressed with the photographers and the quality of their work. The reception was gorgeous and the DJs were ten times better than any wedding I’ve been to in the states. We found ourselves saying time and time again how romantic the hotel was. People complained of a musty smell..Never smelled it. We did pack Bounce fabric softner sheets in our suitcases but still didn’t smell anything in the rooms. Overall we had an amazing week and walked away completely satisfied.