First off the the place actually looks like a Palace!! The grounds are beautiful and very well kept. When I choose a resort I look for a great beach, room service, good food and good drinks. This resort has them all, plus decent shows and a friendly staff. All in all I would consider it an all around great value. Did I already say the beach is amazing!!! Wouldn't hesitate to return in the future.

Just returned from the Riu Palace. I was anxious before going after reading more recent reviews, mainly about the food and musty smell. We travelled with Thompson's and booked 11 months previous. We had two rooms 2081 for myself and husband also room 2032 for my 2 older children. Ours was 1 floor up from the lobby near to the entertainment area, to be honest, when it was a bit noisy we were out mostly and the glazed units kept it at bay, entertainment didn't go on till late. My children's (age 24 and 17) was very quiet, (looking from the front of the hotel) it was on the right wing nearer to the beach.
The only 5* star I would give would be to the lobby possibly to the buffet restaurant and the level of service. The rooms and pool I would give a 3* they just weren't finished to a good standard, we had a hole in the bathroom ceiling, shaving mirror hanging off the wall, drawer door hanging off, however we weren't in the room long enough to cause much of a problem. Above the revolving door to to the hotel, the date says 2006, I honestly thought the hotel was at least 15 years if not more older, judging by the rooms, the smell for all of us was not bad at all, we only used the fan, that seemed to work for us.
We really enjoyed the buffet, there was plenty of everything, The japanese restaurant was fantastic, lets face it, it is all down to personal preference. We cant fault the service, we had room service a few times, getting food and drink whenever was so easy, the staff could not do enough.
The beach was stunning and sometimes busy, but not overly loud, I didnt enjoy the daytime entertainment, but others did. I watched the sunrise a few times, spectacular!
We had a fantastic time, don't worry before you go, just try and make the most of it when your there.. Have fun.

Hotel is colonial style with chandeliers and a stained glass roofed lobby giving a good first impression. The reception staff are efficient and checking in was done with no delays and our luggage was waiting for us by the time we reached our room. Surprised by some of the comments about the state of the rooms as ours was very clean and certainly not smelly or stuffy. We were celebrating an anniversary and there was a bottle of bubbly, plate of fruit, a necklace and a cigar in the room on our arrival, much appreciated.
On the 2nd last day the A/C failed and although we reported it and someone did appear to check it, it was nor repaired by the time we left, when I spoke to reception on leaving they said they had had problems with the system but that it was now rectified although each room had to be individually checked and that they were working on it?
The lift in the middle of the building was very temperamental and the doors tried on a number of occasions to squash guests. It was out of order on a couple of days which meant it was a hard climb to the 3 rd floor at the end of the day.
The hotel gardens are very well attended and I noticed that the hedges were sprayed which possibly accounted for the lack of biting insects.
The food in all the restaurants was very good and it would very difficult not to find something to your taste. The staff are excellent and welcoming and thoroughly deserve any tips they receive.
Surprised that some guests thought the drinks were watered down as the bars went through a large amount of bottles and were always busy, so don't know when the staff were able to water them down
I found it to very noisy at times within the bars and around the pool with large groups of Americans and Canadians who seemed unable to hold a conversation without shouting (my apologies as I'm sure that come summer time it will be us Brits who are making the noise)
Didn't see much of the night entertainment but the few shows I saw were ok although I felt the dancers etc were restricted due to the small size of the stage. The presentation of the game prizes before the shows is boring and I'm sure if I went back next year not all the animation staff will still have learnt to dance.
The beach is lovely but is exceptionally busy and it is like walking down a busy shopping street, so it is not the place to go if you are looking for a quiet time .
There are a number off shops within the hotel grounds and in Caribbean Street and their prices are pretty steep. A flea market is situated on the beach about 800 mts away where you can buy all things to take home and prices are much more attractive than the shops when you barter with stall holders. They will approach you but are not persistent when you say no thank you.
There is a small shack with 4 tables and chairs where you can buy a beer
Booked a couple of trips through our tour operator (Thomson). They advertise the price in $ but when paying by card they convert it to peso's with an not favourable exchange rate.
The hotel possibly qualified for 5* a number of years ago but when you compare them to neighbouring 5* hotels it is now just a good 4* but even allowing for that I enjoyed my stay.

My husband and I just returned from Riu Palace, Punta Cana. The entrance to the hotel is grand and glorious. However, when we got to our room...it was not so grand. The smell that hit us as we opened the door was enough to make me run for the balcony. We left the balcony open most of the time to try and keep the room aired out. The "king" size bed was a disappointment, two twins pushed together, made seperately, and seperated very easily. The food was ok...I'm not a picky eater, but couldn't always find something that I wanted to eat. We did eat at 3 of the restaurants - the Japenese place was a huge disappointment. The Brazil and the Steakhouse were good, but we had to wait to eat supper until 9 at night. Over all...we enjoyed the beach, but wish there were more bathrooms. The people/staff were very wonderful! Tip - do not shop in the gift shop inside the resort - way over priced...go to the shops by the pool/ocean.