Hotel Riu Palace Bavaro
Playa De Arena Gorda, Punta Cana 23000 Dominican Republic
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About
#66 of 93 all-inclusives in Dominican Republic
Location
4.2
Cleanliness
4.1
Service
4.1
Value
3.9
El Hotel Todo Incluido 24h Riu Palace Bavaro abre todo el año y está situado en la hermosa Playa Arena Gorda, en la zona vacacional de Punta Cana, en la costa este de la República Dominicana. Riu Palace es la categoría más elegante de la cadena hotelera RIU, con hoteles que cumplen los más altos estándares en términos de lujo, excelencia y sofisticación, creando una experiencia única. Su ubicación es ideal por su proximidad a El Cortecito (10 km), Higüey (40 km) y el Aeropuerto Internacional de Punta Cana (PUJ) (25 km) e invita a explorar la zona. El hotel dispone de 610 habitaciones cómodamente amuebladas con WiFi gratuita y ofrece muchas comodidades. Relájese en el spa o póngase en forma en el gimnasio. 4 piscinas al aire libre, 2 de ellas con swim up bar y bañera de hidromasaje integrada, 1 piscina infantil y el parque acuático 'Splash Water World'. Para los más pequeños, animación infantil (4-12 años). Para los adultos, animación diurna y nocturna, discoteca y Riu Pool Parties. Para los amantes de la gastronomía, estaciones de cocina en vivo y buffets temáticos en nuestro restaurante principal, así como restaurantes de especialidades japonesas, italianas, de fusión, Steakhouse y Gourmet; 8 bares situados en diferentes zonas del hotel.
#RiuParty en el Hotel Riu Palace Bávaro.
¿Te gusta disfrutar de las mejores fiestas durante tus vacaciones? ¡RiuParty está hecho para ti! Baila al ritmo de la música de los mejores Dj's y transfórmate con los espectáculos y performance que te ofrece cada fiesta. ¡Aprovecha tu Todo Incluido y disfruta de la mejor diversión con RIU!
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Property amenities
Free parking
Free internet
Pool
Fitness Center with Gym / Workout Room
Bar / lounge
Beach
Diving
Babysitting
Parking
Wifi
Pool / beach towels
Outdoor pool
Sauna
Restaurant
Breakfast available
Breakfast buffet
Snack bar
Swimup bar
Poolside bar
Game room
Aerobics
Entertainment staff
Evening entertainment
Table tennis
Children Activities (Kid / Family Friendly)
Kids club
Car hire
Taxi service
Business Center with Internet Access
Conference facilities
Banquet room
Meeting rooms
Spa
Couples massage
Facial treatments
Full body massage
Massage
Salon
Baggage storage
Concierge
Currency exchange
Gift shop
Shops
Sun loungers / beach chairs
Sun umbrellas
24-hour front desk
Laundry service
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Room features
Housekeeping
Private balcony
Room service
Safe
VIP room facilities
Flatscreen TV
Room types
Ocean view
Non-smoking rooms
Suites
Family rooms
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
HOTEL STYLE
Modern
Great View
Languages Spoken
Spanish
Location
Playa De Arena Gorda, Punta Cana 23000 Dominican Republic
Hotel Riu Palace Bavaro
Getting there
Car recommended
Grade: 50 out of 100
50
13 Restaurants
within 0.75 miles
10024Reviews919Q+A100Room tips
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This was our 14. visit to Riu Palace Bavaro ! Special thanks to Director Mr. Miller who always takes good care of us and our friends and family! We enjoyed delicious food and good service! We will be back for our 15. time in March 2024! We can’t wait .
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Review collected in partnership with riu.com
Date of stay: November 2023
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
+1
Hotel's Favorite
I arrived at the Riu Palace Bavaro on March 23, 2023 early in the in the afternoon. Staff was welcoming and my room was almost ready (room 0114). The room had a nice view of a garden and landscaped park and rest area with sand and cabanas. The room was large and open but needed some refreshing. It was more upscale than usual for an all-inclusive resort. The decor was attractive and there was a large water jet bath between the bedroom and the bathroom. The room had a king size bed, a rest area, a flat screen TV, and was a junior suite, which was perfect. Room service was perfect with rooms made up quickly after leaving in the morning and nice touches with a bed cover designs and flowers every day. The bar was always full with soft drinks, beer and other refreshments. Restaurants were good. The main buffet restaurant was great at breakfast time. A la carte restaurants were nice at night and more quiet. The Italian restaurant was the best one. The beach facing this resort was prefect as it full of palm tree and shade and it made the scenery incredible. There were many chairs available on the beach no matter what the time of the day. The pools chairs were more difficult to get though but arriving after breakfast and choosing one was no problem . Water was beautiful with turquoise color. The was some seaweed in the beginning but it was cleaned away after a few days. This Riu resort also had beautiful pools, a nice bar near one of the pools where service was friendly and fun activities where held at the end of the day. The hotel architecture was beautiful with a Spanish touch and the grounds were perfect. The entire vacation experience was really nice and the hotel had an international mix of clients who were nice and friendly. The trip went by quickly but many great pictures were taken. It was much fun and relaxing at the same time. Again, the staff was great. Try to get a room in a quiet part of the hotel. Giving daily tips to maid and at restaurants is nice and I found that staff really appreciated it. …
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Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Traveled solo
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip: Try to get a room in a quiet part of the hotel. Giving daily tips to maid and at restaurants or...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
4 Helpful votes
Helpful
Response from RIU Hotels and Resorts, Owner at Hotel Riu Palace Bavaro
Responded May 23, 2023
Dear Eastern Canada, It is fantastic to learn that our team could accommodate your needs and assist you in any way possible. We aim to please and your praise lets us know we are doing our job. Thank you very much! And we very much look forward to seeing you again. Warmest Regards, Hotel Riu Palace Bávaro Online Reputation Manager
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Outstanding resort! This was our second time here. The palm trees reminded us of our cruise to Tahiti. The food and entertainment were excellent. We had steak and lobster several nights. The crab legs were delicious
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Review collected in partnership with riu.com
Date of stay: November 2023
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
My wife and I usually try to escape Ohio winters about this time of year. We picked the RIU Palace Bávaro because the pictures of the beach were amazing and a family friend had gone three weeks prior to our departure and told us he recommended it. We arrived and I immediately loved the place. The most gorgeous part was the beach. Absolutely beautiful!!!!!! The room although it had all we needed it needs some things replaced/updated but this did not affect how great of a time we had. The grounds on this property are absolutely impeccable and very nicely maintained. The pools were beautiful. There is a beautiful boardwalk that connects this RIU with the other adjacent RIU's. Very nice romantic walk through this boardwalk and the beach. The food was great and the service was amazing. This resort has a water park which I enjoyed and a cute street full of little stores. We were spoiled by Jesus and Elizabeth in the Monte Cristo Restaurant. They went out of their way and treated us like family. We were there for our 32nd Wedding Anniversary and Jesus did a special cake and brought the team to sing to us and was very special. Yocelyn took care of us really well in the cleanliness of our room. We truly enjoyed our time here and our purpose was to rest and we accomplished it but we needed another week here to be completely rested. I would highly recommend this resort to anyone. You will not regret your decision and will have a great time. Definitely recommend using Apple Vacations to book your stay!!!!…
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Date of stay: November 2023Trip type: Traveled with family
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
+1
If you think this is a 5 star then you haven’t been to the 2 other Rui palace in the Dominica republic or any of the other 5 star resorts. If you are accustomed to a motel 8 then maybe you would think this is a 5 star property. We were lied to by Edward at the front desk of the Rui palace punta Cana, about my travel agent last minute changing my reservation. He also lied when he told me he was “upgrading “ me to this resort and it was much better. I called Apple vacations, who was zero help getting the problem resolved, and was told they did not switch my reservation. Later I was told the resort overbooked. The 3rd lie was that they would pay for the for the taxi to take us over. That almost caused a fight with the taxi driver because I refused to pay. Horrible customer service at both resorts that day. The pictures I include on this review show the dirty bathtub, broken shower, gross sperm stained blanket, dated room, and what I would say is a 2 maybe 3 star room. They do not show the smoky smell in one room and the mildew smell in the other. The vacation was negatively affected by the whole event and then they acted like they were doing me a favor switching us to the resort I booked the next day. 👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼…
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Date of stay: November 2023Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
2 Helpful votes
Helpful
+1
Look elsewhere. I don't know who decides the amount of stars hotel have here. I would give it a 5-star rating if it were 5 out of 10. Cleanliness is poor and maintenance seems to be lacking. Place seems to be run down. Somehow, they are able to make drinks taste badly. Most food is not tasty or great quality. Gym machines look like they are about to fall apart. Our room's jetted tub is dirty, bed sheets had some curly, black hairs when we looked the first night and some small stains. Service is subpar (I don't think this is normal for Dominicans which I always associated them providing good service). A waiter on the restaurant told us they didn't serve coke zero, yet we had coke zero the night prior at the same restaurant. A front desk lady said she didn't have singles to change $10. I waited less than 5 minutes and another guy with the same request got singles, magically. I went back to her and asked her how did he get singles. Oh, she didn't notice and suddenly the singles appeared from the same cash register she looked in before. There are other complaints regarding electric/fire hazards but this review would be way longer if I write these. Not coming back. I have the names of the lazy employees, and I have videos not posted here showing the hazards, in case the hotel wants more detailed info.…
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Date of stay: November 2023Trip type: Traveled with family
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip: Don't stay here.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
If you are looking for paradise at $5000. for the week..come ! But don't expect your double double COFFEE LOVERS as they don't have cream ! They have everything including powdered coffee mate ( that's what they give you if you ask for cream ) Oh and all you CHARDONNAY FANS .. not happening ** they offer one white wine (plunk ) one red ( passable) .. butvits paradise so forget about your morning coffee or evening wine cause they have tons of rum !?? Good luck in PARADISE!! OH and room service 🤣🤣🤣🤣called at 3pm . Never got by 6:30 pm where I went to the front desk to ask again..yes we will send right away ?? It's 3 5 hours later???!
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Date of stay: November 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Response from Online Reputation Manager, Owner at Hotel Riu Palace Bavaro
Responded 2 weeks ago
Dear Paradise62478268063, Thank you for staying with us and for letting us know about your feedback. We always recommend to leave the full name on feedbacks, so we can do the proper follow up of what you are stating and assist you when applicable. We regret to read that despite our efforts and the goodwill of our staff, we have not been able to fulfil your wishes and you have not found anything positive about our hotel. Needless to say, our team makes every effort to ensure our guest have the best stay. Your review will be forwarded. Best Regards, Hotel Riu Palace Bávaro Online Reputation Manager
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Check in desk is utter chaos at all times. No concierge to help with anything. Room was fine nothing special but did the job. However safe never worked and we called 3 days in a row to have someone come fix it and no one showed. Activities at pool were good the staff was good there and at the pool bar. However never enough towels they always ran out. I don’t know what to say about the food.. It was horrible. Sometimes we would find some things at the buffet but still not good. The coffee bar in the lobby was good but no late night food options. We ended up eating at outside restaurants 3 nights because we couldn’t take any more food at the resort. Casino was not even a casino. We ended up cabbing it to hard rock and that was great.
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Date of stay: November 2023Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Went with my mom for 7 days. Calling the property is a nightmare. I'm about 50% fluent in Spanish and still got transferred 7 times. I just wanted to know how much it would be to upgrade to the villas, since they told my travel agent those were sold out. They told me to ask at check in. My mom needed minimal walking, and a walk in shower if possible, so I really didn't want to leave it to chance. We ended up with the villa, but on the second floor after tucking a tip into the passport at check in. The room was fine. Nice enough, clean enough. The housekeeper seemed to care about her job. The map provided doesn't actually explain where the shared services are, or how far some things are from the home property. It is really annoying having to put a room key in the wall to make the electric work. Just install a timer that people can spin for how long they'll be in the room. Most people don't intentionally waste electricity. Hot water went out for half the day at least. Minibar refills are quick and generous. If you want to swap dark rum for light rum in the liquor dispenser though, there's no hope. They WILL stock you with wine if you ask. (all the wine on the property is semi dry. If you don't like this, ask for wine spritzers, wine and 7up) The buffet is just ok. You can find something to eat if you're a picky eater. (I'm not). Service is decent. The Italian restaurant is terrible. Not only the service, but the food. I've never had ravioli undercooked and overcooked at the same time but somehow they managed it. They need to pay for the check to go to Italy and learn to actually cook. The steakhouse Taino left a lot to be desired. Both for lunch and dinner. My mom had to send a very blue filet back to finish cooking. My steak was well done when I asked for medium. I ate It because good grief, get it over with. Apple cider pie tasted musty, like it was left in a walkin cooler that needed a serious cleaning. (Anything flour based will pick up air contaminants in a fridge or freezer almost immediately) Vanilla Ice cream was excellent. The waiters here dragged their tray jacks around behind them. It sounds like a stupid thing to be annoyed at, but when you've served fine dining before, something like that really grates. It's unsafe, makes an irritating noise, and ruins the tray jacks. Kullinarium and Krystal restaurants boast separate menus on the app. They are not separate. It's the same. However, we dined twice at Kullinarium. The spare rib is phenomenal. Shrimp salad is excellent. The Iberian ham breadstick...things ..are awful. But the second time we went back, they remembered we didn't like them and made regular rolls appese. Angel is the manager here and he is incredible. He cares. He is teaching the waiters under him to serve properly. Alberto is his protege and very much cares about his job also. We skipped the Japanese restaurant based on other people's recommendations. The coffeehouse in the lobby Is very good and the small plates there are great. The ladies are also very sweet. Evening entertainment is ok. There's music and dancing, employees there who try and get the guests to dance. The bartenders in the bar there are probably the slowest and least attentive people I've ever had the displeasure of meeting. I don't know if they're directed to overpour, and then ignore people after, but some serious training is needed. If you get the villas you have access to quiet, adults only pools. Towels are hard to come by. We used the same ones for 4 days because they never seemed to have clean ones to swap out. We chose the middle pool which doesn't have a swim up bar. La Bamba is the bar there. Alexis and Ezequiel are FANTASTIC bartenders. I just wanted soda water and lemonade most of the time, and they were very accommodating. Super friendly guys, happy to just make people happy. The hot tubs in the middle of the pools aren't actually hot, but the bathrooms were clean. We didn't attend Riu Party at all, but the other people who went said they had a blast. There's a club called Pacha that we also didn't go to because they charge for drinks. That seems foolish to do if you've already paid an all inclusive. We went to the shared casino for a full twenty minutes. The blackjack dealer had what I call "magic hands" and tried pulling a fast one, swapping cards on the table in favor of the house. He also didn't deal in order. Places like that you get up and leave. Never deal with a shady casino. …
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Date of stay: November 2023Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
3 Helpful votes
Helpful
Response from Online Reputation Manager, Owner at Hotel Riu Palace Bavaro
Responded 2 weeks ago
Dear Kristina B, Thank you for your review. While we are glad to read the things you liked when you stayed with us, we are sorry to hear about the challenges you had during your recent stay. Please accept our sincere apologies that we did not completely meet your expectations when we should have exceeded them. On the other side, we are glad that there were things you enjoyed. However, Good or otherwise, we want to know what our guests are thinking. Your feedback is essential for our success and will be shared with the relevant departments. It is our hope to have the chance to provide you with an exceptional stay next time. Have a great day. Hotel Riu Palace Bávaro Online Reputation Manager
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
What a fantastic 10 days I just had at the Riu Palace Bavaro. As you may see from previous reviews, I regularly stay at Riu Resorts and think the service, value for money and overall feel of the resorts is fantastic. This was no expectation! On arrival into the resort, we were greeted with a friendly guy who helped check us in, and took our bags to the room which was warmly welcomed after a 9 hour flight from the UK! Walking through the resort on the way to our room, we could clearly tell that this hotel is maintained and cleaned to a high level which Riu's are on the whole. And then we walked into our room. And what an exceptional room this was. The room was massive and one of the biggest I have ever had in a Riu before. The bathroom was massive, and loved the open feel of the room with the jacuzzi bath sat in the middle giving a sense of luxury. The beds were pretty comfy, and loved the fact that we could wake up, walk over to the balcony and hear the Caribbean waves crashing against the beach. Speaking of the beach. WOW. The Caribbean is of course known for its gorgeous beaches, and this was no exception. There is a little seaweed on the beach which the DR is known for, however is cleared each morning by people working at the hotel. This beach was absolutely gorgeous, definitely one of the nicest I have ever been to! The pool area is also lovely, with the bar and swim up bar being a great touch. We really liked the fact that you could get a drink quite quickly, and loved the fact that waiters were coming around the sun beds asking for your drinks orders which was simply class. Never had this before, and can say it's game changing! The food was decent in the main restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner however we mainly ate at the pool bar restaurant for lunch which was amazing. Fresh show cooking around the clock in 30c heat with a cocktail in hand really goes down a treat- trust me. The hotel also has a few speciality restaurants which we ate at during our stay. Just to mention, normally at Riu's you need to pre book for either the 1800 or 2000 sitting. At the Palace Bavaro, we were told to just turn up at the time as it worked on a first come first serve basis which actually worked very well. We ate at the Steakhouse 5 nights in a row. Enough said. That Stakehouse is something special. Drinks on the whole were pretty good as well. If you choose to stay at a palace, expect to find branded liquors and soft drinks. These all went down very well in the DR's stunning sunshine! They also had the local beer Presentante which WE LOVE! To sum up, I would definitely return to the Riu Palace Bavaro, we both had a fantastic time and would highly recommend. Thanks Riu for yet again an unforgettable stay, your hotels, staff and quality of service always goes down incredibly well! Take me back!!…
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Date of stay: November 2023Trip type: Traveled with friends
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Response from Online Reputation Manager, Owner at Hotel Riu Palace Bavaro
Responded 2 weeks ago
Dear Ollie B., We are so grateful to read that you gave us the opportunity to prove that all the positive reviews that we have, are based on the reality of our hotel and the result of the work of our lovely staff. And it is very gratifying to learn you had a nice holiday. Wishing to welcome you both again very soon, Ollie! Warmest Greetings, Hotel Riu Palace Bávaro Online Reputation Manager
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Not the right property for you?
There are more places to choose from in the Punta Cana area.
PRICE RANGE
$236 - $378 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
CaribbeanDominican RepublicLa Altagracia ProvincePunta Cana
NUMBER OF ROOMS
610
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Frequently Asked Questions about Hotel Riu Palace Bavaro
Which popular attractions are close to Hotel Riu Palace Bavaro?
Nearby attractions include Arena Gorda Beach (0.6 miles), Splash Water Park (0.09 miles), and Escape Room Dominican Republic (0.4 miles).
What are some of the property amenities at Hotel Riu Palace Bavaro?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include a swimup bar, a pool, and an on-site restaurant.
What food & drink options are available at Hotel Riu Palace Bavaro?
Guests can enjoy a swimup bar, an on-site restaurant, and a lounge during their stay.
Is parking available at Hotel Riu Palace Bavaro?
Yes, free parking is available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to Hotel Riu Palace Bavaro?
Conveniently located restaurants include Kukua Beach Club & Restaurant, Restaurant Maiko, and El Galeon.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Hotel Riu Palace Bavaro?
Yes, guests have access to a pool and a fitness center during their stay.
Does Hotel Riu Palace Bavaro offer any business services?
Yes, it conveniently offers a business center, meeting rooms, and a banquet room.
Does Hotel Riu Palace Bavaro have any great views?
Yes, guests often enjoy the ocean view available here.
Is Hotel Riu Palace Bavaro accessible?
Yes, it offers wheelchair access and facilities for disabled guests. For specific inquiries, we recommend calling ahead to confirm.