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What you can expect during your stay
- All linens sanitized in high-temperature wash
- Face masks required for guests in public areas
- Face masks required for staff in public areas
- Floors marked for social distancing
- Hand sanitizer available to guests & staff
- Stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms
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Updated 06/18/20 Safety precautions are provided by the property and are not checked by Tripadvisor for accuracy.
A note from Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana
Updated 06/18/20 Safety precautions are provided by the property and are not checked by Tripadvisor for accuracy.
About
#44 of 160 hotels in Punta Cana
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
Travelers' Choice
The 24-hour All Inclusive Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana opens all year round and is located in holiday area Punta Cana on the Dominican Republic's eastern coast, it is part of RIU Resort with four sister hotels, is situated on the Playa Arena Gorda, which stretches for 26 km. RIU Palace is the most elegant category in the RIU hotel chain, with hotels that meet the highest standards in terms of luxury, excellence and sophistication, creating a unique experience. The location is ideal due to its proximity to Punta Cana Airport PUJ (25 km) and El Cortecito (10 km) and invites you to explore the area. The hotel has 612 cozily furnished rooms with free Wi-Fi and offers many amenities. Relax in our spa, or get in shape at the gym. 4 outdoor pools, 1 children's pool. Day and evening entertainment, as well as our Pacha discotheque. For lovers of gastronomy, we offer live cooking stations at our main restaurant, Japanese, Brazilian, Italian, Fusion restaurants, as well as 5 bars.
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Property amenities
Free parking
Free internet
Pool
Fitness Center with Gym / Workout Room
Bar / lounge
Beach
Water park
Babysitting
Parking
Wifi
Pool / beach towels
Outdoor pool
Fitness classes
Sauna
Restaurant
Breakfast available
Breakfast buffet
Kid-friendly buffet
Snack bar
Swimup bar
Poolside bar
Aerobics
Entertainment staff
Evening entertainment
Table tennis
Children Activities (Kid / Family Friendly)
Kids club
Kids' outdoor play equipment
Car hire
Taxi service
Business Center with Internet Access
Conference facilities
Banquet room
Meeting rooms
Spa
Couples massage
Facial treatments
Head massage
Massage
Salon
Baggage storage
Concierge
Shops
Sun loungers / beach chairs
Sun umbrellas
24-hour front desk
Laundry service
Ironing service
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Room features
Housekeeping
Private balcony
Room service
Safe
Flatscreen TV
Room types
Ocean view
Suites
Family rooms
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
HOTEL STYLE
Family Resort
Great View
Languages Spoken
Spanish
Location
Full view
46Car recommended
Grade: 46 out of 100
179Restaurantswithin 5 miles
63Attractionswithin 5 miles
Contact
Playa de Arena Gorda, Punta Cana 23000 Dominican Republic
Getting there
Rental CarsSee rental cars from $25/day
1671Reviews347Q+A100Room tips
Reviews
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Popular mentions
My husband and I went to Riu Palace Punta Cana because he insisted we visit another Hotel rather than the one I LOVE going to. I was sadly disappointed for the lack of customer service skills. Not all, but most staff were not courteous and/or had a flat affect. We were initially given a room with a view towards the trash area. There was no towels for the pool and we were told we had to go back to our room to use the bathroom towels instead of them getting towels from the supply room. When we checked out, the staff gave me a small paper and turned around. I stood at the counter not knowing what else to do and I asked if he was done and he said “yeah” but nothing else. Out of courtesy he should have at least said “thank you for staying at the Riu”, or something to make me feel I should consider them again in future travels. The only true pleasure was the staff from the krystal Restaurant. We were treated with warmth, courtesy and were made to feel at home. When they found out my birthday was the following day, they made arrangements with my husband to give me a surprise dinner. We will not be going back to Riu and upon return will go back to Bahia Principe resorts where the staff is trained to make customer feel they at home.…
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Date of stay: July 2021Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Helpful
The staff is very friendly and the food has been good it’s a nice beach but being on the Atlantic side of the island there’s lots of seaweed and rough surf the Rooms are nice and Clean. The only real problem I have is the COVID testing is not being done in a efficient way Being At The Riu tropical bay Jamacia in may they had a way better system down there was no wait in lines and waiting to be called on we were assigned a date and time to show up at check in every one was 15 minutes apart testing all day long not wasting several hours of our vacation over all a decent resort but highly recommend Jamacia Riu Tropical Bay the beach there is beautiful
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Date of stay: July 2021Trip type: Traveled with family
Helpful
This resort is a reasonable option, if not a four star experience. Lots of details I would like to have had in advance follow... Location: The hotel is on a nice stretch of beach about a 30 minute shuttle drive N of the airport. There seems less to see in the area (outside the resort itself) than in other beach resorts we’ve visited - and most side trips require a rental car or an expensive vendor excursion. This area of the Dominican Republic may be a good choice if you want to focus your vacation on the resort. Room: Our room felt like it had been updated recently and was very nice overall. Beds were a bit firm but comfortable enough. Pillows were a bit rubbery but good enough. The air conditioning worked well. The fridge was cold and was kept well stocked. We had plenty of bottled water, which the staff recommends vs. drinking the tap water. The bathroom also looked like it had recently been redone (very tastefully). Water leaked out underneath the shower a little and ran across the bathroom floor. We reported it, but it was not fixed while we were there. We “solved” it by damming the bottom of the shower with a towel. No smell of mold. We had a small balcony that looked out onto the maintenance shack of the adjacent RIU property - not the most salubrious view. As you look at the hotel from the beach, we were at the very back left. I think any room number ending in 001 to 012 might have the same view. The room was cleaned nicely each day (and the entire property seemed very clean). If you have neighbors who let their doors slam (as we did for a couple days), you will hear it clearly. Otherwise, soundproofing seemed fine. We did have one unpleasant night where our room filled with a neighbor’s cigar smoke, even though our windows were closed and we had a towel placed under our main door. Towels: They are a bit stingy with towels at first. We got two bath towels and that was it. We asked for more and got two hand towels only. I also asked for bath robes but was told they were available for suites only. We were in a “junior suite” and so apparently did not qualify. Staff: The staff are very friendly but most, including some at the front desk, seem to speak very little English (an issue at times if you don’t speak Spanish). Some guests made a good effort to bond with staff - e.g., sit at same table each day for breakfast and lunch. Beach: There were plenty of places to sit at the beach. There are lots of palm trees providing good shade. It felt very uncrowded - perhaps because of the seaweed/sargassum (see below). The sand was nice and the ocean was calm while we were there. The beach is unobstructed between resorts, so you can walk long distances both N. & S. We walked slowly (45 minutes) to the N, just beyond the Hard Rock beach - to a very pretty, photogenic stretch of undeveloped beach. Beach Vendors: Vendors constantly work the beach. They generally move on if you say “no thanks” (although a couple vendors needed to hear it twice). They are not aggressive. They did not ruin the trip for us but they are a constant presence. One pair of vendors worked the beach with either A) two iguanas or B) a monkey and a macaw - offering photos with the animals. Seaweed/Sargassum: When we were there (June 2021), the seaweed - actually sargassum - was impressive. It lined the beaches - a couple feet wide and high in most places. Some places did a better job than RIU removing it (using bulldozers) but all resorts were struggling. It’s hard to know how they could have “solved” the issue given the volume. The sargassum has a briny smell but it wasn’t that bad and didn’t deter us from sitting on the beach. You could walk over the small barrier of sargassum to get into the water. For the first dozen feet of ocean, you would be bumping into sargassum now and then. But sargassum feels more like plastic than slimy seaweed. After wading a little further out (with water still at waste to chest level) there was little to no sargassum. In one day during our week stay a big, new wave of sargassum washed up on the shore. For several hours, there was too much sargassum in the water to make ocean swimming pleasant. We stayed by the pool that afternoon. It really wasn’t that big an issue for us but seems like it ruined the trip for some other reviewers. Pools: The pools seemed more popular than the beach, perhaps because of the sargassum (seaweed). The bar pool and main pool always felt full - but still with enough room for others to join in. The small volleyball pool was often empty or uncrowded. You get a towel card which you exchange for a beach towel. When you turn the towel back in at the end of your beach/pool time, you get the card back. Food: The quantity is good and the food is nicely presented. But the dishes are all ho-hum in flavor. We ate all kinds of food (including sushi) and had no stomach issues at all the entire week. We had dinner at all six sit down restaurants during our stay. Service was very good, the settings were pleasant, and the menu dishes sounded and looked exciting - but the taste was mostly unremarkable. Of my six entrees, just one (a lamb dish at the French restaurant) was very good. We lined up to eat at the steakhouse and found that pretty disappointing. The steak was thin and chewy - like something one might get at a US buffet restaurant. The lobster tail had a doughy texture and tasted like it had been frozen. The Spanish restaurant, La Bodega, which seemed to be the least popular, had a very strong smell of mold when we ate there. The sit down restaurants did not take reservations but opened for seating at 630pm. If you waited outside 15 minutes early, you usually got in to your first choice right away. There always seemed to be a couple restaurants with seating available later in the evening too. The buffet options looked impressive in terms of color and variety - but most of the food was pretty pedestrian. Drink: Drink options are limited. Only one beer, Presidente, is available and it is pretty bland. The included house wine was mediocre but drinkable. The liquor brands are very basic, not premium (they did not have Barcelo Imperial when we were there). But a bigger issue for me was that all the cocktails seem to be made with oversweet syrup instead of fresh ingredients. They had good fresh fruit juice at breakfast. At the lunch restaurant a few feet from the pool bar, they had tons of delicious fresh mango and pineapple. But none of that fresh fruit seemed to be used in cocktails. You could not get anything like a batida. If you are happy with a rum and Coke or a very sweet “canned” pina colada, you will be fine. They did stock mamajuana, a local liquor, which was decent neat. Gym: The gym is small and was not air-conditioned - but was sufficient. It had two or three treadmills, two or three bikes, and two or three weight machines. Most mornings I was there, there were two to six other people there - but never too full. No one wore masks for Covid. Guests: Judging informally from what we heard, I would guess about 40% of the guests were Latin American, 40% were Slavic, and 20% were US or other European. The clientele was very diverse - with plenty of young couples, older couples, parents with children, and some large family reunion groups. The hotel felt full (it was at 85% occupancy) but did not feel over-crowded; the pool and restaurant facilities were sized right for hotel capacity. Some groups were boisterous but nothing offensive. Covid Test: At the time of writing, you needed a Covid test to get back into the U.S. When you check in, they advise you to come to the lobby on a certain day to register for a test the following day. You line up on that day to get a number. You return the next day and wait for your number to be called. You line up several more times as part of the process to get your nasal swab. It’s a bit boring and bureaucratic and eats up 2 hours total of your vacation time; but the staff involved are friendly, there’s no additional charge, and you get your results via email the next afternoon. They do shove the swab fully up your nose - but they are not as violent as some U.S. hospitals. The test results show the date/time the lab test was performed (not nec. the day you are swabbed). The US requires that date to be no more than 3 days (not a strict 72 hours) before your return flight. Other: I had read a couple articles online about airport staff confiscating ALL liquids when departing from PUJ. We left with small containers of liquid (e.g., shampoo) inside a larger ziplock bag (same as in US) and had no issue.…
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Date of stay: June 2021
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
At first glance the resort looks awesome until you spend your first night. There was no security. A late night disturbance resulted in a call to front desk with no answer. We we terrified in our room and no response. The second night the same happened with someone picking up the phone but no response. Our toilet plugged 3 times and the bathroom smelled like a sewer. The one positive was our waiter Sandy. He was the best! The food was redundant and mediocre at best. When waiting for transport to airport the valets we’re rude and couldn’t wait for us to leave.
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Date of stay: July 2021Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip: Do not pick this resort.
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Helpful
Response from RIU Hotels and Resorts, Owner at Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana
Responded yesterday
Dear rvksmoore, Thank you so much for your feedback regarding your recent stay with us. We regret that your stay at our hotel did not fulfil your conception in general as our policy is to make every attempt to please and keep our guests content. Please rest assured that RIU Hotels & Hotels greatly cares about the safety and wellbeing of our guests and we are really concerned to find that our team could not resolve this issue and help you to enjoy a more pleasant holiday. It is also very disappointing to hear that our gastronomic offer could not reach your personal taste as we strive to offer our guests a large variety of quality food and drinks. We do hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back in the future, so that we can provide a better experience. We wish you all the best, Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana Online Reputation Manager
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The staff were great. The hotel was updated nicely. Food was good. Complaints: radios aren’t allowed at the pool and the hotel staff did nothing about a large group of guest who were blasting their music ALL week. Security guard walked past and joked with them about lowering the music. They never lowered it. Called to have the air conditioning fixed twice for our kids room and it was never fixed. Two people looked at it, touched the thermostat and left. If you are looking to party with loud music this is the place to go. Don’t go if you are planning to relax. My kids that went with us are older but if I had young kids I wouldn’t go here. Probably won’t be returning or recommend.
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Date of stay: July 2021Trip type: Traveled with family
Helpful
Response from RIU Hotels and Resorts, Owner at Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana
Responded yesterday
Dear jrocca18, Many thanks for sharing your experience with us. It is great to hear you appreciated our staff members´ dedicated and welcoming service and the gastronomic variety. On the other hand, we are deeply sorry to read that your visit was not entirely to your liking and that you may have felt uncomfortable due to the behavior of other guests. We want everyone to have fun, we do expect for our visitors to be considerate to one another and our security team and all employees do their best to implement our internal guidelines, however, we are sorry that not all of our clients respect them. Also, we are sorry to hear about the issues you experienced with the Air conditioning unit in your room, and that our team could not rectify this. We apologize for the inconvenience. Thank you again for your feedback and hope to host you someday again We remain with nice wishes, Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana Online Reputation Manager
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PRICE RANGE
$172 - $365 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
riu palace punta cana hotel punta cana, punta cana riu palace, riu palace hotel punta cana
LOCATION
CaribbeanDominican RepublicLa Altagracia ProvincePunta Cana
NUMBER OF ROOMS
676
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Claim Your Listing Frequently Asked Questions about Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana
Which popular attractions are close to Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana?
Nearby attractions include Bavaro Beach (2.3 miles), Escapology (4.7 miles), and Vivaldi Cigars (4.7 miles).
What are some of the property amenities at Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana?
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 Punta Cana?
Guests can enjoy a swimup bar, an on-site restaurant, and a lounge during their stay.
Is parking available at Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana?
Yes, free parking is available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana?
Conveniently located restaurants include Montserrat Manor Restaurant, Chic Cabaret & Restaurant Punta Cana, and Herman 311 Bar & Restaurant.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana?
Yes, guests have access to a pool, a fitness center, and a sauna during their stay.
Does Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana offer any business services?
Yes, it conveniently offers a business center, meeting rooms, and a banquet room.
Does Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana have any great views?
Yes, guests often enjoy the ocean view available here.
Is Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana accessible?
Yes, it offers wheelchair access and facilities for disabled guests. For specific inquiries, we recommend calling ahead to confirm.