Riu Palace Bavaro - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

11023 reviews

• 

  Not suitable for families with babies – serious noise, service & management issues

  RIU Palace Bavaro – Honest Review for Families I really couldn’t wait to get back home and then leave a review, because I am writing this while still staying at the hotel. At this very moment, I am sitting in my room after trying to put my baby to sleep for 1.5 hours, unsuccessfully, because of very loud music coming from outside. This hotel is advertised and perceived as a family-friendly resort, and during our stay I have seen many families with small children, including babies. However, it is currently 11:26 PM, and loud music (karaoke, I believe) is still going on. This is the second night in a row with the same situation. For families traveling with babies or young children, this is extremely frustrating and unacceptable. This review is written to honestly inform future guests—especially families—about what to realistically expect. Unfortunately, this is just the beginning. ⸻ Food Simply put: the buffet food is just edible. You can feel full, but never satisfied. The quality, variety, and taste do not match what one would expect from a hotel of this category. The à la carte restaurants were also disappointing. We tried almost all of them, and across all restaurants combined, there were only 2–4 dishes that I can say I somewhat enjoyed. Specifically: • Filet mignon from the Steakhouse • Tacos from the Agave Mexican restaurant • A couple of dishes from the Zen Asian restaurant Everything else ranged from mediocre to forgettable. For a resort offering multiple dining options, the overall food experience was below expectations. ⸻ Service & Communication Service is, unfortunately, very poor. One of the biggest issues is communication. Very few staff members speak English at a functional level. I am not referring to housekeeping or technical staff—I am talking specifically about administrative and front-desk staff. If you have any request or issue that goes beyond a very basic question, it becomes extremely difficult to communicate. Even standard requests often required repeated explanations, and many times staff simply could not understand what was being asked. This lack of communication affects the overall guest experience significantly. ⸻ Birthday Request Experience My husband’s birthday was on the 13th. Starting from the 11th, I repeatedly informed various staff members that I wanted to arrange a small birthday cake for him on that day. I clearly stated that I was willing to pay for it if needed. Over the course of two days, I spoke to multiple staff members, and each one sent me to someone else. Every person gave different information, and no one actually took responsibility or helped. Eventually, I gave up on the idea of surprising my husband. I told him about it, and he personally went to the Steakhouse to request a birthday cake and make a dinner reservation (which is a separate issue). He was told that everything would be arranged without any problem. That evening, when we arrived for dinner, nobody had any record of a birthday cake request. In the end, they brought out a single piece of cheesecake with a candle. While the gesture was appreciated, it was very disappointing considering the effort and time spent trying to arrange this in advance. ⸻ Restaurant System & Reservations Unlike other hotels we have stayed at in the Dominican Republic, RIU Palace Bavaro does not have an online reservation system for its restaurants. Even worse, they do not accept reservations in person either. For example, if you go to a restaurant at 6:00 PM (when it opens) and ask to reserve a table for 7:00 PM, they will refuse. You are required to stand in line and wait. These lines can be long and exhausting, especially when traveling with a baby. This system is very inconvenient and poorly organized. ⸻ Room The room itself was generally nice and comfortable. However, for families traveling with small children, it is important to note that the room only had a shower. A bathtub would have been much more practical for bathing a baby or toddler. ⸻ Overall Impression Overall, I still enjoyed my time in the Dominican Republic, because I love the country itself. Even poor service at the hotel could not ruin my vacation in DR. However, I would definitely not return to this particular hotel. RIU Palace Bavaro has good potential: nice buildings, well-maintained grounds, multiple pools, bars, restaurants, and entertainment stages. Unfortunately, this potential is ruined by extremely poor management. Many of the issues we experienced seem to stem from organizational and management problems rather than isolated incidents. I am writing this review so that future guests—especially families with young children—can make an informed decision before booking.

  Dec 14, 2025
• 

  Beautiful resort, had a great time!!

  We had a fantastic trip travelling with family. This is the first place I would actually want to come back to!! No idea why there’s so many negative reviews as we had a great experience throughout. THE ROOM We stayed in the connecting junior suite which was 2 rooms connected, 1 with a king bed and 1 with 2 queens. The beds were very comfortable and the room was spotless. I was also shocked to see no bugs ever in our room as I’ve experienced at other resorts in the past (natural for the climate). Stayed in rooms 2042 & 2043 which back onto the shop instead of the pool/entertainment so it was pretty quiet. Some issues connecting to TV casting but found a couple English channels (May be more): 82-4 cooking channel 104-3 animal planet 105-1 discovery channel THE FOOD/DRINKS Food Court: This was a highlight for me. Loved the pizza, made-to-order noodle place, and fried chicken. The cilantro hot sauce at RFC was a fave. A La Cartes: We went to the Steakhouse and Asian (Zen - dim sum style). The meals were delicious but if you like medium rare, order medium as the steak was a little undercooked. Buffet: The buffet had a wide variety and was very tasty. Loved the tacos/nacho bar and soups. Amazed to see real Nutella and peanut butter. Some food was cold but the live stations seemed to start around 7 for dinner. After the 1st day could always find hot food. Drinks: Great selection. Lobby has a nightly cart with a specialty drink which was always tasty. Baileys was also available everywhere, highly recommend a baileys mudslide! Cappuccino place also had some great options. THE STAFF The staff was wonderful. Front desk was very helpful and friendly. Always welcoming when we came into the buffet and had a spot ready for us. Some at the live stations were less welcoming but never rude. I think some people have unreasonable expectations based on other reviews. THE BEACH/POOL The beach is incredible. Longest I’ve seen at an all inclusive and great for walking. After looking at the other resorts, this hotel had the best section of beach on the strip (less seaweed, best chairs, relaxing/not too party oriented, significantly more palm trees). I never had to go early to reserve chairs. Waves were strong while we were there. Quite a few vendors but they’re respectful/not pushy. Always barter as they’ll give things for cheaper. Watch out for the parrot guys as they’ll take a picture for you and ask for ridiculous amounts of money. Multiple pools for different types of people. The adult pool was a party spot, while the elite pool was quieter. Didn’t spend much time at the family pool but seemed nice on the way to the food court. They also had a dedicated small fitness pool for classes and sports. OTHER We stayed out till around 10 every night and I only got 1 bug bite. Was surprised at how few I saw despite usually getting eaten alive!!

  Dec 12, 2025
• 

  Travel agent review

  Hotel is amazing, food is lovely, beach is perfect..waves were a little rough but didn't bother us. Rooms were cleaned every day. We didn't really bother with the entertainment although the Michael Jackson act was brilliant. The pacha nightclub plays mostly Spanish music we visited twice but didn't stay long. Drinks by the pool are really strong.. we had to leave a few as they were undrinkable. Staff work really hard. There was a massive language barrier though which I've never come access before... I was looking for the doctor 1 day and spoke to several staff including the entertainment team member and they didn't speak English... I get that not everyone can speak English but basic words like doctor shouldn't have been so hard. We would definitely recommend swin with dolphins, sharks and stingrays. Book through Erik around the pool. Haggle the price! Will return.

  Dec 11, 2025
• 

  Beautiful...

  This was my first time traveling out of the country. This location is absolutely breathe taking from the moment you walk into the lobby. Very friendly staff and extremely clean facilities over all.

  Dec 11, 2025
• 

  Great family trip

  We enjoyed our time here! Always something to do. Staff was nice, and friendly. We loved the buffet options, coffe shop was a delight. The shuttles were easy to access. Room 2079 has some of the best views. Gracias

  Dec 10, 2025