Riu Palace Bavaro - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

10732 reviews

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  Rooms are damp and mouldy - risk to health

  This is my first time to the resort but my 5th time to the island and my first time in a damp and mouldy room. On arrival our room had a damp smell but we opened the patio doors for it to air as we assumed it may not have been used for a few days. However we also noticed the bedding was slightly damp to touch and the coffee table was warped with water damage. Over the coming days the room continued to feel damp and we began to notice small marks on the wallpaper. By day 4 this was much more noticeable and on day 5 the green mould took hold and many large patches appeared. I complained to reception and asked to move rooms only to be told the mould was in fact my fault as I hadn’t kept the air con on constantly! I found this response unbelievable and said that if the air con must be kept on constantly then why are there not notices in each room stating this and why on the hotel app does it suggest using doors/windows or the ceiling fan to conserve energy rather than the air con. I was eventually given the option to move rooms which we did but on returning the keys of the original room back to reception I was told I had to sign a disclaimer for the room upgrade. I argued this was not a room upgrade but merely a move to a habitable room but was told if I wanted to stay in the room, I must sign the form. I had no choice but to sign. This experience could have been handled so differently with courtesy, respect and honesty but instead soured our whole view of the hotel. This is not the standard of room or customer service I would expect from a hostel let alone a 5* resort. So my advice is on arrival if you have any doubts about your room do not unpack and demand a change.

  Jun 19, 2025
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  Great service

  We stayed for 7 nights, the staff was friendly, food was ok, the restaurants were a hit or miss, the rooms were nice but we were missing soap and shampoo

  Jun 19, 2025
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  RIU Palace Bavaro June 2025

  The hotel and most staff was nice, but of course, always some BS you have to deal with regardless of what hotel it is. We stayed for 9 days. The food was good, better than other resorts. The entertainment in the stage area was ok. The RIU parties wasn’t bad for the older crowd. Something to do. The buffet was good and most of the restaurants had good food. I don’t know what it is but total was 16 of us, the ones that stayed longer got sick which was me, my wife, and a few others. A lot of people on the plane were coughing their brains out. Not sure if it’s the water they pour at the buffet and restaurants or certain foods. But never have multiple of got sick like this. Not normal. So here is the BS. All the towels all have stains on them, not 1 but every single towel we got. The first couple days we were in the room when housekeeping came, so we just ask for towels and water. The 4rd day after coming back from an all day excursion, housekeeping didn’t even come in to give us towels. The bar people came in and put beer but no water, no clean glasses. One of the liquor bottle was empty, they didn’t even change it. My wife wasn’t feeling good and we were drinking a lot of water. So I had to call the front and after 2 hours had to go down and get the water myself. After complaining, they showed 5 minutes later, I told him I already had to go down and get it myself, but he didn’t understand a word I said. And the person I complained to in the front desk asked if I had the do not disturb sign on? I told him they came in the room and filled beer!!! He still didn’t understand. He just rushed to take care of me, barely gave me the time. The next day, housekeeping gave us 3 towels, but there is 4 people in the room, so I called again and explained there are 4 people in the room and we got 3 towels, the housekeeping lady showed up with 3 towels. I almost burst out laughing. There is definitely a language barrier here. You try to be nice but they assume everyone in the world speaks Spanish. But they sure as hell speak US dollars!!! At the buffet, some waiters take their time to get you water, on multiple occasions , we sat down and finished our food and still didn’t get water. My kids were sitting at another table from us, I watched a waitress pour water for 1 and not the other, so we waited patiently thinking she ran out and had to get more, nope, she completely forgot cause she was busy laughing with the other staff. So my wife just got up and went to to get the water, as she is pouring it, the waitress runs over, we told her it’s ok we got it. Another time, we signaled for water, the waiter saw us but was busy cause he wanted to get in on the guy playing the drums, and still never gave us water, so we left and went to the bar to get water. Some of the staff looked like they were mad at the world, but most were nice. It’s unfortunate, because people like me like to tip little extra to show our appreciation, but only if we get decent service. You may want to inform your staff that tips come after service not before.

  Jun 16, 2025
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  Wonderful Time In The DR!

  This was our first time visiting the DR and really enjoyed our stay. We were there for our son/daughter-in-law's "2nd" wedding ceremony so her family members could share in the festivities. The wedding on the beach was perfect and everyone had a great time. The amenities were plentiful, lots to do and see without leaving the resort. The staff was very personable and very helpful. The suite was clean and spacious with a great view of the ocean. The only drawback was the food although it was plentiful, the taste of the Italian, Mexican etc. was not desirable. Maybe invest in more training for these type foods so that they taste closer to the real thing. The one exception that we really enjoyed was the Asian restaurant, Zen. We would recommend Zen as they prepared the food the best. Overall, we had a great time and would definitely come back!

  Jun 16, 2025
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  Peaceful

  This was a family trip, kids range from 8 - 17. Everyone enjoyed the property and the rooms. My mom came and she is very hard to please, but she gave me kudos on picking a relaxing resort that was beautiful. Look forward to trying another RIU in the future.

  Jun 15, 2025