Riu Bambu - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

5057 reviews

• 

  Good cheap hotel, Foam party a must!!

  What works well Check out the vlogs on Taits Travels on YouTube Beach & location * It’s right on a beautiful stretch of white‐sand beach at Playa Arena Gorda — genuinely a good spot for beach time. * The resort is large and offers multiple pools and decent grounds to wander. * For a budget‐friendly all‐inclusive, you do get good value in terms of “what you’re paying for” (especially compared with ultra luxury). Fun / lively atmosphere * If you’re after a more active, social, party‐friendly resort, this one delivers. The swim‐up bar and daily entertainment cater to people who want more than just “quiet and calm.” * Staff are frequently praised for friendliness (though consistency varies). * Foam parts are a must do!! What could be better Rooms & maintenance * The rooms are described as dated, with decor that hasn’t been modernised in many cases. * Maintenance issues have been flagged: outlets not working, furniture worn, some complaints about cleanliness and upkeep. Food & drink * Many guests say the buffet food is average at best. The à‐la‐carte restaurants and speciality options don’t always deliver. * Drinks are included (all‐inclusive) but often bottom‐shelf liquor — which may not match what you could expect at a higher‐tier resort. Cleanliness & service consistency * Multiple reviews cite issues with cleanliness (pools not cleaned thoroughly, public areas messy) and inconsistent service levels. * Some serious complaints too — for example bed‐bugs, hygiene issues raised on forums. > “I woke up covered in bed bug bites … They moved us to another room … new bites even in the second room.” Reddit Crowd & noise * If you prefer a very quiet, upscale, “tranquil resort” feel, this might not be ideal. There’s a more energetic, party‐vibe side. The noise level can be higher. Who is this resort good for, and who might want to look elsewhere Good for: * Groups of friends or couples looking for fun, beach time + social atmosphere, who are okay with a resort that isn’t ultra‐luxury. * Travellers with a moderate budget who want “all inclusive” convenience and plan to spend most time enjoying the beach/pool rather than scrutinising every hotel detail. * Families with children — there are kid‐friendly amenities as well. riu.com Maybe skip or upgrade if you: * Expect five‐star luxury, pristine boutique accommodation, gourmet dining and ultra high service standards. * Are looking for peace and quiet rather than a party‐oriented, lively resort. * Have very high expectations for room modernity, maintenance, top‐tier food and drink brands. Bottom line Riu Bambu delivers a solid if not spectacular all‐inclusive beach resort experience in Punta Cana. If you go in with realistic expectations — good beach, fun vibe, moderate luxury — you’ll likely enjoy yourself. But if your standards are very high (boutique lodging, exceptional gourmet food, flawless service) then you might find it falls short in certain areas. If I were giving it a score (out of 10) for a typical stay: around 6.5-7/10, maybe higher if you prioritise fun + beach over luxury.

  Nov 11, 2025
• 

  Disgusting hotel!

  where do I start. Was originally booked to go to Jamaica but our holiday was cancelled due to hurricane Melissa so was rebooked and was told Riu Bambu would be a like 4 like what we had originally booked in Jamaica….what a scam. This is the lowest budget Riu I have everrr stayed at and I’ve stayed at a few! Now I been to Benidorm many times so I’m not necessarily fussy, but this hotel was absolutely disgusting! Rooms were old and outdated with your bath room sink in the the bedroom, as this was apparently their upgraded room lol. Pretty much no1 spoke English in the hotel, I understand I’m in another country but being one of the only English speaking in hotel with specific rist bands for “English speakers” you were 100% looked at differently by staff and guests. Basic level drinks I’ve never heard off. Food was disgusting. People having s*x in the swim up pool. The pools were the most disgusting thing I have ever witnessed! Skin, split flies hair floating everywhere (I have a video!)and to top it all off on the second night after coming back from the club at 2am we were greeted with cockroaches in the room! Enough was enough. Went to the TUI rep first thing in morning. He offered us a transfer to another hotel at a cost to us. The other hotel (Hotel Baávaro) was an absolutely amazing and was the level of holiday I would have expected from the start! Riu Bambu needs to be demolished. I wouldn’t recommend to my worst enemy!

  Nov 10, 2025
• 

  Disappointed

  I’ve booked through TUI and upgraded to a family room which is an absolute samples. The first room they showed us to already add guests in it. Our current room is not a family room. It’s a standard room with a sofa bed pulled out I had to pay extra for this. The sofa bed is very uncomfortable. I asked to move hotel and we told I would have to pay almost US$2000 which is ridiculous and this or a Spanish speaker the staff don’t serve you food itself in comparison to other real hotels is pretty poor standard of the room is dire pass saving grace is our lovely cleaning lady i’ve been staying at Riu hotels for a number of years and I’m a member of Riu class however there was no riu class checkin available on my arrival. I was completely ignored. I had to stand for almost 20 minutes before someone decided to take that they wanted to check me in. This is the worst example of a riu hotel that I’ve ever stayed iny husband is celebrating his 60tj and we have decided that we have to do this outside of the hotel as a close relative has come to celebrate with us and we are informed that we would be charged $190 for him to come and visit us here The moral Of the story is do NOT upgrade to a family room as they don’t meet the standard And don’t bother to come to this hotel if you are not a native Spanish speaker as you do do not get the same level of service Do not come to this RIU of you are used to the amazing other hotels eg Senegal and Cape Verde where the service is as it should be I am in room 203 and I have compared the room to a standard room and all they have done is pull the sofa bed down And for that I had to pay an upgrade fee

  Nov 06, 2025
• 

  Honest reviews

  Hello all we are a family of 4 my husband, myself , and my 2 daughters. We will be arriving on the 16th of nov 25. Wow next week weve been waiting for this moment for 165 days counting down the days till we get there. We are very excited to be there. The hotel looks so beautiful. We picked this hotel as its our birthdays out there mine is the 17 of nov my daughter will be celebrating her 18th birthday on the 19 of nov and my husband the 24th of nov. My daughter will offically be an adult and shes so excited to party and order her first drink. I have been reading reviews on this hotel and to be honest its not looking to good with some exceptional excellent reviews thats what ive been focusing on. Im going to give my own honest review We will be reviewing the hotel, beach, pool, food. Staff front of house we have heard the people from dominican republic are very friendly. We used to go to cuba every year and yes it is a poor country but the people is what made it . Yes that hotel was a little dated too but we didnt spend a lot of time in the room we enjoyed the cuban culture and music and the staff is what made it. So friendly and helpful in understanding my daughter needs. Thats why we keeped going back every year for 7 years. So tine for a change this is why we picked riu bambu as my girls are getting older now. We will also review the the room as we can see from pictures people have posted thats its a little dated but thats not what makes the hoilday there just minor things and over time things go like this we have our 15 year old daughter with us who is autistic so we have asked for interconnecting rooms. So she next door to us with my other dughter ive put in a request for this and on the top floor. My job is a house cleaner and hotel cleaner i see the photos of the standered of cleaning people put up ànd i know these poor cleaners have such a quick turn around to get the room cleaned and in the heat i know they try there best so people try to understand.. cant wait to meet you all and have the best time at the riu bambu. See you soon.

  Nov 05, 2025
• 

  Lovely Stay, But Some Details Need Attention

  We had a lovely stay at the hotel overall. The staff worked very hard, especially in the restaurants and bars, and we really enjoyed the Riu parties- neon, jungle, pink and white parties. You can bring outfits with you (if you know about these parties in advance!). Riu party is in the pools or you can dance next to these- super fun! However, communication with guests could be improved. For example, the time of the Riu party was changed from 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. without any notification. On another occasion, we were told the party was cancelled or finished, but we could still hear the DJ and music playing until around 11:30 p.m. The food was very good during the week, though we noticed that the quality dropped a bit over the weekends, and on a few occasions, some of the vegetables and fruit seemed a bit old/ not fresh with a specific taste. The receptionists were very kind and helpful — we had an issue with a broken bed, and although it wasn’t properly fixed the first time, once we reported it again, it was replaced the same day, which we really appreciated. Rooms were cleaned very well- sometimes we had to go to the Reception to get water as it was not delivered to our room every second day as promised. We had a gap of 5 days with no water, etc refilling. The cleaner was amazing! We really enjoyed TUI area- there are lots of sunbeds to stay at any of the pools but TUI area was really quiet and the staff at the bar super friendly. No sea shoes required as the beach is sandy. NO stones in water- sand. Snorkelling- it was pretty wavy so we could not do snorkelling. Further away, the boats used the area so no snorkelling there. Weather- humid, hot (32 feels like 38), presently warm rain (even if we had warnings about Melissa hurricane). No jumpers needed in the evenings- too hot! 26 degrees at night time! Basketball- we asked for a ball and were given for about 1.5 hours. I would advice to take your own basketball if you like playing it- the court was always empty. One inconvenience we faced was with the room key cards. During our stay, they frequently stopped working, and we had to visit the reception several times (4-5 times during 2 weeks holiday) to reactivate them. The day before we left, I had to go to the reception five times, and eventually we found out that the cards had been activated for the wrong room number (1702 instead of 1707). That was quite frustrating, especially after being reassured earlier that the issue had been fixed. We were a bit confused of why there was a full room renovation with painting, etc for several days in front of our room as we had bad paint smell in the room. First week there was a room renovation in the same corridor but a bit further inside the corridor, the second week- the room in front of us was fully painted (spray painted) with doors open. I think this should be avoided when people (esp. with small children) live in the same area. Despite these few issues, we still had a nice stay and truly appreciated the efforts of the hardworking staff. The staff in Collonium worked really hard- they would not stop moving! Despite the fact that a mouse/ rat fell on one of the tables and ladies made a huge fuss about it (they had dinner at that table and the mouse fell right on the table from the ceiling!), it was a cosy, air conditioned area to relax from heat. The area by the pools look clean and tidy, the beach is amazing, lots of sunbeds. Advice- always buy and take with you Bug spray to any of the hotels in Caribbean- if not the bed bugs, then it might be bugs in the beach towels that bite a lot. If not these, then tiny ants in the rooms or 1 or 2 huge cockroaches will show up! We had one and the last one! Dead... Hit by the shoe! None of these creatures dared to come back again. The black Bug spray from Amazon worked miracles!

  Nov 04, 2025