Riu Palace Bavaro - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

11065 reviews

• 

  Good potential, but front desk staff is disrespectful & severely lacks training and courtesy

  If you stayed at a Riu property in Mexico (which I have), this place is an absolute disappointment! I had high hopes for our stay at Riu Palace Bavaro, Punta Cana but our check-in and subsequent interactions were overshadowed by a front-desk staff member named LEO. He was incredibly rude, dismissive, and insulting (even with kids). Every few hours, our room keys would stop working. The resort is huge so there’s a significant walk from the room to front desk. Unfortunately, we would have to walk to the reception after coming out of the beach or pool to get replacement keys. Once I sent my kid to get the keys and she was asked $20 for the replacement of defective keys. When I went to the front desk to explain the issue, “LEO” was downright condescending and completely lacked the professional courtesy. He refused to listen to me and in fact, called the next guest in line when my kids and I were still trying to communicate with him. Moreover, he would intrude if we tried to speak with other front desk person. There is no escape from him if you’re at Riu Bavaro Punta Cana. Even the manager seemed scared of him and wouldn’t do a thing. He seems to own the place and run/ruin it his way. So yes, if your idea of vacation is getting insulted, that’s the right place. But if you want to enjoy your precious time and hard-earned money, STAY AWAY!! Below is the breakdown of all the amenities that are promised and provided – Magnetic keys – Don’t work (be ready to walk a mile to the reception every few hours) TV – didn’t work but automatically switch on in the middle of the night Coffee machine – No Coffee cups (even after room cleaning) Alcohol dispenser in the room - No Glasses Phone for calling the room service or reception – Nobody would pick the phone (useless) Shower Gel/ Shampoo dispenser – No shower gel, shampoo, or conditioner (even after the housekeeping visit and reminders) Beach front property – Unusable and rough beach full of weeds All-inclusive resort - Much of staff would ignore if not tipped. Be prepared to pay tip in advance to get decent service. I wanted to overlook all the other issues and give this property a 4 star if it wasn’t for Leo who brought them to 1-star (0 in my opinion). If I can save one family from this terrible experience, this review would be worthwhile!!

  Dec 30, 2025
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  Beautiful resort with friendly staff!

  The resort was beautiful! The amenities were fantastic and awesome for our family. Activities for the active members and lounging capabilities for the less active members. It was a good time with lots of great memories!

  Dec 30, 2025
• 

  Relaxing time with the family

  This was our very first time staying at Palace Bavaro, but we've been to Palace Punta Cana and Bambu many times before that as this was our 15th time staying at the Riu Resorts in Punta Cana. I think Palace Bavaro is a step above the other Riu Resorts in Punta Cana that we've been to. We haven't been to Palace Macao since that's adults only and we usually go with kids. Positives: - The rooms are more modern and spacious than Palace Punta Cana, plus they don't have that musty smell when you walk in. - Food is somewhat similar, but I do think the Bavaro had more options. - The resort feels more luxurious and spacious - There were beds available at the pool and beach every time, which was impressive despite the resort being fully booked. Negatives: - Lack of accommodation to have rooms next to each other as we were with our kids. This was disappointing especially since we called them and requested this well in advance. - It's not that the service was bad, but we thought the service at Palace Punta Cana was better. At times it felt like they were a bit understaffed. - Fancier restaurants at the resort are first come first serve starting at 6PM. We only went to the Mexican restaurant one night and it wasn't worth the one hour wait. Maybe the others are better, but I think they should allow reservations ahead of time to maximize time at the beach/pool. Overall, we were very pleased with our stay and would certainly go back again. I wish they were more accommodating, especially considering we've been there many times.

  Dec 30, 2025
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  Family holiday

  Good hotel. As a frequent client of RIU would expect a higher standard service from most of the staff.

  Dec 27, 2025
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  Family vacation

  The resort was excellent and the restaurants had great food 👌. The buffet was not really that great as not all food tasted good in the buffet overcooked meat and really chevy. But booking seats at the restaurants was a game changer for us the food was much better there . For the price of a family of 4 we were all happy. Some of the evning entertainment was a bit boring and not as entertaining we left earlier most of the evenings, but the overall stay was excellent

  Dec 26, 2025