Riu Palace Bavaro - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

11083 reviews

• 

  Wonderful location and facilities

  We took 14 people in our family to stay a week, and we were all very satisfied with the resort. Two rooms had mold and plumbing issues, but the resort switched the rooms out quickly to perfectly fine rooms. I mention it only because it was strange that they would not have fixed these issues prior to assigning them to anyone. Mold all over the ceiling, dripping water from light circuits? Seems strange these rooms weren't taken out of circulation. The water park is wonderful, the kids loved both the slides and the splash parks (there are three). The beach is lovely, and we didn't have sargassos on the sand or in the water, like other resorts as we walked along the shore for 1 mile in each direction. The buffet was the place to go, it had hot food and a great selection for every meal. Our only universal negative experience was the food.at the specialty restaurants. We tried three. They were all poor. Food that was cold, or over cooked, minimum menus (3 appetizers, 3 entrees, 3 desserts), really terrible selections. We just ate at the buffet which was great.

  Jan 06, 2026
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  Mostly a great experience

  We enjoyed the hotel overall. We were a bit disappointed when we ordered balloons in advance for our kids birthday and when the time came for delivery, the order was never submitted. As for the rooms, the beds aren’t super comfy, but I think just way too soft for my comfort level. The bathroom light illuminating into the main area of the rooms (large window between bathroom and bedroom area) is pretty inconvenient as well for those that have a mix of early risers and late risers. Otherwise food and staff are great! Plenty of pools and fun activities for the kiddos and adults, and conveniently located right on the beach!

  Jan 06, 2026
• 

  Mold, noise and unpleasant attitude

  For more than 30 years, we have traveled once or twice a year to sun destinations. Unfortunately, our stay at the RIU Palace Bavaro was a great disappointment. ROOM Stay from December 21 to 28 in the Elite Club section. I had reserved three Elite Club rooms, including one swim-out. Two rooms were given to us around 5:00 p.m., and the third only at 9:00 p.m. After two nights in room 52003, we began to suffer from headaches and congestion. The air-conditioning system was defective: the temperature remained constantly at 19°C and could not be adjusted. At night, we even had to turn it off because it was too cold. Despite several requests, no repairs were made. After two days, we noticed that the room was covered with mold, both on the wallpaper and the ceiling. It is obvious that a previous water damage had never been properly repaired. We requested a room change. We were informed that the hotel was full and that we would have to wait a few days. In the end, no one ever called us back. We had to sleep sometimes with the patio door open. No apology was offered. The swim-out was never properly cleaned during the week. An employee would quickly pass by in the morning, nothing more. Debris was present at the bottom of the water upon our arrival and was never removed. Room 52003 was also very noisy: we could simultaneously hear the music from the Elite Club pool (from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day, repetitive music) and from the adults-only pool. To rest during the day, it was easier for me to settle on the beach under a palm tree. STAFF Smiles and attention to guest well-being are clearly not a priority for a large part of the staff. Every morning, very early, the housekeeping staff spoke very loudly. It was not uncommon to see an employee remain near the Elite Club pool for 10 minutes, loudly talking with a colleague located at the other end of the pool or on the third floor, disturbing all nearby guests without any embarrassment. One day, when we returned to our room around 3:00 p.m., it had not been cleaned. I therefore took back the $5 I had left on the bed. In any case, the housekeeper had woken me up earlier with her loud conversations. At the end of the day, she knocked on our door in an accusatory tone to ask why we had not left a tip that day. In 30 years of traveling, I had never experienced such a situation. RESTAURANTS The restaurant layouts create no intimacy or atmosphere. They resemble cafeterias where mass production dominates. The dinner restaurants are very noisy and the service is average. At breakfast, in the Elite section, it was possible to order à la carte. However, given the lack of empathy from the staff, we quickly understood that it was better to serve ourselves at the buffet. Ordering a cappuccino was a real adventure every morning. I eventually got into the habit of picking one up at the Bakery before going to breakfast. At lunch, choices are limited: the Food Yard (KFC, hamburgers, hot dogs, tacos, donuts and cakes) or the crowded buffet. A revealing element of staff attitude: at the Taino restaurant, we were often seated near managers (easily recognizable by their light blue polos). We never saw them greet either staff or guests. If managers do not lead by example, how can you expect staff to do so? In the evening, we preferred the à la carte restaurants. With the Elite Club, we could book online, but with three rooms this became complicated. We had to make individual reservations and ask on site to be seated together. At the Steakhouse, the maître d’ refused to seat us together. The servers would benefit from courses in courtesy and English. Instead of a warm welcome such as: “Hello, my name is Carlos, I will be your server tonight. Did you have a nice day? Where are you from?”, the greeting was reduced to: “What is your choice?”, often without even saying hello. Water and wine servers regularly reached over us to serve the person across from us, without any apology. SHOWS AND ENTERTAINMENT For those looking for nice evening shows, this is not the right destination. The venue is outdoors: when it rains or has recently rained, it is very uncomfortable. The evening host, a heavyset woman, had a harsh voice and a cold tone, without a smile. No effort was made to interact with guests. As for the shows, aside from the circus, they are amateur, even very amateur. Considering the size of this hotel, RIU should clearly invest in improving the quality of its shows. During the day, entertainment is limited. The arrival of Santa Claus was also very ordinary. It should be noted, however, that the staff at the Elite Club pool bar were very friendly, and I appreciated the concept around this pool — no need to rush to find a seat. In short: an experience to forget.

  Jan 05, 2026
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  Decent all-inclusive but lacked few key areas

  Overall a good hotel but lacked some key areas that I would expect from any chain of this size: Food: Coffee and ice cream/desserts were amazing. Drinks could need some tlc, e.g. same cocktail was prepared differently by different bar tenders. But the worst part for food was vegetarian options, We are vegetarians and the options at buffet and specialty restaurants for vegetarians were very repetitive and mediocre. Even the new year eve menu did not include anything vegetarian. I wouldn’t have mind if they had customization but It was a challenge to explain to staff any customizations due to language barriers which i would expect hotel of this size to train their staff on. Facilities: Facilities were great for kids with lot of options for pools/slides/water park etc. would highly recommend for kids, but that can also mean couples wanting some quite time might be a challenge. Housekeeping: definitely needs improvement. We had few items like robe, etc missing from our room upon checkin. The house keeping missed one day. Room: Rooms were amazing, spacious, nice AC and Fan, balcony etc. only complaint for room was the music at night at the stage can feel loud inside the room, didn’t bothered me but can be a challenge for light sleepers.

  Jan 03, 2026
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  Peaceful paradise

  This was an amazing vacation. I am so happy that we picked this resort in particular. The whole property was gorgeous and so perfectly maintained. The staff went out of there way to make sure you were happy and taken care of. I would definitely recommend to anyone that wanted to spend time in paradise. Thank you for a great way to spend the holidays.

  Jan 02, 2026