What We Love
- No reservations needed at any of the restaurants.
- Those handy, dandy liquor dispensers in the room. Cocktails, anyone?
- World-class golfing is just a short ride away.
Things to Know
- The resort is one destination within a larger complex featuring outstanding amenities and entertainment.
- Maximize your vacay hours by checking pick-up times on scheduled transfers.
- Caribbean street is nearby for a wide variety of great shopping!
Escape to an all-inclusive dream at Riu Palace Bavaro. This resort has it all with plenty of food, activities and entertainment for everyone!
All-inclusive means a stress-free getaway: food, drinks and activities are included in the price of your vacay! Walk on the white sand beach and feel the warm breeze while the kids are entertained at the kids’ club. Practice your swing at the world-class golf course nearby or head to Saona Island for an adventurous excursion.
Don’t forget to stop by the spa for a relaxing facial or massage before dining at one of the resort’s delicious restaurants. No reservation is required so please your palate whenever you want! For those who just want to relax in their rooms, liquor dispensers are provided for guests to make their drinks without leaving their comfy spot. The resort also has a water park with slides, plenty of nightly entertainment and a fitness center to meet everyone’s needs while they’re on their getaway.
We are proud to support the Punta Cana Promise as part of our ongoing commitment to ensure that True Beach Lovers are safe while traveling to one of the top beach destinations in the Dominican Republic. The Punta Cana Promise reaffirms our commitment to a set of security standards in one of the safest spots in the Caribbean.
Location
Punta Cana - BeachProperty Information
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Resort Details
Dining
Amenities
Activities
Hotel Advisories
General Policies & Fine Print
Check-in Policy - Hotel requires a credit/debit card authorization or cash deposit upon check-in for incidentals; this will place a hold on your funds.
Convention Policy - Individuals attending a convention cannot book this property for their stay. If found attending a convention, guests may be subject to higher room rates upon arrival.
Hotel Spring Break Policies - At least one person 21 years or older is required in every room during the months of February through May. During the remainder of the year, at least one person 18 years or older is required in every room.
The Hotel reserves the right of admission and may request a guest present his/her passport or official ID as proof of age. Guests can and will be removed from the property, at their own expense, if any disturbance or complaint from other guests or hotel staff arises. Parties in rooms are not permitted. Unruly behavior by individuals or groups is not allowed at any property at any time during the year.
The connecting Junior Suites has a minimum occupancy of 4 in each room booked.
Transfer Policy - A price may display when children stay free, if your vacation includes transfer to your hotel.
General Information - Room taxes and service fees are included in vacation price.
Minimum night stay restrictions may apply.
Reservation changes may not be permitted unless authorized by the hotel.
Customer Ratings & Reviews
TripAdvisor Traveler Rating
4511 reviews
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Mar 26, 2020not as good as the Macao Palace
We were moved here as the Riu Palace Macao was closed down. Although there was nothing majorly wrong with the hotel it did not emit the same friendly atmosphere that there was at the Macao. With one or two exceptions the staff are no where near as friendly. you would not be acknowledged or greeted by staff some of the reception did not seem to care about you. I know it was busy when they closed the other hotels and everybody descended on this hotel but we were there at just after 8.00 am and did not get given a room until 12.30 even then it was only because we kicked up a fuss. The facilities at the hotel are good the main pool is busy but there is an adult only spool which is much quieter, but once again the bar staff seemed to think they were doing you a favour serving you drinks. The buffet is not as good as the Macao there is again plenty of choice but the food was not nearly as hot as at the Macao. Would I return to this hotel not as a first choice.
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Mar 25, 2020Wonderful resort and fabulous beach
I have to say that we overall loved our vacation at the Palace Bavaro. We especially want to mention Alexis our pool waiter. He was so friendly, professional, and kept us with refreshments at all times. Also, Aderlyn was equally attentive and personable at the evening bar and entertainment venue. Rooms are spacious and beautiful but would not be family friendly as they are open concept and set up more for couples. For the only downfall—Our vacation happened to be mid March and we will definitely be watching our dates next year, as even though the RIU chain advertises no spring breakers, halfway through our stay a huge group of at least 20-30 of them arrived. The pool area after that was not relaxing at all. And they were really obnoxious with one of them walking around with a speaker blaring music all the time. Our room was #1095 and if you enjoy going to bed before 3:00 am then I would suggest requesting a different wing of the hotel. My husband actually got up the third night to investigate. We thought it was just inconsiderate guests but the noise was both that and the Hotel Naiboa entertainment area and bar guests since it's literally right behind our resort. I ended up downloading a white noise app to drown it out. The resort and ocean views are gorgeous and the Staff are great. Food is amazing. I would definitely stay there again but will not go during spring break! Dont get me wrong, I like to party myself but when you pay that much to go on a vacation to enjoy the atmosphere and relax its a little disappointing. We have stayed at the Club Hotel RIU Negril Jamaica during this same time the last two years in a row row and never experienced this.
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Mar 22, 2020an interrupted vacation
we had reserved a resort stay with their Macao. when our driver pulled up at the resort a lady met us and said because a slowdown due to the corona virus the resort was shut down, this was very disappointing since we had celebrated our 40th anniversary there and were now celebrating our 51st. we were rerouted to the Riu palace Bavaro. the desk clerk was very unsympathetic to our story. our travel agent said she would contact the Macao and they would make it a special occasion. I asked about a room upgrade explains we were to be treated to perks. the desk clerk said he knew nothing about that and we would have to contact reservations. the room they gave us has to been the worst room the had. it was over the main lobby. when you looked out our front door we were looking at nothing but roof. not even over the roof but on top of it. when you went out the patio doors the same thing. the smell of sewage was very strong. I went back to the lobby and threw a fit. a manager. came out and was very apologetic and had us put in one of their rooms that was in there vip area. we had a beautiful large private pool . the room was big and had a jacuzzi in it and we had a large hot tube on the deck. the room was over looking the beach and palm trees. it was truly one of their best room. maybe I'm expecting too much but there was no anniversary fruit and wine and no towel art like we expected. some of the restaurants were closed but the open ones had really huge variety, it was all presented beautifully everything was proper temperature and tasted great. the dessert tables looked like pictures In gourmet magazine. all the pool activities were canceled, we saw one show, the rest were cancelled, and that was the Michel Jackson show and it was wonderful.there was no shopping because all the shops were closed but a small sundries store. we we suppose to be there for 7 days but after two days we received an evening call that we had to be packed and reddy to leave at 10:am the next day. we were told all Americans were being ordered home by our government, the resort was to close the next day (Sunday). in the meantime Americans from other resorts were brought to the Bavaro. some were to stay the night until their planes came to get them. we we told our government was sending us empty planes to pick us up. I really wanted to stay but they said there would be no more planes and the resort was closing the next day and we would would have to leave and fend for ourselves.
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Mar 19, 2020
Great 1) BEACH, 2) STAFF, ... 9) FACILITY in that order
I must state that you can't knock the beaches in Punta Cana. Absolutely beautiful. And the staff members were exceptional at the Riu Palace Bavaro. But we had many complaints with the hotel. In our experience it was not worth the price. We won't be back to this property and probably not Punta Cana. The 1st complaint was the distance we had to walk from our room on the second floor, south wing of the main building. There was only one entry/exit to our hallway from the elevators. We exited the elevator, turned right for 50 feet, then turned left down a long hallway, turned left at the end and arrived at our room. Although there was a continuation of the hallway after a jog left then right, and a couple staircases, nothing led to an alternate exit. We asked at the front desk about our problem and they said there was not another way out. We had to exit the way we arrived. Although the main buffet was almost underneath our room, we had to walk a great distance just to eat. Although it isn't a big deal for younger guests, my feet are not like they were a decade ago. Out of 2 elevators for our wing, one of the cars was constantly breaking. It got to the point where no one would get into the bad car knowing that it was usually a bust. You often could get on the elevator and the door would close. But push a button and it would go nowhere. At one point the button for the ground floor was pushed through the panel leaving a gaping hole. Someone was not happy I suppose and punched the button too hard. The electricity in our room was triggered by putting the room card into a special slot next to the door that completed a circuit for powering the room. When leaving the room you pulled the card out, shutting off the power to everything including the refrigerator. I like cold drinks but because the power was out all day, drinks were always less that desirable. The showers were always cool in the morning but nice temperatures in the evening. We could never get the temperature up to a nice level in the morning regardless of how long we ran the water. Our morning shower was always very marginal. There was a beautiful coffee shop in the lobby. The problem was it didn't open up until 10am. Many hotels we have stayed at had the coffee shop open 24 hours! Who wants to drink espresso just before lunch?!? I like a nice jolt around 8am with a small scone. Not going to happen at the Riu Bavaro. There was no hallway furniture anywhere except near the main lobby. At the Riu Pacifico in Puerto Vallarta there are sitting areas in all the hallways leading to the rooms with beautiful padded wicker furniture. These spots usually had a nice breeze with a super outside view. Another issue is the smoking, which seemed to be allowed everywhere including the dining areas, the specialty restaurants, the theater, the bars and the pool area. Maybe this was allowed due to the overwhelming presence of Canadians and Europeans. However, that's not treating the non-smokers fairly. We don't expect to be gagging while eating dinner or watching a variety show at the theater. The FunJet website advertises 4 pools with multiple swim-up bars. Without paying extra for the VIP wrist band, there’s only 1 pool and 1 swim-up bar. VIP status puts your room in one of the 8 smaller buildings that are closer to the ocean and surrounding 2 adult pools with swim-up bars. Unless you buy the VIP wrist band you will not have access to these facilities. Signs outside the buildings and grounds say VIP guests only. As for the main swim-up bar, you must leave the main pool, and walk over to the small swim-up pool/bar area. The swim-up bar does not service the main pool directly. The hotel and the FunJet website advertised free non-motorized water sports at the hotel. We could find nothing close to the beach so we asked around. We were told there is no equipment at the Bavaro. We'd have to walk down the beach to another Riu and ask them. HUH?!? If you don't like the noise of helicopters then this resort area is not for you. It seemed that there were helicopters flying low over our resort constantly for 7 days, so much traffic that conversations were often temporarily halted. Located somewhere close (within 2-4 miles) was a helicopter pad that was busy nonstop during the day. There also is a shortage of available bathrooms. There was one shared bathroom by the main pool and the snack bar/steak house restaurant. This was the only available bathroom for the beach area too. There was an inconvenient bathroom which required walking through the lobby and down a long hallway. The last bathroom was near the gift shop. This bathroom, outside the ‘hidden’ one deep inside the lobby, was the only one available to the main building including the buffet, the outside bar, sports bar, and theater area. In my opinion this was a very poor design of bathroom facilities for such a large complex. Finally the buffet had a nice spread every time we ate there. There were lots of choices and beautiful presentations. Our only complaint was tiny paper napkins. We did see one cockroach run across the floor but a waiter picked up a yellow caution cone and trapped him underneath. (:-p
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Mar 11, 2020
Just got back--Review
The resort itself checked my boxes--beautiful beach, nice pool, clean and very good food. I also liked that you had a shuttle to take you to nearby hotels on RIU property to go to water park, etc. There are some issues. . . a lot of the workers speak limited English, glad I had my son with us who is fluent in Spanish. My son also got a very bad stomach issue mid way through the trip--there was a clinic on property they shuttled us to and I was impressed with the care he received (I am an RN) $500 later, things were better (good thing we had travel insurance). The rest of the family got some GI issues by the end of the trip (we were there 6 days) not sure what caused it. We were extremely careful with hand washing and what was not smart to eat or drink. Wish I knew why we all had issues! Although the sit down restaurants did not require a reservation, there were only 3 and 1 seemed to be closed all the time. We did like the Asian restaurant and the buffets were fantastic. But I was a little worried (germ wise) of eating at the buffets all the time. They also gave me a hard time when I asked if I could go to a sit down restaurant at one of the other sister hotels. Customer service said we had to make a reservation 24 hrs in advance, get approval, and have a note with us. Guess what? We got the approval, went to the restaurant, and it was CLOSED! Super frustrating!! We did an all day excursion visiting the countryside, the nearest big city that had a famous church, horseback riding and visiting a local plantation. Highly recommend the tour All in all, I got what we came for but think if we went back I would try something else.