Overall, we enjoyed our stay at the resort. The service and hotel itself are definitely 5-star. We really appreciated the little touches, such as coming back from dinner to find the room turned down by housekeeping, or receiving a knock at the door to ask if we’d like fresh towels. One night we came across the a cockroach in our room- no issues can’t be helped and it’s one of those things and we didn’t mention it. The lady who turned our room down must have found it as all of a sudden we had a bug shield fitted to our door (previously didn’t have one) absolutely amazing staff.
The staff are an absolute credit to this hotel. They are all fantastic and do not deserve some of the negative reviews that they are getting . Every single member of staff we have came across were fantastic.
The food and service in the hotel were also excellent. After a few days, the waiters began to recognise us and would look for us to sit in their section, which made the experience feel more personal.
That said, the biggest disappointment was the steakhouse. For a restaurant that’s meant to specialize in filet mignon, we actually found the steak at the buffet to be better. We also found that the restaurants had no dress code and this resulted in people coming in wearing just a bikini top and some shorts, whilst we have no issue with this is just made the restaurants look slightly scruffy. Wish they had a stricter dress code in place.
The main drawback of the resort, however, is its overall atmosphere. If you’re looking for a quiet, relaxing holiday, this may not be the best choice. As our two-week stay went on, the hotel became busier and noisier. Many guests brought their own Bluetooth speakers to the pool, often competing with the hotel’s entertainment team, which made the pool area far from relaxing.
On the hotel grounds is a small shop, it has various souvenirs and toiletries should you forget anything. However they don’t have any paracetamol or over the counter medicines so make sure you pack them. However the shop is very expensive. A bottle of Gatorade it was $4, a box of tampons were $33 which is equivalent to £25 so it’s extortionately expensive.
The beach itself is beautiful, with two distinct areas separated by a path linking all the Riu resorts. The section on hotel grounds is pleasant but lacks umbrellas, so shade is limited and you often have to move your lounger throughout the day to stay in the shade. The area closure to beach is stunning. Some seaweed was present (this was due in part to a recent hurricane) but the hotel can seen actively clearing the constant influx of seaweed. The issue island wide and no beach is untouched. Snorkelling at the beach was not great but this may have been to do with the recent hurricane so can’t really comment. It didn’t affect us as we had booked a snorkelling tour with Hispaniola tours and scuba caribe . Who we both would recommend highly.
The pools were challenge. By midday, the water was almost uncomfortably hot, which shows just how strong the Dominican sun can be. While this isn’t the hotel’s fault, perhaps shaded canopies over parts of the pool could help create cooler areas for guests.
Our room was always spotless, and the housekeeping staff did an outstanding job. We would go out for tea and were only gone for an hour at most and yet they have turned the rooms down and are very on the ball.
Top tip: avoid Saona Island is not worth the hype. It’s is extremely busy and overcrowded. There is very little to do once on the island and it takes 2 hours to get there and you can’t comfortably swim as speed boats are constantly coming in and out and there is no marked off area for you to swim. You always felt rushed around. Not relaxing, had a big party vibe.
Book with Scuba Caribe at the water sports centre to go Catalina Island. The scuba caribe staff are excellent and do not rush you and are constantly looking after you. Catalina is a smaller island and has a lot more to offer, such as marked off area for just snorkelling, a nature walk, a small souvenir market ran by local vendors. Who unlike at Saona don’t hassle you every two minutes. Both snorkelling spots were fantastic. The staff look after you the entire time and it’s a far more enjoyable experience than Saona.
In conclusion, the Riu Palace Macao is a beautiful hotel with excellent service and facilities, but its lively, party-like atmosphere and the type of clientele it attracts let it down somewhat. For those seeking a fun, energetic environment, it could be perfect. For us, however, we prefer a quieter, more relaxing holiday, so we would likely not return but would return to the Dominican.
