Hotel Riu Bambu - All Inclusive

We have visited this hotel now for the last four years and we have never had a bad experience, once again the hotel did not disappoint. The staff are what make this hotel, especially the bar staff, Luis Miguel at the TUI exclusive bar kept us entertained most nights and the drinks flowing of course. Whilst the hotel is clean and tidy it does need refurbishment, some of the fixings are dated. We would highly recommend this hotel and plan to return in the not too distant future.

Visited this hotel several times and most things are just as good as always. Great service at bar and in restaurants. Good selection of drinks and food. Amazing pool parties. Only thing that has dropped off some is the entertainment/animation team. Only saw one crazy game in the 2 weeks and this was on Survey day. Such a pity as these were always fun to watch/participate in. Morning programme seemed to rely alot on the daily zumba/dance classes and the aqua aerobics. Previously there has been some acrobat performances and dance shows by the pool but there was nothing this time Over all there seemed to be general lack of staff members particularly on a night time. Most nights there were only 3 or 4 team members to dance with a hotel full of guests.(not good). The animation team has changed from fun outgoing experienced staff into a bunch of inexperienced youngsters, that are lacking strong management, guidance and decent dance skills. Such a pity. Overall still had a good holiday but could have been better.

The staff are very friendly and the service is excellent. The rooms need a good renovation but at least they are clean. The beach and palm trees are beautiful. Splash Park is enjoyable. There are lots of vendors on the beach; it's the first time I've been offered so many excursions and items to buy. I think the other Riu hotels (Bavaro, Macao, and Palace) on the same site are superior to Bambu, but the value for money was still there.

Riu Bambu – Punta Cana New Year’s Eve 2025 / 2026 Review My husband, our teenager, and I just returned from a one-week all-inclusive stay at Riu Bambu in Punta Cana, and here are my overall thoughts. If traveling in the summer, we would consider returning — primarily for the beach and ocean, which are the standout features of this resort. The grounds are beautiful, the food and service are generally okay, but the beach is truly what sets this property apart. It’s clear that Riu capitalizes on having one of the best and most expansive beach areas in Punta Cana. ⸻ Shuttle Services One of the perks of booking directly through Riu’s website is the complimentary airport shuttle, which was convenient. That said, arriving at Punta Cana airport can be chaotic, with many people soliciting transportation. It’s important to look specifically for the Riu transfer signage and confirm you’re getting into official transport. Despite clarifying multiple times that we were staying at Riu Bambu, we were dropped off at the wrong Riu resort. This resulted in having to tip a taxi driver to bring us to the correct property — after already tipping the original transfer driver. The resorts are not necessarily close enough to walk luggage between, so be very clear about exactly which Riu property you’re staying at. One positive: the Riu transfer felt more like a private taxi, with only one other couple heading to the same area, rather than a large bus stopping at multiple resorts, making the transfer fairly quick. ⸻ Check-In Process Check-in was fairly smooth. I’m not sure there’s any real advantage to completing online check-in in advance. We had booked two connecting rooms, but were initially given two rooms beside each other rather than truly connected. After speaking with the front desk, they did move us to properly connected rooms. Tip: Be very clear at check-in if you need connecting rooms, not just adjacent ones. ⸻ Rooms The rooms are nothing special but were adequate for a beach vacation. Some areas clearly need updating. One room had an outdated TV that didn’t work, while the other was newer. A ceiling fan didn’t work in one room, but we didn’t bother having it fixed. Everything essential functioned properly. Beds came with sheets only, so we requested heavier blankets, as it can get chilly at night with air conditioning in the cement buildings. Our rooms had a king bed and a sofa bed, which was more comfortable than most pull-out couches and worked well for our teenager. ⸻ Accessibility & Mobility All accommodations at Riu Bambu are located in two- to three-level buildings without elevators. From what we observed, none of the buildings appeared to have elevator access. While the hotel concierge was very helpful and assisted us with carrying luggage to our rooms, guests with mobility challenges or difficulty with stairs should be aware that this resort may be difficult to navigate. The resort is quite spread out, and walking distances from rooms to the beach, buffet, and main activity areas can be significant. ⸻ Resort Grounds The resort is well maintained and very clean, with plenty of spaces to relax. The main foyer and Riu Stage area tended to be the primary gathering spots. There are various activities and amenities throughout the resort. ⸻ Beach If we were to return, it would be 100% for the beach and water. Walking the beach in both directions, it’s clear that Riu has some of the widest beachfront in the area. Compared to neighboring resorts, Riu’s beach felt less crowded, better maintained, and it was never difficult to find chairs. ⸻ Sea Grass Sea grass is an issue throughout Punta Cana, but Riu does a noticeably good job managing it. You can clearly see tractors used regularly to clean the beach, especially compared to nearby resorts. ⸻ Food (Overall) Overall, the food was just okay. We managed fine for the week, though our teenager struggled a bit more. There are kid-friendly staples like burgers, hot dogs, and pasta, though they are different from North American versions. My husband and I mainly ate fish, fresh fruits, and vegetables. The resort falls short in dessert and snack options. Ice cream was scoopable and often looked over-picked, and dessert options were underwhelming. Late-night food choices were limited. ⸻ Specialty Dining Restaurants Riu Bambu offers several specialty dining restaurants, but access requires lining up in advance, and availability is limited. Each specialty restaurant appears to cap service at approximately 150 guests per evening. Once that number is reached, no additional guests are accepted — even if the restaurant is technically open until 9:00 PM. We were turned away multiple times arriving around 8:00 PM. If you plan to dine at specialty restaurants, expect to line up between 5:30 and 6:00 PM. Overall, we found ourselves eating most often at the main buffet and Mama Juana Snack Bar, simply because they were the most convenient and allowed us to eat on our own schedule. ⸻ Asian Restaurant / Hibachi We expected a live hibachi-style experience, but instead the restaurant functioned more like an Asian-inspired buffet. While there were some good food options, it did not deliver the interactive hibachi experience we anticipated. This restaurant was also extremely difficult to access, with guests lining up at least 30 minutes before opening. ⸻ Palm Beach – Steakhouse Palm Beach is another specialty dining option with solid choices such as ribs, burgers, and chicken sausage. We ordered the meat combination platter for two, which was quite good and one of the better specialty meals we had. As with other specialty restaurants, lining up early is required. Appetizers were served automatically — mozzarella sticks and a Caesar salad — which sped things up, though the Caesar salad was overdressed for our taste. ⸻ Mama Juana Snack Bar This was our most frequently used dining option. It was accessible, clean, consistently fresh, and offered a smaller version of the main buffet. Seating was always available. ⸻ Main Buffet The main buffet was easy to access and offered a wider variety of options. It was the most reliable choice when eating later in the evening. ⸻ Poolside & Quick-Service Food (Lacking) One major drawback is the lack of poolside, grab-and-go food options. Unlike other resorts offering poolside burgers or tacos, Riu Bambu does not. There is a 24/7 sports bar with snacks, but the food often looked unappetizing and like it had been sitting out for a long time. ⸻ Bars No issues accessing bars or drinks — plenty of options throughout the resort. However, there is no beach or poolside drink service. You must walk up to a bar to get drinks. ⸻ Entertainment Outside of the Riu Party, entertainment was underwhelming. Nightly shows were okay but not memorable, and daytime activities didn’t stand out. Much of the music leaned heavily Spanish-focused; more variety would have been appreciated. ⸻ Riu Party The Riu Party experience was the highlight of the vacation and the main reason we chose this resort. Themed parties were vibrant and fun, with people of all ages enjoying themselves: • Daytime: Pink Party & Jungle Party (bring themed swimsuits) • Evening: White Party & Neon Party (better for outfits) Bartenders were efficient, and tipping helped with quicker service. Lines can be long, especially for women, but the energy made it worthwhile. The party area also included a snack bar. ⸻ New Year’s Eve Festivities It was difficult to find information in advance about New Year’s Eve plans, but the resort delivered. The main buffet was elevated for NYE, offering lobster tails, higher-end food, better desserts, champagne, photo booths, a DJ/MC, festive props — and a fireworks display to ring in the New Year. Overall, they did a great job with New Year’s Eve. ⸻ Riu Corporate Customer Service (Major Issue) We experienced a significant issue with Riu corporate customer service. We originally booked for three adults and one child. One adult later could not attend, and we were told repeatedly this would be handled at the resort with a per-day refund, though nothing was confirmed in writing. Upon arrival, the resort refused the refund, stating they had no access to these notes. This resulted in spending the first couple of days of our vacation on the phone with corporate. The issue was eventually resolved, but it took two months of back-and-forth, with corporate blaming the resort and vice versa. The lack of response to emails until escalation was especially frustrating and a stressful way to start a vacation.

It was our first time in the Dominican Republic, and we were already very excited. However, the accommodation was the worst part of the entire vacation. There was no cleaning at all, no communication in English, and the room was moldy and even infested with bugs. We will definitely not return—it was a huge disappointment!

Not bad for money spent. Buildings not up kept, but room was ok. Food was good, big enough variety to pick what you like Great beach.

The resort is not super exclusive, but it was comfortable, the staff was really nice, and the amenities were good. The only issue is that the food was not great; it was subpar for most of the trip.

Good swimming pools, good options of food, very good a la carte restaurants, my taste is for the steak, so the steakhouse was perfect to me. Could be better: the room is not so good, specially the towels and pillowcase/pillow

I’ve stayed at several RIU properties and I’m pretty disappointed with this one. On check in, we were assigned a room as usual. It was quite a walk from the front desk but no big deal. I opened the door and found the room already occupied, having walked in on a naked couple. I was definitely not happy (I’m sure they were even more upset). We had to walk all the way back to get new keys. To make matters worse, no one even came out to apologize or anything. They acted like it was no big deal. So we finally got into a room without other people, and it was pretty standard for RIU hotels. It was clean, and looked decent at first glance. The bed was hard as a rock, I’m guessing beds are more comfortable in prison. If you don’t already have back problems, you will after a few nights here. I have back problems as it is and this bed was like 5-nights of torture. So I go to take a shower and find there are no wash cloths. I figured they would bring some the next day, but nope. I had to get on the app and ask for them. Then our air conditioning stopped working. They did come fix that pretty quick though. Oh and you pretty much have to have the air conditioning on if you don’t want to listen to every conversation in the hallway, your neighbors above you, etc. The walls are so thin you could literally hear the people upstairs using the bathroom. I did give them 2-stars because housekeeping was great and the food was alright (as you’d expect for a RIU). Overall I’d say I regret staying here and wish I would have spent the money for a nicer hotel.

Just spent 14 days at the hotel, plenty of food options and rooms good. Only disappointment was the evening entertainment