I stayed at this resort for five days with my husband and three sons (ages 1, 7, and 9). We’re from New York and were traveling with a group of 20 for a family vacation. While I didn’t personally choose this resort, I’ve stayed at other Riu properties in different countries, and unfortunately, this was by far the worst experience. To keep things organized, I’ll break my review into categories.
--
Accommodations - We stayed in a standard suite with adjoining rooms, both equipped with European outlets. At first glance, the rooms appeared clean, but upon closer inspection, they were not. The bed skirts were visibly dirty, and the mini fridge had a sticky drink spill that wasn’t cleaned for two days despite housekeeping’s daily visits. My aunts room had something sticky on the night stand when she arrived, which was covered by a pile of ants and other critters. She ended up having them relocate her to a new room, which they then upgraded. The telephones in both rooms didn’t work and took three days to fix. One room’s TV was completely broken and had to be replaced; the other was missing a remote.
We also found a roach in one of the bathrooms on day two. To make matters worse, one of our room door locks died twice during our stay, leaving us locked out for over an hour each time while waiting for maintenance.
--
Food - The international buffet was inconsistent—mostly disappointing. My children stuck to burgers and fries, as most other options were unappealing. On two separate occasions, two of my sons vomited shortly after eating from the buffet—one after pasta and ground beef, and the other after pancakes and eggs. On the last night of our stay, a mouse fell from a ceiling vent onto another family's table. It took the staff a long time to catch in, which lead to mass commotion with all other guest dining.
A major frustration was how slowly food and drinks were restocked. The soda machines frequently ran out and were often turned off rather than refilled.
We tried all the specialty restaurants during our first three days. The only one worth revisiting was the Palm Beach Steakhouse, which became our go-to for the rest of the trip. While it wasn’t exceptional, it was the best option available. Many of the “specialty” restaurant dishes reappeared at the buffet either 1 or 2 days later. The Asian restaurant was the most disappointing—it wasn’t hibachi-style as advertised, and we left most of the food uneaten before heading to the steakhouse instead.
---
Beverages - If you enjoy Pina Coladas, you’ll be fine here, but most other cocktails were underwhelming. I eventually found one tequila-based drink (“Mariachi”) that was decent. The bartenders only prepare drinks listed on the menu, and there’s no champagne available—so mimosas are not an option.
Another concern: the water served in restaurants is tap water and do not offer bottle water as an option. Bottle water is only left in the rooms and restocked daily by the housekeeping staff. Personally, I avoid drinking tap water when traveling abroad as it tend to disagree with me. The waitstaff at the restaurants didnt know if the water was bottled or tap, but one if the bartenders confirmed with me that it is filtered tap water.
---
Hotel Staff - Housekeeping was the most helpful and consistent department. Waitstaff were polite but often hard to find unless you tipped regularly, which seemed to make a noticeable difference in service.
The front desk, however, was disappointing. Once our phone was fixed, I tried calling multiple times and either couldn’t get through or was hung up on. When I accidentally locked my key in the room, I was given replacement keys three times—none of which worked. When I called to ask for help, I was told “no” and had to track down a maintenance worker myself to open the door.
After 11 p.m., the resort feels understaffed, with only one front desk agent, two bartenders, and one or two maintenance staff visible anywhere.
---
Entertainment - Music around the resort lacked variety, though staff didn’t mind guests playing their own speakers, which helped. The nightly entertainment was mediocre compared to other Riu resorts, with minimal guest participation. Activities weren’t well advertised, so unless you happened to be nearby, you’d likely miss them.
---
Beach & Pool - Although I didn’t spend time at the beach, it looked cleaner and more pleasant than others I’ve seen in the Dominican Republic. The pool area, however, isn’t ideal for small children—there are barely any shallow sections. I recommend bringing your own life vests or floats since the resort doesn’t provide them. My kids visited the Waterpark with some of my other family members one day and was back at the pool within the hour. They said they had fun but, there just wasnt a lot to do.
There’s only one towel station, and while it’s restocked often, it can run out quickly—especially after rain.
---
Technology - Wi-Fi was unreliable and frequently disconnected, especially during rain. Coverage was inconsistent between the lobby, pool, and rooms. The RIU app is poorly designed—it constantly freezes and requires you to reselect the resort every time you open it. The digital key feature doesn’t work at this location, yet the app repeatedly prompts you to activate it, blocking access to the restaurant menus.
--
Final Thoughts - I would not return to this resort and would advise friends and family to avoid it. While my children enjoyed being on vacation, their fun came from the warm weather and family time—not the resort itself. Overall, this location fails to meet the quality standards I’ve experienced at other Riu properties.
