Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana - All Inclusive

I had originally booked a trip to Cancun that I canceled. I was looking to come to Punta Cana, but could not find any availability on any website. On the Friday night before my Monday morning trip, we found a room at the palace on booking.com. We were so surprised when we got to the hotel to find that our room was the water on the first floor. The room was spacious with a king size bed, a sitting area and nice size balcony. The room was clean in the bathroom was big with a large shower. Housekeeping came every day. We had plenty of towels. We ate at the buffets which had fresh food every day. We tried two of the specialty restaurants. The steakhouse was good, but the Spanish restaurant was better with a huge variety of tapas and a buffet setting to enjoy before your entrée. Our favorite server was Marco who we would see in the morning and would greet us with a smile. He was so lovely we would look for him at dinner time. The staff treated us like family. There were three pools. One had to swim up bar. We sat by the other pool, which was quieter. Then there was a third pool with a volleyball net that we would move to in the late afternoon to optimize our sun. The beach was very clean with plenty of chairs and the palm trees provided shade if that’s what you wanted. I would definitely return to this hotel. The entertainment for adults started after 8:30 if you have kids, there’s plenty for the kids to do. The entertainment group engaged us without being pushy. The parties in the swim up our area looked like a lot of fun too. I would not hesitate to book this trip again.

This is our second time at RIU Palace resorts and it did not disappoint. The night shows are very entertaining, the RIU parties are so much fun and the staff engage guests to dance and participate. Our room was very clean and comfortable. We loved Thomas and chef Franklin for delicious meals and service at the Italian restaurant. The resort is in a beautiful beach and lots of palm trees. We loved the rum and other great beverages. Transportation was convenient to go to other RIU resorts and parties. Only one thing, if you loose something in the bus transfer, considered lost even if you file a claim. The buses are not part of RIU so it is not their priority to find your lost item. In general, it is a pleasant stay.

This is a very difficult hotel to review. We had a really great holiday, but there are a few areas of improvement needed. On arrival we had asked for a quiet room, but were put above the entertainment stage. The reception staff happily changed us to a quieter room. The room itself was spacious and clean with a very large comfortable king-size bed. The décor was old style dark wood. The bedrooms are certainly in need of an upgrade. The minibar was consistently restocked with soft drinks, alcohol, and other refreshments. There is a safe. On the air conditioning you could not control the temperature – it was on or off. The main self-service restaurant was excellent – the best and most varied all inclusive food we have been offered. The standout à-la-carte options for us were Krystal and the Steak Restaurant – in the others sadly the food was cold. The restaurant staff were mixed – most very friendly but some at breakfast were pretty grumpy. The Cappuccino café and bar or the large reception area are both cool and comfortable places to take a break from the sun. They offer coffee, tea and delicious cakes. The beach is beautiful, lined with palm trees that provide plenty of shade. Sun beds were plentiful. The water is clear and turquoise with only occasional seaweed. The white sand is gorgeous – not a stone in sight! You can walk miles in either direction from the hotel. There are beach vendors but if you say a polite no thanks they leave you alone. The hotel grounds are very well maintained and are beautiful. The main pool is very large and the water is very warm. The day time entertainment team were fantastic and this makes this hotel so appealing – we went to the Riu fitness classes for stretch, yoga and dance and they were great fun. We got our hips moving with our lovely friends from South American. Thanks to Beba and Habeeb. We also enjoyed bingo at the end of a relaxing afternoon – a new experience for us on our phones! The large pool bar is loud, busy and entertaining but you can easily stay away from it if not your scene. Night entertainment follows a set schedule every night. It is not good quality and it really does need to be modernised. Finally we loved the variety of guests we came from across from South America, Canada, US as well as some from Europe. It gives the hotel a lovely feel of mixed cultures.

Family Xmas break stay Check in smooth easy Outside grounds very well kept Room could be better. Turn down service completed daily, but being less then 7 years under Reno. Room table lamp rusty shower rusty soap and fan holders falling off not properly secured , cockroaches in the room. Buffet staff polite and willing to accommodate and not tip hungry Evening restaurants good food options least favorite likely Spanish Beach has lots of chair to pick from Slight Seaweed but that’s not on hotel, sand was cleaned in am by a guy on tractor To to many vendors on the beach offering all types of chachkas and deals deals deals Get annoying Overall 4.2 Not sure if will consider Riu for next trip destination

Beautiful resort on the ocean with wonderful beachfront and pools. The staff was great and very attentive. Service with a smile! It's a short walk to the water park which we really enjoyed, and there's always a buffet around to satisfy your hunger.

Here is the complete review of my stay at Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana . December 19-23 2025 I arrived on Friday Dec. 19th 2025 with my family of 4. My husband and 2 boys age 16. Upon arrival I was slightly underwhelmed by the aesthetic and aging appearance. I know booking a mid-value hotel not to expect a 5star appearance however this hotel definitely could use a face lift. The inside lobby area was pleasant and very clean. Check-in went smoothly and the gentleman at the desk was very friendly and charismatic. I was a little taken aback when one of the employees started grabbing our bags to take to our room when we told him we could handle it. He insisted not giving us any other option but to immediately follow him. I was extremely annoyed because I had a large group of friends and family flying in from different parts of the States to meet us here at this hotel. My best friend had just arrived and I couldn’t really chat because we literally had to run after our luggage. Basically just know that everyone while helpful will be slightly aggressive to “Help” for the tip. I booked a 2 bedroom junior suite which was two completely separate rooms , each with a locked door/keycard connected by a small hallway and a main outer door . The rooms were ok. We had rooms 0037 and 0038 Typical standard for a resort . AC worked great in both rooms. We actually froze the first night because I didn’t realize there was a blanket in the closet. It looked like a pillow case. We could not control the thermostat. Beds were ok a little firm for my taste but tolerable. Pillows were ok. Bathrooms were dated and the shower leaked all over the floor when used but we just kept towels down. Housekeeping was wonderful. We had fresh towels stocked and plenty of bottled water in the fridge. Overall the rooms weren’t terrible. HOWEVER the very first night around 2:30 am the fire alarm went off!! Scared the crap out of us and the kids! It sounded like an air raid and the red flashing light in the room was really bad! It lasted for about a minute then went off. My husband went into the hallway and realized nothing was happening so we went back to bed. The alarm went off AGAIN around 5:30 am and again at 6:30am! By that time we all were up for the day! We were told that morning it was due to people smoking in their rooms! The alarms continued to go off daily for our entire stay!! EVERY DAY! Around the same time! We went to the front desk every morning to complain and were told a different excuse each time. One day it was a kitchen malfunction causing it, then smoking again then a gas leak… always promising the problem was being worked on. We could have maybe requested a new room but it was happening in the entire right wing of the resort and I wanted the room type we had for our kids. The food was decent standard all inclusive fare. Our favorite was the Steakhouse and the Japanese restaurant. We did have some digestive issues throughout our stay and even for a few days after we returned but not unexpected while traveling. Drinks were good. Pools were nice. They weren’t strict about kids in the adult pool swim up bar location though and sometimes there were a lot of kids jumping around which was a little annoying. Drink service was great at the pools. The waiters all were really friendly. Beach was disappointing. A ton of seaweed which wasn’t the resorts fault. They tried daily to clean it up as best they could. Still the water was murky and beach was a mess. We did try to relax on the loungers one day but had so many venders trying to sell things and coming up to our chairs it was obnoxious and we went back to the pool. We couldn’t have a conversation without being interrupted and one man actually woke my husband up from a nap to try and sell things! He was not happy. They really should have designated times or days that merchants are allowed on the beach . They are extremely aggressive and some get kind of nasty when you say no thank you. Actually asking “Why”!? I was there celebrating my 50th birthday and had a party of 17 people. They were really great in accommodating my husband’s request for a birthday dinner at the steak house. They sang and brought me a cake . It was really nice. The entertainment was cheesy but the outside area just had a good vibe so we all enjoyed gathering there and having some drinks. The waiters staff were fantastic and friendly. We never had to wait long for a cocktail. We went to one Riu party and it was a fun vibe but definitely for a younger crowd. The hotel entertainment was more our speed. Some of the younger people in our party enjoyed the Riu party’s specifically the jungle party they thought was fun. My cousins tried the water park and said it was small but the kids had a great time. They do not serve alcohol there which is probably smart . We ended most nights at the sports bar. They had some late night snacks like nachos and burgers /hotdogs. They had a lot of the US sports on the tvs and a couple pool tables. Overall we had an ok time. I’ve stayed in Riu hotels before in Mexico and Jamaica so assumed this stay would be about the same. It was definitely below the standard that I expected from a Riu property mainly due to the lack of concern for our fire alarm situation and the allowance of all the outside venders and workers “helping “ and expecting a tip. We go to all inclusive so we don’t have to worry about money and paying for things. Tipping for bar service or food servers are one thing but it got a bit out of control. The resort definitely needs updating as well. I would not stay here again and advise careful review to anyone looking to book here.

One of the worst hotels I’ve ever been to. I stayed here recently and was extremely disappointed with the level of service provided. Reservations were almost always unavailable but the restaurants would be half empty. Rooms were disgusting. Beds were covered in stains, dirt and hair on my first night. I asked repeatedly for the sofa bed to be set up in my room for my children and called 4 times and still nothing I eventually had to go to the front desk and still had issues. The bathrooms were also dirty including the towels and the soap dispenser was broken off the wall. The outlets were scattered in the most useless areas of the room and 3/5 did not work. The language barrier is also unbearable and no one understands English. There is also almost no nightlife past 9 and they shut off the lobby lights later in the night. Staff were also very rude yelling at my children for talking “loudly” while eating breakfast outside. If you decide to come I would cancel. If you want a better alternative, I highly recommend Moon Palace Cancun or Beaches Turks and Caicos. If you want to go to an actual riu palace DR go to riu palace Macau, though this is only adults only. The $17000 and 3 hr flight from JFK was not worth it. We stayed here 3 nights and 4 days, I think only once was our room properly sterilized.

Came here with my family and my cousins family. The rooms were basic with decent amount of problems: outlets were not working, towels were unclean (even after calling concierge, no one came), sheets were dirty, and toilets didn’t flush. The service was terrible, probably the WORST resort we’ve stayed at. The bellhop took our luggage to main lobby but didn’t bring it to our room after calling the concierge twice. The staff were rude to the kids, shouting at them in a different language for talking “too loudly”, while eating breakfast outside. The night life isn’t the greatest. There’s not many food options after 11pm so if you want to eat your only option is limited to the Sports Bar nachos. The main lobby closed at 1150 pm and turned off the lights while we were sitting and talking there. Overall, a very 2/10 experience. The 2 being from spending time with the family. Compared to Moon Palace Cancun or Beaches Turks and Caicos, this place is a nightmare. Not worth the $20,000 and a 3.5 hr flight from JFK. I’ve heard better reviews about the Riu Palace Macau, but that’s purely adults only. If you want a kid friendly all inclusive resort, go to Cancun or Turks or Hawaii.

This was our first time at RIU Palace Punta Cana and NEVER again!!! Smoke alarm went off in the middle of the night for 3 nights !! Guests should be informed about different stages/hotels for entertainment and the fact that you can use neighboring resorts. The resort entertainment was very poor. Rooms and bathrooms are outdated: blankets in the closet including the whole closet smelled like urin we had to call the cleaning staff. Toilet was broken and it was leaking on the floor (we had to empty the cup every few hours otherwise the whole floor was wet). We didn’t ask to change the room because our AC was working ok comparing to the 2nd room that we had. The other room AC wasn’t working properly and the smell was awful. Bathroom shower head on the ceiling was broken. We had tiny little bugs all over the furnitures. The Wi-Fi barely works ! We asked the hotel for a late check out. Our flight back home wasn’t until 7pm and you need to be out of the room by 12pm. We were told that it’s not a problem we just keep the room longer and pay the extra fee which is $10 per hour per person. So the morning of we went to the lobby to check out from our kids room. We were told that we have to check out from both rooms and we can’t do the late check out at this time 😳 We ended up sitting in the lobby for several hours. The beach and the water had a lot of seaweed. They tried to clean it up a little. We talked to 3 other couples from different countries and they said exactly the same thing about this resort ( they were very disappointed with this place). This place needs a MAJOR RENOVATION !! The food was good and people that work there are very nice.

Incredible friendly service from Edwin, Juan and Aries at the buffet!!! Truly felt like good friends and top notch caring service all week. The best service we've had in over a dozen all inclusive trips. Checking in with Michel was upbeat and fun welcome to Riu. The grounds were clean and well kept. Drink service at the beach was exceptional and consistent. The cleaning of seaweed could have been handled more consistently with a few rakes along side the occasional tractor. Service at Krystal restaurant was oddly cold and slow, very disinterested staff. The food at the buffet was truly exceptional throughout our stay, breakfast lunch and dinner, good quality, well prepared variety, our whole family was always happy with the buffet especially the warm friendly and super efficient service from Juan, Aries, and Edwin that always made us feel special. Our room at 1028 was very loud during nightly show times. sound white noise machines on all our phones almost drowned it out but was annoying. The rooms are fine, not 5 star fantastic but definitely clean and very serviceable. We had fire alarms go off a few times during the night but I assume these were pranks and not much you can do about that. Room service was always quick and managed to get in and out while we were at breakfast or the beach. The lobby cappuccino and cake bar is very nice, pretty space. We loved watching some NFL football and eating chili cheese nachos at the Sports bar! We enjoyed our Xmas time stay and would return. Lots of hard-working staff that busy their butts to make your stay enjoyable, please tip them accordingly. They truly appreciate it and go out of their way to help whether you tip or don't. We always seemed to be around the common areas for the RiuLand kids entertainment about 8pm which was annoying and almost evening but a few families seemed putoff by this. some of the singers were entertaining but we seemed to miss them. Overall a great time, don't hesitate to book if you get a solid value on a trip to the Riu Palace PC