Riu Palace is fairly isolated from the other hotels and away from cities. It is well-maintained and close to the beach, and the various restaurants have varied and interesting menus. The rooms are large and cool and for the most part pretty quiet. I got a bout of stomach flu and they had a doctor close by who fixed me up in no time. There is plenty of parking close to the hotel in case you bring a rental car

The front gate process sometimes takes some time, and when you check in for the first time, you need to have your reservation number and passport ready. They will not let you have your room until 3 pm so if you come in on an early flight, you will not be able to get your room until then. They will let you leave your suitcases in the lobby and they will check you in so you can go and change in the bathrooms on the main floor and head out into the sun and enjoy the restaurants early.

I loved the property and the staff. They were absolutely amazing. They made me feel so comfortable and the cleanliness of the hotel was outstanding.

We had an incident where a baseball card was left in our key access slot to get in the room. We had 3 rooms and only one where underage girls where staying was targeted. My family got very scared and decided not to stay on the room and we all crowded in one because of that incident. As we walked on the same floor and the floor above us, there were more baseball cards left on certain rooms. It was a bit scary.

Good variety and flavor. The staff was awesome.

Dinner time. The way is set up. Too little restaurants for the amount of guests. The capacity of people is too little specially for the gourmet and Italian rests. Maybe having a reservation process will be better than just getting there to eat and find out that you have to wait and see if you can get in. Unacceptable, for the amount of money paid for an all inclusive .

Rooms were a bit stark but functional. The topography was super and manicured lawn with tropical trees and plants were gorgeous. Pools were immaculately clean and outdoor seating comfortable - though tough to find covered seating as people broke rules and claimed seats but you never saw anyone on most of them. Staff was unbelievably gracious-always helpful. Beach was very nice - wish they had covered chairs on the beach. Work out room was well equipped but warm and not well air conditioned. Restaurants had large variety and food was generally good with both buffet and served dining options We loved getting up in the morning to feed the monkeys on the beach!! We all had a great time (grandchild, grandparents and adult children- 7 total)

The property is gorgeous! Multiple pools and they were all very clean. The food was very good there are a lot of options at the buffets. We weren’t crazy about the food at the optional “a la carte” restaurants but still a good option to have if you’re celebrating an occasion. They had activities and shows almost every night. Would consider this to be more of a family friendly resort as there were a lot of children so I would avoid if you’re looking for a honey moon or party experience. The bartenders are incredible! However they do not offer top shelf or a wide variety of liquors so I would recommend to bring your own if you have a preference. There is no ATM on the property or near it just FYI… there is one about 20 mins away, but you won’t really need cash anyway. The beach was not very impressive it was quite small but still lovely.. know that you will be bombarded by people selling souvenirs, excursions, massages etc. when you go to the beach. They don’t work for the hotel. Overall a good experience and a VERY good value for the price. *PSA* Liberia airport is the closest to this resort. We flew into San Jose and our taxi was $550 round trip and took about 4 hours to get there.

The rooms definitely need some updates. The glass on our shower was cracked, there was some stains on our bedding, furniture was old…. But it was VERY clean so we felt ok, we didn’t spend much time in the room anyhow. The WiFi connection isn’t the best but we were grateful it was available. There needs to be a little more lighting by the pools when it gets dark as this is a safety hazard. Not that people were in the pools at night but it was getting dark at 5pm while we were there and I’m sure people still want to enjoy a swim at this time.

The food was perfect! There was a wonderful selection including an abundance of both cold and hot options. The fruit was very fresh and the ready made options were delicious. A carafe of hot coffee was brought to the table each morning at breakfast so we didn’t have to ask for more coffee. The dining areas were clean, easy to access and there were no bugs! Lunch and dinner were equally delicious! Excellent food, cooked to perfection! The rooms were clean and while they were a bit dated. They were pleasant enough for our needs. The air conditioning worked very well! This resort felt very safe.

Dinner seating at the a la carte restaurants isn’t ideal. If you showed up for first seating at 5:30 you were not guaranteed to get a seat and might have to try back for the second seating at 7:00. The red wine was not great but there were lots of other dinner beverage options.

I had issues with the cost upon arrival and the staff was not helpful at ALL and I am appreciate all of the efforts by Booking.com to resolve the issue for me. Aside from that, the service staff was excellent, but I do not care for front desk and the management team in Punta Cana who apparently make all decisions. Very unfortunate. Based on that we will never do a RIU resort again and cannot recommend.

I had issues with the cost upon arrival and the staff was not helpful at ALL and I am appreciate all of the efforts by Booking.com to resolve the issue for me. Aside from that, the service staff was excellent, but I do not care for front desk and the management team in Punta Cana who apparently make all decisions. Very unfortunate. Based on that we will never do a RIU resort again and cannot recommend.

The staff: invariably prompt, courteous and smiling. The food at the three a la carte restaurants was tasty and abundant (again, the staff was great). My room, junior suite with a sea view, was spacious, comfortable and pleasant. Yet the cheap plastic furniture at the varanda was not very inspiring

The sister Riu resort was closed so there were lots of people at the hotel, with lots of noise. As the lifts are too slow and there were many users, I often had to wait a while for my turn (I was on the 5th floor). The resort could have a concierge to offer advice on the choice of tours available.

Overall, a good location and pool facilities were nice with ocean views. Hotel pools and swim up bar were great as was the service. Kids loved the water park too, but it's not a convenient location for this hotel - easier access from the sister hotel next door. The food in the buffet and restaurants was good, and at times very good. Papagayo restaurant in particular was excellent with a great view. Get there right when they open for sunset dining. The cocktail list, however, was uninspired - mostly basic cocktails and each restaurant had the same list. Wine choices were Cabernet or Sauvignon Blanc or a rose and that's it. I understand this is all-inclusive, but the drink options could be improved with a little creativity.

It was clean, many activities

They charged me $1500 more than what booking.com mentioned, but with help of booking.com customer service it refunded