Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana

Not sure how this place has any good reviews.. it was honestly a very poor experience. We had a junior suite, upon entering the mold and humidity smell was overpowering, the curtains had mold stains, curtains falling off rail, old furniture splattered with paint, lamps covered in rust. The bed consisted of 2 twins put together. The food was mediocre, we tried to dine at Krystal and the a/c wasn’t working, we then went to steakhouse and were told they were “full” when there were plenty of tables, I complained and was eventually accommodated- it was ok. The buffet was decent. Service overall was hit or miss. The adult pool with swim up bar was filthy and warm, hair and dead bugs, never saw them clean it. Bar service was non existent, drinks watered down. The beach/ocean was covered in sargassum which I understand is not the hotel’s fault however they never attempted to clean it or improve it. Lastly, we all left with tummy issues. The lobby is nice, but you’re getting catfished. Never again -Riu do better

Overall the experience was good, however there are some negatives. Some of the bar staff are rude, not very attentive, lazy. We noticed glasses not being cleared away from the previous day around the pool and still there the following day and having to tell the staff to clear away. The best restaurant is the buffet or the Japanese restaurant, the other restaurants are very poor in comparison to other hotels we have travelled to around the world especially Rui hotels. The final straw for us was on our last day when we noticed kids poo in the main adults pool, after referring to the entertainment staff, TUI rep and hotel management nothing was done. So this hotel experience goes down in our estimations. We have travelled extensively in Europe, Carribean and have never experienced this before especially in a Rui Palace accommodation. This completely disappointed our experience and we do not recommend this property.