Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana

Overall a great stay and a lovely time wa had. 2 nights slightly below standard but really not that bad.

This is a beautiful property, attractive palatial style architecture and stunning gardens. It is a lively and busy hotel. There are 3 good pools to choose from. We really enjoyed the lively swim up bar pool with the DJ and party atmosphere. The hotel goes right down to the beautiful beach with its white sand and coconut trees. The food was varied and delicious. The rooms were good and had everything you needed, the mattresses were extremely comfortable. There is a fantastic entertainment offering both during the day and in the evenings. I really enjoyed all the local music you hear around the hotel, both at the pool and in the evenings. We were a group of 10 of all ages and there was something for everyone. We went with TUI and the reps there (Lenni and Kiki) were very friendly and helpful. We found the staff to be very good and professional and we'd like to particularly thank Nirelis on the management team, Saul & Kider on Reception, Marino in the buffet restaurant (who looked after us like VIPs), Moelia in the Daquiri Bar, the lovely ladies in the coffee shop, Beatriz in housekeeping and all the gardeners and the entertainment team. Nirelis was extremely helpful when my mother became unwell and had to go into the local hospital for a few days (also excellent). As a result I had to stay on an extra week with my mother and Nirelis made sure that there was a room there for us as long as we needed it, despite the hotel being very busy. A big thank you to all. We had a lot of fun here. Would love to return. Tip - go outside of the hotel and explore a little, don't just stay in the resort, see a bit of the island - we did trips to Chapy's Coffee Plantation & the town of Higuey - Santa Domingo - Coral Reef Restoration & Snorkel Trip - Sacred River - shopping trip - Dominicania. The TUI trips are very good. The trip to Chapy's we did on our own with a local taxi. The rest were with TUI. Tip - this is a big hotel & the buffet gets very busy around 8. If you get there earlier between 6 and 7 it's nice and quiet and the food has just been put out. Tip - the coffee shop makes a lovely and quieter alternative to the buffet for breakfast. The only thing I'd suggest to the hotel is maybe have the pink/white/jungle parties inside each individual RIU hotel as we found the joint RIU Party area too crowded. There was some seaweed on the beach but it didn't bother us, the beach is very beautiful and the tractor comes each day to take away the seaweed. The sea was lovely and warm. You can take a short boat trip to the nearby reef and good snorkelling places.