ClubHotel Riu Bachata

i went to riu bachata with my friends for a girly holiday for 2 weeks, from the 1st of may to the 14th. i didnt really no what to expect as the reviews i had read about were all so different, you really do need to make your own mind up about this kinder thing.

im my opinion it was the best holiday i have been on so far, it really does pull out all the stops.

CHECK IN-

this was a breeze.the lady offered us drinks while we were waiting, and the nice man took our luggage up to our room. you can say no to this, and they wouldnt be offended. it took us about ten minutes to get to our room from leaving the lobby, im not complaining though.

ROOMS-

very large and the bed was 2 beds pushed together, but i dont see why that was a problem for anybody. my friends next doors claimed it was the best bed they have ever slept on! the mini bar was only restocked when we rung the front desk and asked but it wasnt a bother. the bathroom was lovely, although becarefull of the floor when just comming out the shower because it gets slippery, we just put a towel on the floor. no bugs at all, even though i expected there to be some. i mean its a hot country, i wouldnt be surprized if there was. we got a nice view of the sunset over the bay.

POOL-

the swim up bar was nice, although it got very busy sometimes, and the staff often urge you to sit at the side of the pool instead of the in water stools, but this only happened at the middle of the day, try going at 11 or 2. the sun loungers in the pool were always taken but me and my friend managed to blag one earlier in the morning. the sun loungers around the pool however were easy to get and had no problem finding sun, or shade.

BEACH-

was a bit rocky in parts, but the majority of it was sandy, again, lots of shade and sun for those who like shady parts, or sunny parts. if you dont like rocky parts at all, the beach at the mambo resort was less rocky than the bachata, although i would recommend the bachata one more. no problems getting sun loungers either.

FOOD-

the basics were the same, such as bread and rice and stuff, but the meat and veggies were different everytime. considering its a poor country the food was just as good as you'll find in any other resort, although i didnt get a chance to eat at the ala cartes as you have to go at a specific time and my friends took to long getting ready! i enjoyed breakfast the most. there are stations around the the dining hall where the staff cooked a custom omeltte or pasta for you. these i would recommend if you are a fussy eater or like things a certain way.

NIGHTLIFE-

the beach parties from all three resorts were the highlights of my trip. the staff and vistitors made it very enjoyable. the michael jackson show was enjoyable too, although one night there was people stood up around us as the seats were taken by a wedding. this was only because the wedding was very last minute and the bride invited too many people (i spoke to her as her room was opposite ours) if you dont want to go to the disco or the shows, you can just walk along the beach or go to a bar. the nighttime beach walk was good was grounding yourself, or if you were too drunk, to get away from all the staff who would urge you to drink more.

STAFF-

some spoke english, although the maids didnt, so when i told her not to move my suitcase she thought id told her to clean the toilet and i told my spanish talking friend to appologise (she had cleaned the toilets three times that day because of the toilet roll backing up) the manager was very friendly, and if something went wrong he would be right on the case.

well done riu for making mine and my friends holiday a blast, i would certainly recommend this!

i have alot of photos but they wont upload, sorry :)

Four of us stayed in the first 2 weeks in May 2009. out of Manchester and what a bargain..

Consisting of three RIU hotels all inclusive. and it really is all inclusive even down to a fridge full of beer and soft drinks.

The scenery is everything one would expect of the Carribean with warm nights and hot lazy days by the beach or one of the three pools..

The food in the Bachata was brilliant and eating on the open air terrace at breakfast and dinner truly wonderful. The staff could not be bettered with friendly waiters and even the chefs becoming first name friends.

Animation guys worked non stop to liven up our day and nights, but we could always pass their games and dances for a quiet laze by the blue sea..

We WILL be back for sure.... 10/out of 10 for RUI..

Ps Take $US for small tips

Well firstly I would like to say people should take reviews with a pinch of salt. Just days before we left for our 25th wedding anniversary holiday I checked out the reviews and there were some horrid ones. However you have to speak as you find. Our room was perfect, an extremely large bed which wasn't 2 doubles put together. It was always kept clean. Not once did I see anyone in a line waiting for towels as previously commented on. The food was always plentiful and varied although I think they could cater more for the english and americans. The staff were wonderful at ALL times. The resort grounds were very well kept and clean. We had a group of noisey irish boys for two nights but then everyone is on holiday. We had absolutely no complaints with this resort and can't wait to take our two sons with us next time as I think they will enjoy the resort especially the free water sports and the constant food and drink that is availale. The Columbus Ocean trip was excellent but be warned it does get very hot as the only shade we had on this trip was when we had lunch. Make sure you take dollars if you are from the UK as you get a better return on your money. Although it is the norm to give tips we never felt pressured into doing so. Don't be afraid or put off by the negative reviews that you may read go with an open mind and see for yourself.

I am 28 and went with my girlfriend(not in that way). We went for a needed vacation and had the most life changing rocking time ever! it worked out where we flew into the airport, had a shuttle to the resort which was about 45 minutes, and got to the resort. It was beautiful! Not one problem with the paperwork or details, but we had all out paperwork with us. We requested a room with an oceanview when we booked the trip, but had no Idea.... We had a sunset off of our balcony every night. We met another woman at the bar that gave us the ins and outs of the resort, there's 24hrs of booze if you want it. Served cold in a glass at a bar. There is food til 2am like hamburbers and fries... bar food. Sandwiches at the bar thats open til 7am and fruit in the fridge. The shows are fun, but dinner in the steakhouse eating chicken was the best. Our room was in the 100's which is on the ocean... with a wallkway down to the beach which was beautiful. The pools were great, never a problem with anything. Our AC rocked, but had a friend whose didn't work so well. You have to keep the balcony door closed, and your fan on. and if you get an ocean view, you get a breeze. The food is way different. Even the ketchup. People ate it, we found our favorites, eggs, fruit in the am with potatoes, lunch wasnt bad either. We went on the Paradise Island snorkel tour and it was completely worth every penny down to the food at the end. Don't take the catamaran tours... we heard that they were bad. You can bargain in the shops, and really if you didn't want to leave the resort, you didn't have to. going to 3 different resorts was great, but we loved ours, so we stayed. Everything was beautiful. No complaints, we even stayed an extra day. Just remember... you should never travel with all of your expensive stuff, or leave expensive stuff out, lock up your cash and keep your room keys and safe keys with you or in a safe place ALWAYS. always keep all of your paperwork that you need when you go, and don't bank on everyone excepting discover, and the atm working.... stick with mastercard or visa... the atm was broken when we were there. We would highly reccomend this place to anyone... even my parents!

We were there as a group of 19 for a wedding. Everything was great right from the start. The staff go above and beyond in making sure your stay is perfect. Everyone from the maids to barstaff to the people looking after the grounds upkeep were friendly and helpful.

The rooms were super clean and well looked after. The food was awesome and such a choice of different meals. Many of us did the rum factory tour where you were taken into Puerto Plata and were taken up a mountain via a cable car, the whole day was well worth the $49.00.

The last day we were to checkout by noon but our flight did not leave until 11:30 that night, I went to the front desk and explained that there were 19 of us and was it possible to have a room for the day to put our luggage and shower, they let us keep our room for the day at no charge...... not too many places would do that.

We had not one problem while we were there, not one complaint. We will be going back soon. Just remember to take lots of American $1.00 bills for tipping.

We stayed here April 16-23 with our extended family and many friends. There were no children in our party. We have done quitge a bit of travelling and stayed in various resorts and could not find any fault in this one.

The staff are friendly and hard working. The resort (in its entirety) extremely clean. The room did smell a bit musty, but the mini bar was refilled every 2 days and when I asked for extra pillows, I was quickly accommodated and the staff rang the room later in the day in make sure I had received them.

The beach is a bit rocky, would recommend water shoes if you are the type to really mind it. The coast is windy and several days were red flagged on the beach, not recommending swimming, however, the beach just a few minutes walk away at the sister resorts is more protected and you are able to use that one. Lots of lounge chairs and shaded areas on the beach.

The buffet has a large variety and tasted good enough, there is certainly no excuse for being hungry. We ate at the steakhouse and it was OK, not great, and did not get around to trying the Italian a la carte. I snack bar is a good option for lunches. The drinks are good, and some may say watered down, but, hey, you can drink all you want, so does it really matter? IF you want the 151 rum, just ask for it and you will get it.

The Carribean Street shopping is fun and convenient, bargain for your best price. Would suggest bringing your own snorkel gear, lots of tropical fish to swim with in just a few feet of water, bring some bread from the buffet and enjoy feeding them.

The entertainment is typical resprt entertainment. Not great, not horrible. The computers in the internet cafe worked quite well. You can hire a taxi and guide right in the lobby for a better price and have your own private tour of Puerto Plate, rather than book an excursion. Jose was our guide and he is great.

Rancho Lorilar is a fantatic horseback riding adventure, Canadian owned and operated. Horses are clean and healthy, guides friendly and helpful and the price VERY fair. Half day $50 and full day $70. I definitely recommend the full day, it is about 3 hours total of riding, with frequent breaks for drinks, swimming and lunch. We are not competent horse back riders, but felt very safe and had mucho fun!

We were in building 7, close to the pool and sometimes there was noise at night, but who cares, people are on vacation, t he point is to enjoy yourself. If you want a completely silent environment, do not go to a resort with 24 hour open bar!

Overall, I would recommend this resort to friends, and I would have no qualms about going back, except that we do not go to a place more than once, as we prefer to see new places on each vacation. If you decide to go, I hope you have a fun and relaxing vacation. Enjoy!

everything was great... the beach the service food was great staff very friendly.... the sister resorts are good as well dont think you can go wrong here. lots of activities to be involved in.. if you do not want to go off the resort a week here you will not be bored if you are on the stay at one play on 3 deal

also as a side note for me it is also important to understand the soul of a place with its people and culture, The Dominican is not as safe as some ie Grenada, Cuba...so you do need to be careful especially if you do not speak spanish... but you can do it safely, if you want to experience the other side of the coin , please contact me I can put you in touch with 2 missionaries there, and items of clothes and other everyday items are always welcome I went to frenchies and filled a bag of kids clothes to take with me, candy balloons good as well. If you stay at the Bachata I can put you in touch as well with someone who can show you around safely for details contact me joanneabc2002@yahoo.ca

Just got back from POP ( Riu Bachata) Mar.27-Apr.3...Not much to complain about if you don't mind friendly staff,good food, and superb weather. Sunny & hot everyday. Staff go out of their way to accomodate your needs. The price is right and would recommend it to anyone. Will be going back next year for sure.....

Both my boyfriend and I have traveled to many places around the world and stayed at many great hotels. Out of all the great places we have stayed at we have never felt the need to write a review on any of them but the Riu. This hotel had great entertainment, food, rooms and a great atmosphere at a great price. We originally booked the Riu Mambo but after one night we got upgraded to the Bachata. Everything was basically the same between the two hotels. The only difference was the Bachata had a better pool area.

Rooms: The rooms nice and clean and much bigger than rooms we have stayed in over in Europe. AC wasn’t the best but really wasn’t anything to complain about. Also the bed wasn’t that comfortable but it really wasn’t a big problem. The refrigerators were always full of beer, soda, water. There was also liquor available in the room to use at no cost. Overall, the rooms were very clean with a nice bathroom and patio or balcony.

Entertainment: The animation team was amazing! They made the trip sooo much fun for people of all ages. My boyfriend and I are 21 and we had a great time with people of all ages at the hotel. The team never bothered us if we didn’t want to participate in the games so we never felt uncomfortable. Don’t miss crazy games at the Bachata pool at 4:00 because they always were a good time. The shows at night were extremely funny! You must attend the night shows that had participants from the audience because they were comical. The host at the RIU Mereange was extremely funny as well. Cappuccino and Chicken Little are two guys who are apart of the animation team and they were great. Everyone at the hotel was extremely friendly and personable. Tip them well!

Food: Food was great every night. There was something for everybody. The fish was amazing and very fresh every night. I have nothing but good things to say about the food. They constantly switched up the themes so that the food wasn’t repetitive. The food was always served on little plates so that the food was never cold. We never ate at the steakhouse or Italian restaurant because of other reviews and what people have said while we were there.

Beach: The beach was very nice with lots of shaded areas. The water was a bit rocky but it never bothered us. If you have a snorkel bring it because the ocean was full of coral reefs.

Staff: The staff was extremely nice and kept the Riu very clean. There were people raking the beach daily and constantly picking up leaves and garbage.

Drinks: If you like to drink make sure you bring your own big mugs. This makes the beer stay cold and keeps you from having to make a lot of trips to the bar.

Transportation: We took a cab to and from the airport and were charges $50 each way. I would find out how to take the shared bus transportation because it was $52 for two people round trip.

Overall our stay at the Riu was amazing!! We had a lot of fun and tons of laughs. For the price we paid we were not expecting as much as we really received. Certain things in this hotel were not five star but other areas made up for it. The rooms were nice but not extravagant. The food, the staff and entrainment were definitely five star. I would recommend this vacation for people of all ages because there is something to do with everyone.

Me and my partner stayed here in october last year for 2 weeks, we really enjoyed our holiday and would love to go back.

All the staff were friendly and provided great service. The food was good (especially the breakfast omelettes), i always found something to eat and i am very fussy.

Plenty of choice with the drinks, the pool bar staff even make cocktails to suit your taste if you ask. The room was nice and clean and the mini bar re-stocked every 2 days. A tip for the staff goes a long way and they do deserve it.

Overall we loved our holiday.

Our trip was pretty good: relaxing and rejuvenating (May 22-May 31). We booked Riu Merengue, but upon our arrival, we were upgraded to Riu Bachata. Our room was big, clean and pretty basic. I liked the room’s interior and was happy to get comfortable king size bed! In our bathroom we had only soap and hair shampoo, I wish there would be more amenities such as hair conditioner and body lotion, but not a big deal; I had taken some from home (usually that is all way around).

At first, I was disappointed about the beach: too many stones (though we had water shoes), but latter we ‘found our spot under the sun”. After first day my hubby refused to go to the beach b/c he did not like it. Next day I convinced him to walk me down to the beach and he likes it better second time around. Feeding fish with bananas helped a lot too: we got hooked and all we could think about after every breakfast: how many bananas should we have (to feed the fish!!!)…

Food was good. Not great, but good. I do not eat pork and I do not mix diary and meat food, so many of my choices were limited. Yet, I never was hungry and most food was delicious, though too much salt sometimes…

Entertainment was good, we saw third of the shows.

Well, seen some crabs and even took pictures of him (her).

We used Coco tour for transfer and were pretty happy with the service and price. When called, to be picked up from hotel, was told to be ready to be picked up 4 hours prior departure, but convinced operator (under my responsibility) to be picked up 2,5 hours prior. Was good decision!!!

Most of the time the weather was good: mixture of sun and clouds. Not too hot!!! Some days we had some afternoon showers and one evening was thunderstorm! It rained pretty hard, but I honestly enjoyed it!

Last week I helped my friend to book Riu Bachata and we’d gladly return if the price is right!!!

We were an extended family group of eight adults and two children (ages 10 and 4). We stayed at the BlubHotel Riu Bachata from June 12 thru June 19, 2009, occupying a total of 4 rooms.

The rooms were decent, and on the largish side. While there was a musty odor when we first arrived, it was not as bad as we had anticipated. The rooms, after all, were right next to the shore. How can you stop the smell of the water/beach from getting in the rooms? We used a single candle. It was more than enough to compensate.

On the first day, we asked the maid to give us four fresh towels for the room my wife and I occupied. She complied, and did the same every day of our stay.

The buffet was OK. As this is a resort that seems to cater more to Europeans, particularly Germans, the selections were somewhat different than you would expect to see in Iowa. Not better or worse, just different.

We had read horror stories about the locals taking over on the weekend, but that was not the case the weekend we were there. In fact, the only obnoxious behavior we noticed was on the part of a small group that was obviously NOT local.

All in all, we had a great time, and are looking forward to a return visit.

I was a little weary because I had read some negative reviews before our actual travel to this resort. Once we walked into the resort, I realized that we really had nothing to worry about. The reception staff was friendly,courteous and efficient. We arrived around 1pm and our room was not ready, but they provided us with the bracelets and informed us that we could have lunch and use the facilities. Soon after lunch, our room was ready. We had requested a bay view room and was given room 311, which was very nice.

Room: A king sized bed, not 2 doubles pushed together, a large dresser with 6 drawers, 2 nightstands, a sitting area with a table and 2 chairs, and a large closet with 20+ hangers. It also had a small tv, a fridge and a safe. The safe was big enough to hold all of our valuables, including a mini laptop. The bathroom was nice size with marble floors and granite counter tops. Water pressure was good with plenty of hot water. It also had a balcony with 2 chairs and a place to hang bathing suits to dry.

Beach/pool: We arrived on Saturday and noticed that the pool area was crowded so we opted for the beach. Although the beach is not like those in Punta Cana, it had a natural beauty due to the surrounding mountains and trees. The trees which provided shade and privacy. There were many topless bathers and I really appreciated the trees which allowed for some seclusion. For the sun worshippers, there are some areas which are not as shaded. The beach by Mambo had less trees. The beaches is a bit rocky so water shoes were nice to have. It did get a bit windy so we did move to the pools on those days.

The pool is large and beautiful. The area by the bar is the most active and crowded. The animacion team always had some activity going on in this area: darts, horseshoes, dance lessons, contestes and water polo. There are built in lounges in the pool which was very nice. The area by the waterfall was tranquil and less busy. Sun loungers in the shade were hard to get and had to be reserved early in the morning. But the loungers in the sun were always plentiful.

Food: We really enjoyed the main buffet. It always had plenty of choices of salads, main entrees and side dishes. It had a carving station which served ham, turkey, and roast beef on various nights. They also had theme nights which was very good. I especially enjoyed the fresh fish and the various rice dishes which was always available. The baked goods, muffins, breads, cookies and cakes was also delicious. We did try the A-La-Carte steak restaurant but found that we preferred the buffet. We took a walk through the buffet that same night and found that steak was also being served at the buffet. And contrary to what other reviews stated, we had no problems getting reservation to the A-La-Carte. We decided to forgo the Italian.

Staff: The staff, whether it be the maid, the bartender, the server or the gardener, were all very friendly and courteous. They are always cleaning the public areas so the resort is immaculate. There is a maid who attends each public restroom and seems to clean after each use. We found that the staff would go out of their way to make your stay at the resort as pleasant as possible.

Excursion: We only went to Ocean World which we enjoyed. I would recommend bringing your own snacks and drinks because the prices of these items are very expensive. A can of Pringles were $5 and a soda was over $3. I found that all of the excursions were very pricey, mostly around $75+. I don't remember it being so expensive when we went to Punta Cana in 2007.

Overall, this resort was wonderful. I think the bigges issue we had was the rude vacationers who allowed their children to run wild while they sat at the pool bar or the diners who decided they could not bother to put on appropriate clothing for dinner. Gym shorts and flip flops are not appropriate and I'm sorry to say that Americans seem to be the worst offenders.

Mambo/Merengue/Bachata: There were a lot discussion as to which resort to choose. On our walk through the other 2 resorts, the only real difference we noticed were that Mambo and the Merengue had smaller facilities. The buffets seem to serve the same foods although the Bachata is larger and has a second serving area which they opened on weekends. Also, the buffets at the other resorts allow for smoking where as at the Bachata, smoking is only allowed on the veranda, the outdoor seating area. We did not see the actual rooms but the buildings looked very similar.

We stayed at the Riu Bachata 5/9 - 5/14 and had a wonderful time. I've stayed in the Royal Decameron in Panamá and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and this was very comparable. Maybe just one notch below. But the location of this hotel was much MORE beautiful.

Arrival to La Republica Dominicana / Airport Transfer

I booked through YouDecide.com (a subsidiary of Expedia maybe?) so didn't have a built-in transfer. Before we left though, I had signed up with a2btransfers.com for a round-trip transfer for $42.50. The hotel told me 1-way cab fare was $45 so that was a great deal. Worked out very nice - a guy was there waiting on us when we arrived, even after our flight landed about 30 minutes late, and it took longer than expected to get our luggage. Same for our return trip - we just called the local a2b place - Hola Tours, and they scheduled us a pickup. Guy was there early at the resort. We were the only ones in the van both times. Customs was a breeze coming into the country. They take your picture at the airport, no idea why. They also take your picture with scantily-clad women - which they try to sell to you when you return to the airport for your departure.

Check-in / Room

Check-in was a breeze. They bring you a drink as you're checking in. Mistakenly, my wife turned them down - expecting it to cost!! (which it doesn't of course) Only downside of check-in, is we didn't let the porter take our bags (to save a few bucks) and I apparently didn't understand her brief directions, so we wandered around a bit before find our room. No biggie, we needed to learn the lay of the resort anyways. The room was average. Nothing spectacular. We'd upgraded to an ocean-view room and were a little disappointed with that. Stayed in room 122 which is the closest building out to the gazebo thing which sounded perfect. But our room looked out through the trees. We had a great view of the beach and the lounge chairs, but could just barely see the ocean through the trees. Was nice that we could still hear the ocean though. I think next time though, I'd ask for a bay view room. Would love the same building, just on the other side - the sun sets over the bay, so that'd be awesome to have a room there. The A/C worked a little spottily. We stayed cool enough most of the time though. We found that if we left it off while we weren't in the room some, it worked better later when we did turn it on. Only other complaint about the room, was that our king was two doubles pushed together. Not a huge deal though. We loved the stocked mini-bar and had no trouble with water. They supposedly restock the fridge every other day, but we got SOME restocking done two days in a row, so we never quite figured out the schedule. Best bet is to just hide what you haven't drunk every day just in case you're off a day, then it'll get replaced. We liked the Brahma beer a lot - better out of the bottle than the draft you get at the bars. Overall, we were very satisfied with our room though. But do watch the slick floors when it rains!!

Food / Drinks

We liked it. Buffets were fairly different every night. The custom pasta that the guy fries for you is REALLY good. And the custom omelettes. Fruit & veggies were all good too. We had buffet 3 or so nights, and tried both the "a la carte" restaurants. The a la cartes were ok - they were kinda a hybrid. They convert the snack bar into the two alacartes of the evening. You get about 6-7 choices. You get your own salad and soup and stuff, and then they bring you your choice of dinners after you finish your salad and stuff. Good food. We only did each once though, due to lack of variety at the restaurants, and the fact that we enjoyed the buffets so much. Which is rare for me - I'm not a buffet person usually. Bars everywhere - no shortage of drinks. No huge variety of liquor, but they have good equivalents. We're not liquor afficionados or anything, but we were very happy with drinks. Sometimes strong, sometimes weak - just go get another if you don't like the one you got. :) Take a big insulated mug. We filled them up w/ water or limonada for the beach every day. Save yourself lots of trips back up to the bars. (though not far from beach)

Resort / Activities / Beach

The animacion staff work their butts off. And it shows. The shows are great - we wandered amongst the 3 resorts and picked the show we liked best each night. We really enjoyed Michael Jackson. And we enjoyed the beach party at the Merengue. The beach party at the Bachata was just dancing. Only complaint about the animacion staff is that they can be pushy. Maybe since we were in off season, weren't as many people there, and they had to work to get volunteers. Everybody wants to watch someone made a fool of, but no one wants to be the fool!! But we really liked the activities and pools and stuff. Though we spent the majority of our time on the beach. Which was absolutely gorgeous. Rocky in just a few places in the water, and grassy if you went out too far, but still very nice. Very calm compared to like, Myrtle Beach in SC. Plenty of sun, or plenty of shade - whatever you want. We weren't aware that women going topless was so common. So let that be your warning. :)

off the resort

We didn't do much off the resort. Met a cabbie - Jose - in the lobby one day and split it with another couple. $40 total for the driver of the SUV - then "whatever it was worth" to Jose the guide. We were satisfied with our tour, other than the fact the cable car was closed for repairs while we were there.

Feel free to message me if you have other specific questions. But we would go back to this resort if there weren't so many other new places to see in the world!!

We got back from the Riu Bachata last night, we also changed Mexico plans for the DR as a result of the flu but pushed the trip back a week.

We also booked thru Bookit.com. I had read about the $10 American Tourist tax somewehre on Trip Advisor so it was no surprise. Our transportation was waiting for us, but I will say the driving is a tad scary there.

So, after an uneventful trip to the resort, we sailed through check in. I did discover our room to be a bit warm and noticed there is a electrical cutoff switch that housekeeping seems to turn off when they leave your room each day. I found it useful to swing by the room most days after lunch, make sure the switch was on and close the curtains to keep the sun out. I read in the literature that the minibar was stocked every day, so each day I called to have the restock any items that we had used, Pepsi and beer, and they did so each day.

We found the dinner reservation system to be simple as we ate breakfast each morning in the main dinning room we just made our reservations when we left. Note that only one of the reservation places operates at a time, so one night it's the steakhouse and the next the Italian. There were 4 in our group and we all agreed the Italian was better than the Steakhouse. The main buffet dinner was quite good also. Tons of choices, nice fresh salads and a wait staff that did everything it could to ensure you were enjoying yourself.

The rooms themselves were fine. Not fancy, just fine. All 4 of us agreed that the mattresses were SO HARD that you bones hurt the next day! So I would recommend that the hotel replace the mattresses, pillows and spreads. The pillows were really kinda thin and the spreads were those cheap Walmart kind. The water in the room is not potable, but they provide gallon jugs of water in the room for drinking, brushing, etc. The water pressure in the shower was great. I read some reviews of roaches in the rooms, none of us saw a roach, not even a bug.

The pools were great. If you don't like the pool entertainment crew just go to one of the other two pools, the entertainment crew only operates at the Bachata. The beach area and snorkling was great. Take lots of bread from breakfast and go out to the rocks, there are tons of pretty fish for photos.

Our friends went on the downtown tour and enjoyed a lot. It does rain a lot, but they supply umbrellas. How funny to see everyone walking around with umbrellas!

Overall the place was a 4, would be a 5 if they bed were more comfortable and the water in the rooms was potable. Would highly recommend to anyone and would be happy to answer questions. Will post photos later.

Couldn't fault the cleanliness or service or activities or anything really except the food. A few years ago it was excellent restaurant quality, but when I went again it wasn't all that good. There was an OK range of food in the buffet, but everything tasted as though it had been cooked in gallons of oil and fat - it wasn't nice, especially as I could taste it for hours; except the chips, which were frazzled, and the rice which was definitely undercooked. The fruit wasn't too bad. There are two restaurants that you can book - the italian and the steakhouse. I don't see why it was so hard to book a table because they always seemed practically empty. The food was nicer here :)

Other things: good evening entertainment (kids 8-9pm, awards from the daytime games, show 9.30-10.30, then a 'live band') , clean and warm pools and sea (just has lots and lots of coral so mind your feet!), breezy beach especially around 3pm, all staff are very friendly and work very hard, beer is watered down, can go to the other riu hotels next door, have to book the watersports a day before, the jet ski's can be booked at the sports beach, there are shops that sell tacky things and nice jewellery on the complex, fridges in the rooms get stocked with beer soft drinks and water every other day, there is a water volleyball net in one of the pools and 2 like football nets in another, trees on the beach, I'd recommend putting your towels on beds near the pool before going to breakfast (oh and you get towel cards so you don't have to take your own), do the aqua aerobics! It's at 12, before you go into the restaurants and after you have come out of the toilets you have to use hand sanitiser.

I would definitely love to go back for another holiday. It was gorgeous. Just not the food... Maybe it will be nicer in the summer holidays when more people go.

Please understand that everyone experiences are unique. My reviews are my PERSONAL opinions and this is what my family and I encountered while at Riu Bachat from May 3 to May 8, 2009.

STAFF:

Extremely friendly and generous. Restaurants staff were very kind, Bartenders were nice and the entertainers were full of energy and great attitude.

RESORT:

About a 20 miles ride from Puerto Plata airport. Before you know it, you're there!! Very nice and well taken care of. On a daily basis the grounds are treated by men who make an average of $ US 5 a day. Give them a smile. They definitely deserve it. The grounds and the view by the tower are worth taking pictures of.

BEACH:

Somewhat rocky and very rocky in certain areas. If you have children, PLEASE bring their watershoes. The beach is quiet and there are NO VENDORS pesting your precious vacation time (THIS IS HUGE!)

POOL:

Very relaxing and clean. Swimming up to the bar is MONUMENTAL for those of us that enjoy having a cocktail. Towels were never I problem because I would simply bring the one from the room and avoid making lines. You think I pay over $2,000 US to go on vacation and complain about not having a towel?

FOOD (Buffet Restaurant):

We were pretty please with the food at the family style buffet restaurant. It's true that by the 3rd day it may become a little repetitive but at least the food is fresh and you always have a choice of beef, pork, chicken or fish. Understand that is very difficult to please everyone in the food business. We all cook differently and have different taste buds.

FOOD (Italian and Steakhouse Restaurant):

Unfortunately, besides the affable service, this area needs a little improvement. Let's just say we weren't impressed with the food. At least not enough to go back again during our stay at Riu Bachata.

ROOMS:

Basic. Not much more than you get at a real 3 star hotel. Rooms have a minibar: vodka, brandy, rum, whisky and 2 bottles of brazilian beer (brahma). The alcohol is very weak but at least is convenient so you don't have to walk to the bar area everytime you want a drink. The a/c kept the room cool, NOT COLD. Hot water was never a problem. The t.v. is a 19 inch. The beds were not top quality. Maid service was decent.The electrical jacks are designed so that you are not able to plug in any of your electronical devices. If you have a serious situation, they will provide you with an adapter at the front desk and you have limited time to use it. This was probably the biggest inconvenience of our entire stay since we live in a world where we depend so much on our laptops, ipods, cellphones. . .etc.

ENTERTAINMENT:

Animation staff is phenomenal. They try really hard to show you a good time. If you complain about these guys, you must be a pretty difficult person to please. These guys go beyond the call of duty to entertain you. They may not be professional entertainers, singers or dancers, but they get an A from me for trying. Of the nightly entertainment shows, the Michael Jackson show was good. The magic show was good for the kids because it comes with white doves, a rabbit, and a little black chihuahua that steals the show at the end. The Madonna show was somewhat yarning and the rest of the shows are really geared to provide some sort of entertainment but are not impressive.

ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS:

Unfortunately, there is not much for kids to do. There is a little play area with 2 swings and a small monkey bar. My kids did have a blast at the pool all day, everyday. Thanks to the pool, they had a good time.

DISCO:

Nice in size. Bar area is spacious. Drinks are still free. We found the disco to be mostly frequented by couples just looking to enjoy their romantic getaway. I personally did not care for the music. The disco is a little more crowded on the weekends with the arrival of the local guests.

DRINKS:

WITHOUT A DOUBT, THE BIGGEST LETDOWN......Ok guys, I saved the worst for last. Sorry to tell you drinkers but the drinks at the resort are not only super weak, but they are extremely sweet. There is no way in the world that these bottles are not diluted straight from the bottling company. I waited around for a new bottle of WHISKEY to be opened, requested a straight shot and confirmed it for myself. If you are a drinker, you'll see what I'm taking about when you get there.

FINAL WORD:

Overall, this resort is very nice. I would go back without hesitation. Staff was great, they made milk for my 2 kids everyday and I am eternally grateful of that. We had no major complaints and never got sick.

Also, keep in mind that you are basically in a third world country. Therefore, check your egos at the door, and enjoy your vacation!!! WE DID !

Myself and my Boyfriend completely enjoyed this resort 100%! We really enjoyed the food, our room was smaller but still lovely! the service was EXCELLENT and all their staff were wonderful people! We had some really great converations with their staff and really enjoyed their company. The water sports and the entertainment were really good as well!.. The beach was not 100% fine sand, but we still managed to enjoy it. There were places where coral had washed up onto the sand which made it a little rough on the feet, but I still think it was beautiful!

Tip: The water rafting excursion was absolutely amazing! The tour guides were a great laugh and the scenery was beautiful! Excellent trip for those individuals who love an adventure, and you do not have to have any experience!

I would go back to this place again and again if I could! Enjoyed every minute I was there!

I keep seeing comments that this is not a five star hotel, well, maybe it isn't by UK/USA standards, but I wonder how many of the people who make these comments have actually stayed at a 5 star hotel in the UK? You wouldn't get 3 nights bed and breakfast in London for the price you pay for a fortnight's all inclusive at the Riu Bachata.

We found the service that the staff gave was unfailingly cheerful. I have never seen toilets cleaned more frequently (and I have stayed at 5 star hotels).

Most of our part had tummy troubles at some stage but I would attribute it to over-indulging on food, alcohol and sunshine. Two of the group had to visit the hotel doctor and found him to be efficient and helpful.

Yes, the drink was watered down, including the propriatory brands (Brugal rum and Ballantine's whisky) but I think that was to save some of the clients from themselves. The gin and rum in the rooms were quite drinkable though, which is more than can be said of the house wine which, frankly, was ullage.

The food was very good indeed and I did not find it particularly repetitious. There was always something available that I liked, normally the daily roasts. The salads were also good. Perhaps those that found the food 'samey' were the same people who put fish, meat, pasta pizza, roast meat, pork chops, salad and fruit on the same plate - believe me, there were plenty of those. This sort of eating makes it very difficult for the kitchen to provide the variety demanded. I really did see one person have fried egg, boiled egg, scrambled egg and boiled egg on the same plate, true class.I

The beach was clean, there were plenty of sunbeds to sun yourself or sit in the shade as the fancy takes you, it was never a battle to find a bed or shady spot.. The grounds and pool areas were clean and well maintained.

We were there over Easter and a large group of locals stayed at the hotel for the break. I didn't see anybody vomiting on the pool or behaving badly. I saw a couple of locals the worse for wear but I saw an English lad carried out of the bar by his hands and feet late one night as well. I can't say that I found anything untoward about the local visitors.

This was my third trip to the Riu hotels, so I won't be going again. But I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a value for money tropical holiday.

Stayed at this hotel 25/3/2009 This is not a 5 star hotel more like 3 star. We enjoyed ourstay but the bar in our room we did have to ring reception every 2 days to remind them that the fridge needed re-filling. The entertainment was poor in the evening.

Monster Safari - very good trip would recommend Dophin trip a rip off and staff in ocean world very rude - Lancashire England

Overall we had a good experience at the hotel. We travelled with 6 adults and 6 kids. Had some monotonity with the food service within the first 2 days, but the hotel manager was quick to help out. The rooms were clean and the drinks all right. Staff was very courteous. Front-desk was helpful when the A/C and fridge didn't work. Infact we got calls back confirming after it was fixed.

The beach was great and the pools were well maintained.

Overall a good place for the family.

This place had a lot of positives to it. Overall we had a great value for the money. Consider what you are paying and adjust your expectations accordingly. If you want an ultimate experience you should pay more and go to a more exclusive property.

The beach was fantastic. The area by the RIU Mambo was good for those without water shoes (sand bottom). The neat part was being able to snorkel right off the resort and see lots of fish (bring a banana to feed them). Plenty of loungers around the beach area. There is a lot of sun and shade for your choosing. There are places to be secluded as well.

Animation staff worked very hard. These people work 10-16 hours a day about $1 an hour. They have a ton of energy and bring it every day. They will also respect your desire to be alone if you choose.

Food: It is the Caribbean. The food is just okay. The fish is good and the fruit is great. Keep in mind that other foods are imported for the most part besides root vegetables pork and chicken. If you want high class food choices you should go to New York or Chicago for your vacation. The buffet did get a little tiresome after a week. I would think that ten days there would burn just about anybody out. You won't starve though.

The Drinks: This was one of the dark spots of the resort. The booze is extremely watered down. I don't prefer this. I think they do it to save some cash and keep from having problems associated with people drinking 80 proof liquor all day long. The wine was cheap table wine and was swill as far as I'm concerned. The booze in the room bar was better. I filled up my bubba keg with it and used the self service soda machine to make a Coca Libra that would last a couple hours.

The Room: The reports are accurate. Our room was very clean but basic. There are not a lot of frills. The AC does not push hard but keeps the room livable. The fridge with bottled water and beverages is nice as well. The in room bar was handy for filling up for the beach.

The biggest downside: A lot of people were experiencing nonpoint source bacterial infections while we were there. We were cleared up with a quick antibiotic within 10-12 hours (traveled with a friend who is a doctor). They were selling treatments OTC at the gift shop as well.

Tour: We went on the Night on the Town Tour through the Cafe Cito. This was an awesome tour. If you email the Cafe they will send Franklin out to your resort to talk to you. They picked us up at the hotel around six. They had a stocked bar on board and did a great job of hosting and entertaining us. Franklin and his crew were great! We got a taste of local culture as well as experiencing some fine dining in the area and a great trip to Cabarete to end the night. We felt safe the whole time. He is great at knowing where his guests are at all times without making you feel like you are being babysat. I would suggest anyone to go on this tour as it is a lot of fun.

Stayed at the Bachata Mar 27 to April 3. 3 couples. Weather was perfect.

First off have to say we have stayed at the Merengue 2x. Oct 08 and Nov 07. Biggest difference was that the resort was full (due to the time of year) and this time and a totally different experience at the beach.

Check In

The best check in we have ever experienced. There is a table with envelopes containing keys and towel cards with all the peoples who are on the buses ( in our case 2 bus loads). You pick up your envelope if your room is ready ( in our case 2 of our three rooms were ready which we thought was great since we were checking in at noon and its really difficult for the hotel to have everyones rooms ready by then). No signing anything, no credit cards, nothing, just give the porter your room number and he had all our bags to our rooms within 15 minutes.

Rooms

We still like the Merengue rooms better than the Bachata (location and set up / 8 to a building as apposed to the larger buildings which can tend to be louder when people come in at night) but how much time do you spend there anyway so not a big deal. We were on the first floor. 1 in our group had a bug problem (noticed some bugs when they came in a couple of nights). Rooms do have an odd smell. We all honestly think its the cleaner they use and not mold as rooms ar very clean.

Beach

First 2 days could not swim. Many jellyfish. So much coral washed up on the beach it was hard to walk along. I was really worried and said I would be so disappointed if I couldn't swim in the ocean. I was shocked compared to the last times we went. However, 2 days in, and by Sunday all was cleaned up. The Mambo beach was awesome. Both times visiting in the fall could not snokel. Water too cloudy in the past but this time was wonderfull and clear, couldn't believe the difference. Very sandy on the bottom. Fed the fish and snokelled a lot.

Food

Still good with a good variety. Can't understand people that complain? Beef, chicken, pork, fish and pasta every night. Always something good to eat. Sometimes a line up but it depended on which time you went. The pool restaurant is more limited at lunch but if you just want to eat in your bathing suit then thats what you get.

Excursions

Guys did the deep sea fishing but didn't catch anything. We all did the Feestyle Catermeran/Snokelling Tour which was very good.

Overall

Will honestly say that the Bachata is not a 5 star. We do like the Riu's in PP. Have always found a great deal but have to honestly say that the Bachata is a 4 compared to other 5's. However you will still have a great time and it is a great value for the money. Paid 627 + tax for the end of March which we thought was good for that time of the year and for what we got. We could have got the Mambo for 527. We actually liked the Mambo pool, beach and restaurant better so I think next time that is what we will book and save the extra $ for an excursions.

Have to add that the Riu's in Puerto Plata have great staff. A lot of resorts seem to be under staffed however the Riu's don't seem to have that problem. They have great staff from the entertainment people right through to the front desk staff.

We stayed Mar. 12th-26th. Staff and grounds were awesome. Room also very good. There isn' a coffee maker, bathroom fan, or ironing facilities in room. Coffee is aways available though. Swim up bar is non smoking, but they will give you an ashtray if you want to go to the poolside. Very windy and no swimming at the beach (too much coral), perhaps at Mambo sister property. Sound system in the theatre is lousy, but the entertainment is great. Animation staff-AWESOME! Even in the rain they will accomadate you. Bartenders and reception also very ,very good. Secret beach to the left of the property nice and beach cheapy huts there as well as to the right of Mambo. No smoking anymore in the buffets. You can buy an adaptor for the outlets for $2.00 US in the gift shop. If your remote doesn't work, it's not the batteries. Do this-press CODE ,TV ,190 , INTRO. There are lots of hangers, drawers and a balcony pull out clothes line. I still took plastic hangers as we were there 2 weeks. All rooms have an umbrella in the closet, please leave it there for the next people. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have more questions, always like to help. wrights1@ns.sympatico.ca

Myself , my wife and 6 other family members just returned from the RIU Bachata after a 1 week stay (Mar. 19 to Mar. 26).

We arrived at the hotel at about 11:20am & check in was a breeze. We gathered in the lobby while one of the front desk people explained our envelopes we received with our towel cards, safe key and room key. Yes...you only get one. Our luggage was taken to our room by a porter and our room was just finished when we got there, but we'd brought our bathing suits to get ready right away to hit the pool. We locked up our valuables and off we went.

I'll break down the rest by category.

ROOMS:

Decent size. 2 half doubles pushed together to form a "king". Not the best mattresses and the sheets could've used a couple of cycles with some fabric softener. Bathroom was clean. Not much water pressure in the shower and several of my wife & my washroom "experiences" required 2 flushes. Enough said. TV had almost 100 channels. 90% of them Spanish but CNN, ABC, & NBC were available.

The mini bar is nothing special. 2 Pepsi, 1 Diet , 2 Tonic, 1 Club Soda, and 2 Brahma (DR beer) and a 4 liter jug of drinking water. As stated in many other reviews they "refresh" every 2 days. I left $2 the 1st day with a note for extra beer and got 2 extra. The liquor in room is bottom shelf. I brought some duty free vodka but really not much use for the liquor. We drank the pop, water and beer but that was all. AC worked fine and the musty smell everyone refers to was minimal.

FOOD & BEVERAGE:

This is my area of expertise as I work in this part of the hospitality industry and have for over 20 years. The food is good. Don't pay attention to any review that says it isn't. It's not going to taste like home because you're NOT AT HOME. There is a huge variety of things to eat at all meal times with the exception of breakfast, but there's only so much to offer at breakfast. They are big on pork here. You don't come across much beef and chicken is served sporadically. They do offer some fish(usually with bones) and had calamari and mussels on 2 different nights at dinner. Lunch is pretty much the same at the snack bar near the pool as it is in the dining room without the crowds so I'd suggest going there. The a la carte is just OK as has been said before. The best thing about it is it's a quiet alternative to the hustle and bustle of the buffet every night.

The booze again is bottom shelve but they will make you anything you want. I don't recommend the "tip the bartender and they'll be all over you" scenerio. It seemed to me that they have 4 to 6 bartenders on every bar at peak times so you really never get the same one every time. Leave a tip when you want. My biggest issue is this property has no place to sit and have a quiet drink. The animation team is ALWAYS doing something near either of the bars. Our 2nd last evening we went over to the Mambo and found a spot near their a la carte restaurant and enjoyed a quiet time. The wine isn't very good as has been mentioned and I would suggest they offer by the bottle selctions you can pay for as an alternative. I know people would buy it.

GROUNDS AND OUTDOOR FACILITIES:

The beach sucks. It's a quiet alternative to the business of the pool but swimming really isn't an option. It was "Red flagged" 6 of 7 days we were there anyway. Yes...it's better toward the Mambo but it's too far from the rooms unless you're sure you have everything you want and don't need to go back for a few hours.

Yes, you have to reserve your pool chairs before breakfast, although prepare to be crowded. They ask that you supervise your children but it didn't seem like anyone did. Kids constantly splashing and running around. SITTING AT THE SWIM UP BAR!?? I would suggest a kids pool.

Grounds are immaculate and not a long walk to get anywhere within the resort.

AMMENITIES:

The resort has virtually anything you need on site. Internet, store (with everthing you could think of for sale), food etc. Although they say there are snacks available 24hrs. a day other than the late night snack bar at the Meringue (open 'til 2am) it's stale ham & cheese with a platter of fruit left over from dinner. Usually not much left either remembering there is 1500 people on property.

Hang on to some of your US cash! There is an ATM up at the front gate of the property (really inconvenient location) but we couldn't get any money out. There is no way to get US$ unless you go to town. I would suggest checking with your bank to see if they're on the network. My wife used her TD card in Brazil so we were rather surprised.

Overall a good first experience in the DR. The Bachata advertizes itself as 5 stars but I would give it much more than 4. Excellent value for the money.

Rooms-Very nice and clean. Double beds are more like full beds-Very small and hard.

Food-Very good; a lot of variety for each meal. Someone is bound to find something they like at each meal. The banana smoothies are awesome for breakfast. Also, the banana mama's are very good that you can get at any bar. Need to try a drink called mamajuana and amaretto-Great sipper. Make sure to tell the bartenders you would like extra rum or vodka in your drinks. Most premade drinks do not have any alcohol in them. The wine at lunch and dinner is not what you are typically used to. Seemed watered down.

Grounds-Immaculate

Beaches-Bachata is very rocky-Need water shoes. Merengue is better, but Mambo is the best beach. No rocks.

Kayaking-Great to go in over the ocean waves. Need to be careful as there are very sharp rocks where you kayak. Definitely need water shoes so if you tip over, the sharp rocks will not cut your feet. Definitely worth it.

Pools-Bachata has the best pools. Swim up bar is definitely worth it. Lenny is awesome.

Catamaran Cruise from Bachata-It is okay. Nice to get away from the beach but I don't think it was worth the price. Paid $75US each person. If you do go on this cruise, bring candy or pencils, paper, crayons for the village people/kids that you will meet. Very friendly and very eye opening.

Maybe I was a little spoiled having stayed at the Riu Palace in Los Cabos, but I thought this hotel was only mediocre. I traveled here with some friends to party and have fun, but there were a lot of kids and not a lot of young adults. We ended up traveling outside the hotel a lot to enjoy the nightlife. The food was good, but there wasn't much of a selection. After a couple days, I ventured out for dinners.

There were some pluses though. The location was nice and the beach is definitely better than Cabo because the water was warm and mellow. Another big plus is the proximity to the other Riu hotels. I didn't realize that they were situated right next to each other, so it was nice to be able to hang out at the beach and get a drink for any of the other hotels.

Overall, I would go back to this hotel and I would recommend this hotel if I had a family.

Price - I got a great deal because the economy has been rough. I think it cost roughly US$70 per person per night.

Food - Better than most, but still a little rough. It is the first hotel I've seen where the buffett was better than the sit-down restaurants.

Service - This is their strongest point. The service was second to none and very friendly. The animation team is among the most dedicated dedicated, although the nightly shows are not that great. The maid service was top notch.

Beach - Very nicely kept and quiet.

Rooms - Typical...very well kept.

Amenities - Nothing exciting. The Casino is typical. Many service bars, which is convenient. The Lobby is very nice.

We just returned from 6 days at the Bachata and we loved it. We arrived on Sunday, March 8 and were promptly greeted by the tour representative. The trip to the resort was less then 30 minutes. There were only about 14 on the bus so when we arrived, check in was quick and smooth. The welcome drink was a nice touch also. We headed to our room, note, pack your beach wear in your carry on, your luggage may take a while to reach your room, and quickly changed to take advantage of the sun. The room was clean with no mold issues that others have complained about. We had a ground floor king room. There was plenty of room for all our clothes, including the 15 pairs of shoes my girlfriend brought along.

The property is absolutely immaculate. Not a leaf out of place or a blade of grass too long. There is lots of shade for those who need it and plenty of sun for the sun worshipers. Note, if you want a pool side lounger, get out before 8am to get squatters rights. There was no problem getting chairs on the beach, but the beach was also windy.

The Animation staff works their tails off. No doubt about it. They are in constant motion. They work from 10a to midnight. The shows at night were entertaining, but don't expect cruise line acts. These are amateurs at best but work very hard at what they do.

The food was filling and good with a great selection. I prefer the fish dishes and my girlfriend prefers the salads. If you can't find something you like on the buffet then you are WAY too picky. We did not try the ala carte restaurants although we did hear good reviews on them. The food does tend to repeat itself but thats ok, it just allows me to enjoy a favorite again.

If you are looking for a great vacation, this is the place to go again and again. I'm thinking June...

My first vacation was to Riu Bachata, Domincan Republic in December 2008. I wet with a friend for a one week all inclusive for roughly $650 Canadian.

The hotel check in was quick and efficient and we were even greeted with a drink after the hour long bus ride. The bellboys offered to take out luggage to our room but for a fee.

The beach was long and large, never a problem finding a lounger. However there were quite a few older ladies who decided to sunbathe topless which was kind of a turn off. It was also red flagged all week so we couldn't swimming. The sand isn't the pretty white sand and while the ocean was still nice, it wasn't the clear blue you see in pictures.

The rooms were spacious enough and had a safe in the closet. We had 2 double beds. Only one small window though. The bathroom was immaculate, clean and recently renovated. I read about complaints about the a/c not working in a lot of the rooms but we never used ours because, well, whats the point of going to a tropical island to stay inside with the air-conditioner on?

The disco was fun but closed at 2am. There wasn't a lot of people our age (22). Mostly people 30 and above or families.

The pool was small, crowded, and only 5 feet deep. However, the pool bar and bartender were awesome. Ask for Dominican Gasoline! There were a lot of screaming children too so we spent most of our time on the beach.

The food was great. A lot of selection. Breakfast was definantly the best and there were a lot of vegetarian options. We also went to the Italian restaurant one night which was fantastic. Neither of us got sick.

It rained a couple days we were there but that is to be expected. The temperature was roughly 25 degrees most of the time. Warm enough to walk around in a bikini most days.

There were shows every night. They were hit and miss.

There were somethings I didn't like though. The hotel was not near a town or anything. We never left the resort. Every time we entered the dining area the staff would clap which was kinda weird. On the beach there were people who were always bothering you trying to sell you stuff. There was also a night were they had all the vendors in the middle of the hotel harassing you to buy stuff (all over priced by the way). We also had to leave at 8am so we missed a day and the flight wasn't even til 12 so we were waiting around the airport for a while.

first of all you have to keep things in perspective when you are paying less than 2,000.00 for 7 days and eight nights for an all inclusive (this included air fare).

The Good

animation team-excellent, very funny and creative shows.

overall cleanliness, constant cleaning by employees

great excursions available, we went to ocean world and swam with the dolphins and had sea lion encounter. expensive but well worth the money

paradise island excursion very good

truck tour went to a private home in the country, school, and a baeutiful beach for boogie boarding-excellent-informative

we were not picked up for one excursion after waiting for an hour and a half for the bus. It turned out that the paradise island tour was canceled due to bad weather and they neglected to inform us of the cancellation. J.J. Jerko (yes that is his real name) of Coco Tours, made it all good but having us moved to an ocean view suite and giving us free transportation back to the airport. Thank you J.J.

The Bad

the only beer that is available at the inclusive bachata is one local beer which is not the greatest.

The liquor available is the cheapest stuff you can get...no top shelf...this is to be expected considering the price and I didn't mind. However, this is not the worst part. I normally drink rum and coke. the cola at the bars is super syrupy with no carbination and is undrinkable. I actually purchased coca cola in the stores and brought back to the room and would make my own drinks in the room. The frozen drinks are disgustingly sweet as is the orange juice used to make a screwdriver. One exception was the banana mama which was not bad

The food is a mixed bag. Hot dogs and hamburgers are inedible and I have no idea what meat is contained in them. Any sort of beef is super salty (But I have found this to be the case throughout the Caribbean). Any kind of chicken or pork was very good so I stcuck with that. The salads were good as was breakfast. We tried thge steak house and suprisingly the steak was decent and not salty. We did not try the italian restaraunt.

Shopping anywhere outside the resort is a nightmare. The locals will not take no for an answer and will follow you around trying to make a sale. If you go into a shop in town, they will even follow you outside the shop and are relentless. (his was not the case in the shops inside the resort.) his a very poor country and they are desperate for sales but they apparently do not realize that by staking you for a sale, they are driving people away as you soon learn to not enter any shops to browse.

The casino..very small and the machines do not seem to pay put to anybody

The Ugly

The Hot Dogs...I literally spit put the first bite

All In all a good value for the money despite the negatives. I would not go back to the Domenican Republic in general since I dont like to go to the same place twice and there are so many other places to see.

My wife and I returned from 2 weeks at the Riu Bachata Puerto Plata on Wednesday 3rd June, we had a great time, our room was on the ground floor a short distance from the main theatre and the Bikini bar, but in the entire 2 weeks I think we were woken twice by people shouting good night, which I didn’t think was bad. The room was large the biggest bed I have ever seen, A mini bar which was restocked every other day including spirits, Our cleaner was very good we had no complaints with her, but as has been stated the bath towels were sometimes late, but the cleaner was usually just down the corridor, so I just asked her for some, no real problem. We were never short of hot water but we did think the Bath gel and shampoo was very poor, and would suggest you take some. Also there were no slippers or bath robes in the room.

The pool area was very nice, towels were left on beds by the early risers, but we never had trouble finding a sun bed, one of the pools had a swim up bar which was good fun, but do be warned the entertainment team start at 10.30 each morning around the pool area, and they are very enthusiastic and keen to make your stay fun, No joking apart these girls and boys work so hard they are there 13/14 hours a day at least, and if you just want to lay and read no problem, but if you do join in they will keep you busy.

The grounds of the hotel are very well kept the walkways and public areas are really well cleaned everyday. I liked the Beach but outside the Bachata in the water there was a lot of coral and rock, as the tide went out these were great fun to explore, you will need some sort of beach shoe, and we got ours which were quite adequate from Sports world for £3.79. Just a little further down the beach the there was less coral and the beach is full of palm trees it’s all very nice.

The main buffet restaurant had plenty of choice not all good but we usually found something to our liking, the fish dishes were very good also plenty of fresh fruit, wasn’t real keen on goat though. The breakfast was good Cereals, fresh fruit, cold meats, cheeses, many different types of bread, also cooked breakfast and Omelettes and fried eggs cooked to order.

There are 2 other restaurant you have to book when you go for breakfast, the Steak house which we went to twice I can recommend the fillet of beef is was very nice, we didn’t try the Italian.

The Riu Bachata was good for us, there were aspects of the place that were not 4/5 star, but all the hotel staff we found to be very nice and eager to please, Elvin in the buffet restaurant a great lad he followed me round with a pot of coffee every morning till I settled on a table for breakfast, obviously he was chasing a tip which he got. But he did work for it. And would we return to the Bachata, yes I think we would. Any questions please ask will help if I can.

Happy Holidays Bob & Kath

Just got back from the Riu--we were first supposed to stay in the Merengue however, once we arrived at the lobby check-in, we were told "we've been upgraded to the Bachata".

I was at first excited, thinking maybe we were upgraded to a suite, but we were not...it was just another regular room.

At first, I was annoyed because I wanted to stay at Merengue but after touring the grounds, I was okay with staying at Bachata.

We were in 919, which is convenient to the main bar and right next to the theater & casino.

Food:

Bring Pepto!

No seriously, bring some sort of stomach aid because I have a pretty strong stomach and despite that, I found myself throwing up [and my bf running to the bathroom] at least once a day.

I think the sun + alcohol + rich/saucy foods did not help. For breakfast, I stuck with eggs, bacon, sausage and toast however, there's also cereal, yogurts, fruit, pancakes [or another sweet item], cheese & meats, croissants, danishes, etc.

Usually by the main dining room entrance, there is someone making fresh juices but I never tried them because I figured they were too sweet [all the "juice" drinks out of the machines are SOO sweet].

Lunch was the most disappointing.

We tried lunch at Bachata and Merengue and they were more or less the same: pizza [sometimes with nutso nonsensical toppings], three choices of pasta [red, white, pesto], rice, beans, some sort of vegetable like yuca or eggplant, sometimes fried chicken or bbq chicken, fruit...it was pretty bleak.

Most of our lunches, after trying the main dining room, were eaten at the "all day" restaurant, Marcuya.

In Marcuya, they always have burgers, hotdogs [but I didn't try them because hotdogs are a sketchy thing in general], ham & cheese sandwiches, fries [always french fries!], rice, beans, pizza--picnic-y stuff.

Also, there's a cold case of assorted salads, regular lettuce salads ["Ranch" dressing, a 1000 island imitation, and I think a faux French dressing], and also this really strange and really delicious cold sandwich with cheese and peppers inside.

I tried everything once or twice and the pizza/hamburgs are definitely not something you'd find in the backyard at your neighbor's BBQ--there's just something off with the food...not completely intolerable just overall so-so.

ALSO! We made reservations, with NO problems, for the steakhouse [they alternate steakhouse/italian every other night] and it was a total waste.

RIbeye was about as leathery as my belt, the beef filet was just okay but the sauces all tasted like watery gravy plus the accompanying veggies were just really overcooked Brittany veggies [cauliflower, haricot verts, etc].

There's really no need to eat here because the buffet at dinner as a lot more choice.

Dinner buffet was the best: always a special station of the night, making Caesar salads, pasta, chicken, etc.

There are theme nights but we only remember seeing Chinese [actually not bad food--eggrolls and lo mein were good] and I think Mexican...there's lots of choices nonetheless for every night... more elaborate than lunch.

FInally, late night snack food is only available at the Merengue restaurant.

Drinks:

Drinks in room are somewhat watered down--whiskey definitely isn't but rum and vodka are, so just add more if you make drinks in the room.

Tonic, Club soda, a gallon of water are also in the fridge.

At the bar, the frozen drinks allegedly have alcohol in them but I never tasted it, so I always asked for a shot of rum/vodka etc and added it to the drink.

The first night I was there, I went overboard with shots, etc and paid for it the next day haha.

My bf and I did notice that one night, while drinking at the theater bar, we each drank maybe 10+ pints of beer [Brahma is the only beer they have on tap] and we felt totally fine...not sure if that means the drinks were watered down or perhaps we're just boozehounds??? hahaha.

Either way, if your drink taste weak, just ask for more alcohol and the bartenders will kindly oblige.

Room:

The room wasn't nearly as bootleg as people on Tripadvisor previously stated.

Yes, the room could use a little "facelift" but its not like your staying in a crusty Motel!

Didn't see any bugs OR cockroaches [yay!].

Room is musty, but I think it's from the wood trim being a bit damp--I brought room spray and it didn't bother me after the first day.

Yes, the bed spread is thin like a table cloth but why do you need big blankets while you're sleeping in the Caribe??

Yes, the A/C is weak but the fan combination + the A/C was fine during the night--didn't wake up in a sweat or anything; we were perfectly comfortable every night.

The maids slack-off a bit: getting towels was an issue but if you just ask, they'll bring more.

Also, we had to call the front desk to request the mini bar be stocked and they said they'd come "right away" but really, it was like 30-45 minutes later, so do not get P-O'd when someone says "right away" because their "right away" is really "when I get a chance" haha.

Weather:

It's bi-polar.

Most days we'd wake up to sun and then by 2pm, it'd pour for 3 hours and then stop and be fine for dinner time.

Other days, it'd be overcast with sun and clouds and no rain and on other days it was sunny from morning to night.

Everyone has an umbrella, so you can still navigate around while it downpours.

Pool/Beach:

Bachata was the best!

Merengue pool is very, very small and cramped and I can imagine it'd be hard to get a sun lounger there--however--at Bachata, we had no trouble get a chair [even later in the morning].

People do put towels out early but it's mostly families who have babies and don't want their children frying in the sun [so they choose the cabanas].

Bachata has lots of space and the pool in front of the swim-up bar is the most active, so sit on the opposite end if you don't want to be around that craziness.

As for the beach, Merengue has a less obstructed beach, as Bachata has lots of palm trees to sit under.

However, there definitely are places to sit in direct sunlight at Bachata, its just a little limited.

Merengue also has Scuba Caribe and other water sports on the beach [kayak, windsurf, sun fish sailing boat, etc].

Yes, the water has a a lot of coral along the shore but once you get past that, it's pretty smooth--you can go out pretty far because there's a sand bar [not deep].

A lot of people were snorkeling right in front of the Bachata beach.

If you do choose to go to the Merengue to do kayaking or whatever, the men that assist you will no doubt ask you if you want to go on a "catamaran, horseback riding, ATVing, etc"--just say 'no' if you are not interested: be firm but be polite.

Entertainment:

When I read all the previous reviews about how "hard" the Animacion team works, I really didn't understand it but know I do: they literally sweat and work their butts off ALLLLL DAY.

My bf and I realized that one of the team members, Cappucinno, was literally working/dancing/entertaining/running activities from 9am until well past 10pm!!!

I seriously can not even imagine working like that all day, in the sun, always smiling, listening to the same music over and over again: I'd go insane haha.

But like I said, they are always smiling, always loud, and always trying to get you to join in activities.

We played horseshoes, I did a dance class, etc...its fun, so do something one day, even if you think its foolish.

At night they put on a show in the theater--I can't believe no one on here didn't mention the Kids Show!!!

That was seriously A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E.

All the kids get onto stage and try and mimic this girl that does all these really difficult moves and it's a riot, seriously, hilarious.

After that, they announce game winners of the day and then their nightly show begins.

We only watched the Caribbean dance show, karaoke and the African show...Caribe show was decent--this isn't Broadway or Vegas so take it for what it is--they practice, so give them some credit.

African show was interesting--pyrotechnics, etc.

Karaoke was fun because some people were really good and other were really bad haha.

They also have a Thursday night party on the Caribbean street--it was sort of boring and we left [but we were also exhausted and just wanted to sleep, so that didn't enhance our patience!].

Disco/Pacha:

It isn't huge, it isn't lavish but it's big enough were you can dance like no one's watching haha [literally, there's corners in the club where basically no one can see yuo].

The music earlier in the night is all reggaeton, etc but if you ask the DJ to play you something, he'll play literally anything--so don't be afraid to ask him.

Shopping:

I really didn't think that things were too expensive--I got a pair of shorts with Puerto Plata on them and a T-shirt for 20 bucks, which I think is completely reasonable.

I bought some Mama Juana booze and two cigars for 11 bucks.

People were buying chips and stuff and they weren't crazy expensive.

We bought Red Bull one night and I think two Red Bulls were like 3 bucks, same as in the US.

There's no bargaining in the Riu shops, so maybe try to weird shops at the end of the beach by Mambo and by the cove near Bachata.

We didn't go down there but we saw other people walking to the shops.

Also, you can buy junk at the airport Duty Free.

We didn't go into Puerto Plata or do any excursions because we didn't see the point.

Jet-skiing was 75 bucks for 30 minutes...all the excursions were just stupid expensive.

Ocean World is only a few minutes away, so if you like dolphins and all that stuff, you can check that out.

Oh, Casino is super sad and depressing hahahhaha.

There's a few people in there at the tables playing, a few people at the slots, and that's it.

We played Caribe Stud Poker and I was too intoxicated to keep up and lost my money [only $25 but still haha].

There's lots of couples, lots of children, lots of topless ladies, lots of men in speedos--the age range is probably 35-50 but there were also "young adults" and groups of guys from Jersey roaming the place.

I'd say we were probably 2 of maybe 50 Americans at the resort; the remainder was made up of a heavy influx of Europeans, Canadians, and then some Americans and a few people from DR.

The vacation is really what you make of it...so if you want to go crazy, drink your face off and play volleyball for 2 hours, you can do that and if you want to quietly read your book in the sun, you can do that.

My partner and I spent 10 nights at the Riu Bachata at the end of January. We had originally booked and paid for the Riu Mambo, on the same property, but when we arrived, we were told by the hotel that we had been "upgraded" to the Bachata. I am glad that we didn't pay the extra cost of the Bachata, because I can't see where it was any better than the Mambo or the Merengue. The best thing about this resort was the Animation Team. They did an outstanding job of entertaining guests of all ages. Of the 11 days we were there, it rained for 5 of them. The Animation Team was always there with something to do, rain or shine. The buffet restaurant offered a wide variety and it was easy to find something tasty at all the buffet meals. We ate once at the Italian ala carte and once at the steak house. It was nearly impossible to get a reservation for the steak house because there are weddings almost every day of the week at this resort, and the wedding receptions are held in the steak house. Most days, we walked around all 3 resorts to see what was going on, and it was the same food, and same activities at all three. My only complaint about this resort was the cocktails. If you like sweet syrupy frozen drinks, you will have no problems, but the bartenders didn't really know how to make anything else. The liquor served is all Dominican, nothing top shelf. I feel that we got a lot of value for our money on this vacation, but I'm not sure I would book another Riu resort in the future.

Over all good service ,but food was the same every day ,great pool and drinks and entertainment ,no wire less internet in rooms ,rock hard king size bed ,weak AC system and broken in room phone upon arrival otherwise the price was right 1300us for 2 , 6 days ,@ air from Newark NJ

Stayed here from May 1st-4th (My birthday was on the 3rd), We are 2 mommies with 2 3 yr olds.

OK, for the meat of this review;

ROOMS; Small but neat. They have table cloths as bed spreads (we discovered blankets in the closets second day). They have 2 double beds pushed together (and they easily separate). Other than that the rooms weren't that bad. There is a small refrigerator in the room, under the in room "bar" which stocked some very week liquor. On the second day we found a gallon of bottled water, and bottles of Pepsi, beer and club soda in the fridge (I had brought my own water, orange juice and apple juice for my son though). Room also has a safe but not big enough for a laptop (which you don't need since there is no wireless or in room internet). The view from our room in the 1400 bldg was of other rooms across the way. Oh yeah, the mattresses are the worst. Mine had a spring that poked out of the bottom of the bed when I plopped down on it to tie my son's shoe. It was replaced after a visit and a follow up call to the front desk. You have to leave a deposit for the irons, a second key (and actual key, not a card) and for an adapter to use the outlets. There was no iron or adapters available when I needed one though.

FOOD/BEVERAGE; The food in the buffet was plentiful but I didn't particularly care for it much. While I like seasoned food they went a little overboard with the salt at times. I liked the fish and chicken though. Not much on green veggies. Although we were told we had access to the other sister resorts, at the Merengue we were treated like wedding crashers. First we were stopped at the door and asked for our room number (no one else was). Then when we were looking for a table, another man who looked like a supervisor ran up to us and asked could he help us in a tone that was like "your not supposed to be in here". The fruit was fresh, deserts were not good.

Liquor, well I don't know how anyone got drunk off of what they served at this resort. It was very weak and I never got even a buzz. Also, they don't serve real fruit juice in their drinks. Orange juice is like Tang or something and they don't have cranberry juice at all.

ENTERTAINMENT: What is that exactly? The only people that they seemed to cater to were the hordes of locals that took over the resort. We didn't understand at first why there were so many Dominican guest at the resort. Then I met a school teacher from the US who taught at a school in Santiago who informed me that this was a long weekend due to Labor Day and the locals always flock to the beach resorts on long weekends. As for the kids club, I didn't take my son to the club but I rarely saw any kids there. Outside the club at Bachata, there is a tiny jungle gym and swing. Outside the club at sister hotel Mambo, there is a death trap (ok injury trap) that is considered a play gym. It is dirty and is missing pieces. My friend's son used the stairs to get up on a "landing" then they fell off. Poor excuse for a kids play area.

At 8:00pm they have what they called a "mini disco" for the kids where they basically just dance around with one of the girls from the entertainment team. This was cool because my son enjoyed it but I thought it should have been a tad bit earlier, like 7pm.

SERVICE: The front desk tried to accommodate me when I complained about the roach found in the draw of my first room and the size of the room. They gave me several keys to other rooms to see if I liked them, including a Jr. Suite which would cost an extra $104 per night for the upgrade. I ended up just accepting a slightly larger room in the same bldg. My request to have the barely cold fridge changed fell on deaf ears so I just kept my son's medicine in ice (which was a pain cuz you had to lug the big ice bucket all the way to a bar to get ice). The restaurant staff didn't speak English very well and my friend and I debated as to whether the resort shouldn't hire people who couldn't speak English. My opinion was they shouldn't have to and she felt they should. English or not, the service wasn't that attentive. Also, my girlfriend needed to get some first aid for a rash that her son had. We were referred to the doctor on the grounds of the resort. They wanted to charge $80 US or go thru her insurance, just to give him some kind of itch cream. So we asked if there were a pharmacy near by and he told us no and that they couldn't sell us anything without a prescription. I insisted that we leave and try to find some cream at one of the shops. We walked out and found Caladryl right across the way, then 3 doors away was a pharmacy that had everything we needed. For this resort not to have a free 1st aid station is ridiculous.

BEACH/POOL; The beach is either man made or has been supplemented with horrible sand. It is very coarse and rocky. There are areas where the cement under the sand is now exposed. You definitely need water shoes to walk up the shore line. It is definitely more quiet than at the pool area. The pool at the Bachata was the largest of the 3 resorts and is generally very nice. However, it was a mob scene this past weekend due to all the locals basically taking over the hotel. While I understand that they were enjoying their long weekend, it was way too much. They were loud and unruly. Security and police were called several times. The children as young as 5 and 6 were unsupervised and rude. Not one but the majority which was unbelievable. I couldn't even blow up the pool toys I traveled there with for my son because the kids kept trying to take the toys from my son. As I blew up a float the kids were jockeying for position saying in Spanish "Me first, me first". Then I guess I wasn't blowing up beach ball fast enough for one little boy who snatched the partially inflated ball out of my hand and I snatched it back just before it hit his lips. I searched for a parent who would wonder what I was doing to their child but no one ever said anything to the child or to me. I was just done so I snatched up my son and left the pool area. (My girlfriend had enough much earlier and moved her son to another area).

All in all, this resort will do if you aren't a drinker and you are not traveling with kids (other than infants) and if you don't care for great beaches AND if you are not traveling during a Dominican holiday. Pictures posted.

We stayed at the Bachata from Apr. 11th thru the 18th. Weather was fantastic the whole time we were there. Hot & sunny everyday The beach was awesome. There were always lounge chairs available.

The food was pretty good, and there was definately a variety to choose from. We never went hungry. We really only ate the Bachata, never did try the other two hotels.

The shops along Caribbean Street are a bit pricey. The shop right in the hotel lobby is convenient, but very pricey.

The grounds are very well maintained. They were always cleaning, mopping, and working on stuff. We found the staff extremely friendly as well. The front desk was always helpful too.

The maids do a great job in keeping the room cleaned. One problem I had with the room is that it reeked of cigarette smoke. I'm not sure if any of the rooms are non-smoking. Being a former smoker, I am quite sensitive to the odor. However, the bedding needs to be replaced. Our bedspread was looking thread bare, and my daughters bedding (in a different room) had what appeared to be old dried blood. Yuk. Although gross, It wasn't much of a problem though , we quickly asked the maid to replace the bedspread, in which she promptly did.

We were in room 701, which was a corner room facing the pool, and while the location was great, it also wasn't great. lol. It was nice and close to the pool -- Whch also means that it was close to the outside bar and shows. We heard everyone that walked by our room. Everyone had to pass by our room to get to theirs. Not so nice especially when at 3:00 am you get a few loud drunks walking by. Not only that, but since the hallways are open to the outside, eveyone's voice carries through the hallway. There was no way to block out noise. I found that once you wake up in the night like that, you always heard more noise, which made it harder to go back to sleep.

I agree with the reviewer before me in that the kids club was very lacking. We took my 4 year old son (who turned 5 on our vacation) there. The girl who was working there seemed more interested in sweeping the porch, and talking with one of her friends than she was playing or doing anything with the kids. She barely kept her eye on him. I was nervous since the kids club is basically on the beach, and it seemed as though my son could wander away without anyone even seeing him. My husband and I sat within view of him to see if he would play or what they were doing. The 20 minutes he was there, there we NO activities. There were maybe 4 kids total there. The whole time we sat there, the worker talked with her friend. She or any of the workers didn't play with any of the kids. It seemed as if they were on their own. Needless to say, after 20 minutes of this going on, we took my son out and he never went back.

We did book a Taxi from the hotel lobby. $40 US, which went on a City Tour. Worth the $$, and we had fun.

As I mentioned, we celebrated my son's 5th birthday while there. They sent a fruit platter and a card to our room for my son. At dinner that night (at the buffet) they decorated our table in balloons, and after dinner came to our table and sang "happy birthday" and brought him a delicious chocolate cake complete with a candle. It was very nice. My son loved it.

While the Bachata is very nice, I don't think we would return. Maybe if we didn't have our children with us I would feel differently, but it just didn't appear to have much for children.

I would however recommend this to couples for a nice relaxing getaway.....

firstly this is not a 5 star hotel. there are good points - the rooms are ok but very clean, maids excellent and any issues are repaired immediately, lots of variety in the food, reception very good english and very helpful, thomas cook holiday rep very good and the grounds are wonderful. But we travelled with children and the facitilites for them and the entertainment in general was lacking. No shallow pool unless you count the one 3 inches deep, kids not encouraged to take part in activities, very poor kids club (its much much better at the mambo we discovered 2 days before we left), the entertainment team have their favourites (the ones that drink all day) and dont bother with anyone else, shows very repetative - mr/miss bachatta and dancing over and over again. if you get a good price go and use all 3 hotels - dont pay full price would be my advise.

trips - ocean world fantastic, monster truck amazing - the real domincan, catarmaren - very good.

My husband and I stayed at the RIU Bachata from Mar.10-20/09. Originally we were to leave on Mar.17th but my husband got a bad ear infection the day before and was unable to fly out for at least 3 days! Needless to say, we extended our vacation and took advantage of the extra days in the sun!

The weather was ok, sun and cloud everyday with maybe two days of on and off rain throughout our trip. Overall, the staff was great, the banana mamma's were EXCELLENT and the hotel grounds were beautiful with it being situated between the mountains and the gazebo overlooking the ocean it really is nice. The food is good (remember it's not like home) but there is a variety. It can get a little bit repeatative but you just need to improvise and they do have theme nights. Definately bring down a bubba thermos of some sort for your drinks. Keeps them cold and you can fit more in it!

Maybe I've been a little spoiled as we've stayed at the RIU in Punta Cana, Ocho Rios and Cabo but this RIU is probably our least favorite and this is why! Half the nights we were there it smelled really bad like sweage. I don't know why it did but we didn't want to leave our room and if we did we couldn't even stay to watch the nightly entertainment b/c we would feel like our dinner was coming back up! Another disappointment was the THE BEACH!! Of corse this is personal preference but we are definate beach people and go away so that we can swim in the ocean, lie on the beach. Now don't get me wrong, the ocean in Cabo is rough and you can't really swim in it either but the RIU in Cabo had two HUGE pools to accomadate everyone overlooking the ocean so that alone made up for it. I read the reviews about the beach at the Bachata before we left but thought it doesn't sound that bad. Well it was red flagged the entire time we were there. I think we went in once just to say that we did! It was really rocky and extremely windy, hence why my hubby got the ear infection! Very shady in front of the Bachata (if you like that) and more sun in front of the Merenge and Mambo. There is always enough sun loungers that was never a problem! Overall it just wasn't one of the nicest beaches I've been too and I have been to Puerto Plata before and stayed in Playa Dorada and I would say that property is much nicer (as far as the beach, sand, water) than the RIU Bachata.

But we made the best of it and all in all had a good time. Hey, we weren't at work and sitting in plus 25 degree weather so that was a bonus. We got an excellent price, practically paid two for one so it was worth the vacation regardless. But I would never pay full price to stay here and if I had to recommend this RIU to a friend I mostly likely wouldn't unless they found an awsome deal like ours!

First of all, this is not a 5 star hotel, and the rating does need to be changed so that people do not have too high of expectations.

Things that need to be done in order to make this a 5 star:

ROOMS need to be better quality i.e. more comfortable beds, better linens (bedspreads were not only ugly, but old looking), mini bar should be stocked daily, should have coffee makers in the room. Other 5 stars that we've stayed at had bathrobes, slippers and better amenities.

FOOD- good but not great, should be of better quality for a 5 star. Also, they need to change the reservation system for the a la cartes as 7 am is ridiculous, 5 star guests really don't appreciate having to be up so early, and often the reservations are full by 8 am! The buffet is very crowded all the time. Perhaps the other resorts shouldn't be allowed to eat in there at all, maybe just use the snack bars in order to cut down on the number of people that are being served. The staff can't really keep up with removing dirty dishes and bringing you drinks etc.

BARS- the drinks are the typical sugary stuff that you get at a lower star rated hotel, definitely not of any quality. They don't carry Baileys or other quality drinks, and that is expected at a 5 star. There is one bar (near the casino) that use real glasses. They open around 5 pm or so. It is very strange that they have staff picking up glasses, but they don't bring you drinks, you have to go to the bar for one. Does this sound like a 5 star?

SHOWS-okay, typical for that type of resort, but I've seen better. Not a big deal to me though either way. I liked that they had some pre entertainment-couple singing and the guests danced to their music. It filled some time after supper.

Pool- nice looking, but crowded. I think a resort of this size needs several pools at each of the hotels.

Beach- loved the palm trees, plenty of shade (or sun), lots of lounge chairs. Only issue is that anywhere you sit is far from the bars and the bathrooms.

We thought the landscaping was beautiful, lots of palm trees, shrubs etc, very nice to walk around and enjoy.

Casino is very small, not too exciting.

For a resort of this size the gym needs to be much, much larger and the equipment needs to be upgraded.

Prices on Carribbean Street are high, but we found when we went in to the city they were high as well. Sometimes you can get them down in price, but not enough to make it worthwhile. Best bet for shopping is the shacks on the beach on the Bachata side. I got a large painting for $25, and they were asking $75-$85 on Carribbean St and in town. You will have to work to get this price though. There are shacks on the other end as well, but since they are more visible, I think they get more business and maybe not as willing to negotiate.

Hair Braiding- I paid $30 US, my hair is chin length. I had it done on the resort, near the children's play area. There are beach vendors that do hair braiding as well, but I met a couple with 2 little girls, and they paid the same as I did.

Taxis- expensive compared to other places, but if you go as a group a lot more affordable. It was $40 US to go to Puerto Plata (maybe only 5-7 km or so away) then you have to tip your guide. We were 5 people, so not so bad. It was a nice change from the resort, we saw the rum factory and had a tour, saw a cigar factory and jewellery factory, saw a beautiful church, did some shopping.

There are lots of people everywhere, no place to sit away from the crowds anywhere. This may be fine for some, but I like a place that is less busy.

We got a really good price on this vacation and I read the reviews thoroughly, so I wasn't expecting a 5 star, and was relatively happy with the resort. I just think you should be expecting a 4 star, and the rating needs to be changed so people are aware. We also had a rainy week, so I am probably being a little more harsh then if the weather had been sunny and warm. I really believe that a vacation is mainly about the weather (and I'm not blaming the hotel for that).

We only stay at 4.5 - 5 stars when we travel and Bachata is presently overrated. This hotel is a 3.5 - 4 star that could easily become a 5 star with a few improvements. It needs two proper a la carte restaurants with great food. That's it. Contrary to previous reviews, we had no trouble in getting an a la carte reservation. If you don't need a la carte dining, then definitely pick this resort as everything else is nearly 5-star in quality. The food in the buffet, in contrast to the a la carte, is outstanding and has much variety ( wine, as usual is not great) ! Bachata is the best of the three resorts on this property. There have been renovations to the buildings (new windows, fresh paint) and there will be more this year. Beautiful bathrooms and no shortage of hot water. The staff and facilities are great too and everything is very clean. This is a spectacular property and the walk along the beach and up to the observation post (a large gazebo on a point) is fabulous! People who have trouble walking should avoid the stone steps. The fitness centre has poor equipment. The only other negative aspect of Bachata is that people "reserve" seats at the pool by leaving towels and then disappear, and the staff do not enforce their rule of removing the towels under these circumstances. The shows are great - Michael Jackson and the Carribean show.

We stayed at the Bachata from the 17th Feb to 23rd Feb. Before I get started i would just like to say that me and my family enjoyed ourselves a lot. We are the type of people who try to make the most out whatever it is that comes our way. I have written some negative things in here just to give people an accurate picture. To sum it up quickly.....

Rooms: Good size, lots of closet space. Cleaned daily. A little bit of musty smell but nothing unbearable.

Food: Nothing u'll end up raving about but not inedible either. I liked that they changed the buffet every night. I loved the daily fresh fruit and morning shakes, especially the papaya.

Service: Overall the service was good. I did feel that i didn't get as good service as others because I looked Dominican, especially at the bar.

Pool: The pools were nice, clean and spacious. I do feel like they should have had a separate big pool for children. The big pool had the swim up bar and it was always loud, and not always appropriate for children.

Beach: The beach was a big disappointment. We made the most out of it but it was very rocky and very painful to go deep in. We did however find out on the last 2 days that if u walk further on the beach until u get near the end, the water gets a lot nicer and there are fewer rocks and it's not as shady.

Location: If u are going to just relax and stay on the resort then it is perfect for you but if u would like to see the city, the Bachata is a little far out and the taxi charges u a lot more to go anywhere.

Tips: Take lots of dollar bills for tips. Don't get to dinner to late as the good stuff does run out. Take water shoes for the beach. Try to bring everything from home as the prices at the resort are crazy. Enjoy yourself!!

I will never return to this place again. This resort charges and holds its self out as a 4 star. No way, the top of the rate I will say is only 2 or 2 ½ stars. I read reviews about this resort, and they so truths. It was our worse stay in the Hotels. Clean service people very rude, they put everywhere in your room small flowers, but you will wait all day for the bath towels, make sure to bring yours. I would highly suggest that you chose another resort and another location. If you do chose to stay at the Riu Puerto Plata, you know what to expect. Good luck.

Arrival: Aiport at Puerto Plata is slow slow & slow. Luggage took an hour to come through.

Hotel Arrival: Fruit punch on arrival in Reception (very nice as its so hot). Check in was good.

Room: Clean, mini bar (beers, coke & optics with rum etc).

Beach: Nice beach area, quite narrow & not very long.

Pool: Too many rowdy Americans for our taste. Foul mouthed, drunk, etc etc etc....soooo boring!

Food: Nice, but choice is limited.

Public areas: Gardens are lovely, bars, reception, show area etc nice - get taken over at weekends by Dominicans who come either for 1 or 2 nights or on a day pass - any other nationality then has to wait & wait & wait.....rude! Intimidating for people with young families - screaming in the gardens till 5/6 am etc. We went down for a coffee in the reception bar area at 5.30 am one morning as we couldnt stand lying there listening to it any longer security & reception had loads of calls over the weekends from people complaining but NOTHING! & someone had vomited all over one of the sofa's....food from the all night buffet all over the floors. A mess! We assume that this happened most nights, but was normally cleaned up by the time breakfast was on at 7am. (HOPE). The hotel have a policy written down that there should be no rowdiness etc in the room areas after midnight...JOKE.....if you have kids - dont bother!

Local Area: is in a group of 3 hotels, which you can use the facilities of all 3 - nothing else in the area....very expensive for taxi to town £35 return...shopping in the resort...rip off. But as they have the only shops there they charge what they like.

Staff: The most pleasant staff were people like the gardeners & the boys cleaning the beach each day.....all the rest just werent interested unless it is weekend & you're Dominican.

In all...beautiful area, nice enough hotel, but only a 3 star due to the poor location & the fact that you cant get a drink or a seat to eat at weekends (watch your valuables on those days too). we were ok but somehad sunglasses, suncream etc etc just taken from sunbed when in the pool/sea etc. Security so not interested.

We are not snobby travelers in any respect. We often eat in dives and stay in cheap hotels. However,based on the reviews I read before booking this resort, I was very disappointed. In brief, if you’re looking for sub-denny’s quality food, drinks mixed very strong with very low quality alcohol, and not leaving the resort, this might be the place for you. If you have visited a Bahia Principe or Dreams caliber resort you will be highly disappointed by the quality and variety of the food and bar service. If you like to get out of the resort to partake in things like scuba diving or surfing and enjoy actually using the water sports equipment you would be wise to choose another resort. I will not stay at another Riu resort. Other options are much better for a small additional price. The following is a detailed account of our experience. The good and the bad.

Getting to the resort: We purchased airport transfers from Coco Tours. After reading about airport “porters” I grabbed my bags after checking through and made my way past the swarm of airport staff. If you don’t need help simply say “no quiero aydame” and keep walking. After spotting the coco tours sign the guy grabbed our bags and led us to the bus. (It’s about 40 feet, it’s a small airport and the parking is just past the doors.) Once the bags were on the boat he told us that we owed him $10 for putting our bags on the boats. What? That was outrageous, but they have you captive and you have no choice. Apparently he wasn’t even with coco tours, although there is some agreement obviously. Rip off and waste of money. The return trip was better, but they only offered us departure 4 hours before our flight so we had to sit in the airport for 3 hours waiting for the plane.

The rooms: The rooms were reasonably spacious and all have a balcony. Upon booking I emailed a request to be near the pools and entertainment. We were placed in the closest building to the entertainment. That was nice. Our room had two queen beds pushed together. It was cleaned well. The toilet seat was broken, which made it difficult as it would not sit on top of the porcelain bowl and you had to kind of balance it to make it work. The refrigerator was very loud like cheap small fridges often are. We just unplugged it. Problem solved. There were ants in the room. Interestingly there were two different species that appeared to be battling on the dresser. I took a few pictures with a macro. It’s the tropics, you’ll have bugs. The rooms come with a small safe. It’s fine for everything we had, but don’t plan on putting a laptop in it. Also the rooms only come with one key, and it’s a regular key, so you’ll probably want to put it on a lanyard or something to carry with you.

Dining: The food was very low quality by American Standards. In fact if it were served at Denny’s it might get sent back. The meals were essentially the same every day with a few small changes. For breakfast you can expect the usual eggs, omelets, a few pastries, and some fruit. There was also usually French fries and mash potatoes as well as rice and beans for breakfast. Lunch will be fried chicken, not breaded, some type of pork dish, French fries, mash potatoes, rice and beans. At some point during every meal a European will cut right in front of you in line as if you don't exist. Expect it. It's gonna happen. I'm sure if they have yet to discover the idea of a line, or if they are just so arrogant that they feel they have a right to violate a social norm. Either way it gets old. I think I might actually prefer tweens to Euros.

Generally if something is not eaten at lunch or dinner you will see it again for the next meal. Dinner will be similar to lunch. The small snack area will have burgers that are unlike any burger I have ever eaten. They are filled with tendon and cartilage. I thought the first was bad and tried a second, but they were all the same. You won’t wonder why after seeing the living condition of the local livestock.

The Ala Cart restaurants are just the lunch/snack area sectioned off. While they say that there is a dress code, in practice there is not. Don’t worry about bringing a nice set of clothes. About half the diners were in shorts and t-shirts. The food was nothing special. In fact the steak and seasoned potatoes was a low quality thin cut of beef and French fries with a seasoned salt on them. It was also covered in some sort of brown gravy not listed on the menu. I don’t like gravy and would have asked for it on the side. The menu will be notably vague. It’s just the same stuff from the buffet. No point in going twice.

I’ll repeat this again. If this is your first time to an all inclusive you might accept the food. If you’ve been to a nice all inclusive or on a cruise, or even to an home town buffet you’ll be very disappointed. That’s not a joke. Home Town Buffet is a substantially higher level of quality.

Sports/Recreation: The sports and recreation department is absolutely terrible. In fact they are amazingly bad. The only thing they will get off their behinds for is a commission. They will continually try to sell you any type of excursion rather than allow you to use any of the equipment. Twice we tried to play ping-pong and were told that no one knew where the paddles were. They have tables, but lost the paddles. They appeared later. Apparently they don’t have a set location so they just store them around at the various bars or wherever. They have three pool tables, but only two sets of balls. And if you want to play you have to schedule a time. Even if the schedule is empty and it’s 9:35, you’ll be waiting till 10:00 before you can play. Not once during our stay were the water sports open other than about two hours one day the kayaks were available. Even then the staff just laid around. Literally, they were sleeping on the paddle boats and wouldn’t lift a finger to get you a life jacket or a paddle. Then as you were getting back they offered a horseback riding excursion. Moreover, while it was a “red” day, the staff had no problem taking out the windsurfing gear and playing with it. Of course no one else was allowed to use it. And when you ask why they conveniently forget how to speak English. (The are perfectly capable.)

The scuba diving is run by the same shop. Not a chance in hell would I trust my life with this group… ever. The only guarantee that they would bring you back alive would be the chance of getting another commission. There are much better dive shops in the area. Especially in Sosua. We are also seasoned divers and have a fairly easy time spotting a reputable dive shop and a shady one. While PADI licensed, this is a shady one. Also they charge $106 for a two tank dive. That’s more than the dive shops in Honolulu. Most dive shops in the area are priced from $50-60 dollars. And many have nicer rental equipment and are actual professional dive shops, rather than excursion operators.

The same experience can be applied to essentially all of the excursions. For example they will charge you $65 for the taxi to the 27 waterfalls while you can take the bus for 1 dollar. It’s about 5-7 miles away. Taxi’s are outrageously expensive. It truly is a burden to keep you from leaving the resort.

I almost forgot. The tennis guy is there all day according to the staff. However what they don't tell you until you complain is that he only waits 30 minutes at 8 am and if no one shows he leaves for the day. When we actually got to play tennis he was so drunk he passed out on his chair and then against the fence. I have pictures. It was probably one of the funniest things we saw while there. I took pictures.

Entertainment: I’m not even sure what to say. It’s more or less spring break type entertainment based on adolescent humor. Kinda funny at first, but it gets old quickly. The performance type shows would not be good enough to perform at most high school talent shows.

I guess that’s my thoughts at the moment. I would highly suggest that you chose another resort and another location. If you are on a budget Cozumel Mexico or the Yucatan south or playa del Carmen. Both would be substantially better options and likely cost less. They are also safer areas. We are not snobby travelers. We happily stay at cheap motels in Mexico, but we don’t expect a high quality of service. This resort charges and holds its self out as a 4 star, but should really be considered a 2 or 2 ½ star resort. If you do chose to stay at the Riu complex, you know what to expect. Good luck.

I, along with my husband and another couple, styaed at the Riu Bachata May 8th - 15th. We actually had to cancel our trip to Cancun b/c of the whole Swine flu situation and rebook here. Ahhh, where should I begin. First of all, none of us are snooty or anything like that. We are people who eat McDonalds once a week for crying out loud. Okay, here it goes...

Check In: Check in was okay. We arrived around 11:30 pm and no one was there besides us so, it was pretty quick. The rooms they gave us were very far apart so, we asked for rooms closer together. We ended up getting 2 rooms on the 3rd floor in building 12 next to each other. Our envelope only had one towel card and one free play chip for the casino. The map they had in the envelope said there was a bar near our room but, we never found it so, maybe they should update that.

The Rooms: The rooms were outdated, They had the 80's loud flowery drapes. There were 2 twin beds pushed together to make one big bed. I didn't really understand this b/c you had to sleep on one or the other b/c if you slept in the middle the beds would slide apart. Like other people have said, the beds are EXTREMELY hard. When we first got into our room we had no bath towels, the lock for the safe didn't work our remote control didn't work and it was sweltering hot. We callled the front desk for some towels and they told us we had to come get them ourselves, yeah, I was pissed. We ended up drying off with the 2 hand towels that were there. Oh, they do not have wash cloths so, make sure you bring some. The next morning when I woke up I walked out onto the balcony and almost killed myself. The tile was extremely slippery. It's very slippery throughout the room actually. When you get out of the shower be extremely careful. Another thing I didn't like was the shower curtain. It would stick to you when you were taking a shower, we ended up never shuting it. So, the next morning I went down to the pool while my husband waited for someone to come up to fix the AC and the remote. They said they fixed the AC but, it was never cool in our room. I woke up pretty much every morning around 6 sweating, it was great! Start your day off sweating your butt off. One of the nights my husband also found a cockroach in our bathroom. THANK GOD I was alseep b/c I probably would have had a heart attack if I turned on the bathroom light and saw that. I was really irritated that they didn't have bottled water available. They gave you a jug in your room but, it wasn't sealed or anything so, I know they just refill them.

The food: Okay, if you want any kind of variety for food go somewhere else. They have the main buffet place and another smaller outdoors one next to the pool. When you make a reservation for the Italian or Steak places you go to the outdoor buffet. We only ended up trying the Italian place. You sit down and get your menu then you have to go to the buffet and get the first 2 courses on your own. And yes, you are getting it from the same bufett you eat from everyday. It was so stupid. I had pork with this gorgonzola sauce and it was very very salty. I just want to say that I'm a salt freak and I put it on everything so, for it to be too salty for me, that's bad. We tried to eat in the main dining hall b/c every time we ate at the outdoor place we all got sick. They had 2 good food nights, Mexican and Chinese. Other than that the food wasn't great. Pretty much every day it was the same exact thing, it got old very fast. Also, sometimes the food did not look so great, sometimes I never even could tell what it was. Their desserts are extremely lacking too. The same goes for breakfast, every day everything was the same. I can't say anything about lunch b/c they shut the main buffet down for lunch during our stay. I also want to mention that this place says you can get 24 hour food. The extent of that is ham sandwhiches and cantaloupe left over from dinner. It was pretty ridiculous. You could walk to the other resorts and get hamburgers and hot dogs but, they tasted off for some reason. And one more thing that irritated me, they only had 2 kinds of salad dressing. I think they were ranch and thousand island but, I'm not sure. They were both pretty nasty. I can't understand why they didn't have some kind of viniagrette or italian, I mean, it's only the most common salad dressing on the planet.

We did book a Catamaran snorkeling tour to Sosua through Hotel Beds in the lobby. We were scheduled to go Tuesday and they called us late Monday night and said it was cancelled and rescheduled for Wednesday. So, Tuesday morning at about 7 am we get a call saying it wasn't cancelled and we could go if we could be in the lobby in 10 minutes. I was ticked b/c there was no way the 4 of us could have gotten ready that fast. My friend and I decided to get dressed and walk down to the lobby to see what was going on and the people from the front desk had no idea. We waited a half hour for the rep and he told us that it had been cancelled by mistake. How they call up over 30 poeple and cancel by mistake I have no idea. So, he told us we could go the following day. Of course the next day it was this massive down pour so, it was pushed back to Thursday. I was very disappointed in the trip. The crew on the boat were cool but, we literally only got like 20 minutes to snorkel at both places. Everyone wanted to drink and once most of the people got back on the boat they called everyone else in. So, pretty much it was just a party boat and not a snorkeling tour. We paid $120 for 2 people and that was with a discount. I DO NOT recommend doing this. We snorkeled in Grand Cayman and saw 10 times more fish right off the shore. Overall, it wasn't even near worth it.

A few other things I'll mention. First, the people at the front desk aren't that friendly. One night it was pouring out and we were in the lobby so, we asked for an umbrella so we could walk back to our room and they said all they could do is have one delivered to our room...huge help. The funny part was was that while I was up there an older guy came up and said, "Can I have one more umbrella?" He didn't get it but, they obviously already gave him one. That same night it was raining i slipped an fell in the lobby and landed right on my knee. It hurt for the entire trip. As in the rooms the tile in the lobby is very slippery too. We saw one other lady fall and a little boy fall so, be careful.

Well, the only good thing I can say about this place is the the swimup bar. Claudio and Jose were great. We did get in trouble once for being in the pool smoking. We were hanging around the side and had our elbows resting on the pavement making sure not to get any ashes in the water. I don't really see how we got introuble but they were litterally people spilling full drinks in the water. There would always be cups and straws floating in the water.

The gift shop here is outragous so make sure you bring sunblock, bug spray, etc... And really make sure you bring bug spray b/c the mosquitoes get pretty ruthless at night. There also isn't really any places to buy gifts. They are all too expensive. If you want to go into town expect to pay around $45 US for a cab ride.

Well, all in all, this trip sucked. I had fun just b/c the people I was with but, none of us would ever go back. Do yourself a favor and go somwhere else. Even if you have to spend a couple hundred dollars more, do it!

I booked a vacation through Bookit.com for 5/2/09 - 5/9/09 at the Riu Bachata in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic for myself, 3 other adults and my 1 year old son. We just arrived back last Saturday. I have tried sending the Riu Corporation a message through their web based message center several times, only to receive errors. I instead sent an email to Bookit.com and they are following up.

Let me first start by saying that my experience with Bookit.com has been wonderful and my agent Dawn was superb. Unfortunately, my positive feedback ends there. We were one of the many families that canceled our vacation to Mexico and re-booked elsewhere due to the swine flu. My parents had previously stayed at two Riu properties in Mexico and gave great reviews. That is why I had no problem booking the Riu Bachata for our vacation. There were many things that we were not told and that people are not aware of. First, everyone who enters the Dominican Republic is charged $10 for a "tourist card" that you buy from one person (in US cash only) and then give to another person 10 feet away to watch him throw it away. We also had to pay a $12 cash fee upon leaving to get our 1 year old son out of the country. We actually had to borrow money to do this because they would not accept credit/debit cards. The package we bought included all fees/tax/tarrifs, but we were not given any explaination.

Once we arrived at the Riu Bachata, we were not greeted and all of our reservations were wrong. They had the wrong number of people and they had not put a crib in our room as we requested. It took several calls to have this done. We were not explained the schedules or anything else and were rushed off so that they could deal with the local people.

Apparently, the weekend we arrived, was Labor Day in the Dominican Republic and the local people were let in for a long weekend. The resort was overrun with more than twice the amount of people than they can accommodate and people were extremely rude. Because of the abundance of people there, the food they served consisted mostly of rice, pasta and potatoes. The staff seemed upset that they even had to serve these people (which I can't really blame them) but they were also not very helpful to the hotel guests either. There were also roaming security officers with shot guns trying to keep people "in line". Not exactly a place with a family atmosphere. This holiday lasted until Monday afternoon at checkout and there was a sense of sanity that took over until the next Friday when the locals showed up again. We, as well as many others, felt very angry that we paid for a relaxing vacation at their resort and they never mentioned that they would be opening their doors to the public.

Tuesday morning through Friday morning was better. They offered higher quality food and the service was much better, but we lost more than 4 days of our vacation due to drunk and unruly behavior by local people. I must say that the Dominican Republic had a golden opportunity the past couple of weeks to win over tourists that would not have normally visited their country due to the swine flu in Mexico. In my opinion they ruined this opportunity. I will never go back to the Dominican and I would recommend that no one else go back.

Let me say that my family and I are extremely laid back and easy to please, but even we had a hard time with this.

What a let down

Just come back from a weeks holiday and have to say was possibly one of the worst weeks holidays I've had.

Our room smelt damp and we couldn't change because the hotel was packed to the rafters with locals on a bank holiday weekend, who by the way think nothing of pushing you out of way at the food queues and the bar.

All booze at the bar is totally watered down even the so called international brands, the food is repetitive and of a very poor standard.

To do anything out of the resort is very expensive.

My advice is do not go you will get a much better value for money holiday in mexico for much less money.

If you do go make sure you take plenty of US dollars - not local currency as you'll need it to escape the resort especially at the weekend when the place is mobbed by locals

Finally it concerned me that there were signs every where saying fire arms were not permitted in various parts of the hotel.

The resort is very picturesque, but the food was not great, the air conditioning does not work, so all your clothing becomes very musty. The specialty restaurants were definitely not good, and the pool was lined with algae.. The beach itself is sandy, but one cannot swim as it is too rocky. Not as nice as the other end of Puerta Plata in the Playa Dorado area. Certainly not one or our better holoidays

We stayed in the Riu Merengue (Bachata's sister hotel on the same bay) in 2008. We had a fabulous holiday so re-booked the Merengue for 2009. On arrival we were told that the hotel was over booked and that we had to stay in the Riu Bachata. There is an on- going over booking problem with the Bachata, Merengue and Mambo and you could end up in any of them, regardless of what you have booked. We stayed for four days in this hotel, prior to finally getting moved to the Merengue and they were some of the worst in our lives. It was dirty. The rooms smelt and were very damp. The staff were unfriendly. It was like an "18-30's" hotel. A lot of the guests were constantly drunk. We had someone trying to kick our door down one night. The next night someone punched the top off the lamp post and smashed it. There were rats running all around the gardens where our room was. The reception was not interested in doing anything about them. The rats were even getting into the rooms in one block. The food was disgusting and in short supply.My advice to anyone is, give this hotel a very wide berth, especially if you have a family. It is the most family unfriendly hotel that we have ever stayed in.