My husband and I stayed at the Riu Bambu from 6/8-6/15/08 for our 5 year wedding anniversary. Although we are easygoing people, I did some massive trip research prior to booking the resort, which included perusing the many review from this website. Returning from my own FANTASTIC trip, I wanted to add my own thoughts for future viewers.

First off: The Riu Hotels and Apple Vacations are fantastic to work with, and I highly recommend using either of them. Apple Vacations made everything very easy and took great pains to make sure that everything was easy to understand. The only thing which was slightly annoying with Apple was that they don’t appear to use computers or even an alphabetized list to check guests in. This resulted in a few (very scary!) moments in which the Apple rep could not find our names on the printed out list as we were waiting to get our boarding passes. As it turns out, she was just spelling our names incorrectly, but I did note that the names were not alphabetical in the list, which required her to look quite extensively for our names. Other than that – smooth sailing all the way. Likewise, we found the Riu Bambu to be spacious, clean and accommodating. Speaking of…

Accomodations: Most of the rooms feature two double beds which are pushed together. My husband and I were perfectly content with this arrangement, but folks who are used to a more spacious bed may not like this as much. Prior reviewers are correct, the beds and bed accoutrements are nothing special – but then I urge the reader to keep in mind that this is not your home environment. The beds/pillows may not be great, but most people have flown a great distance to be in the Dominican Republic and quite frankly, should have better things to do than to lay in bed all day. This was a non-issue for us. There was one slightly obnoxious thing which bothered us – the maids clean the rooms at (what appeared to us to be) completely sporadic times. We seriously had everything from not having our room cleaned until 7 p.m., to the maid waking us up at 9 a.m. to clean the room. We finally tired of this and simply put out our “Do Not Disturb” sign every time we were either in the room, or knew that we would be returning to the room shortly. (For instance, when we would go to breakfast, we’d put out the sign so that we could then later return to our room to change into our bathing suits, slap on some sunscreen and make our way to the beach without being interrupted by a room cleaning.)

Bathrooms were spacious and clean, and we absolutely loved the minibar with its glass bottles of beverages. (Something we haven’t seen for quite a few years in the US!) If you like washcloths, bring your own, they don’t have them at Riu Bambu. I read a review from someone who had issue with the lack of drawer space. We were only at the Riu Bambu for a week, so we didn’t even bother unpacking. However, there was a SUBSTANTIAL amount of closet space for hanging up one’s clothes, and had you needed additional clothes hangers, I’m sure the front desk would have been more than happy to provide you with the same. Bathroom power is 110v but it does require a special plug, which did not accommodate my beloved hair straightener. However, fellow appliance junkees need not fear – as I soon found out that the front desk will also provide you with a plug adapter at your request, free of charge.

Grounds: Grounds were absolutely beautiful. I have no complaints in this regard at all, whatsoever. People who left their personal beach trash (i.e.: empty glasses, etc.) on the ground were obnoxious, but a Riu employee would come around to pick these up at least once per day. They also had an employee who went around picking up trash off the beaches, and the groundskeepers do an excellent job. We were amazed at the (very small) amount of time it took the grounds men to trim the hedges…with their machetes. (The hedge trimmings were then quickly swept off the pathway by a worker wielding a large palm frond.) Seriously, these workers could teach a thing or two to some of the city workers I know, who take 3 days to trim hedges around town using mechanical hedge trimmers and vacuum equipment. The beach has wonderful loungers, but the choice spots fill up quickly. However, despite the fact that we would only get on to the beach by 9:30 at the earliest, we were still able to maneuver our way into good half-sun/half-shade spots. Some people complained about resort goers “reserving” loungers with their towels, but you just need to get over this. It happens, and you’re going to do it too. We would often get out there, sun for a few hours, then get some lunch, leaving our towels (and hats) on the loungers to reserve our spot. This is fine. There’s beach enough for everyone, and boy is it gorgeous.

Food: Yes, it’s an all-inclusive, and they have to feed a LOT of people every day, but I still had no problem finding something to eat every day that I enjoyed. Breakfast at the Colonial was great – and I particularly liked the fresh smoothie bar and choice of meats/cheeses for breakfast. Honestly, the fruit was only so-so, which disappointed me, particularly since it was mango season when we were there and the only mango I had was really crappy. Oh well. Here’s one thing my husband could not get over: they don’t have black pepper – only white. I tried to tell him that the only difference is aesthetic, but he just couldn’t stop missing the little black flakes. The waiters that bring coffee (in the a.m.) and wine/beer (in the p.m.) are great. The Ala Carte restaurants are ok. I recommend trying them all at least once. Since the menu doesn’t change throughout the week for the ala carte restaurants, there’s no point in multiple visits unless you want to try something else on the menu. The Colonial, meanwhile, has fantastic specials to keep an eye out for. When you make reservations for Caribe (and you should) – you’ll need to get to the Colonial to make the reservation by 7 a.m., otherwise you’ll find the restaurant all booked up. Caribe has multi-course dinners which are tasty – but super-filling, so go hungry.

Drinks: Anything you want. (Except tap water.) Seriously. I saw everything from top shelf liquor to the wondrous pina colada slushie machines they have constantly churning. (Make sure to tell them to add rum to your slushie drink of choice – otherwise they may not!) I particularly enjoyed the Dominican version of the Bloody Mary, which had a huge dose of lime. Also, make sure to try the Coco Loco, which is the Dominican “standard” drink, and makes a great alternative to dessert. Yum! Which brings us to…

Tipping: I must admit that we went a little hog wild our first day on the tipping. In retrospect, this was silly and had we to do it over again, we would only tip the following persons: 1.) your maid. Tip her well in the beginning ($5-10), and she will take great care of you. I honestly think that the quality of our room cleanings depended upon the tip we left. 2.) the guy/gal that brings your room beverages (this is NOT necessarily the maid!). We usually left a tip inside the little beverage cabinet. This ensures that your beverages are regularly replenished – which is nice when you return to your room and are vegging out between beach, shower and meal. Otherwise, I would only tip servers/bar staff if you found one that really did a fantastic job for you, or that made a really complicated drink. Some don’t even care about the tips, and you are just wasting your money. It’s just not possible to “win over” a bartender one tip at a time…they see too many tourists. If you feel bad about this (and I can understand this, because these workers DO work 12+ hour days!), just remember that you already paid a substantial amount of money to be there, and there are thousands of other guests at Riu Bambu who will also be tipping as well.

Entertainment: Riu Bambu offers every possible entertainment that you could want, from stretching on the beach in the morning to pool aerobics, dancing lessons, horseshoes, darts and nightly entertainment. The nightly entertainment is hilarious, if a bit predictable, but the Animation team will keep you laughing throughout. Now, this is a purely personal reaction, but I felt that the “Animation” team, while great, was a bit pushy. Perhaps they have to be, and they certainly were not OVERTLY pushy, but I just didn’t enjoy their assertive attempts to get us to “join in”. Had we been there with our entire family or with another couple, I’m sure that this would have been different, but it was just the two of us on our own little romantic getaway, neither of whom really had any desire to do “beach Olympics” or be humiliated on the stage. (And you will be.) There were several times when an Animation team member would approach us with something like, “Hey you, you want to do a-stretching!” (This is stretching with a Dominican accent.), and I would have to firmly tell him/her that, no, I wanted to a-read my book on the beach in the sun. Again, these are just my personal thoughts, and I know that MANY people vastly enjoyed their entertainment offerings. For a romantically inclined (and admittedly reserved) duo – it just wasn’t our cup of tea.

Daytrips: We only had 7 days in Punta Cana, so we didn’t end up taking a day trip. We had toyed with the idea of the Saona Island trip or the Outback Safari trip, but in the end, the cost didn’t end up being worth it for us. I should mention that Saona costs $95 per person (with the hidden tax and fuel surcharge factored in), so you’re going to end up spending nearly $200. In the end, I’m glad we made this decision, because we heard from someone who did take this trip that it wasn’t worth it. Namely, they complained that the bus ride was super long for what amounted to a fairly boring boat ride and several hours on an absolutely gorgeous island…which was covered in mosquitoes. (Hey…dengue fever is nothing to joke about.) Saona itself is just as beautiful as the pictures indicate, but the mosquitoes are relentless. Of course, this was ONE person’s experience, which I cannot vouch for, and they were there during the rainy season. Another person may have a completely different perspective. The parasailing looked like fun, but we had been warned not to do this by Apple because injuries have been known to happen. (Ouch!) I must admit that there were a few times where two separate parasailers came awfully close to having their strings entwined, and I can only imagine the awful scene that would have ensued.

Miscellaneous thoughts: One thing which surprised me, both because of the prior reviews that I read and the input of a co-worker who had been to Riu Bambu, was that we had been told that we did NOT need to speak Spanish to get along well here. While this is probably true, I think that I would have been a little lost if I hadn’t spoken just a little bit of Spanish. By and large, it would have been okay, but there were definitely communication breakdowns (at the front desk even!) which were facilitated by the fact that I could understand (at least some of) the rapid fire Spanish which was being thrown at me. Now, this is a Spanish speaking country, and it is completely legitimate that a visitor should be expected to speak the native language. This just took me by surprise because I had distinctly been told that nearly everybody at Riu Bambu speaks English well, and it was a non-issue. Not so. The front desk people speak it fairly well, the waiters/barstaff speak it well enough and the maid (at least mine) didn’t speak English at all. Bottom line: it’s easier to get around here if you know at least a little Spanish. If you can, I recommend bringing a small pocket dictionary.

I had read the reviews suggesting that we bring our own insulated mugs, which we did, but in the end, I don’t think this was worth it. Quite frankly, I was perfectly content to trot my sand encrusted butt up to the bar every time I wanted a new beverage, and bringing the mugs ended up being just one more thing I’d have to remember to clean up, put in and take out of my beach bag everyday.

Don’t forget to bring a CRAPLOAD of sunscreen. That Dominican sun is HOT stuff. We ended up using 30-45 SPF the entire time, and ran out so quickly that we had to buy additional sunscreen at the resort – NOT something I wanted to spend $40 on! Don’t bother with the spray on stuff, one can is probably only going to last two people a day and a half. Just pack a LOT of the lotion sunscreen, and make it at least 15 SPF or higher.

By all means, go to the Caribbean Street thing on Thursday. It was a good time, and gives you one of the best opportunities to barter away. Bartering was new to me, so despite my prep, I must admit that I was probably a little overzealous the first couple of times, and I’m sure that one particular cigar vendor was laughing all the way home. However, I got the hang of it eventually, and would recommend that you not be intimidated by the “bagging” procedure as I call it. This is the pressure tactic that the vendors will use when they think they’ve got the deal made, of putting your wares in a bag while loudly yelling out their desired price, and shoving the wares at you. Cigar guy got me. Wooden carver guy did not, and I end up reducing the price even further, and getting a little wooden turtle thrown in for free. Be prepared to show the money and walk away, and don’t pay any more than 50%.

One more thing: I must admit that as a romantic trip for two love birds, I was a little concerned before we left about the “family” element here. (People without children know what I mean.) However, we were delighted to find out that this was a TOTAL non-issue. While there were lots of families present, we didn’t have a single bratty child or obnoxious parent episode. Riu Bambu does an excellent job of providing children with fun things to keep them occupied, and although I doubt this was intentional, most families kept to the pool area, which allowed the adult couples to have pretty much exclusive use of the beach. My experience here has confirmed that Riu Bambu is not only an excellent place for families to vacation, it maintains the romance necessary for vacationing childless couples as well.

Overall this trip was wonderful. I enjoyed every moment of it, and I’m sure you will enjoy the Riu Bambu as well.

Dont go to this resort never again this hotel is so poor and run down, dirty, pool filthy dirty,food awful,beds dirty,bathroom old and in bad state,nothing to do with no shops, bars, resteraunts, you are just stuck at hotel, animation team work hard to please you dont go cancel now!

My husband and I just returned yesterday from a 5 night trip to the Riu Bambu. I just don't understand how some of the reviews can be so very negative.

Just so you know something about us - I travel in the States extensively for work (Federal Gov't), so I don't get to stay in hotels that are considered, by vacation standards, to be be more than 2-3 star hotels, we both ride motorcycles and love to fish. I love to read, love the tropics and beaches. My only request when traveling is that I have a clean room and clean sheets on my bed. My husband hunts and plays golf but not much of a travel-type person; therefore, tends to be a bit more high maintenance when we do travel together.

We both were very pleased with our stay at Riu Bambu. We stayed in Building 3 in Rm 312, second floor - very close to everyting and located on the left side of the resort (looking in from the beach).

We had an issue with the air conditioning not working, called front office and within minutes, literally, it was repaired and we had more air than we needed. One afternoon the hot water wasn't working. A pipe had broken and the whole building was without hot water. We called, they came, we went to the beach. By the time we came back they had already exposed and repaired the pipe and hot water was working - this took less than 3 hours. By the time we came back from dinner, same day, the hole was filled in and plants were replanted and you couldn't tell anything had ever happened. - alot quicker than we are having the water pipes fixed from recent storms here in Maryland (USA) (two days and counting)!!!! This is not a new resort and things can break down; however, never was an issue and definitely did not affect our vacation.

This resort is absolutely beautiful, spaceous, and the location is the best on the beach. I have seen most of the Caribbean and this beach was the most unique in that it had a "forest" of palm trees right on the beach. The beach was very wide and there was plenty of open sunny places on the beach as well (for all us sun worshippers). Never had a problem with finding chairs.

Everything was very clean and never had a problem with cleanliness in the room or anywhere else. The food was good for us as we are not picky and only there for 5 days. We did not get sick, which was my greatest concern since we both like to take advantage of eating different foods and drinking all the specialty drinks. Took a Pepto Bismal chewable tablet every morning and started taking acidophylis two weeks prior to trip and during. Doctor prescribed cipro (antibiotic), just in case, but didn't need it.

The beds were a bit hard, but oddly enough, neither of us minded it.

We took snacks for the room but never ate them, as we weren't in the room long enough to need them. We even took some small battery operated fans to cool off on the beach - what were we thinking?! - the breeze was constant and perfect on the beach.

Took our own towels but never unpacked them. Never a problem with "towel" thieves.

Left tips everywhere we went because that's what we do, but didn't notice that anyone was treated differently - service with a smile and "Hola" for everyone - and we did notice more people did not leave tips than did - too bad.

My only regret on this trip was that it was way too short. We will definitely go back to the Riu Bambu and, for the life of me, I don't get the bad reviews!!!

Just got back from the Riu Bambu after a fantastic week at this resort.

Food

Buffet to a high standard with plenty of choices, however after two weeks could get repetative

Rooms

Looked and looked for the hard beds, never found one in our room, pillows however were flat, solved that one by putting one on top of another/

Air Conditioning

Worked in the rooms but no Ac in public areas so could be a touch warm, but we were on holiday in a hot country so expected it.

Beach

Absolutely fantastic could walk for miles, low rise hotels almost hidden behind palm trees,

Cleanliness

Was up every morning around 5.30 am and found the pool being cleaned, and all areas washed down, so comments about dirt etc are misplaced. Rooms kept immaculately

Rooms

Small rooms must be a different hotel, each room had two standard double pushed together with room for a table chest of draws and be able to move about . Bathroom dated but usable


Overall

Good value, clean, fun, Europeans all over the place (how dare they escape) however there was a small problem at the resort a droning noise in the background of whining Americans looking for fast food outlets top shelf liquor ,better Ac etc etc
Remember 110v and you need a travel adaptor, especially important for Straighteners, hairdryers etc, get dual voltage.
This is the Dominican Republic not the USA.

Will be going back