Just returned from this supposed 5+ Star resort. Here it is in a nutshell. I am not a big complainer btw. I read all the negative reviews on this resort and decided that some people are just not happy wherever they go. I have to say, that i agree 100% with each and every one of those disappointed travellers. Hotel - Beautiful from the outside. The lobby, grounds and atmosphere 5 star. The service 2 star. The food doesn't even rate a star. Okay I'll give it a minus1 star. I am still trying to get the mold smell out of my nose and clothes. Something is wrong here. Every room smells! Air conditioning sucks. Water pressure was non existent. We had no hot water at all the first two days. The beds are like rocks. The food is absolutely disgusting. As a sidenote I will eat ANYTHING. I couldn't find a single thing on the buffet that tasted right. Plus they serve RECYCLED food. Last night's main course is today's lunch special. TOTALLY YUCKADOO! I ended up living for 14 days with a diet consisting of pizza - spaghetti and fries. I felt like a 5 year old ! I NEVER eat that kind of crap at home ! Even the a la cartes were a disappointment. That's iif you were lucky enough or stupid enough to stand and line from 7 a.m. to 8:30 am and get a reservation. We have been to the DR. 5 times. stayed in some beautiful resorts. Tried to go back this year to some faves but they were booked so we decided to try the Palace. We have also been to Mexico and stayed at the Riu Palace 3 times. NO complaints there. For the money there are much better resorts in Punta Cana. The beach wasn't even that great. I had to walk about an hour away to actually go into CLEAR water in the ocean. Not much of a seaweed fan ! All in all an experience that I would rather not repeat.

What a dump! Don't be deceived by the beautiful pictures. We would have probably been better off staying at the local airport hotel. What can I say that has not already been said in other reviews.

Room- Smelled like a cave. After washing my clothes multiple times I still can not get the mold smell out. Do not bring anything that you plan on wearing ever again. Bed was as comfortable as lying on tile floor. Sheets were crisp, probably from not being cleaned.

Food- French Fries were ok. Had to get used to them because that was the only thing that was even remotely edible. The first day I tried some cheese and it tasted like wallpaper glue.

Drinks - Don't bother. I have had better cocktails at a junior high party. Watered down, flat, basically undrinkable. The best drink in the resort is the gallon jug of water in the luke warm room fridge.

If food poisoning and smelling like a swamp is your thing, book your trip to the RIU Palace immediately. If not, do your self a favor and book a room at your local Motel 6. You'll probably get better service without the mold.

We just returned from a week at the Riu Palace Punta Cana on April 13,2008. All I can say is WOW! The grounds are stunning. The pictures don't do it justice. If you want oppulance and beauty all around you, this is the place to go. It is more French\english colonial than Carribean in its style. If you want thatched roofed bars and surroundings I suggest one of the other Riu's. Which all seemed very nice.
The rooms are quite nice, mostly junior suites which I found roomy and comfortable. Yes, I agree with other reviewers that the beds are hard. After spending the whole day on the beach or in the pool or off on an excursion (and throwing back a few cocktails) they actually seemed quite adequate. When we first arrived there was a smell to it but after having read other reviewers, we were armed with Fabreze and a plugin which rectified this issue nicely. We had a room overlooking the fountains and courtyard, which I recommend you request. The rooms on the Bambu side are overlooking a service road and can be noisy. We were originally given a room there and immediately requested a change which they were most accomodating about. If you can book one as such it will save you the time upon arrival. I found the food to be plentiful and varied. If you can't find something you like at that buffet then you are probably the pickiest eater around. In the specialty restaurants the service was excellent. I found the food to be just OK except for Sir Oscars (now aka Krystal) which was excellent. I was not really fond of the Brazilian restaurant, although the presentation was very nice I did not really care for the cuisine although I'm sure others might.
This resort is definately not a party place. It is beautiful, relaxing and classy. There is music in the courtyard in the evening for dancing and romance under the stars. The shows were OK, not Broadway but entertaining and they try very hard. The "Ideal Couple" show was the funniest one and not to be missed. I found the service to be excellent. The people there work very hard at making your stay enjoyable and in our case succeeded. At times there is a bit of a language barrier but you have to realize that these people are serving guests who speak, german,french,english etc.. I give them credit for doing as well as they do.
We only went on one excursion which was the "Outback Safari Tour". We thoroughly enjoyed it. It provides a real look at the Dominican Republic and it's way of life. There was an excellent tour guide who we could see was proud of his country and worked very hard at giving us an idea of what his country was all about. We visited cocoa, coffee plantations; a typical Dominican home, watched coconut oil be made by hand, cigars being rolled, had a lunch provided as well as a drinks served right on the truck in between our stops. The day ended at Macao beach on the Atlantic which was very nice and great for boogie boarding (which were provided). As this was our first visit to DR this was an excellent choice for an excursion.
In conclusion, if you are looking for oppulance, beautiful surroundings, class and a very relaxing place to stay with great service, clean and comfortable suites the Riu Palace Punta Cana is the place.

I just returned last week from a 6 day stay at the Riu Palace Punta Cana. I had been reading many many of the reviews on this website in the month prior to my vacation and honestly I was really nervous becuase of so many negative reviews. I am happy to report that the vacation was wonderful and we had no problems at all. The hotel is beautiful and extrememly well-kept. The room was spacious and had no smell whatsoever. We were on the first floor looking out to the fountains and pool. We were so nervous about all the complaints of mildew smells that we came armed with fabric refresher and room deodorizers....thankfully, we didn't need them! Yes, the beds were quite firm. I'm used to sleeping on a very soft pillow-top mattress so I was a tad uncomfotable during the night, but it wasn't something that bothered me enough to make it a major complaint. I just booked a massage to work any kinks out....which brings me to the spa....in all, I booked a total of 3 treatments during my stay; a massage, facial and the after-sun treatment. I thoroughly enjoyed each one and was pleasantly surprised at the cost....lower than what I expected at a resort. The massage rooms were neat and clean and very peaceful. The pool and beach were wonderful. I did spend most of my sun-time by the pool because the time we were there it was very windy out and I felt I was getting sand-blasted on the beach at times. The beach and ocean were breathtaking to look at of course. I never had any trouble finding a chair at the pool and there was always a waiter around to bring you a drink. The pina coladas were excellent! Another thing I worried about before the trip due to the reviews was the food. I really enjoy eating out and trying new foods on my vacations and I was again pleasantly surprised. The buffet at all meal times was very extensive and the food was great. We tried the Gourmet, Italian, and Brazilian a la carte restraunts and they were all good as well. Was it the best meal I've ever had? No, but it was pretty good and I had no complaints. Everything was fresh and I did not get sick at all. I will say that the room service menu could do with some expanding...the menu is very limited, but it did the trick for the one evening that we decided to eat in. We only managed to stay out for one of the evening shows...it was a Michael Jackson impersonator. The show was fairly entertaining. This hotel is definitely not the "party place" if that's what you are looking for. I was there for the sun and relaxation and that's what I got. I did make the walk over to Caribbean Street at one of the other Riu properties to go shopping and found several shops there with nice things to take home with me for souveniers. I thought the prices were reasonable as well. The one complaint I did have had nothing to do with the hotel...it was some of the other guests. I was surprised at how few people I noticed tipping. I realize that it's an all-inclusive and the hotel website states that all gratuities are included, but come on...these people work hard and doubtedly are well-compensated. A meager buck or two goes alot further for them that what we might realize. We made sure we went down there with a load of $1 bills for tipping. On the average I only gave $1 per drink while I was at the pool or beach, $5 per spa service, and a few dollars a day left in the room for maid service. Then for meals we decided to leave $2 each when eating at the buffet and $5 each when eating at the a la carte restraunts since the meals there are not buffet and are fully served by wait staff. Maybe it was just us, but we were really shocked that we hardly ever saw anyone leave any tips when they got up from their table, especially since the service always seemed to be so attentive.

I hope this review is helpful to anyone who might be having second thoughts about staying at this hotel based on other reviews. If you are looking for a nice, calm, peaceful and relaxing vacation you HAVE to go here!