We had a good time at RIU Palace Bavaro and would definitely go again. Traveled as a family of 4 — Mom, Dad, 19 year old boy and 16 yr old girl. We got the 2BR family suite and were very happy with the connecting rooms, spaciousness and cleanliness. The resort complex is amazing — expansive, clean, well maintained, always could find chairs on beach and at pool. There were many dining options. Gym was basic but decent. You can also walk the grounds to other RIU properties — Macao and Bambú.
Would like to call out exceptional service from the following team members — Dayanara at front desk, Betty in housekeeping, Eduardo at La Bambola, Eury and Esmeralda at La Taino. Stephanie and Diana at the spa were incredible.
What could be better? Food was average - lots of options but nothing exceptional. The app was glitchy and didn’t always work so we couldn’t easily access activities to see what was going on. Multiple times we called the front desk and there was no answer and the voicemail box was full! What if it had been an emergency??? The AC in our room wasn’t consistent — ours was too humid and the kids was freezing. The towel workers at the kiosks always seemed to have an attitude. Throughout the resort the staff are hustling for tips and it is quite overt. We tipped regularly but part of me was a bit resentful that it’s an all inclusive and tipping is expected. There was also a musty/foul smell in parts of the hotel at times.