We stayed at the RIU Palace Punta Cana from 1/27-2/5/2012. We paid for private transfer so we made it quickly to the Palace within 25 minutes. Room was not ready but decided for the 30 min wait we would enjoy the lobby bar, which we visited daily after our day of relaxing on the beach and before we got dressed for dinner. In the early evening, the lobby bar had an excellent pianist to entertain those enjoying a beverage or two.
Our room was average but who spends a tropical trip in the room. Our room did not smell musty but I took a travel air freshener in case. Yes we had a few bugs..but we were in a jungle. Beds were firmer than we liked but after a day of sun and water,...slept great. We did not need a converter for my curling iron or other items we needed to charge. We did have an issue with our air one night but noticed our sensor was melted by the patio doors. We took a photo since our Spanish is poor and we had our issue resolved immediately. If we needed to contact the front desk for anything, we always had a follow up call to make sure it was taken care of. The staff we did communicate with did well in speaking English when necessary and we all had a good laugh on our Spanish attempts and some of their English. One thing I have to say about the staff is they worked hard on treating you extremely well and indicated "good is not good enough unless it is very good". You make the most of your vacation and we did. Food was good,...but great?...probably not but again the resort is trying to please all travelers from around the world and thought they did well. We certainly did not starve. The steak house was our favorite. Steaks were fatty, yes but isn't Ribeye suppose to be?? Tenderloin was not fatty. Both steaks we thought were tender and flavorful. Only complaint is getting salt out of the shakers.

Entertainment was good but not excellent. The stage was small but they sure did work hard on their performance.

We did not do any outer excursions but did enjoy the beach daily. After walking the entire length of the white sandy beach, this particular location had the best beach. They work hard on keeping it clean. If only some tourist would try to help keep it clean and take time to clean up after themselves... Second time to the Dominican and this stretch of beach was one we would love to return to per our observations.
We did not enjoy the pool. We were informed the water was colder than the ocean but I didn't fly thousands of miles to enjoy a pool. The advantage of the pool area was your protection from the wind. Not a large pool area hence the lounges were reserved early for those who did prefer the pool area.
We can't say enough about the wait staff, maids worked hard, Alejandro kept our drinks full, Alexander and Carla always a smile on their faces. The staff will bring us back to this resort.

On first impression, this resort blows you away. The grounds and the beach are impeccable. If I could have only slept on the beach instead of my horrid smelling room, I would have been in heaven. Avoid the a la carte restaurants. They really need to hire a chef from America or Europe to bring this resort up a notch. For example, pork ribs at the Brazilian (La Bodega) restaurant were inedible. Other meat was overdone and the cheapest cut you can imagine. Maybe they should have cooked it all for 12 hours......at least then you could chew it. The Japanese restaurant was a joke as well.. think grocery store sushi with hard rice. Or tempura'd everything....even the ice cream. (and I have had good deep fried ice cream before.... not here). The Italian Restaurant started out OK with the cold antipasti bar. It was VERY good. The stuffed chicken main was good but the Shrimp pasta was overcooked and untasty.

Now, I can kill a mediocre meal with a lot of free wine or rum, but after it all, you need to retire to your private oasis......your room...... where you can enjoy the pleasures of your spouse and a nice comfortable bed. Every night as we walked to the room, we were hit by the MUSTY smell 50 feet from our door step and it definitely killed the special feeling a nice resort usually gives.

Also, expect smoke .......think bar room at 2:00 am.......if you are a non-smoker, you will have a hard time enjoying the evening patio and entertainment area.

Would I go back to the Dominican Republic....probably.
Would I go back to the RIU Punta Cana....not likely.

PS Don't expect a room change as one reviewer got as we asked for one and the hotel was full.

We booked a Vacation through Liberty Travel to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic and stayed at the Riu Palace January 30 through February 5th.

We were extremely disappointed and dissatisfied with the Riu Palace. When we arrived, we noticed that all of the lights in the building during the day were turned off (apparently to conserve energy.) Made for a dreary atmosphere. The place seemed to be very outdated (no computers.) All the guests reservations were all written on a pad of paper.

As we walked into our room, we couldn’t help but notice the overwhelming musty smell. The room was damp and humid with noticeable mildew on the lamp shades. Our pillows and bed sheets appeared dirty and had an unpleasant odor. As we walked into the bathroom, we noticed small insects crawling around sink area. Bathtub tile was cracked and shower curtain appeared old.

Requested a room change the next morning. Initially, manager wanted an additional $30.00/night to upgrade our room despite our unfortunate experience with previous room.

Our biggest disappointment of all was the food. You had to wake up prior to 10am to reserve a table (in person) at one of the specialty restaurants at which point you weren’t even guaranteed a reservation. Buffet food was awful. Food was sitting for hours which made food taste flavorless and stale. Steak house dinner was nearly inedible. Lobster tail was mushy and burnt and steaks were fatty and flavorless.

Entertainment was pathetic. Bingo and water aerobics were some of the daily activities that were offered. Not ideal for a young couple. Pool area closed at 7pm and the alcoholic beverages discontinued being served at midnight. When the weather was poor, no activities were offered which forced us to stay in our hotel room.

Despite having the “Do Not Disturb” sign on our door, staff continued to knock, morning and night.

The local vendors were obnoxious and rude. Several times we would have to take detours around the vendors, through the hotel, just to avoid them. They were pushy and aggressive in trying to sell their items. We couldn’t relax on the beach without the vendors approaching us. Vendors would become upset when we didn’t purchase something.

Overall, we both were disappointed with the Riu Palace and would most likely not visit again.

My husband and I have just returned from one week at this lovely resort. This was our tenth trip to Punta Cana, but our first to this property.

Certain things keep us coming back to Punta Cana: the friendly and happy Dominican people, the genuine customer service, the fantastic beach, the beautiful sunrises, the warm weather and the direct flights from Boston. We found all this and more during our vacation.

Check in was a breeze and our room was ready. I was surprised to be handed a real key, not a key card. But, I have had problems with e-keys in the past when they have been damaged by salt water (or spilled rum drinks) so I was glad not to have to return to the front desk with that problem later on. We asked for and were cheerfuly given a second key.

Our room was just as I expected, clean and well appointed. Great layout, very confortable, no offensive oder. Loved the reclining deck chairs and the bedside lights bright enough to read by.

The beach is amazing, clean and comfortable. Loved the waiter service, the long walks, the sunrises, the beach grill for lunch. We are not pool people, but the pools looked beautiful and clean. There were many happy people enjoying themselves there.

We ate at the Brazilian, Italian and Steakhouse ala cartes and enjoyed each one. We had reservations for the Oriental one, but we were distracted and could not get ready in time. We did enjoy the main buffet on each of the other nights. Loved dining alfresco while listening to the live music.

The resort is beautiful day and night with landscaping and fountains, clear walkways and well lit halls. Never felt uncomfortable, never saw a problem.

The only things I would change are enhancing the casino at the Riu next door and bring more color into the lobby decor.

We really enjoyed our stay and would certainy return to this wonderful resort.