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Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana - UPDATED 2024 Prices, Reviews & Photos
El Hotel Todo Incluido 24 horas Riu Palace Punta Cana abre todo el año y está situado en la zona vacacional de Punta Cana, en la costa este de la República Dominicana, forma parte de RIU Resort con cuatro hoteles hermanos, está situado en la Playa Arena Gorda, que se extiende a lo largo de 26 km. RIU Palace es la categoría más elegante de la cadena hotelera RIU, con hoteles que cumplen con los más altos estándares en términos de lujo, excelencia y sofisticación, creando una experiencia única. Su ubicación es ideal por su proximidad al aeropuerto de Punta Cana PUJ (25 km) y El Cortecito (10 km) e invita a explorar la zona. El hotel dispone de 612 habitaciones acogedoramente amuebladas con Wi-Fi gratuito y ofrece muchas comodidades. Relájese en nuestro spa o póngase en forma en el gimnasio. 4 piscinas al aire libre, 1 piscina infantil. Animación diurna y nocturna, así como nuestra discoteca Pacha. Para los amantes de la gastronomía, ofrecemos estaciones de cocina en vivo en nuestro restaurante principal, restaurantes japonés, brasileño, italiano y de fusión, así como 5 bares. #RiuParty en el Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana ¿Te gusta disfrutar de las mejores fiestas durante tus vacaciones? ¡RiuParty está hecho para ti! Baila al ritmo de la música de los mejores Dj's y transfórmate con los espectáculos y performance que te ofrece cada fiesta. ¡Aprovecha tu Todo Incluido y disfruta de la mejor diversión con RIU!
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
Playa De Arena Gorda, Punta Cana 23000 Dominican Republic
Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana
2,913 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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The Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana garners praise for its picturesque location with a stunning beach and scenic palm trees, as well as its lively atmosphere that caters to various age groups. While the amenities such as pools and entertainment are generally appreciated, some guests have called out inconsistencies in room quality, including maintenance and air conditioning issues.
Although the resort's cleanliness receives commendations, there are remarks about the need for improvement in towel quality and seaweed management. Service quality appears to vary, with reports of both commendable attentiveness and disappointing disorganization.
Location
Beachfront
Atmosphere
Lively
Rooms
Uncomfortable
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Mixed
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Satisfactory
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We visited November 2022. There was 7 of us between 4 rooms. 1 overlooking the fountains near to the stage. The other 3 overlooking the RIU palace bamboo. Entertainment seemed to go up a notch for thanksgiving week visitors which seems unfair. The noise from the stage @ night was deafening. On the whole the hotel looked lovely massive over sized entrance and reception area leading to a coffee/bar which I highly recommend using, also leads to the sports bar. They supply fire sticks to watch all sports. Our 1st week was lovely and quiet the food at le carte restaurant was beautiful fillet was tender but come the 2nd week when ordering fillet you got sirloin or some cheaper cut as it was fatty and folded over. This was the same throughout them all. On numerous times we ordered room service this took minimum 3 1/2 hours, rang reception 3 times and also visited reception 3 times the turned up 10:30 at night. Another time they knocked us up at 2.30a.m with our order 4 hours late. The breakfast there is lots to choose from. Although the expect tipping, we sat at another table and we were approached and yelled at by the waitress (Mary) for choosing to sit elsewhere. The pool area is tidy and beds are comfy. Brollies are net allowing sun through them. The pool bar is full all the time and is named pee pee pool by people around as no-one seems to leave for toilet duty. We had a anniversary while we were there and my partner asked if they could decorate the room. They noted it but nothing was done. I rang again @7 and by the time we got back balloons were put up. We went to the water park nearby which is free it’s outdated and needs a lick of paint. We noticed when leaving they were painting. Overall I don’t like the way yr obliged to leave tips also shops nearby are very expensive. Beautiful beach but lots of people pestering you with jewellery, photos with monkey/lizard/parrot and clothing it was monotonous. Beautiful hotel but let down by few.
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Date of stay: November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from RIU Hotels and Resorts, Owner at Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana
Responded Nov 29, 2022
Dear Mstottie, Thank you for taking the time to provide us your detailed feedback on your stay at our property. In our pursuit of excellence, it certainly saddens us to learn that you were left disappointed with some aspects of your experience. Truly, this is not the level of experience that we seek to provide our guests. Your review will be passed on to the departments in charge. We hope we have the opportunity to welcome you again soon. Best Regards, Hotel RIU Palace Punta Cana Online Reputation Management
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Riu Palace Punta Cana offers a mixed experience for travelers seeking a beachfront retreat. The stunning views and direct beach access provide a picturesque backdrop for relaxation. The staff, for the most part, are incredibly friendly and accommodating, enhancing the overall stay with their warm hospitality. I want to say a special thank you to Stebanin as he really went the extra mile on the holiday bringing us specialised drinks and continuously making sure everything was right for us.
However, the experience is dragged down by occasional encounters with rude staff members, one of which scoffed that I only tipped her $5 for bringing 2 drinks, which can be disappointing and detract from the otherwise pleasant atmosphere. I found many of the female staff where a lot ruder than there male counterparts when it came to tipping. While the food is passable, it falls short of expectations, with some guests noting that it was merely okay and not exceptional. The restaurants are very similar experience and are not necessarily worthwhile.
One significant downside is the inconvenience of needing last-minute reservations for restaurants, which can be frustrating for guests looking for spontaneity in their dining experiences. Additionally, there was mold on the food on one occasion and when I raised the concern they started speaking in private before concluding that the colouring was off of the machine, however it was on the front back and inside the waffle in question which raises concerns about cleanliness and food safety standards.
There are several vendors on the beach upselling excursions and souvenirs many of which will not bother you after declining the first time. They are overly expensive and once haggled with the prices become more acceptable (make sure to compare to prices online and show them the equivalent price!)
Despite these drawbacks, the resort's beautiful beachfront location and stunning views still offer a serene escape for those seeking a tranquil getaway. With some improvements in staff training and food quality control, Riu Palace Punta Cana has the potential to provide a truly exceptional experience for its guests if it improves on its overall customer service.
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Date of stay: April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Online Reputation Director, Owner at Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana
Responded 2 weeks ago
Dear Joshua W, Thank you for choosing us and for sharing your review. It is disappointing to hear that you did not fully enjoy our resort. We always want our guests to have a lovely and relaxing time and it is our policy to ensure that we exceed our guests’ expectations. You may rest assured all your comments had been cascaded to the responsible department for a proper follow up with the purpose of improving the hotel and service we give our guests. We hope you will decide to give us the opportunity to welcome you soon again and prove that your unsatisfactory stay was an exception! With best regards, Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana Online Reputation Manager
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Brilliant staff. Nothing was too much trouble for them. Went here as a family group of 6 for our daughters 21st birthday. The housekeeping staff decorated her bed with fresh flowers and towels in the shape of a heart with 21 in it. It was beautiful. The restaurant staff decorated a table for us with balloons and they brought out a cake delivered by appropriately 6 waiters who all sang happy birthday. It was lovely. The only negative was that one of our guests is a vegetarian and the food was very limited for her. In fact she lived on chips and rice out of the buffet restaurant.
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Date of stay: April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from RIU Hotels and Resorts, Owner at Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana
Responded May 9, 2022
Dear Eleria2018, We are so grateful for your kind appreciations, our staff will feel rewarded. Please allow us explain that when guests have a special diet with specific characteristics or require meals with some kind of restriction: gluten free, lactose free, vegan… we always kindly encourage guests to contact our Call Centre when booking, to ensure that there is a service available that meets their needs and inform the hotel reception beforehand so that, on the day of your arrival, we have food with the right characteristics, since not all destinations have easy access to products appropriate for these diets. Thank you very much for choosing us, we will take note of your observations. Kindest regards! Hotel Riu Punta Cana Online Reputation Manager
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Just returned from 3 weeks spent here! This is our 5th time at this hotel but first since revamp bath replaced by walk in shower much better and wi fi now available all over the hotel, pool area more spread out and never a problem getting a sun bed although we spent every day on the beach. Wonderful weather and food as excellent as ever. Only criticism was the piano bar which has lost its comfortable atmosphere in the evening too bright and clinical! Look forward to returning!
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Date of stay: February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from RiuHotelsandResorts, Online Reputation Manager at Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana
Responded Mar 11, 2020
Dear Mary, Thanks for sharing this excellent review with us! We are glad to learn that you had a wonderful experience with us from beginning to end. It was a pleasure having you staying with us, hope we will have the opportunity to welcome you back again in the near future! With our best wishes we remain, Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana Online Reputation Manager
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Honest review!! I would like to first say dont read the bad comments ,I was worried when I read a loads bad comments about the hotel. We had amazing time from start to finish.
Room are clean Daily with clean towel, they sometimes come twice to our room check if we got clean towels.
Beach is very nice we come few days after hurricane Fiona so I was a bit worries. They do great job to keep the beach tidy from seaweeds, some days you can see some seaweeds but they taking care about it straightaway. Loads of palm trees around so if you just want to chill and have a bit break from sun you can always finde a great spot.
Food is great loads choice everyday, the waiter's are really nice and helpful. Raul 1 at la isabela (buffet) he is really goood !! As soon as he saw us come in , our table was ready, he always smile and had a great jokes he is big plus to company !!! Steak restaurant was good as well I really enjoyed the lobster there !
Drink - we didn't had a problem with our drink at all. There is always someone around even on the beach they come in and asking if you want anything to drink. Los rosario we went there for drink every night after our dinner and they do really good job, loads of waiters around so they make sure you got always your glass full !
Swimming pool area also always tidy and great with entertainment.
We went also to Riu party..Neon and Jungle party both was great atmosphere. ( make sure you going there with swimsuits as is so hot there and you can enjoy the swimming pool)
The only thing what could be better is night entertainment its not bad but its not the best, I would say if you staying for 2 weeks like us , you can finde it a bit boring.
In overall we had amazing time and we would come back...can't really complain about anything just how I mentioned before the night entertainment can be improved a bit.
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Date of stay: October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from RIU Hotels and Resorts, Owner at Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana
Responded Oct 21, 2022
Dear Silvie B., We are delighted to read your fantastic feedback! It is great to learn you had a great time. Thank you very much, Silvie, you are a star. We cannot wait to host you again and share yet another unforgettable stay! Have a beautiful day! Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana Online Reputation Management
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This is a solid 2 Star resort. The closest to top shelf is Smirnoff and that is only located in one bar in the lobby. No wait staff will get drinks from there because it is located so far away. I could not even get Malibu in a rum punch!!! That is a HUGE problem to be honest. Major headaches drinking cheap alcohol in the sun for days! The beach is stunning! The food was good. The steakhouse was good. The buffet was small but really excellent!! The casino on site is a small room with 4 slot machines. It's offensive to call it a casino. The gas station down my road has more machines! The in pool bar is closed. The resort claims it is due to covid. Other resorts have theirs open though. The nighttime shows are good. They are only about 1 hr or so long. No disco, clubs, dancing, entertainment. So once it's over, you are on your own. During the day, they offer a poolside dj for 2 hours then stop so they can offer BINGO. The resort is clean. The resort offers covid tests. I never received my results.2 out of 8 we tested with received theirs! It was not easy getting the results to everyone. The communication barrier was a major issue the entire trip with the entire staff. I have never been to a resort where the majority of the staff does not speak English. The refusal to attempt to communicate with you is unbearable. You are made to feel like a bother more times than not. The staff was more rude than helpful. The constant eye rolling. The moral of the story, It's a 2 star bc of the booze. I think if they had top shelf alcohol, the other things would not have mattered as much!
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Date of stay: April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from RIU Hotels and Resorts, Owner at Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana
Responded May 12, 2021
Dear Guest, Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback regarding your recent stay with us. While we are glad that you enjoyed the palm tree beach and the culinary offer in our restaurants, we would like to apologize for failing to meet your expectations regarding the beverages. We always try to offer a huge variety in order to cater to every guest´s taste. On our website, and anywhere you can book our hotel we do indicate that in order to meet each country’s hygiene requirements, there may be some changes to each hotel’s services or facilities and amenities that differ from what is described. Please also accept our sincerest apologies for the ongoing restrictions. We can only imagine the frustration this may have caused making your experience not what we are known for nor what you expect from us. At the same time, we hope you can understand that all the changes that may occur, including the reduction of nighttime entertainment, are only to ensure our guest´s and employee´s wellbeing and peace of mind, which especially now is our number one priority. We hold a higher standard than what you experienced and we missed that mark on a number of occasions. We recognize your discomfort and appreciate your honest feedback. Certainly, your concerns will be addressed with the appropriate people and departments for a proper follow up. Again, thank you for sharing with us, and we hope we will have the chance to better your experience on a future stay. With our best wishes we remain, Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana Online Reputation Manager
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At the resort now, week of Spring Break with my three kids. Can’t get bottled water anywhere, not even replenished in our room, can’t get towels, or wash cloths in our room, toilet was not working so we rigged it ourselves by taking the lid off, running water stopped running in our room and my children’s room which I paid an extra $500 for. I exercise every morning and I can’t get a towel in the gym either. Don’t bother relaxing at the beach, walking vendors harass you all day. All around disappointing for the money I paid. Won’t be back.
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Date of stay: April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from RIU Hotels and Resorts, Owner at Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana
Responded Apr 9, 2021
Dear Guest, Thank you for choosing our hotel and for taking the time to share your experience while staying with us. While we regret to read that your first impression of the hotel has not lived up to your expectations, we are very surprised to read your comments. However, from your post we are unable to derive enough information or which agency you booked through as you are using an anonymous Tripadvisor user name, so we encourage guests that are still at the hotel to contact our Front Desk staff in order to resolve any issues whilst still at the hotel. They will be more than happy to assist you and make your stay as pleasant as possible. In addition to this, please remember that you can also use our new RIU Guest Experience App on your mobile phone, in order to request services and check activities during your stay. We truly hope you can resolve this with our Front Desk staff during your stay. We look forward to hearing about the rest of your stay. With our best wishes we remain, Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana Online Reputation Manager
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The hotel is nice and well laid out. The overall rating is excellent except for some situations that reduce the level of the hotel. Positive: condition and cleanliness of the rooms, the behavior of the staff which is very pleasant, the location of the restaurant, the staff brings drinks to the beach to the deck chair, afternoon snack at the bar, etc. Negative: the evening program is often changed without information, the animation program is confused and very low level, the food is still the same, ala card restaurants have half the food the same as the buffet. If I wrote a negative, there's nothing that tells me I'm not coming back. The result: I am satisfied with the choice of vacation and I can imagine going to the RIU again 👌
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Date of stay: April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from RIU Hotels and Resorts, Owner at Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana
Responded May 9, 2022
Dear Guest, Thank you so much for your very positive review of your recent stay at our hotel! We are delighted to know that we made sure you had a memorable experience and appreciate your recognition for our daily efforts. At the same time, your feedback is integral to our ability to continue to improve our service, and was shared appropriately with our management team. We certainly look forward to welcoming you back and exceeding your expectations once again. With our best wishes we remain, Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana Online Reputation Manager
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Came here with my family to celebrate my childhood friend's 40th birthday. It was a surprise to him that his wife planned so many of us (friends and family) showed up to celebrate him. The drive from the Punta Cana airport was about 30min so not bad at all. The lobby is beautiful but, unfortunately, there was no welcome drink (we're used to that in all-inclusive resorts). The rooms are generously sized and we loved the fact that our connecting rooms are actually 2 completely seperate rooms only joined by an entry/exit hallway. The grounds are beautifully kept and spacious. There are 2 main pools (1adult friendly with a swim up bar and 1 family friendly). We really appreciated the fact that it was never overly crowded so generally getting a lounge chair was not a strenous affair. The beach was ok but the water wasn't the prettiest and there was a ton of seaweed. There were several ala carte restaurants but, unfortunately, the food was mediocre at best. The buffet was very repetetive and overall dinning was a weak point. The service was also just ok although there were some standouts that I have to mention. 1. Maireny, our server in the lobby-side bar was AMAZING. She was so sweet and attentive and we ended up coming to see her every night. She deserves a raise and great commendation. 2. Zorilla, our pool-side server was also a very cool and pleasant person although we were only fortnuate enough to be helped by him once. Unfortunately, as we were preparing to leave on our last day, the resort lost both power and water and we stuck sweating our balls off for hours. My wife had to bathe herself with bottles of water. Not cool at all. I won't let those last few hours completely sour my memory of the time we had though. There is much room for improvement but we had a great time.
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Review collected in partnership with riu.com
Date of stay: June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from RIU Hotels and Resorts, Owner at Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana
Responded Jul 3, 2023
Dear willfastbackse, Thank you for your review. We are really glad to learn that you enjoyed your experience during your stay at our Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana! Rest assured that your words will be taken into account as we understand that there is always room for improvement. We would be delighted to welcome you back in a near occasion. Have a lovely day, Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana Online Reputation Manager
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Great vacation at the resort. Anthony the receptionist gets full marks. We had an issue with out room. After informing Anthony about our concerns he relocated us asap. Be patient and allowing them the time to correct issues. Bedside there a whole resort filled with activities and entertainment that losing your mind over a room immediately seems pointless. Enjoy your vacation ! The restaurant ( a la carte ) was good. The Japanese restaurant was a C+ but the rest of the a la cart rate A to B+ I always dine at the buffet as it gives me the most variety. I gave a B+ rating which is high. The amenities Pool, beach, nightly hangout had great service IMO. Here’s the things about service, I tip on every meal, drinks when I walk up to the bar or get service seated any where I plant myself. I get 1st class service. Waited on from the time I show up to when I leave. You get what you pay for. You want to be cheap you get cheap service. A $1 or $2 per service when they are running from the bar to your seat at the beach yards many feet away with drinks goes a long way. A $2 to $5 tip after each meal also gets you the red carpet treatment. They don’t expect nothing and more often get nothing for serving you from my experience watching so showing them how much you appreciate their hard work puts you on the VIP list IMO. I have nothing but good things to say about the hard working server, service ( cleaners Yes I tip them for cleaning my room ) to the people cleaning the beach. I close by saying my stay at the Riu Palace Punta Cana was a great experience. I would recommend this resort and rank it high ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ + looking forward to returning here in the future.
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Date of stay: January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from RIU Hotels and Resorts, Owner at Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana
Responded Feb 22, 2023
Dear Mark, Thank you so much for being our guest and taking the time to share your wonderful feedback. Your compliments are very much appreciated, our reward is to learn you had a nice holiday. We will continue to work in order to improve our services and we would love to host you again soon, Mark. Kindest Regards, Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana Online Reputation Management
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"If you have food allergies. Question everything. If they do not seem to take your issue seriously go to a different restaurant. They do have some great people."
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