Riu Bambu - Punta Cana

Went to Riu Bambu from 8/25-8/28. First and foremost the staff which include bartenders, waiters , cleaning crew and reception are impeccable. The property itself however, could use some serious upgrade. I booked 5 rooms total. Problems included electrical wall outlets that were loose and didn't grab the wall plugs to charge anything at all. In my room the iron and blow dryer were non-functioning. They only put 2 towels in the room when my room alone had 4 people. Oh, and the phone itself wasn't working so I couldn't contact front desk. I met only one condescending person at the front desk, his name was Ariel. My biggest problem was my mom got locked into a bathroom by the restaurant Ole and we couldn't find her for almost over 1 hour. Thank goodness the restrooms are regularly cleaned because that's when she was found. I am giving this hotel a 3, not because of RIU but the staff was great, they made the stay enjoyable.

The resort is beautiful. Rooms are fairly comfortable. Beds a kinda firm. Pillows are too small. Anything you ask for is given like blankets water, but not provided without asking. Mini bar is stocked every day with some water, but we had to request it every day. The steak restaurant was fabulous. Buffets were good and you could find something you liked.the other restaurant I wouldn't waste my time. We didn't go to Ole so I can't comment on that. The electrical in the room was horrible. We had to hold our chargers in the wall for them to work. We ask it to be fixed and it wasn't. I sure loved the warm weather. Overall it was a good trip.

It was alright. The employees are super friendly, which is why I gave 3 stars. Room was okay; phone didn't work, TV went out the first night, mini fridge wasn't cold, had to ask for towels and washcloths, etc. Food was very subpar, many things at buffets were not labeled. There were several table service restaurants, but you had to stand in line for over an hour before the restaurant even opened, so we didn't even try them. The spa was amazing!

If you 're from the US, note that this place is island luxury . It 's not going to be as nice as a luxury hotel in the US. It 's not someplace that someone would want to stay in if they were traveling to California or Florida. With that said, the beach was nice and not too crowded. Plenty of pools to swim in, though find a lounge chair early. Plenty of food options. Despite the food options, most of it wasn 't great. Everyone was very overcooked and most of the time dry. And a lot of the guests were completely clueless on how to be sanitary at a buffet. Lots of hands on the food. It was gross. I don 't know if it was because of the food but my whole family was sick with a stomach bug for a few days. Regardless, someone will get sick from people not understanding that they don 't need to manhandle food that others will eat. I also didn 't like how pushy vendors were. The pushy, touristy vibes is something I really dislike about the Caribbean and I thought an all-inclusive resort would alleviate that. So maybe that 's my fault for unrealistic expectations. But I don 't need 10 vendors waking me up to try to sell me a picture with a parrot while I 'm relaxing on the beach. At the end of the day, when they say all inclusive , they mean it. Food, drinks (hard and soft), basic water sports, etc were all free while there. Motorized water sports are extra. It was just as advertised. Overall, my family enjoyed it. I get it if this review sounds overly negative but I want people to know what they are getting. If you want a relaxing place to take kids where they can eat what they want, then it is okay. If you want to party with friends with unlimited booze, it 's a great place. If you want ultra luxury, this is not someplace you want to be.

The property looks good. Great pools, great looking dinning rooms, nice lobby areas, and beautiful beach views. The food was okay. Drinks were okay, but weak. Room keys consistently stopped working which was really annoying. Power went out for no apparent reason one evening. The staff is very friendly. Most of the outlets don't work in the rooms, so devices can only be charged at the outlet above the minibar. It's a good resort to enjoy if they could work on these inconveniences.