We were there from 6/22 - 6/29..Not bad..but there were some issues..1. In the room you have NO control over the air..it is set by the hotel at about 78 degrees 2. The kid camp is not really supervised, the kids can come and go as they please..my kids are 6 and 9 so there was no problem but I would have liked to have some kind of planned activities 3. The natives who are on the beach are relentless they pretty much physically take you to their shops...Otherwise, they were nice in the hotel and the property was well maintained and the food was average

We stayed at the Riu Bachata the week of June 21st. I booked through Expedia, which gave a better package deal than CheapCarribean.Com. I managed to upgrade to a junior suite for a little more mone-definately worth it. Rountrip air from Jet Blue AND parking at JFK were all included in the price of $981 per person 5 nights- a fantastic deal. Met at the airport by Club Caribe rep, and taken to the Riu. BTW book only one way, the rate is half price than expedia for the return $12 person.

Our room was not ready at 4:30, but we ate lunch, and room was ready in 30 min., and had a great corner Jr. Suite second floor with a fantastic ocean view room 124-definately one of the best. Bring Lysol, as the rooms smell a little musty, most do in the Carribean, and we have been to most of the islands. But whole resort was spotless. always people in cleaning mode. Non potable drinking water but water in mini fridge, also soda beer,and four types of liquor on wall rack, local but adequte.

Here is where I part with the other bloggers. The food was great. I am not picky, and breakfast was very good with smoothies, all eggs made to order, and the usual fruits and cereals. OJ was a bit weak, but we ate on the open veranda daily and had great coffee with our meals. Dinners were also very good, the mariachi night had the best food, and I did not have a bad meal all week, great variety. It is also catering to European visitors, so you should at least try different foods, and also Dominican specialties, I thought the food was varied nicely daily and did not get tired of it, with many new foods to try daily. I had the best steak au poive, my favorite, on one night. We also ate at the steak house, which was good, Itlaian only fair, but more than adequate, as we were spoiled by the buffet food. Again for a three star resort, which this is, the food was superior. It is not 5 star and I judge accordingly. Superior food for a 3 star.

The grounds were very nice, three pools, non -working jacuzzi, always seating available, get there early for Palapa chairs though.Swim-up bar was nice, bartenders make awsome drinks, especially mojitos. You can also get real coconut drinks at the bar on the beach itself, with the real coconut shells. People are friendly, I speak fluent Spanish, but never saw a server being rude to a guest speaking only English. Tipping is always good for better service, a few dollars goes a long way. Median income in the DR is $500 month, minimum wage is $150 month. So do tip, the maid, the barmen, and restarant workers, even if it is only $1, they do appreciate it.

We took one excursion to Paradise Key, I would recommend it because it gives you a perspective of the country, 2 hour ride each way. Great snorkeling on a nice sandy islet, with tons of fish to see on the reef, snacks and rum drinks on the islet. Speedboat ride out, and tour of the mangrove forests on the way back. Plus lunch of fresh fish and salads at a tiny restaurant on the beach. If you go feed the scrawny cat at the restaurant, I made sure she was fed, she lives there, nice small white cat. Also got a good view of the Haitian coast only 2 miles form the island, cost only $85/person-well worth it, book through your guide at the hotel.

All in all great value, great hotel- you get the use of three. Could not recommend more, and we have stayed all over the carribean. Fantastic deal for 3 star..5 stars are stuffy anyway.We made it over to the other two hotels, nice pool and bar at the Merenge, small at the Mambu, beach is nice in front of all three and is continous, but best is at the farthest point at the Bacahata, underneath the gazebo at the point, very quiet and nice and sandy in the swimming area, no rocks.

Enjoy!! We did.

My husband and another couple just returned from the Riu Bachata on June 27..what a gorgeous place. This was our first trip to DR and we will be back here for sure. The hotel was clean and the staff was very friendly. The casino is rather small. Just remember the house always wins. The amount of variety that they offered for food was out of this world. The breakfasts were the best. We liked the steakhouse on site but stuck with the buffet main dining area most of the trip. The beach was nice and peaceful. It was a bit rocky on the bottom. We weren't able to snorkle too much due to the current and the conditions from a storm that came in the day we arrived. My husband did not mind the topless women that were here and there along the beach and pool area. The drinks and food were plenty. The room we had was beautiful too. The rooms are very quiet and comforting. The in room bar and fridge was a nice feature. There was always an activity going on and the swim up pool was really fun. I had a massage on the beach in a little hut and it was so relaxing. Def. recommend that. We highly recommend the Riu Bachata. Nothing beats an all inclusive resort.

My husband and I stayed at the Rui Bachata May 17 - 23, 2008. I highly recommend the hotel, with one cautionary note: the ONLY place we used our credit card (in the DR or at home) was at the Renova spa at the Bachata. We just received our statement, and we have hundreds of dollars of fraudulent charges on the card. I read that someone else had the same experience. The massage was excellent, however.

Otherwise, we enjoyed the trip immensely. The food was, as others have mentioned, somewhat average, but certainly plentiful. My husband, who is a picky eater, found the options repetitive, but there was usually something interesting for me to try. By the end of the week I was inventing my own dishes from the food provided.

The rooms are fine and no, the bedding wasn't exactly luxurious, but the rooms were always well-cleaned and we got fun towel animals daily!

The service was uniformly excellent from every single person on the property, including bartenders, maintenance, housekeeping, restaurants, etc. Everyone was always welcoming and happy. I didn't feel any anti-American sentiment at all, as was mentioned in some other reviews. It helps to speak a little Spanish, or even try.

One suggestion: do try to go to the Italian restaurant and the Steakhouse, preferably toward the end of the week. It was a nice change to sit down and be served, and the food was a little better than at the buffet.

The entertainment, well....the Animacion team works superhard, but it's sort of a mixed bag of okay and not so good. We most enjoyed the International Dance night, but that was mostly because of the participants. Hilarious! It's worth checking out the other hotels for entertainment. We found evenings at the Merengue to be the most fun.

One other suggestion: on the weekends the pools got VERY crowded with young children. We like children, but they were mostly unsupervised and very rambunctious and loud. If you can avoid the weekends, do so.

This was our first experience with an all-inclusive resort, and we did enjoy it and find it to be a good value.