Riu Merengue All Inclusive

After the exhausting journey to find the hotel from the airport, we were delighted to find a hotel that we could unwind. If you stay at this property be advised that there are 3 hotels in one. We stayed at the "Garden" hotel. "bachata" was pretty nice as well. I wouldn't stay at the village if you had a choice. The good thing is you can go to any of […] the properties. With that said spend time in Bachata's pool with the swim up bar, and relax at the Garden hotel's beach (bar is closer to the sand). The food seemed better at the Garden, but Bachata's restaurant was a nicer place to sit. They seem to get a lot of people from Europe, but even with this influx of guests and it's relative close proximity to the United States, English was still a challenge. The entertainment is a little "cheesy" at night, but after a few "free" cocktails, who cares. If you rent a car, parking can be a cumbersome issue (..but in the Dominican Republic is seems you can park just about anywhere and no one seems to care). I thought it was a great hotel. IF I ever when back to the Dominican Republic and to Puerto Plata, I would certainly select this hotel again. Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

The thing about all-inclusive resorts is that the hotel has to have the ability to overall satisfy you since most if not all of your time will be spend there. For the most part RIU did just that. The room we stayed in was clean so I had no complaints with that. My issue lies with the fact that they only give you two towels and two small packets of body […] gel and when you are swimming, at the beach or pool, you end up taking at least two showers a day and with two people in the room, what they provide you with just is not good enough. The bath/shower was also very small to me. Overall, the service, food and amenities were pretty standard. The staff on the most part was friendly, accommodating, and accessible. Obviously, the food is buffet hotel food, so don't go expecting gourmet but it really wasn't bad. The alcohol also was of course not top shelf but again what are you really expecting. Some people complained about the locals but I had no issues. They were there will their families, having a good time just like we were and never got in the way of my fun. The location of the hotel can be considered a ways out, but since everything you could want (food, drinks, activities, casino, shows & club) are located on the property, it is not really necessary to get out. If you are like me and just want to chill out by a quiet beach (there was always lots of chairs) and have a nice relaxing vacation, RIU is a great place to do just that. Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

great resort and staff... very accomodating. great beach with plenty of palm tree coverage for those who dont want to get baked by the sun. beds too hard and were two full beds pushed together. US$20 cab ride to and from puerto plata town. overall a great experience.

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

My husband and i had an amazing 2night 3day stay. The room was clean and comfortable, although i could have used an extra comforter because i got cold in the middle of the night, could have asked for one but thought they would have provided one in the closet, the food was pretty good too. The staff were great, very personable and extremely funny. Enjoyed […] the entertainment on Thursday night, Wednesday was a little boring. Just don't understand why some guests had bracelets and others did not, & why they don't have a spa inside the hotel. Would definitely go back! Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

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Genuine Hotels.com guest review

I stayed at the Riu Merengue for a long weekend (Fri - Mon) with my girl friend for a short vacation. We stayed at the resort the entire time (i.e., no side trips), mostly relaxing in lounge chairs in the shade on the beach. The grounds are beautiful!!! The water is clean, and many things to do there. They have volleyball nets and other small activities […] setup, and a (very) small play area for the kids. I saw several people kayaking and wind surfing but we did not investigate those. There were daily shows in the evening/night, and some during the days as well. The food was pretty good. I did notice some varierty from day to day. We usually ate the buffet at the main restaurant. There was another restaurant (snack bar) that also served hot food when the main one was closed (chicken, hamburgers, sald, fr fries, etc.). The drinks were OK, not too strong as can be expected when free. But you can get as many as you want to make up for that ;-) After awhile if the bartenders know you they will make them a little better. All meals and drinks are included (no extra charge), and I was not prompted to do any tipping -- even though at times I wanted to. The staff was VERY helpful every time I approached them. There were people from many different countries there and I noticed many of the staff spoke more than a few languages. Of course all speak Spanish. The resort is connected to 2 others in a private area managed by same company. Because its private its not too crowded. At times, it was almost completely empty. Also, we were NEVER approached by anyone trying to sell us anything. I was told that you could go back and forth between the other hotels as desired, but we stayed mostly at our location. You are given wrist bands when you check in to identify you as a guest (and maybe to identify which hotel you're in also, not sure). I flew in to Santiago airport bec it was MUCH cheaper than flying in to PP, even with the $100US taxi fare each way. The ride was about 1 1/2 hours Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

Had a great time nice place, food was great, nice beach

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

This resort is big enough so people don't have do the same thing twice. The place is worderful, anyone will love it.

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

Exactly what we were hoping for. My partner and I spent 5 days at the Riu Merengue in mid-November 2010 and enjoyed every minute of it. We live in the Dominican Republic and like to treat ourselves to an occasional "vacation" at one of the all-inclusives. We drove to the resort and were able to park right out front next to the check-in area so we could […] keep an eye on our car. The check-in process was quick and painless. We were in our room in a matter of minutes. The grounds are absolutely gorgeous. The property is littered with mature coconut palm and almond trees. The pool is nice but as others have mentioned, the one next door at the Riu Bachata is the best. As far as the beach is concerned, the water is a little rough and it's not the turquoise blue you might expect in the Caribbean. I would have to say the beaches on the east coast are a little nicer. The food was good. This is one area where you will get mixed reviews. I'm a relatively picky eater and was always able to find something to my liking. You must bear in mind that you are getting buffet style food and for the price I thought it was perfectly fine. The evening entertainment was fun... nothing to write home about but still enjoyable. To my mind one thing that really stood out was the staff itself. Everyone we encountered had a smile on their face and was very pleasant. And the vast majority spoke English well enough to get their point across or answer a simple question. Many had a very good grasp of English. The bartenders were all very animated and really tried to interact with the guests. I've been to all-inclusives where the bartenders where basically robots. Not at the Riu Merengue... they were truly a lot of fun. I've travelled a lot for work and pleasure and have stayed at some very expensive places. For the money the Riu Merengue was worth every penny. Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

This Resort sits in the middle of two other resorts, Riu Bachata and Riu Mambo. You get the benefits of all three resorts as far as food, pools and entertainment etc. Very hospitable staff, a great getaway.

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

me encanto todo, el servicio que me ofrecieron fue de lo mejor tanto en el lobi como en el restaurante

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

Todo muy bien.

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

El servicio del hotel es muy bueno, no tienen mucha variedad en comida, pero la que habia estaba muy sabrosa, la bebida es muy buena, los empleados son muy simpaticos. En cuanto a las habitaciones son un poco pequenas, siempre depende de donde te ubiquen. En fien el hotel tiene un 3.5/5 para mi.

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

FABULOSA

Genuine Hotels.com guest review