Club Hotel Riu Bachata
Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
January 1st – January 8th
Ambiance
This is my 3rd time at this Riu chain resort. Everything is the same, except the color of the fabric on their furniture in the lobby that has been updated.
Arrived here at 12:30 in the afternoon, with my husband and middle child (son) in tow.
The lobby was very busy as a busload of people were hurriedly checking in, including myself. I was second in line and as I signed my life away for the envelope that contained our towel card, room, and safe key, I looked around with a happy familiarity. I glanced hungrily towards the main buffet and looked longingly towards the pool, that was beckoning me.
In the middle of the lobby was this beautiful tall and big Christmas tree, decorated in red. It was a pretty sight I thought, and was indeed happy the tree was still up! It is after all New Years Day! Happy New Year, to me! A great way to start the New Year don’t ya think?
The check in this time wasn’t very well organized in my opinion. A table was set up just slightly in front of the main reception desk. Many envelopes were neatly arranged throughout the table. To my dismay, the gentleman who was checking us in, couldn’t seem to locate our names on the envelope. I, being me, went around to his side and looked for our names, without being asked of course. Et voila, I found them!
To my son’s and husband’s dismay, our rooms were not ready. As for myself, I didn’t really care. I’m in a hot country, I left the cold. I was happy.
Rooms
Our rooms were the building closest to entertainment and a few steps into the pool. It was just as I requested. So happy!
We were in room #830 and my son right next to us #831, our balconies shared the same wall, which was pretty fun.
The rooms were immaculate, very clean, spacious, neat and tidy. Loved it.
The only minus was that two double beds pushed together, made a King. Oh well.
Food
We ate mostly at the main buffet. We didn’t try any a la carte because we were all too lazy to line up at the restaurant before six pm. It was first come first serve basis, and it opened at 6:30, but I read on the reviews that you had to line up before the restaurant opens. Nah, no thanks.
We all found the food repetitive after the third day. The quality of food from three years ago has gone down and I expected the themed nights to be awesome. They weren’t.
We also ate lunch at Riu Merengue a couple of times, and their layout I found very cozy. There was no outside dining the way Riu Bachata had, but we sat by the windows and the view was just spectacular.
So breezy and just so beautiful sitting there while you ate your meal.
Lunch at Riu Merengue
The view at Riu Bachata was always and still beautiful. We always ate at the outdoor dining section. The sounds of the waves, the beautiful coconut trees and the sound of the activities by the pool always made me happy.
Staff/Service
Animacion team was fantastic, especially ‘Salami’ who taught the Aqua Fit classes at noon almost every day. He ran a fun and interactive class and I had a great time participating with fellow vacationers.
Servers at the buffet, was a hit or miss, on a daily basis. I found that three years ago, they were far more attentive and cared a lot more when working in the dining room. This time around we actually had to get up from our table and find that pitcher of water and bring it to our table. I’ve also witnessed others doing the same thing. They weren’t too pleased when I did that, but hey the feeling was mutual.
The maid service was, of course, the best. She was very prompt and always had a smile for us when passing us in the hallway. Our room every day was spotless. She was awesome!
Pool
The pool was awesome, I spent all my time there. As per usual you need to get up early and reserve your lounge chair. Other then that, it was very active and alive all day. The swim up bar was prompt and friendly. The animacion team was enthusiastic and very fun.
Grounds/Beach
The grounds at the Riu’s are always gorgeous. Everywhere is beautiful and the layout is accommodating. You never have to trek far to reach the entertainment at night, or grab a quick snack at the snack bar, or do a little shopping at the Caribbean Street. The lobby had plenty of seats to log onto the free wifi, and the path leading to the sister hotel; Riu Merengue, is a beautiful and romantic stroll.
There is also a port where beautiful & majestic cruise ships would dock for the day and let passengers escape onto land for a day of excursions.
Like I said, I have been here before and as always, I love it here.
The beach, on the other hand, was a total surprise and a letdown. Garbage and seaweed galore! Its dirtiness was splayed from one end of the beach to the tips of Riu Mambo. It didn’t seem like it was ever cleaned up while we were there. It was a disappointment.
Final thoughts
I enjoyed my week here, regardless of the overcast, regardless of the repetitive food. I came here to escape Canada’s horrid cold weather, and apparently, while we had 27 to 29 degrees weather, Toronto was at a -37!
The resort was lively, the scenery stunning. It rained a couple of days straight, but I still enjoyed my stay. As for excursions, we took a taxi out one afternoon, to go into Puerto Plata for a bit of shopping. We’ve been to most places before, so this time just took it easy on the resort.
