Riu Republica

This review is from Feb – March 2020, I have delayed writing it due to Covid-19 and all resorts being shut down. My rating is based on cost of the resort and the accommodations. We were there for 11 nights/12 days. Let me start by saying we had a good time, but the resort was not what I expected. We booked an ocean view room and after a bit of juggling we got the room that we paid for. This place is like two resorts in one it’s super big. Although we had 4 rooms on our reservation one room was all the way on the opposite side of the resort which didn’t work for us so we had to get them moved and the resort worked to make that happen. My husband and I typically do two all-inclusive vacations a year and in many cases most resorts are same. The Republica rooms are big and have a nice balcony, the bed was comfortable but the pillows are a piece of crap. Our room was at the end of a hall so it was very quiet. We had a great maid for most of our trip, she had the room sparkling clean with beautiful towel art. I did like that you could request mini bar items on the app if you were running low on something. The pools are great, we spent the majority of our time at the quite swim-up pool plenty of loungers in the sun or the shade. The restrooms were also right there, and were kept clean all the time. The only thing we didn’t like was the music. The wild pool had better music but it was so busy. The buffet is near the pool area which is nice so you can quickly get something to eat. Every day they also have jerk chicken on the beach and it’s wonderful. Three days a week they transport people to the Riu Macao area where they have pool parties. We thought why not …..well bring your ear plugs you will need them!!! If you want loud music then you may like it. The beach was beautiful and the seaweed issue is almost gone. One thing I really didn’t like was the lack of restaurants that you can order off the menu. They only had two - the rest of the specialty restaurants are all theme buffets. I don’t mind buffet at breakfast or lunch but in the evening, I expect a little higher level of a meal. Alcohol choices were on the poor side I’d give them a C+ rating. Everything is low quality booze and they didn’t have any coconut rum? After dinner I like to have some baileys or a white Russian, they would give you a knock off brand which was ok -but they would give you so little in a glass that you needed to order every 4-5 minutes. On a positive note the champagne was better than what we had at Secrets. Shout out to some of the outstanding staff they work very hard- Wande beach bar, Luis Migel, Octavio, Ariel, Gina, Yahaira at the pool bar. The resort caters to the younger resort goers, it was fun but not the type of place we will repeat due to low quality booze and the food in the evening.

I have stayed at several RIUs in the past and do enjoy this all-inclusive chain. This resort is bigger than most I have stayed in. The rooms are spacious and come with a balcony. The toilet is in a separate room from the sink and shower, which was nice and different than Dream resorts. There are several pools - many of which have swim-up bars, where a party always seems to be happening. Each of the pools seems to have a different theme/crowd. There is a quiet pool if that is your preference. The beach is nice and the water is beautiful. However, the hotel is a pretty far from the beach. You cannot see the beach unless you walk to it. There are about many restaurants at the resort. We found the food at all restaurants to be fine. Keep in mind that even the specialty restaurants are mostly buffet-style. We liked this because we could get in and out more quickly. If you choose, there is always a party going on. There is a nightclub that gets pretty busy. Twice a week, you can take a bus to the huge RIU foam pool party. The gym was pretty good for a resort gym. Staff was friendly and helpful. On the negative side, the resort is HUGE! Our room was nice, but I did not like the location (by the quiet pool). If you stay here, request a room near the restaurants or beach (although I did this and still was assigned a room far away). If you have mobility issues, this may not be the resort for you.

This place is awesome, the food was awesome and with all the different restaurants a very good variety from local dishes to all round the world , the all inclusive means all inclusive, the staff was all great and couldn't do enough for you the place was spotless , didn't want to leave, rui hotels are awesome,