Riu Republica

My husband and I along with 2 friends stayed at this resort from April 4th to April 11th. When we checked in our rooms weren’t quite ready which was no problem. Our luggage was stored while we waited and got to walk around and explore. This resort is huge, but I like that about a resort! I like having lots to see and look at. We were put in the building directly over the Sports Bar which was the perfect location, in the center of everything! This resort is my absolute favorite so far! It has areas you can party your butt off, and areas to relax in the sun as well! There are nightly shows which were excellent! Highly recommend the Burlesque Show! The nightclub opens at 11:00pm until 2:00am. It is small but fun! The food was good, lots of variety at the buffets. We ate at the Steakhouse one night which was excellent! Top notch service too! The only sketchy food we came across was sometimes in the Sports Bar the hotdogs were splitting apart and wrinkled from being out waaaaaaaay too long and there weren’t always buns, but that will never be something to ruin a vacation! To anyone that says the food doesn’t taste the same as at home, remember... you are not at home... you are in a different country so things will be prepared differently. I thought it was all delicious! Regarding tipping, we did tip because they absolutely earned it! However at no point did the employees make me feel as if I had to tip. I did because they did a wonderful job and work their butts off! We went to the Pink Party at a neighboring Riu which was a blast!!! The Beach Party on Saturday was fun and so was the White Party on Wednesday! We booked the Marinarium Excursions - Happy Hour Cruise through Amstar (see the reps in blue flowered shirts at main lobby - incredibly friendly and helpful for booking!!!). We got to cruise in the crystal clear water on a catamaran, snorkel and see lots of colorful fish and then also swim in a waist deep natural pool in the ocean! All while being served unlimited drinks, a few snacks and dancing music playing! I can not recommend this excursion enough! We booked something similar years ago with a different company that took us to choppy water that was scary to snorkel in. This time it was in calm, beautiful water on the Caribbean side and was a direct transfer from our hotel! We have zero complaints about this resort! I truly don’t understand how anyone can come here and not have an amazing time! Trust me, you will have the time of your life here! So kick back, relax and bottoms up!

I was just here a week ago. This hotel is huge and spread out. I wouldn't say this resort is terrible but I wouldn't say it's great either. There are many pros and cons here. Pros: Very Clean property Clean Rooms Beautiful grounds Comfortable beds (firm) Nice Big pools Easy walk to the beach Decent food (not 5 star but good for the islands) Cons Small pillows - like really small Bar Pools very crowded and most people didn't leave so you know what I'm implying Drinks had little to no alcohol - had to ask for it in the drinks Waiter service at the pools was very slow and lacking Specific times for dinner seatings even though it's not noted anywhere Food not always hot, warm at best No room service Getting back to the lack of alcohol in the drinks, I don't want to get drunk of my first drink but I want to be able to taste the flavor of rum in my daiquiri. The one time the waiter came around to give us our drinks there was no rum in it. I shouldn't have to ask for rum or any alcohol in my drinks. To give more information about the dinner times, the restaurants open at 6:30 and if you arrived around 7:00 you were given a pager and had to wait for a table even though there were MANY open tables. You couldn't just go when you wanted. To have certain times is fine but just have it noted somewhere so you can plan accordingly. Most of the restaurants were buffet style but themed (Italian, Japanese, Spanish, etc.) The Italian was our favorite. The steak there was better than the steakhouse. The main buffets were good, again nothing spectacular but good. Now more on the pools. They were huge and clean. Never had any issues getting a lounge chair (even in the shade). Since the waiter service was so lacking you had to get your drinks most of the time. Again, that's ok but it wasn't convenient. It would have been easier to have steps near the bar pool to get in and out of (if that makes sense). The bar pools/party pool again got very crowded and weren't always the cleanest but I think mostly from people spilling drinks. And, most people didn't leave those pools soooooo, did they not have to use the restrooms at all??? The restrooms around the pools were clean too. Sometimes you had to wait to use them but that happens. The nightly entertainment was enjoyable. They had two areas for the shows. The shows were posted in the lobby daily. Also the daily activities were posted there. We got to see the dancing shows. Again, don't expect a Broadway show but it was entertaining to watch. The shows lasted about an hour. We did go to the disco one night and that's not my cup of tea (mostly the young ones). They looked like they were having fun. The beach was so pretty and an easy walk. There were some vendors on the beach but they didn't hound you too much. No seaweed either. The resort had many bars and lounge areas as you were walking through. There was one gift shop with the typical souvenirs. It did have sunscreen and snacks but they were pricey so make sure you pack enough (even snacks). The 24-hour snack availability was just ok. They had nachos and cheese, hot dogs (not good), and burgers/sandwiches you had to heat up. There was also cut up fruit in to-go containers. The TV reception was subpar. I know you're not on vacation to watch TV but I do like it on at night to go to sleep to and in the morning for the news. You did get ABC, NBC, CBS, Headline News and I think CNN in English but everything else was in Spanish. Overall, it wasn't a terrible experience but I have had better experiences. I would go back if this is where my groups of friends were going but if I had my choice, I would probably go where I stayed the year before.