We went to a lot of upscale hotels in Punta Cana and that was the first time we book directly from the hotel versus a travel agency. NEVER DO THIS. We were "luxury" travelers defined by the hotel. The Guest Service at RIU Palace is horrible! We called the hotel in advance to confirm the airport-hotel transfer, and it was specified on the email confirmation. It was a big surprise at the airport that nobody came to pick us up. We took a cab. At the lobby, we were told that they "never do that". I showed them the email confirmation that just caused the impression of a big surprise on the face of the lobby clerk. Our stay was OK, if not focus on the constant order of mildew in the room. One night we did not sleep at all because of the wild party down the hall. I was calling the lobby repeatedly, but did not get any sound answer except that "we are going to send somebody to check". In a few hours, we had to go to the wild room to fix the issue by ourselves and were told that "relax, it's a holiday", and "nobody called them from the lobby". The service in general was slow except anything that would include entertainment. It seems that that was the only part that the hotel staff would do diligently and with enthusiasm. The real disaster occurred when we were trying to transfer from hotel to the airport. We called the lobby an hour ahead, but the cab (no surprise) was not there. All my references to the transfer being included in the package and being paid for were ignored in a rude manner and i was referred to different people to handle the matter just to get rid of me. I went to the manager on duty, who, believe it or not, refused to give his name, and was raising his voice on me. At the same time, there were buses leaving for the airport, but nobody would take us. I ended up having a bell boy helping me to get a cab and i was almost late for my flight. My husband came for a few days and had exact the same problem. On top of that, he was given a room rate that was totally different from what was discussed over the phone when we contacted the hotel regarding his stay. When he brought up the issue, the price had been reduced. I had a situation at the spa when I paid for the 50-minute facial, and was given only 33 minutes... Everything is setup to squeeze as much money as possible from the rich travelers. However, we had trouble finding a place on the beach every day if we came later than 10 am. Let alone having a permanent issue with the beach towels not being available...

This was my first time to a Riu hotel, and I was very impressed. The room was great, the views incredible and the service was second to none. My friend and I were overwhelmed at how well maintained the hotel was and how anxious the staff were to attend to our every need. The beach was great and for those who prefer a pool, they outdid themselves. There is a good , varied, selection of restaurants to please anyone and the entertainment each evening, was another example of the hard work and talents that are exercised each day. I plan on trying another Riu hotel at another of their many locations.