Riu Bachata Reviews

Have been to Puerto Plata a number of times and this was the best holiday ever. For the very first time I have NO complaints whatsoever about the resort. I'm extremely sensitive to mold and mildew and the Riu Bachata was the first resort that I've been to where I did not become ill from mildew. The rooms were bright and clean. The shower had great pressure and hot water.
The buffet had geat food and an excellent selection. The beach accomodated both the shade and sun seekers. This was the first time I've gone swimming in the ocean in Puerto Plata where the water was calm every day for 2 weeks and I did not get knocked over.
The grounds were beautifully maintained. The staff went out of their way to be pleasant and accomodating. The service managers was readily available and walked the grounds on a regular basis to speak to the guests to make sure everything was ok. I have never seen such managerial presence at any other resort I've stayed at and I appreciated the fact that they cared enough about our happiness and satisfaction to be visible and available. All in all, the best resort I've ever stayed at!

Room Number:
138

Room Block:
3

Arrival:
February 7, 2012

Rooms:
Clean, bright, no smell of mildew, well air-conditioned, great water pressure and hot water in shower, fridge well stocked.

Restaurants and Bars:
Excellent food, great variety

Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Extremely clean, well-maintained

Arrived on Feb 7th, for 2 weeks, our room wasn't quite ready, but we were given our bracelets,and had the run of the 3 resorts. Rooms were very clean, nicely decorated, furniture was real wood, and in good shape, beds were clean and quite comfortable, rooms were thoroughly cleaned every day, our housekeeper made decorative designs out of our towels and left fresh flowers daily.
Pool area and grounds were always clean, lots of staff available if you needed anything, lots of lounge chairs at the pool and beach, no vendors trying to sell you stuff. Carribean St. was full of little shops, a little pricey, but you could bargain with the owners.
The food was fabulous, the buffet had several stations, always lots of food, lots of variety, especially liked the pork, lamb and fish. Fish was served every day at lunch and dinner.
The hotel staff/house keepers/ground workers were all very helpful and friendly. They were always cleaning, removing leaves, emptying garbage cans, etc. Grounds were beautifully kept.
The entertainers worked hard and did everything they possibly could to make everyones stay enjoyable.
This was our first time in the Dominican and would definately go back to Riu Bachatta. The area is breathtaking.

Room Number:
132

Arrival:
February 7th - February 21, 2012
Our rooms weren't quite ready, only had to wait about an hour, in that time we went to the buffet in the main dining room. Staff at reception were always extremely helpful.

Rooms:
Rooms were cleaned daily, house keeper was very friendly, never had to call the front desk for anything. Fresh flowers and decorative towels left daily.
Mini-bar was checked and restocked every other day, if you ran out of anything all you had to do was call the front desk and it was there within 10-15 min.
We were warned not to drink the water, plenty of bottled water was left in the room.

Restaurants and Bars:
Always clean, lots of tables, ate most meals out on the balcony. Staff exceptional friendly, plates were cleared immediately. Delivered wine/beer/tea/coffee to the tables.
On arrival a representative informed us that we should not drink the water from the taps in our rooms or off site. He also assured us that all food was washed with purified water, and that the water in the hotel dining rooms/restaurants and bars is safe to drink.

Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Exceptionally clean, chairs were stacked/arranged neatly every night after the pool closed. Lots of chairs by the pool and beach. Beach and pool area provided many areas of shade and sun.
Grounds were beautifully manicured, lots of vegetation. Always felt safe walking around the three resorts at any time.

Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Husband went zip lining, golfing, I spent most of my time walking the beach, walking between the 3 resorts and sitting on the beach and by the pool.
Pool staff/activities were plentiful if you wanted to partake. The staff was extremely polite and always full of energy.

Other Comments:
There were approx. 30 of us. Several had been to other DR resorts, and all said they would come back to Riu Bachatta. It is important to note that none of our group were sick.

Wonderful time was experienced by all with not one complaint to be had. The management and staff made you feel special. The grounds of the resort were extremely clean as well as the rooms. The food was very good with alot of variety, something for everyone and oh those spanish coffees! I would recommend this resort to everyone. We are all planning on returning next year. Thanks Riu for a most enjoyable holiday!

I can't say enough about this resort - we have been to the Dominican 4 times & this hotel was by far the superior - well worthy of their 5 star rating.
We were in a group of friends (30) & everyone had a wonderful time. Food was outstanding, great variety, quantity but importantly quality! Fresh fish every lunch/dinner: roasts nightly, beef, pork,turkey,chicken - something for everyone - pasta, pizza,salads,fruit,dessert,ice-cream - fabulous food!! The resort is super clean, people cleaning everywhere all the time, rooms were wonderful, marble everywhere - beach, although a little rocky(coral) was fine with water shoes - can hand feed fish off the reef. Lush vegetation all over & on the beach so shade was plentiful for those who wanted it. The people were so friendly & helpful, they would do anything we needed or wanted. We treated them with respect & attempted their language & it was returned 10 fold.
Management readily available in all departments.

Room Number:
115

Arrival:
Feb. 7th 2012 - Feb. 21st 2012

Rooms:
Clean, spacious, bathrooms marble walls, floors & counters - great hot water pressure showers....use bottled water to brush teeth.

Restaurants and Bars:
Buffet outstanding - bars good variety - some international gin,vodka,

Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Pools, although not heated, were warm enough & refreshing..lots of chairs & shade when needed

Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Boys went golfing...some went zip lining, some when Outback tour....we all went to Ocean World for dinner & Vegas type show....very good.
Did dolphin swim at another visit.

I thought the food was excellent, it was freshly cooked and there was plenty of it. The staff were great, the hotel and grounds were clean and tidy. The wedding itself was fantastic. Overall a really nice stay.

Room Number:
12/24

This is the first time we had a late departure in toronto 5.40 pm on the 12th of feb 2011 and arrived at the Riu Bachata at 10.45 pm.
Next time it will be a early departure.
The resort is beautifull well kept and maintained
The staff is like all over the Dominican FANTASTIC.
I was very impressed by the service manager Mr Friedrich who was very much in contact with the guest of the resort,You could see Mr Friedrich walking arround the resort and talking to the guest and during luch and dinner the same thing Mr friedrich would go arround and stop by every table to find if every thing was ok.
I have never seen any other manager in any other resort do this and we have been to a few in Puerto Plata and in Punta Cana

Room Number:
303

Arrival:
Saturday the 12th of feb 2011

Rooms:
the rooms are nice there where a few minor problems which where dealt with asap.
The shower is way to narrow but we managed no problem
Our cleaning lady Elizabeth was wonderfull

Restaurants and Bars:
the bars are great because of the staff that are working in them,the 2 ala carte restaurants where ok

Beach/Pools/Grounds:
excellent and once again because of the people who work in and arround the pool

Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
the entertainment staff is always very friendly and good

Other Comments:
The one thing i do not understand is people in Canada and the USA are very big on tipping their server/waiter/waitress at home some times as much as 20%.(Which i find way to much for a person who bring me a plate with my order)
But when they go to a all inclusive resort they don't find it necessary to tip their server/waiter/waitress and some of the people are even rude to them because they don't understand what you want.Just keep in mind their english is as good as your spanish

Photos: http://www.bertvanderhulst.com

Our vacation this year was booked with Sunquest Vacations thru Sell off Vacations & was originally slated for the Riu Mambo. But due to a scheduling change that happened in October, we lucked out and got an excellent price for the Riu Bachata…$1057.00+TX pp for 2 weeks. Our carrier was Thomas Cook flying Jazz Air & as with all Tour Operators, everything is not as smooth as could be. From the time that we booked in August, to the week before we departed from Toronto, our flight time/days were changed 5 times. In the 10 trips that we’ve taken to the D.R., we’ve never had this many changes before!!

Arrival:
Flight/Airport Arrival: Departure time was scheduled for Sunday January 9th at 6:20am from Terminal 3 at Toronto Airport. Arriving at the airport at 2:55am, we were directed to the Priority Check-in where our carry-on was weighed & then our luggage was weighed. We had Silver Service Package on our booking and were allowed an additional 5kgs of checked luggage weight per person…fortunately that wasn’t needed, but was good to have. Our seats were prebooked & even though our SSP allowed us to have Complimentary Advance Seat Selection, we opted to pay the additional $20pp for emergency row seating. Row 10BC gave us lots of legroom both on the flight down & on our return flight. We are ticketed & through Security Screening in a matter of minutes, and waiting in the Boarding Lounge 45 minutes later.
As I mentioned, our departure time “was scheduled” for 6:20am, but due to a Flight Attendant Scheduling issue the flight was 2 attendants short! After waiting an hour for 1 attendant to arrive, we were allowed to board and then waited for the second Attendant. At 8:10am, with a round of applause welcoming him aboard, hatches were then battened down, seat belts were tightened and we were off !! A breakfast of hot waffles with apples, fresh fruit, whole-wheat roll and beverage were offered, with a refreshing mimosa something of a change. The Flight Attendants were excellent, although a bit flustered due to our late departure.
1:00 pm, our plane touched down at Puerto Plata Airport…. 1 hour 50minutes behind schedule. Once we disembarked, we had a quick turn thru Immigration and then onto the baggage carousel, where our luggage was one of the first one’s off the plane. In a matter of 15 minutes we were waiting in our bus for the transfer to the Riu.

Resort Arrival: The Riu’s have check-in down to a science…. very quick & not time consuming. Everything that we needed was in an envelope and waiting for us in the Lobby when we arrived. After a word of welcome from the Front Desk Manager, the contents of our envelope (2 towel cards, map of the resort, Guest Registration Form, Room Key, Safe Key & tumbler) was explained and we were invited to fill in the Guest Registration Form at our convenience and return it to the Front Desk before the end of the day. Our luggage was tagged & off we went to discover our room. 7 to 10 days prior to our arrival to the Bachata, I had emailed the resort with a request for “a king size bed with good mattress, a 2nd floor room with Ocean view” … we got just that, except the 2nd floor was actually a 3rd floor. Room location was in Building 2, room # 241, a corner room, which looked out onto Maimon Bay. It was quite a hike up the stairs for me, but the view from our balcony was breath taking and well worth the effort that we had to go thru daily. The porter delivered our luggage and after changing, we were off to explore the resort.

Rooms:
Rooms: Our room was a good size for 2 people: 2 double beds pushed together to make a King. The mattresses were comfortable, which was important due to my husband’s back problem. Each side of the bed had a bedside table with 2 drawers & a bedside lamp attached to the wall. A wooden credenza with 6 drawers held the television and mirror. A seating area of table & 2 chairs were at the far end of the room, close to the balcony door. The entry way held a closet with plenty of hangers & rack space, with an alcove for the mini-bar and the Liquor Optics. The safe is located in the closet and was free …(if you stay at the Mambo or Merengue, there now is a charge for the safe & the Liquor Optics have been removed from the rooms). The bathroom looked as if it had been refurbished not long ago & we had no complaints. We did request an additional key for our room & that cost us a deposit of $10, which was returned to us when we checked out.
Our maid did an excellent job of keeping our room clean & always surprised us with towel creations or flowers. We tipped her daily, leaving the tip on the bed pillow. The fridge was restocked every other day…we would leave a note & tip for the “water guy” with our request and had no problems getting what we needed.

Restaurants and Bars:
Restaurants: Bahia de Maimon is the main Buffet Restaurant. Open for breakfast 7am to 10am, lunch 1pm to 3pm & dinner 6:30pm to 10pm. The resort was not running at full capacity and therefor we did not have long line ups for meals. Staff coped wonderfully keeping everything clean and well stocked. We had a very attentive waiter whose name was Melvin & he looked after us for the full 2 weeks of our vacation. In the evening Melvin would watch for us & by the time we arrived at our table, our wine & water would be poured and waiting for us. One evening close to the end of our stay, Melvin had decorated the table with flower petals and candles….a very nice touch!!
A la carte restaurants were open 6:30pm to 8:00pm for first sitting & 8:30pm to 10pm for the second sitting. Reservations for the a la carte restaurants are made daily at the desk located at the entrance of the Bahia de Maimon between 7am and 10:30am…seating fills up quite quickly!

Steak House- located in the Maracuya Restaurant, which is to the left of the Pool bar when facing the ocean. We did not eat at this restaurant during our stay, so I cannot give a true report.

Italiano: is now located in a new area off the outside patio of the main Buffet Restaurant. The décor was welcoming & the whole room had a very nice ambiance. The menu was a hot & cold antipasto buffet, pizza, lasagna, vegetable soup, with breadsticks or rolls. The entrée was a choice of Salmon filet on a bed of spinach with mixed vegetable OR Chicken breast stuffed with eggplant OR Medallions of Beef. I enjoyed the salmon while hubby enjoyed the beef. Dessert was Tiramisu or Citron Mousse, with either coffee, cappuccino or tea. Wine was also available.

Bars: There are 2 bars open during the day: the Bikini Bar (10:00 to 12midnight) located in the Courtyard just off the main Lobby & the Los Lirios bar located at the pool from 10am to 6:00pm. The Caramba Bar is located to the left of the Theatre just outside the doors to the Casino…hours of operation is 6pm to 7am. But for us, our favourite bar was the La Plaza Bar located at the Merengue.

Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Beach/Pool/Grounds: At this time (mid January) there were ample loungers & palapas to choose from both on the beach and around the pool. Lots of activities such as beach volleyball, horseshoes, bocce ball, kayaking, sailing, and snorkeling to keep you busy, but if you are like me a good book was all I needed. The “sports beach” is now almost non-existent, as everything has been moved up front to the main beach. The beach area in front of the Bachata is not the nice smooth sand that people crave, but as you move east towards the Merengue and the Mambo, the beaches get much nicer. The pool is always busy with people playing games, swimming laps, exercising or just floating.
The grounds are impeccable, gardens & grass tidied daily, new palm trees being planted and maintenance on walkways top-notch.

Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Off the Resort: Because we’ve been to the D.R. numerous times, we were not interested in any of the “usual off resort activities”. The one that did peak our interest was The Bravissimo Show at Ocean World…a Las Vegas type show of colour, feathers, sequins & music. The evening of dinner and show for the two of us was $117.00US….we did not go to the Casino afterwards, but returned on the shuttle that was supplied. A very good evening and well worth the money that was spent.

Other Comments:
Lobby/Reception Area: This is a huge area with lots of couches and chairs or bistro type table & chairs for seating. It’s the hub of activity where you can sit and watch the arrival of excited vacationers as they wait for their rooms or watch the sadness of others as they get ready to leave for home. The Tour Operators have their desks here in the Lobby, with all the information that you need to know of flights and excursions. Also in the Lobby is the store, which has everything from aspirin to alcohol…if you can’t find what you need there, then the shops in Caribbean Street are just a short 2 minute walk. The Internet Café is located in a room just off the Lobby. There are 5 or 6 computers for use & the price is $3.00US for 15 minutes, $5.00US for 30 minutes & $8.00US for 1 hour. If you are a Riu Club member & you book 1 hour of Internet time, you will get an additional 30minutes free. The Internet time must be used within 72 hours. For those who like to read or are like us & don’t want to take their books back home, a book exchange is located in the same area as the Tour Operators. Also off the Lobby is the public washrooms, which are spotless & attached to the washrooms are shower/change rooms. These are an excellent bonus especially if you can not get a “late room checkout”…just bring your luggage down to the secure luggage room, enjoy the beach/pool for the rest of the day & then shower and change in time for your return flight home.

Staff/Management: The staff is one of THE best that we’ve come across in the 10 trips that we’ve made to the D.R. Everyone is friendly, personable and wanting desperately to assist and please you. We had a couple of issues with things in our room that needed to be repaired & they were done expediently and with a smile. Everyone had a smile on their face and love their job….and why not, they have wonderful Management Staff behind them. Friedrich (Freddie) Stieb, Customer Service Manager is a very visible person on this resort. I swear he had roller skates hidden in his shoes, as he was everywhere…at the Pool, along the beach, in the dining room, in the Theatre. And nothing escaped his attention! A very well run resort…thank you Freddie !

My husband and I travelled with three other couples to this resort...our first time in the DR, but it won't be our last. The Riu Bachata is top-notch...immaculate guestrooms, fun and friendly staff, excellent food, cold beverages wherever you were, beautiful landscaping, and there is not a bad view on the resort anywhere. Plenty of space for our group of 8 to sit together anytime of day or night, entertaining shows, demonstrations, lots of opportunity to meet and chat with people from all over the world, or just spend time with my special someone on the beach or on a romantic evening stroll through the grounds. The gazebo on the cliff is amazing...we watched a wedding procession on our last day there. . . my husband and I would be happy to visit this same resort again. We did two excursions with Sunquest. . . we cancelled out on the third one just to have a day to ourselves to enjoy the resort, and Nelso (Sunquest rep) happily and quickly refunded our credit card for that excursion...no problem at all....we did the Freestyle catamaran which was great (but found out I'm not cut out to spend the whole day on the water), but the staff were great and there was always a party going on somewhere on the boat!! And we did the Dune-Buggy riding...it was a long day but no shortage of hills, rocks, mud, dust, you-name-it. . .came back to the resort happy, dirty and tired! This is a resort I would love to bring my teenage girls to, but they don't have family suites, or even adjoining rooms. . reception said they would guarantee us two rooms side by side, though...All in all a wonderful wonderful week with memories we will always cherish!

Room Number:
730

My husband and I travel a great deal, both for pleasure and business. We've cruised and stayed in many resorts. This particular trip consisted of me working a wedding (I'm a wedding planner) for a group of 24 guests. The couple picked this particlar location because they loved the gazebo situation on a cliff overlooking the ocean and mountains, they also believed Riu and Sunquest Vacations when they rated this a 5 Star. This resort is by no means a 5 star resort and if you're use to truly 5-star quality, DO NOT go here!!
I should mention that Dreamfilm Productions from Vancouver, B.C. was present with our crew as they are currently filming a wedding/marriage documentary that will air on CBC in late January 2012. The hotel was made aware of their presence weeks in advance and were fully aware of their presence and reason for being there, yet they did very little to address the following issues. I explained to the staff at the front desk that our experience at this Riu Resort would be televised and shared with all of Canada; however, this seemed to make little impact.

The gym looked as I had stepped back in time to the 1970’s. The equipment was completely outdated, in poor condition and the weights were actually covered in rust. A towel was needed immediately after using them as our hands got covered in rust. Unfortunately towels were not provided at the gym and we were required to bring our own, something we weren’t aware of until after working out. There was no disinfectant available for wiping down the weights or machines after using them, which was quite surprising given how much one sweats in such a hot country with little to no air conditioning in the gym and how dirty the equipment can get. The gym was also quite small, (ie, only two treadmills and maybe a total of 1000 sq. feet) considering this was the only gym for the three Riu properties….a real disappointment! The caliber of gym was by no means one of a 5 star resort and in fact I have been to local community center gyms that look, smell and have better equipment than this Riu Resort.

I will say that the landscaping is well maintained and looks beautiful on this property, but I would expect no less at a “5-star resort.” Unfortunately we don't sleep on grass or near the flower beds, so this really means very little to me. The food and quality of living/sleeping quarters, are in my view two vital areas of a resort which make it a 5-star or not and again, this place is NOT!!

Rooms:
Upon arrival, my husband and I were given a room that had not been cleaned – the bed was unmade, towels were thrown on the bathroom floor and the bathroom itself was filthy. Upon returning to the front desk, we were assigned another room which appeared cleaner at first sight. The following day, however, I realized that the box spring mattress was covered in black mold on one side of the bed, while the mattress itself was starting to form mold also. As if this wasn’t disgusting enough, my legs were covered in bites and welts which I assumed came from bed bugs. We were told we could not change rooms as some buildings were closed down given it was “low” season. I had no choice but to continue to sleep in this dirty and repulsive bed for the remainder of the week. The bites worsened throughout the week and upon arriving in Canada I showed my bites to with a pharmacist who confirmed my worst fear of bed bugs and recommended a mite killing lotion. Both my husband and I have had to apply this lotion all over our bodies twice now. We also disinfected all our clothes, shoes and suitcases prior to bringing them into our house for fear of what might have travelled back to Canada with us.

Our bathroom shower curtain contained mold & mildew and had a very foul smell to it. This promoted me to take action and search the maid’s cart for cleaning products. Much to my surprise I found a can of cockroach killer, a small amount of watered down windex and a water bottle with a cleaning product in it. I was informed this contained “some laundry detergent and water,” these were her only cleaning products. I cringed at the thought of the lack of disinfecting showers, toilets and sinks…a breeding ground for germs and viruses. When staying in a hotel I normally request a change of towels every 3 or 4 days, however, in this case I had to request towels on a daily basis as the towels smelled terrible after the first use, just as soon as they got damp. Again, very surprising for a well-known chain such as Riu and for the rating Sunquest Vacations gave this property.

Restaurants and Bars:
The food in this resort is classified as “cuisine,” however, what we ate was the furthest thing from cuisine. Upon arriving I tried several dishes and tried to eat, however, much of the food tasted the same, as it had all been deep fried in the same oil and the sauces were less than tasty. Being Hispanic myself, I am quite use to various spices and “Hispanic” food; however, the quality of this food was in a category of it’s own. For the following 4 days I literally ate one hard boiled egg for breakfast and shredded carrots and beats for both lunch and dinner. Towards the end of my week stay, I simply had to give in and eat some form of protein but ended up sick to my stomach.

The alcohol is a Normandy brand which is like mixing gasoline with coke or whatever your favorite soft drink might be. Nice looking bars for the most part and great service, but terrible alcohol and only one pool bar.

Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Generally dirty.

Your Arrival:
Flew out of Miami on American Airlines-and it was actually one time. POP-OMG-the last time we were shaken down by customs (paid and then sailed thru). This time-beautiful open and bright airport that is under construction to make it even better. Booked thru cheapcaribbean and transportation was waiting for us. Arrival at resort was smooth. Enroute we were able to see parts of POP and Playa Dorado (where we stayed before).

Rooms:
Comfortable. This trip we were with two grandsons, preteens. We had two double/twins shoved together to make one huge bed that was actually of course two beds that shared a headboard. Pillows-flat, but received more quickly. The boys were ready after several days to watch TV in English (the English stations were news oriented). Cartoons and children's movies in Spanish are good for only so long for those who know no Spanish. Mini bar was replenished every other day with Pepsi (Pepsi on the resort) and with nonPresidente beer. The four bottles of alcohol were there as part of included, but were Normandy brand (tasteless generic, but hit the spot at times). A/C did not work if balcony door was open, which is a good idea. A/C was sufficient. Hot water all the time and plumbing worked fine. Soap and shampoos replenished every other day. Housekeeping was great.

Restaurants and Bars:
Lots of food and wonderful selection. Ask a chef and he'll prepare something special for you. I couldn't wait for when they were going to serve mangu (a plantain dish); had a huge plate to myself at lunch one day. Fish, lamb (we were there for Easter), seafood, beef, and chicken all in various ways. Dominican food, Spanish food, and basic American style. Yogurt, cereals, fresh local tropical fruit for breakfast (along with great bacon). Fresh fruit at every meal. Fresh squeezed fruit juice at breakfast (think beyond OJ). Salads and cheeses. The bars-wonderful folks behind the bars. Daily specials. At the main bar, Bikini bar, near the lobby (everything is pretty centralized) they have a coffee dispenser-I loved the espresso; I passed on the capachino.

Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Beach is great. Grounds pretty. The point is not to be missed at night! Pools-there are two, one geared for play/ younger folks and one with a swim up bar and great DR music especially in the afternoon. All the bartenders are polite and respectful (one doesn't wait for ever while being passed by for someone else); generally, the two boys were treated no differently than an adult as far as being served (their nonalcoholic drink)-of course at times bartenders would kid a bit more with them.

Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We took a taxi tour w/ a guide named Sandy. Puerta Plata tour including the cable car ride (we paid for the actual ride) and stops at stores including a grocery store (for rum, coffee, and hot sauces) with driver for half a day. Excellent-prices are on a board in the lobby-established by the gov't. He was the best. We also took tour to Damajagua Falls-take it-a bit a swimming and sliding down waterfalls/ jumping from cliffs into a pond. Check it out on various postings on youtube.com. Our nine year old loved it; his older brother was one of the few who opted to jump as opposed to slide at one spot-a good two story jump.

Other Comments:
We stayed at eh Riu in MoBay, Jamaica last spring break with the same grandchildren. The vote is the MoBay was better . But, this was our fifth time in DR, second in POP, and we really like this resort. They all seem to have their pros's and con's. There is an area at this resort for shopping, which is THE shopping area for all three Riu resorts-they are in a row along the beach. Folks we talked to mentioned this was the best of the three. We saw the lobby and pool area of the Merengue, and, yes, the Bachata is better. There was a fitness center, but the location (and time) didn't lend itself to our visiting it (unlike the other four resort we had been to). If using cheapcaribbean.com; remember that for prepaid tours, you must meet with the representative the day after arrival to obtain the actual tickets for your trip. And if there is an emergency as we experienced and he can't make it that day-hopefully you don't have a trip planned. As far as this resort-we enjoyed it and would certainly recommend it to others and will look at Riu at other places we may stay.