Great hotel for the price, its non stop drink and food.
The staff are wondeful even down to the maids who are stuck on the toilet door till early hours of the morning.
The Pasha club was good for a change it was air con and played some good music.
The entertainment on a night time was 5 out of 10, mainly for kids. We use to walk along to the other hotel and had a few drinks. The carnival in caribean street was fab the best night we had, there was pop corn men (free) bars set up and dancing.
The weather wasnt too good it use to rain around 3 every day and a few nights stayed on till late.
The air con in the rooms was rubbish and i think the mini bar should be stocked daily. There is a fridge in room.
The food was good the resturants italian and steak were more or less same menu, the problem i found was you had to que for 10am to book and people use to start queing at 9.15 which was a pain as who want to spend time queing.
There is free pedalos and other things on the beach but the life jackets stunk of BO!!
For the price we paid i was please with what we got. I emailed hotel in advance and ask for room near reception whcih they did and we were right next to bars resturants pool.
There is no toilets on the beach which was a pain. There is a beach bar at the Mambo.
Out of the 3 hotels id say the mambo was better its was quieter and had the beach bar, there was mainly english in this hotel as well.
Try the monster trucks trip well worth it but take sweets for the kids, id read to but didnt and felt guilty as the kids wait fir the trucks coming. Also take anything you dont want ie shampoo from hotel, clothes these people live in the jungle with nothing.
Be aware though, dont give kids on the street books and pencils as we witnesses a mother take them and but them on a stall she had. Give them in at the schol they take you to.
Try pay for an upgrade as its a long flight.
any question feel free to mail me.

First, I would like to say we had an amazing trip. My girlfriend and I went to the Riu Mambo hotel, which is one out of three riu resorts located to puerto plata. You pay for one hotel and you can have full access to the two others, which is quite unusual for the price. Dominicans are very smilly people. They make you fell like your one of a kind. You have a private minibar in your room, filled with rum, gin, coke, soda and beers. The rooms are VERY VERY clean. There is always someone wating nearby to clean your hands. Lots of free activities are organized troughout the days, like bingo, aquaform, shows (for children and adults) and even snorkling (deposit required). I really recommend trip to paradise island. It'll cost you about 150 $ (2 people) and you'll feel like a VIP for the whole day.
I don't recommend the hotel for young teenagers who would like to make party. If you wanna do so, go to cancun (oasis cancun). Riu mambo resort, as the two others, are for families with young children and couples who wanna live an amazing honeymoon. Families would be pleased according to the fact that there are plenty of activities organized for young children. While children are busy, you can take it easy at the bar, well it's only a suggestion :)
For couples, the unique look of the hotel (small villas instead of an hudge building) makes you feel like you live in your own condo, quiet, clean and really comfortable.

The only negative point is the food. It's good actually, but I would have liked to get more sea foods (only available at italian restaurant, which is a la carte)

Hope it'll be helpfull

Francois

I had a very relaxing week at the Riu Mambo. The staff was very friendly, shoutouts to Escaly (our maid) Pedro, Henriquez, Wilson, Tito, Melo (bartenders) , Lidia and Vargas (waiter and waitress)
They made both my boyfriend and my stay very pleasurable. Our Sunquest Rep got us to and from the airport in time and was very friendly.

The Animacion crew were great...the best night was Michael Jackson and African night.
The food was good a bit repetitive but good. I can't really complain as I like my food spicey...but the Mexican and Dominican night was tasty!

I know the next time I go I will learn to speak a little more Spanish as I was able to communicate but not as well as I wanted to. Leaving the resort to go drive the moto was amazing til we were pulled over by the policia and our motos were towed...and not being able to speak fluent Spanish caused barriers for communication ...oh well it was an experience!

Our room 1207 was very clean and Escaly made some cute decorations out of our towels. I will attempt to make these in my own home! Only problem with the room...it was a little further than expected but I am just lazy and wanted everything right as I walk out so the exercise was good! And it motivated me to hit the gym a few days while on vacation!

I highly recommend to tip the staff as they do deserve it and really work hard. We tipped our maid, bartenders and waiters everyday.

Overall I had one of the most relaxing vacations with nothing to worry about but when to eat and sleep! I brought a book to read and enjoyed baking my skin while reading in the day and dressing up and eating with the staff at night!

unless you want food poisining and sickness.
Have just returned from 2 weeks at the Riu Mambo and was pleased to get home, despite the terrible flight conditions on Monarch ( don,t ever fly Monarch).
After 5 days myself and my wife went down with serious sickness, stomach cramps and diorreah, as did many other guests, and are still feeling the effects.

The food is plentiful however is of very poor quality,everything is fried and greasy. Flies can be seen around uncovered salds etc. Also much of the alcohol is either watered down or of very poor quality.

Rooms are basic, and extremley hot as the AC is either not working or innefective.

Also beware at weekends when the locals arrive, they just take over the place and are noisy and very rude, pushing in everywhere and helping themselves to whatever is around.

Entertainment is ok if you like Butlins, and the male staff seem more interested in younger women than anything else.
Deffinitley not a 5 star hotel, I would say 3 star at a push and certainly not caribbean beaches or standards.

I would be very interested to hear from others who have been to this hotel or the Merengue or Bachatta who have also been sick or ill, as I now understand the place has a long history of this.

Do yourself a favour and book somewhere else.