We absolutely loved our stay at this hotel!! Juliana was the greatest at the front desk. She helped us with travel and seeing the nearby city of Higuey. The food was great as was the staff at the hotel. They always got everyone involved in the activities as there was plenty to do at all times. Pacha, the nightclub on the grounds was very fun. I wish they would have played more Bachata music, but they played more "American" music. Some people complained about the food not being what they wanted...but here's a hint...YOUR NOT IN THE USA. It was Dominican food and local produce. Same goes for the room. It was a little humid, but it was great. Plus, why would you spend so much time worrying about the room when there is so much to see. Wonderful selection overall. We ate at the buffet every night and never once got bored with it. We would definately, without a doubt, stay at this hotel again.

i can say the service was nice. i really enjoy myself. i don't have any complains. the people was nice. they have a beautiful club the swimming pool. i recommended everybody to go there. its is paradise on earth

There are five hotels on the Riu property in Punta Cana: Riu Bambu, Riu Naiboa, Riu Tiano, Riu Palace Macao, and Riu Palace Punta Cana. When staying at Naiboa--the least expensive of the bunch--guests have access to the pools and lunchtime bars of Naiboa, Tiano, and Bambu.

Naiboa is the only hotel of the five without beachfront property. I suppose this is why it's more affordable, but don't let the lack of beachfront scare you away--Naiboa is located just behind Tiano so it's only about a five minute walk to the beach down "Caribbean Street," a resort-run strip with local-looking shops and services. The Tiano/Naiboa fitness center is on Caribbean Street as are gift shops, a men's clothing store, a cigar kiosk, a spa, and an arcade. Truth be told, some of Tiano's bungalows were so far back on the Tiano property that they were the same distance from the beach as the Naiboa, so if you're trying to choose between the two based solely on beach access, take that into account.

Our room was fine, but we definitely got what we paid for. If anything, the accommodations seemed a little dated (though we heard from an employee that renovations are scheduled for the next year or so) but no so much so that we felt uncomfortable. In any case, we were hardly ever in our room and when we were, the Riu's in-room liquor dispensers made it seem like the best place I'd ever been.

Food was fantastic--there was a pretty wide spread nightly and at lunch we could choose between our main dining room, any of the pool bars at Naiboa, Tiano, or Bambu, and a beach front pizzeria on Caribbean Street. Service at every meal was great, too, and everyone was so pleasant. Men: be sure to pack pants for dinner. We were a bit taken aback/annoyed that jeans and even mesh exercise pants were acceptable but that my boyfriend was asked to change out of his nice khaki shorts and into pants the first night.

Poolside entertainment at the Naiboa was great--our four-person crew kept us busy all day with horseshoes, water polo, bocce, dance lessons, "crazy games," water aerobics, etc. At night, the shows were less impressive and pretty amateur but were amusing nonetheless.

I spoke to a couple who was at Naiboa for their 6th time after trying the Palace Punta Cana last year--they said that by far the staff and guests at Naiboa have been the most friendly during their experiences at the Riu property. This seemed like a fair assessment based on what we experienced while meandering around the property at night (walking the five hotels was a great way to burn off the buffet dinner!). Palace Punta Cana seemed to be filled with Americans (our hotel was mostly Europeans when we stayed in early June) who came off as a bit stuck up. Bambu, like our Riu-expert acquaintances told us, seemed to be much more geared towards children than the others. Most nights when we walked to Bambu there were children on the outdoor stage doing activities or singing songs with one of the members of the entertainment crew.

Overall, we had a great time on the trip. As I mentioned, the accommodations could have been more spiffy but for folks who aren't picky, it's a great option. I'd definitely go back!

I stayed at RUI Naiboa for my summer vacation and was very apalled by the conditions of the hotel as well as the condition of the room. The hotel did not look like the pics on the internet. The hotel looked very cheesy. The first hotel room that my friend and I stayed in had mold growing in the closet and the enamel was peeled away in the tub. There was one full size bed and a twin bed for sleeping. The room smelled musky and the view was horrible. The second hotel room had mold everywhere from the liquor dispeners to the central air vents. The bathroom was filthy and not useable. There were no wash cloths in the entire building and the sheets on the bed was not clean. Unfortunately, the hotel staff was not very accomodating and we had to sleep in the hotel over night due to no place to go. We transferred immediately to another hotel the next morning.