Riu Republica Punta Cana

Very nice clean resort. Staff spoke English enough that we could communicate well. Restaurants were great. Had many great servers at the bars and entertainment centers. Very centered on customer service. If we asked for something it was taken care of promptly. Would have liked more shopping opportunities other than the one shop, but the resort became like home very fast. The layout was easy. The staff was attentive and we soon developed relationships with our servers that lasted throughout the week.

Large room with a luxurious bathroom. Room had a deck. Mini bar stocked well. Tipped well to ensure this happened all week. Room service was very creative with ways to make you feel special. Flowers as an a example.

Water was clean. Staff was attentive. Swim up bars or regular ones very close and staff friendly. You get some breeze for relief from the heat. The beach is where the breeze is at.

Awesome. Bar was 100 feet from the sea. Clean area. Plenty of huts for those to lay under who didn't like the hot sun. Plenty of lounges in the sun with tables that wanted the sun. Favorite place to be. Salt water waves very cooling after long times in the sun.

All kinds of activities. All day into the night. We opted out for the just relax experience.

Something for everyone to eat. Buffets, so there is something for everyone. Bars were awesome. The ones by the sea were convenient, and if you went to the ones less traveled they knew you and your order. Gave them better tips. Main bar at the resort was great. Had a server all week that we got to know well. Great personality!

Parts of the resort were happening all night, or at least hours into it. We opted to relax in out room after 12.

Plenty available, opted out.

Tips: First trip here. Knew nothing about it or what to expect. But someone you know has been here, I guarantee it. They can give you tips on where to go, where to eat, how to make the most out of your trip and how to tip in the local culture,

The bar drinks were outstanding, except for the beer. Catamarans are available for an hour a day and boogie boards are free with a $20 deposit. The gym is nice and the spa has a nice steam room and hot and cold pools which anyone can use. This architecturally modern space is very attractive and not to be missed. Double sinks in the rooms are a nice touch. The sports bar has sandwiches and fresh fruit 24/7 for takeout (if you can stand the cigarette smoke.) Covered blinds near the pool provided lots of shade and plenty of shaded chairs. The swim up bar has its own pool, making the other two pools much cleaner. The outlet by the bed has two USB charging outlets. The beach is spectacular, no rocks, but also no coral. The absence of screaming children at meals was very pleasant. The Riu Republica has a very rectilinear feel to it, all rectangles and boxes. All art on the walls are blown up pictures. Ambiance is architectural modern. You would have no idea you are in the DR until you get to the palapas at the beach. Because of a high dune between the hotel and the ocean, you can’t see the ocean from the resort unless you are on a high floor. Unfortunately, this gives you the impression that the ocean is NOT nearby. Everything is brand new and clean. The food is just OK (we all got sick for two days.) The Dominican dishes and fresh fish and fruit are excellent choices. Made to order omelets use premixed eggs and do not taste great. The bacon was second rate. The croissants are greasy and not from butter. Almost everything that you would call American or European specialty dishes seem off. The specialty restaurants are all completely buffet (except for the steak house.) The rolling buss carts for dinning services made a thunderous noise all throughout the meals which was very annoying. Coffee thermoses are on each table for breakfast, which is a nice touch. Many coffee machines are in the main restaurant which make it very easy to get any sort of specialty coffee. Excellent WiFi, but not at the beach. Very limited public toilets (FOUR TOTAL!). Women’s usually had a long line. Not all of them indicated on the resort map. No chair or desk in the room. The staff does their job efficiently but rarely go any distance to qualify for a tip. They do not seem to be happy. We had a birthday celebration at the Asian restaurant, the “cake” consisted of three small pastries shoved together with a candle on top. Not very memorable (this applies to the resort as a whole.) The gym did not have an AED station, and I did not see one anywhere else. Better not have a heart attack. Wine choices at the restaurants are white, red, rose and champagne. We liked the rose and champagne (when it was cold) best. Other things: The hotel is designed for TALL people. The stair rails (when they had railings) were high, the peep hole in the room was high. The liquor in the room was high up. The closet bar was high, the beds were high. Most stairs do not have railings on both sides. The beach was NOT wheelchair accessible. No drinks were available at the beach. There were not enough shade places at the beach. The full size beds were NOT full size and a bit tight for two adults. The TV was small and did not swivel. No list of TV stations. No conditioner in shower, no clock in room. Very hard beds. No notice of maids name, no towel sculptures. Room 2040 had a constant hum emanating from the hotel next door. Pet peeves: When you turn on the bathroom light at night it lights up the whole room because of the glass panel in the bathroom. Best solution – bring a small night light. All requests for services ( maintenance, housekeeping, wakeup, etc.) must go through the main switchboard – which is VERY slow to answer. We waited 75 minutes for our missing towels to be delivered. Our 3:00 pm check in was delayed to 4:15. 4 of us, from June 7-14, 2016, ages 19, 57, 73 and 87. Apple Vacations purchased through Traveloni with $50 discount pp. We would never return.