We have recently returned from the Riu Mambo in the Dominican Republic which was our 3rd visit here. I was so disappointed with Thomson who failed to tell us that the hotel was due to close that month and services where downsized and you could clearly tell. The services that are advertised were clearly unavailable, including no ala carte restaurants, no proper entertainment, no daytime restaurant. The cleaning of room was disgusting and the food was diabolical. My husband was taken ill with severe cramping pain, diarrhoea and generally unwell after eating seafood in the restaurant, but food was clearly awful. There as a riot in the hotel when hotel guests complained to the rep who had not told us of the situation in the hotel was clearly visible from when we arrived. My husband had to attend our GP when we arrived home and was diagnosed from the hospital with food poisoning and is still suffering now and is currently taken antibiotics. We are currently waiting for a proper response from Thomson who clearly insulted us by sending a voucher for a 120 pound of another Thomson’s holiday. I will definitely will not be returning to this complex.

The hotel facilities and staff were fantastic.

Rooms cleaned everyday and fresh towels and linen.

Pool was great.

Food was ok but would have liked more choice.

Trips are great white water rafting is a must! The only thing that let this hotel down was the entertainment as what is advertised is not what happens. Also of a weekend the local Dominicans come to the pool so gets very, very loud.

Casino was great.

this was the best holiday ive ever been on n i would tell everyone to go there its fantastic i couldnt have asked for more of a holiday! the animation team shuld get meadles for the work they do its none stop fun for all visitors if ur finkin of going then do u wont regret it !!

Hi my family has been to the Rui Bachata twice now and were going to go back again next year.I meet up with my bartender we meet there last year and I went to his house to meet his wife and child I had a great time after that we went to a fish house and what a great time. he took me on the back of his motor cycle man do the drive wild down there.away the hotel is fantastic and the anamation staff
were great and the kids club is great for the kids the look after the kids and you get a little piece and quite from the kids. the food is all right in the main dinning room the people we meet are very nice we don't have anything bad to say about the Rui Bachatta
Dave and Karen..

This was our first visit to a Riu hotel and we were not let down, the rooms were cleaned daily with frequent linen and towel changes. The food was second to none with a vast variety each day and extremely well cooked. the location was perfect and the beach beautiful. Hotel staff were very polite and accomodating and the animation team worked so hard and mingled and chatted with residents, they put on great shows each night.
I would not think twice about visiting again or recommending the Riu Bachata.

I love the hotel i stayed in as this has been the second time i have stayed ther, all inclusive is excellent with a wide choice. you can also use the other two hotels connected with ours so if you fancy some different entertainment each night you have three hotels to chose from. entertainment in the day from our animation team was brilliant me and my friend our 17 and we travelled with my mom and dad, and they got all of us involved with some sort of game. we got along great with them and barstaff and they take great care of you.
evening entertainment isnt that great but its definatly not the worst i have seen. club pasha on site is ok if you want to stay out late or you can use the 24 hour bar.
you can use there facilities also.
hotel cleanliness was really good, rooms get cleaned evryday, me and my friend shared a room and we had a double bed to ourselves.
the food was nice, im a fussy eater but ther was enough choice for me everynite.
location was good as it only took about 25 minutes to get from the airport to the hotel.

This hotel was fantastic!!

The rooms were cleaned every day and were spotless. New towels everyday. Beds were massive enough for you to both sleep like starfish after a busy day soaking up the sun. TV in room with some English TV. Mini bar and optics in your room filled daily, lots of water and soft drinks in them to.

Food was plentiful. Even my husband who is really fussy eater loved the food as there was something for everyone. Fresh fruit every day and it tastes so much better than you buy in ASDA! BBQ on the beach during the week which are a must do, one day they cut coconuts from the trees and we we all sat around drinking from them with a seafood BBQ, it was fab. Massive choice of dishes so you get what you want as much as you want.

Entertainment was fab always something to watch or do. Things going on all day long you wont be bored. water aerobics with Elvis69 is great he really makes it fun, he's very easy on the eye as well if you know what I mean ladies!!!!!!

Every second Thursday they hold a great Caribbean party night in the shopping street inside the hotel grounds, there is dancing, games, bars and stalls. Great night.

Beach is clean and well looked after, water sports really good but I wouldn't recommend the diving. Not that the dive school did anything wrong its just there is nothing to see. I did 4 dives and was not impressed, I've been spoilt in Eygpt.

Hotel staff are only to happy to help. Do not buy anything from the hotel shop as its an independent shop and they charge massive prices for essentials. Sun cream as

This was our 3rd visit to the Riu Bachata in just over 2 years.

The hotel is fantastic and makes for a great holiday for all.

The whole place is spotless and no-one in our party has ever suffered from sickness on any visit here. We met up with some friends from last year and at one point there were approx 12 of us. We were all healthy throughout.

Anyway........the rooms are perfectly adaquate. This year we had two beds pushed together but one huge mattress on top so no falling down the cracks!! the famous Riu minibar and optics are still there so you get a choice of spirits,beer and soft drinks in your room which are refilled every 2 dys. We personally only used the water and pepsi and we tipped the minibar man a few dollars on the first day and he made sure he overflowed the fridge with just those drinks!!

The maids are great and come and make up your room every day. We left approx a dollar a day for her and she made the most fantastic towel animals each day and put flowers on the bed etc.

The food at the buffets is great. I am probably the worlds fussiest eater and i found loads to eat. Tuesday is mexican night (my fave!!!) Most nights there are cooking stations in the restaurant doing things like tacos, suckling pig, roast lamb, beef etc and that is in addition to all the other selections!! There is always a veggie option and loads of salads and pasta. In the daytime there is a good selection at the snack bar including chips, burgers, hot dogs and salads. The is more or less unlimited food all the time!!! The fresh fruit is lovely as well and for breakfast they serve everything you can imagine!!

The staff at the hotel are brill. The animation team work from 9am till about 11pm under the fantastic supervision of David. The team has changed a lot over the past year but are still doing a great job for hardly any pay. No-one is ever without a smile and this goes for the barmen, maids etc. We did tip our waiters each night in the restaurant and they would have our drinks ready and sometimes flowers on the table the next night. They always made a fuss of our daughter and were ultra polite and friendly.

The pool area at the Bachata tends to get rather busy as it is the best laid out and the most active of the 3 rui hotels, this means that people who stay in the Merengue and Mambo can and do use it too. We did have to reserve sunbeds as there are limited umbrellas to provide a little shade. If you want shade you have to claim your bed before 8am.

Also a small down side is that the Riu's still give day passess to the locals at the weekend. This tends to send the noise level and occupancy through the roof. We never had problems with the locals but we did retire to the beach each weekend for a little peace and quiet. We were expecting this as returning guests but I can imagine it may freak people out who do not know about it beforehand.

The evening entertainment is good. Obviously the budget and resources are limited but if you get involved a little you cant fail to enjoy it. Different shows such as Michael Jackson and Grease are mixed with the audience participation stuff such as Mr Riu and the Perfect couple. Cheesy yes, but what do you expect???this is not the west end!!

One thing to mention is that you cant get food and drinks 24hrs from the bars as sometimes advertised. The bar next to the casino stops serving at around 2pm and the Merengue snack bar serves food till around the same time.

All in all we had a fantastic time once again and would not hesitate to recommend this hotel to anyone!!!

We met some fantastic people from England, America and Wales last year and we all met up again this year - it was fantastic!!!!!

The Hotel was spotless and everywhere was very clean and well kept.

The food was plentiful and as with anywhere the choice on the buffet can be a bit repeatative..but thats because there is so much choice in the first place.

I don't know if they have had problems with sickness but there is a maid outside every public toilet block with hand sanitiser and they also ask you to use this before entering any of the restuarants - so I can't fault them on hygiene. No-one we met had a problem with sickness

We had a great time...whether on the beach or by the pool.

Riu Bachata having stayed at this hotel for the ninth visit I find it very difficult to understand the recent adverse reports this hotel has received. We met many Scottish and Welsh persons and I have yet to meet anyone on all of our visits who was confined to a drip, due to illness.

The hotel is spotless clean and hand cleaning solution is available at all the restaurants and toilets administered by Riu staff at entrances.

The food offers something for everyone and the restaurant staff cannot do enough for you.

The cleaners, bar staff, entertainment staff and reception staff are all pleasant to everyone.

The animation team work very hard but do not push you in any way to join in the activities.

The only downside we feel is the influx of local Dominican people who visit the hotel at weekends and also day passes which we find ourselves taken over by them. As this is a Thomson platinum hotel we feel this problem should be addressed by Thomson/Riu.

We have no problems with this hotel and have already booked January 2007 and July 2007 possibly the people who did fall ill were very unlucky as this hotel and staff cannot be faulted where we are concerned.