Booked this trip with cheap carribean.com. Everything was perfect, getting to and from the airport was easy. No issues. The resort was top notch. Its a beautiful place with well groomed landscape. Food was great, service was great. Beaches were breathtaking. Gym could use some updating and more free weights. I would strongly recommend Riu Bambu as a great place to go and relax. Rooms were clean and made up timely. I cant wait to go back.

The Husband & I have just returned from a lovely week at the Riu Bambu & can honestly say it was one of the nicest holidays we've had in a long while.I have never been to the Dominican Republic before & it was a last minute booking so I decided to check out the reveiws before we left.After reading many negative reports on the Riu I was preparing to be dissappointed but was in fact very pleasently surprised.
The complex itself is very clean & has a holiday village feel about it.Rooms very basic but adequate considering only used to sleep,wash & dress in,although there is a complimentry drinks bar & stocked fridge included in the A/I price.The buffet restraunt is well stocked with plenty of choice & variety.The speciality restraunts were not especially good though,the Asiana was ok & it was nice to have the chance to have sushi but it was lacking & the steakhouse was pretty awful (there is a italian also but we didnt go there)
The pool area is nice but you do have to be up early if you want a sunbed (we're talking 6.45am!!) & we did see a few arguments over stolen beds & security was actually called to one argument, but the highlight is definatly the beach,it is stunning.You can literally walk for miles on powder soft sand that stretches as far as the eye can see & the ocean is warm & clear.
The only negatives were lack of evening entertainment & the amount of mosquitoes ,ive actually returned home with 30+ bites:( ,but after speaking to guests in other hotels they didnt seem to have so many & we put this down to the fact that you actually pass swampland pretty close to the Riu access road.
All in all a lovely holiday in a nice Hotel.We would return to the Dominican Republic but would choose a different hotel, mainly due to the swampy mosquitoe issue

A very pleasant surprise! After reading the poor reviews of this resort, I was apprehensive about this resort. If you are going on a vacation for the food than I would not recommend this resort however there is plenty to eat and always found something I liked especially the desserts. The beach was fantastic with plenty of chairs for everyone and a very short walk from the rooms & pool area. The rooms are villas which I really liked instead of being in a large hotel style resort. The staff were pleasant and helpful & many spoke very good English although it is a good idea to know some Spanish. The rooms were very clean but the beds were hard & pillows very flat. They did not have blankets or wash clothes but when asked they were brought to my room soon afterwards. The bathrooms were small but adequate & the showers had great water pressure which I appreciate. The entertainment was not all that good and there was not much to do after dark. However there is plenty to do during the day with windsurfing, catamarans, snorkeling, volleyball and more. If you are going for the beach & sun I would recommend this resort. I would also take some electrial plug extenders. The outlets are recessed in the wall & large plugs do not fit into the outlets.
We actually went for my daughters wedding and it was beautiful. The wedding planner did an excellent job putting it together and the photography was some of the best I've seen. I think this was through the the resort. The only complaint I had with this was we had a steak dinner later that evening and although it was okay for us I would not recommend it. Overall it was a nice, enjoyable place.

We travelled through Sunwing as a group of 10. We requested rooms together and had no problem getting that. My husband and I are Sandals regulars and came to the Bambu to celebrate a friend's birthday, so the bar was set pretty high!!
Beds aren't the greatest unless you like them hard. Pillows are flat. King size beds are two doubles pushed together. Rooms are a nice size though. Showers/bathtubs are pretty skinny! There is no wifi in the rooms, only in the lobby, which for a 5 star sucks. Everyone gathers in the lobby, you are lucky if you get a seat. If you are a non-smoker you will be shocked at the amount of smokers! Alot of the guests were european when we were there and you can smoke everywhere except inside the restaurants.
Food was good, no one got sick. Staff are very friendly but the RIU should send some for English lessons as there were alot of language barriers.
They have a troop of entertainers that are the same each night. They do different shows which are pretty good.
Pools are very small and it seemed you needed to get up at 6:00 am if you wanted a seat close to the pool.
Punta Cana is windy. Flags were red or yellow all week. Lots of loungers on the beach.
The RIU does not have security or life guards as alot of the other resorts do.
I think it is good value for the money, we usually pay twice as much for a week at Sandals.
The other couples we were with enjoyed their stay, but everyone had a complaint about the beds.
RIU do yourself a favour and get new beds and pillows! Put in WIFI everywhere! People will pay for it!