Holiday and Hotel Reviews

We've started asking people to tell us about their hotel and holiday so we can share them with you.

Our 1st reviewer is Angela who went to the Dominican Republic with her partner Hadleigh. They stayed at the RUI Bambu for 2 weeks in May 2011.

Why did you choose this hotel?
A friend of mine had been to the Dominican Republic before and had recommended the RIU hotels. We had a choice of hotels on the south side of the island and chose the RIU Bambu as it had good reviews, was a premier hotel and seemed to us the most appealing.

Was it a special holiday? Special occasion etc – annual holiday, first holiday as a couple
It was a special occasion because it was our first holiday together as a couple. We wanted it to be memorable and because it had been a while since both of us had been abroad we wanted a once in a lifetime holiday destination.

How much did you pay for your holiday?
We paid £1050 each for both of us to stay 2 weeks all inclusive.

What type of room did you have?
A standard double room which was spacious and had everything we needed. The bed was huge and we had a mini bar which was re-filled with water, pepsi, beer and sprite every 2 days.

What board did you stay on? A/I Self catering etc.
We stayed at the hotel on an all inclusive basis.

When did you travel?
We stayed for 2 weeks. We left on the 6th May and returned on the 20th May 2011.

How long was the flight? Was it comfortable?
The outbound flight was 9 hours and the return flight was 8 and a half hours due to tail winds. It honestly didn't feel like that long. They are bigger than normal planes you would go on to Spain and there is a lot more leg room. You have TV's in the back of your seats so you can watch films, play games or listen to music so it doesn't feel as long as it sounds.

What were your first impressions of the hotel?
Our first impression of the hotel was WOW. We pulled up in front of the reception which was all open plan and there was a view of the beautiful tropical beach at the other side. The staff were there to greet us with a drink ready and welcomed us to the hotel. The porters were there trying to take your bags straight away which was a little unnerving at first because they pounce on you as soon as you get off the coach and we didn't know who they were. They do expect to be tipped but your bags are at the room within a few minutes so worth the couple of dollars. We did have a welcome call in the room also to check everything was ok and satisfactory which was a nice touch.

What was the quality and variety of food like?
The food we thought was great. There were 2 main restaurants, one was the buffet restaurant which you used for breakfast and your evening meal and there was a separate restaurant next to the pool which would serve lunch and snacks during the day. There was also a sports bar which also provided snacks. There was somewhere to get something to eat 24 hours a day. There was every type of food you could imagine and the freshly made pizzas were amazing. There were also 3 a la carte restaurants; a steakhouse, Italian and Asian Cuisine. We would definately recommend the Asian and the Italian. The steakhouse was ok to try but we only went once. You can use each restaurant once each week of your stay but you have to book early in the morning to book a table. I would definitely recommend to try them because it is a change from the buffet every night which can get repetitive. There are theme nights in the buffet restaurant, our favourite was the Mexican. There is definitely something for everyone.

What were the staff at the hotel like?
The majority of the staff at the hotel were really nice. Everyone was friendly and said hello. There is a big emphasis on leaving tips and if you did the staff were your best friend. We tipped when we felt it was appropriate but you could see how the staff treated others who were obviously big tippers. The friendliest people we found were the ground staff who looked after the gardens and the trees and the cleaners, they were always very friendly.

Did you go on any excursions? Did you book these when you arrived or beforehand? Which was your favourite?
In total we went on four different excursions:

• The Adventure Buggie was great. We got to drive our own buggie, went into the jungle to see a lagoon and visited a secluded beach which was amazing. Just as you would imagine a Caribbean beach to be. We would definitely recommend this one.
• Reef explorer was our second trip. We travelled to a platform out in the sea where we could snorkel around the reef, swim with sharks, have a picture taken with a sting ray, have a massage and go canoeing. Although I enjoyed the trip it was only half a day and very rushed. There was no emphasis on the time and when it was time to leave I hadn't even had time to have my picture taken with the sting ray or have a full massage. The communication from the staff and the way it was planned was really poor. It also cost about £45 each so wasn't really worth it.
• Outback Safari was fab and we definitely recommend this trip. You travel in an open jeep out into the Dominican outback seeing how the locals live and see the most amazing scenery. You have a travel guide and driver and there is an open bar on the Jeep. We travelled to a ranch in the mountains where we had lunch and saw how they make cigars, coco and coffee. It was a real eye-opener and a really enjoyable day. The tour guides make it a well worth experience. This cost the same as the reef explorer and we were out for the full day.
• Dolphin Explorer. This was the most expensive trip but worth the money (around £150 for both of us). We swam with the dolphins for half an hour which was amazing. We were split into groups of 12 so there weren't too many and we had one on one contact with the dolphins. The rest of the park didn't really live up to much, the guide you had was never there and no one knew where they were going or what they were doing but the dolphins more than made up for this. The photos are expensive but you have to buy them as you cant take your cameras to the dolphins. Would definitely recommend.

What type of people would you recommend this hotel too?
I would recommend this hotel to anyone of any age. Whilst we were there there were young couples, older couples and families. There is such a variety of entertainment, things to do, different areas to go that there is something for everyone. We were told it is the most popular hotel amongst the RIU's on the south side of the island because of the atmosphere and entertainment. It is very relaxed and the entertainment is there if you want it but there are areas to go if you don't.

Would you return to this hotel or resort?
We would definitely return to the Dominican Republic and to the RIU Bambu. It was everything we wanted and more, and we feel like we had the whole caribbean experience we expected. Punta Cana is a lovely resort and has the most wonderful beaches on the island. The only negative we could say which isn't really negative as such is the evening entertainment. This can get a little repetitive and is usually the same entertainment crew from the day putting a show on at night. Because you are on a resort and there is nowhere you can really walk to or anything else to do you do end up sitting around the entertainment area. After a week of pretty much the same thing every night it can get a little tedious. It don't see it as a negative and it wouldn't stop me from returning to the hotel.

Would you offer any advise for anyone travelling to this are in future?
I would definitely recommend a high sun factor for anyone travelling to the Dominican Republic. The sun is very different to how it is in Spain or Greece. There is a very nice gentle breeze from the ocean which makes the the heat very deceiving. You can walk up and down the beach and not feel the sun burning. We got sun stroke on the first day and we were wearing a factor 25 spray. This was from walking down to a market on the beach and back. We looked like lobsters for the first few days and had to stay out of the sun. We had to buy a factor 45 sun lotion from the shop and they are double the price they are here.
Also make sure when you change your money you ask for small dollar bills. When we arrived we had nowhere to change any money so we had to give the porter a $10 tip which is apparently their daily wage. We kept having to go to reception and asking them to change to smaller notes. Everything is also in Dollars not pesos and you get a better exchange rate for dollars.