My family and I (wife and two boys ages 12 and 10) had a great family vacation at the Bachata from June 18-25. Kind of a lengthy review attached, I will try to break it down and add some tips here and there.

Check-in – easy, with a “welcome cocktail” (non-alcoholic so the kids could enjoy also), room was ready, porter available immediately to carry bags to the room. TIP: the room key and safe key come on a flimsy keychain with a bulky plastic attachment. I was constantly afraid they would fall off or I would lose them. Somebody did lose theirs in the ocean. I wish I would have brought a keychain to go around my neck or some other way to carry them throughout the trip. I saw one in a gift shop as we were almost through with the trip.

Tips/shopping - We took $100 US in singles and tipped throughout the stay for the maid, room drinks, special services like the porter, taxis, bartenders etc. and always kept a little extra money available for all of the gift shops - all were very willing to haggle on the prices, look to pay ½ of their starting price for things like t-shirts and souvenirs. The huts on the end of the beach were OK except for the cigars. The Caribbean street shops were a little less willing to haggle but definitely would. TIP: Bring your own “stuff” like shampoo, sunscreen etc., the street shops were very expensive for these things and I doubt they would haggle on these.

Room – pretty standard, the beds were hard but OK, the air conditioner was barely adequate but again OK. I had written an email request to the manager about a week ahead asking for a 2nd floor room in blocks 1-8, most of which are ocean or pool view. Since we didn’t pay for an ocean view I didn’t expect one but they met my request with a 2nd floor room in block 7. I would avoid blocks 13-15 which are farthest from the beach and pool and closest to the road. They brought an extra single bed so our boys could sleep separately. The maid cleaned thoroughly every day, tips brought extras like the towel art. Drinks are refilled every two days, tips with a note specifying your request brought extra beer (5 instead of 2-3), extra water, extra Diet Pepsi if needed. TIP: the ceiling fan was on when we got there but I didn’t notice it was pulling air up instead of pushing it down on you. Very hot the first night. There is a switch on the ceiling fan that will reverse directions (turn it off first), much better after that but still not “cold”. The water in the sealed containers as well as all the ice and water from the machines in the resort is OK to drink but do not drink the tap water. We even brushed our teeth with the purified water.

Food – very plentiful, lots of choices and we enjoyed it very much. Many comments on the food in other reviews, I’ll just say that in the US I would gladly pay for a breakfast / lunch / dinner buffet like this but would be upset about paying for the “specialty” Italian or Steakhouse restaurants. We usually tried to eat outside on the patio of the main restaurant for breakfast and dinner, much cooler than indoors especially near the cooking stations. In addition to the standard buffet food they usually had something unusual (for us) that we tried – like stewed octopus (great!), tripe (not so great!), ox tongue, liver pate, etc. They usually had fresh fish like grouper, dorado (mahi), and salmon in addition to beef, pork, and chicken prepared several ways.

Pools / Activities – great…the Bachata has the two largest pools and the only swim-up bar in the Riu complex. The pools and pool bar were only extremely crowded during the weekend when the locals came out. However, there was always a quiet area on the beach. TIP: next time we will book excursions on the weekend to avoid the crowds at the resort. Another tip, check a Dominican website to find out if there is a local holiday – I read elsewhere that the weekend crowds are even larger and will last 3 days when there is. Pools, restaurants, shows etc were all more crowded from Sat. AM until Sunday about 3 PM. The Animation team was great and had all kinds of activities throughout the day, schedule on a board by the pool bar. TIP: “winners” of the activities go onstage before the shows and get ½ pint of rum and a “diploma”. Really all for fun, but some people were rather competitive. Pool/beach TIP: we brought two “Bubba Kegs” but only ended up using one for ice water throughout the day, really did not need another one for beer or drinks. We had no problem getting more than enough alcohol throughout the day & evening without having huge Bubbas for the drinks.

Beach – we thought the beach at the Bachata was OK, yes there were a few rocks and more than the Mambo at the other end, but we snorkeled and did see some tropical fish over the reef. Even with beach shoes you should not step on the coral anyway. Lots of lounge chairs, no problem getting 4 together wherever we wanted, sun or shade at the beach or pool.

Shows – pretty good, some people called it “amateurish” but I would not. Shows like the African night, Michael Jackson, Cats, magic show were very entertaining. Unfortunately we missed the Caribbean street party and the beach party.

Kids Club – our 10 year old played in there a total of about 1 hour when there were a few other boys his age. Mostly younger kids, looked like ages 3-7 or so. Some games under cover and some playground equipment outside. The kids that were in there always seemed to be having fun.

Side Trips / Excursions – we did the Outback Safari one day which we enjoyed very much. I’ll do a separate review on the “Things to Do” section. We also did horseback riding from the end of the beach – this appeared to be an “off-the-books” $100 US transaction through Omar or Miguel at the Scuba Caribe hut. They took us through the back entrance to the Bachata and we rode for a little less than 2 hours through a village and back road and then on the beach on the other side of the bay from the Bachata. We only enjoyed this because we have never ridden before and I wanted the kids to see how the locals lived. Really, I wouldn’t do this again but am glad I did it once. We went to the Cable Car, which was a very nice side trip. Take a taxi from the lobby ($35 US plus tip for round-trip) and he’ll wait for you. TIP: the cable car costs 200 pesos each, make the exchange in the hotel lobby – that’s $6 US each. A guide took us immediately from the taxi and walked us through the entire area but when I tried to tip him at the end he kept asking for more. TIP: if a guide approaches you make sure you agree on a price first, otherwise you can always do a self-guided tour. There is no need to get a guide here. We then tried to book a snorkel trip through the on-site Scuba Caribe people but for various reasons (weather, not enough people signed up for the trip we wanted, etc.), so we did not end up doing this. TIP: I would recommend booking as soon as you get there so that if you are postponed or the trip is cancelled you can reschedule.

General travel tips – bring a pen to fill out the various immigration and customs forms. Also, we used the Bubba Keg to protect our duty-free rum (put the bottle inside the keg wrapped in t-shirts) when we had to recheck it in the luggage in Miami. If you have a direct flight, no problems but if you have a connection in Miami or elsewhere you will have to recheck your luggage since you cannot bring a liter in your carry-on.

Overall, we had a great time and would highly recommend this resort. We have been to a Riu Palace in Cancun and obviously this did not measure up to that but it was exactly as advertised and we really enjoyed it. Please feel free to contact me with any specific questions.

We stayed at the Rui Bachata Hotel as we knew it was a good hotel as we knew people who had stayed there. Hotel food is good room cleanliness is good, reception service o.k, entertainment poor! The main problem with the entertainment is that you have to watch it as you are very much confined to your hotel in the north of the Dominican as there is no where to go, also it is not safe to go anywhere at night. The main problem we had with this hotel was the holiday rep MARTIN and the LOCALS We knew they let a few locals in at the weekends but wht we experienced on our stay at the Rui Bachata was beyond belief! There were so many locals that the pool area turned into local swimming baths. It was absolutely mobbed with locals so much so that it was hard to spot a holiday maker it really was beyond belief. The hotel also done extra things at the weekends as the locals were there. Their disco changed from English to Spanish to suite the locals, put dvd's on for the kids whch they do not usually do and 2 lifeguards in the pool where there is usually none! I have nothing against the local people but i did not want to spend my holiday with them. Thats what excursions are for if you want to get a taste of local life. Their children were left to run riot, the adult locals nicked your towels or threw your towels on the floor and took your beds, it got so bad in the sister hotel (Mambo) that there was a physical punch up between English and locals due to locals nIcking stuf! Also the beach at the Bachata is not what you would expect when staying in the Caribbean, it is small un natural and small bits of corals that cut your feet! I am disgusted that the hotel turned into a circus at the weekends and the holiday makers became the minority and took a back seat! Never complained about a holiday before so I am not a natural moaner. We had two kids with us and the entertainment was poor. You rely heavily on the entertainment as there is nowhere or nothing to do outside the complex at nights. When we discussed the locals problem with the Thomson Rep he said: "well, it is their country" not the sort of thing you want to hear when you have spent over £3,000 on a family holiday that is basically ruined at the weekends. I did talk to lower management hotel staff who we made friends with about the locals situation and they said, it is because the kids are off school(from June to August) she also said that she has worked there 6 years and has never seen it as mobbed as what it has been! I would like to add that the resturant staff cannot do enough for you. BE AWARE,the hotel shop is a rip off $7 dolars for a bag of crisps yeh thats right $7 so it gives you an idea of its excessive expense. my advice is to wlak to the top of the road hail down a taxi (negotiate your price first) and get a wait and return taxi to the local supermarket which is called tropical. Get all what you may need for two weeks it is very cheap - example( can of red bull 46 peso which is about 70p) wait and return cab cost us $20. DO NOTcange your english money with your tour operator they tell you they are the best in town. I got 5.5 pesos to the pound and when i got out there the worst is see was 6.1 big difference.Be carefull when using dollars as shops will give you a poor exchange rate as they turn everything into peso. Best you can do with your money is to take the Pound with you and change it into pesos at the hotel. I recomend Monster Trucking and Paradise Island excursions. Ocean World is a rip off and boring. This is an honest review and hope it helps....regards...Ray

We were there from 6/22 - 6/29..Not bad..but there were some issues..1. In the room you have NO control over the air..it is set by the hotel at about 78 degrees 2. The kid camp is not really supervised, the kids can come and go as they please..my kids are 6 and 9 so there was no problem but I would have liked to have some kind of planned activities 3. The natives who are on the beach are relentless they pretty much physically take you to their shops...Otherwise, they were nice in the hotel and the property was well maintained and the food was average

We stayed at the Riu Bachata the week of June 21st. I booked through Expedia, which gave a better package deal than CheapCarribean.Com. I managed to upgrade to a junior suite for a little more mone-definately worth it. Rountrip air from Jet Blue AND parking at JFK were all included in the price of $981 per person 5 nights- a fantastic deal. Met at the airport by Club Caribe rep, and taken to the Riu. BTW book only one way, the rate is half price than expedia for the return $12 person.

Our room was not ready at 4:30, but we ate lunch, and room was ready in 30 min., and had a great corner Jr. Suite second floor with a fantastic ocean view room 124-definately one of the best. Bring Lysol, as the rooms smell a little musty, most do in the Carribean, and we have been to most of the islands. But whole resort was spotless. always people in cleaning mode. Non potable drinking water but water in mini fridge, also soda beer,and four types of liquor on wall rack, local but adequte.

Here is where I part with the other bloggers. The food was great. I am not picky, and breakfast was very good with smoothies, all eggs made to order, and the usual fruits and cereals. OJ was a bit weak, but we ate on the open veranda daily and had great coffee with our meals. Dinners were also very good, the mariachi night had the best food, and I did not have a bad meal all week, great variety. It is also catering to European visitors, so you should at least try different foods, and also Dominican specialties, I thought the food was varied nicely daily and did not get tired of it, with many new foods to try daily. I had the best steak au poive, my favorite, on one night. We also ate at the steak house, which was good, Itlaian only fair, but more than adequate, as we were spoiled by the buffet food. Again for a three star resort, which this is, the food was superior. It is not 5 star and I judge accordingly. Superior food for a 3 star.

The grounds were very nice, three pools, non -working jacuzzi, always seating available, get there early for Palapa chairs though.Swim-up bar was nice, bartenders make awsome drinks, especially mojitos. You can also get real coconut drinks at the bar on the beach itself, with the real coconut shells. People are friendly, I speak fluent Spanish, but never saw a server being rude to a guest speaking only English. Tipping is always good for better service, a few dollars goes a long way. Median income in the DR is $500 month, minimum wage is $150 month. So do tip, the maid, the barmen, and restarant workers, even if it is only $1, they do appreciate it.

We took one excursion to Paradise Key, I would recommend it because it gives you a perspective of the country, 2 hour ride each way. Great snorkeling on a nice sandy islet, with tons of fish to see on the reef, snacks and rum drinks on the islet. Speedboat ride out, and tour of the mangrove forests on the way back. Plus lunch of fresh fish and salads at a tiny restaurant on the beach. If you go feed the scrawny cat at the restaurant, I made sure she was fed, she lives there, nice small white cat. Also got a good view of the Haitian coast only 2 miles form the island, cost only $85/person-well worth it, book through your guide at the hotel.

All in all great value, great hotel- you get the use of three. Could not recommend more, and we have stayed all over the carribean. Fantastic deal for 3 star..5 stars are stuffy anyway.We made it over to the other two hotels, nice pool and bar at the Merenge, small at the Mambu, beach is nice in front of all three and is continous, but best is at the farthest point at the Bacahata, underneath the gazebo at the point, very quiet and nice and sandy in the swimming area, no rocks.

Enjoy!! We did.