Hotel Riu Mambo / Riu Merengue Reviews

Got back last Monday from the best holiday I've had in a long time. What a fantastic hotel. All of the staff could not do enough for you. I cannot find fault with any department from reception through to the maintenance team. Absolutely outstanding & will defainately be going back! Top tips below.

1. Take plenty of small notes. These people earn an average of $100 per month so a $2 tip is very much appreciated & will ensure you are treated very very well.

2. Don't bother taking your own towels. You swap tokens for towels in the mornings. If you are going on a trip tell them the evening before & they will let you have towels for the trip. We went on a trip that involved horse riding in the tail end of Tropical Storm Fay so they got filthy. I took them back & apologised but they were absolutely fine. Nothing is too much trouble at the Merengue.

3. If you are planning to go on the Monster Truck trip to see the island take sweets, colouring pencils etc for the kids from home. There is not an awful lot to buy at the resort. I also recommend taking the toiletries from the bathroom for a few days before you go & giving them to the locals.

4. Sunbeds - I read a lot before going that all the beds were gone before 7.30am. I never had any trouble gettinmg our usual spot by the pool & I never went down before 8.30-9am. True there were beds with towels on at 7.30 but by no means all of them.

5. The buffet is amazing. Oscar makes omlettes at breakfast to die for. Every evening you could chose something different. Don't load you plate up as you can go back as many times as you want. Still on food none of us had an upset tummy at all while we were there. At the entrance to the restuarnts & on the exits to toilets there is a lady with hand gel. Everybody used it & I didn't hear of anyone being ill.

6. Alcohol - it's all inclusive so you can drink as much as you want. However you would have to be there a very long time to get wasted as it's not as strong as you would expect at home. That said avoid the 151 rum. It's lethal at 80% proof & tastes like BBQ lighter!

7. Last & by no means least the animation team. How hard do those guys work. OK so they are not West End performers but they put everything they have in to keeping you happy. I cannot praise them enough. Donald Duck, Sexy Coli, Bill Gates, Bad Boy, Blondie & all the rest are great!

just returned after 2 weeks.the hotel and staff are first class but the best part are the entertainment team donald duck,mickey mouse,bill gates,sexy coly and the rest they work so hard and they make this hotel if it wasnt for them it would be so boring whatever they get paid it isnt enough.went shopping into the town a couple of times and didnt have any problems got a great manicure and pedicure for about 4 quid also got nail extensions for 10 dollars what a bargain.my rep was abi from thomas cook and she was fantastic and went in a taxi shopping with her so thanks.cant fault this hotel they are so helpful and friendly they cant do enough for you.i did 4 trips the dolphins fab,the cattamarran was ok,dominican discovery fantastic and cable cars did full day but wish i only did halve as felt a bit harrassed at all the stops.going back next year.*********

The recepetion area was spacious and airy staff excellent, gardens were lovely and the blocks of rooms were nicley spaced, rooms were a good size for 2, however we struggled to get clean towels every day too many times we had to phone reception to have them sent over, the pool is too small for the size of the hotel and if your not an early riser (6am) you don't stand a chance for a sun bed around it but the beach is nice, i would say breezy but windy is more the word ok in the morning but the wind realy gets up in the afternoon so much so it lifts the sand and your covered, if you can put up with that it is great. The sea is not crystal clear like you would expect of the carribean and there are rocks about 2 meters in walk down to the mambo end the wind is less and the sand goes out a bit further better for kids. Bar staff great always singing and dancing, they bring trays of drinks down on the beach when they are quiet, a nice touch. The animation team work very hard, they are constantly larking about and playing games with everyone if you don't like this you just have to say no thank you and there gone, but really they are good fun especially micky mouse, bill gates and donald duck, Locals come in hotel and use all the fasilities at the weekend making it very busy. Food - Breakfast good choice omlettes done while you waite, smoothies, cereal etc, Day time good choice at pool side pizza's, burgers etc, Evenings buffet in main restaurant not the best i've every had but not the worst, not a great choice, everyday very similar, steak house 10/10, Overall we've stayed in other riu's and the food was much better. Evening entertainment was average some excellent nights. TOP TIPS Pack the imodium because everyone we met had a problem at some time over the 2 weeks, buy cigs at airport going home, don't waste your money on the VIP lounge airport aircon ok and plenty of seats, visit the huts at the end of beaches they can be pushy but they are cheap. Take pencils, books, hair bobbles etc if you are going on trips for local kids in stead of sweets. FINALLY we had a great holiday but we wouldn't go back, hope this helps with your choice

Top Tips!

1. Don't bring beach towels. Save space in your suitcases! At check in you are given a card for each person which you can exchange for a fresh beach towel as often as you like, the towel hut is open beside the pool 0800 – 1700 every day. It’s fine to take these towels out of the hotel on day trips e.g. Ocean World. Don’t lose them though, or it’s $20.

2. Brand name spirits are available for free at all bars, but they are hidden away and you have to ask for them by name EVERY time. There are Gordon’s gin, Smirnoff vodka and Ballantine’s whisky.

3. Tip the minibar man who refills the fridge and spirit bottles in your room and he’ll look after you very well.

All 3 hotels are fantastically clean. Rooms are thoroughly cleaned every day, with new towels and sheets and the furniture is even moved to clean behind! Gardeners pick up fallen branches, etc. every day. As said on all other reviews, staff are just great. They really appreciate a few words of Spanish, especially the maids, cleaners etc. Food was excellent, especially the breakfasts. We were 2 adults and 2 kids in one room and that was a bit cramped - although the rooms are spacious for 2 occupants.

There were guests from USA, Canada, France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy as well as well-off Dominicans and all parts of the UK. It was a bit crazy our first weekend when large numbers of local people appeared, but they left Sunday teatime, and it’s a big enough place to find somewhere peaceful if you want to.

The beach is lovely, but as others have said it’s the Atlantic not the Caribbean so may not be the blue calm water you expect. There are always little waves and I would recommend water shoes as there are sea urchins just a few feet out from the water’s edge - you can see these when snorkelling ($25 deposit required). All non motorised water sports are free, we did kayaking (single and doubles are available) and pedaloes. You usually have to reserve these a little in advance, and they don’t let them go out if there’s a red flag on the beach. We loved watching the sand crabs and woodpeckers on the beach.

This is a beautiful place, you’ll have a lovely holiday.

Recently returned home from 2 weeks in the Dominican Republic with my boyfriend. We stayed at the Riu Mambo hotel after reading so many positive reviews on it. Well, what can I say, every last one is true. Where the hotel is situated is truely beautiful, this was my first time to the Carribean and it lived up to all my expectations, white sandy beaches, drinking out of coconuts and of course, glorious sunshine!

The hotel itself was lovely, the rooms were fantastic and had built in air con which is a great as it's so hot and humid there! In our room we had 3 double beds all joined together so you slept in the lap of luxury! The only negative thing about the room was that the shower temperature can be a little tempramental, which is no big deal really.

The restaurant was good, we could always find something to eat each night and the Mexican nights which are held every Saturday are not to be missed! You can use the two a la carte restaurants aswell which need to be booked that morning (included in the all inclusive) and the steak house is great. Hygiene was something that i was worried about as the evening meal is a buffet style, however my mind was put at ease the first night as antibacterial gels are being used around every corner!

The staff, well we'll start with the reception staff, they quite simply can't do enough for you,always smiling, the bar staff are great fun and always like you to try a newly invented cocktail when you go up - it's great fun! the maids are fantastic and really do work hard, the toilets were immaculate all the time!! Last but not least the Animacion team, one word WOW! You'll see what I mean you get out there for yourselves!

Trips to go on...well we did 3, Ocean World, The Freestyle Katamaran and Paradise Island. Although it's the most expensive Ocean World should not be missed, I swam with dolphins and had an encounter with some sealions!!! I won't spoil it by going into detail but it's amazing! The other two were lovely too.

Flights, we were lucky and weren't delayed going out or coming back. I'm nearly 6 ft and was thinking about treating myself to the extra leg room in the plane as it's a 9 hour flight, don't, it's not necessary as the leg room is really generous, and doesn't actually differ to the extra leg room seats. My father who went to the Dom Rep 2 weeks before me, is 6ft 5 and didn't have any problems either!

In short this is a holiday not to be missed!!