Hotel Riu Bambu - All Inclusive♡

A good place for the price

6.0

This resort is not a 4 or 5 star I believe. I was away just my daughter and myself ( she’s 22) so we could go to the parties and hang out by the pool. If you are going here for luxury don’t. It is a ok resort with some great staff. The food was ok, no real complaints other than the à la carte restaurants were actually buffet style as well which I didn’t like. The steak house is the only only restaurant that isn’t, and the food was amazing there! So good!! The pools are really nice swim bar is great as well, great service at the bars. Lots of sun chairs in pool area but they do fill up quickly. All in all it was a fun trip on a budget more so feel.

Good

8.0

I would like to mention Proki from bar Azucar who was one bar staff that gave us excellent service. Bar Sands first week not so good Bar staff require training on manners and smiling. Generally hotel and rooms are getting a bit tatty and require refurbishing

A fun family vacation

6.0

The pools and beach at RIU Bambu are beautiful and they make up for a lot of what this resort is lacking. The food is all buffet and pretty basic. If you go with the pasta or the other live cooking stations you can put together a decent meal but otherwise the food is ok. The rooms are also dated and need renovation. That being said me and my two kids 17 and 15 had a very enjoyable vacation hanging by the pool and the beach. Just know before you go this is a 3 star hotel overall and if you aren’t looking for luxury or gourmet food you will have a great time.

2026 Girls’ Trip

8.0

We just got back from a girls trip and overall had a great time. We would recommend this resort for younger, healthy, and mobile guests. Here’s our honest and balanced take. Hotel & Rooms Our first room was extremely far from the main lobby, beach, and restaurants. At a resort this large, we were surprised there’s no transportation to move guests around. Because one of us has mobility issues, we requested a change, and the staff accommodated us with a much closer room near the beach in Building 90. That location turned out to be perfect. The room itself was updated and kept very clean. The housekeeping staff did an excellent job throughout our stay. The only issue was the shower door, which didn’t work well—but the shower had great water pressure and plenty of hot water. Food The buffet (used for breakfast, lunch, and dinner) had good food, but after a few days it became repetitive. Also, much of the food was served warm to room temperature rather than hot, which wasn’t ideal. We ate at only one à la carte restaurant, the steakhouse, and it was excellent. The steak portions were huge—easily enough to share—and the Angus burger was amazing. If you plan to go, line up early. They open at 6:00 pm; we were in line at 5:15 pm and the line was already long. If you miss the first seating, you could be waiting an hour and a half. Beach The beach is beautiful. There is seaweed every morning, but staff clean it several times a day. There is also some seaweed in the water, and the ocean is quite rough—definitely not calm like Varadero in Cuba. That said, it felt very natural, refreshing, and we had fun playing in the waves. Pool & Wi-Fi The pool area is very noisy and clearly geared toward a younger crowd, with loud music and a party vibe most of the day. Wi-Fi throughout the resort can be very spotty and disconnects regularly, which was frustrating at times. Final Thoughts We truly enjoyed our trip, especially after the room change. The resort is lovely, the staff work hard, and the beach setting is gorgeous. Just be aware that the size of the property, lack of internal transportation, noisy pool atmosphere, and unreliable Wi-Fi can be challenging—especially for anyone with mobility concerns or those looking for a quieter, more relaxed environment.

My experience with Transportation

6.0

The restaurant were good and the staff at the Colonial and Mama Juana restaurant were amazing. Their service was excellent. I gave it a three out of five because at the end of my stay. After speaking with Ezequiel that helped me and my sister with transportation to go back to the airport. All information was given to him travel dates and all. He also helped us book a trip for the horse back running and zip lining knowing we had to leave Sunday morning at 7:30 am and back to the resort at 4:30 pm. Ezequiel schedule is from 9-3 pm, which didn’t give us time to meet with him or anyone else about making sure that our transportation was set for Monday morning. Our plane was scheduled to depart at 11:30 am. I was at the lobby this morning at 7:00 am trying to figure out transportation, my family couldn’t eat breakfast. I tried reaching out to Ezequiel but no answer till I was already at the airport. The front desk did get a touch with him and we spoke in the phone and his exact words were there’re nothing I can do. I was left with no help or transportation. I don’t understand how since Ezequiel knew our travel information since Saturday. We had a big group, 11 people traveling for my mom’s 65th birthday. This left a bad experience for me and my family. At the end we had to pay for a taxi ourself just to not miss our flight. But thankfully we made it home safe. I don’t think I’ll stay here again.

Some Improvement

8.0

Employees need to know where restaurants and other ground locations are located. Many employees point you in the wrong direction. Also, do something about spraying for bugs located on the first level floor. Had a roach running around at night.