This is the worst holiday I’ve had in many years… But the reason why might surprise you.

There are things that need to be said about the Riu Merengue that you won’t find in other reviews but you NEED to know… Firstly, I should say that I have no grudges against anybody, I didn’t have any overly bad experiences and I have no axe to grind. My WHOLE decision on where to go on holiday was based solely on these trip advisor reviews, so I think it’s only right I give my feedback with my own review to help you make your decision. Read this.

After a long flight you get there to a good welcome greeting where the reception staff talks you through a few things while the porter “hussles” you, I mean helps you with your bags. They don’t give you any choice, they ask for your bags and you walk to your room. When the porter got there, he drops off your bags and expects a tip, I tipped him a dollar because I’d carried my bags half way across the world, I’m sure I could manage a few feet more, to which he turned up his nose, grunted and stormed out. This left me with a slightly bitter taste in my mouth from the start. Anyway, onto the room

Room
The room smelled strange, like it was unclean and the smell didn’t go away all holiday, the reason I didn’t say anything was because I’d just had one of the longest days of my life and we just wanted to settle in. The rooms are pretty big with a big balcony. They are NOT what you’d expect from a 4 or 5 star hotel. I’d say trip advisor’s 3 star rating is much more appropriate. The room looked tired and needed some close attention to the shower area grout and fixtures. The maid was useless.

Cleanliness
The hotel overall was very clean, maids squirting alcohol gel in the toilets and food areas and the grounds were tidy and well kept. The room was not very clean.

The service
It really feels like you get good service IF you tip. If you don’t, you’ll probably get OK service. For example, TIP the fridge (yes, it’s meant to be all inclusive) and it’ll be stocked properly, if not, it’s very sparse.The casino staff are frankly, rude, ignorant and should all be fired. But generally, most staff are pretty friendly and hola a lot of the time.

The pool
The Merengue pool was frankly disgusting. Even though they had a pool boy working on it daily, it was a joke. Floating white bits, floating black bits – not clean at all. However, as we were leaving they had closed the pool and were cleaning it up and repainting it – it needed it badly. It should be better presuming they keep the water quality decent. The Bachata pool was cleaner.

The beach and sea
The Merengue beach was simple. Sand and sea. Again the Bachata beach was way better with more shaded areas. The sea is BAD… Stones, rocks, grass, sea weed, coral everywhere. The rocks were the main problem. You won’t be body boarding here. If you take a lilo out into the sea you better be careful it doesn’t pop on the rocks. The sea is very disappointing. Unless you only want a simple paddle and you don’t mind wearing shoes in the sea you’ll be fine. Don’t listen to reviews that say the Bachata sea or mambo sea is better – it’s not. If you’re a sea lover, stay away from these Riu hotels, it’s very poor. The waves are kinda non-existent. Very windy every day but this didn’t bother me, cools you down in the sun.

Daytime entertainment
This was reminiscent of raves from the early 90’s with happy hardcore. It consisted of fast 160 bpm music and a man screaming down the microphone. The meringue attracted younger people in the day because of this – too rowdy for anybody looking to relax. The animacion team TRY too hard. Yes, they are very active, but they are very in your face, and very loud. You could easily escape them by going to the Bachata or Mambo where the staff were more laid back and less aggressive.

The island and location of the hotel
The hotel overall was a good hotel but with some major problems that it couldn’t help – namely its location. Simply the wrong place. Riu should have located elsewhere. The sea quality is bad. There is nowhere to go in the nearby vicinity… Nowhere.

Food
Better than we expected but by the second week you’ll be tired of it. By the last few days I couldn’t stand the smell of the buffet any more. Everything starts to taste the same. Garlic. Salt. The steak house is a joke. We joked it should be called the salt house. Terrible, we ran away mid meal, we couldn't finish it.

Night time Entertainment
Bad. Very bad. And it’s the same at all of the hotels. Awful. There are some “fruity” dancers that mime to all the songs and do all the shows. They aren’t in time and are funny because they mime so badly, but this wears thin after a while. The animacion team in the Merengue try their best, they really do, but its not good enough. At every opportunity it seems like they try to get their bodies out. The guys are constantly skipping around in next to nothing or dressing as women, and the women don't wear much more. At times it leaves you thinking "omg there are kids here, should he be simulating s*x like that?!?". They scream down the mic in different languages and are obsessed with making the audience CLAP...CLAP... CLAP... SHOUTING CLAP CLAP CLAP... all night. Riu REALLY need to sort out their entertainment – it wouldn’t be so bad if you had somewhere else to go in the evenings, but you’re trapped. All the hotels are as bad as each other and you can’t go out. The disco is ok, if you can stand 3 English/American songs followed by 5 or 6 Spanish songs (wow that stuff grates after a while).

Reps
The TC reps are pretty poor. Awful pitch on the excursions, she nervously skipped through her pitch and they were never around when you needed them. However, the Thomson rep (Scottish lass) was EXCELLENT. We weren't with Thomson but she was so helpful to us and deserves an award. Seriously, the amount of times I heard her sticking up for guests when somebody was trying to scam them (for example dodgy taxi drivers etc) Seriously good.

Trips
We went with Thomas Cook and can I say, the excursions were all over priced. Expect to pay around $100 each for most of the excursions, stuff you’d get for $10 - $30 elsewhere. Not high quality excursions, just basic stuff. Scuba Caribe offer excursions also but they are to be avoided at all costs. If you’re going to do the trips, do them through your rep. Scuba Caribe cancelled one of our trips we’d paid for but didn’t tell us until we were meant to go on it, so we stayed out of the sun all day until we were meant to go. Wasted day. No apology offered. We booked the Tip Top boat trip with them too – what a joke. Total waste of time and money. In fact, the excursions on this part of the island are very poor. Even ocean world was nothing special. Beware people saying it’s great, they are just romanced by the thought of swimming with dolphins, which’ll set you back $165 and isn’t all that. The honest truth is there’s not much at all to do there.

The Island
Dominican Republic is poor. Very poor. Go out your hotel and you’ll find the roads lined with shanty towns, huts and young men with machetes – this sounds ridiculous, but a taxi ride is eye opening. If you go to the Merengue expect to spend all your time in the hotel, there’s nowhere to go. At times, it felt more like a prison than a holiday. If you’re looking for a relaxing holiday on the beach (I mean sun bathing and reading a book) with no interest in the sea – it’d be great. But I need more from a holiday. I like to get out a bit. Explore the locality. Do some exciting stuff. You won’t be doing that here.

I could write hundreds of pages on why I would not recommend this place to anybody and I’d still miss some stuff out.

Conclusion:
It’s not ALL bad. It’s a decent hotel, and would be a good 3 star. The location is its worst point. This part of the island is NOT beautiful and the locals are poor preventing you from going outside safely – not that there’s anything around to go out for! Don’t be tricked into thinking that the other two hotels will make up for the shortcomings of the Merengue, they won’t. They are all clones and might as well be one big hotel. But that wouldn’t get them 3 pages in the brochures. The shows are the same. The foods the same. The pools are similar etc. The people who enjoy this holiday enjoy it because they built relationships with the “in your face” animacion staff. BARE this in mind when you read the reviews. Many of them refer to them by their name. But the staff can’t carry this hotel. It’s simply not everything people are making it out to be.

P.s. Be careful of the baggage allowance scam on the way back. Weigh your bags on an empty scale on an unused till BEFORE you check in – otherwise you might have to pay for the guys foot on the scales like we almost did.

Honestly, take my advice. Unless you want a relax on the beach (which you can have much cheaper closer to home) don’t bother. Poor trips. Poor location. Poor sea. Felt more like a prison than a holiday. We talked to quite a few people that couldn’t wait to get home including us. Lots of them advised we try mexico. Sorry, I can’t recommend this one – don’t be sold due to the positive reviews on here. Try elsewhere. I hope this helps somebody make a more informed decision.

Just returned from this fantastic hotel 25th May – 8th June. Our party was our 11 year old son and my husband and I.

We hadn’t originally booked to stay at the Riu Merengue, we only changed to this hotel due to the fact that our normal hotel at Playa Dorada had building work. We had however stayed at a Riu hotel in the past of new what to standards to expect.

This hotel is set in between two other Riu hotels, and set on a private beach with amazing scenery. On arrival we were greeted by staff where booking in was made quick and easy, and received an ice cold fruit punch. The bell boys took our luggage to our room, which was received quickly all for a $1 tip per bag.

On entry to restaurant a waitress gives you anti-bacteria gel for your hands and also when you leave the toilets. The main restaurant had a wide choice of food to choice from, pasta, fish, meat joint, fresh pizza among varies other dishes. Also there was a theme night once a week. You certainly won’t go hungry. Snake bar is available from 10.30 am – 5.00pm and again from 10.30 pm until late.

The entertainment staff work really hard it may not suit everyone, but it can’t be said that it was poor. These guys work from 10am – 11.30pm always with a smile. There is plenty of activities to do through out the day, including bowls, horseshoes, water polo, football, aerobics plus many more, but if you don’t wont to get involved you are not hassled into it. Evening entertainment starts at 8 o’clock with mini disco and the main show at 9.30 this can we professional dancing or light humoured entertainment from the team. Great group of people, Jessy, Mickey Mouse, Blondi, Elvis, Cheeky monkey to name a few.

Room were good mini bar stocked regularly, and maids were good. Air con was not the coldest in the world but certainly did the job.

Overall great hotel, great staff down to maids up to management, great entertainment team with plenty to do if you choose.

I have recently returned back from a 7 nt holiday at the Riu Merengue and had an absoltely fabulous time. I travelled with my hubby, my 12mth old daughter. mum & dad. I work for thomas cook and booked this 3 weeks before hand as we had to cancel our original holiday and we were so glad we did.

As you've probably picked up from previous reviews, this is 3 sister hotels on the same resort(Merengue/Mambo/Bachata). You can use all the facilities/restaurants etc at all 3 hotels. Although the Bachata seems to have the better pool, we avoided it because after having breakfast on the veranda at the bachata, we were attacked by Mozzies and the pool was the same. It was damp with loads of greenery and everybody lying around had been bitten. So we just stuck withthe Merengue pool, which was great.

The beach was a private beach for all hotels and it was beautiful. The sand was nice, abit shingly near the waters edge, but there was palms trees which gave adequate shade and no shortage of sunbeds.

The main buffet restaurant was spotless and the food was lovely. It was always hot and I don't think we ate the same thing twice. There was an abundance of choice to suit all tastes and I can honestly say I've stayed All Inclusive before and never had this much choice.
We only visited the Ala carte steakhouse once and would of gladly paid good money for the meal we had. We all had fillet steak and it was perfect. Although we didn't get round to the Italian, I heard a couple of people complaining the menu wasn't very italian??? *** Tip: They tell you to make reservations at the main restaurant at 10am - we had to be there at 9.15am to guarantee a table ***

The room was nice, the beds were comfortable and very clean. Although the cot for my daughter was like something from a romanian orphanage. The maids came each day and changed the sheets and towels, we had to make sure the doors were kept shut because the mozzies are quick at getting in. They stock your mini fridge every 2 days, but if you tip $2 they'll stock it every day with extras. There is also optics in the room to keep you going.

The staff are so friendly - they were great with my daughter, always fussing over her with lots of smiles and "ola baba". They were very helpful and nothing was too much trouble.

They are tip top on cleanliness. The whole hotel was immaculate, they were constantly cleaning, sweeping, washing whatever they could, even your own hands when you come from the toilet or restaurant with cleansing gel.

We met some great people there too so a big hello to : Mike and Jo, Ian & Sandra, Mick Liz & Katie, Tom & Danielle, Pete & Cally.

Even the weather was fab, it just got hotter and hotter each day, only 1 overcast day (although Ive been told it rained alot after we left).

Although Ive been to the North (puerto plata) before on an educational with work, you can get some nice hotels and some real grotty ones and the beaches aren't really up to much, this hotel for me was just an absolute fab all rounder. I would definately go back and I will always recommend it to future customers who are booking the Dom rep.

Trip Advisor
Trip Report

At: Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
Hotel : Riu Merengue- standard room
Address Bahia De Maimon, Puerto Plata, POP, DR
Length of stay- seven nights
May 3 to May 9, 2008

I liked the Riu Merengue. My room had a nice tile floor with an outside balcony. The mini bar was stocked with vodka, gin, rum, and whiskey. The hard Liquor was second shelf, so I had to use a liberal hand when pouring to get a strong drink. It was also stocked with two pepsi's, two diet cola's, two tonic water, and club soda's and two beers. The min fridge is re stocked every two days, which I found very adequate. Bottled water is also supplied. Make sure it is sealed.
DON'T DRINK THE WATER FROM THE TAP UNLESS YOU WANT TO BECOME VERY SICK FOR 5 OR SIX DAYS.
The 20 inch T.V. had poor reception on the English speaking channels, a few Spanish channels came in clear. I remember about 40 channels.
There is a room safe in the closet.
The grounds of the resort are well kept and landscaped. There is about a mile of beach and three hotels. You can use any pool, bar, or night club on the properties, but you must eat meals at your hotel.
If you want very good service at the resort bars, tip your bartender a few dollars each night.
The resort also has a shoppers row- sundries, pharmacy, gym, cigars, and a small game room.
If you visit the resorts web site, they state men must wear a jacket to dinner. Nonsense. I wore a jacket my first night and I was cooked along with my dinner. I was the only fool, correction, person to wear a jacket in a dining hall with two hundred people. Wear casual, or classy casual, and you'll be fine. The "jacket policy" is probably only enforced to throw out an occasional unruly person.
The Beach is very nice with plenty of chaise chairs for everyone. The ocean was very rocky if you went in about 10 feet. Once over the rocks, the sea became a submerged Savannah with grass growing on the bottom. It was about three feet deep and you can wade out quite far in thigh deep water. The resort was between two rocky headlands of water. I did not detect any strong currents, but this beach ( Atlantic Ocean ? ) is not very good for swimming or snorkeling.
As you come to either end of the resorts beach boundary, there are shacks that sell souvenir. Be leery of the cigars. Most are over priced or of poor quality. The vanilla cigars are good. Most item's, probably all, can be bartered over. Most vendors were polite, but there was definitely pressure to buy. If you make a right on the beach, a hut is advertising one hour massages for U.S. $ 40:00. I did not get a massage here, but it might be worth a try. One shop keeper warned me not to continue down the beach, as it became isolated and possibly I could be robbed. There was a warning sign not to continue posted on a tree.
The food was surprisingly good for Buffet style. Each night, the Buffet would feature a carved turkey, roasted pork ( very good ) and of course, endless pasta dishes, beef, chicken, pork and stir fry's, and endless variations. Usually, one fish dish. The grouper fish was excellent both nights I tried it. Try it with the fish gravy. I do wish they had more sea food selections, and prime rib of beef at least one night would have been nice.
Three kinds of wine and beer are served complimentary at your request by wait staff.
Two kinds of soup- usually passable- O.K., I'm a bit of a soup Nazi when it comes to soup.
There was also a complete salad bar, cheese and fruit. One night I had a wedge of bleu cheese for dessert !
A decent desert bar with pastries, and a ice cream sundae bar round out your dining experience.
Breakfast was a nice affair, with almost any thing you would want. Scrambled eggs, fried eggs, sunny side or over, made to order omelets, French toast, pancakes that were excellent one morning, and passable the next, and your usual mix of cereal ( hot and cold ) toast, pastries, bagels, and fruit.
Do try the morning juice bar, six different blends of fresh squeezed juice. I really liked the banana smoothie.
The Merengue had two sit down restaurants, Italian and a steak house. Both were decent, but the steaks are not the same quality as in the states. You must make reservations before 10:00 am in the main Buffet room for these restaurants. The main attraction for both places, after you help yourself at the soup and salad bar, your order is then taken and your dinner, dessert and coffee are served by wait staff.
Lunch was O.K. A salad and Fruit bar, Hamburgers, hot dogs, soup.
The late night snacks, usually after hitting the bars and nightclubs, was only passable. Usually Hamburgers, French Fries, pizza.
The water and ice in the restaurants and bars are purified.
I am a bit of a gourmand, and there is a LOT of food. I was basically happy with the food.
My final thoughts on the Riu Merengue are it is a beautiful resort, and if you don't mind staying in the resort, you will have a great time. I like to roam and explore the country side by myself , even if that means walking or taking a local bus, and there is a safety issue. Many parts of the island were very bland and not scenic, but I did tour every where.
It is the most economical of all the islands for what you get.

Renova spa- I had a very good massage by Jessy. Ask for the Buy three massage-get one free, before YOUR first massage $ 70:00 dollars for fifty minutes. I had the deep tissue. Sports, Swedish and others therapies avaliable.
Located on middle of beach. Main office on shoppers row.
www.renovaspa.com

Tours around the Island

Outback Safari $ 79:00 A huge open truck takes you through the country side. Visit a native house, and be served delicious spiced coffee made with cinnamon and brown sugar. Visit a local farm and learn native plants. A refreshing swim in a river. A boat tour and local spiders and snakes. Decent lunch. An ocean swim on an empty beach. A stop at an souvenir stand. Sit behind the cab to save your back. Excellent guides. Highly recommended.

Cayo Paraiso $ 90:00 dollars. A twisty drive thru the mountains ( one person became car sick, and I almost did ) and you arrive at the ocean. A speed boat whisks you to a sandbar in the ocean, where each company has huts set up. snorkeling gear is supplied, and the snorkeling is very good. Fresh fruit, rum and soda is supplied, along with a "sandwich" of one slice of ham.
You return to the coast and visit the mangroves. Then a lunch of fish or chicken and pasta. Long drive thru boring country side of dried out pastures on a dirt road. Stop at a cigar factory and return to your hotel. Recommended.

Freestyle Catamaran- $ 79:00 Dollars .What I thought would be a scenic sail down the coast turned into a horse powered cruise. The reef at one spot appeared dead. Another reef was not much better, with a lack of reef colors and fish. Lunch consisted of rolls, lunch meat turkey, ham, and a choice of mayo or mustard. Hard boiled eggs and a weak looking pasta salad was supplied. Don't bother going back for seconds, everyone had one sandwich and the "Buffet" was complete.
Beer, rum and soda was dispensed, and that was the extent of the "Bar" So, the lunch and open bar can be summed up as "joke".
The "highlight" of this trip was when I was whistled back to the boat from snorkeling. The crew decided to have a "Biggest splash" contest. Gee, I thought it was a snorkeling adventure .
On the cruise back, the crew entertained us with singing and dancing. Don't ask. At the completion of the tour, the crew told us they hoped we had a good time. And if we did not, don't tell anyone ! The final insult was the tip jar, which a crew member shoved in everyone's face. My rating ? Save your money.

I used Apple vacations- my thanks to local representative Gustavo for arranging the tours and his advice.

All tours- bring ticket, bathing suit, sunblock, towel, extra money.