Our time at the Rui Mambo in Puerto Plata

1st of all we all travelled through tropical storm Hanna on the plane but it was ok. When we arrived in the Dominican Republic, we had a band playing in the airport to welcome you to the Dominican Republic it was nice, airport transfer good about 40mins from it.

When we arrived we were met by Johnny the receptionist who did the meet and greet along with a welcome drink to the hotel which was very nice and personal touch


We a large party had nearly the whole of block 3 level 1 to ourselves and it was nice to beside everything, got unpacking and said we must tour the Riu resort, we did we went to the Merengue and the Bachata and its quite good that you can stay in one resort and use all 3.


Accommodation first class we had the chambermaid round every day and we have beautiful towel art in our rooms, air con the works, we had a maxi bar with full size optics which was a nice touch, cable TV and en-suite bathroom.


Pool area extremely clean and special thanks to Carlos and Kelvin who made sure we got towels and rubbers everyday throughout our 21 day stay.


Animation all excellent Bo-bo, Janet Jackson, Hula Hula, Crazy Froggie, Eddy Murphy, Chicken Little, Checoky, Lamar and not forgetting my mate DJ Joan(pounced DJ JO ANN). You Learn Salsa, Merengue and Bachata dances, Yoga, Play Darts, Horseshoes, French Bowls, Horse Riding, Beach Volley Ball, Water Polo and Water Aerobics and you see West End Standards of Shows every night


Bar staff excellent we had lovely cocktails and drinks, the bar team and the managers work very hard to please you and your needs thanks to Tito, Toto, Lisandro, Judith, Simon and El Minor


Restaurant staff again all excellent and thanks to Carmen, Ricky, Fernando, Ramiz , Melvin, Nino, David and Marcello


I would like to congratulate the head chef Ramon and his team for wonderful meals throughout the holiday food is all excellent (don’t believe all the negative comments on here)


The beach area, the beach by far is the best at the mambo more shaded and it has a beach bar at it.


Casino was great as well on the resort; it opens from 4pm to 4am in the mornings


Pachata Night Club is good for young people and people of all ages


Trips we took a trip by Benjamin who is a local guide(ask one of the guys in the green shirts at reception to call him) and we had him take us to Paradise Island and Puerto Plata on a shopping trip and his co partner in crime speedy the taxi driver (don’t worry he’s a very good driver and patient), did the Dominican Discovery with Thomas Cook and it’s well worth the money, you went to see towns, villages, schools, did horse riding, seen how local people live.


We used the other Hotels on the resort and you get the same standard in the Merengue and the Bachata as you would in the Mambo, mind you if you want imamate settings the Mambo is tops for that, the other 2 is good but more spread out


Book this Hotel it’s great and best about it is you can use all 3
I will return to this hotel and stroll in to the Merengue and Bachata for a bite to eat and drink and some up the Dominican way of life

We have just returned from 2 weeks at the Riu Mambo. Overall we had a feeling of disapointment with the hotel. Our room was extremely damp, bed sheets smelt and by the end of the 2 weeks our shoes and suitcases had started to grow mould. The plug sockets and light switches were also a bit dubious and some of the fittings were hanging from the wall. Furniture in our room was also broken and the mini bar/fridge did not work for 3 days despite asking each day for it to be fixed. We also found that the block we were staying in was very noisy. As we were in a ground floor room there was constant noise from above, ie the dragging of furniture across the floor etc. The tap fittings on the shower fell off and the temperature fluctuated from very cold to very hot in seconds. One for the girls, hair dryers and GHD straighteners do not work!!!
The evenings entertainment was also poor. There was not much varierty and alot of the shows including singing which was mimed, very poorly or they didn't bother miming at all. We found ourselves toward the end of the week not bothering to go at all.
We wouldn't recommend the Steak House or the Italian restaurants, which you have to book in for. They were a huge disapointment and dare i say pretty much the same menu.
On the plus side, the main hotel was very clean. There are maids stood outside every toilet and eating area with disenfectant hand gel for you to use. The main restaurant which supplied the buffet was where we ate most of our meals and the food we found to be good. The staff at the hotel are extremely polite and helpful and work very hard.
The good thing with this hotel was that we could use all three hotels facilities (except you had to eat at your own).
The swimming pools were a bit small but there was never a shortage of beds there or on the beach. The beach was clean and the water was nice and warm.
In our opinion 2 weeks at this hotel was too long. It wasn't all bad and cannot criticise the staff it was just lacking somewhat.

We just returned from a week-long trip to the Club Hotel Riu Mambo from Sept 8-12, 2008, and we had a great time at a great value.

Weather: We took a gamble by traveling to the Caribbean in September and anxiously watched for days to see what Hurricane Ike would do to Puerto Plata. Fortunately, we had great weather all week. From what I've learned, the Dominican experiences summer like weather all year long, and you should only expect long periods of rain when tropical stroms are expected. Other than those periods, the times of rain are very short lived.

Facilities and Grounds: We were very impressed at the cleanliness of the rooms, the dining hall, and the public bathrooms. They are constantly sweeping & cleaning, and maids stand outside every bathroom with hand sanitizer. If you get sick while there, it's your own fault because from what we saw, Riu does its best to keep things tidy. The grounds were immaculate, and from very early each day, staff is cutting grass, trimming trees, and sweeping leaves. Very beautiful grounds. The air conditioning in our room wasn't very good, but then again, the room's fan kept us cool at night. While the room's had 100v electrical service, the electrical pulgs have a plastic housing around them which made it impossible to use anything but a straight plug. So, our cell phone chargers and hair dryer couldn't be used. We visited the front desk, and they gave us an electrical extension, and that worked well.

Food & Drink: We only ate at the buffett and found the food to be great, although after a week it was a little repetitive. The food was always hot and the service was outstanding. After the first day, I realized that the frozen concoctions at the bars were non-alocholic...
you have to ask for rum to be added. At Mambo, they use some generic rum (Classic), but we were able to get Brugal Rum at Riu Merengue and Riu Bachata. The beer in our room was Brahma, and I'm not sure what's served at the bars (on tap). Our taxi driver says that Brahma is a cheap beer, but I thought it was pretty good. We really didn't use the liquor dispenser in our room but was stocked with Classic Rum, Gin, and Vodka.

Currency: Both U.S dollars and pesos are accepted most places, but there are no ATM machines that will dispense U.S currency. There is an ATM near the entrance to the Riu complex, but I was told that it will sometimes eat your card. I used it successfully though, but make sure you enter the amount you want in pesos. For tipping, make sure you take sufficient U.S money with you. You must have $10 US per person, payable at the airport, to get into the country.

Excursions: Since were only there for 5 days, we only took 1 excursion. We hired a taxi and a tour guide for a 4 hour tour of the town. We visited the Rum Factory, a cigar factory, San Felipe Fort, and we did some shopping in town. Be prepared to negotiate your price, and make sure you know the current conversion rate. The rate is posted at the reception desk at your hotel. If you're in town, the children will approach you for food or money. You may want to take bag of candy into town with you. We also visited a girls orphanage and felt bad because we had nothing to give them. Again, some US currency in small demoninations and/or some candy would have been nice. If you do plan to take an excursion, compare prices with what's offered near the Plaza Gift Shops. There is a stand located at the far end of the Mambo beach, and you can book the same excursions there at a discount. For example, horse back riding through our hotel tour representative was $60 per person, but at the Plaza Gift Shops, it was just $30 per person.

Beach and Pools: Because the Riu beaches are on the Atlantic, the water wasn't crystal clear and blue and we expected. However, we still did some snorkling and saw some really beautiful fish. We never had a problem getting beach or pool chairs and really liked using the swim-up bar at Riu Bachata.

Overall: We had an absolutely great time. If we stayed for a longer period, we would probably have been bored and would want to schedule some excursions. The service from all the resort staff was beyond comment. They were extremely friendly and always had a smile. Thanks to Trip Advisor for helping us prepare for our trip, and book your trip for Riu Mambo without any reservations. We'll definitely go back to Riu Mambo.

We stayed at Riu Mambo on Aug 20-24 2008. I traveled with my husband, sister and her bf. Traveler ages between 30-33.
The resort was always kept clean by the staff and I love the fact that they have someone giving you antibacterial gel before you enter the buffet and as you exit the restrooms.
During our short stay we did not get the chance to try the specialty resto. They require you to go to the front desk at 10am each morning to make reservations. We were unable to do that because most of our tours were schedule to depart before 10am.
BUT no biggie because we did not feel like we missed out. The main buffet always has plentiful of selections every night. The wait staff at the main buffet are nice and always at your service. We wanted fresh ripe mangoes but there were not on display. So we asked the wait staff if they have any and after few minutes she came out with slices of perfectly ripe and fresh mangoes. It was the most delicious mangoes I ever had. We were so pleased and satisfied that after we gave her a tip she told us to come back the next day during dinner and she will bring us more mangoes. I love seafood so I enjoyed the fish and shrimps that they serve at the main buffet.
I must say Riu Cancun and Riu Paradise Island - Bahamas are better as far as room's distance to the beach and the view from the room. Our room was located at the pink bldg Rm 1106, so a 2 mins walk to the beach and to the resort lobby is needed. But I don't mind the exercise since we needed to burn all the calories from the unlimited cocktails and all the food that we consumed.
We tried bars from all 3 Riu resorts and I can tell you the bartenders are nice, polite and always smiling. Even without tip they will gladly provide you the drinks that you want.
You can reserve a kayak, pedal boat etc. by the beach and it’s free. Just go there at 9am and ask them to put you on the list. You are allowed 1hr to use the equipment.
Snorkeling is also ideal by the beach. There were colorful fish swimming around the area where the seaweeds at.
The animation teams were hard working people. They work so hard to entertain the entire resort guest and they seem to never run out of energy.

FOR TOURS - I highly recommend- Isaira Tours – www.isairatours.com - Tel [----]– email: [-----]& [------]. We did not book the tour from the in -house resort tour company. Before we left to DR I read in 1 of the reviews recommending Isaira Tours. We emailed them the night before we arrive to Riu and made an appt to meet with tour representative. They emailed us back and exactly at time they indicated Martin Espinal who owns Isaira tours, met us at the resort lobby. He brought with him different packages of tours w/ pricing and he went over what are included on the packages and what tours that may be of interest to us. He is not a typical salesman who pushes you select expensive tours. He lets you decide for yourself. We booked 3 tours – Catamaran Banana Republic, jeep Safari Adventure w/c includes Damajagua Waterfalls and Funny Bikes Tour.
If you like adventure it’s a MUST to go to Damajagua Waterfalls. It’s trekking, climbing, jumping and sliding down the waterfalls. Its tiring and you should know have minimal swimming skills. But not to worry cause the waterfalls guide are there to carry you if need be. If you need to see what to expect go tour you can go to this site http://www.27charcos.com/index.php- or just go to youtube and type in the 27 waterfalls and you will see what I’m talking about. It’s a lot of FUN! This tour includes delicious lunch. We loved the grilled chicken and the pork stew with rice and beans.
All 3 tours cost us about $115 per person. On our way to be drop back to the resort, we asked the driver for a quick stop at a grocery store were we purchased inexpensive Santo Domingo coffee and Brugal rum. Just don’t forget to give the driver tip since this is a favor for you. A wonderful trip! Next time we will make it longer than 5days.