Riu Bambu Punta Cana Dominican Republic

We just returned from a relaxing getaway to Punta Cana. The trip was filled with sunshine, food, family and fun. While we were a little apprehensive about bringing the boys to the Dominican Republic, this trip couldn’t have gone better. 

Before I get into the details of the RIU Bambu, here are some of the reasons we chose this resort for our family Spring Break trip: 

All-Inclusive

Our three preteens are at the perfect age for an all-inclusive resort. They are no longer picky babies or toddlers, and they are pretty self-sufficient. They can try different foods or eat the same pizza from the buffet all week. I loved not cooking and not paying for meals they may or may not like. They loved the independence of going up to the bar and ordering their own daiquiris. The activities and excitement that the Bambu provided was great. Organized games of water polo or a pickup game of soccer was perfect for when the boys started to get restless at the beach.

Cost-Effective

Some resorts we looked into made our family of 5 get 2 rooms or upgrade to 2 room suite. Our kids are still small enough that we can still fit in one room, so we would rather do that while we still can. RIU Bambu had a ‘family room’ option that was perfect for our family of 5 without breaking the bank. In addition to only needing one room, we found a great deal on the hotel. We booked our stay during RIU’s “Kids Stay Free” promotion. This made a huge difference and slashed the cost of our trip. I joked that our week at the Bambu was less expensive than a week at home going out to eat and entertaining the kids.

Easy Travel

The direct flight through Frontier is one of the reasons we chose Punta Cana for our quick Spring Break trip this year. Going through customs and immigration can be hard with impatient kids (and husbands), so having a direct flight sealed the deal for us. We were able to enjoy the beach our first day there and really maximize our time on vacation.

Transfers to and from the airport were also easy. I signed up to be a RIU class member, so our transfers were free and smooth. I would definitely recommend becoming a RIU class member to get this free benefit. It was nice knowing where to go at the airport and not worrying about getting into the wrong taxi.

The Hotel

Check-in at the RIU was seamless and maybe the easiest part of the trip. The front desk attendants spoke fluent English and were very helpful. We were on our way to our room within ten minutes of arriving at the resort. 

The Rooms were situated in small villas a short walk to the beach. There were 8 rooms in our villa, which was quaint and kept the noise levels to a minimum. As I mentioned, we had a ‘family room’ for our 3 boys, my husband and I. Our room had a pullout sleeper sofa and two double beds pushed together. There were some cosmetic flaws, but the room was clean and ample for our short stay. Our room was fully stocked with bottles of rum and tequila. Our minifridge was restocked every other day with huge bottles of water, cold cans of beer and bottles of pop. There was a small TV in the room with plenty of channels – to include ESPN and a few kids’ channels in English. If I’m being honest, the room was the part of the resort I was least impressed with. Hot water was hit and miss around dinner time, the outlets were in need of repair, they needed new towels and the rooms didn’t have a great view. That being said, they were clean and ample for the few hours a day we were in them. 

The Restaurants

As with most all-inclusives, there is more food that you could ever eat. Breakfast at the main buffet was fabulous. The had any and everything you could imagine – hot stations with waffles, pancakes, bacon, hash browns, donuts, chorizos, fried plantains, made-to-order omelets, delicious fresh fruit juice, Dominican coffee and fresh fruit for days. Everyone found more than enough to eat each day at breakfast. There was such a variety that we had no problem eating there all six mornings.

Lunch proved to be the hardest meal for our family. We tried Mama Juanas and the main buffet. Both had a lot of food options, but not a lot our kids would eat. Luckily, they found traditional American food and had pizza, hot dogs, burgers, chicken wings and French fries most lunches. It was ok buffet food, but we definitely struggled with lunch. Luckily, there was fresh fruit and ice cream at every buffet that our kids enjoyed.

Dinner

The dinner restaurants seemed to vary the most. There were a few nice, sit-down a-la-carte restaurants, a few buffets, and some options that had both. Our first night, we tried the Mexican restaurant. They had a buffet for appetizers and desserts and 3 choices for a hot, plated main dish. Our crew made their own nachos/tacos and ordered the chicken fajitas for their main meal. We enjoyed our meal and had good service at the Mexican restaurant.

The second night we tried the steakhouse. Everyone raved about it and claimed it was the best restaurant at the resort. I would agree. We waited in line for about 20 minutes around 5:30 to get our reservation time. We picked 6:30, and it was perfect. We were sat at a beachfront table and were able to enjoy the view until the sun went down. The entire meal was a-la-carte, and everyone in our family found something they liked. The meat portions were huge and all included small sides. The food was hot and delicious. The steakhouse proved to be our favorite restaurant, so we ended up going back on night 4.

Night 3 we tried the Japanese restaurant. The menu showcased a wok with noodles, chicken and pork, a grill with beef, tuna and fried rice, a few appetizers and special dishes. Our family loves Japanese food, so we were excited to try it out. Unfortunately, we were less than impressed. The food was all served buffet-style, and it was more like lukewarm Chinese food than the Japanese we had hoped for. 

All in all, the food was ok. Some of it was great, some of it could have been better, but like any all-inclusive, you find what you like and stick with it for the trip. And let’s be honest, even average food beats cooking and cleaning for everyone every night. I loved that there was more than enough room at every restaurant to accommodate all the guests. Even though they were sold out, there weren’t any long lines and only the steakhouse required reservations. It was really nice to be able to enjoy the beach without the pressure of being back at a certain time for reservations or having to wait in a long line for dinner.

I tried to find menus for the restaurants before we left, but didn’t have any luck. I wanted to know if my picky kids would eat what they had or if I needed to pack copious amounts of snacks and maybe even a jar of peanut butter. For that reason, I am including the menus for some of the Riu Bambu restaurants to this post, in hopes that it will help another mom.

Activities

While I love laying at the beach listening to the waves crash, my boys need a little more stimulation. They are very active boys, and I knew that just hanging with the family would be hard for them all week. I was so thankful for the activities available at the RIU. It didn’t take long for the boys to find the soccer nets on the beach. On any given day, there were kids there ready for a fun, pickup game. They would play for hours, giving me that glorious time at the beach. The boys loved it. Each day, they looked for the ball and “friends” to play with. 

I also checked the RIU app each morning to see what planned activities were available. As the kids got impatient mid-day, we would find an activity to keep them busy. We learned how to play water polo, and they couldn’t get enough. They played water polo at every scheduled game. They also played other pool games and would pick up the paddles for an impromptu game of ping pong from time to time. It was great. Before they had a chance to get bored, they would move to another activity. It gave my husband and I a chance to really relax instead of being the entertainment staff for the week.

The nighttime performances were fun, too. They were really casual, and you could walk up and join in at any time. The boys liked the Kahoot trivia and the circus show best. It was a great way to kill a little time between dinner and bedtime. We would grab a drink and watch some of the show before everyone was tired and ready for bed. 

The Waterpark was a fun addition to the resort. While it was not the reason we booked the RIU Bambu, it was a great feature available to us. I knew that if the boys got bored at the beach, we always had that “in our back pocket.” We decided to try it out mid-week. It is located within the RIU property, but not as part of the Bambu, so it is a little walk away. I was afraid it’d be busy, since all of the RIU’s had access to it. I couldn’t be more wrong. It was a great little waterpark with no one there. It was like having an entire waterpark to ourselves. It had great features  – from a water tower play place for smaller kids to enclosed water slides, to mat races to my kids favorite – the toilet bowl. Since it wasn’t crowded, we walked right up every time. No lines meant that we got to ride everything a few dozen times and still only spent a couple hours there. While I didn’t go to the Dominican to spend my day at a waterpark, this was a great, free activity to do with the kids for a few hours. 

The Pools

I must admit, I prefer to be at the beach than the pool, but the pools at the Bambu were beautiful. The two main pools were huge, and although we were there during a sold-out Spring Break week, it never felt crowded. The pool with the swim-up bar had a lot of adult activities, loud, fun music and entertainment. We wanted a calmer environment, so we spent most of the time at the pool next to the adult pool. We could still hear the music, but it was a little more family-friendly than the pool with the bar. On the days we wanted to sneak away for a little privacy, we would head to the “secret pool.” In addition to the 2 big pools, there was a small, quite pool behind the steakhouse. It was usually empty and provided a lot of shade for our sun-kissed bodies.

The Beach

Out of all of the beaches we’ve been to, the ones in the Caribbean are always our favorites. The Bambu’s beachfront is no exception. The shores were covered in soft, beautiful sand and there were palm trees for as far as you could see. The warm turquoise waters were calm enough for the kids to play in it. The beachfront is nice and wide, so there was plenty of room for all the guests. We never had trouble finding beach chairs or having privacy at the beach. Vendors would stop by from time to time to sell us cigars, sunglasses or to take a picture with their monkey, but they weren’t obnoxious or over-bearing. We politely declined, and they were on their way. 

After vacationing at the Bambu, there are a few things I would do differently. Here are some of the items I would and wouldn’t pack next time:

Things I Would Bring:

• All the sunscreen -The sun is intense and sunscreen is $18 per bottle if you run out. Pack extra, so you don’t need to pay the premium.
  
• Toiletries – The rooms didn’t have travel-sized shampoo/conditioners. There was a pump of multipurpose body wash/shampoo in the shower, but no individual bottles. Pack your favorite toiletries and be set for the week. 
  
• An insulated cup or tumbler – I love a good frozen drink, but it always breaks my heart to see it melted before I get back to my chair. Pack a big tumbler and fill it two times every time you go to the bar. You will enjoy not drinking out of a plastic up and spend much less time at the bar.
  
• A stack of small bills for tipping your favorite bartender or waitress. Everywhere takes US dollars, and cash is king.

Things I Would Leave at Home:

• Snorkel Gear – We had hoped to snorkel off the beach, so we packed a snorkel mask for the kids. Unfortunately, there isn’t much sea life to see off the coast, and the waves were too rough to snorkel. Save the space and book a snorkel excursion instead.
  
• Beach towels – You get a towel card for everyone when you check-in. Just present it at the pool for fresh towels every morning.
  
• Stress – Get to the beach and relax!

All in all, I feel like the RIU Bambu was a beautiful resort and a great value for our Spring Break. The food and the drinks weren’t top shelf, but it was a great, reasonable family getaway. We took advantage of kids stay free promotion, so you couldn’t beat the price for a week in paradise. Some of the amenities at the Bambu could use an update, but it was an incredible value. Afterall, what price would you put on a week without cooking, cleaning, and entertaining the kids? In all seriousness, it was a fabulous vacation. We had a relaxing week with quality family time and created unforgettable memories. What more could you ask for in a vacation?