Riu Bachata

[kellyhouston]

Has anyone been to the Riu Bachata hotel before? I think it is a fairly new Hotel and would like some feedback if anyone has any?

Thanks

[Moniki]

I did not stay at the Bachata, I did however stay at the Mambo and it was great. My friend and I did walk the entire complex a few times a day and the staff at all 3 were very nice/helpful. There is only one nightclub on the premisis and it caters primarily to the european tourists - they played very little latin music - however what they did play was fairly new. They staff also assited in directing to us to local night clubs, as we wanted to dance with the locals. There are alot of activities through out the morning and afternoon - while we were there - they included: Water polo, Beach and pool volleyball, merengue and salsa lessons, bingo, and misc activities for the kids as well. There is a nightly show performed by the animation team, it was entertaining. Nothing Vegas style but very entertaining. The food was good, however breakfast in the main dining room is served until 10 am (I think, might be 11am) so if u miss it then you get continental breakfastat the bar. You can have breakfast and lunch at any of the 3 but Dinner is exclusive to your hotel. Be prepared - the Main Dining Hall doesn't have a/c and gets extremely warm. But, its pretty much the same deal for all 3 hotels - The pools range in size Bachata's being the largest and, I think, most elaborate - if you want a longe chair you have to reserve it early - in other words get up at about 9:30 am and take your towels and other things so that no one can take your chairs.
Hope you have fun.
Niki

[Hlywud]

I am headed to the Riu complex in Jan 04, here is a list of reviews on the Bachata.
Riu Bachata Reviews

[FireGuy]

Greetings from Atlantic Canada.

I have been to both Riu Mambo and Riu Bachata. These two plus Riu Merengue are in a complex 9 km. west of POP. Have a look at Rusty's "Unofficial" Riu Website at http://www.RiuBambu.com and it's associated discussion Boards at http://www.riubambu.com/cgi-bin/disc....cgi?pg=topics

If you have any questions after reading the Riu Bachata section feel free to post away.

Good luck.

Gregg

[kellyhouston]

Thanks for all the help with information on the Bachata. It sounds like a nice place and lots to do as well. I was a bit concerned there wouldnt be much in the way of activities as my boyfriend is not one for lying in the sun all day (unlike me!!), so i'm sure he will find plenty to do.

Will keep you all posted when I get back.
Thanks again.

Kelly

[kellyhouston]

Hi Gregg

Greetings from a wet and cold England!

Thanks for that Riu web page, its realy helpfull. We have been looking at the excursions and have booked up for the dolphin swim at Ocean World, I cant wait as its something i've always wanted to do. Are there any other's you would reccomend we should do?

Thanks
Kelly

[Dominican Babe]

Originally posted by kellyhouston
Greetings from a wet and cold England!

Oh dear, where are you? Basingstoke is beautiful this afternoon

[FireGuy]

Here's my excursion answer - since you asked.

The excursions I recommend are the Outback Jungle Safari ( http://www.outbacksafari.com.do/ ) and the Freestyle Catamarans ( http://www.freestyle-catamarans.com/ ). Both are excellent and safe and lots of fun.

My favorite day out however is to hire a local driver for the day. The driver I recommend is Martin Espinal. He is an excellent driver in a country of madmen. He has a clean, air-conditioned minivan in good condition and he speaks excellent English. It will hold five easily and comfortably. Martin is very personable and knowledgeable and is extremely reliable in a country where many people run on "Dominican Time". You can read more at http://www.debbiesdominicantravel.com/martin.html

Please e-mail him ESPINAL30@MSN.COM , (if you are interested in hiring him) detail what you expect from him and he will get back with a price. Depending on the complexity, time and distance involved a full day trip should be in the range of $70 - $100 US and a half day $40 - $50 US. Obviously if you want to go lay on the Sosua beach for the day it would be on the low end and if you want a full day trip to Santo Domingo it might even be around $125 US due to very long distances and very long times (3+ hr. drive each way). These are just guidelines as I don't set Martin's prices but this is what I think is fair for all. Prices are good for 1 - 5 people so you can see the advantage of sharing if you are a couple only.

Some examples are:

1 ) For the tour to Puerto Plata, Damajagua Falls , Rum factory, the San Felipe Fort and the Cable Car - $80 US approx.; 1 - 5 people; 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

2) For the Haitian village, the Sosúa beach , Monte Llano and Cabarete - $80 US approx.; 1 - 5 people; 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Or you can custom design a tour and he will quote you a price. This year we went up to Santiago for example.

Be sure to mention if you want to take the Teleferico (cable car) up to Mount Isabel de Torres and any other things you might want to cover. You might want to go to the clothing factory (Dinorah's Sportswear) for some great buys. This is where many of the local beach vendors get their wares to sell. A couple of pointers 1) Make sure you have reached an agreement on price before you use any Taxi 2) Pay ONLY when you return to your hotel 3) Ask about any additional costs such as entrance fees (Fort & Amber Museum), guide cost (Falls), Teleferico & Botanical Gardens, etc. Tipping is customary only if you feel the service has warranted it.

When you e-mail Martin tell him that you are being referred by Gregg. Just for the record this is to ensure you get the best pricing as I do not receive anything for these referrals and I pay for Martin's services when I visit the D. R. He is simply a driver I grew to trust when we hired him as he is both a safe driver in a country known for crazy drivers and a very nice guy who I now call a friend.

Gregg