Just got back from the Merengue last week and had a brilliant time. The staff are really nice and always have time to talk to you, they are so friendly - there are loads of Brits there and they have really accommodated for that. The room we were in did smell a little damp and I was disappointed when we first arrived, but I don't go on holiday to spend much time in the room. The food was always plentiful and very well presented, with theme nights on several occasions, although it is repeated weekly. The gardens are spotless and very well maintained as is all of the complex, I couldn't fault the cleanliness of the whole place and I didn't get an upset tummy once, which is very unusual for me! We got one of the local taxi drivers to take us round Puerto Plata one day and it only cost us $40 dollars for the whole day - he took us to the rum making factory which was interesting especially the tasting bit! I would recommend this hotel although I would only class it as a 3 star plus due to the rooms.

Firstly i would like to say to anyone who has read any bad review please ignore them!
This hotel is absolutly wonderful and i do not have one single complaint.

Rooms : Spacious, 2 double beds, Hairdryer provided, TV with some english channels, Air Con brilliant - sometimes had to turn it off because it was too powerful.

Pool: Well maintained, did get busy early so make sure you get down there about 9 to ensure you get a sunbed

Beach: Gorgeous!! we spent the whole 2 weeks at the beach. It is not white sand and clear sea but it is yellow sand and turcoise waters! It is clean and tidy and lovely and quiet.

Food & Drinks: Food was brillaint, lots of variety and there wre themed nights. The Mexican themed night was out favourite, excellent fajitas.
Al A Carte restuarnat was either Steak House or Italian and we tried both and it was a nice change from the buffet because you got waitor service and food was lovely.
Drinks were weak but lovely coktails and nice wines.

Entertainment: Every night the Animation Team put on a show, they try there very best and those who moaned about the lip syncing are just picky - so what if they lip synked!!
There is also a Disco that is open until 2pm called Pasha where they play lots of english songs and you can make requests

Trips - Paradise Island is a absolute must - it really is paradise
Ocean World is great and swimming with the dolphins was a fantastic experience however photos and food is expensive

Overall - i think this hotel and the dominican republic is a absolutly fantastic holiday place. We had a brilliant time and would not hesitate to recomend it or go back again.

Any questions please feel free to ask and just remember those who have done bad reviews are probably the people who can never be pleased!!

I have just returned from the Riu Merengue with my husband and 2 children ( 3 + 11). My eldest has not stopped begging since we got back to return and has decided he is going to work there when he leaves school !

I have just read a fairly negative review from another reviewer and do think there are some things you need to consider in making a decision whether to go here
1) The dom republic is a very poor country with as yet an immature and developing approach to tourism- We loved that about it it added to the charm and the sense of being somewhere real rather than costa del caribbean- it would not however suit everyone
2) It is more difficult to get out and about we did a couple of excursions and had a couple of bus/coach jurneys and loved getting out- yes the local population live in shacks, the motorbikes are mad( we saw some with 4 people and luggage), we saw lots of young people with machetes all harvesting crops, you do have to consider not carrying too many overt valuables BUT the people are unbelievably friendly and welcoming we never felt unsafe as we were with organised trips/tours and we absolutely loved the vibrancy of the natural surroundings the value the people placed on simple things and their resourcefulness with their environment. If you want to be able to wander around out of resort a lot and see commercial areas and attractions this resort( and the dom republic generally) might not suit you despite the extensive grounds
3) The hotel room standards don't compare with European or American ones but we had a clean room with large balcony, excellent maid, well stocked bar, reasonable air con, free safe, TV with a wide range of channels( only a handful english speaking, but the European cup didn't need commentary in En glish) clean towels everday if we wanted them and sheets changed regularly- Everything worked and we only had one power cut during an amazing storm one night
4) The 'Animacion' team won't be to everone's taste around the merengue pool and stage. They work exceptionally hard are friendly and are brilliant with the kids, the games they put on are varied and they make a great effort with the evening entertainment some shows were great, we loved the Africa show, some weren't as good. They are however at times quite loud in encouraging participation, though always take a no with a smile and move on. The mambo and bacchata were more laid back in this respect
5) Most of the food relies on availability of local produce although there are some imported brands they are limited, they make every effort to vary it and there is masses of choice and it is fresh and well stocked. I have never seen such a big choice at breakfast from bacon and eggs to freshly made omelette with ingredients you pick to smoothies freshly blended and fresh pancakes and do'nuts alongisde the usual breads, cereals, toasting machine ,fresh fruit, sliced meats etc...I could go on. Again in the evening loads of choice and my one tip would be to walk down the whole line to check what is there and pick your meal some people talked about it being the same every night but if you put a bit of every single dish on your plate every night it will alwasy taste like a homogenous mess. My only criticism of the food was that beef was without exception very tough
6) Staff do rely on tips to supplement their wages -the only time we ever felt it was expected was by the driver to the return airport and the porter but a couple of dollars( which is only a £1 )goes a long way and none of the other staff seemed to expect it at all and we didn't feel the service was ever anything less than excellent tips or not- if you don't want to leave a tip in the mini bar you can ring reception at any time up till 6pm and the mini bar will be restocked with whatever you want any day but will be routinely done every other day.
7) the grounds and setting, in my view, are stunning with tropical palms beautiful views and golden sand. There were however lots of pieces of coral and rocks as you entered the sea for about 10 metres we wore beach sandals and didn't find this a problem but I can see that some might. there were gentle waves but not big swell this suited us with young children but if you want surfing you won't get it. Also given the amount of greenery make sure you take mosquito repellent we used a plug in and sprays and not one of us got a single bite but we did see a few people with pretty awful one's


In terms of our holiday it was easily one of the best we have ever had and we will go back but are not the sort of people to return to the same place year on year, there were plenty of people there that had been many times before, the most I heard was 7.

We flew with First Choice from east Midlands and the 9 hours wasn't as bad as we had expected and the children were well entertained by the seat back entertainment system. The luggage came quickly and we had already got our travel cards by applying by post to the Dom Rep london embassy so we avoided the long queue to fill out the forms and pay. Check in at the hotel was efficient and we had emailed in advance to ask for a room nearer the beach with a quietr outlook- we got exactly that

The First Choice rep gave a really informative welcome talk but wasn't really around very much- there was a local rep there on First Choices behalf when he wasn't

We used the mambo pool a few times and we( the adults) liked that better the merengue but the children liked the merengue. It was being painted to first few days of our holiday so was out of use but it was done within 3 days, a cleaner was constantly going round the pool to ensure it was clean because foliage did blow down from the surrounding trees, he jumped in to remove it by hand if the net couldn't get it! We went on the beach more than the pool and found a great spot under a tree right next to to sea- heaven.

The grounds have lots of fruite the grounds people will happily get you a ripe one or cut the top off a coconut for you and give you a straw

All the staff are unbelievably helpful, hard working and friendly wherever you walk they will greet you with a smile. The cleaners work like trojans and the maintenance crew and grounds staff are on to things immediately if they see any problems

In terms of excursions I would recommend the Outback Jeep Safari and Ocean World. The guide on the jeep safari Kenny was a real character and told us so much about the wildlife, the people and the country - there was also ample free beer, soft drinkls, water and rum.Ocean World was clean spacious well run and with plenty to entertain you for the whole day even if you don't do any of the programmes, I did swim with dolphins and loved it but it would be pricey if a lot of you wanted to do it- even without the programmes you can watch the dolphin, seal, and bird shows and shark feeding, walk through the aviary, swim in the tiger pool, use the beach and watch all the others doing the programmes. They also don't rip you off for food despite having a captive audience we spent less than 20 USD on food and drinks for all 4 of us all day.

The only place we felt ripped off at all was in the small shop in the hotel that did newspapers and sweets and souvenirs. I can understand the cost of importing them but about £4.00 for a paper was steep and you never got any change if it was less than a dollar or 50 pesos , we once lost 85 cents( about 40p) and they pointed at a sign saying they had no small change to give out and offered me a halls methol sweet. The shops on caribbean street were much better for suncreams etc and somehow never seemed to have the problem with change that the hotel shop claimed was ' not possible' to rectify

The airport on the return was something of a different experience again you just need to understand this is still a developing tourist centre and the culture is very different

Hope you find this useful and reasonably balanced- I can see why this resort is not for everyone so think about it but if you do and you go I hope you enjoy it and appreciate it as much as we did

My boyfriend and I have just come back from staying at the Riu Merengue (8th June - 22nd June 08). Firstly i want to say that having read the reviews for this hotel a month or so before we went we were really pleased that they were all so positive, but having read more recent reviews it seems that some people have complained about this hotel??? People want to pay the bare minimum yet expect luxury....you get what you pay for. I really cant see why people have moaned about this hotel. If you have read bad reviews and you have booked a holiday at the Riu Merengue - DO NOT WORRY!!

During our stay, our room was cleaned everyday and to a high standard, we saw the maids moving half of the furniture out to the balcony so they could clean thoroughly. The maids also left towel art in our room with pretty flowers sprinkled around. Our fridge was also restocked whenever we looked low on anything. Yes when you arrive the porters take your bags to your room and expect a tip, but that is how they earn a living! Some workers only earn between $6-$9 a day and rely on tips to bump up their wages, and come on $1 that is hardly pushing the boat out!

Everyone at the hotel is really friendly, always smiling and happy to help. The Animation Team do try their best to entertain all the guests but are definitely not "in your face" and dont hassle you. If you simply shake your head or say "no" they will leave you alone. We thought the shows were great, and judging by the applause of the guests after each show, i would say the majority of people would agree with me. The staff are really great, and very thoughtful, we had 2 special occasions whilst we were over there and they made us a cake, and also delivered a fruit basket, present and card to our room for my boyfriend's birthday. Something that they did of their own backs!

Food......The buffet has themed nights and so i dont really see how people can get bored with it. There is so much to choose from, i dont think i tried half of the food there, especially seeing as you can book the a la carte restaurant 2 or 3 times a week.

If you didnt know already........The sea that surrounds the side of the island where the Riu hotels are is the Atlantic Ocean and therefore that is why it is a bit rough and not the clear water and powder sand that the Dom Rep has in the South, however the water is still lovely and parts of the beach does not have rocks in the water, particularly further down the beach towards the Scuba Caribe centre. The water down there is lovely and clear. The beach is a little breezy, but we found that it was much more pleasant that sitting around the pool as it was a bit too hot! (it is summer over there at the moment and the humidity is intense!).

Excursions..... first of all we went to Ocean World and swam with dolphins, this may not interest some people, but it was something i had always wanted to do and we both had a great time, it is all captured on DVD too! it is an experience we will never forget. To swim with dolphins expect to pay $165.

We went horse riding at Lorilar, my boyfriend's first time on a horse and he had a really good time. You will ride through some really poor villages and see how some of the locals really live! If you do decide to go horse riding, take some bananas for the horses as they love them! (first time id ever heard of a horse eating a banana!?!).

We went down to Sosua Bay on a Catamaran which was really good fun and a good laugh - dont sit at the front of the boat unless you want to be dunked in the water whilst in transit! A great day and a good way to see a bit more of the island.

Paradise Island was our last trip and it was fantastic! It is not an island, but a sand bank, but just so beautiful so dont forget your camera!

We booked the Dominican Republic Airport VIP lounge for our flight home and was really disappointed as we were informed that there would be a buffet and there wasnt, there was only crisps, then 10 minutes before we had to board the plane, they put a plate of sandwiches out - definitely not worth $50- wouldnt recommend it.

Summary.... if you are staying at the Riu Merengue soon, do not worry, it is a great hotel and i have no doubt you will enjoy yourself! Just dont forget, your on holiday! so relax, dont try and look for problems just for the sake of it. I respect other people's opinions of the hotel and some people have high expectations, so just go with an open mind. If you want to be treated like one of the Royal Family, go to Dubai and stay in the Burj Al Arab. We are definitely going back! and have already recommended it to family and friends! Have a great holiday!