Hi Stueycat. We stayed in the Riu Merengue a couple of years back and frequently used the Mambo's facilities both day and evening. YOu'll have no worries. The whole complex is fab. The best beach area is the stretch by your hotel with a beach bar and a couple of souvenir shacks further over. The Mambo's pools are lovely and if you want the pool area a little livelier with a swim-up bar, just venture over to the Bachata (a few mins walk away). Don't forget you can use all the facilities of the Merengue and Bachata free of charge, including their dining rooms (except for evening meals).
We ordered our entry cards before we went on holiday to avoid too much queuing but others fillled them out at the airport. Sorry I can't remember the telephone number we ordered from as it was a friend that organised that.
Not sure about the weather in Sept as we went in August. Apart from a complete downpour (lasted a couple of hours) one day, we had fantastic weather, hot! hot! hot!. We were told the day of the downpour that we'd caught the tail end of hurricane Charlie. It will still be the hurricane season in Sept but I'm sure the weather will be mainly hot!
People have mixed feelings on whether to take dollars of pesos. We took Pesos as we were told that they went further. HOwever we're off to Mexico this year and as the pound's so strong against the dolar at the moment we've decided to take dollars in favour of the Mexican peso.
HOpe this has been some help to you. Have a great time
Shirley

RIU Mambo reviews HERE.

Pippy

Could you please tell me what the beach is like here as I love snorkeling..
Thanks
Laura xx