Do not go to this Hotel my wife caught Dysentry here and we are currently waiting for a settlement from Thompsons along with hundreds of other people

We stayed at the all inclusive part of the hotel so it was kind of good because it was all free!

The hotel was very clean but if you went to the reception it was quite dirty.

The food was great especially the soup they had there. The vegtable soup was great.

The location was only a short walk to the beach so we could go early when there was not so many people there.

The staff was always there when you needed them.

The entertainment was very good giving I thought it would be awful.

I would definitely like to visit this hotel again.

We booked this holiday very much last minute and it was one where acommodation was allocated on arrival although we did know it was to be one of the three hotels on site.

We have been to the Caribbean on about a dozen different occasions and we have always avoided the Dominican Republic because of health concerns. However when we saw this holiday we checked on here and other sites and were surprised to see so many good reviews and that gave us the confidence to book.

We flew with Thomsons on a new route from Doncaster and everything went well with the flight and the transfer.
Checking in at the hotel was simple and efficient and everyone was offered a welcome drink.

The room was sparkling clean and big enough and yes you do get a mini bar and four different spirits on optic!!
The food in the restaurant was excellent.

I am a bit of a fussy eater but the choice was tremendous and there was always something to eat. The breakfasts were tremendous and anyone who has been to the 'all you can eat' buffet breakfasts in Florida will be surprised to find twice the choice here and food that was always served warm.

The drinks choice was adequate although I don't think the standard of the wine was too high. Nevertheless it went down and stayed down. There were no reports from anyone of any illness and everyone we met and talked to were impressed.

The beaches were fine and we concentrated on the sports beach because we found it quieter. Lots of shade under the palm trees but still enough sun to get an excellent tan in the week we were there. Seems to be a bit of a problem around the pool areas where it seems you have to get up early to book your seats. Mind you there is or there was a rather large proportion of German tourists in during the week we were there. The hotel does ask its guests not to reserve seats around the pool.

It seems that the hotel is fairly new and that means it looks new. Most things were of a high standard and the buildings were quite attractive. Whilst we were there Arsenal appeared in the Champions League final and they installed a big screen tv for guests to watch.

The only disappointment we had was the night time entertainment. Whilst it is not usually up to much in the Caribbean this was probably the most awful we have ever experienced. Little or no details of the entertainment is available and of course the entertainment is repeated at all three venues so if you miss something truly appalling you can always catch it again just down the road at the next hotel!!

To sum up it was an excellent holiday in great surroundings and probably the best bargain we have ever had.

Terry

This is the second time we have stayed in this hotel in the last 8 months. All aspects of the hotel and resort are excellent.

The rooms are nice with fan and aircon (necessary!) you can request a ground floor room before you travel but there are only about 12 steps up to the first floor.
The whole place is spotlessly clean - you can't turn a corner without seeing maids cleaning or gardeners sweeping up leaves etc.

The location is great for us as we are not big sightseers, prefering to visit the neighbouring hotels Mambo and Merengue of which you can use all facilities. There is a choice of beaches, the main beach or the sports beach (which is generally quieter)both are nice. Obviously watersports such as pedelos are free from the sports beach. My daughter also went parasailing for $40 which was great and lasted about 1 hour. The pool is great but not many umbrellas if you like shade so you do have to get up early for those!

The food is lovely with plenty to choose from every day. I am a very fussy eater and always found something lovely to eat. There are food stations most nights cooking things to order such as seafood but also omlettes in the morning. Fantastic.

The staff at the hotel cannot do enough to please you. They do encourage you to join in with darts, volleyball, horseshoes etc but do not hassle you if you are too lazy....like me!
They work about 14 hours every day and are always cheerful and energetic - even when faced with rude guests who do not even give them the time of day. This goes from the bar staff, cleaners, waiters and not forgetting the fabulous animation team. We tipped throughout our holiday as they earn so little for very hard work. Ok the shows are not west end standard but come on you don't pay enough for that do you?....the shows range from traditional dominican folklore to Micheal Jackson, with a lot of audience paticipation along the way, we had a great time every night and met some fantastic people who all shared our opinions of the resort.

We did not experience any sickness in the hotel and the couple of sick people we saw told us that they were sick through too much booze and sun. The hotel is immaculate and i cannot fault it in any area. My family and i are planning a 3rd trip to the Bachata next year to meet up again with the fabulous friends we made this year.

I also have to mention that many people go back to this hotel again and again which surely is testament to the quality and service.

The Riu Bachata was an excellent hotel, the staff couldnt do enough for you and were all always very happy. The food in the hotel was fantastic, we are both vegetarian and there was plenty of choice every day. I would highly recommend this hotel for any age it was amazing.

The hotel was superb from the food to the drink, from the maids to the gardeners from the bar staff to the entertainments staff all made for a totally relaxing holiday.

The Dominican people are great and they really appreciate when you speak to them and tell them what a good job they do.

The hotel grounds are amazing and immaculate the pool is clean.

The rooms are very well appointed with no luxury left out.

You must visit the beach for a massage.

All in all a great hotel and a great holiday.

I have absolutely no complaints with this hotel it was outstanding.

Very clean and staff were constantly cleaning.

Food excellent very wide variety.

We stayed at the Riu Bachata for two weeks from the 7th -21st Sept 05. We were greeted by a highly efficient reception staff and promptly given our room and safe key. Porter service was available if you wish. We entered our room and was amazed and the 'towel display in the shape of a snake!' The rooms are immaculate and the cleaners take real pride. A different towel display appeared each day providing you looked after the maid in some form of gift or money!

The hotel can only be discribed as 1st class, how any one can say different is beyond me, don't listen to the wingers looks at the poitive reports to get a real picture!

There are two restaraunts and you have to book early to get into the steakhouse, but it is worth it. The food is very good and a varied and wide selection for all tastes!

Waiters will top up your glasses as soon as they get low and the choice of wines, water coke e.t.c. The Chefs make wonderfull displays out of Water melons. The restaraunt has fans and air con so never gets too warm and you can eat out on the balcony if you desire.

The complex is well maintained and the pool area has two good size pools and well shaded, be warned that the best pool chairs go by 0830 taken by the dedicated sun lovers so when in Rome...

The pool bar is a welcome retreat and serves an array of cocktails ,spirits, beer and soft drinks. These are unlimited so do't get carried away!

The beach is never over crowded and offers palm tree cover and plenty of beds. Beach is v, clean. Be warned the sand by the water does contain coral so purchase water shoes before you leave home as they are $18 in Carribean st shopping complex.

The sea contains an array of beautiful fish and is a Snorkling Heaven. The fish will eat from your hand. We were ill for 3 days due to a bad reaction to the Malaria tablets and were forced to stop taking them.

Dispite this a wonderful holiday was had. Due to the distance a week would not be long enough so we were glad we booked a fortnight. The entertaiment team work hard to please expecially 'Donkey' they will ask if you wish to enter the darts, water polo, ping pong events and if you decline "no problem" at night they put on shows which are ok but repetative.

You can visit the other two sister hotels the 'merengue and mambo and drink in their bars and eat lunch for a change.

A trip not to be missed is to 'Saona Island' this is in the south of the island and involves a 45 min flight, speed boat a stop off on route to a crystal clear sand bank in the carribean sea then onto Saona for a BBQ lunch and pleny of "medicine" as Rambo our guide desribed the Cubra Libra (rum & coke) of which plenty was drunk!

A catermarang for 1.5 hours returns you to the mainland, quick coach ride to airport for return North, it is a long day starting at 0600 and getting back at 1945 but what an unforgetful day, superb!

This hotel pound for pound was outstanding, we met some new friends took some great photo's and despite the conditions the locals and staff live in they are some of the friendliest people I've ever met.

Will we go back again, for sure no doubt. Remember you cannot please everyone all the time but if you go out with a positive attiude in mind you will not be disapointed. Go for it !!!!

This has got to be the best holiday ive ever been on. The hotel is faultless.

The rooms are lovely and cleaned to perfection everyday. You have a free minibar and OPTICS!! Which are refilled free every other day. There is also ice machines at the end of every other block so you can refill ya ice bucket as and when ya need it.

The food is fantastic and lots of choice for all tastes. You will never go hungry. The hotel grounds are perfect and spotlessly cleaned by gardeners every day.

The hotel staff work very hard to make your holiday the best. They are all very very friendly, try to pass a worker (be it a gardener or barstaff) without them saying hola and ya doin better than me!

The swim up bar in the midday heat is a must. Try one or two of many of the cocktails. The animation team work hard to make ya stay as enjoyable as possible. Activities throughtout the day include beach volleyball, boules, darts, table tennis comp, horseshoe, waterpolo, dancing and loads more comps.

Try the watersports beach if ya fancy a bit of peace and quiet and want to come home with an excellent tan. The sea is so clear ya can see fish as ya swim. Snorkelling, wind-surfing, peddaloes, and sailing are all free with ya all inclusive.

They have themed nights like beach party and caribbean night too. If ya fancy a dance until the early hours try the nightclub Pacha, all inclusive too and air conditioned, open until 2am. If ya hungry when ya leave ya can use the snackbar at the merengue just next door its open until 2.30am.

All in all this holiday is fantastic and ya can just chill out or join in the activities and not spend a single penny your whole holiday, unless ya wanna leave the hard workers a tip or two at the end of ya stay like we did. Big hola to Miguel, Camelio, Pablo and Tuelli (barstaff) Usher, Donkey, David. Jonathon Banana, Big Mama, Jonny Bravo, Speedy (animation)

I would recommend this hotel to anyone and will definately be going back next year!!

What a fantastic holiday, could not find fault with anything at all. Food was great with an amazing choice, and there were no separate sittings in the buffet restaurant in the evening as we had read in previous reviews.

We ate in the steakouse a couple of times and it was very good. A good tip is to book this for a Friday or Saturday night when the hotels have a lot of locals in and it gets really busy in the buffet restaurant.

The beaches are not the best in the world, a lot of seaweed. We found the watersports beach behind the Bachata the best, nice and quiet, nice to put sun lounger in the edge of the sea and sunbathe with the water lapping over you, heavenly.

The complex is pretty big like being in a small resort, nice to go for walks around the Merengue and Mambo stopping off for drinks on the way of course.

We went on a few trips nothing else much to spend money on (unless you want to pay over the odds for things in Caribbean Street eg.