Club Hotel Riu Merengue, Puerto Plata

We stayed at the Riu Merengue in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic in January 2004. This is classed as a five star all inclusive, and is located on the North coast of the island. Distance from the airport is only about 30 minutes, so it's not long before you are settling in after the gruelling flight.

Check in was quick, there weren't too many other arrivals at the same time thankfully. We were handed a nice welcome drink and wandered ...
...though we had some kind of map, but it would have been nice to have been shown to the room, as it was no longer daylight but of course we found it. As soon as we got into the room we poured ourselves a drink from the drinks dispenser. Cuba Libre (rum with coke) of course, since it's the national drink. We checked out the room, it seemed like everything was in order, complete with all the usuals you'd expect in a hotel room, plenty of storage space ... more

We stayed at the Riu Merengue in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic in January 2004. This is classed as a five star all inclusive, and is located on the North coast of the island. Distance from the airport is only about 30 minutes, so it's not long before you are settling in after the gruelling flight.

Check in was quick, there weren't too many other arrivals at the same time thankfully. We were handed a nice welcome drink and wandered off to find our room. It took a while, even though we had some kind of map, but it would have been nice to have been shown to the room, as it was no longer daylight but of course we found it. As soon as we got into the room we poured ourselves a drink from the drinks dispenser. Cuba Libre (rum with coke) of course, since it's the national drink. We checked out the room, it seemed like everything was in order, complete with all the usuals you'd expect in a hotel room, plenty of storage space for clothes, 2 huge beds pushed together making an enormous king king size bed. The bathroom had shower and bath, and stocked with all the usual toiletries. We studied the drinks dispenser more fully. A litre bottle each of Whiskey, Brandy, Gin and of course the Rum. The sign stated that it was refilled every two days, so a generous allowance of one litre each per day seemed more than adequate. Underneath was a fridge with Beers, a gallon of water, tonics, sodas, and cokes. The room had air-conditioning, as well as a ceiling fan, plenty of power sockets, TV with cable and a direct dial telephone. Soon our bags arrived, and although tips aren't required at an all-inclusive, and we tipped 1 US Dollar. Outside of the hotel room, the grounds are pristinely kept and simply beautiful. Each morning you see palms being relieved of loose nuts and leaves, so they don't fall onto peoples heads. The gardeners all carry large machetes around with them, and will cut the top off a coconut for you if you ask. As well as the numerous palm trees of all sorts, we also saw banana trees growing next to some of the hotel rooms. The staff are always busy, with maids cleaning rooms all day long, the drinks men speeding around on trucks delivering fresh stocks for the mini-bars, luggage porters giving rides to kids on their trolleys and so on! The cleaners certainly spend a lot of time over cleaning each room. Quite often we'd come back to a towel sculpture in the shape of a swan, freshly picked flowers and all our toiletries neatly organized. We thought it was a bit much though when they neatly folded used underwear. We didn't meet one cleaner that spoke a word of English, which was a challenge when we tried to tell them not to bother with the room today. Everyone you walk past says "Hola!", and of course you say "Hola!" back. The short minute or two walk from the room to the beach could result in 3 or 4 Holas!, each accompanied by a wonderful Dominican smile.

The first time at breakfast is certainly an eye-opener. Whatever nationality you were, you'd be sure to find something to eat. Five or six different types of yoghurt, various cereals, cold meats and cheeses, bread, croissants and pastries of all types, hot breakfast including bacon, eggs anyway you want, sausages, beans, roast banana etc. There was obviously a choice of fruits too, fruit juices, thick shakes, hot drinks of every sort...and so on. You are not limited to having breakfast at the Merengue restaurant either, you can choose to eat at the neighbouring hotels the Mambo or the Bachata, although it's a very similar affair.

Moving on to the lunch arrangements, again a choice of eating at either of the three hotels restaurants, where a huge selection was on offer. Many different types of meats, always two choices of soup, rice, pasta, vegetables, followed by an array of deserts including possibly the best ice-cream in the whole world. Everything was freshly prepared, and constantly topped up, the chefs cooked in front of you, everything always being plenty hot and of course delicious. If you didn't fancy a "proper" meal, there was the always the "snack" bar which served burgers, chips, hot dogs, chicken, chops, salad, pasta, rice and so on - hardly a snack bar - as you'd also have a selection of sweets and ice-creams too. Of course drinks of all sorts were available throughout your meals, as indeed they are wherever you may be in the hotel.

At dinner in the La Roca restaurant we are allocated one of the nicest tables in the corner of the spacious dining room with a window letting in a gentle evening breeze, as well as the sound of the wildlife outside. We realised how friendly everyone was. The waiters also made sure we were happy with everything. The food was really nice, they had so many different courses and there's no way we could try them all. They had also carved out figures like animals from fruit everywhere. Chefs cooked while you helped yourselves to whatever you wanted. Tours of the kitchens were available, so they have nothing to hide! Entertainment while dining was generally a group of local singers with guitar etc playing songs especially for you, and other tables, which was nice.

Exploring the beach now, which I might add was just one minute from our room, was perfect. The sand is very very clean, being raked each morning by a team of men. There are suites which are within spitting distance, generally for honeymooners though. The palm trees which are dotted around the beach provide a lovely shade for those who want a break from the sun, and you'll see lizards running up and down, as well as beautiful butterflies fluttering from tree to tree. Sunbeds are available free of course, and there was always plenty available. The beach is long enough for it to take at least 15 minutes to walk from one end to the other. The sea here is the Atlantic, so expect it to be rougher than the Caribbean sea, but still lovely and warm whatever time of year you visit. You can walk out a considerable way without getting out of your depth, although some parts contain corals which are sharp. There are no vendors on the beach, which is good - but if you do want to go and check out your haggling skills, shacks are located at the extreme edges of the beach. These shacks sell all manner of souvenirs including local cigars, jewellery, paintings and so on. Hair braiding is also a big money spinner here, but to us westerners, it is a bargain. They'll give you all sorts of stories to get you to buy, you know not being able to pay their rent, or had no customers all day....you get the idea. Haggling is a must, aim for half the original price, or lower.

If drinking is your thing, then of course you'll be at home here. As well as the room bar and drinks dispensers mentioned earlier, drinks at any of the bars in either the Merengue, Bachata or Mambo are free and unlimited. I won't mention each one, there are many though. Each bar has a menu, although the bar staff will make anything you can describe. Some of the cocktails are superb, and the measures are not measured. Bars close around midnight, but their is the disco within the hotel grounds if you want more, which opens until 2am. The air-conditioning made it really cold in there, so we needed to keep popping outside to warm up (yes, we went outside to warm up).

Although we didn't spend huge amounts of time around the pool, it seemed quite popular. Often there is water aerobics, volleyball and so on. Other activities seemed to be centred around the pool area. As with the drinks and restaurants, you can also use the pools at the other 2 hotels, one of which has a swim up bar and jacuzzi. The pool was always clean and maintained constantly. Beside the pool was a hut where you get towels each day, again free of charge.

Evening entertainment was on the whole very good, although after 2 weeks it became a little repetitive. The in house entertainment team produces some good acts, and got the audience involved each night with Merengue dancing and so on. There was plenty of music, mostly Merengue, and also karaoke night. Adult games took place some nights which were the most fun to watch. There is no casino in the Merengue itself, but next door at the Bachata. It's worth a flutter on the roulette wheel if you've never played, slot machines and black jack are also available.

During the day the entertainment staff kept you busy if you wanted to join in, with various sports and games, dance lessons and even Spanish lessons. You could also use the tennis courts at any of the hotels free of charge, as well as table tennis, paddle boats, sailing, snorkelling equipment and wind-surfing. An hours scuba lesson was available too. Just a few minutes walk is Caribbean Street where amongst the souvenir shops, is a pool hall, free of course! The gym is located here as well as a spa offering all sorts of treatments. We decided not to use the spa here, but instead had massages in the beach massage huts which were very relaxing.

As with all tropical destinations there are always bugs. We were pleased however not to find any in the rooms. Nor did we find the need to use insect repellent in the evenings, mosquitos seemed to be rare.

Well that's a taster of what the Merengue is like. We spent four days outside the hotel on various trips including whale watching, but this being a review of the hotel itself only. Prices for this will obviously vary depending on the time of year you go and the deals available at the time. If you are thinking of a trip to the Dominican Republic, you can't go wrong on this hotel as being an ideal choice.

More photos and diary available at http://www.angelfire.com/retro/seany/DominicanRepublic1.html

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Update : Jan '05: We loved the Riu hotel so much, we have just booked to go to the Riu Tropical Bay in Jamaica for later this year.... 

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