Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana - All Inclusive

We just returned from a 6-night stay at the Riu Palace Punta Cana. Travelled as a family of 4 with 2 boys ages 12 yrs & 10 yrs. We originally booked at the Riu Bambu which turned out not to be for us. The Riu Palace Punta Cana is by far the better resort to stay at. From the rooms, service, grounds and overall experience, the Riu Palace Punta Cana exceeded our expectations. A few distinct differences between the Bambu to the Palace include, at the Palace and not at Bambu: family friendly with room privacy (large, enclosed bathroom/shower area), restocked mini-fridge DAILY without restrictions for quantity, smaller resort, more selection for food, less busy so easier to get drinks/poolside service, working TV channels (yes we spend time in the evenings in the room), elevators, enclosed HUGE air-conditioned lobby & lobby bar. From this resort, we chose not to visit the waterpark as the distance to walk is too far. It was too far from the Bambu as well in our opinion. This was a disappointment as the waterpark was one of the main reasons we decided to book at this Riu group of hotels. However, it did turn out ok as our kids much preferred the ocean (the waves were great for body surfing) and the pool. That said, do not be mistaken, there really is only one pool for use here. Again, the waterpark is too far of a distance to go to, the pool with the bar is an adult only pool without swimming of any sort, the kids pool is a splash pad for much younger children and the volleyball pool is small and really only meant for a game of volleyball (for which we never saw anyone playing). We were surprised however that the lobby bar and coffee bar were not 24/7 service. The only location on either resort that is 24/7 is the sport bar, which is a little tricky to locate on either resort. I could not understand not being able to get a coffee from the coffee bar at 8:00am but the desserts from the coffee bar, during opening hours, were amazing! Exceptional WIFI service throughout the hotel, pools & beach areas. We only ate at the buffets and the afternoon snack area so cannot comment on the restaurants. The overall atmosphere at the Riu Palace Punta Cana was far better than the Riu Bambu. If you want a 24/7 party, book at the Riu Bambu.