Hello, fellow travelers. I’m Ari, a Dominican local. And Jhon and I just came back from the RIU Republica adults-only resort in Punta Cana, and this is our review.
Make sure you stick around till the end because we will share three tips to bring your stay at the RIU Republica to the next level.
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Overview
The two of us paid $208 per night in a standard double room with a balcony overlooking the water park.
The RIU Republica is located in Arena Gorda, which is about 29 minutes away from the Punta Cana International Airport. This area consists mainly of resorts and hotels, so if you want to get out into town,
you will need a car or a taxi.
The Beach
The Arena Gorda area has, in our opinion, one of the most beautiful stretches of beach in Punta Cana, some of the most famous hotels in Punta Cana, like the Hard Rock and the Royalton hotels share this same beach.
We visited the RIU Republica in August 2022, and this year has been record-breaking in the amounts of seaweed arriving in the Caribbean.
I wonder if we were lucky, but during our visit, the seaweed was minimal early in the morning, which is when you see the most seaweed because the hotels have yet to pick it up. It was immaculate. We noticed some hotel staff cleaning the beach, so they are doing an outstanding job of keeping it clean.
The Pools
The resort has six pools. Three of them have pool bars, and they play loud music. So if you want more of a party vibe, one of these three pools will be your best choice.
The smallest pool has a volleyball net, so it’s basically dedicated to small groups that want to play a game or two of volleyball.
The two bigger pools are quieter. The biggest one is closest to the beach, and the other is closer to the water park, Which is the one we preferred because it was quieter.
Keep in mind the hotel is not that big, so all these pools are near each other, and you can experience all of them during your stay.
One thing that the RIU Republica does a great job at is providing enough seating area and enough shade. There are tons of empty chaise lounges at every pool and tons of shadow, which we find some other Punta Cana hotels do an abysmal job at.
The Amenities
This resort has a small but very nice-looking spa.
It has a well-equipped gym if you want to offset some of the weight you gain from eating so much at an all-inclusive resort.