riu palace or iberstar tucan

08-14-2003

We are traveling to PDC in January, 8 adults NO KIDS - Is the assigned dinner times a problem at Riu? Which would you recommend?

KKIL · 08-14-2003

SFuller,
I am going to the Tucan for the second time in three weeks and travelling w/ 20+ adults. Last time we went there were 7 adults , ages from 25-33. We had a great time and we love the resort. Depending on your taste you could easily hang out at the resort at night or go downtown Playa, we did both. I am a very health conscious , you could say pickey eater and I never had a problem finding something to eat at the resort. The food was great!! I have never been to the Riu Palace to comment. The Tucan also has a adults only pool with a great pool bar. I am sure you will have fun wherever you decide to go, Playa is beautiful.

08-20-2003

We just returned from the Riu Palace yesterday. This is a wonderful hotel and I will be writing a more detailed trip report when I have time.
To answer your question more fully ......

There are 5 restaurants in the resort: Don Julian, Sir Edwars's, La Bodega, La Traviata and El Patio.

The only ones that have sittings are Don Julian's, Sir Edward's and La Bodega - 6:45 and 9 PM. Now .. Don Julian is ONLY buffet style. Sir Edward's as a fixed menu offering several appetizers, entrees and main courses. La Bodega is simlar to a Brazilan steak house, offering a seven course entree, of whcih you can have a sample of all or some .. your choice. All of the above restaurants are AIR CONDITIONED!!!!

La Traviata and El Patio offer dinner after 6PM (Not certain because we never ate dinner there, just snacks and lunch) Both are buffet style as well.. one being "italian" themes and the other "mexican" .. the names of the restaurants should be obvious. Both places are actually one structure new the pool and close to the beach. This is a opened structure with only over head fans and the natural "breeze" from outside.

Ok .. I mentioned AIR CONDITIONING! in capital letters because one thing that I was not aware of until we got here is that most hotels are NOT AIR CONDITIONED .. meaning except for the rooms .. all the common/public areas are opened air structures. Now I can't speak for all resorts, but out of the 4 RIU resorts, only the Palace had AC in the main lobby and tht restaurants I mentioned. Trust me .. it was EXTREMELY HOT AND HUMID in August and the thought of wearing long pants to dinner in that kind of heat didn't thrill me until I discovered that they were one of the few properties that offered AC. Now some might think this is not a big deal, but believe me .. you need that occasional break.

In closing, the RIU Palace was an absolutely beautiful resort.. I can only describe it as having an elegant old world charm on the beach. We are just middle class family from NYC, but I will say that the Palace had a unique style that I didn't see at the other resorts I toured.

P.S. .. the food was very good!!!! ... a bit repetitive towards the end of our stay .. but GOOD! .. fresh with an amazing variety.

Mr Schwump · 08-20-2003

We have stayed at the I* Tucan and at a Riu Palace in the Domincian Republic. I was initially hesitant about the idea of a fixed seating time for dinner at the Riu. As it turned out it wasn't that big a deal. It was possible to change your dining time by letting the maitre'd know in advance.

The only downside that I could see is where you're seated. At the Riu Palace in Punta Cana, DR, not only was our time set, but our table was as well. Our dining neighbors were perfectly nice; a German couple on one side and a younger couple who seemed Italian on the other. We did notice a few other people we would NOT have wanted to be seated next too.

Our days were so lazy it was good to have a little bit of structure!

alde · 08-20-2003

Ok .. le tme be a bit more specific about diner reservations, sittings, same table, etc ..

The one drawback that I found was that you had to go to the lobby during the hours of 12 - 3 and make reservations with the head waiter as to which restaurant you wanted to eat in that evening, regardless whether it was buffet or not. As I said previously, the two poolside restaurants tht served dinner I believe was very casual .. as in shorts, tee shirt and you pretty much just show up. As for the otehr three, Don Julian is a huge place and we never had a problem making a reservation. La Bodega i think is the least popular of all, so making a reservation there was not hard (only ate there once). Sir Edward's was always booked (unless you were in the lobby at around 11) .. however, when I went back on my second attempt tomake a reservation, the head waiter graciously gave me a reservation for the following night, which I thought was very nice. Other then that we ate at Don Julian's virutlly every night except for the 2 nights at Edwars's and Bodega. Now, we were told that you can actually reserve Don Julian's for your entire stay, which garantees you dinner there everynight, however you can still make a separate reservation at one of the others .. so when the time comes, you can virtually show up at either place and will be seated. When you make a reservation, the head waiter gives you a small ticket that you need to present when you show up to dinner .. Confused yet??

As for having been assigned the same table every night? Again, I can only speak to Don Julian's for this. We NEVER were seated at the same table twice as I also expected and I didn't ask why, not did it really matter. I can honestly say that the policy may have changed somewhat, but this is only a guess. Additionally, they will allow you to shaw up a bit late for dinner. I think they will allow you to come as late as 7:30 for 6:45PM sitting and 9:45 for a 9PM sitting. We usually let them know if we could that we would be late. There was never a problem.

Last item that I wish to repeat. Wearing long pants and a sleeved shirt (short, pull over or button down) is required at the three restaurants, but not at the poolside restaurants (La Traviata and El Patio) Believe me when I say that the head waiter turned a number of guests away. I even saw a few that attempted to tip and the head waiter politlely refused and directed them to the poolside restaurants. This polocy is strctly enforced. They even sasid that my 12 year old son had to wear long pants as well, but then allowed him to dress as he usually does. They just wish to maintain a certain "look" and truthfully, I was all for it. Again, the Palace has a unique style... Don't misunderstand me .. it is a very casual place .. but they do wish to maintain a certain "look" for certain settings.

08-14-2003	#1 (permalink)
Guest Posts: n/a	riu palace or iberstar tucan We are traveling to PDC in January, 8 adults NO KIDS - Is the assigned dinner times a problem at Riu? Which would you recommend?

08-20-2003	#4 (permalink)
Mr Schwump ruined Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Cincinnati Posts: 81	*I vs. RP** We have stayed at the I* Tucan and at a Riu Palace in the Domincian Republic. I was initially hesitant about the idea of a fixed seating time for dinner at the Riu. As it turned out it wasn't that big a deal. It was possible to change your dining time by letting the maitre'd know in advance. The only downside that I could see is where you're seated. At the Riu Palace in Punta Cana, DR, not only was our time set, but our table was as well. Our dining neighbors were perfectly nice; a German couple on one side and a younger couple who seemed Italian on the other. We did notice a few other people we would NOT have wanted to be seated next too. Our days were so lazy it was good to have a little bit of structure!

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08-14-2003	#2 (permalink)
KKIL lost on fifth Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 22	SFuller, I am going to the Tucan for the second time in three weeks and travelling w/ 20+ adults. Last time we went there were 7 adults , ages from 25-33. We had a great time and we love the resort. Depending on your taste you could easily hang out at the resort at night or go downtown Playa, we did both. I am a very health conscious , you could say pickey eater and I never had a problem finding something to eat at the resort. The food was great!! I have never been to the Riu Palace to comment. The Tucan also has a adults only pool with a great pool bar. I am sure you will have fun wherever you decide to go, Playa is beautiful.

08-20-2003	#3 (permalink)
Guest Posts: n/a	We just returned from the Riu Palace yesterday. This is a wonderful hotel and I will be writing a more detailed trip report when I have time. To answer your question more fully ...... There are 5 restaurants in the resort: Don Julian, Sir Edwars's, La Bodega, La Traviata and El Patio. The only ones that have sittings are Don Julian's, Sir Edward's and La Bodega - 6:45 and 9 PM. Now .. Don Julian is ONLY buffet style. Sir Edward's as a fixed menu offering several appetizers, entrees and main courses. La Bodega is simlar to a Brazilan steak house, offering a seven course entree, of whcih you can have a sample of all or some .. your choice. All of the above restaurants are AIR CONDITIONED!!!! La Traviata and El Patio offer dinner after 6PM (Not certain because we never ate dinner there, just snacks and lunch) Both are buffet style as well.. one being "italian" themes and the other "mexican" .. the names of the restaurants should be obvious. Both places are actually one structure new the pool and close to the beach. This is a opened structure with only over head fans and the natural "breeze" from outside. Ok .. I mentioned AIR CONDITIONING! in capital letters because one thing that I was not aware of until we got here is that most hotels are NOT AIR CONDITIONED .. meaning except for the rooms .. all the common/public areas are opened air structures. Now I can't speak for all resorts, but out of the 4 RIU resorts, only the Palace had AC in the main lobby and tht restaurants I mentioned. Trust me .. it was EXTREMELY HOT AND HUMID in August and the thought of wearing long pants to dinner in that kind of heat didn't thrill me until I discovered that they were one of the few properties that offered AC. Now some might think this is not a big deal, but believe me .. you need that occasional break. In closing, the RIU Palace was an absolutely beautiful resort.. I can only describe it as having an elegant old world charm on the beach. We are just middle class family from NYC, but I will say that the Palace had a unique style that I didn't see at the other resorts I toured. P.S. .. the food was very good!!!! ... a bit repetitive towards the end of our stay .. but GOOD! .. fresh with an amazing variety.

08-20-2003	#5 (permalink)
alde sandflea Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 6	Ok .. le tme be a bit more specific about diner reservations, sittings, same table, etc .. The one drawback that I found was that you had to go to the lobby during the hours of 12 - 3 and make reservations with the head waiter as to which restaurant you wanted to eat in that evening, regardless whether it was buffet or not. As I said previously, the two poolside restaurants tht served dinner I believe was very casual .. as in shorts, tee shirt and you pretty much just show up. As for the otehr three, Don Julian is a huge place and we never had a problem making a reservation. La Bodega i think is the least popular of all, so making a reservation there was not hard (only ate there once). Sir Edward's was always booked (unless you were in the lobby at around 11) .. however, when I went back on my second attempt tomake a reservation, the head waiter graciously gave me a reservation for the following night, which I thought was very nice. Other then that we ate at Don Julian's virutlly every night except for the 2 nights at Edwars's and Bodega. Now, we were told that you can actually reserve Don Julian's for your entire stay, which garantees you dinner there everynight, however you can still make a separate reservation at one of the others .. so when the time comes, you can virtually show up at either place and will be seated. When you make a reservation, the head waiter gives you a small ticket that you need to present when you show up to dinner .. Confused yet?? As for having been assigned the same table every night? Again, I can only speak to Don Julian's for this. We NEVER were seated at the same table twice as I also expected and I didn't ask why, not did it really matter. I can honestly say that the policy may have changed somewhat, but this is only a guess. Additionally, they will allow you to shaw up a bit late for dinner. I think they will allow you to come as late as 7:30 for 6:45PM sitting and 9:45 for a 9PM sitting. We usually let them know if we could that we would be late. There was never a problem. Last item that I wish to repeat. Wearing long pants and a sleeved shirt (short, pull over or button down) is required at the three restaurants, but not at the poolside restaurants (La Traviata and El Patio) Believe me when I say that the head waiter turned a number of guests away. I even saw a few that attempted to tip and the head waiter politlely refused and directed them to the poolside restaurants. This polocy is strctly enforced. They even sasid that my 12 year old son had to wear long pants as well, but then allowed him to dress as he usually does. They just wish to maintain a certain "look" and truthfully, I was all for it. Again, the Palace has a unique style... Don't misunderstand me .. it is a very casual place .. but they do wish to maintain a certain "look" for certain settings.

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