DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY!!! The area is great and beautiful but any one of the Riu hotels would be better than the Naiboa. The food was terrible! We lived off watermelon and bread. Our deal included access to all the other Riu hotels in the compound (Bambu, Taino, Macao) all of which had the similar food. We only had access to the a la carte restaurant once (making a reservation was not easy!) and that food was not much better. Bring your own wine.

Our first room was supposed to be "perfect", "you will love it" we were told by the reception guy. It was big but carpeted and they don't vacuum. The carpet was damp, moldy, dusty and dirty. our decks over looked the hotels air conditioning unit and sewage. My husband had to give the guy $40 to change rooms - a near asthma attack wasn't reason enough to switch rooms, I guess. Our new room was tile and had a nice view. In North American standards I would call this a 3 star room, basic and cleanish. The beds are old and the sheets are not fitted so they come off pretty easily.

There is a ton of staff and they are very friendly, especially the people putting on the events like water aerobics & games etc.

We had our 3 yr old and 5 yr old children with us and they had a great time. The Bambu is best for toddlers and kids activities which we attended. The Naiboa has a good pool for non swimmers and a tiny mini club.

Bring your own food if you have picky eaters, bring your own sunscreen ( we paid $20 for a bottle).

The beach is beautiful with small waves but lots of people!

I will definitely go back to the Dominican Republic but not to the Riu hotels.

My Husband and I just returned last night from a long weekend at Riu Naiboa. We were looking for a 5 day inexpensive getaway to the beach and Naiboa was perfect for just that! I had read many reviews prior to traveling so I promised upon my return to go back to travel advisor and share my comments. We had stayed at a Riu resort in Jamaica several years ago which we enjoyed and we have only heard about Riu's good reputation.

Naiboa is the least expensive and oldest of the 5 Riu's located in Punta Cana. The rooms were definitely in need of updating-new beds, linens and bathrooms would do the trick but overall they were clean and if you needed anything the staff would do whatever possible to accommodate you. For example, we changed our first room to one with a queen bed (which I would recommend-versus the standard room) and requested 2 extra pillows and an extra sheet (since they did not use a mattress cover) and they provided them for us that night. Somehow we managed to sleep even though the bed was not the most comfortable-Maybe that doesn't even matter after a long day drinking on the beach in the sun??

The restaurants at Naiboa were the same-outdated. But the food was decent and we did not get sick like others have complained of after visiting Punta Cana. They certainly had quite a spread for every meal....it was just difficult to find a lot that we liked. The food seemed to cater to the Europeans. But believe me we far from starved to death! The meals were served buffet style. I liked the breakfasts-especially the fresh fruit drinks, french toast, omelets, and bacon. Lunch on the other hand was not as hot. They served salad, pizza, pasta, dogs and burgers-sounds good but just tasted strange...we ate way to many french fries-which were good. Dinners had a large selection but just not that great- Paella was good. Had one dinner at the Italian-A la carte restaurant, where you have to make reservations early in the morning but this was not impressive. Here they serve you very similar food to the buffet but it was nice to go somewhere different. My husband did not enjoy having to wear pants to dinner every night even at the buffet restaurant. (He even got reprimanded one night for wearing shorts!)

The drinks are good. During the day enjoyed frozen Pina Coladas, Daiquiris, and Mai Tai's. Rum and Coke later in the afternoon and wine with dinner. The alcohol is all average brands-no top shelf here! Bartenders are nice-no tips necessary but $1 here or there doesn't hurt. Don't miss the Dominican Rum called "Mama Juana" as an after dinner drink-might make you get crazy at the end of the night ;)

The beach is beautiful! Clean and plenty of chairs for every
one. If you are not interested in excursions tell anyone that asks "No Gracias" right away or they may annoy you. Oh and make sure you know your basic Spanish-not many people spoke English. Fresh coconuts were fun on the beach every day. Oh and be prepared for European topless women on the beach-and let loose take off your top- your on vacation-its fun to feel free (I did)! If your a pool person (we like the beach), the pool at Naiboa looked very nice and all of the other pools at the Riu's also looked nice and clean. We just prefer the ocean.

The coolest thing is that all 5 resorts are connected and so
you are able to walk around and enjoy all of them. If you go make sure you go check out the two Palace resorts-they are beautiful but you have to pay for a drink at either of them. Also have to pay for drinks at Pacha night club-the night hot spot-ok if you like Spanish music. Casino was small and a little sketchy. The entertainment was interesting-the staff is all very dedicated to their jobs and friendly. The shows at night were done in Spanish-dancers were talented. The grounds on all the resorts are fabulous-well kept lush greens and palm trees. Caribbean street is the walkway to the beach and has cute little boutiques which we liked. Thursday night Carnival is held there which is fun.

Overall we enjoyed our stay at Naiboa. The weather was beautiful-lots of sunshine but not unbearably hot. We came home feeling romantic and relaxed. Just remember that everything is done Caribbean style on Dominican time. No worries Mon!
Have fun and have some Mama Juana for me :)

this hotel was average. The beach was kinda close you just had to walk a little bit. The place where you booked tours was close right near the beach. The resturuants food was ok, it wasn't the best. But we had alot of fun. we met people. Also if you do any tours you should try the banana boat it was awesome. We swam with dolphins too. that was also very awesome(a day trip). So overall this trip was average.

My friend and I just returned from a week at Naiboa and I wish I were still there. The staff were amazing -- everyone was always smiling, singing and dancing. Even in the face of some obnoxious tourists, they were always very friendly and helpful.
The resort itself was smaller than some of the other resorts that I have been to, but we had access to two other RIUs, so it all felt like one huge area. Everything was immaculate.
The beach was beautiful, and I really enjoyed walking down the little shopping street to get to it. It was nice to look in the stores and not have to barter or be hastled. There are some huts a few minutes down on the beach if that is what you are interesting (and it is always interesting)!.
The pool was lovely. At first I was disappointed it didn't have a swim up bar, and thought I would spend my time at one of the other pools, but ended up enjoying it too much to leave.
The food was plentiful and delicious. Always an amazing variety and really tasty. I would have to say that it was as good, if not better, than some of the five star resorts that I have stayed in. I was disappointed by the Italian restaraunt, but the Steak House at the Palace more than made up for it. It was so good, we booked two nights in a row!
While we were there there was a huge variety of people from all over the world -- Canada, United States, Poland, Argentina, England, Germany and Slovakia. Everyone was very friendly and I enjoyed meeting some great new friends.