Avoid This Atrocious, All-Inclusive Resort For Your Spring Break Trip To The Caribbean

If you're looking for a beautiful and relaxing all-inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic, you'll have plenty of wonderful options to choose from, but according to tourists who visited the island nation in 2025 — Riu Republica is one property that should be avoided.

The Dominican Republic is a diverse country located on the island of Hispaniola, which is also home to the neighboring nation of Haiti. For years, the Dominican Republic has remained a popular tourist destination. It's well known for stunning beaches. With nearly a thousand miles of coastline, it'sa great destination for swimming with dolphins and soaking up the sun. Historic Spanish-colonial architecture, beautiful lagoons, vibrant culture, and natural beauty are just a few factors that attract visitors from around the world. The country is generally considered safe for tourists, although the U.S. has issued a Level 2 travel advisory warning against violent crime and recommends visitors use increased caution. Most people who visit the Dominican Republic have a lovely time, and many return year after year, but spring breakers who stayed at Riu Republica in 2025 and 2026 had some pretty horrific things to say about their experience.

According to viral TikTok videos, Facebook posts, online reviews, and Reddit threads, staying at Riu Republica was not at all pleasant. Tourists complained that their rooms lacked running water at times, the food was atrocious, the resort was dirty, the electricity wasn't dependable, and that they didn't feel safe.

Riu Republica is an all-inclusive resort located on Arena Gorda Beach in Punta Cana. Punta Cana is one of the country's most popular tourist cities due to white sand beaches and sparkling bright blue water. There are over 80 different all-inclusive resorts lining the beaches of Punta Cana, but not all of them offer the kind of luxury that travelers might expect.

Riu Republica is advertised as a five-star hotel, but according to most reviews it should be avoided. Throughout our research, we saw multiple tourists refer to it as the biggest party resort in the Dominican. It's an adults-only property that's apparently popular among the college-aged spring break crowd. In a Facebook comment, a traveler named Mark Allen mentioned that Riu Republica was one of the least expensive all-inclusive resorts in the country, and suggested that might be why so many tourists had problems there. "I was just there. There was no running water, air conditioning, or power for over 24 hours, the service is horrible and the food is barely edible," a guest named Kate Farley wrote in a Facebook comment in 2025.

Sadly, it doesn't seem as though things have improved much since. There have already been some awful Tripadvisor reviews posted in 2026. "If you like moldy and sewage-smelling rooms, this is the place for you. Food was very unappealing. By the end of the trip, I was stuck in my room with vomiting and the runs. The hallways were always dirty from the night before and garbage [was] everywhere. If you like a cheap vacation and like to party and don't care about your accommodations, this is the place for you," Tami J wrote in a review posted January 3.

In addition to cleanliness issues, unappetizing food, and problems with water and electricity — some tourists felt concerned with the resort's safety. In a Facebook comment, a traveler named Gina Houston said she felt security was lacking. "With no security, some young patrons were very destructive at night — pounding on doors, ripping fire alarms out of walls, dumping trash, breaking glass, [and] bending signs. If you can change your reservation — I advise you to do so," she wrote.

Partying and over-indulging seems to be a major problem. "They over serve the guests alcohol. At one point, we had to exit the swim-up bar pool because a guy was puking in it," Tami J's Tripadvisor review stated. In 2023, BBC published an article about a couple who witnessed people being intimate in public swimming pools at Riu Republica. They also saw a body under a sheet after a person fell from the resort's fourth floor balcony, and were told multiple hotel guests had died of drug overdoses during their stay. "People were chucking their drugs in the pool and there was absolutely no security," Alan Stevens told BBC.

Some Riu Republica guests enjoyed the experience. Tripadvisor user Carliraed wrote that the pools were clean and the beach was beautiful. They added that their first room had mold and no air conditioning, but they were switched to a better room. They "did not see any rats or anything like some reviews stated" and enjoyed the flowers left by housekeeping. "Parties every night! This is certainly a party hotel," they added. They insisted it was a great trip for the price. Still, you might want to opt for some of Punta Cana's best all-inclusive resorts instead.