hello,
we just returned Sunday late evening from the RIU Bachata and we had a great time. yes, the beaches are not stunning to say but overall nice. actually there are 2 beaches, the one has not much sun due to lots of palm trees but the other is sunny and has all the water sports to use....paddle boats,parasailing, horseback ride (highly reccommend) etc. we stayed poolside more than the beach but overall was a great time. food and drinks were great, people and staff were very friendly. overall we would rate the hotel as a 4 out of 5. call ahead to make sure you have a room with hot water. the rooms were cleaned daily and the mini bar is full, and if you need anything refilled, just ask. daily activites were fun and the nightly shows were entertaining. we highly recommend goig on the jeep safari, not the outback safari or the monster jeep safari. the jeep safari offers a tour of a beautiful waterfall that you climb up 7 levels and slid/jump your way down...i only recommend if you are physically capable of this long 25 walk to the falls but a wonderful thrill when you get there. the people are great and friendly. i loved the trip and look forward to going back.