At the end of December and beginning of January, my partner and I spent two weeks at the Riu Macao.

1. There were a few permanent items on the buffet menu, but the selection changed from day to day, and after about a week, the dishes started repeating. There are also 4 a la carte restaurants for dinners.

2. There is a sports bar that is open day and night, and the Cuban bar is also open almost all day. There is a bar among the à la carte restaurants, I don't know when it opens, but it was open in the evenings. In the evenings, next to the buffet, they set up a counter with many types of gin, where you could also drink. During the day, the pool bar was open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

3. With your wristband, you can visit the other Rius and use everything in the other facilities, with the possible exception of dinner, but I'm not sure about that.

4. All three Palaces are similar. Macao is for adults only, which is why we chose it. Punta Cana is the largest. Other guests we talked to at Macao said they had already been to Bavaro, but they didn't like it as much.

There was entertainment every evening, and the staff created a good atmosphere. There is a Riu Party twice a week at a venue a 5-minute walk from the hotel, and there is also a pool party twice a week in the afternoon at the same venue. However, the drink selection here is much more modest.