Small but feels like home

At first we were a bit disappointed as the resort is really small with only a central small pool/area and the activities like pool, tennis table close at 7pm so in the evening except the daily evening activity/show there is nothing else to do. But after 2days or so you start to feel like home, the food is great (best I have ever had in an resort) the staff is super sweet, the beach has a reef so you can snorkel every day at low tide (your feet can still touch the ground and fishes are swimming a [... read more]round you!). As there is only one central main area with the pool the daily activities like games organized by the resort are all happening there so youre not going to be quiet by the pool there is very often music, laughter! But for adults only they have another dedicated pool with another lobby/bar which is amazing if you don't have kids!

The Crown Jewel of Puerto Plata All Inclusives

We chose to be pampered by their Royal Service option and it did not disappoint. Upgraded room with ocean view in a spotless building. Access to an exclusive area of their wonderful beach ( with bala beds and padded loungers) where Aquino, David and team provided steady and impeccable friendly service. The beach is protected by a reef and is nestled in a bay so no issues with Sargassum or waves. The water was clear, clean, warm as a bathtub in June and one could spot some smaller fish amongst th [... read more]e rocks. Royal service has unlimited a la carte dinners which we enjoyed every night. Food was very good at all three and we were spoiled with upgraded wines included in the package. The buffet was very good but usually with a more limited variety.than some other AI's we have been to but quality was above average. We regularly took advantage of the Vintage club for mimosas and Spanish coffee in the morning and cocktails in the afternoon with upgraded ingredients.The staff at the Vintage lounge was friendly and service orientated. Pros - long, walkable, beautiful, clean beach. Consistently excellent service. High standard of cleanliness. Spacious bright room with modern air conditioning. Choice of two pools - one for families and a quiet pool for adults (except during high season).Well managed and safe. Cons - can be noisy and crowded during high season, door to balcony was stiff, limited outlets and hangers in the dated but super clean and freshly painted room,limited entertainment, no kleenex provided (byok),and the toilet paper was subpar (byotp). Not a party resort for the younger demographicalthough weekends can be noisy. Superior value and we are "hoping" to be back again every year for a week. As their slogan says, "Come as guests and return as family."

Beautiful beach

Food was good.Beds were not king as mentioned during booking , our kids room washroom was flooded with water, there was leak from somewhere from tub . Ceiling of their room was moulded and leaking. Everyday they took awhile to put back towels for bathroom. There was no snack bar if you feel hungry in between breakfast lunch dinner , you can just have drinks only.

Great compact resort

Just got back from a week long vacation with my family. There were 7 of us. We loved that everything was close by. The staff were amazing and very friendly. The buffet and Al a carte restaurants were delicious. There was always a variety. The only negative was that you had to reserve chairs at the beach early in the morning to get an umbrella. They need more palapas.

Fantastic place

Super friendly staff. Very well maintained. Great food, nothing fancy, but the basics are down pat. Grilled food, salads, diversity. Freshness. The soup du jour at the beach grill always interesting! I would have liked the hamburgers cooked. As a Canadian, I am more used to eat patties well done and nothing else… and that is the only thing I can come up with from a 10 days stay!!! Perfect!

Amazing resort

The hotel was excellent—our room was very clean and the beds were extremely comfortable. The buffet and restaurants were fantastic, offering a wide variety of fresh food and drinks. Every day featured different meals, which made dining exciting throughout our stay.

Pleasant

We visited April 22-29. It was our third time to this hotel The room was very nice, perfect entertainment and we had fun. The quality of the food seemed to had gone down a bit from the last time we were there in 2023. I thought that the returning guests get a welcome back present ( we were given the special repeat guest bands) but that was it. I like it that this resort is small and compact and I would go back.

Great vacation

Trip Report May 15th to 29th Wow Being a Cuba vacationer for the past 3+ years we really took a gamble on VH Gran Ventana. Of course we did the homework, checked reviews and like resorts but thankfully settled on Gran Ventana. Prior to arriving I dropped Solange/Mr.Marcos an email indicating what area of the Catalina Building we would like and they came through for us 100% Club As we were going for 2 weeks, we selected the Royal Package which gave us some perks (Beach, Bar & Dining). I must [... read more] say that we took good advantage of the package. Whether it be a la carte dining 12/14 nights, shaded lounger daily (no chair game stress), morning cappuccinos and nightcaps in the Vintage Club … oh and lest we forget bottles of champagne and booze for each week. I can’t thank the staff enough in the Vintage lounge Santa, Sujeidy and Ricardo et al. The one hiccup was they took care of the taxi reservation for a day … driver didn’t speak a lick of English other than “Yes”, this made it a challenge, but it didn’t ruin our day. Rooms Overall, the room we had 2115 was good. The cleaning staff kept it spotless and we had sufficient towels everyday. One day we needed face cloths, and the Santa/Sujeidy handled it well, as we didn’t go without for our stay. Beach Being a self diagnosed “Beach Bum” this was important to our trip. The beach was very wide lots of sand; the water was a bit limited as to how far in you can go without getting into coral/rocks etc. We always sat in the Superior/Royal section and had great service from Jose (Dirty Banana), Amable (Papa) as well as others. The only comment here is the vast number of people trying to sell you souvenirs etc. on the beach … 95% are no problem, but some are more persistent. Wind – not sure if it’s seasonal but the beach had a constant wind (right to left) which was great in the morning and early afternoon but kicked up a notch after 1ish. Food Like I said we dined exclusively at the a la carte Italian (Sempre de Mare?), Octopus and Beach Grill with two nights at the buffet (White Night). I must say after 3+ years going to Cuba the food was great! Breakfast was a steady dose of made to order eggs, bacon and fruit. Lunch was okay, but often we had fruit. General I did notice that the resort was open to locals on the weekends, but since we generally were on the beach and in a la carte we didn’t notice them as much. We found staff and management very approachable and genuinely happy. On site stores are crazy expensive (go to Jumbo) asking $7USD for a small box of Kleenex. Animation team did their best … people were able to participate if they wanted. Would we return or recommend Given the vast array of resorts/countries it’s nice to be able to find one or two that you know what to expect and fits your needs. So yes, we would return and recommend. Probably left out some stuff and may revisit to edit.

Wonderful resort

I always enjoy my stay at VH Gran Ventana, I believe this is my fifth time there, and each time is totally enjoyable. The food is always good and there is lots of it. The bartender at the pool,Andrea, is wonderful. She remembers all the people who were previously there before and treats them all like old friends.

Good Resort

Being at this resort for a week-long vacation (May 11 - 18) for a first time in Puerto Plata, here are some thoughts that I wanted to share so that you can plan your vacation. I've visited D.R. many times at 5-star resorts in Punta Cana and am curious about Puerto Plata. My selections were based on reviews from travelers who had been there for the last six months with some judgements towards unpleasant feedback. I chose Gran Ventana with the Tripcentral' agent's advice and am very satisfied wi [... read more]th her recommendations. For 4-star resort, this place is amazing in terms of service, delicacies and beach. Room is outdated but kept clean (Air conditioning is working fine). Entertainment is limited as well as daily activities at the pool and beach. Overall is acceptable, and I would recommend it.

Beyond our expectations!

Hotel service was great, the bedroom very clean and comfortable, the food was great and the beach was just beatifull! Service staff was very kind and helpfull. Flights was on time and also very kind staff! Please keep up the good service. We will be back.

Best resort beach, food and staff!

It was our first time at VH Gran Ventana and definitely will not be our last! The beach is crystal clear with beautiful tropical fish swimming around us. The food is absolutely superb! The rooms could do with an update, but on an all inclusive you don’t spend much time in your room anyhow! Our maid did an excellent job everyday, we never needed any towels and our mini fridge was well stocked. Staff are warm, friendly and really make you feel welcome! Andrea at the pool lounge bar makes the best [... read more] iced coffee! One small improvement would be to add more umbrellas to the pool and beach areas.We are already planning to return next year!

Okay resort

I did like the resort. Everything close by. Rooms clean but outdated. Beautiful beach. Food plentiful and lots of variety. What did ruin the Damien our trip was that during the week the hotel has cruise ship people coming in anywhere between 30-100 people almost daily. Also no entertainment between 1130-330. Then very little. On the weekends the locals come in which is fine but they do seem to take over everything. We were unable to even get a chair with shade. Pool was like a can of sardi [... read more]nes. No one anywhere gives out this information. The staff are amazing and friendly and hardworking. Tip well and you will get even better service and attention. We had the premium package and yet the locals were the ones being catered too. I would not return to this resort as I prefer adults only. Seemed great for families.

Very disappointed

This was our second time at this resort and very disappointed. As a premium package holder that was fine never had issues with chairs at the beach the staff there was amazing. Rooms were fine but yes need upgrades. Food was great. The Italian à la carte was very disappointing we were totally ignored. We waited 1/2 hours between dishes and ppl that came after us were served and done before we got our main course. This resort now lets in cruise ship passengers and it gets over crowded al [... read more]so the locals and the paying guest are now over seen. The entertainment needs a lot of work there is no excitement in the staff. There is no music playing and they don’t allow speakers so the atmosphere is boring. They also could use more umbrellas around the deck. Overall I would not return.

Perfect way to relax

Having never been to the Dominican before, I only had Cuba and Mexico to compare this trip to. At first we were a bit worried the resort was small, but that quickly became one of the biggest pros. It was so easy to get anywhere you wanted whenever you felt like it. The beach is steps from the pool, and the bars are scattered throughout the resort so you’re never far from a quick beverage. The drinks were great, with Jackie’s Special becoming our go-to all week. I heard about the Ernesto Speci [... read more]al on our last day and apparently it’s amazing, but unfortunately I never caught him to try one! The staff generally seemed friendly and always smiled or said good morning/hello, although there can definitely be a bit of a language barrier if you don’t speak Spanish. A few times we would ask for something and they just didn’t understand us (or vice versa). The resort itself was very clean though, with staff constantly around picking up cups and cleaning. Food was great overall and we never had any issues finding something to eat. Worst case scenario, the pasta station at the buffet always saved the day ? We tried the Italian à la carte and it was okay, but we absolutely loved the Ocean Grill. Both the food and the service were incredible and it was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. The “chair wars” around the pool were basically non-existent while we were there. We’re early risers, so we’d grab a coffee and sit by the pool around 7am with almost every chair still empty. One thing to note though: security does come around, so if you leave anything unattended, be prepared to lose it. We didn’t spend much time sitting at the beach because the chairs are pretty close together and while there are some shady spots, they go quickly. One of the nicest parts of the trip was how friendly the other guests were. It was really easy to make friends and chat with people throughout the week. Depending on what you’re looking for, this isn’t really a big nighttime party resort (at least not during our stay.) The first couple nights were busier, but by the third night the music was ending early because hardly anyone was there. Honestly, we go to bed early anyway, so it was perfectly fine with us! We didn’t upgrade to premium, so our room was a little outdated, but the air conditioning worked great. We were on the first floor right in front of the pool and loved the location; honestly wouldn’t change it. We had requested to be close to our friends and we were right next door! My biggest complaint would probably be that the buffet (or resort in general) doesn’t really have any common air-conditioned areas. Eating in the hot, humid air was tough sometimes, and our room was really the only place to fully cool off from the heat. The weather last week was unbeatable, although VERY hot for this time of year. At the end of the day, the most important question: would we return? Absolutely.

Our stay

We had a wonderful trip, all staff were wonderful. Clean rooms very good service. Beach was awesome the only thing don't like is people selling things on beach your trying to rest.This was our second time and we noticed the zeroes a lot better this year Thanku

A great resort

This was a great resort. The Beach was great, the pool was great as well. There were only a couple days at the beach where it was hard to find a chair. Limited shade available both at the beach and the pool. The hotel and resort grounds were very well kept. If you like quiet at night don't get a room that faces the pool or close to the swim up bar. People were up past midnight yelling and hollering. The rooms could use a dresser as there was not much to put your clothes away in. The food at the [... read more] buffet and the restaurants were pretty good. The staff were an great. All in all I would definitely go back.

Amazing Resort

We like the hotel The people . The Shows every night , the service and the food selections We really enjoy the Puerto Plata excursions. I will recommend the hotel to my friends and relatives. Andy the tour guide is very resourceful.

Solid resort for a getaway in sun

good resort for a getaway in the sun food is very good - at both the buffet and a la carts buffet was always fresh- restocked and many choices pool was nice and fun times at the swim up bar good energy rooms are dated and need some tlc but are clean the resort is very clean beach isnt the best however it does the job

Wonderfully Clean

The hotel was very clean and the grounds were nicely kept.checkin was very easy and the line up moved smoothly.The buffet was excellent and the overall pool area was great. The room was very clean but somewhat a little dated but that didn't mean much for me. We went there to play golf and after our golf round which was roughly 2:00 upon returning to our room we had no towels to shower and had to chase down the maids for towels and that was pretty much each day. The overall experience was very go [... read more]od the food and the hotel were really nice however the friendliness of the service behind the bars and in general the people working there was poor. Not friendly at all never smiled or talked. I was not impressed with the attitude at all. At the golf course I can't believe how RUDE the employees were to us. I would not go there again to golf.