Okay resort for$ but needs improvements

Dining was just ok,(Alcart restaurant was ajoke). Staff was great,but not happy with the new ownership. Beach ok, but could be improved. Nightly shows were not great . 3rd time at location Not sure if we will be back. Unhappy 19

Great experience :)

This resort delivered the basics and more; phenomenal beach, lush setting, pristine grounds, decent nightly entertainment, excellent customer service and a few perks including a state of the art fitness centre, cafe and ice cream shop. Only downfall was that the food although good was very repetitive and we had a couple cockroaches in our room on the main level. Those buggers run fast and were hard to kill. All in all though, it was a great trip :)

Playabachata Resort

Staff great, food excellent, internet terrible ,room fine, grounds fine to many people that smoked. Poor service from Sunwing. Did not explain all the rules at what wr could do at the main Hotel of the 3. 7hour delay leaving with no explaination The one rep. Alexis was very helpful when there.

Decent value

Nothing fancy but good value for a basic all inclusive. The rooms are dated but clean and maintained well- any concerns we had were taken care of quickly. Our air conditioner was dripping water and someone came and fixed it, when I asked for a face towel I received one right away. No locks for the safe was unfortunate- I guess the resort doesn't have enough lock and keys for all of the safes. The staff spent tons of time cleaning the washrooms, public areas, grounds and pool. food was good. Re [... read more]petitive things available each day but food was consistent and tasted "normal." Good selection of spices and some hot sauce available as well. Food at the a la carte steakhouse was disappointing. The apps were good but the main course was lacking. The buffet was better! Wavy water and windy as beach is on the north shore. Plenty of loungers available at the pool and beach. The staff were friendly. Overall a great week and we lucked out with wonderful weather

Short and sweet

Food was great. Beach was nice. Very clean resort and rooms. No ventilation in hotel room bathroom. Safe in room was outdated and hard to use. Staff was helpful and very friendly. My travel partner and I felt safe at all times. Thanks so much for the hospitality!-

Great resort for the price

The rooms were spacious, and loved the large covered balcony. Room included bathtub and hairdryer, mini bar and large closet. Large keys to carry and no swipe cards for room entry. The shows were entertaining and varied from Side 1 or 2 and Senator. Wi-fi was off and on in lobby but always got reception on the Senator side. Iced coffee, crepe, ice cream, pizza excellent on Senator portion- all free. Large entertainment stage and plenty of seats. Pool had humorous games at 4, lots of loung [... read more]ers- no need to save them. Beach was long and beautiful. Kayaking choose single or doubles. Stand up paddle boats or for $25 try windsurfing/lesson. Food was good and always had a fresh pasta centre. Disappointed in Steak a la carte restaurant. No steak and food not that appealing. Definitely pass on that, as buffet more yummy. Bring WATER SHOES as beach water has much coral- up and down floor. Bring Snorkeling gear, as you can see fish, take some bread and they'll swarm around you. and float above coral. Otherwise too dangerous to swim without water shoes. Check in was fast as with check out. Found it was cheaper to buy excursion from home in Canada then to buy there for USD + exchange rate. Free safe usage and umbrella in rooms. Weather was excellent 28-30 degrees daily. Ride from airport about 45min. If you want a 5* then pay the extra money, but for around $1000 is awesome.

Don't be fussy here...

Rooms were below acceptable. Cheap worn out furniture. Food at buffet was poor. A La Carte restaurants were horrible. Internet (only in lobby) was poor. Staff were good. Beach was very good. Weather was great. For a resort that caters to Canadians.....they just dont get it! They need to do their research and come over to sample our cuisine and cultural ideosyncracies.

Acceptable

We had an issue with the room that was resolved quickly. There is no pool bar as shown in the pictures. Rooms are clean and comfortable. Front desk, maintenance guys and maids are very good. Food is acceptable. Servers are very poor at their jobs. Entertainment was lacking. One entertainer, however named Tony was absolutely amazing in both entertaining and helping the guest's.

Disappointed

If possible, request or book a room to the newer section of the Resort right beside the Senator complex. The older part of the Playabachata has mold. When we 1st checked in late at night, the stench was overwhelming as soon as you opened the door. We immediately went to the lobby to request a different room. The lobby staff really did not care and told us all rooms are full until the following day. My better half was insistent and advised she cannot stay in this room as she does have a sinus [... read more] issue and the mold will aggravate it. It was only then when another staff member overheard the sensitivity to mold, that she stepped in and provided another room. The 2nd unit also had mold, not as significant and the smell was somewhat bearable. The following day, we asked some other guest we met on the plane and in the lobby waiting to check in how their rooms were, and they all stated they could also smell mold. This hotel needs to address these issues. Simple consistent cleaning of the curtains and shower curtains would be a start. Not a lot of maintenance in this and it would certainly help the spread of mold. Secondly, they can shut down one of the complexes at a time, especially during the down season, and treat the mold vs painting over it. It was quite obvious this is what they do. It's unfortunate this chain does not see this as an issue. On my 3rd day in, I became ill. One week later, I'm still on antibiotics and my lungs are still congested. Family Doctor believes the mold has played a part in the infection. Other then the lobby staff and the Sunwing Reps, the rest of the staff are amazing. No complaints with the food, beach or pool. This was the 1st time I had taken my 2 kids age 10 & 11 to the Caribbean's and if it was not for the mold issue in the room, it would have been an amazing trip. JUST TOO BAD THAT ALL WE WILL REMMEBR FOR THE MOST PART IS THE MOLD. Our clothes and suitcases still have an odour of mold. Anything that can't or shouldn't go in the dryer has the odour

Great Place Overall

My boyfriend and I stayed here for 2 weeks this month. It was a perfect escape from winter and overall it's a good place. We have been going to a different place 3 times each year for a few years trying to find one we love. Playabachata is finally almost that one. It's very clean and will kept. The rooms are a bit dated but for the price, we're ok with that. If we came again we would bring an adapter and extension cord because the outlets won't work with north american plugs and we're glad we to [... read more]ok our own coffee machine as they don't provide them in the rooms. Our room did have a hair dryer but I learned later that many of the rooms didn't. Our biggest complaint would have to be the smokers. It's a little behind the times to allow smoking under the roof at the theater. I don't wanna call it a building when there's no walls, not sure what to call it Anyway we found that even with this, many smokers were ignorant of the non-smoking signs in the non-smoking section and would either move them and bring an ash tray from the smoking side or simply stand or walk around smoking which is absolutely disgusting. There wasnt much done to enforce the rules. Also the way its setup, non-smokers have to walk through the smoking section to get to the bar which was also all smoking. We pointed out smokers in the non-smoking section to staff a couple times and they were asked to stop. We did notice staff telling people they couldn't smoke in places after that. Not sure if its because we said something or not but it didn't seem quite as bad. Maybe they were scared of us lol I'm sure I'll have people reading this and saying "quit you're whining". It's just very inconsiderate and no one should have to breathe smoke, especially children who are running around everywhere. I saw quite a few pregnant women as well. Anyway that would be our biggest complaint and the reason of not returning. Other than that, we loved it and hope the smoking issue gets resolved. We'd love to make this our go to place. So for the good stuff, it's extremely clean. They have a maid hanging out in the bathroom mopping and cleaning the stalls constantly. The grounds keepers are constantly cleaning up dead leaves. The garbage was always empty. The second a spec of dirt was in the pool, the guys came and cleaned it. The bartenders were super fast and friendly. There were self serve stations set up everywhere for coffee, water, juice, pop, and wine. This was awesome cause you didn't have to wait for anything and it also freed up the staff for other things. The staff in the buffet were also very fast and friendly. The Buffett itself was excellent with many choices. There was always a huge salad bar, full fruit bar, soup, pizza, cooked vegetables, pork, chicken, fish, desserts, etc. Also lots of sauces you could add if you wanted. The snack bar was as good as some buffets I've been to at other places. They had the normal gross burgers and hotdogs but also a pasta, pork, fish, or chicken choice. Full salad bar, icecream, desserts, soup, and 5 kinds of pizza. Awesome. The beach was great and not washing away because it's in a cove. Its gorgeous and runs the whole length of the 3 resorts. The gym was really good. We went every day. On the second floor with a full view of the beach with a/c. All new equipment that worked too. We loved watching the cruise ships coming in an out while working out too. The entertainment was alright. They did a good job. The dancing was impressive. They weren't as into crowd participation as we would've liked but they may change. It was decent entertainment though. You do have to get there early if you want a table. There were no solisitors on the beach which was very nice and also tons of benches to sit on at the beach or pool. Lots of room everywhere actually. We never felt squished in a corner or anything. Overall great place, just do something about the smoking!

Nice resort

The staff was amazing our room was a good size, the resort was super clean. The location was good if you want to do off resort activities. No iron in room and the at front desk wasn't working.the staff was the best thing

Playa resort plaayyaass

The resort was great, friendly staff, great food, nice pools and nice ocean view. We took an excursion out to paradise island that was stunning! Would recommend! The locals on the beach weren't too pushy and the process for booking the excursion was easy. Would go again :)

Took me by surprise. Fantastic

Everything was amazing. The rooms. The 24 hour bar. The cleanliness, the Russian ladies from Moscow. I was expecting a little more better food but I got by. They hosted the super bowl like a bar in the USA. I was blown away.

Great Resort

This hotel although older is well maintained and kept very clean the food is above average and the service is great especially Maria Linda who always went out of her way at the buffet every morning to talk and be sure we had everything we needed. The alacarts could be improved just my opinion especially the Italian one I found it quite lacking but others may have loved it. All in all for the price a wonderful place to rest and holiday. A heated pool would be a nice touch.

Great Value

Great food and resort. Beautiful walking paths and well looked after beaches. It is a large resort with lots of amenities. Maximum numbers of floors to climb is two. There are about 1000 rooms in 125 units.

Playabachata Resort

The hotel was everything we wanted in a relaxing beach vacation. The staff is amazing and so friendly. Loved every minute. The food was great too. There a lots of activities if you wish to participate or just relax and enjoy the scenery. We can’t wait to return.

Amazing resort

We found everything from check in to check out was more than we could have expected. The check in personnel were very welcoming....the rooms were large and the cleaners did a fantastic job. The ground crew were always busy cleaning the areas. The buffets and snack bars had a wonderful variety and the waiters and waitresses were very efficient and helpful. The beach was wonderful with lots of chairs and shade if you wanted it...seeing the cruise ships coming and going was an added bonus...the e [... read more]vening shows we attended were well done and enjoyable..will definitely return...

Okay Resort

I was given a good reccomendation from my travel agent, from Sunwing. I had high hopes that thr resort would be amazing. However, I was slightly disappointed. I requested a non-smoking room and was given a room that smelt of smoke and had butts in the ash tray still. My partner and I attempted to change rooms, but staff refused on multiple occassions. The rooms were not updated (as told) and they were dirty and unclean. The buffet lacked variety and the food was not the greatest. Th [... read more]e only redeeming quality of this resort is the beach and the naturistic feel. Although, the beach is public and the locals often roam the beach asking for cash and can rummage through your bag. I will not be returning to the D.R anytime soon.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly!

This was my first time using the Senator  resorts.  My mother and I decided to give it a try after reading many reviews.   Most of which were not the most flattering to your Puerta Plata resort.   But, since some were very pleased with the location, we thought we would give it a try.  As a person with disabilities and travelling with my 87 year old mother, we had sent in a request for a ground floor room....far away from the pool area and entertainment.  This was completely ignored.  We [... read more] were supposed to be placed right behind the bar!  This was fixed after having to wait almost 2 hours past the check in time!  Normally, we would understand the problem...it happens...and usually can be fixed, but this was just the start of the things that did not go well at your resort!  To start off with...that map you give out to guests is rediculous!  You cannot read it...the printing is so small....and we never were able to figure out where the entertainment was.  Even the staff gave us incorrect areas. (Serious thought should be made to producing an interactive map which customers could download onto their phones or tablets....thus saving paper and giving us real access to information about entertainment and restaurants) The room had problems of its own. The room SMELLED of mold!  The hot water was not working.....and they actually had a break in the line which took 2 days to fix!  The drinkable water....which was supposed to be made available every 2 days was only changed once!  And that was after I complained! We also had problems getting the air conditioning to work. Many other visitors had problems with the security bolt for the glass doors falling out and dropping to the ground...barely missing their feet....and causing awful noise for the people who were under that room. And the fact that the electrical sockets were NOT adaptable to canadian electrical cords....which we HAD NOT been told in the Sunwing advertisement...or on your main site! When we complained...we were told to go to the store and BUY ONE! Rediculous!  If we had been told, we woild have brought them along! What I found so disturbing was the complete disrespect for non-smokers at your resort.  Even if a table was marked non--smoking....you allowed people to smoke.   There literally was almost no areas that we could relax without havind someone smoking!   I am amazed that you have not done something about that!  Then, there was the bathrooms which were constantly out of order.  The  mosquitoes inside the rooms were awful!   Most nights I could not sleep because of them. The second restaurant was just plain nasty to eat in.  You had them block off access to the seats by the windows....which were kept closed even with the heat.   The one night I ate there, I came away sick due to the extreme heat.  I tried them for lunch.  The tables were never cleared and no one offered me anything to drink.  We were never informed about having access to the new restaurants on the new street.  And while the new area is beautiful, I was disgusted to find out that because of it, we were not allowed to climb up to the vantage point.  It was constantly blocked...and we were told it was now JUST FOR THE VIP area...which was upsetting! Broken and or damaged chairs were not removed...just left on the beach.  You still allow plastic straws to be used on the beaches which was supposed to have been banned. These things being said, the employees as a whole were amazingly polite and helpful...if they could. The food at the first restaurant was amazing! There are some pretty basics served every day, but the menu did change! My only real desire for change in this area....please add more NATIVE food...besides red beans and rice. We want to experience the reak cuisine of the islands. The beach was kept extremely clean. We had a major storm one day and for the most part, they were able to clean it up within the day. The landscaping does need improving. As a horticulturalist, this was something that I especially noticed. When planting new areas, these areas were not protected....or blocked off....and as a result, people were walking all over the freshly planted areas. They especially need to adjust the plantings immediately by the glass windows/patios. When it rained, the lack of vegetation in these areas caused mud to splatter all over the patio and sometimes up onto the glass doors. Planting ground cover in this area would fix this. Or, making sure to have proper run off areas for the rain, should also be considered. The entertainment is held after 9:30. And most customers find this to be far too late at night to attend. I noticed alot of families who were visiting during my vacation...and the majority did not attend because of this. The act that we did see was extremely well done and worth seeing....if I could have stayed awake! Costs for items in the stores....for the most part were far too expensive! For example....I wanted to purchase one of the mens hats....which you priced at $21.00 U.S. funds. The EXACT same hat in Puerto Plata....was $6.00 Canadian! We needed bandages for my mom's blisters....and the small package at your store was going to cost us $10! Ok...I am all for making a profit...but you are gouging people! This also included charging $60 US to drive by taxis into Puerto Plata.....something that you can get for just $10...if you walk 5 minutes to the outside of the hotels gates. OR you can take a bus....for just about $1.50 Canadian! The entertainment crew throughout the resorts were very polite and funny. They went out of their way to try and get everyone involved in some type of activities. As for beach activities, I was disappointed that the banana boat was not included in the all inclusive cost. So many people wanted to use it...but were not willing to have to pay extra for it. The children's play area at our resort....needed major repairs. No swings...and nothing really to play with. Whereas, the second resorts play area was in excellent condition. The pathways throughout the resort were well maintained and easy to follow. Thanks for putting a nice big umbrella in our rooms....definitely a plus on that rainy day. The bar tenders were exceptionally knowledgeable. They made drinks that I hadnever heard about and were willing to make a drink to taste....ie. not too sweet or sour. Most of the staff at the front desk were very pleasant to deal with. Both their english...and my spanish...need undating to be completely understood. But, we all tried our best.

It was amazing hotel,

it was good time, excellent service and food was very good. I would recommend this hotel. the only thing is the beach was rocky but the pool was great.. we had no complain with this resort. great vacation