Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Really love this resort

We have actually lost count of how many times we have been to this resort.The food ,staff,beach and entertainment are great .If you are looking for top shelf liquor and luxurious rooms rooms remember you get what you pay for .The resort is small ( less than 300 rooms ) which we really like .You can be anywhere including the beach in 5 mins. or less.The Black and White bar in the lobby is not included in your package .There is a small mall within 5 minutes walk with souvenir shops ,restaurants a [... read more]nd stores that see liquor. Go with an open mind and you will love it ! If you are looking for totally luxury with Vegas style entertainment you should probably look at paying much more .For us it fits the bill perfectly and we will return .

Viva Heavens by Wyndham: Great Resort!

This is a small compact resort, which was perfect for us as my husband is waiting for a knee replacement. We spent our days on the beach, which was a short walk along side a pond where we saw turtles and birds. Most days we walked back to the main buffet for lunch where the selection of food was larger than the beach buffet. The food was very good. There was always something a little different each day. Normally we do not go to the a la cartes, but this time we went to the Italian on th [... read more]e beach which was excellent and Blend which was also very good. Both times we arrived around 730 and were seated right away. Our room was located in building 3 on the second floor. Our balcony looked out towards the spa. The room was spacious, very clean and well maintained. Water pressure was good and we always has hot water. We like to have coffee around 6am. The main lobby was a few steps away and had coffee available from 5 to 7am. We also had a coffee machine in the room. The public washrooms were emaculate... There was also an accessible area at the beach and an elevator to the theatre. The ladies on the beach selling massages and pedicures were ,I felt, very aggressive. They really didn't like to take no for an answer and would start massaging your feet in hopes that you would comply. I went down the beach to the small market and had a massage for 40$ US. The ladies on the beach were charging the same and doing it at your lounge chair. The men selling trinkets were much more respectful. We didn't stay up late enough for any of the entertainment in the theatre, although we could hear it going on from our room. It wasn't loud enough to interrupt our sleep. Overall a great experience. We would definately return. I booked our trip through Susan Williams at Trip Central. She provides excellent customer service. In fact, while we were at V Heavens I reached out to her and she looked after booking an April mother/daughter trip for me.

VH Atmosphere: Very nice resort!

My friend and I went there for two weeks and we had a wonderful time. The resort is very well kept We found the staff extremely friendly and willing to please. The food here is very very good. I was impressed to see how management mingles well with the staff and pitches in to keep things rolling smoothly. The grounds are well-kept and constantly worked on. Really great staff with great customer service! I would highly recommend this place.

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: Average Stay

In general we were pleased with the resort. The food selection was good and of good quality. The resort was clean, in good condition (new), easy to navigate, and safe. We were disappointed that beach activities seemed limited and didn't discover where to access them (one resort over) until a few days in. We also found the service very wanting. Finding someone to bring coffee to our table in the morning, or wine in the evening was challenging at the buffet. We also noted the lack of int [... read more]erest in serving our teenage son. There was a good selection of activities at the resort on a 'animation' schedule. We were most interested in the gym and were looking forward to this morning activity as a family. All was fine until one morning gym staff arrived and asked our teenager to leave (he was working out, creating no disturbance). It was a frustrating rule that seemed to have no specific reason behind it. We went on 2 excursions and booked them on advance during our flight. One excursion was 'as advertised' the other was not at all. Very disappointing (no visit to the local school, local village, no access to proper bathrooms). Caution about excursions and quality. In general DR is a pleasant country. Senator an ok resort. Not sure if it is 4.5 stars.

Viva Tangerine by Wyndham: Quant resort with great staff

Resort staff were awesome. Kept us entertained for a week. Food was a good variety at the buffet. Would not recommend the international food al lacarte. Beach was nice. Lots of beach chairs for everyone. Rooms need a small update but cleaned everyday Small resort but a great time overall

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: Great Resort - Wonderful Holiday

Keeping in mind that this resort has ongoing renovations which had little or no impact on our holiday, this place was great. We travelled with our daughter, son-in-law & two grandchildren. On arrival, the front desk had not received our request for rooms in closer proximity, but that matter was resolved fairly smoothly as my wife is fluent in Spanish. The rooms weren't ready but one was made available fairly quickly which allowed us to stow our luggage and enjoy the afternoon sun. All [... read more] week long, the food in the buffet was as high a quality as we have experienced. (we've been to at least a dozen different all-inclusive resorts). There was a variety of well prepared and diverse foods. There was no need to try the a la carte sites which had line-ups as there was no booking process. Accommodations were okay as the building we were in was under renovation. The rooms were clean, tidy and well-maintained. (Second Floor of Building 4) Free Wifi was available throughout the resort with good strength. Our room had it's own wireless hub. Poolside was just as strong a reception. Pools we warm comfortably warm and clean. A kids wading pool was a stone's throw away. The kids had a blast in the pools. There were lots of chairs and lounges with sun umbrellas being limited in number. The beach was narrow but lovely. There was a lot of natural shade at the beach. With the adjacent resort, the walk along the beach was relaxing and stood in for exercise. One snag was the trip to and from the airport. It was an Air Canada Vacation and the bus trip tool 90 minutes each way with four stops at resorts. With little kids, this posed a bit of a challenge as we were led to believe the transfer was 30 to 45 minutes. While there was a reference to a "kids-zone" in the advertising as well as a dive centre, these services were actually in the adjoining resort. (Playa Bachata). Guests at The Senator are afforded access to the services of the adjoining resort. All in all it was a great holiday location, one to which we would return.

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: Disappointed

Your website is very deceiving the rooms all looked so beautiful & when we opened the door to our room we were very disappointed in our room as it was less than motel quality , had to be moved because of a bad leak in the bathroom ceiling, New room was bigger & a bit of an upgrade maybe 2 stars but couldn’t sit out on the patio because of the sewer smell , the buffet food was not great at all & nothing was hot by the time you get to your table with the plate it was cold, I filled up on bread & [... read more] sweets all week . Pools were the only thing that was resort quality .

Sunscape Puerto Plata: Great vacation

I just returned from a week at Sunscape Puerto Plata so I will write this while it is fresh in my mind. This is one of the cleanest resorts I've ever been to. The rooms, ground, restaurants and common areas are immaculate and the service was fantastic. Food at the buffet was good and always replenished quickly. The a la cartes could be quite a long line up so go early and enjoy a drink on the roof deck while you wait. The pizza shop is there as well if you need a snack to hold you over. I trie [... read more]d the four a la cartes and really enjoyed the Asian and Argentinian. The Italian and Caribbean were just okay. The snack bar by the pool was great for a quick bite and if you ask the chef he will make chicken wings fresh for you. (You can borrow some hot sauce from the bartender) My one disappointment with the food was the fish. Usually there is fresh fish you can get cooked to order at most resorts but they didn't have this, there was breaded fish and fish in sauces on the buffet which was good. Being from Nova Scotia I am fussy about fish being fresh. The beach was large and clean but beach loungers were hard to find on the weekend. I love the trees shading the beach so you could get out of the hot sun. I'm not a pool person so I didn't use them, but they looked nice. There is a large pool with a swim up bar and a smaller pool with a volleyball net and a kiddy pool. We stayed in building 7 which is one of the furthest from the lobby so it was lovely and quiet at night and still only a five minute walk to the lobby. The resort is only a short ride from the airport 20 minutes or so and is close to excursions. My only complaint is that I found the bed quite hard and it bothered my back. Not a big deal. I would recommend this resort and would stay there again. It's reasonably priced with a great staff and very clean.

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Great Resort

This was our second time at the Gran Ventana. We loved it just as much As the first time 19 years ago. The staff there work very hard keeping it clean and are very attentive to your needs. The buffet restaurant has a very good selection both at lunch time and dinner. The rooms are fine, although we could have used a another mirror in the room besides the only one in the bathroom. Over all we were very pleased with our 7 days there.

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: March break holiday

My friend and I stayed at this resort during March break 2019. We upgraded to adult deluxe vip and were very happy with the upgrades. Although there were a few issues with little things like the hair dryer not working and a problem with the shower they were taken care of right away. Grounds and pool were kept beautifully and the beach area was very nice. Food was good although I would have liked to have seen more seafood and fish at the buffet. All restaurant staff were amazing. VIP lounge was f [... read more]antastic. Would like to see more pool side activity such as bingo dance lessons etc. Felt very safe while walking around on beach and in resort.

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: Excellent experience

My wife and I vacationed at the Cofresi Palm Mar. 11-18. With the mixed reviews, our expectations were low. We were very pleasantly surprised! The resort is beautiful and well maintained. Our standard room was large, with a nice balcony. Thank THanks to the room attendants who kept our space clean and supplied with bottled water on a daily basis. The beach is great, with spectacular views and long enough for a good walk. The surf was a bit high but fun. The east end is calmer, with tropical  [... read more]fish! We enjoyed both buffets, the Pearl and the Casablanca. Service at both was great and the food was very good, although we preferred the ambiance at the Casablanca. We ate at 3 a la cartes: Bellini, El Pilon and Moomtaz. If you enjoy authentic Indian food you must try Moomtaz. Spicy and very tasty. Our only complaint was having to queue to reserve a la carte times. There must be a more efficient way to do this. Our favourite bar was the Sports Bar and Casino. Great martinis! Do not miss the Sunday Welcome Party! Unbelievable entertainment and food. Lots of dancing too! Great fun! This is a large resort with lots of activities for young and old alike. Getting around is easy using shuttle and golf carts but it is walkable as well. (We are in our mid 60s.) We had a beige colored bracelet (standard room). We considered upgrading but after a couple of days did not see the need as we were happy with everything. We highly recommend this resort and will likely return in the future.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Such a great spot

I traveled with my wife the week of March 2nd to the 9th and booked our vacation through Air Canada using tripcentral.ca. Overall, I loved the resort and l had an amazing week again wouldn’t hesitate to return to the same resort again. The value was very good and almost everything about the resort was better than I had expected. I will break down my review as best I can. Also to note, this is only my 3rd trip down South and my first in a decade, so I’m not comparing this trip with others [... read more], simply basing the review on my experience here that week. It was just my wife and I, we’re mid 30’s and didn’t bring our children with us, though we would bring them back here with no issues. Travel: Everything with the booking went smoothly and without issue. The bus ride from the Samana airport to the resort was about an hour and a half with a stop for beer and water built into that. When we arrived to the resort around midnight, they had food available for us. The Room: Our room was in section D11 and was one of the furthest buildings from the lobby. At first, I thought this was going to be an annoying thing but it turned out to be great for my wife and I. It was so quiet and private and since we were so far from everything, we naturally got a lot of natural exercise from walking to the main areas of the resort. If you’re feeling lazy though, there were always plenty of cart drivers around to pick you up and take you where you want to go. The room itself was extremely clean and well kept daily. The fridge was stocked with beer, pop and water each day and we never had any trouble with hot water or anything else in the room at all. The beds were firm but comfortable enough and the AC worked really well. The Beach: The beach was very long and always very clean. It isn’t the white sand but is soft on the feet and really beautiful none the less. It was always very easy to find a private spot to camp out with a lot of lounge chairs available any time of the day. Also never had any issue finding shaded areas at all. The water was a great depth for swimming was warm and clean. The barriers in the water are a little bit of an eye-sore but they did a good job at breaking the waves which made it a nicer swimming area I’m sure. The Buffet: The food was fantastic every day with so many options. It was repetitive yes, and there were only a couple of different items each day depending on the theme. I would say that my wife and I are relatively picky eaters and we both enjoyed the food very much. We ate fresh fruits, breads, sweets, fries, pasta, all of the meats except for seafood which neither of us eat, waffles, ice cream and really enjoyed the fajita station each day. The service at the buffet was so great all of the time. Everyone was quick to refill your drink and help with anything and there were always plenty of staff around to help. A la Carte: We booked reservations on day one to the Italian and Japanese restaurants. I used the hotel app to make reservations and even on day one, there wasn’t a lot of availability so I’d recommend booking ASAP. We actually ended up cancelling our reservations because we enjoyed the buffet so much anyway. Pools: The main pool was large and gorgeous. We never had trouble finding lounge chairs throughout the day but the ones with shade were reserved early. The pool never seemed crowded and it was always easy to get a drink at the swim up bar as well. We didn’t spend a lot of time here but had no trouble at all when we did. There are two smaller pools for everyone’s use as well. One was really good and we hung out there a couple of times and had no problem getting lounge chairs in the shade and it seemed quiet and barely anyone used this pool. The other pool was smaller and seemed full whenever we saw it and looked like it was pretty-much completely shaded. We never spent any time at that one. Gym: We used the gym daily and it was barely used by anyone else. The cardio machines didn’t operate well but there were a lot of exercise machines to use and a lot of weights. It was large, clean and a good temperature. Shows: We didn’t go to any of the nightly shows unfortunately. Disco: We also didn’t go to the disco at all. The Grounds: The resort itself is gorgeous and so clean. The grounds were immaculate all of the time and were impressively well kept. We saw a lot of workers all of the time cleaning and cutting grass and removing palm leaves, etc. Excursions: We did two excursions which we booked through Air Canada. We did the Jeep Safari which about 6-7 hours in total. It was 75 US per person and was excellent value. We went to a local plantation, house, school, lagoon, waterfall and beach. We had a lot of drinks available and stopped for lunch which was decent. The trip was definitely worth the price. We also did the Dune Buggy excursion which was amazing! It was only 4 hours and more expensive but so worth it. We drove a dune buggy behind our guide who was on a 4-wheeler. We drove through a small town, through the mountains and the forest. Stopped for coffee and to the same school as the safari. It was a really fun excursion and our guide was great. I can’t think of anything else to talk about but it was an amazing week and we loved the resort. Will definitely have no hesitation returning to this resort and would look forward to visiting others in the Grand Bahia chain as well.

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Nice Resort

The Resort is very well maintained. The rooms we had was very big and clean. The staff are very polite and helpful..The food is very good. The drinks are not very strong, hey seem to be watered down. There was construction going on during our stay from another resort and it woke us up every morning at 6am..wasn't to pleased about that. The wifi on the resort was terrible.

Viva Heavens by Wyndham: If you can do without....

I title this review, if you can do without, because the resort overall is nice but lacks. If you're ok with... -only one bartender at either bar at anytime. 10 min+ wait almost always -no fresh OJ or something more than just orange water -only papaya, melon, watermelon, passion fruit, pineapple, brown bananas, mango only at dinner and only in buffet. -Pina colada, Bahama mama some slushy type concoction, neither tasted like they should. -no Kleenex in rooms -4 a la carte restaurants b [... read more]ut not open every night. Why? No one knows. -pool loungers never available, people place towels and go on an excursion I guess because all we saw were blue towels tanning. -shows were very amateur, very poor quality, except for twin dancers -shows or for that matter any entertainment never started on time -night time shows 10pm approx. And after 10 minutes of Viva hotel commercials followed by a 4 minute Viva song(song should be cut down to 1 minute and I don't need to see ads for other locations every time!) -beach was nice expect for pesty sales, of everything from braids to sunglasses non stop all day long. NOT appreciated and felt less secure. -asked multiple times for extra shampoos conditioners and towels. Only once were they brought. -reservations not allowed at restaurants, so once all seats are full you must wait or goto buffet. -wait staff at all restaurants were very blah unless you tipped.(tipping is included in package so now staff expect $$ for doing there job. -internet wifi horrible. Why bother offering wifi if slower than dial up or sporadic. -shows and disco are in the centre of resort circled by most rooms. Noise was obtrusive every night. -buffet both at beach and main were repetitive and boring. - time share sales also were relentless. Not acceptable -hotel was clean and maintained but that's not enough. Overall the week was fine but wouldn't do another Viva resort.

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Quaint and Pretty

This resort is very small and quite quaint. The pool was lovely and the grounds on the resort beautiful. Unfortunately the beach was far less than ideal. A tremendous amount of seaweed in the water therefore we avoided it. The beach was raked daily but there was just way too much seaweed. Another negative to our experience was the food. We did not care for the buffet food at all. It was a split review when we talked to people. Some loved it and some did not. We were also looking forward [... read more] to frozen cocktails but those were extremely limited as well and only available at the main lounge. Our garden view looked over a chain link fence and the laundry/kitchen/maintnenance. facility for the resort. No garden in sight! Overall a relaxing trip but we won’t be returning.

Sunscape Puerto Plata: Nice resort

Very nice hotel the food could be a lot better and service is ok but need more training for the buffet and the steak house and the Italian restaurant . Almost every day never had a replacement Dry towel and always get ask about the spas and the famous free breakfast . The first night we wait 2 hours to get the replacement room because the air conditioning was not working !!!

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Amazing resort!

My husband and I have been to many, many resorts in the Caribbean including Mexico. Some were very large. Some were brand new. It is an older one; however, we have been at brand new resorts that had issues. Internet was excellent (husband was happy). However this resort was the right size, excellent food with plenty of choices. Staff service throughout was excellent. Room was clean. This is the first time I actually wanted to stay longer.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Great resort

Great resort with friendly staff (although many only speak Spanish). Good value for the price. Although they offer lots of resort-based activities, be prepared for long drives if off-resort excursions are your thing!

Lifestyle Tropical Beach Resort: Great Resort!

Our two weeks vacation at the Lifestyle Tropical Beach Resort and Spa in Puerto Plata was very enjoyable and fun. The food was great in all buffet and a la carte restaurants. The grounds were clean and beach area well kept and organized. The staff showed excellent and friendly client service and we had plenty of activities to keep us busy and well entertained. Having access to the Confresci Palm Beach Resort also allowed us to see and do more things. The shuttle services around the resorts  [... read more]were very convenient and always accessible. In regards to what should be improved, there should be more lounging chairs around pool areas and the beach area for non VIP members should be bigger. The one issue we had was that we had to change rooms twice due to problems with mould in room 2011 and 5236. These issues need to be fixed and further addressed with management. We did speak to management about this issue and they did accommodate us with room 2111 which was in the end ok, very clean, had good ventilation, no mould and little humidity.

Viva Heavens by Wyndham: Need improvement

The resort was nice but definitely not a 4.5 star. They could really up their game if they just improved on some areas. The thing that stood out the most for us was the wine. The red wine was absolutely vile and the white merely tolerable. My husband thought it tasted like it had bleach in it! We ended up having to buy wine off their wine list which only had a few of the wines actually available so even then we weren't getting our first, second or even third choice. For an all inclusive re [... read more]sort we certainly spent a lot of money on wine and tips! If you wanted any type of decent service you had to tip. This became incredibly frustrating with the cleaning staff. We made it very clear on our first day how we wanted our mini fridge stocked and tipped well to emphasize the point but every day it was a different cleaner and it was never stocked the way we had wanted. You would not believe how difficult it was to get a cold Diet Coke at this resort! Meals for the most part at the a la carte restaurants were good but not all the restaurants were open every night and twice we had to wait over an hour for a table at the Italian restaurant. Breakfast and lunch were buffet and decent but always the same. There was no kleenex in the rooms and there were only 2 towels, which felt like sandpaper. You could not get a lounge chair in the pool area because they were all taken by peoples' towels! The beach was nice but not enough shady spots and all the good ones were taken by peoples' towels! What little of the entertainment we saw was very amateurish. We couldn't figure out how we were meant to know what the entertainment was for the evening or which restaurants were open so we were often disappointed that we didn't get out first choice of restaurant and we missed a lot of shows.