Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Wonderful vacation!

This was my first all-inclusive vacation and first time away in a long time so I did not know what to expect. The grounds are beautiful and the staff lovely and very helpful. The room was ok but a few disappointments: beds and pillows uncomfortable, leak in the bathroom and TV reception poor. We had to call the front desk 3 times to get a remote for the tv and our room cleaned on day 2, then housekeeping left no toilet paper on day 3. It never occurred to me to ask for a different room. The food [... read more] was ok, not great. A la carte restaurants definitely better than the buffet. And one area of the seating area of the buffet had a weird smell. The beach was glorious and swim up pool bar a nice novelty but I much preferred the ocean. I would definitely go to the Bahia Principe again but next time try the Esmeralda.

Grand Palladium Punta Cana: Great Resort with everything you want to in a holiday (large)

Resort was very large , but had shuttles to get around . Lots of pool choices and restaurants . The buffet choices had a large selection of Foods , fruit , salads , deserts ect . Staff were friendly but found some were slow to serve you and catered to Spanish speaking . The shows were excellent especially CHIC . We found some parts of the resort a little old and outdated especially had issues with shower leaking over tub onto floor . Overall we were pleased with our holiday and stay . Didn't hav [... read more]e issues finding a chair at the beach or pool

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Super all-inclusive resort experience

This was our first repeat visit to an all-inclusive after going to several and the Barcelo Bavaro Palace did not disappoint. The first time we stayed at the Barcelo Beach Adults Only and found the Palace better in many ways. There was a lot more going on and is a bit of a walk from the Adults Only. More lively, closer to the large theater (although there is a small one at the Beach), shops, a la carte restaurants, gym, spa, sign out for water toys, etc. Unless you just don't like kids around, t [... read more]he Palace is the much better choice. Guests of both sections of the Barcelo can use some amenities interchangeably but just be aware that there are some quirky restaurant exceptions. No need for any sort of Premium upgrade. Room- Our room location was superb, 4218. Closest block to all the amenities. Literally a two minute walk to everything. Ocean view. The room itself was a junior suite but the design was a bit quirky and may not be everyone's cup of tea with it's linear layout and lack of privacy when using the shower and toilet. The shower stall leaked and the toilet did not flush efficiently but those were manageable inconveniences. The staff did an excellent job cleaning and the room was fairly well sound proofed. The hot tub on the balcony was effectively a square bath tub but came in handy one night when it was a bit cooler and we had a bit of rain, otherwise it probably wouldn't get used. The room was a bit musty but improved slightly with the proper fan and AC usage. The beds were very average and the pillows were not comfortable at all. Lots of storage space and a working safe. Beach and Pools-The ocean was excellent for swimming with a gradual slope, powdery sand and no rocks or seaweed. It went on for as far as the eye could see in either direction. The entire bay was protected by a reef about a km out which made it perfect for swimming, kayaking, and sailing. The colour and clarity of the water reminded us of what you would see in Tahiti or the Maldives. There were several large pools scattered throughout the resort, all crystal clear and a good temperature for the entire 10 days we were there. Service- good but varied of course as to who was doing the serving, how busy it was, and how upscale the restaurant was. We tended to leave behind tips in appreciation but never once got the feeling that the staff were expecting it. The Japanese restaurant was a bit of a disappointment. The chicken was a little on the tough side, bar service was poor, and the chef who makes or breaks the experience with their enthusiasm, was not what we were hoping for and expecting. The service everywhere else was generally adequate to excellent. Bars and Restaurants-The Seafood restaurant was a disappointment with food quality, but other than there and the Koyoto, the food was quite good. There was always lots to choose from. If there was something we didn't like we just left it and moved onto the next. No problem. Same with the drinks. A great place to try new drinks because if you don't like them, no harm no foul. We were able to sign up for all the a la cartes no problem so we only ate dinner once at the buffet. There was lots to choose from at the buffets for breakfast and lunch. Dinner at the golf course was a nice change and the only spot in the hotel to experience breakfast off the menu. Most restaurants also had a huge salad bar to compliment the bevy of choices off the menu. We found the Spanish restaurant the best and ate there twice. It was the closest you are going to get on the resort to 5 star dining and service. The sangria there is to die for. Bars are scattered all over the resort. Carey's was a favourite hang out but they could have done a lot more for music other than the lame white piano on autopilot occupying centre stage. The casino had a live piano player which just seemed to make a lot more sense. We soon caught on that if you asked for the higher end spirits the bar tenders would happily accommodate (at no extra charge except for the Grey Goose), otherwise they just dumped in the cheap stuff which definitely affected the quality of the drink. Entertainment-The team worked hard to put on a show that's for sure. There was different entertainment every night of the week (and started to repeat of course week 2). There was everything from the typical Micheal Jackson ( one of the best we've seen) to a circus act (always one of my favourite but this one just seemed to lack the luster). The rest of the nights there was a lot of dancing and really not a whole lot else going on, except for the terrific effort they made all day for Valentine's Day and Super Bowl Sunday. There was always entertainment by the pool in the afternoon and of course lots of water and land sports for you to engage in on your own. Recreational activities- Two paddle tennis courts (a novel and cool idea), a few tennis courts, 3 pickleball courts, a mini golf course (with a concrete surface...not good...what's up with that!), bocci ball, shuffleboard, kayaking, catamarans, table tennis, pool tables and bowling (for a fee), golf course, very cool water parks for the kids, a beach to walk for miles, great swimming in the pools and ocean, etc, etc. Summary- Pros...Great beach, a la carte restaurants access and quality, on site golf course, pools, standard of service and cleanliness, recreational activities, 20 minutes to Punta Cana airport. Cons- some isolated food quality and service. Some quirky room designs. The fact they allow smoking in too many places. At the buffet they should only allow smoking on the bottom level of the patio and not the main level. Smoking should not be allowed in the main common areas and should be kept to their designated rooms/areas. Not necessarily a con but be aware that a lot of the resort staff speak very limited English. Communication can at times require a bit of patience.

Bahia Principe Grand Bavaro: Not impressed

The grounds were lovely. The pools were nice,but way over crowded. The beach was difficult, on a hill, too many chairs. The rooms were mediocre,our view on balcony was the back of a building where staff were working and yelling at 6am, and trucks unloading supplies, very disappointed ??. The cleaning staff were good the first 2 days, then they didn’t take dirty glasses away or replace them, sometimes the blankets would be on the bed, sometimes in a heap on the chair. And came home full of bites  [... read more]that blistered.Nothing like Web. Pics

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Caribbean Paradise

We could not ask for more at this Hotel. Rooms are clean, spacious, and recently renovated. The landscaping is amazing, and well maintained. The main buffet restaurant always served a variety of very good food. The a la carte restaurants are overall good but don't expect high end food quality. Stay away from the Greek restaurant. Food was barely OK, and service was not up to standards of the rest of the resort. The Beach and pool are amazing.

Occidental Punta Cana: Gorgeous resort

The hotel was exceptional clean ,beautiful room, The food was exilent . Friendly,staff I would definitely go back in a Hart beat . Love everting even the show at night was excellent never the same. I Will recommend this hotel too my friend and family.

Grand Palladium Palace: Lovely Resort

This is a resort that has three hotels. We stayed at the Palladium Palace. There are shuttles that can take you to other hotels and that was so convenient. The rooms are very nice and clean. The food at the buffets was very good. The grounds are very well kept and the staff are so friendly and helpful. We had one power outage which lasted about an hour. The Italian a la carte and the Steakhouse were both very good. All in all, a very great vacation and I would recommend it.

Occidental Punta Cana: Great Stay

This resort was absolutely beautiful. Everything from the rooms to the pool area, to the restaurants are so clean. We were there for 2 weeks and the shows at night were never the same and were very good. There is no such thing as perfection no matter how much you spend or where you go, Some of the a la carte restaurants were amazing and a couple were not. Our keycard didn't work a couple of times so we were locked out of our room and had to go to the front desk for help. Minor details. All in al [... read more]l a great resort with everything you could ask for. I would revisit this resort in a heartbeat.

Iberostar Waves Dominicana: A Wonderful Resort!

It was my first winter vacation and it was so great. The grounds were beautiful and clean, rooms had everything you needed, and the staff were kind and attentive. The buffet and restaurants that we attended had good food with lots to choose from!

Ocean Blue and Sand: Amazing Resort

Ocean Blue and Sand is a wonderful resort! Food was amazing, entertainment crew was very entertaining at the pool and in the evening before the 9:30pm show. Beach was very calm which was surprising because when we have gone to Punta Cana at a different resort the beach was very wavy. Everyone was very friendly and always available to help. It is an older resort but very well kept even the room was very nice. Loved the way this resort is set up, the lobby bar is amazing. Special shoutout to [... read more] Mike's Cafe, it was wonderful! They had all sorts of coffee (latte, cappucinos, iced) plus they had desserts, he is open all day from 7:30am to 11pm to fill your needs. I would definitely go back!

Royalton Bavaro Resort and Spa: Royalton Bavaro

Overall our stay was very good. Got tricked into doing a Prime vacation timeshare presentation by our concierge. It lasted about 2.5 hours and after the asked us for 100000USD we had to shut it down. Left a lululemon hooded jacket hanging in the closet in my room. Called and emailed the names I was given eight times and no response. Guessing this is lost to the staff. Should not be hard to check and respond.

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: HORRIBLE HORRIBLE

How this hotel ever got a 4.5 Stars is beyond me.. I honestly have no idea. I have been travelling at least once a year for the last 30 years, and this is the worst hotel I've encountered. The rooms were ANCIENT, but that would be ok if they were actually clean. I wasn't willing to take a bath in that bathtub, disgusting! The resort as a whole needs to be refreshed, doors in any of the bathrooms are disgusting and dirty. Food was cold, everywhere, ALL THE TIME. Beach was sooooo packed, you can't [... read more] get a chair unless you get up at 5:30 in the morning, SARDINES on a beach!!, incredible.. Forget about any beach sports. Massive resort, no bathrooms at pools or near the beach (ONE pool, far away, close to the main lobby, had bathrooms). Bars at main pool were so packed, it gave a new meaning to the word 'all-inclusive', it's more like, do I really want/need a drink? And no servers were seen (aside from one day at the beach).. The only 2 good things about this place, is they have trains running frequently for this CITY of a resort.. And obviously the staff was all smiles and AMAZING! Definitely would NEVER recommend this place to anyone. (The only good restaurant was the Indian.)

El Beso Adults Only at Ocean El Faro: A Nice Resort

My husband and I chose to go somewhere sunny and warm to escape the February blues that are popular in these northern countries. The price to be in this resort (which they claim is 4 1/2 stars) is on the high side, but then again, it was high season. Food was all right, abundant, no complaints and the rooms were clean, besides the fact that our room had a strong smell of mold quite foul and unpleasant. We requested a room change at the reception desk and were told no more rooms were available. [... read more] Housekeeping was OK. the first housekeeper we had, only made the bed, and took off, not until we asked her to sweep the floor and take the garbage out, she did so. The second housekeeper was a bit better. The Bar Tenders, Waiters, and Servers a few were helpful a good bunch of them you had to show the tip, to get a smile and service out of them. The last day we were in the resort, was Saturday afternoon February 10th. As we approached the place to return the towels, the lady in charge of doing so, got a little annoyed for she she had to move out of her chair and interrupt attention to her Cell. Funny how she complained to another co-worker how we tourists did not understand how hard her work was, I wonder if she knew that we also speak Spanish. Other than that, everything was all right. Would we go back? “Absolutely not” The moldy smell in the rooms was the cherry on the ice cream. We were at Ocean El Faro, El Beso.

Barcelo Bavaro Beach: Declineing Resort

My wife and I have gone to this resort 5 times now. We have noted this year in particular a poor quality of service at the main buffet. We had to wait for tables to be set even though there were few people being served. Busing tables was slow. The quality of the room cleanup was also poor this year. The rooms were poorly maintained with closet doors difficult to open as well as patio doors. No facecloths in bathroom. No pad on ironing board. Did not replenish the coffee etc in the room. I [... read more] did notice the resort spent money on two buildings with a pool that extended in front of some rooms on two buildings. Given the poor state of things like leaking toilets, faucets that leaked etc. the money may have been better spent on upkeep. We enjoyed out time at this resort but given it's decline I will be looking for another resort. Also of note is some of the staff charged with bringing beer, water etc to the rooms often offer you a bottle of rum for a large tip and bring it in wrapped in a towel. Not quite above board.

Bahia Principe Grand Bavaro: Too many problems

Food and staff was amazing. Beach was terrible, sloped, could not get a chair and they were lined up like a movie theatre. Pool was fine. Our room was poorly looked after, no coffee, towels etc. Room cards stopped working 3 times. Little bugs in our room. 3 out of 6 people on the trip got such bad bug bites their legs were covered in large red spots, Mosquitos maybe. Such a huge resort its far to walk anywhere but there were plenty of trolleys.

Wyndham Alltra Punta Cana: Beautiful Grounds

Beautiful Grounds, and beach is nice. Food is best at buffet if you stick to local style cuisine. Al la carte restaurants are not very good. DO NOT BOTHER BOOKING PRIVILEGE. It is not worth it at all. Room had nothing "privilege" that it was supposed to. Privilege bar was not friendly so we avoided it. Privilege beach area was no better than regular side. I'd be happy if I had to go back but will try a different resort next time

Catalonia Royal Bavaro: Great resort

Super week with friendly staff and amazing food! The hotel room was spacious and always clean with fresh towels every day. This is our second time at the resort and would go back in a heart beat! The Privilege package was perfect for our group!

Iberostar Waves Dominicana: Mixed feelings

Bad first impression as they assigned us to a room with one bed when we had requested two. Do not stay on the 2nd floor as the architecture provides a view of the concrete supports, not premium tropical view. The rooms are very small and plain. Beach has a "Blue Flag" designation with plenty of loungers there and at the pools. Staff are friendly and helpful. The French restaurant is amazing but the Smokehouse was awful. I had a bad reaction at the Asian restaurant so beware if you have allergies [... read more]. The buffets have a good variety though. Evening entertainment was nice enough. Daytime crew were energetic and fun.

Bahia Principe Grand Bavaro: Poorly run resort

Dining wonderful Rooms were old, smelly, horrible beds and furniture, plugs didn’t work most of the time..these rooms should be gutted The first 2 days rooms were cleaned, that’s it! Our bare feet would be black upon bedtime. Room remained cluttered, empty dirty cups, glasses, nothing wiped down. The only thing that was done was the bed was made. Even then, the top blanket was never on the bed, just folded. Every phone call I made for things that needed to be done or supplied, no one ever sh [... read more]owed up. We were locked out of our room till 1 in the morning. We had to get angry with the front desk in order to get new keys. Service was terrible. No pool service but we could tolerate that. It took 3 hrs to book in, they didn’t have a third room for us Loved the grounds, shuttles and the variety of foods. Wish there was some English entertainment Unless service, rooms changed , I wouldn’t go back I know there are lovely rooms available, we were very unlucky. This trip was booked 6 months before, no excuse

Secrets Tides Punta Cana: Great Trip

Overall beautiful resort, the location and direction of the pool and the pool bars are perfectly placed. The PREFERRED beach needs a little work I believe just because of the wind directions and the way the sand blows but a little creativity and that can be solved. As with anything in the islands, there is always lost in translation communication when it comes to ordering in restaurants, room service, etc. nothing earth shattering. The rooms are beautiful and typical. Beware when booking, the [... read more]y think double occupancy also means 2 beds. Be very specific when requesting your king bed. Not a big deal but worth noting. Housekeeping and minibar, were always on spot and items topped up. Unlike preferred or upgraded clubs at other resorts, You do not get premium liquor in your room. Restaurant were all good. We ate a lot at the Oceana for breakfast or lunch and then tried all restaurants. Nothing disappointed. The buffet surprised me. Very good quality and upgraded options, lots of fresh seafood cooked your way such as shrimp, fresh salmon, fresh tuna, and lobster tails on Saturday. The Japanese was delicious! But our fav was the Oceana and it is beach front ? too many good meals to list them all. Daytime entertainment was good, some days the had a late morning violinist, which was beautiful with the waves in the background and the whole resort still sleepy and calm. Other days a live band in the afternoon which was fun. The night time Entertainment was not so great, no special shows, the whole thing seemed very out dated, and poor sound quality. Not much to do if you want a night life. which suited us fine we usually don’t last past a show anyways.