Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Use your own judgement

Staff: The staff are generally friendly and helpful. A special thanks to Empress for being a great guide. However, some individuals try to push their own interests, steering guests toward their friends for tours. It’s up to visitors to use their judgment when choosing who to rely on. Transportation: One major concern is the hotel’s association with a dishonest taxi service. Despite Uber being available and safe in the Dominican Republic (as confirmed by my experience and discussions with ot [... read more]hers), the hotel discourages its use. Instead, they promote their own taxi service, which operates as a "taxi cartel" charging nearly 15 times the Uber fare. For example, I booked an Uber to go downtown for DOP 175 (approximately CAD 4). However, a hotel-affiliated taxi driver picked up my ride and demanded USD 30, claiming Uber underpays them. I refused, exited the vehicle, and rebooked an Uber just outside the hotel, where I successfully completed my trip for the original fare. According to an Uber driver, this scam is common—they accept Uber rides near the hotel, then demand extra money, leading guests to believe Uber is unreliable and pushing them toward overpriced taxis. The hotel appears complicit, with staff even recommending their taxis over Uber. I have escalated this issue with Uber, and they assured me they would investigate. For alternative transport, if you're comfortable driving, consider renting a car from Alamo or National, which offer rentals for as little as CAD 45 and provide pick-up directly from the hotel lobby. Unsurprisingly, the hotel does not promote this option. Food & Drinks: The food is average and lacks variety, especially in fruits and juices. At breakfast, the juice selection was limited to a single option each day. That said, the buffet staff were fantastic. Among the à la carte restaurants, the Italian restaurant stood out as the best. Regarding drinks, if you enjoy fruity and sweet cocktails, you’ll be fine. However, for premium spirits like whiskey on the rocks, expect to pay USD 6 per shot of JW Black or USD 80+ per bottle. If you’re particular about your drinks, I recommend taking a taxi into town to purchase a bottle at a more reasonable price. Rooms: Room quality varies. The hotel, nearly 40 years old, is in serious need of maintenance. Many rooms have peeling paint, broken TVs, and non-functional phones. However, since most people don’t spend much time in their rooms, these issues might not be deal-breakers. Entertainment & Atmosphere: The entertainment crew is great, and many guests speak highly of them. However, the hotel lacks a proper sports bar. The only option is a small, poorly maintained black-and-white-themed sports bar in the lobby, equipped with outdated 32” TVs—one of which is so broken that the LEDs are fully visible. Again, maintenance is clearly lacking. Another thing to note is that the hotel mostly attracts an older crowd. It seems more suited for retirees than younger travelers or families looking for an active and vibrant atmosphere. If you’re looking for a lively resort with a mix of age groups, this might not be the best choice. Location & Beach: The beach is beautiful, with nice water, but not the best I’ve seen. I’d rate it a 7/10. A common issue at this and many other resorts is chair hogging. Guests place towels on chairs early in the morning and don’t return for hours. Unfortunately, the hotel does a poor job of enforcing a two-hour no-show policy for removing abandoned towels. Final Thoughts: While the hotel has some positives, particularly its staff and entertainment team, it suffers from poor maintenance, lack of variety in food and drinks, a dishonest transportation system, and an older crowd demographic. If you plan to stay here, be aware of the taxi scam, consider alternative transportation, and manage your expectations regarding the facilities and overall vibe. It’s a quiet, relaxed place—ideal for older guests, but not the best choice if you’re looking for a lively and modern resort experience.

Occidental Caribe: Not as advertised

The hotel is very old (and it shows every where) but clean. However, the food is mediocre at best and only about 5% of all the employees speak any English. It was very hard to get anything since no one understood what you're trying to say. Making reservation for ala cart restaurant was an ordeal. it took over an hour to communicate and get reservations. From all the restaurants we've tried, I only recommend the French (both food and service was great). Our toilet brook and we had to wait 16 ho [... read more]urs for someone to come and fix it (the technician and the supervisor both didn't speak English so we couldn't talk to them). Every time we called Guest Services we were told that someone is coming or were told nothing and the person who answered just hanged up on us. When we physically went to the Guest Service we were told that there is no Technician on premises and they will call someone to come to the resort.... They wouldn't change rooms for us, so my husband and I had to go to the lobby to use the bathroom..... Over all I would give this resort 3 stars (even though they have the potential to be a 5 star resort)!

Dreams Royal Beach Punta Cana: Royal Beaches

My girl friend I had a wonderful time at Royal Beaches in Punta Cana This was our second time at this resort and found that there was great improvement this time. Food was more tasty and staff from cleaning crew to maintenance was so great. Everyone was so polite and curtious and speaking to us when greeted. We had a hot water problem and that was quickly resolved. Very satisfied and planning to return.

Occidental Caribe: Honest Review

My honest review. This resort is definitely an older resort. The resort was kept clean on a daily inside and out. Of course they can not keep a cleaner at ever public washroom all day so on occasion there was a mess on a toilet or on the floor. That is no fault of the resort. Our room was a superior oceanfront room. In my head an oceanfront room is actual right close to the ocean. That is not the case an oceanfront room is actual a straight on ocean view. This should be specified. Our room wa [... read more]s in unit one on the second floor. We were lucky and got two balconies as our room was a corner unit. That was a pleasant surprise. Our room was also the top unit which there are usually 4 floors but this section was only had 2 floors. I mention that because in many reviews there was leaks coming from units above. Just because we didn't have a unit above us did not save us from having a leak coming from above when it rained. We booked with airtransat. They sell you an oceanfront room that comes with many perks. However there was really nothing in our room that was supposed to come with it. That being said im a seasoned traveler and knew if I left notes for the maid daily and tipped with money and treats that she would bring us what we needed. She gave us new towels when requested. Stocked our fridge with pop and water. Left us beer and rum when requested. She was a lovely lady and did a fine job keeping our room cleaned and supplied with the necessities. Our room was definitely on the smaller size but ample for us as we don't spend alot of our time in our room. One issue was that we booked two superior ocean front rooms and one was in unit one and one was in unit four. That should not happen in my opinion but we made it work. We got up early Sunday morning to stand in line to reserve the a la cartes. We were able to book 4 right away but were told that we'd have to come back the following Sunday to reserve additional a la cartes. We stayed for 10 days but chose not to wait in line the following Sunday. Partially because we didn't want to line up but also because the buffet has a theme each night and the food was actually good in my opinion. My group of 5 adults also felt the same about the food. We ate at the Italian, Japanese, Dominican and Mexican a la cartes. They were all good. We had a surprise, one of our group members daughters showed up to surprise her and each restaurant allowed her to join us. Thanks for that. There was a smaller buffet by the swim up bar pool also a pizza place that served at lunch right above that buffet. We spent some days at the swim up bar pool. There was also a very shallow pool to the one side where you could sit on the bottom and relax in the water. That shallow pool hardly ever had anyone in it. That was wonderful. We of course had our favorite pool bar girls. She would bring us drinks wherever we were. We gave her money tips and fed her snacks that we brought from our country. She was a pleasure. The quiet pool was right in front of our room and we spent a few days there also. There is a bar by this pool also. There was only one day that they played music around this pool. If you want pool chairs you must get up early to put your towels on them. I hate that people do this but if you don't you will be shit out of luck. There are ample places for chairs they just don't have enough. That is definitely something the resort should rectify. The beach was stunning. Beautiful color, beautiful sand. Lots of palms on the shore line for shade. Once again a shortage of chairs. There were no umbrellas on this beach. The ocean was always wavy. This would be a deterante for some but a fun time for us. There was a different show nightly. I caught a few shows and they were average for a resort but entertaining. There are also on site shops, over priced just like other resorts. There was pool tables, a casino. Im not a gambler but was talked into going in with my group to try our luck with 20 dollars each. I left with 150 in my pocket. They have a weight room climbing wall and a trapeze. Also a disco for the night owls. Would I go back? Yes I would. This resort is bigger then I like but it was a good resort. I was worried after reading reviews but there was no need to worry. We got what we paid for.

Riu Bambu: RIU MAMBO

We vacationed from Jan17- 31 at the Riu Bambo We were in Building 0912 Nice room clean great maid always fresh towels lots of toilet paper could have used an extra blanket though The grounds are lovely well kept The breakfast crew were Fantastuc Jesus and the 3 others when I came into dining room He would get my Tea& Juice for me very Thankful to have friendly service made our holiday was glad to see them again for dinner at buffet We tried all the el cartes Liked the Mexican the best Hung out a [... read more]t pool bar Johnny bar tender was friendly very efficient enjoyed bingo at 5 everyday Also the Riu parties Enjoyed the Michael Jackson show Enjoyed the sportsbar and the staff there All & All great vacation Thank You to everyone

Iberostar Waves Dominicana: Family vacation.

Our kids are 2.5 and 1 - this resort was perfect for them. I cannot stress enough how the staff went above and beyond making our kids feel special each and every day. A very special shout out to Wescar and Lus in the buffet dining room - your kindness and smiles are contagious and you brightened my kids days every time we ate there. Thank you.

Majestic Mirage Punta Cana All Suite Resort: Beautiful Resort

The resort was clean the room was large . The restaurants and bars and cafe had great service the people were all friendly I will return again hopefully. The servers around the pool and beach were very attentive.

Serenade Punta Cana Beach and Spa Resort: super bad

I never experience nothing like that before. For the first day I didn't feel like I'm welcome Service it was one of the biggest problems Manager of the resort was aware of all the issues we have but he was to busy enjoying his own life That trip was very important to me and I left disappointed and very unhappy

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Loved, loved, loved!

This was our very first trip out of the country for my husband and I. The resort was amazing, everyone was so nice! The pools were beautiful and clean, the tiki bar was gorgeous, easy access to the beach and it was so nice! Our first time at the ocean, the vendors were plenty but not pesky. If you told them no they smiled and moved on. Our room was nice, a bit of an issue with noise due to backing onto what appeared to be the employee and delivery entrance. The a/c worked but only at arctic  [... read more]freeze and if we turned it off it was too humid and hot. The buffet was amazing. The food was sooo good and so much variety. The pasta station was my absolute favorite but hubby loved the omelette/egg station at breakfast. We loved Rosa greeting us every day at the buffet entrance and she was so helpful if we were looking for some water or coffee. Entertainment was great! I loved watching the dancing and they were so great at getting people to join in the fun. We enjoyed our stay so much that we are planning on booking this again next year and taking our teenagers this time.

Sunscape Coco Punta Cana: Nice Resort

Overall this was a nice middle of the line resort. Lots of food options with no reservations required, we got in to whichever restaurant we wanted. The buffet had a wide variety. There was always a bar nearby. The resort was an appropriate size, not so big that you get tired walking from one end to the other but you wouldn't want it to be any bigger. The land was nice and flat no big hills or stairs to climb. The room I was in was recently renovated with a jacuzzi tub and stand up shower and h [... read more]ad a couch and king size bed. Lots of open walking space and a large balcony. The water slide, casino, and night club were fun activities to shake things up. Beach was nice. The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the layout. The buildings were close together with pools between some of them, it felt a little claustrophobic until you get into the main area. Agree with the 4 star rating.

Ocean Blue and Sand: Fantastic..

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Oceans Blue and Sand Resort..we don't have any complaints ..food was great..staff was good..welcome staff was over the top as soon as you set foot off bus....We had a Happy Anniversary banner put on our door for the 10days..was really nice..

Ocean Blue and Sand: Good resort

The beach, pool and lanscaping was excellent, the room and buffet dining was good, we never tried the restaurants because from past experience the portions are small and you do not feel satisfied plus buffet had a large selection to choose from.

Breathless Punta Cana Resort: Quiet, peaceful and beautiful

I had never been to an adults only resort before, but I wish I had! So peaceful and quiet. The resort itself was amazing. The grounds were beautifully kept. The food was amazing, best that I think I have had during any trip south! The rooms, slightly dated but functional. The only reason to be in the room anyway was sleep and shower! Staff are amazing - shout out to Miguel!

Caribe Deluxe Princess: Very nice resort.

Grounds were clean. Entertainment was great. Rooms were spacious and clean. Maid was great. Servers were courteous. Women’s bathrooms could use a little more attention. Food was good. Some food dishes could be warmer.

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: ABS0LUTELY BEAUTIFUL!

BEAUTIFUL RESORT, , SAFE, CLEAN, VERY FRENDLY AND POLITE, , FOOD WAS DELICIOUS , SERVICE WAS GREAT, THE SHOWS WERE GREAT, THE BEACH WAS CLEAN AND MANY LONDGE CHAIRS.BEAUTIFUL POOL, I HAD A FACIAL AND LYMPH DRAINAGE MASSAGE AND IT WAS GREAT AND VERY PROFFESSIONAL. MY HUSBAND USED THE POOL AND HE LOVED IT. WE TOOK A TAXI TO THE CITY AND THE TAXI DRIVER TOOK US ON A TOUR AND FLEA MARKET WHICH WE STAYED IN TOWN FOR DINNER AND HE STAYED WITH US ALL DAY. OUR ROOM WAS CLEANED EVERYDAY WITH CLEAN TOWELS [... read more] AND TOILETRIES AND WE HAD A BLOW DRYER. THE ONLY IDEA I WOULD LIKE , MY LEGS ARE NOT STURDY AND I WOULD OF LIKED TWO RAILINGS TO USE THE POOL OTHERWISE NO COMPLAINTS!

Riu Bambu: Good resort

Could use pool renos broken tiles in the pools someone could cut their feet and ruin there vacations.staff was very good and friendly tour operators were informative. Place was clean restaurants were always full.Riu party was amazing.

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: Belive marien

Very lovely resort, great people for staff, great food and rooms are very comfortable. The one. problem I had was all the cats roaming around the buffet for every meal. I was very uncomfortable with that, they are actually right under your feet at the table you are sitting at. That would be the only reason I would look to book another resort which is really too bad.

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Great little resort

Hotel was a bit dated, but the food was great. Especially the Chinese restaurant & bechamel sauce at the buffet. Entertainment was nice and close access to the beach. Everyone was very friendly. Would come back. Great value for dollar.

Barcelo Bavaro Beach: Great vacation

Adult side of the Barcelo Bavaro complex, great location on the beach. Beach no problem getting a lounger any day, there was always availability. Water was calm and clear, swam with the fish and turtles. Ground were clean and well maintained. Staff very pleasant and helpful, even with a language barrier at times. Some activities in the evening but it was an easy 5-6 minute walk to the main area at Palace if you want more late night activities. There was always good food available. We found th [... read more]e Buffets often had the same if not better food than the restaurants. Had our best meal at Santa Fe. The buffets at the Palace had more choice than Beach but were much busier. The room ( we were at the basic level) was dated but had what you would need. Most rooms close to the main area. The gym at the main resort had decent equipment for a resort but was busy at times. Had something taken from the shelf that was never found, not what you would expect at a higher end resort. We would visit again and would recommend the adult side for a relaxing vacation

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Outdated

The only thing good about this resort is that it is clean. This resort is in very poor condition. High pressure sales for a membership. There is a lot of alcohol that is not included and considered premium.