Bahia Principe Escape Bouganville: Hidden Gem

Food - outstanding, best I've had at an all-inclusive service-fantastic, rooms- large, but outdated. Beach- well tended-water had no jellyfish as stated in other reviews, but cloudy. 8.9/10. Would I go back? Absolutely.

Ocean Blue and Sand: Lovely resort

The entire resort was spotless, food excellent, staff very friendly and obliging! Our room was well appointed, lots of storage, daily maid service. Beverages were replenished daily. Several restaurants to choose from but we personally enjoyed the beach buffet and main buffet as well.

Majestic Colonial Punta Cana Beach Resort: Great value for the price!

The grounds are well kept. Eating in a large buffet on the beach is a bonus for breakfast and for lunch. The rooms are a bit tired looking but the beds are comfortable. Apparently, it is getting renovated next year. The meals were good, some limits in fruits (no berries, no real greek yogurt). They had good ice cream but the deserts were nothing special at all, we didn't eat them. Lots of fresh vegetables and nice cheeses to choose from. The whole grain breads and fresh croissants were gre [... read more]at. The a la carte meals were excellent but limited to two in 7 days. The service was excellent at all times! The beach was busy but excellent, clear water, no seaweed, great waves, excellent walking for miles in either direction. The drinks (we are not big drinkers) were nothing special, too sweet and not enough fresh fruit used in many of the drinks. The champagne was good! The coffee was good. There was entertainment every night and a live band and if you wanted to catch a show that you missed, you could walk over to the Majestic Elegance to catch the show at that venue, you just cant drink or eat there, We enjoyed the resort and thought it was great value for the price we paid.

Casa Marina Reef Resort: Nice resort

The resort was very nice considering it's rated a 3.5 . Our room was comfortable. The grounds & pools were very well kept. Enjoyed the 3 small pools overlooking the ocean . The food was delicious except we didn't like the repetition of the same food every day for the entire week . We liked the idea of being able to step out into the town of Sousa which was very safe . The restaurants were great . Overall was a great holiday.

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Good resort but room issues

We had to move rooms 2 times due to issue, our friends also had to move rooms once. Last year we went to the Aquamrine this year we upgraded to the Ambar thinking it would be better and a true 5 star experience. In hindsight it was not worth the extra $$ we paid. Stick with Aquamarine. Overall buffet food was ok. Al la cart resturaunts were great - Limbo, MEAT, Portofino, Rodizio all were excellent. Entertainment was pretty good, grounds were nice. We would go back for the right price, but to t [... read more]he Aquamarine. Note to management: last year we saw 2 cats on the grounds this year +15. I hope humane steps are being done to manage this they should be spade our neutered now before the cat population gets out of control. We love to see a few cats around the grounds, but we don't want to see 100 starving cats next year.

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Great place!

Very clean and joy to stay in resort like Iberostar. Nice pool and beautiful beach. People are nice and friendly. Room service was excellent, Carlos in the restaurant at the beach was the best. Very hard worker and very friendly.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Beautiful resort

Beautiful resort grounds amazing beach we had a good vacation .. The food was very good the only down side is the rooms need a face lift ! Walls of the building we stayed in needs to be painted we could see the scratches and dirt on it...I wasn't too happy with the room.. entertainment and staff was amazing the people are very warm.and helpful .. the weather wasn't the best as it was in January but for sure the beach is a beauty by itself. I for sure will return

Bahia Principe Escape Aquamarine: Very big resort

The resort is very big we stayed at the aquamarine but there are several resorts all sharing the same property. If you like waking a lot this resort is for you. The size made it hard for staff to keep the grounds clean. There were cats everywhere and when walking throughout the resort you could smell cat urine. The rooms were kept clean. Because of the size it was a bit confusing about what areas were shared. The beds were pretty hard with very small pillows and basically a tablecloth for a beds [... read more]heet. The food was good in the restaurants that we were able to make reservations for. Reservations for the restaurants were hard to make for the times we wanted to eat, basically if you wanted to eat after 7pm it was easier to get a reservation but we like to eat earlier. The buffet didn’t open until 6:30pm so if it was open at like 5pm I’m sure it would be easier to make reservations for the restaurants. We had a sign in our room that said there was room service but when we scanned the QR code it only gave the menus for the restaurants and no room service menu was available. The times that the restaurants are open and closed at should be available with the menus on the website. There should also be an option to wait to get into the restaurant instead of having to make a reservation. The staff were friendly and nice, but no one seemed to be able to give any change. One day I had to ask at least 4 different staff members and went to the very front desk and no one was able to get me change so I just wasn’t able to tip much that day. I always had to walk to the very front desk that was further away to get change and sometimes they wouldn’t give me change there saying the change person wasn’t available. They defiantly don’t go out of their way to make you feel welcome or special in any-way most places have an upbeat welcome feel to them when you arrive, this wasn’t the case with this place at all the feeling I got was a very serious but got a little better the longer we were there. The beach was very crowded, there is a separate section that was less busy for the aquamarine guests but there was no wifi at that section. I defiantly wouldn’t say this is a 5 star resort it’s more of a 3.5 for me.

TRS Turquesa: Beautiful property, beach, pools and good food

This hotel is truly beautiful, the beach is great, super clean. Pools are busy, but quiet pools are so nice if you just want to relax, daybeds and palapas with lounges were always available(what a treat!) throughout the day. Food was pretty good so missed the mark. Generally good but the servers could learn a little English and just basic hospitality. Rooms were very nice, king size beds that were fairly comfortable. In general a great spot for an adult only retreat.

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Decent...but with some real flaws

Grounds....well maintained Main building and restaurants are nice Pools and bars are good Beach is excellent... though a few more Palapas would be helpful. Food was good. A la cartes very good. Entertainment is subpar. Very little live music. Rooms...the biggest problem. They are small, poorly laid out, few drawers, weak showers and in need of maintenance.

Catalonia Bavaro Resort: We have been there three times. Loved and would go back.

There is something for everybody. A spacious beach with mild waves with the creperie and Ma Loo (natural juices station) being the highlights. There is some activity every day for all age groups including cooking fresh food. Beach restaurant nearby if you don't want to go to the main buffet. The room was great and staff were friendly and responsive. If minor imperfections bother you, this is not for you. We truly enjoyed it.

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Meh

Nice beach. Lots of vendors who make it impossible to relax. The resort is small which I appreciated however we were stuck over across from the main area in overflow by the quiet pool. Our room was huge but backed onto a fence/roadway which was terrible. No view whatsoever and a restaurant beyond the fence with loud music and talking late into the night. Mornings were woken early by cars. Room is very dated. Shower terrible. You can tell no money is put back into the hotel for upgrades. Staff ar [... read more]e great. Buffet is very repetitive. Hot food is not kept hot. Not very sanitary for food. A la Carte restaurants were so bad we canceled our third. Pools are dirty and with thatched roofs over the bars the pools are full of bird poop and not well maintained. Overall dirty feeling. Beach is the best thing about this resort. The beds are hard as rock. Also you get one bottle of water and two beer in your room only every second day. No exceptions.

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Be mindful of big bites all the time and no beach chairs to be had.

Never once did we find a beach chair. Bug bites are horrible and every single person had them. Food was great. Pools were great and found chairs most of the time. Staff was amazing and a lot of fun. Rooms are decent, but always missing coffee for the morning.

Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana: Very clean resort

This resort was extremely clean. Never seen one bug which is surprising due to the extremely hot and humid climate. Staff was very friendly and welcoming. In particular Patricio from the Waves restaurant went out of his way to make sure our holiday was enjoyable. At the pool, the servers were very accomadating especially Solanji, she was always greeting us with a smile. The only complaint was the decaf coffee at the buffet was INSTANT COFFEE and since I cant drink caffeinated coffee, I had t [... read more]o drink water or juice. They need to brew decaf in the morning. We had to go to the lobby after eating to get a decaf coffee which was delicious but it would have been nice to drink coffee WITH breakfast. All in all it was a good holiday!

Zoetry Agua Punta Cana: Pure Paradise

I would not hesitate to book another vacation through Susan Snider, nor would I hesitate to return to Zoetry. Both could not have made our stay more wonderful. When booking through Susan, she was available via email and phone to answer any and all of our questions. She gave honest and helpful advice that made selecting a resort really easy. Further, she listened to our responses and together we arrived at a resort that was everything we could have wanted. The resort itself was absolutely won [... read more]derful and we did not have to want for a single thing. The small scale of the resort was appealing to us. While a smaller resort, it had everything we could have wanted and more. It wasn’t until the latter half of our trip that we took advantage of the spa area and that’s simply because we were enjoying all of the other amenities. I really enjoyed the fact that we did not have to make reservations for any of the restaurants. We could go when we pleased and did not have to worry about being somewhere for a specific time. It was a vacation we will cherish!

Dreams Onyx Resort and Spa: Wonderful Resort

This resort has it all. Many pools to chose from, close walking distance to the beach. Great selection of restaurants, clean and spacious rooms and fun, professional entertainment at night. Shout out to Junior at the lobby bar, Eliphet and Jefry who always gave us awesome drinks with a smile. Their customer service was outstanding.

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.