Beach is okay for adults but lots of dirt in the water and choppy. Definitely not for children. Room in Section 3, suoer humid even with AC constantly running. Mold started to develop on bags, visible in bathroom. Also, water dripping on head in the bathroom from high condensation. Pool okay and so is food. Not sure if it was coincidental but lots of people from our group got stomach issues, even a hopsital visit. Service staff is various. Some folks seem being there against there will. Not many[... read more] smiles. Bar servers fine, reception depends who you get. Ground overall clean and maids are doing their best with what they got.
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Melia Caribe Beach Resort: Great Resort
The grounds and the beach were beautiful. The room was well located in building 39 ( Deluxe but not Level) and was well maintained except for a short glitch where the AC started dripping water over the front door, but it was fixed as soon as we brought it up with Reception. The food was plentiful and good at the buffet and the Italian restaurants.
We were not impressed with the Mexican and even less so with the Grill restaurants. Even though the resort is large we were always able to catc[... read more]h one of it's trains or a ride with a buggy. Were always able to find chairs at the beach or pool if came early (before 8).
A couple of complaints - they play loud music at shows (that's why we stayed away from them), in the main restaurant, at the pool and on the beach - they should take the volume down. Also, they use way too much salt (for us older folks) on all meat - really unnecessary and unhealthy.
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Traceyla -
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Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Amazing resort and staff
The staff were incredibly amazing. We had Natalia taking care of our room all week. She was fantastic. Natalia was thorough in taking care of the room and also with taking care of our needs. The entire staff at this resort is amazing right from check-in to our concierge the servers and the restaurants I could go on and on about how fabulous the service is in this resort. It may be the cleanest place I’ve ever seen. The staff made our trip wonderful. The room was fantastic. The food was amazin[... read more]g everywhere there is nothing I could say bad about this resort. Thank you to Natalia, especially for taking such good care of us and Watson who was the most amazing and attentive concierge.
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VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Cozy resort
Resort was on the smaller side which meant that you were fairly close to everything. The 3 restaurants had a lot of variety on their menu. Plenty of lounge chairs for all. The beach was sheltered from the waves by reefs which made for calm waters and the reefs made for interesting snorkeling. The activity staff was friendly and accommodating.
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M.A. -
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Sunscape Coco Punta Cana: Sunscape Coco Resort
I loved everything about the resort, except our room . It had no dressers to put clothes away and no hooks in the bathroom for house coat, toiletries etc....the beach was graded every other day and even though the ocean was great to swim in there was constant sea weed. It needed to be raked daily.
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Ann M -
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Majestic Colonial Punta Cana Beach Resort: The best Resort Ever
This resort and It's staff exceeded our expectations. We have never felt so welcomed and comfortable at a resort. It was very clean and the staff always had smiles on their faces and said hello everytime we walked by them or was at any of the bar or food facilities. I would recommend this resort to all my friends and family. We will definately be returning to this resort.
First of all the staff was very nice and helpfull....the grounds ,the pool, were very clean and enjoyable to use ...the maids on our floor were just great and seen to be happy when we spoke to them and very appreciated our friendlyness.
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Majestic Mirage Punta Cana All Suite Resort: Relax and don’t lift a finger!
The Majestic Mirage is the perfect place to go to recharge. The rooms, all suites, are huge and kept clean and well stocked. The pools are different but perfect, winding alongside the buildings. The beach is gorgeous, and never a problem to find shade either at the pool or the beach. There are several restaurants - have your butler (!) make a reservation at the French restaurant and indulge in chateaubriand. In general, a spectacular resort and one to which we’ll be returning!
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Ziko -
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Bahia Principe Explore Legend: Wonderful Resort
In deed the resort is so huge and beautiful. The service is considered very acceptable. The only discomfort in hotel is mosquito spreading everywhere. Very good atmosphere for families with children. It is affordable and organized.
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Playabachata Hotel: Mediocre. Not the best food
kay Here is an honest review from a traveller who has been to DR before and has done it all from luxury resorts to 2 star bare bones stays. I will try to be objective as I can so that a prospective traveller can get a good idea of this resort. I am a 30 something mom to a toddler with a pretty paid back rural lifestyle. Not one to complain at a restaurant or be a "Karen"
TLDR:
Room: Oceanfront suite 4/5
- good AC
- TV worked
- clean
Food: 2/5
- Poor variety
- timing wasn't great
- o[... read more]verall food quality wasnt good
Beach: 4/5
- Good swimming
- clean beach
- not the most comfy chairs
Pool: 3/5
- clean pools
- main pool is LOUD
- second pool is quiet but FAR
Staff: 2.5/5
- Didn't care about us
- Not rude, but not friendly either
- Some staff are warm and friendly. (some waiters, grounds crew)
Entertainment: (didn't attend any shows or parties)
DETAILS:
The Room:
We stayed in an oceanfront 1BR suite. This room was pretty good! The location was literally on the beach and was fairly quiet except for people walking by on the walkway but thats unavoidable. The AC was cold, which is great if you like AC. The room was spacious, clean and and had a separate living room area which was ideal for travelling with a toddler. The bathroom also had a separate toilet area from the sinks which was also great for a family travelling. Yes, there was a cockroach in the bathroom. I killed it with a sandal and that was that.
The Food:
I am not a foodie or someone who is too picky about food. That being said, I found the food definitely lacklustre. And the ambiance of the buffet was loud and busy. I only remark on this because there wasn't much offered as an alternative. It seemed like everyone had to use the buffet for dinner every night so of course it was busy. Some things were good, but many of the items were repetitive or just didn't look or taste good. We only went to one of the "restaurants" which was just the beach snack bar re-arranged to be the Steakhouse / Italian restaurant. We had the steakhouse one night, and didn't bother with the italian. The steak was tough, and again the food was ... okay? We didnt bother with the italian because it was just a pasta and salad bar which you could get the exact same items in the buffet.
So the buffet was very busy with long lines, a difficult time to find a seat and a loud atmosphere.
The snack bar offered the same thing every day: hotdogs, fries, burgers, make your own sandwiches, salad bar. The hotdogs were fine (didn't look the most appetizing but tasted fine) the burgers were inedible.
my final note about the food; the timing. Breakfast was fine, 7:30 - 10. Lunch didn't start until 1pm which was a strech for us and our little one who is usually napping at that time. Dinner didn't start until 6:30 which was real tough for us as a young family. Yes, the snack bar was open in the interim but as previously mentioned the snacks were limited and hard to eat.
The Beach:
This was a bright spot for us! We love swimming and the ocean and the beach was wide and clean and the water was warm and pretty good for swimming. Conditions weren't ideal to get too deep or snorkel properly but there is a small reef you can take a look around. Chairs did seem scarse if you didn't get up early and reserve with your towels. (we have a 3 year old so that wasn't an issue) Lots of the chairs are in disrepair and not super comfy. We were able to change our towels every day no problems so we always had dry towels. We loved the beach and that was the reason we were there so so complaints there!
The Pool :
We aren't pool people so this wasn't a spot we spent a lot of time. There are 2 pools, one main pool with really, really loud music and lots of people and action. It's also close to the bars/snacks and the entertainent crew so if youre into that then thats the spot for you. there is a second pool that is also beautiful and much quieter. BUT it is pretty far from the rooms/drinks/food so pack a lunch :) We spent more time there with our kiddo because there was a kids pool that she enjoyed. The pools seemed clean and well maintained. One thing to mention is that there are only ladders into the main pool so if you have mobility issues that is something to consider.
The Staff:
Now, we are pretty chill people. And pretty friendly too, (Canadian) We tip at every meal and do our best to be respectful and kind to everyone. I personally found the staff at this resort generally pretty cold and unfriendly. The vibe I got more often than not was that the staff didn't care wether we lived or died. Meaning strong indifference. The front desk staff, the guest services, the bar tenders all seemed "too cool for school". It wasn't like we were rude or had an obnoxious kid with us, generally the staff just didn't seem to care about us at all. of course there were exceptions, some of the wait staff at the buffet were approachable and kind to my daughter. And I acutally found the groundskeepers the most friendly people at the resort. This even comes down to the kids club staff. Most days it was 1-2 ladies in the kids area and they seemed so incredibly bored/disinterested in their jobs/the kids. They had toys set out on the tables and they just sat in the corner on their phones. We joined in the play area with our daughter since she was too young to be left alone there, but the staff made hardly any effort to engage with her or play with her or offer any kind of activity. It wasn't a big deal but was a little surprising to me since these were supposed to be the kids club staff... I would hope they would be a little more animated.
also note we did not spend time at the pool so we have no experiece with the adult animation team so I can't comment on them.
We didn't attend any shows or parties because we have a little one. So I can't speak to that. I will say that the show does go on at 9:30 which felt SO late to me but I am a young mom.
Okay I think I covered all of the major points of this hotel and I tried to be as objective as possible. This was just my experience as someone with a young child, who enjoys a quiet easygoing vacation, I don't party or get drunk so I can't speak to any of those elements. But if you are similar I hope this review was helpful.
OVERALL EXPERIENCE : 3/5
Sorry, we won't be returning. Hope this helps!
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VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Good value for the price
I stayed for a week in January 2025. For the price, you get good value for your money.
1. Resort is very old but clean. Premises, rooms and grounds are clean. Although they are very old, they are well maintained. This is not a modernized hotel. It is very basic and small. The best part about this resort was that it was clean.
2. I can't comment on how this food compares to other resorts in the Dominican, so I can't give a proper review because food at other vacation spots is ver[... read more]y different. For the buffet, the choices are minimal. The buffet container sizes are smaller so food doesn't just sit there, but the problem was that it was not replenished quickly when it did run out. Sometimes if you didn't get it right away, it was gone. It is rather bland so salt and pepper is necessary for seasoning to your liking. The a la cartes had better food than the buffet, especially the Italian Restaurant. I am used to going to the Mayan Riviera in Mexico for vacations, so it is really hard to rate the food here. The food selection, taste and quality is 100% better in Mexico. I did get sick, but it didn't happen until I got home. Every day my stomach would gradually starting cramping more and more. I ate less and less everyday. It wasn't until I got home that I had the runs.
3. Beach is rocky. You need some kind of shoes on due to rock and corral. I wished there was a place where you could go further than 15 feet from the shore.
4. The Entertainment at night was lacking. Some nights they had a proper show, like dancers and other nights it was just the activity staff.
5. Pool is small for the number of people at the resort and is not heated.
6. Service is very good. Staff works really hard and are very friendly. They work their butts off.
I would recommend this hotel to a friend who wanted a really cheap vacation at a clean hotel but wasn't expecting much in terms of food and beach.
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Viva Heavens by Wyndham: Small but great resort.
We stayed in building #2.
January 2025
Firstly, staff is great. The resort is clean, but the rooms could use a refresh. Very noisy, and the doors don't shut softly. The key gave us and the group we travelled with some issues.
There is no bar in the hotel. No entertainment inside until 10pm. Given by the entertainment staff from the resort.
The buffet is small. But plentiful. Ala carte restaurants are good and the food is ok. We really like the Mexican restaurant. There is a [... read more]coffee bar we really enjoyed.
The snack bar at the beach can be better. One day we did have a BBQ set up at the beach. We do not drink very much but we did use the bar to get water. You need to ask the bartender. I would prefer if they had a station for water or juice. Also, there is no one at the beach taking orders for the bar.
The beach is large and you can walk forever.
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Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: Amazing Scenic View!
We recently visited this resort in Jan 25, it’s a dated resort with no real area to hang out evening time. The scenic view is breathtaking but beach is horrible with garbage from ocean. 3 star resort.
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RLBONN -
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Royalton Bavaro Resort and Spa: Loved the resort and can't wait to go back!
I am not much of a traveler so I didn't really have any expectations but I can say that I would return in an instant. The resort was clean, the pools were clean, the folks were friendly, the buffets had something for everyone, the restaurants were great and easy to schedule, the activities and nighttime entertainment were fun. The Lazy River, Swim out room, Hydrotherapy Pool in the spa and their Pizza were all INCREDIBLE!! Zero Complaints about the resort.
I would absolutely recommend to a f[... read more]riend.
Having our direct flights cancelled both ways was a bummer because we didn't get to the resort until 11:30pm on our first day, so we paid for a full day but only got to enjoy 30 minutes. Our flight home was even worse. Checked out of hotel at 11am Wednesday and didn't get home until 10pm Thursday night.
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El Beso Adults Only at Ocean El Faro: Fantastic Trip
Overall this resort was fantastic. The best parts were the rooms, pools, grounds and staff. The food ranged from good to very good. The beach was rough in spots, but had a beautiful lagoon next to the resort. There was ample chairs by the beach and pool. If you wanted a pool cabana you had to get up early. We had a great time.
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Wendy -
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Riu Republica: Loved the resort.
We enjoyed our stay at the resort. The food was great with lots of variety. The resort was well kept. The room was clean and the staff were all polite and helpful. It would be nice to have a boardwalk to get to the beach. The loose sand is very difficult to walk on especially since I need a walker due to knee and hip replacements.
Hotel and grounds were absolutely amazing. Staff were friendly. Food was also very good.
Only complaint not able to get any chairs at beach or pool. I would recommend this hotel for a quiet vacation.
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Su&St -
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Coral Costa Caribe: Great Vacation in the sun
With my limited walking I like to thank the front desk for giving us a room close to all the activity. I have a good memory but very short so please forgive me if I don't mention any names. Gracias to our son and his friends at the pool bar and all our grand children in the restaurants, you have been very helpful. There was always something different to eat at the buffet. We frequent the snack bar for the peace and quiet and the chicken was tasty. We went to four al cart restaurants, the Medite[... read more]rranean twice. It was great. Our room was good and always well kept and many thanks to our maid who in a pinch helped with a bit of birthday surprise.
Stayed most of the time under the umbrela or looking for shade. .
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Beee -
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Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Best week
This hotel does not lack for anything. The food was incredible. The rooms were quite comfortable. The beach, the beach is absolutely amazing with lots of chairs and lots of shade. As well, the beach you can walk for miles either way. There is not more you could ask for from this resort if you want a relaxing holiday where you are greeted with smiling faces whether it’s morning noon or night this is the place to be.
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MMMOZZ -
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Royalton CHIC Punta Cana: Love it or Not!
The good: Resturant selection and food was great. Rooms were well laid out and kept spotless. Customer service is over the top and everyone is friendly.
The Bad: Not enough chairs on the beach or around the pool for the number of guests and people come out very early to put a towel on chairs as a reservation. The music at the pool seems to be from a pre-recorded track with little variation from day to day, by day 3 you need to find somewhere else to go away from the noise. The liquor is close[... read more]r to bottom shelf unless you pay for an upgrade. The floors are slippery when wet which happens quite often, people were falling down, be very careful.
The Ugly; Upgrades, Time Shares, Vendors on the beach, everywhere you go someone seems to want to sell you something.