VIK Hotel Arena Blanca: amazing resort!

quiet and beautiful view of the ocean. very friendly staff. i took my mother with me who is in her 70’s and we had a very relaxing and comfortable stay. good was good. due to low occupancy they closed a few ala carrés and had a rotating menu at only 1 restaurant. it wasn’t a problem for us because the buffet was good.

Iberostar Waves Dominicana: Beautiful resort

Resort was beautiful and spotless. We got to know 2 waitresses at the main buffet and they were amazing. Food at main buffet was outstanding - presentation impeccable. Our maid was top notch - made sure we had everything we needed. Rooms were clean but dated. Beach was beautiful and pool was nice with plenty of loungers available at both. Ocean was a little choppy but that is normal for this area. No issues with seaweed. We were told that this resort was going to be renovated and shutting [... read more] down for approximately 6 months in September 2024. We will definitely return!!

Zel Punta Cana - All Suites: Very Poor Resort - Serious cleanliness issues.

Spent a week in Garden Suites by Melia in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic on a family vacation in mid-December 2023 via Sunwing. Overall, I can NOT recommend this resort with the serious cleanliness concerns and limited options for meals, especially given how it is advertised. I’ve been to Punta Cana multiple times and there are much better resorts available. Positives: 1. Resort grounds provide both walkable paths and golf cart shuttle options to the beach, kids water park and other re [... read more]sorts (Falcon, Paradisus) 2. Convenient amenities at the pool and beach such beach towels, day beds and lounge chairs. 3. Variety of well-organized kids activities throughout the week. Negatives: 1. Cleanliness and maintenance is serious concern. We paid to upgrade to the Garden Master Suite, but our hotel room had significant issues. (i) Most disturbing were the disgusting maggots we found on the bed sheet and head board. (ii) The latch on the bathroom door did not function so the bathroom door would not stay closed. (iii) After taking a shower the water in the tub would not drain. There was a pool of water higher than my ankles. When I talked to the front desk about changing rooms they initially said that there wasn’t an option to move rooms and to check back in the morning. I had to be firm about moving rooms given how unacceptable the conditions were. It should be noted that there are 4 hotels on the Melia property (Garden Suites, Falcon, Paradisus, Melia Caribe). 2. The buffet at the Garden Suites is tiny. Comparable in size to a Holiday Inn breakfast bar with limited menu options for breakfast, lunch & dinner which gets repetitive quickly. 3. Advertised by Sunwing as “Stay at 1, Play at 2” resort with free flow access to restaurants & resort facilities at Garden Suites and Falcon Resorts by Melia. In reality, this misleading as guest at the Garden Suites need to make reservations to eat at any Falcon resort restaurant. Even restaurants that typically do not need a reservation such as Origen (buffet) are not accessible for breakfast or lunch. Same with Mangu which is the outdoor poolside restaurant that is open for lunch. The process for making reservations at the Falcon is not simple as you need to go through the concierge. The concierge will ask their supervisor who will reach out to the Falcon. You cannot book in advance for later in the week and there’s no transparency on the status of the request. Even if you follow-up with the concierge they do not know whether or not a reservation is possible during your stay. It’s a very poorly thought out process. Expect your meals will be primarily limited to the restaurants at Garden Suites rather than what is advertised. 4. One of the conditions for eating at Falcon resort Origen buffet is you’ll need to sit through a presentation about joining the Melia timeshare / vacation rental program. This was not communicated to us by the concierge when arrangements we made. 5. Be aware that the servers at the a la carte restaurants in the Garden Suites will pressure you to post a 5 star Google review after your meal and then ask to see it. As the result the Google ratings for the Garden Suites are being boosted by the restaurants and may not truly reflect full resort experience.

Royalton Bavaro Resort and Spa: Great resort with room for improvement!

Just had a 1 week stay here in Diamond Club. The property itself is stunning and immaculate. Our Butler Prax was brand new however we had a great experience with him and thought he did very well. The staff and service is outstanding , the food was very good. There is room for everyone to spread out and not feel crowded around the pools. The beach is beautiful however if we were not Diamond Club I may have felt the seating was crowded, although there are tons of palapas in non DC for shad [... read more]e, which is great. Constant waves were great for body surfing. There are a few areas in which I feel the resort can easily do better; they MUST update some aspects of the rooms such as their pullouts which are old and stained and terribly uncomfortable from our experience, however they did bring us a roll away bed instead, which was better though even those can use replacement to firmer beds. Also I felt that the nightly entertainment was just so so, the circus and white nights were fun but otherwise we found it to be pretty boring, and things like silent disco could be GREATLY improved if they did that outdoors after their show so people actually know about it and participate more. It was in their Score Bar, fully lit and just was not as much fun and very little participation and ambiance in my opinion. And lastly they can greatly improve the teen club equipment, such as putting in more functional pool tables, a few ping pong tables would be great and a FREE air hockey machine. There was also only 1 functional pool table in Score. Our overall experience was great however for the above reasons I can only rate it a solid 4 star considering the 5 star high price.

Temptation Miches Resort 21 Plus: Renewed Lease on Life

My Husband and I are Seniors and were worried that we would be considered too old for this resort, nothing could be further from the truth. Hands down most all the Staff at Temptations can not do enough to ensure you are having your best possible vacation. I will not mention any names because this this review would be filled up with them. My only negative experience was due to the non-documented, $200 USD deposit, required by the hotel, that we did not budget for. Many other Canadians and Ameri [... read more]cans were also upset about this. Thank you to management for accommodating us. Also, we were really stressed that our jackets and pillows went missing from the cart, during our room change. Grateful that they were recovered, Thank you Guest Services. Miches approx. 1.5 hrs from the Punta Cana airport. Beach: Beautiful and natural. When facing the aqua-green ocean, you can walk (right) for miles on the soft brown sand that is lined with palm trees. There is a rocky man- made barrier (left) that divides the hotel from the beach area of the little town of Miches. Please note that this is not a pebbled beach and or, filled with rocks and you do not need water shoes in the Ocean or, otherwise. This area is not commercial, so if you are a true beach person, love nature and raw natural beach like we do, you will love it. No sargassum issues in the Ocean and Staff work hard to keep the sand groomed. Pools: The sexy pool is well kept, and seriously hilarious, best belly laughs of my life. I loved it when the beautiful, full of life Dominican people were there; they gave me a new lease on life and taught me that you are never too old to dance, let that inner Goddess out and enjoy life; this pool is booming and very entertaining. The Staff do a fantastic job. The quiet pool has yellow tiles and is primarily surrounded by beautiful green foliage, these colours give the impression that the water is green with algae; it is not and both pools as well as the infinity pools are cleaned daily. The Staff work very hard keeping this hotel clean, if you are an early riser like we were, you will see that. No towel card and limits on towels needed. Room: We changed to 4310 with a King bed. Partial view of the ocean. Bed very comfortable with a separate bathroom area. Rain shower and handheld wand. Shampoo, Body wash, Conditioner, Toothbrush/paste, Shaving kit, Q-tips/make up pad remover, soap all provided and replenished as needed. Room also has free digital safe, Coffee maker (need to use 2 pods), Tea, Fridge, Alarm clock, TV including porn channels and Steamer for clothes. Food & Bars: If you go hungry or, thirsty at this resort, it is by choice. Fantastic Starbuck type coffee shop that provides Cappuccino, variety of Tea’s, freshly juiced bottled veggies, fresh fruit, pastries, cakes, sandwiches. Breakfast & Lunch buffet has a good variety of choices to suit most dietary needs. Snack bar close to the sexy pool has a decent variety, including salad and cooked veggies. The Dinner Buffet only runs twice a week (Friday and Saturday), except for Xmas eve which was totally amazing. The hotel and staff went all out and could rattle any cruise ship with the effort made. “SHE” was totally amazing, the show was like being at Sexy Circus Soleil, just the correct timing between courses, almost forgot to eat, lol. Enjoyed the Sushi and Italian a-la-cart, not so much the steak house. I would strongly suggest a mini salad bar to accommodate different dietary needs, due to Evening Buffet not always being available. Entertainment and Shows: The Entertainers go all out, work very hard and are fabulous. After the show there is dancing and many Guests dress up and tap into their eccentric sides. This hotel has a strict privacy policy, so no picture taking of other Guests. My Husband and I hope to go back for our 44th wedding Anniversary. Apparently in mid January 2024 there is going to be a new owner/ brand name change. They will have big shoes to fill.

Occidental Caribe: Outdated resort

Way too old and outdated. On the stairs the ramps are rusty and one part of it fell down. In our room, the bathtub with the shower glass is not properly isolated so there was puddle on the floor after each shower. And absolutely no pressure in the shower and we got one day without hot water. The curtains are so far from the window and there is no shutters so first sunlight you're up! There was heavy rain one night and there was lots of water on the floor leaking from the walls. The amenities [... read more] are good, the kids slides are so fun the pools are nice too and the Kid club is ok but outdated too especially the toys but Ana who runs it is sooooo sweettttt. As per the food not too bad but lot of pork in most dishes. The waiters are very very slow and lot of people because only one buffet restaurant so line up all the time and food is going away really fast but not refilled fast enough.. There is another small beach restaurant but choices are very limited to junk food. As per the two bars which serve coffee they only open at 10am and they are using a machine not coffee maker which is also very slow... Waiting time approximately 20min... horrible... The shows in the evening are very nice. Not the best resort I have been too especially for the price and the brand. Last thing wifi is terrible wasn't able to work from here at all

Zoetry Agua Punta Cana: We really enjoyed our stay

We really enjoyed Zoetry Resort. There is not a lot of action there which is exactly what we liked about it. Zoetry is a smaller resort with only 90 or so rooms. It is an excellent resort to chill out, sit by or swim in the ocean or dip in the pools. There is a spa, a jacuzzi, steam room and sauna. We took advantage of the one free massage and the horseback riding. The rooms were large and well designed with a small patio/deck where you can sit and relax any time of day. Every staff mem [... read more]ber was super friendly and professional. The food was good, however, not great. There are only restaurants, no buffets but never a lineup for food. There is a small cafe that is almost always open. There are no options really for snacks so you may want to consider bringing some along. We did not have too much trouble with mosquitos or sand flies but some people did. Consider bringing some deet. I don’t think anyone would be disappointed by their stay as long as they do not expect the traditional resort experience with lots of action. Not a great place for kids as not much for them to do there.

Serenade Punta Cana Beach and Spa Resort: Amazing Vacation, worth every penny

This resort is by far a true 5 star hotel. It is extremely well maintained, cleaned regularly. You will see staff everywhere doing something to make the experience better. The food is great in buffet. Breakfast has crep station, which is great. The staff serve you no matter what (tipped or not tipped). Very friendly staff. The restaurant reservation system is online, no need to line up every morning to reserve. You can book 2 days in advance. We tried the Japanese and Mediterranean, both great. [... read more] Did not try the Italian, they make great pasta and pizza in the buffet. The rooms are great, almost sound proof. The elevators always working. The pools are extremely clean and well maintained. The entertainment is okay, someday better than the other. The beach party was the BEST I have ever seen. It is my first time too book with this Spanish hotel chain and I loved it. I can't wait to try the other ones in other locations. I have been in lots of RIU, Oceans and Iberostar, this Spanish chain by far surpasses them all. Keep the quality consistent and don't disappoint the customers.

Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana: Fabulous Stay

It's a beautiful resort with great amenities. The resort is very clean and well maintained. Loved the lazy river and infinity pool. Lots of activities and entertainment for all age groups. My 2 year old had a blast.

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Good but over priced

The resort itself is beautiful but the rooms are far from 5 star standards. Food was so so but very poor service at a la carte restaurants. The entertainment was so weak. During a week, we had only one real show. The rest was only live music in lobby. Usually one person playing violin. The drinks are water and sugar. The location is not the best since it’s very far from cities and shops outside of resort. For this reason, the excursions start very early in morning (6:30 am!). For the price that  [... read more]we paid (2500$ per person for 7 nights), I would not recommend this resort.

Serenade Punta Cana Beach and Spa Resort: Amazing resort

What an incredible family-friendly resort! From December 17th to 24th, we stayed in the master luxury suite, which pleasantly surprised us with its spaciousness. It comfortably accommodated our family of 5 and then some. The food was exquisite, and the staff was incredibly friendly. The resort also boasts a few waterslides that kept my kids thoroughly entertained. The entertainment options were fantastic too. Given that it had been 6 years since our last visit to an all-inclusive resort and cons [... read more]idering the changes post-covid, we were initially hesitant about our experience. However, we were delighted to find that our first trip post-covid was delightful. My wife, who has high cleanliness standards, was particularly reassured as her expectations were not just met but exceeded. While everyone's experience varies, we genuinely couldn't find anything negative to mention about our stay. What an incredible family-friendly resort! From December 17th to 24th, we stayed in the master luxury suite, which pleasantly surprised us with its spaciousness. It comfortably accommodated our family of 5 and then some. The food was exquisite, and the staff was incredibly friendly. The resort also boasts a few waterslides that kept my kids thoroughly entertained. The entertainment options were fantastic too. Given that it had been 6 years since our last visit to an all-inclusive resort and considering the changes post-covid, we were initially hesitant about our experience. However, we were delighted to find that our first trip post-covid was delightful. My wife, who has high cleanliness standards, was particularly reassured as her expectations were not just met but exceeded. While everyone's experience varies, we genuinely couldn't find anything negative to mention about our stay. The atmosphere, cuisine, accommodations, entertainment, and the people—every aspect was top-notch, a solid 5 stars. Thank you to Ash Faramarzi from Trip Central for making this trip a possibility.

Bahia Principe Escape Aquamarine: Aqua Marine

Public washrooms were frequently without toilet paper. -staff has Limited English -Francisco supervisor on Aquamarine resort was very supportive -baby monkeys on neck leashes on beach for tourists to pay for photo was difficult to see. Please don’t support this inhumane act - amazing beach

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Great for the family!

The beach and meals were fantastic, easy to access everything. The location from the airport was very convenient and the restaurants at night were very, very good. If anyone stays here, please book the restaurants early and access them all.

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Beautiful resort

If you are looking for a resort to bring young children, this is the place. We went 10 of us four were young children 8,7,4 & 3 and specifically chose Barcelo because we had been to the one in Mexico twice and loved it. The grounds are beautiful but did not like the buffet layout, two side by side which caused chaos trying to get your food. Speaking of buffet, did not care for the food at the buffet, the a la carte which you get 4 per week were much better and less hectic. This holiday was a fam [... read more]ily trip, our two sons and their children and did not disappoint, the young kids enjoyed the water park, Barcy club, numerous pools and of course the ocean.

Royalton Bavaro Resort and Spa: Great family trip

Excellent hotel. Extremely clean and the staff is so kind and friendly. Our room was in the building at the beach so a fair bit of walking to the buffet restaurant but needed the walk with all the eating lol! There is also a smaller buffet restaurant at the beach open at lunch hour which is perfect. Lazy river is a must must must!!! Has a bar as u float by too which is only accessible if ur in the lazy river. Have no complaints at all about anything. Great rooms. Comfy beds. Large showers and [... read more] lots of hot water. We did bring Imodium as we were nervous reading some reviews and of course u can’t drink their water. We did have to take some Imodium but nothing serious just more precaution. Would absolutely go back. Trip Central is always our go to. Top notch and the site is so user friendly. Staff is always available to answer ur concerns. Wouldn’t travel without using them first!!!

Bahia Principe Explore Legend: Perfect Family Getaway

We are a family of 4; parents, toddler, and grandmother who travelled to Fantasia Punta Cana in December 2023 the week before Christmas. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would highly recommend this place to anyone travelling with young children. Everything is geared towards families, from the rooms with multiple beds, to the food options - even the French à la carte restaurant had a children's specific buffet with exceptional selections for kids. We were impressed with the quality of the food, [... read more] since we heard that all-inclusives are notorious for low quality. This was not the case. There were shows geared towards kids every evening, and there were little surprises around the property every day for kids to enjoy. The kids club was wonderful and the pools and water features were perfect for little ones. The staff were always friendly and responsive to any and all requests. The property is well maintained and clean. The beach was fantastic and we wouldn't hesitate to recommend this resort.

Grand Bavaro Princess: Beautiful

Amazing cleanliness … great beach . Stunning view. Things for kids to do . Would have preferred more live performers at night instead of just music . Would come back definitely . Friendly staff. Bavaro is a place to come back to .

Bahia Principe Explore Esmeralda: Good resort !

Nice room ! Good service, good food, good drinks, good location, Entertainment ok , need more entertainment, more activities, Building needs elevators , too many stairs to up and down for old people like us,

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Good Resort

The check-in and check out is a disaster!! They don't put enough people behind the counters for the amount of people that are checking in or checking out. the wait times are very frustrating and very slow, not a good start or end to a holiday. the grounds are nice, food is good,

Royalton Splash Punta Cana: Family Trip

The hotel was very clean. Water park was good for kids that were tall enough. Never a long wait. Food was good and people were so nice. No safety concerns and always eager to help. Overall a great option for families.