Very good resort

This hotel is just as offered it has a nice beach, specifically if you are on premium or royal package. Rooms are average but clean and comfortable. Service was very good and both the buffets and ala carte restaurants provided a good variety. Overall a good experience on our vacation the Gran Ventana.

Great resort

This was our first visit to Dominican Republic. We liked everything about the resort - pools, beach, food and accommodations. Rooms were very clean and well looked after. Resort area was also clean and well looked after. Great bonus was the friendly staff.

Great resort for price

it was very clean ( hotel room floor, hallways, pool deck and dining floors ) and the staff were friendly the food was excellent both in dining buffet and the three restaurants booked al la carte. excellent service at all. the price we paid was good for a four star resort - not five star or posh but clean and friendly. what was not so good and keeps it at a 3 or 4 star resort …. internet was spotty on pool deck ( where we spent majority of days ) the paint chips in lawn chairs in libby [... read more] of our our building and wioden doors on furniture snd closets aew very worn and the pool floor was chipping away ( daily picked up clusters of cement after stepping on them). the group from royal caribbean cruise ship on saturday took over pool bar and were loud and gross as one girl took rop off and danced - not what we wanted or young kids wanted to experience. but we understand its revenue for resort to offer excursions to cruisers.

We keep going back

It’s a great resort for what you pay for. We’ve been there before. We like this resort because it’s cozy and casual. Very safe and comfortable to spend a week at there. Staffing are very nice and friendly. We’re planning to go back for third time next year.

4 Star Resort with 5 Star Service and Gluten Free dining

An older Resort with many upgrades in rooms and public areas. The dining experience was terrific - My daughter has a severe Gluten allergy, and she had no issues with anything she ate; the serving staff were very friendly and knowledgeable when it came to explaining which foods she could and could not eat - plenty of variety too. Good fun at the pool(s), beach with decent entertainment.

Wonderful Holiday!

Robyn Plante was unbelievable in helping me organizing this holiday!!! I absolutely loved this hotel. All the staff is amazing! Check in and out was simple. The food was great with a wonderful selection at the buffet and the a la cartes were lovely as well. The grounds are impeccably cleaned as well as the rooms. There was no debris on the beach either. The entertainment/sports group kept things lively. I have a mobility issue and the grounds are easy enough with few steps and also ramps  [... read more]so I could easily maneuvre the resort. I had a maid, maintenance man, grounds keeper, photograher, porter and servers at some point, all offer me assistance. I was completely in awe of the courteous staff, Fernando Vasquez and Phiers(?) were two servers in the buffet who greeted us every day with smiles and enthusiasm and Rosa the hostess helped us everyday find a table closer to the buffet. I The resort is a little older and the pool isn't so big but the service and atmosphere overcomes that. My only suggestion is the rooms could use a dresser and hooks and a grab bar in the bathroom. This resort definitely attracts an older crowd. I met people who have returned 5 and 6 times. I wish I was still there!

Okay Resort! Not worth the value!

However the resort is extremely misleading in many categories. It caters to a 40 plus crowd easily and also to the French as well they treat return guests much better then first timers. Those added perks we paid for essentially the extra $300 completely not worth it at all the rooms are run down in the Catalina and Sanoa buildings. The Vintage club is completely underwhelming.Guests at premium level do not receive fruit baskets as per what Transat says in the package. The entertainment I give a  [... read more]1 out of 5. The food is a 3 at best we have done 2a la carte’sso far and the Ocean Grill wasn’t great at all. The Italian place the pasta was good let’s hope the seafood place is decent.The only good thing about the resort is the beach. The only saving part of my trip was booking a city tour through an outside source before leaving for the Dominican. Which we did Wednesday. Honestly if I had the option of leaving 24 hours early without additional costs I absolutely would at this point. I do not believe it is a family friendly resort personally i See almost no children it is mostly older people here. So as someone who is unfortunately stuck here till Monday I can’t wait to leave. I will not be returning and don’t intend on bringing my fiancée and daughter. I will be booking a different resort next time in Puerto Plata. At the end of the day return guests get treated much better and my brother and I feel if you have been here over and over your reviews are just inaccurate.

Loved it !

Small resort which we like . The staff were great ! Entertainment is ok but it’s not Vegas . If you want Vegas style then go there . I found the food a little repetitive after a week but certainly didn’t go hungry . Going for our third time next month !

First trip since covid

One of the best resorts I stayed at From a very smooth check-in to one of the first time in many trips the request of a joining room was received, all the staff from the groundskeepers to the maids to all the bartenders and Waiters were very friendly and always helpful we specially liked our waiters and bartenders in the premium VIP lounge and beach bar, buffet and all the restaurants were very good especially like the octopus restaurant i had a amazing salmon dinner, pool and grounds were alw [... read more]ays well kept I love the beach every morning they do a good job of trying to clean it up and making sure it looks pristine enjoyed my hour walks every morning on it 100% coming back and bringing more family and friends with us

EXCELLENT RESORT FOR ALL AGES

The first thing you notice is just how hard everyone works to keep this resort spotless. The grounds are also neat and tidy.. BEACH & OCEAN - again, lovely clean sandy beach. The ocean was a bit rough when we were there due to rather windy weather. We were disappointed to learn that the gorgeous 'beds' on the beach were only for "Premium Visitors," as we do not remember seeing this addendum next to the lovely brochure photos. A 'hidden gem' was the bar and grill overlooking the beach and sea.  [... read more]POOL - Clean, with easy access for seniors. Plenty of chairs available. FOOD - Outstanding - certainly the best buffet food we have had at any resort in Dominican or Cuba. No need to reserve for a "Specialty" restaurant, although we tried the "Octopus" and "Italian" which were both very good. ENTERTAINMENT - this was OK but not up to the general standard of the resort. Tough to give this more than 3 stars - ** see below. **KARAOKE NIGHT - there were many senior visitors, including us two. I know it is always a challenge to please everyone, but in our view, this evening was a total disaster. The show started well, with the first 3 or 4 contestants doing a pretty good job. Unfortunately, it all went downhill from there. The next several songs were all very loud 'hip-hop' stuff. The stage was 'invaded' by as many as 7 or 8 teenagers, who literally took over, with the compere loosing total control. What started off as decent entertainment became a wild, noisy, frantic melee of youngsters. My guess is that everyone over 40 made a rapid exit with perforated eardrums. MUSIC - unless you are really into noisy Caribbean music, it was usually necessary to find chairs well away from the large amplifier. I think they had the bass turned up full as the constant beat of drums sometimes reverberated in our room! ROOMS - spacious, with very comfortable beds. The fridge was always filled with complimentary water, soft drinks and beer. Great TV but mainly Spanish. Shower was great and always plenty of hot water. We could have done with a couple of hand rails in the shower. Really, only one negative - where was the coffee maker? STAFF - very friendly and helpful with no exceptions. We are 2 seniors with walkers and everyone went out of their way to be as helpful as possible. SUMMARY - we would probably go back to this resort as it has so many positives. I do wish they would turn down the music or play something different. Finally, we would not fly with Sunwing again, but that's another story. Martin Lacey

Fabuloso!

This was one of our first seamless vacations. Everything from check in to check out. It was perfect no issues. Staff was amazing. Food was great. Beautiful grounds. Room was comfortable. Super clean everywhere. Upgrade to Premium was totally worth it (if you appreciate good drinks and bar service on the beach)

Fabulous resort

Staff were extremely good. Beautiful gardens rooms excellent. Food was very good.love this resort would recommend.check in check out was seamless. The air conditioning, room service was excellent. I had a very good stay.

Second visit

Our first visit was in 2016 and we enjoyed it then. After pandemic, we decided to visit again and were no disappointed. Not much change in hotel, same restaurants, entertainment, and quality of service. Our concierge Jejeydy, not sure about correct spelling was very helpful in meeting our needs. We purchased with two week stay with Royal package which we recommend highly. The Vintage Club is very nice place to relax, have cappuccino or what ever international quality drink, have a conversation,  [... read more]play cards or what ever. Unfortunately, some guests can be little noisy with group laughs, but it can be tolerated. In order to get to restaurants, you must reserve early, especially for first or second seating. Menu does not change and that is little drawback. In restaurants they serve same wine as in buffet and it is not the best quality. You can purchase by bottle, but I did not recognize brands. For Royal package they should serve better wine inclusive. Assistant beverage manager (Carlos?) listened to our comments. Bartender at the Club remembered our "usual" drinks and was appreciated. Amar, the one of many servers was working very hard in the morning, lunch and dinner. Private beach was very clean, well served by attendants Jose, Lukas and others. In some cases the original architect made minor mistakes in design, especially in public washrooms. It could be remedied at the minor cost, if management decides to do it. Overall, hotel was very clean and maintained as such.

Excellent resort and stay

WE STAYED HERE ABOUT 14 YEARS AGO, I WAS VERY IMPRESSED WITH THE EXCELLENT CONDITION OF THE PROPERTY, FOOD WAS GREAT, SERVICE WAS GREAT, OVERALL VERY SATISFIED WITH OUR TRIP. ONLY COMPLAINTS WERE TOO MUCH SPANISH MUSIC AND TOO LOUD. MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WERE CANADIAN AND MORE POPULAR ROCK AND COUNTRY MUSIC WOULD BE APPRECIATED. LADY WHO RAN THE POOL BAR WAS VERY FRIENDLY AND GREAT SERVICE

Gran Ventana

This resort was nice,very friendly staff. Food was excellent. Entertainment was the same every day. Not much to do there.If you just like laying around for a week or two,fine. That's about all there is to do.

Needs improvement

Room in Catalina section 3rd floor,nice room,pool bird feces needs to solve this issue,buffet food ok,al a cartes not great Hotel manager Anthony not accommodating, not worth paying for premium superior room,entertainment needs updated more shows

Outstanding Resort

This resort was the best that I have ever been to. The beach was clean, the water clear. The staff was super friendly and offered many entertainment throughout the day. Everything was within short walking distance. The rooms were very clean and the beds comfortable. The food was very good and none of us got sick during our stay. The view was magical. Everytime we would enter the dinning room, the ladies would great us with hand sanitizer and a smile.

Great resort overall

The resort is very good in general but some things can be good to know before departure. It's not a 5 star so some shortcomings are to be expected. It's all about perception and enjoying the weather under the warm rays of the sun. Pros Small property easy to walk Maintenance done daily, beautiful well maintained garden. Nice beach to take nice walks and very safe during the day. (A guard and a sign indicate that the place is no longer guarded at a certain point on the beach - Right side).  [... read more] Safe to leave things temporarily on our chairs by the pool and the beach. Not heard any complaints from people who lost their things. Good choice of food in general. (Not 5 stars but you'll find something for everyone.) The chairs at the beach are very comfortable and there are also small beds available for customers. The rooms are still quite comfortable and large and the patios are of good size allowing two people to be seated comfortably. The employees are generally very smiling and friendly. The hotel is close to the airport although we had to take a detour as the main bridge was under repair. The distance by bus is about 20 to 30 minutes in total. The resort is perfect for children. Cons Food is not available at all times, which is a bit of a shame for people who arrive later. It is therefore necessary to know the opening hours. It would be nice to have a place for food at all times outside of certain hours for the buffet or a la carte meals. The beach vendors are very very very present. They are constantly around tourists selling them things. Without being arrogant, they are present. Little tricks, for selling items and souvenirs, the small local shopping center has all the items in large quantities and the prices are better. It is a few steps to the right at the exit of the resort (5 minutes walk). Smoking is allowed at all times, which is VERY unpleasant for anyone who doesn't smoke. No elevator so people with reduced mobility must use the rooms on the first floor. Employees are regularly in the rooms for cleaning, adding products to the fridge, etc. It is good but at the same time it is difficult to rest during the day. Provide a sign (DO NOT DISTURB) on the door. The Internet is actually very weak in rooms and most places. For better service, go to the lobby. Chairs on the beach is a challenge (Royal and Privilege section more) and on the edge of the pool. Be up very early to reserve your spaces. A little unpleasant for everyone... Safe is free for the Royal and Premium but you have to pick up the key at reception. Plan an additional cost for others who do not have a plan. Other interesting and funny facts Our phone in the room hasn't worked all week. They came to try to repair it 3 times without success. So, no room service even though we paid for this surplus. The rooms are ok but some things need some love. Wobbly closet doors, leaky toilet ;), phone not working. Restaurants A la carte - 3 in total Grill (beach): Serve different varieties of meat. Italian (cozy and airy): my favorite;), in the old part of the resort at the entrance Octopus (Seafood): Pumpkin soup, yummm. Premium alcohol are available at extra charge if not part of Royal and Premium package. Lounge for Royal and Premium package is great with great selection of spirits. It is unfortunate that some are not part of the package. They are all ok, not 5 star but still a nice variety. Casual dress is perfect. IMPORTANT: You must book quickly because availability is unfortunately limited. Do this as soon as possible upon arrival. Tips are not compulsory but obviously always appreciated by the workers. I recommend bringing $1 bills from your bank as they are quite rare at times.

Very Disappointed

The hotel is smaller than it looks online. The front desk service staff was not very helpful all. They seem to cater more to the locals visiting than to the international travelers. The staff in the buffet restaurant were friendly so i give them 10/10. On top of that our Air Canada rep was useless and gave multiple guests different responses when multiple groups contacted her regarding a complaint. Will not be choosing this resort or the DR again.

Great resort

We love the pool and spend most days lounging there. The beach is beautiful. Nice long stretch to walk. Food is great! The staff is very friendly and helpful. This was our 4th visit and already looking forward to going back!