Occidental

We stayed at Occidental from Dec 11 - 18th. I found the Hotel to be a grande and beautiful resort, however I was quite upset that we were not notified of all the construction. I felt that $1500 was A LOT for a hotel under construction, considering that I took an all inclusive trip for 2 to Mexico for less than $1300, for what I felt to be a better experience. There were many small issues that individually, would not have bothered us, but collectively, it became a bit annoying. We were unable to  [... read more]get a lock for our safe for the first day and a half, which resulted in money being stolen from my room out of my purse. (presumably by a maid or other hotel staff, it was only $25, but it's the principal.) When we attempted to report this to the front desk, they rolled their eyes, and told us we had probably just lost it because we had been drinking. But in all fairness, I should have never left my wallet unattended. Some of the staff were wonderful, but many of the staff were unfriendly, and a few of them downright creepy. The one consierge in our building (#26, unfortunately we never asked for his name, big mistake! because the other fellow was great) tried to lure us off the resort with him, and then tried to visit me in the hospital. My friend gave him a fake room number, and luckily the hospital staff would not allow him in to the room with me. Also, our patio door would not lock, we notified staff and they had it fixed within 24 hours. Our air conditioning unit in our room broke, we notified staff, and they fixed it for us right away. The Wifi connection was incredibly slow, and for 2 days did not work at all, which was an inconvenience because I was unable to contact my family back home who were incredibly worried since I had been hospitalized and was unable to update them on my situation. My hospital experience was HORRIBLE. I felt that they kept me in there for an extra day just to get more insurance money out of me. they pumped me full of SO many drugs that my hand and arm swelled up like I had been stung by a bee, to which they kept shouting at me "not allergic not allergic". I didn't feel a simple gastro-infection required more than a dozen bags of meds (at $85 a bag). I couldn't help by feel it was an insurance scam. They also gave me SEVEN prescription drugs upon my discharge. I felt one antibiotic should have been sufficient. I know the hospital had nothing to do with the hotel, but it was a huge damper on my trip. This sounds like a lot of complaints, but our air-transat reps were friendly, and very helpful. They allowed my friend to use their phone to call me in the hospital twice, which helped me keep my sanity. Juan- Carlos and Jeff were absolutely terrific. Thank you for taking the time to read over my mostly-negative review. Faye

The best experience of my life !!

Everything went so smoothly thanks to you guys ! The resort was beautiful our room was perfect ! The beach was awesome ! The resort just seemed like paradise. I had absolutely no problems with the flight or signing in the the resort everything was planned out perfectly. Thank you so much for the best experience of my life !

Great resort

Weather was very nice. 30 degrees everyday and sunny. Little bit of rain at night but not enough to stop from doing anything. I found the food good but find myself eating the same thing everyday. Hotel rooms was not very nice but not a big deal since most the time u just go to you room so sleep. Had lots of fun on this trip

Great staff!

The staff was really friendly and taught us a lot of Spanish words. We made lots of friends. At first, it was a little confusing, but after a while it felt like home. The water is great too, white sand.

Beautiful resort

The grounds are beautiful and kept clean The pools are cleaned daily and the beach is amazing. The sand is white and so soft. The rooms were cleaned daily with no issues at all. Check in was fast and smooth. Overall we had a great time and I would definitely go back again.

Occidental Resort Welcoming and Charming

My experience at the occidental was an absolute charm. The people were very welcoming and friendly. My first impression when I arrived at the Lobby was just, exciting. The front desk staff were very approachable, friendly and to the point. The pools were very clean and sparkling. Each day you would meet different people away from home. The dining room, the beach diner and snack bars were filled with fresh, decorative meals/treats, you do not go hungry or thirsty here. My husband especially enjoy [... read more]ed the alcohol. =) Overall I would recommend this resort for all to experience at such a great price. Might I just add that I highy recommend you spend the extra dollars to go with the Preferred Room which included the safe & 1hour internet at the lobby. This resort is perfect for families and small little ones. Thank you Occidental!

Beware of bed bugs!

This hotel is in serious need of renovations, the common areas are decent however the rooms are really run down. The tubs in the bathrooms are cracked and in very bad conditions. The beds are the worst part of all, Bed Bugs! Got bitten several times and still have close to a hundred bites in arms and body. The AirConditioning unit stopped working and was fixed until 2 days after we reported. The food is acceptable for the most part. The buffet is the best without a doubt, don't even bother goin [... read more]g to the A-La Carte restaurants, there is no AC in there and the food is not worth it (except for the Mexican and the Pizza place). The buffet had a good selection and if we knew better we would had eat dinner there every day. Bartenders where friendly around the resort and drink tolerable. The entertainment at the beach is boring, but the one at night can be fun some nights. For water activities, it is a disappointment, they try to sell you paid activities (banana, parasailing, etc...) and then when you want to do the free kayaks or small catamarans they say the water is too rough (when obviously is not). Lots of sea weed after a storm and staff took 3 days to clean it, in Cancun they clean up in 1 day. Not enough loungers at the beach so you got to be there a 7AM if you want to get a decent spot. As they always say you get what you paid for. If you do not mind getting eaten buy bed bugs then go to this hotel. The price is cheap but so are the installations. Food was probably the only thing positive about the trip; it wasn't the greatest but we didn't got sick at least and was sufficient.

Definately worth it!

I would go back to this resort. The grounds are lovely- clean and well kept. We always saw people cleaning. Best beach (we had been to Mexico a few times) Beautiful sandy beach up to and into the water. There was seaweed but they said it was the time of year (middle of July) not the hotels fault. They did take it off the beach. Good move for Transat to have a beach section just for their clientele. Pools were really nice looking -saw the guy cleaning every day. We didn't go in them only because  [... read more]we spent everyday at the beach. So much room -it's a big complex -never felt crowded although there was a lot of people. Best lobby I have seen at a resort again so clean, buffets and a la carte restaurants , beach barbeques- no shortage of food and snacks. Our room was spacious and clean could use some decorating -painting and color fabrics. Although we didn't spend a lot of time in the room. We would seriously consider going back next year and maybe taking the kids -they did offer a lot to do for kids.

Lovely vacation

The hotel had a nice layout, grounds were neatly kept and rooms clean. There was always food to eat, even if you are a picky eater. The beach was beautiful and all the staff were friendly and helpful.

This resort is so-so.

Resort did not like. Rude staff who can call us on "Hey". Guests service does not working for tourists.We have a problem,we addressed in the guest service to Johanna, she was rude to us, said that to solve their problems themselves, he threw us her badge on the table when we asked her name.She ignored us. On the beach we were deceived with tickets for the speedboat. Only manager of hotel helped us to return our money back. We lost 3 hours. One day after the rain we had half a day without electri [... read more]city and water, no apologies. The next day, we had about 5 hours without water in the room. To find air Canada representative was not possible. The room in the rain flowing roof. Tired to wait a spoon or tea in the dinning room. Rooms are cleaned clean, the beach is good. The food was not bad.

Great for the price

I've traveled to the Occidental Punta Cana a few times in the last 6 years and I have to admit this hotel needs some work. The grounds are beautiful, the beach is great and the staff is amazing! The rooms and food need improvement. The rooms are ok but the bathrooms need to be renovated; the toilet and bathtub need to be updated (I think they are the original parts from when the hotel was built). The food in the buffet could be better, not much selection at all. If you don't want to be bored thi [... read more]s is definitely the hotel for you, between activities during the day and the disco Mangu at night, you're sure to have a good time.

It was worth the money I paid and I would return a

Air transat preference club is ideal. The resort was big and well maintained. The food was good and so much to choose from. The buffet restaurants at beach and hotel where so comfortable and choices of all foods great for kids and adults. Ice cream, pizza, fries and bacon every day. My room looked just like brochure. Had some issues with my av, but I don't need it. Fan is great for me. View from room overlooked pool. No elevators so 3 floors of stairs helped get my exercise. Private beach area a [... read more]nd bartender Franklin as great. Service as always polite and great. The shows started late and were classic dance quality. The disco as ok. I have been to better. It said two hrs free drinks but I as only given one free drink ticket then had to buy. It closed for part of week too so that is mentioned. I recommend this hotel and operator to everyone.

Amazing Value and Resort

The hotel and grounds were excellent. Plenty of food choices on the buffet and snack bars. All bar staff and hotel staff were great with service. The grounds are well maintained and the rooms along with mini fridge kept up daily. We stayed for 2 weeks.Not into Alacart dining so I can't review. The rooms are well appointed but if you are looking for modern contemporary design it wasn't there. My only complaint is the relentless VIP programs representatives that won't quit. Say no to one, another  [... read more]one starts on you, just keep saying no but its annoying. The beach alone was worth every penny spent!! It was my first trip to Punta Cana but I've been to Puerto Plata and Soshua in the past. I've never had a bad time or resort in Dominican |Republic but this was the best trip so far!!! Loved it and got exactly what we paid for.........VIP upsales and time share sales have to go or accept the word NO ;)

Awesome place

Good food, got everything compacted in a relatively small area so you don't have to walk too much. Lots of bars, buffets, restaurants, pools, the beach is close and really good. The locals are wonderful people. Kids friendly environment too, got playgrounds and game room. Just loved it.

An OK place

Great place to meet new people and learn new things. Lots of ammenities provided by the resort, so if you are a sporty outgoing person, you can never get bored or hungry. Tourists in general are friendly, but beware of locals who will miss no opportunities to con you for excursions they offer. Also, some excursions aren't as good as they make out to be.

It's worth the cost

I went to Occidental Grand Punta Cana and I must say that it was worth the cost. We booked the Air Transat Preference Club and they gave us cute welcome gifts. The resort is beautiful but I would recommend it for those that don't want to be entertained all the time and plan on leaving the resort for night events. It's really convenient that the best on resort club Mangu is on this resort it was always a great time especially on weekends.

Great trip!

I travelled with my 3 female cousins from May 21-27, 2015 from Toronto. We had a great time. Staff was mostly pleasant, the on site restaurants were really great, and buffet had lots of variety. Loved that they had food available till 6am every night. We were there for an event and coming back sometimes at 2am knowing you could grab a freshly made pizza was awesome. Our travel agent Krista was really amazing. She made sure we were fully prepared for the good and the not so good and made reservat [... read more]ions for us in advance. Also accommodated a last minute addition to our group. Great trip overall! :-)

Basic resort

Resort was clean and well kept grounds, but the rooms need lots of upgrading. Bathrooms need new floors, and tubs need to be refinished. Linens and bed covering were old. But overall the service was good. A bit frustrating due to the lack of English speaking staff, but we managed.

Great Resort

This is a wonderfully relaxing resort that fulfilled all of our expectations. Our check in was quick and we were in our room within minutes of arriving. We travelled with Air Transat Preferred club and really appreciated the extras that came with this package. There was a fruit plate and bottle of rum in the room upon arrival and the mini bar was always fully stocked. We really never lacked for anything. The rooms were clean and spacious. The food at the main buffet had lots of selection and we  [... read more]enjoyed our meals very much. We especially enjoyed the two a la cartes we went to which were The Oriental and The Steakhouse. The grounds at this resort are so pretty and very well maintained. The staff are always cleaning and keeping everything as spotless as possible. The beach is absolutely beautiful and if even a little seaweed came onto the beach it was immediately cleaned up. As with many resorts there are vendors who will attempt to try to sell their products but they were always respectful and took no for an answer. What we enjoyed the most about this resort was the friendliness of all the staff. From the waiters, to the maids and also the grounds cleaning staff we were always greeted with a smile and hello. Everyone was so helpful and went out of their way to make our stay relaxing. We look toward to our next visit to this resort.

Great!!!

The hotel was wonderful. Food was excellent!!! Would definitely go back. Beach was beautiful but could use more sitting. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Occidental Grand was super clean and lots of activities to enjoy.