Emotions by Hodelpa Puerto Plata: Made Us Miss Cuba – Not the Experience We Hoped For

We recently spent 10 days at this resort, and while there were some highlights, the overall experience did not meet our expectations. To start with the positives, the food was consistently good in both quality and variety. There was always plenty to choose from, and we especially enjoyed the fresh papaya and pineapple daily—both were excellent. Unfortunately, mangoes were not yet in season. The resort offers three à la carte restaurants, all of which had great menu options. During our stay, w [... read more]e were able to book 9 evenings of à la carte dining, which was impressive and added nicely to the experience. The rooms, particularly in the adults-only section, were another highlight. This area consists of two buildings with access to a more private, quieter environment. We hadn’t originally booked this upgrade, but chose to purchase it upon arrival—and we are very glad we did. It made a noticeable difference, as this section was significantly more peaceful compared to the rest of the resort. However, this brings me to one of the major downsides. From the moment we arrived, we were constantly approached by staff trying to upsell various upgrades and services. This level of persistent selling was something we had never experienced before at a resort and found quite irritating. Another key issue was the overall atmosphere, particularly on weekends. The resort primarily caters to local Dominican guests, and during weekends, we found ourselves in the minority. While we respect that everyone wants to enjoy their vacation, the short-term nature of these stays seemed to result in a much louder, more party-focused environment. At times, it was so disruptive that we did not feel comfortable using our balcony, and even the private pool area became overcrowded and very noisy. This made it difficult to relax, which is ultimately what we were looking for. The resort layout and amenities were also lacking. The lobby is quite small and becomes very crowded during peak check-in and check-out times. Unlike many other resorts, there is no proper lobby bar. In fact, the only main bar is located by the pool, and all drinks are served in paper cups. There is no dedicated space to sit comfortably, enjoy a drink in proper glassware, or socialize in a relaxed setting—something we have always appreciated in other destinations, particularly in Cuba. Evening entertainment was underwhelming. Over the course of 10 days, we only attended three shows, as they were mediocre at best. Outside of that, there was little to no evening activity, so most nights we found ourselves returning to our room shortly after dinner. The beach experience was also disappointing due to constant and at times aggressive vendors. There was ongoing pressure to purchase braids, pedicures, and various trinkets, which made it difficult to fully relax. Additionally, the Air Transat representative was on vacation for five days during our stay, with coverage provided by phone only, leaving guests without support during that time. Overall, while the resort has some positive aspects—notably the food and the adults-only section—we would not recommend it based on our experience. We truly missed the level of comfort, atmosphere, and hospitality we’ve experienced in Cuba, which in our view offers a much more refined, relaxing, and enjoyable resort experience.

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Very disappointed

This was our second time at this resort and very disappointed. As a premium package holder that was fine never had issues with chairs at the beach the staff there was amazing. Rooms were fine but yes need upgrades. Food was great. The Italian à la carte was very disappointing we were totally ignored. We waited 1/2 hours between dishes and ppl that came after us were served and done before we got our main course. This resort now lets in cruise ship passengers and it gets over crowded al [... read more]so the locals and the paying guest are now over seen. The entertainment needs a lot of work there is no excitement in the staff. There is no music playing and they don’t allow speakers so the atmosphere is boring. They also could use more umbrellas around the deck. Overall I would not return.

Bahia Principe Explore La Romana: Overall good time!

Bahia Principe La Romana is a beautiful resort overall, especially the grounds — they are absolutely stunning and very well maintained. The rooms are nice at first glance, but once you spend some time in them you can definitely tell they are dated and there are quite a few imperfections. The food was good with lots of variety and plenty of options to choose from, although I was hoping for more authentic Dominican food during the stay. One of the biggest disappointments for me was the ocean [... read more]. I had done a lot of research beforehand and kept hearing that La Romana had some of the best ocean views and water in the Dominican Republic, but that honestly wasn’t my experience. If I return to the DR, I would probably stay closer to Punta Cana instead. Another thing worth mentioning is that there were communication barriers at times since many of the workers didn’t speak much English. Everyone was friendly, but it occasionally made things difficult. Overall, we still had a good trip thanks to the beautiful property and solid food options, but there are definitely some areas that could be improved.

Playabachata Hotel: Amazing resort

Beautiful , clean , people are so nice and always their to help , pool is amazing , entertainment is awesome , night shows are amazing , the best is super man , happy boy , from entertainment , the best dancers , Eddy , and Randy We were very happy with our stay

Bahia Principe Escape Bouganville: Great resort

Grounds were beautiful, food fantastic, room was great, beautiful beach and nice pools. Entertainment was on going and fun. A great getaway highly recommend it. Felt very safe. Staff curtious and helpful.

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Very nice resort

Well kept resort. Clean rooms. Swim up room is very fun to have. Food is very good. They do serve Coors Light, amazing ! The only thing we did not like is people ''reserving'' chairs at the beach and at the pool very early in the morning, and they use them around 9 or 10am. Very frustrating !

JOIA Bavaro by Iberostar: Fabulous Resort!

JOIA Bavaro Iberostar is such a warm and welcoming place. You are catered to from beginning to end. The grounds, beach, pools and hotel are amazing! I would not hesitate to recommend this adult only resort! Kathleen

Viva Tangerine by Wyndham: Amazing!

Wonderful in absolutely every way ! One suggestion...would love to see the night shows but please have them start earlier for many of us older folk ...they are too late .?Loved the Horse on the Beach and the little shops in Caberate !

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: amazing resort

Barcelo Barvaro Palace in Punta Cana is a true gem of luxury and relaxation! From the moment we arrived, we were greeted with warm smiles and seamless check in Our ocean front room was clean and the balcony with jacuzzi overlooking the turquoise water and beach. The beach has pristine white sand and lots of loungers and the water is prefect for swimming and snorkeling the water wildlife turtles and fish baby stingrays lots to see and for the walkers you have miles of beach to walk in both direct [... read more]ions. Dining was excellent from the buffets to all the a la carte lots to pick from. The golf course a PD Dye course was amazing and lots of activities for everyone there is too many to list casino to disco water parks this resort has it all for everyone you won't be disappointed. The service was very good sometimes the language barrier made things hard but with the interpreter app made thing a lot easier. it's a great resort for family's and there is an adult side as well. I also like to thank Shae Dureault out tripcentral agent for helping us again for finding another great vacation and we are looking forward to returning here.

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Beautiful Place to Vacation

I cannot find anything negative to say at all the rooms are nice, the airconditioning is cold, as are the drinks. The food is really good here lots of things to do and the beach is beautiful. The staff at this resort can't be beat from the grounds people to the concierge and front desk staff are all amazing. Everyone goes out of their way to make your vacation a great one. The entertainment staff do an amazing job during the nightly shows. I have been to this resort now 5 times and will be [... read more] going back again as soon as i can.

Royalton CHIC Punta Cana: TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE

Unfortunately we had a very bad experience at the Roylton Chic. Staffing - while some staff were great, shoutout to Raul, a great deal were not friendly. It was like we were bothering them. Food - this was a great disappointment. First dinner steakhouse, my wife had the Chicken brochette. Chicken pieces were so overcooked you could not eat it. Next morning we had a pickup at 9:30 to play golf. Went to the Diamond club for breakfast. Arrived at 8:45, ordered breakfast right away. Did not arri [... read more]ve and had to leave at 9:25 to catch our taxi. There was only one waitress serving the entire restaurant. Next night in the Italian, I ordered what was described as a variety of fresh fish. It was deep fried group of fish pieces that were so over cooked that tasted terrible. Then we had lunch at the beach restaurant. We ordered chicken wings, taco salad and a Caesar salad. The chicken wings sat under the warming lights for 30 minutes waiting for the salads. We had to ask the waiter what was the delay. He advised the cook was new and learning. Then we watched the cook and waiter use their bare hands to prepare the salads. We decided at that point to the leave the resort. We met with the Sunwing representative on sighr to file a formal complaint. That person Dubby was very good and assisted us wanting to know all the issues. We them met with the manager of the property to review our issues. We made arrangements to move to another resort. In 35 years of travelling, we have never left a resort due to issues. Sunning refunded us for the days we were on at the Royalton Chic but lost a full day of our vacation moving to the other resort. T

Royalton CHIC Punta Cana: Worst experience ever!!

First time in my may may years of travel have I ever left a resort early. The noice from the pool and the construction/repairs was unbearable. Always being approached to buy spa packages from different employees. The food was terrible, always dry and overcooked. Service was non existent in many cases. Second day waited 45 minutes for our breakfast and finally had to leave as we were golfing. The final straw was when I watched my server reach over the kitchen counter and pick up all the ingre [... read more]dients for my salad with his bare hands and then watched the cook making the food ungloved and not washing hands- totally unacceptable! We moved to another resort after that. Sunwing did reimburse for the 4 nights, but did loose a day of vacation having to pack up and move.

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Perfect way to relax

Having never been to the Dominican before, I only had Cuba and Mexico to compare this trip to. At first we were a bit worried the resort was small, but that quickly became one of the biggest pros. It was so easy to get anywhere you wanted whenever you felt like it. The beach is steps from the pool, and the bars are scattered throughout the resort so you’re never far from a quick beverage. The drinks were great, with Jackie’s Special becoming our go-to all week. I heard about the Ernesto Speci [... read more]al on our last day and apparently it’s amazing, but unfortunately I never caught him to try one! The staff generally seemed friendly and always smiled or said good morning/hello, although there can definitely be a bit of a language barrier if you don’t speak Spanish. A few times we would ask for something and they just didn’t understand us (or vice versa). The resort itself was very clean though, with staff constantly around picking up cups and cleaning. Food was great overall and we never had any issues finding something to eat. Worst case scenario, the pasta station at the buffet always saved the day ? We tried the Italian à la carte and it was okay, but we absolutely loved the Ocean Grill. Both the food and the service were incredible and it was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. The “chair wars” around the pool were basically non-existent while we were there. We’re early risers, so we’d grab a coffee and sit by the pool around 7am with almost every chair still empty. One thing to note though: security does come around, so if you leave anything unattended, be prepared to lose it. We didn’t spend much time sitting at the beach because the chairs are pretty close together and while there are some shady spots, they go quickly. One of the nicest parts of the trip was how friendly the other guests were. It was really easy to make friends and chat with people throughout the week. Depending on what you’re looking for, this isn’t really a big nighttime party resort (at least not during our stay.) The first couple nights were busier, but by the third night the music was ending early because hardly anyone was there. Honestly, we go to bed early anyway, so it was perfectly fine with us! We didn’t upgrade to premium, so our room was a little outdated, but the air conditioning worked great. We were on the first floor right in front of the pool and loved the location; honestly wouldn’t change it. We had requested to be close to our friends and we were right next door! My biggest complaint would probably be that the buffet (or resort in general) doesn’t really have any common air-conditioned areas. Eating in the hot, humid air was tough sometimes, and our room was really the only place to fully cool off from the heat. The weather last week was unbeatable, although VERY hot for this time of year. At the end of the day, the most important question: would we return? Absolutely.

Secrets Playa Esmeralda Resort and Spa: Amazing Resort

We had an absolutely amazing experience at Secrets Playa Esmeralda from beginning to end. The resort is stunning, beautifully maintained, and the beach is truly breathtaking. From the moment we arrived, the staff made us feel welcomed, relaxed, and completely taken care of. The food was excellent with so many great options, and every restaurant we tried was delicious. The service throughout the resort was exceptional — friendly, attentive, and genuine. Our room was beautiful, clean, and very  [... read more]comfortable, making it easy to fully unwind and enjoy the vacation. We especially loved the relaxing atmosphere, the entertainment, and how every detail seemed thoughtfully planned. Whether at the pool, beach, restaurants, or spa, everything exceeded our expectations. Considering this is a new resort just opened August 2025 we did not experience any inexperience. Everybody was professional, friendly, enthusiastic, helpful, and super friendly. This was one of the best vacations we’ve had, and we would absolutely return. Highly recommend Secrets Playa Esmeralda to anyone looking for a luxurious, relaxing, and memorable getaway in the Dominican Republic!

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Our stay

We had a wonderful trip, all staff were wonderful. Clean rooms very good service. Beach was awesome the only thing don't like is people selling things on beach your trying to rest.This was our second time and we noticed the zeroes a lot better this year Thanku

El Beso Adults Only at Ocean El Faro: Amazing resort

This resort was spectacular. The experience from checking in to checking out as perfect. The grounds were so impeccable and they worked on them daily. So clean and well kept. The rooms were 5 star with a living room suite. We were on the ground floor with a pool view. The staff came daily and cleaned & made up, replenished the fridge. So wonderful. There were 2 buffets for breakfast, 1 for families which was Ocean El Faro and 1 for adults which was El Beso. We went to the family one the first da [... read more]y we were there and it was busier with children & families. We then went to the adult on from then on. The family one was ok, lots of choices and the food was fantastic. The adult breakfast was a lot quieter & the food was fantastic with a beach view. So so lovely. The resort had many trolley's to bring you all around the resort. It saved me & my sister a lot as we are both not able to walk so great any more. As far as I could tell, the El Faro had many water parks for the kids to play at. The El Beso had 2 huge pools for adults only. Was so relaxing. They were all far away from each other, so not to hear the kids. Was great. The beach area looked lovely, but again not being able to walk so great, we did not go on the beach at all. Was lovely to see and hear the waves though. There are many restaurants to pick from which were all fantastic. There was a sports bar that we watched 2 Habs games at. Was great that they had 2 huge TV's showing the games. One of the most enjoyable vacations I have had. We are already planning our next trip. I would recomend either hotel Adult or Family to anyone. I have no complaints at all about this vacation.

Royalton Splash Punta Cana: Family fun

Lots of fun in the water park and pools. The beach was beautiful. We could only get into one À la carte restaurant as they were always booked, and the one we got into was not good, food was horrible. The food at the buffet seemed to be the same every day, so it got old, fast. The staff were good, helpful and friendly. Beautiful resort, sunny and hot the whole time, which was great! We all enjoyed ourselves except for the 2 days that my wife and I got sick

Secrets Tides Punta Cana: Fantastic holiday at Secrets Tides!

This was our second trip to Secrets Tides. We stayed in Preferred this time but the service is excellent no matter which section you stay in. It was nice to have the upgraded amenities. We particularly enjoyed the Privilege Lounges and the ala carte breakfast and being close to the ocean. The food and service at the restaurants was exceptional. We especially enjoyed the Patio and Meriaki. Staff are awesome, shout out to Jonathan our Butler who was always at our service and Juliana at the Privile [... read more]ge lounge.

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: A great resort

This was a great resort. The Beach was great, the pool was great as well. There were only a couple days at the beach where it was hard to find a chair. Limited shade available both at the beach and the pool. The hotel and resort grounds were very well kept. If you like quiet at night don't get a room that faces the pool or close to the swim up bar. People were up past midnight yelling and hollering. The rooms could use a dresser as there was not much to put your clothes away in. The food at the [... read more] buffet and the restaurants were pretty good. The staff were an great. All in all I would definitely go back.

Secrets Tides Punta Cana: Fantastic holiday at Secrets Tides

This was our second trip to Secrets Tides. We stayed in Preferred this time but the service is excellent no matter which section you stay in. It was nice to have the upgraded amenities. We particularly enjoyed the Privilege Lounges and the ala carte breakfast and being close to the ocean. Shout out to Jonathan our Butler who was always at our service and Juliana at the Privilege lounge.