Service at this resort is excellent. Service at bars, restaurants and housekeeping is fantastic. Food is amazing and entertainment is good as well. I would recommend this resort to everyone that enjoys good service.
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Roxan -
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Bahia Principe Grand Bavaro: Love the hotel â¤ï¸
Me and my family was there for 8 days and 7 nights. Our room is amazing, the room attendant is so sweet I forgot to ask her name. When we arrived we wait for almost 2 hrs because our room is not ready yet. Food is amazing everyday is different but my only concern the server is too slowly, I have to ask them if I need coffee or water nobody is asking us what we need. Sometimes I went or go to get my own drinks because if I wait for them I'm going to be thirsty or the kids. Bahia Principe is my fa[... read more]vorite we have a good experience in Mexico, Punta Cana is beautiful also but they have to train their staff about customer service I been many countries in Carribean they don't speak English but they try their best to give customer service as they can but this resort especially the server they have to train them because if not people will not come back there
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Private -
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Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Nice Resort
We stayed for 8 days in a superior junior suite. Room is dated tho we expected that. Service was good but you have to tip first to get a better service at dining and bar. Food at the buffet was repetitive but you wont go hungry. Tipped Housekeeping so service was great always made sure we had sufficient supplies like towels, tissue, water. Water in the pool was warm as it tend to get crowded, service at the bar was slow. Lots of mosquitoes especially at night in the lobby. Overall the hotel is n[... read more]ice, grounds are kept immaculate.
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Private -
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Excellence Punta Cana: Excellence PC IS EXCELENTE!
The resort is beautiful! There are so many activities to keep you busy throughout the day and the entertainment at night couldn't be better. The rooms are clean, cool, and comfortable. The staff are very friendly. We paid for the Excellence Club and it was worth it. the restaurant, Magna, is phenomenal! We booked an ocean view room which we got but what we didn't know was that these rooms also overlook the private pool which got busy and noisy. I asked for another room and was told that there [... read more]was a room that overlooked the garden with a partial oceanview . This room was perfect!
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Private -
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Bahia Principe Explore Legend: Great Resort
We visited Bahia Fantasia Punta Cana in July 2023. The overall resort is beautiful and enjoyable for the whole family. Our kids really enjoyed the water park and the pool. Our experience upon checking in was not great. We paid extra for a room with a Castle front view, but were disappointed that no such room was available. It would have been decent just to tell us that, but instead they kept us waiting in the lounge for hours after checking in, and gave us the run around because we asked to spea[... read more]k to a representative that could help us out. After a frustrating start, one Rep, Stephanie, finally acknowledged, there are no rooms with castle view because of the growing palm trees and apologized. We finally had someone honest. Be aware about paying extra for upgraded rooms, there is a strong chance they won't be able to fulfill your requests. Putting aside that experience, the resort overall is beautiful. The rooms are well equipped. Room service and housekeeping are great. We had Yvonne who always kept our room well stocked. The buffet was decent. Ruben, who worked at the buffet, was spectacular. He always made sure we were happy. He was super friendly and always had a big smile on his face. We only got to try two different A La Carte restaurants. We were disappointed that we didn't get to try other restaurants either because they were fully booked and with the exception of one, all the other restaurants are in the other resorts or on the beach. You can use the shuttle to get to the other restaurants, but the wait can be very long for the shuttles and the only timings available for the restaurants were either really early in the evening or very late, which meant either you end your day early at the waterpark or the kids fall asleep at the restaurants for late reservations. So, we stuck to the buffet and enjoyed the nightly kid shows. They had fantastic shows every night (superhero night, princess night, lion king drama roleplay). We were impressed and very pleased with the nightly shows. The resort also had three different sections of pools. The main one was always packed and busy. With young kids, we preferred the other two pool sides that were less busy. The downfall with that was bar service was only offered at the main pool. If you spent your days at the waterpark or the smaller pools, then you had to get your own drinks. The castle is right in the middle of the pools, and it was great. Kids can indulge in ice cream and parents can grab their drinks. Overall, it was a great resort and fun place for the kids.
The grounds of the resort are beautiful. The rooms are nice and the air conditioning works well. Most of The restaurants are air conditioned but the heat of the season does not allow for the restaurants to maintain a comfortable temperature. The housekeeping staff is lovely and attentive. Bar and pool staff are friendly. The food is overall very good. Our favourite restaurant is the Japanese, hands down.
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Dazbaz21 -
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Grand Palladium Punta Cana: Could be better
When first arriving we were not greeted well. They did not offer any beverages including water after a long hot trip, as other resorts do. The baggage people did not take our bags from the bus and my family had to do it themselves. We also tried to book the al la cart after we checked in and they were completely booked.
The rooms were okay except for the bathrooms. First, if you are sharing with anyone who is not your partner, there is no privacy. You can see the person in the shower as there[... read more] is a slightly fogged glass facing the beds. Second, the shower leaked everywhere. There is no door and the shower has no depth so the water leaked all the way to the toilet. We had to use all our towels on the floor for the first shower and the resort was unwilling to bring new ones.
If you are booking this hotel and you are not in the members travel club you are treated like a second class citizen. Be aware of this as they will roll the red carpet for them but will only provide the basics for everyone else, including a simple greeting.
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Yenni -
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Occidental Punta Cana: Didn’t like it
Services at the buffet and bars are really extremely bad , they ignore you , and they take hours to bring you what you asked for location and beach it’s good , my room
Was good , entertainment was good , I’ll recommend that you go to a better place
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Private -
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Riu Republica: Riu Republica
Great party resort, food not so good. Basic resort, good for the money if you get it at a discount. Lot's of young adults always looking to party. Food very basic, nothing in the late night.
Room very basic, sometimes ac not good. Overall good for young adults with little finance available.
Mexico better option.
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Peter -
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Occidental Caribe: Occidental Caribe
Too much music noise from one of the pools all day long.
A liitle dated hotel but very nice.
Food pretty good. Staff very friendly.
The air conditioning did not cool the room quite enough.
Elaborate different display of free alcohol outside dining room every night.
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Summer Traveler -
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Ocean Blue and Sand: Fantastic Week
Check-in & Rooms: We arrived late evening and had no wait at reception. Staff were very friendly. We did not get our requested rooms right away (2 rooms in the same building), but were moved after the 2nd night. Rooms were spacious and clean.
Outdoor Areas: The grounds are very well maintained and pools are clean. There were shaded chairs available if at the pool by 9am. The beach chair area looked quite crowded and close together, but because of the abundance of seaweed we didn't spend much[... read more] time on the beach. You can walk many km in either way on the beach, very safe, and very few vendors.
Loved that all of the restaurants, shops and evening activities are all together at the front of the resort. It felt like you were walking around a little village every evening.
Staff & Entertainment: All of the staff were fantastic! So friendly, and service was great. Never had to wait long at any of the bars or for drinks at the buffets. There were afternoon games at one of the pools every day, activities around the lobby in the early evening and a show every night at 9:30, but this isn't pushed on you if you just want to relax. Disco was great for the older teens.
Restaurants: EL CAREY & LA TORTUGA main buffet was fine, food was a bit cold. Lots of variety for breakfast and dinner. VILLA MARINA was a nice buffet option for lunch, nice to be able to eat outside. SENSAI RESTAURANT was fun, food was good and portions were large. Booking on the App was quick and easy. MARGARITA restaurant was good, no reservations needed. Food was not great at IL MASCHERATI DI VENEZIA, but no reservation needed. STEAK HOUSE was surprisingly good (none of us had steak!), but it's the one restaurant you have to line up to reserve. Bring a coffee and your patience and line up at 8:30am. We did not try BLUE MOON RESTAURANT, the one restaurant that requires long pants for men, and did not try ROUTE 66. MIKE'S COFFEE was fantastic both in the morning and at night! Our teenage boys loved OVER TIME SPORTS BAR for late night drinks and food.
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Privilege Upgrade: We did NOT upgrade to Privilege, and really didn't notice a difference. For the first 2 nights we were in a regular room (building 4) then were moved to a Privilege room (building 10). We preferred the regular room, the view was nicer, and unless you plan to use the jacuzzi tub, the bathroom is more spacious and practical in the regular room. We were able to eat at all of the restaurants and didn't notice a difference in the designated Privilege seating areas.
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Gisele -
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Occidental Punta Cana: Not what it used to be …
As I prepare to leave the resort from my 31st visit, I must say, Occidental Punta Cana is NOT what it once was, and has declined at an accelerated rate. We flew in on Friday, and look forward to flying home tomorrow.
When Barcelo purchased the location in 2015 and began renovations in 2016, I saw improvements during my following 4 or 5 visits. Since then, it has been a downgrade spiral, that has almost hit its lowest….
For one, the food is not what it once was… there were a few is[... read more]sues in our first 2 meals in the main buffet (rotted lettuce and cucumber as well as a pasta dish that had that taste of something about to go bad), so we decided to purchase the Royal access to at least eat well during our stay. The Mexican à la carte food was great, as usual, but the portions have definitely shrunk. The Royal meals were awesome, but that was to be expected.
I honestly have nothing to say of the service on resort... after 30 visits, I know the staff and they know me, and we were always greeted with smiles, “Holaâ€s, and staff ready and willing to go the extra mile to please.
On a side note, the AC was not working properly in the Royal restaurant and not once, nor in the buffet, Mexican or Royal restaurant did we get a “carbonated†coke. It was served flat at every meal, wherever we ate, for 5 days. Was that the end of the world?? Absolutely not…. But there was a time that would not have been tolerated.
Lastly, I have seen over the past 5 years or so, and through a few general managers, some of the oldest staff (who had been here throughout) be let go…. I had told myself in the last couple of visits that there were only 2 staff members left, who have become friends, that kept me coming here, and as of today, one is gone…
In closing, I am booked here for September, but you can bet your bottom dollar if I can change locations without losing out on $1300, I will be keeping the dates but changing locations 🤷ðŸ»â€â™€ï¸ðŸ¤·ðŸ»â€â™€ï¸ðŸ¤·ðŸ»â€â™€ï¸
It has been a good run Flamenco/Occidental, but our relationship must come to an end 💔💔
For those eating at the buffets, here are a few pics of Royal Restaurant meals …..
Special shout out to Jean Louis, Juan, Weslin, Yuri, Leissey, Ronaldo, Alexi, Francia, Jose, Williem, Karina, Ana, Elvis, Joseph, Jean, John Kelly, as well as Hipolito, Wendy, Sandro and the Royal Restaurant staff!!!! Keep smiling and doing what you do!!! 💜💜
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Private -
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Bahia Principe Explore Legend: Very kid friendly resort
Very good resort, alot of fun and activities for everyone, the food was very good, the service amazing. However alot of seaweed on the beach and in the water. I would definitely recommend the hotel but not during the summer
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Laura -
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Riu Republica: Great times!
RIU Republica was great. Definitely a good party vibe if that is what you are looking for. There are quiet areas too. Food was pretty good. Recommend the Indian restaurant! Room was a bit run down but that is what you get in places like this. Otherwise clean.
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Private -
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Ocean El Faro: Soak Up the Sun, Relax and Unwind
We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Ocean El Faro. We did most of the restaurants and found all to be excellent! Mike's coffee was a gem as well! Bowling alley was so much fun. Good time was had at the lazy river, pools, water park and ocean. Our room was plenty big enough for the four of us. We took in a few shows and did an excursion. The grounds were well manicured. The staff overall where very kind, hardworking and helpful.
Upon arrival, we were checked in very quickly with no issues! The food at the buffet was very good with many options. The beach was wonderful with many spots with shade available. The only issue we had with this hotel was the seaweed at the beach. However, we know that every effort was being made to contain it as best as they could. Special shout out goes to the following hotel staff who went above and beyond to make our stay a memorable one:
Remy, Moises, Benjamin, Ramon. Thanks to all the oth[... read more]er staff whose names I cannot remember but who were also instrumental in helping us to enjoy our stay.
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Private -
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Serenade Punta Cana Beach and Spa Resort: Excellent
Grounds were well kept. Very clean. Always mopping, always cleaning public bathrooms. Rooms are clean and modern. Luxury master suite was extremely spacious, like a mini condo. It had 2 full baths, 2 king beds and a sofa bed. Bathroom ensuite had no door it was just fully open. Odd if youre sharing with friends. But in the regular rooms theres a blue design on the bathroom glass not fully covered and you can see through the uncovered edges. There were 4 or 5 pools, water slides, kids pool area. [... read more]Steakhouse was very good, Italian restaurant was also good, Japanese was too, it was the typical hibachi. Need to book reservations 2 days in advance on the app. Good layout of the resort. Everything is easy to get to. Plenty of chairs at pools and beach. No need to reserve. This is by far the least English speaking resort we've been to in 20yrs. It did seem Spanish speaking locals or from other countries got more attention even when we tipped. Those same visitors were very rude, pushing kids out if the way to get their food first at the buffet. This was every meal. This was not the resorts fault. Hard to control other's behavior. Overall we would go back. Very happy. Oh and the bottom of the pool is rough for kids, bring water shoes for them.
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Ivan G. -
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Riu Bambu: Annual Family Vacation
Fast, friendly and efficient check in service. Very impressed with cleanliness of hotel. Very easy to get oriented on the property. I enjoyed the fact that everything is within a short walking distance. We enjoyed buffet every day, the variety and quality is at its finest. When red and black caviar is served you know that the Riu is going all out. Plenty of seats, tables and staff to look after your every need. The Bavaro beach is one of the best in the area. Only suggestion I have for the hote[... read more]l is that since we arrived at 10:30 pm with a family of 7 after travelling all day is that they provide a small snack section with fruits and such. The sports bar sandwiches are not enough. As well as bell boy service to take luggage to rooms. It’s a little difficult to get your bearings at 10:30 at night .
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Private -
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Bahia Principe Explore Legend: So so
The resort is big and you can walk or take the golf cart. Decent size pool and kids pool. However, services are so so - majority of the staff are rude. The Italian restaurant was very slow - after waiting for 1 hr 1/2 still no food was reserved. The front desk service was very slow and gives preference to spanish speaking guests even though you are in front of the line.