Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Not live up to expectations

The check-in was not good, we didn't get an explanation of the services, restaurants, bars locations or meal times. The room was a bit of a let down with many items in need of repair. On the bright side the food was good and the staff were polite and efficient, always attending to your needs. The gardens were kept in good order and with the ponds and fountains made the grounds picturest. The beach was well kept and the lunchtime BBQs were good. In the evening the shows that the hotel put on were [... read more] excellent. With the exception of our accommodation we did enjoy ourselves.

Paradise Playa Dorada: Cute and Comfy

To start, I want to thank Heather from Trip Central for going above and beyond to make my boyfriend and my 4 year anniversary amazing! She answered all of our questions in a timely manner, held the line for me as I was at work while booking, and wished us a happy anniversary! The hotel was REALLY clean, the staff was friendly, entertainment staff treated us like family, ( thank you kelvin, Roberto, black panther, Tracy and yancarlos). The food was amazing, I can’t get over how fresh the fo [... read more]od was every day! The cooks were always rotating the trays to ensure you had fresh food all the time. The beach was clean and the chairs were comfy. The rooms were always clesned each day in a very timely manner, the beds were so comfy and the pool was always fun and the games that were played each day always changed! I would really reccomend this resort if you want cute and cozy! We both made new friends that we will keep in contact with forever, memories from this resort will definitely last a lifetime! Thanks again Heather and Trip Central :)

Casa Marina Reef Resort: Sun in Sosua Domica Republic

15 Minutes from the Puerto Plato.. bonus! Casa Marina Reef or Casa Marina Beach is the same resort. Taking the free bus, Don't. Get yourself a taxi. We waited over an hour for the so called stragglers Reception, a zoo! Incompetent, people butt in, and they give you miss information!. Map of the resort (out dated, misleading and inaccurate) including info when questioning the staff later. Pop, water. Rum await you in your room. If you have any mobility issues with walking, do not come here. [... read more]Even wheel chair ramps are very narrow, where they exit. Steps everywhere, 1-3 mostly. Flag stone walk ways very uneven and a substantial trip hazard. People we met said it was probably a sobriety test. It would be very difficult to access the beach. Balconies or patio with each room, views wonderful. Renovated rooms $ much nicer. We had a third level room, no ramps to room, only stairs. Plenty of lounge chairs,sun or shade, umbrellas and free beach towels. Pools were wonderful and clean. Infinity pools really nice when they had a sign up that said "Adults Only", but was removed from time to time. The only "full time" open washroom was at one restaurant, another restaurant had facilities only when open. Mind you they all had toilet paper. Most staff were pleasant and nice, able to speak English. Some were surly. Myself, I stopped using one of the bars since the female bartender refused to serve me, even though I had done nothing wrong, always polite, kind and waited my turn. Food, it is was it is, but there is a variety, be creative.There are many ways how you can eat spam. Bacon is offered rarely If you want spices,bring your own,they do have salt and pepper, mayo , ketchup, you need to bring your own hot sauce, salad dressing is oil, vinegar. If you like ranch etc, bring your own There was a toaster and panni press. Dishes in the hotel pans on the buffet were cold even if they were meant to be warm/hot. Bring your own drink to supper or you will only have water, or wait 40 minutes to get served. When the dish is labeled do not trust the sign.Put a little on our plate and taste it. Blueberry juice as labeled was cranberry. Creamed shrimp soup had no cream nor any shrimp. Step out of the resort and you are in town! Wifi $ is very iffy at the resort..go to town, stop at a bar, less than a 3 minute walk and get excellent free Wifi. A range of activities for all ages. Quiet after 11pm. If you think one pool area is noisy, move to another. Bring your own insulated mug/bubba cup, they will refill and it will save you trips and waiting at th bars.

Viva Heavens by Wyndham: Relaxing vacation

I loved the Viva the resort is clean the staff we very friendly and the food was very good what more could you ask for. There was a 4 min walk to the beach but we didn’t mind we needed the walk after eating all that food. The only thing we missed was a lobby bar other than that we found it difficult to find shade around the pool and at the beach there were no plapas my husband had to go to the room every afternoon to get out of the sun. They have the best entertainment staff I have encounte [... read more]red so far they really engage with the guests but never pushy.

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: Nice Hotel

The rooms were kept very clean and the maids were really friendly. Loved the pool, but had to get up extremely early to get a spot under the umbrellas. Had a problem on the week-ends when the locals converged on the hotel. They took over the place and ever tried to get under the umbrellas with us, which was not appreciated. The food was okay, but the staff were excellent and friendly.

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: Nice resort

Resort was nice the workers very nice and helpful those that you could find that understood English. Food was bland and pretty much the same every day. The beach was beautiful as I had heard all the stories about brown sand and very course but that was not the case and it was clean every day as was the grounds of the resort. besides having Sun wing rep not accept the promotional Visa Card that Trip Central sent us and stepping on a cock roach our last day it was a good vacation .

VH Atmosphere: Relaxing

My wife and I visited the Atmosphere for 10 days in April and it was a very enjoyable 10 days. The staff is friendly and service was excellent. The food at the buffet was very good and the alacartes were also good, although we found the food at the beach bar lacking in selection and everything was fried. Our garden view room was a little small for my liking but it was kept clean and it was updated. The shower had lots of hot water and good pressure and the toilet functioned as it is intended to. [... read more] The beach is a short walk or you can take the cart free of charge. Also the little mall is about same distance away as the beach.My wife and I walked at night off the resort grounds and never felt worried. The resort has lots of security on their staff. We will definitely recommend this resort to anyone who asks about it and will consider reyurning next April

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Honestly a 3+* but treated like a 5*

Not a huge resort most in area are not , but amazing staff , nice pool +nice beach for snorkeling or sports . Good entertainment. Good food good drinks . Clean room. Great value . My second time and I'd go back again

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: What a great week!

We spent 7 nights at the Blue Bay Villas Doradas (April 10-17) and it was fantastic! We started out with a little doubt on the day we arrived. We found our room and discovered it was on the ground floor although I had requested a second floor room. In the end we were actually super happy to have had the ground floor (room 3110). Our room faced the edge of the resort grounds so, although it was near the pool area, we could very rarely hear any commotion from the activities that went on over t [... read more]here. The only downside to this room location is that on the other side of the fence that surrounds the resort, was the entrance driveway for the next resort, so the buses coming and going were a little noisy. Not that big of a deal as we didn't spend much time sitting outside the room. When we arrived, the safe and fridge in our room were not working, but we let them know and they brought replacements for both right away. We found the food to be ok, nothing that blew our hair back... but we are also on a limited diet so we did find ourselves eating the same things over and over again. Perhaps if we had been able to broaden our variety, we would not have been tired of it after the week. The Presidente beer is quite good, and we got our money's worth there for sure! The pool area never seemed over crowded and there always seemed to be chairs available. Same with the beach, never too crowded. The service was amazing! The staff at this resort are top notch! We did go out on the Catamaran and we purchased the tour from a vendor on the beach. His name is Cesar and he is GREAT! The tour was super fun! Snorkeling in two spots at Sosua Bay, lunch and drinks all included! The crew on the boat were a lot of fun as well. The night time disco and beach party were a blast! There is a mall very close by that sells loads of touristy trinkets/beach wear/alcohol/etc. We made several trips there (less than 5 minute walk). Other than the resort on-site cash bar, there were no premium drinks available (that we discovered) and as I like to start my day with a coffee and baileys while on vacation, I opted to buy a bottle from the mall at a very good price and keep it in my room rather than pay for the drinks at the resort cash bar. We did get roped in to the pitch to join the resort's Circle One program, however, Kelly (the gentleman pitching the program) was understanding and polite when we cut the meeting short as we were not interested. He was not pushy at all. I've only been home for a few days and I miss it already!!! Great resort, wouldn't hesitate to go again, although we do have some other areas we want to check out before returning to resorts we have been to already.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Beautiful resort

The resort is very lovely and the staff are accommodating and friendly. Our room was perfectly located close to the small pool, which was excellent and steps away from the buffet. Our room was kept clean and well stocked daily. The food was great with an amazing array of choices. The buffet staff, although run off their feet at times, tried their best to keep our water full. It appeared at times they had run out of clean cutlery though. Check in was a little confusing as staff didnt send u [... read more]s to the West jet check in right away - signs would have been helpful. Our biggest problem for the week was finding rum cream to drink (our new favorite) as they were constantly running out. Over all, a great place, certainly worth what we paid.

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Great relaxing resort

It’s beautiful place to spend your vacation,lots of activities and tours that they offer that you can choose.very friendly staff all over resort,food was amazing lots of choices and different menu every day.Pools are very nice we like the idea that they have quiet area to enjoy and relax.Beach is very close and clean safe for swim.We had the perfect vacation experience at grand ventana resort.

Casa Marina Sosua Trademark by Wyndham All Inclusive: Relaxing vacation

Check in wasn’t smooth as my mom was travelling as a single and we wanted to be in the same building at least. I had emailed twice with no response and noted our request when booking our trips. When we arrived they had her in a room across the resort. If it wouldn’t have been for the porter Harold , we all would have been sleeping in one room for the first night at least. I even threatened to sleep in the lobby if they wouldn’t at least try to accommodate us. In the end and three trips bac [... read more]k to the lobby to get room keys working etc we were placed in rooms side by side. Much thanks to Harold. The rest of our stay was very good. Buffet was great, updated and plenty of variety. Italian a la cart was ok , buffet was better. The seafood a la cart we really enjoyed but others did not so much. The staff are very friendly and accommodating . Loved the disco bar. The animation crew were awesome, lots of games and fun. The pool was where we spent most of our time as the beach sand was very hot and the waves strong. They have vendors that sell a few evenings a week and that’s where we picked up some souvenirs. We took a couple walks into town first thing in the morning. Felt very safe. Bought some items at the grocery store. There are a few Canadian owned restaurants near by - we will try them next time 😉 I think everyone in our group of 5 would return. The only irritation other than check in was our sunwing flight was delayed until the next day and I tried to deal with the rep on the resort but we got into an argument and I’m sure he was cussing me out in Spanish and said he wouldn’t speak to me anymore. He insisted we check out at 1pm and I didn’t want to because there was no guarantee of a place to stay for the night and I refused to spend over 12 hrs at the airport. VERY POOR SERVICE SUNWING. All we needed was reassurances and he provided none. The next time we go we will get a renovated room as they were much better than our dated one. We will go back but with another provider.

Riu Merengue: Resort sold...impacted our vacation!

After learning that Senator bought the Riu and the staff were all losing their jobs it made sense of the lack of service....shame on Riu for allowing this to happen as it impacted many people's stay...they could have made the deal to include the staff would remain after the sale...

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Always a Pleasure to return to this resort

The resort is small, compact, easy to find all buildings and services, staff are so welcoming and make your stay enjoyable, everyone works so hard to make your vacation special, the food is amazing with lots of variety, al la cartes are wonderful, entertainment staff go out of their way to keep you entertained and encourage you to join in, Elvin Sanchez is a terrific bartender, we are friends with many of the staff and vendors on the beach, would not hesitate to return.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Nice Resort

Staff very friendly, but upon arrival it was a bit chaotic in registering, and filling out forms, then had to get back in line after filling out forms to get wrist bands. Some people would fill out forms, then get back in front of the line. Needs to be organized by the staff. Also no one told us that we had to bring back our beach towels to the front desk or to take the to the towel exchange. These beach towels were already in our suite upon arrival and there was nothing in the room stating we [... read more] had to return them anywhere, so we left them in the room. Upon checking out we were told we had to return them or be charged $10 per towel. I had to run back to the suite and get the towels and pass into the front desk. Cleaning was not bad, but sometimes my bathroom mirror was not cleaned and I did not get clean glass in washroom for brushing my teeth (we only put out our cleaning sign every second day) but when we put out our sign, we wanted everything cleaned! Buffet food was fabulous and plenty of selection. A la cartes were nice, but were booked so fast. We tried to book upon arrival, but times were limited or they were booked already. But when we did arrive at the a la cart, they were mostly empty. Lobby store was so overpriced, it was ridiculous. Selling small bags of chips US$3 and large US$7. Who pays that!! Plus didn't like being followed around by the clerk when we were looking at items. Free WiFi in the lobby was great, but it should be in our rooms as well, plus it was very difficult to get it sorted out. Bar staff great. Entertainment, was great one night only. Vendors at the shops on the resort were not friendly at all, and barely spoke English. Beach was great, but need more beach chairs and covers. Main pool was closed three times due to someone throwing up in it and crapping in it. I attended the water aerobics class - not very good, not organized. The instructor had us running on the pool deck. I stopped as I almost slipped. She also got us to make up exercises.!! She should have something already set up. The gym was very very small, no room to move around. Had basic equipment which was fine. It had a sign saying it had A/C but the staff had the door propped open, so that was useless and it was hot as hell in there. One visit was enough for me. Gym did not provide water either. The grounds were very nice, the suites were great. Fridge wasn't that cold, a/c in one room didn't work, but we had a ceiling fan which helped alot.

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: First time and will not be our last!

This was our first time at an Iberostar resort and we were very pleased with the food, the grounds and the service. We will ne going back to this resort in the future! The rooms were fine, the cleaners did a good job of tidying up each day (we don't go down south to spend time in our rooms anyways) The buffet and a-la-cartes were amazing! We went to the Japanese a-la-carte and the show and food were phenomenal! The buffet always had so many things to choose from, and all were delicious. The be [... read more]ach BBQ was always a hit as well. The pool and resort grounds were great- well kept and cleaned. The peacocks and flamingos added to the experience. The Dominican people are fantastic, even the guys on the beach trying to get you to go to the market- you just need to learn to say "no" Miguel at the swim up bar was top-notch, and the cappuccino's- amazing! We would even consider bringing our kids back in the future, because of the kids club that the resort offers!

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: "Be Live" Dominican/Puerto Plata

Our travel consultant from Trip Central was awesome, her name was Kristian. She gave us quite a few options to choose from within our budget and allowed us to choose as we wished. She was very helpful in every aspect and hats off to her for doing a great job.The Weather was great the week I was there. The beach was very good and no issues finding a chair. I'm a picky eater and the food was not a 4.5 star quality. Some of the staff were friendly and others not. There was one resort staff dude nam [... read more]ed speggetti who was quite annoying. My wife was speaking to him and he didn't like what she had to say so he lifted up his shirt and flicked his nipple at her while screeching with his annoying voice like a young girl?I found him disrespectful and rude and told him to beat it before he regretted his rude actions. I cant speak for everyone however the entrtainment was high schoolish at best and the music on the resort lacked as all I heard was boom boom boom constantly and no western culture music at all which we all love.Our room was musty the entire time and we found it hard to get a good night sleep in the damp situation. Would I go back to "Be Live"? Never. Would I go back to the dominican? I don't think so. I have to say I'm not a Dominican fan at all and I doubt I will ever set foot on that Island again. I have to mention that this was a Sunwig package as well. The sunwing people were ok however the flight departures and arrival times are really messed up and they should do something about that aspect as it really impacts the whole vacation experience in that you already lose a day on each end traveling and with these crazy departure times you actually lose 2 days at the end of your vacation which leaves a bad taste in your mouth and makes you want to look else where.

VH Atmosphere: Awesome place

What a great place , people were awesome . The staff went out of their way to help and please you. The food was great and the buffet was very clean . The grounds are very clean and the view of the mountain and golf make it look for beautiful. It’s a quiet place so if your looking for late night fun you would need to go somewhere else. They could use more music playing during supper and in the evening, it would be a lot more enjoyable then playing bingo at 9:30 in the evenings. The walk to the  [... read more]beach was not as far as we thought it would be even though it was across the street,we walked further on other resorts and it was on the same side. The beds were great too all new and rooms had lots of space . I would go back any day 👍🏼

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: This resort was amazing

The grounds were beautiful staff were amazing rooms very clean food was plenty a big variety only thing i dident like was the beach not what i expected the shows at night were great very entertaining

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Great times at Blue Bay

Recently returned from Blue Bay had a wonderful seven days there. The staff go above and beyond from the waiters, animation team, front desk and all the house keepers. The food is delicious and abundant. My only complaint would be with top management as they need to replace the canvas on many sun beds and provide more shaded areas on the beach. Blocks 5,6,7and 8 are quieter. We enjoyed a walk daily and the mall is a three minute walk.