Royalton Bavaro Resort and Spa: Pretty good stay at Royalton

TL; DR: big resort with lots of people and good buffet/okay sit-down restaurants, but with small, crowded beach and boring kids’ club. When we checked in, I was waiting for someone to try to upsell us to Diamond Club, but when I inquired, I was told it was sold out. No matter - I don’t really know what I would have done with it. Yes, Diamond Club has a private beach and pool. There is a butler that gets you dinner reservations and sets stuff up for you. Is this worth $155 usd per day  [... read more]for a family of 4? I guess it depends on how busy the resort is when you go and how much extra cash you have. We’re early birds with two kids, so have been hitting meal time on the early end. The buffet has been pretty great overall (Dominican night was especially great!) but depends on your expectations. Is this going to be the finest meals I’ve ever had? No. But it’s pretty good, and there are lots of choices for everyone. My husband stood in line at 545 to get into the Italian restaurant. We got in no problem on the patio as soon as they opened. Was it amazing? No. But it was fine. The teppanyaki was fine, too. The Brazilian restaurant was not at all crowded at lunch, and was really good. The beach - I love the beach generally. And I understand that a lot of the east coast Mexico is full of seaweed and the beaches are not great these past few years, so that’s why I ended up in the Dominican on Bavaro beach, known to be an amazing beach. Is it amazing? Well, again, depends on your beach experience and expectations. Royalton Bavaro has a beachfront of about 150 metres, with over 700 rooms. Some of that beachfront is dedicated to Diamond Club members exclusively. All this to say - The water is clear and beautiful, but it’s pretty crowded in there. If you get a beach chair, you will be up close and personal to the folks next to you. The rooms - we got a 1 bedroom presidential suite, and I would not have done it any other way. There aren’t that many of these types of rooms available, so I would absolutely recommend getting these if you, like me, don’t want to share a bedroom with your kids. It’s twice the size of the regular “family suites” that they offer here (which is really just a regular room with a lattice sliding door between the bed and the sofa - not exactly private) and was just a few hundred dollars more. It has a room with a bar, eating area, sitting area (with pull out) and bathroom, and then another bedroom bar area with a giant bathroom/dressing room. A few times, there was either no hot or cold water. Communication about the issue wasn’t totally great. We had no problem getting mini bar top ups, room service or other things brought to the room. Tipping gets you great service. We were averaging about $30 in tips per day. I had excellent service from Stephanie Esteban at the pool. She was so sweet to my daughter. She made us feel really welcomed. The waiters working the courtyard at the main buffet were also excellent.

Ocean El Faro: Beautiful building, slow staff

We just came back April 22, 2023. The lobby is gigantic. Beautifully designed, rooms clean, food ok ( tasty but not many options). Washrooms clean and everywhere. Staff don't seem happy, service very slow. I believe they're understaffed. To reserve a restaurant, you need to line up to book same day which meant we were only able to book 2 restaurants out of 5 I think. To improve that, we need to be able to book via app, front desk, or pre book in advance for another day.

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Beautiful Resort

Beautiful gardens, very well kept. Latest building colour change very nice. Staff very friendly and accommodating, food was plentiful with lots of variety. Bars were good, Limbo Bar was top notch, bartenders were true mixologists.

Melia Caribe Beach Resort: Beautiful Resort

We booked their "Level" package. The room was nice, but not the one advertised on the site that we were looking forward to. The Level specific pool and restaurant was a smaller area. Service was extremely slow and so we used the main pool by the beach where there was more action. If your booking the Level, the only real value to you may be the room. It was nice to walk through their dedicated lounge where you could make your own drink or get a Nespresso coffee at any time. Most of the staff we [... read more]re friendly that we encountered through the week. A nice variety of restaurants. Food was resonable quality and a decent selection. A la carte restaurants were difficult to obtain reservations at, even with Level package consierge service. They were also all extremely slow on service, with exception to the Mexican restaurant, which was one of the better restaurants. Tram/golf carts came by every 10-15 minutes to take you from main lobby/restaurant area to beach. It is walkable in 10 minutes however. Resort grounds were well maintained and were very scenic.

Bahia Principe Escape Aquamarine: You get what you expect , always.

What you see ( in the ad.pictures, ) what you get. Nice, clean, quite, Good food, good bars, good beaches, good entertainment. Perfect for younger generation. Surge for best season watch for rainy months .

Hyatt Vivid Punta Cana: Great Resort

The Jewel Palm Beach was a great resort and would recommend highly recommend it. The restaurants were amazing with no reservation needed, we did all once; Japanese food was great, Italian we did twice again food and service wonderful, Mexican great and French wonderful. The bars at both the pool and lobby were great servers at both were fantastic. There is a mixologist every night with specialty drinks. Staff in Dominican are always friendly and the Jewel staff were especially friendly an [... read more]d helpful they obviously like their jobs. The rooms are clean and well stocked, with towels twice a day if needed. The bed was very comfortable we had a king, the pillows were not great but tolerable. Entertainment was great a singer every night followed by entertainment on the stage by the pool. Two nights we had silent disco which is so mush fun. We like smaller resorts so this was perfect. We’re not beach people but people we meet were very happy we loved the pools and had no problem finding chairs with umbrellas and if we didn’t the staff brought one to us.

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: great resort

the resort was wonderful, Never having been to a resort before we weren't sure what to expect. It was amazing. Our room was perfectly located between the lobby/restaurant and the pool / ocean. Couldn't have been better everyone was so friendly andhelpful LOts of activities and the food was great

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Luxurious resort that was always very high energy

We loved our stay at the Barcelo Bavaro Palace. We stayed in one of the oceanfront suites, with the water and jungle just steps away. It was picturesque. We were premium level members, and found the service, the food and amenities of that tier absolutely perfect for what we were looking for. As for covid protocols and such, they had hand sanitizer in elevators and around restaurants, and the open air facility certainly helped keeping a fresh flow of air. There were plenty of servers and support  [... read more]staff, so I'd say they recovered quite well considering. Even the beach was cleaned every morning. Very nice vacation spot if you have a family or are up for a party. Not really suitable for a zen-like vacation.

Serenade Punta Cana Beach and Spa Resort: Serenade Punta Cana - worst vacation

This was our 4th time in Dominican. Lets start with: Airport pickup: Longest time we ever had to wait to get from airport to Resort. Considering that we bought privileged package - i believe this is not acceptable. Check-In: Once we got to Resort our checking supposed to be done at privileged desk. Apparently, it was closed - never saw that in any other resorts. They had privileged desk open for 24/7. Speaking about privileged desk - had to go couple times asking to fix elevator butto [... read more]n - we couldn't get to 1st floor due to bad button. Told that that would be done ASAP - never happened for 5 days - i am not sure if it is fixed right now. Rooms: They were great - we had 2 rooms in one suit with 2 bathroom and showers, 2 TVs as well. Room service was done every day and was pretty good. Restaurants, Bars and Food: All ala carte restaurants needs to be prebooked. In our case they were booked for us - time was not good. We had to rebook few and after visiting one we simply gave up on going to them. We had to wait to hours for our meals. Many people were giving up and going to buffet. Buffet food was OK, nothing very special but still a descent variety. Service in the buffet and restaurants is awful. I never had to wait for server before, this time in most cases we didn't even see one, unless i was going and asking for something. In previous resorts as a privileged guests we never had to book any ala carte restaurants and were able to walk to any at any giving moment of time. Most of the time we spent at rooftop bar. It is only one location there service was exceptional. Funny - but it was closing at 6 pm as well as most of the pools. Why? Beach: Technically doesn't exist. That small sand walk way is hard to describe as a proper beach. Rest of water front is covered with seaweed. Privilege section was OK but we never saw a single server around. Every time you need something you had to go to bar. Shows: You can forget about them. They start to late in my opinion. If you travel with kids - it is going to be hard for them to wait until 9 30 am. There is not enough air flow in theatre. Shows themself worst i ever saw. Check-Out: Was good, except i ask for golf cart to take us to lobby with our luggage - never showed up. Had to wait almost for an hour before van showed up. I would not recommend this Resort to anyone. Dominican resorts always were outstanding, this resort is 3 star Cuban Resort.

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Won't Return

This was not a fabulous experience and I can assure you, with all the choices out there, we won't be back. This was hardly al inclusive when many restaurants and bars were not included. Too many meals were buffets which were the same day after day. Too often the draft beer didn't work at many bars and the only option was to purchase another product. On two occasions the resort was out of ice. And one time out of vodka in all bars for half a day. Beyond all this service was average and the bea [... read more]ch smelled like sewage. We are not picky though expected a lot better for the dollar from this large brand name resort and we have enjoyed much better at other resorts on previous trips.

Caribe Deluxe Princess: Beautiful, clean resort

This hotel was everything we could need. The rooms were beautiful, the grounds are kept so well. The workers there are always cleaning and so helpful and kind. I went with my 5 year old son and he loved it, from the tram to the waterslides, the bowling and arcade, something to keep him busy. When we checked in we received a 2 queens room vs. the 1 king i requested, but by the next day they had us moved to the king room no issues whatsoever. Noise level was quite low and everyone was super k [... read more]ind and helpful. Definitely not so much a party resort so if that is what you are looking for this wouldnt be the resort for you, but families or a relaxing holiday most definitely!!

Grand Bavaro Princess: Very nice resort.

I found the resort to be very big for my liking. Although trolleys were readily available. Grounds were beautiful and the resort was very clean. My room was amazing. The main pool water was a little cloudy and it could use a refurbishing. It would be nice to have drink service at the pool and on the beach. The restaurants were all very good and service was excellent. The buffet table service wasn't the greatest. It was hit & miss. It would also be nice to have some type of shows or enterta [... read more]inment in the evening. I had an amazing vacation.

Excellence El Carmen: Excellent Experience at Excellence El Carmen

This was our second trip there. Last time was April 2018. The largest difference I found since COVID is no assigned concierge attendant for each Excellence level building. Other than that the entertainment, food and service was wonderful. A special shout out to our beech waitress Carmen who looked after us so well 5 years ago and again this trip.. she remembers what you drank 3 days ago.. she offers exceptional service while on the beech!

Royalton Bavaro Resort and Spa: Great Resort

the hotel is large so if you don't like walking than I wouldn't recommend it to you. The grounds were always clean, the staff were super nice, the food was good and the beach was always clean of any seedweed. I stayed in the junior deluxe room and it was amazing. The shows were good also. My only complaint is that there was suppose to be no reservations for the steak house Hunters but you have to line up. We were there approx. 40 mins before it open and was 5th in line so we thought for sure we  [... read more]would get in on the first sitting, than a bunch of people came in and said they have reservations and they were all let in and we couldn''t get in, I heard if you pay the run up front you will for sure to get in....I don't like that but I know it goes on. The Italian restaurant was my favorite, and the buffet was my 2nd as they had a different theme dinner everyday plus your basics, pastas, etc. the food truck had great sandwichs we had lunch there everyday as it was a different sandwich each day, they serve hamburgers, hotdogs and chickenburgers everyday also in case you dont like a sandwich, plus they had great fries. They have plenty for little kids to do, they had there own pool, play area plus there was a lazy river which everyone could use. Overall I would give this resort an 8 out of 10 and planning to go back to it next year.

Ocean El Faro: Could be so much more

The resort is nice, pools are awesome but the beach is less than desirable. The service seemed way understaffed for a resort of that size. You have to wake up at 430am to get in line to make a reservation at sulfurs their Japanese restaurant to maybe get a seat when they come at 7am. All the other restaurants you have to start lining up at 5pm for when they open at 6pm to hopefully get a table just to show up at your reserved time to find every restaurant half empty “due to them supposedly  [... read more]only being able to seat at 50% capacity” their bartenders are very slow and do not like to acknowledge children. The resort could be so much better if they staffed it appropriately for its size. I do not feel this being a 5* resort but maybe a 2*

Zoetry Agua Punta Cana: Perfect Resort

The rooms, food, pool were so enjoyable and it was the best food I have ever had at a resort. I opted for a smaller resort this time just to try, now I am hooked on smaller resorts. I found the personnel often thanked me for being their guest when I am the one who should be thanking them for being so gracious and kind to me and my husband. No complaints 'only" a great vacation with spacious rooms, great weather and just what the doctor ordered.... lol...Thanks Henry and Luis Miguel and "Happy" w [... read more]ho are always "up" putting everyone in a good mood. Your kindness will not be forgotten, Cheers to the person(s) who book with Zoetry.

Secrets Cap Cana: FIVE STAR Experience

Chose this resort to spend a week away for a girls trip. Knowing it was likely going to be full with honeymooners and those celebrating anniversaries, made it even more compelling. We wanted something laid back, with some entertainment, but where we'd be able to get to sleep without the pounding disco music found in some resorts. The size of the resort was perfect, the room was amazing, clean and right by the pool. Service was impeccable with some of the regular servers learning our names and [... read more] our preferred drinks. We DID NOT elect to go the 'preferred' route, it wasn't needed. In fact, the beach done at the preferred side after some rain got very hard and uncomfortable. It is very safe. Didn't for a moment feel uncomfortable, and it being in a gated community means there is no one selling you anything on the beach. Lots of shade available and palapas that you can use. Get there early if you want the best ones at the front of the beach, but honestly they are all great! Just the right amount of activities during the day, some amazing live performances by the pool and at night they have shows, karaoke, and dancing outside in the lobby by the bar. Very laid back vibe. Dinner at every restaurant was superb, except the night we went to the Asian Fusion for a la carte. Service was slow, and our server was a little 'too friendly'.

Ocean El Faro: Fun in the Sun

The hotel was clean, pools were clean. The lazy river was fun. The water park looks great for kids. I think they are having staffing issues. The restaurants(except buffets)were only half filled so getting in wasn't fun. I guess they changed their reservation process. There is no online booking. Had to stand in line early. Sometimes still only ate at 730pm or later. Ala Cartes open at 6pm. Seaweed is a problem and the beach has rocks on the shoreline. Nature is beautiful but if you like to swim  [... read more]at the beach that might be a problem. Overall it was still a good trip.

Be Live Collection Punta Cana Adults Only: It closed before we arrived!

We did not even end up going to this resort because of their closure. We originally booked the adult side swim out for April 9 to the 16th then I find out on another social media that they were actually closed. Thank goodness I purchased insurance for a switch I switch to another resort and had a great vacation.

Serenade Punta Cana Beach and Spa Resort: Vacation April 2023

We had an amazing time at this resort. The food was good, we had 0 problems. We actually have a child with a dairy allergy. He kept on asking for dessert but we had no idea what any of them were made of. The chef confirmed all the ingredients in all of the desserts so that we were able to get something for our son. The staff was great. Yes there are sometimes a bit of a language barrier but honestly it wasn't an issue! The pools are amazing, especially the water park area. It is great for k [... read more]ids (and adults) of all ages. There are multiple pools so if you want to be out of the kids zone you can also go to the "quiet pool" which is closer to the beach. I would recommend putting a pool towel down on a chair in the morning as by 8-9am they were usually taken up by the pools. The only down side would be the beach. The sand was white and beautiful and overall that portion was good, but the water isn't great. You don't see the amazing turquoise water that you are use to in Punta Cana. As for the room we stayed in the Luxury Master Suite. The space was huge. I liked that the room was separated so that if you had young kids (like we do) you can put them down for a nap or to bed at night and still be able to relax in the room or on the patio without worrying about waking them up. The patio in the suites are HUGE! which is an added bonus.