Great grounds. Not so great rooms

The resort itself is beautiful. The rooms however are outdated and gross. Leaking showers , bugs are just to start. The food is a solid 2.5/5. Considering 9/11 of us got sick. Great beaches. Great weather. Great staff.

Had a great time!

This is a nice resort. Beach is nice. It is a little rough at times it wasn't calm at all the week we were there. Rooms are clean and that's all I really care about. Never saw a bug!! Food was good but didn't really bother with the A la cart. Customer service sucks!!! Front desk wasn't always nice until we tipped her. Then she was nicer. Terrible service in the main dining area. Have your lunch at the beach buffets it's better and the service is great!!! Plus you can't beat the view!!

Some not great things, but a fun trip!

There are some really good things about this resort and some quite bad. Our group was quite large with 11 people. PROS - The resort grounds are very nice. They keep it very clean and well manicured. - Service is awesome. Most times I never had to get up to get a drink. - The Resort entertainment is some of the best I've seen. There is something different every night and the talent is quite good. - Most of the time we didn't have trouble finding chairs for our entire group - Beach is awesome. I  [... read more]usually don't spend a lot of time in the ocean but at this resort I spent every day there. - Pools are very nice - multiple there - some quiet for families, and a party one with a swim up bar - Mexican al la Carte was awesome. Oriental was okay. Others were not great. - 24/7 available food - The disco just off the resort called Mangu is amazing..awesome music and we had so much fun there. - Very family friendly CONS - Rooms are just awful. Many people on the resort complained. I knew this going in from other reviews so I didn't expect much going in - The safes are old school. You actually have to carry a key around with you and if you lose it, you have to pay $75 to get it "smashed" open. Just ridiculous. It's also not included with your room. I think it was $25. - Other than the Mexican restaurant and the 24/7 pizza oven, the food was not good. I tried many different dishes, however there's nothing I could rave about. - The people selling stuff on the beach gets kind of annoying, they are constantly bugging you. Besides all that, I did really enjoy myself. I think the people you are with really make a trip and the cons certainly didn't keep us down!

Terrible

Rooms smelled of raw sewage hotel staff were rude had too move us 3 times second room had water dripping out of light fixture over the toilet and bathroom flooded served no seafood food was good though paid ninety dollars a piece too snorkel with sharks they fed us a sandwich think was some sort of processed meat with a slice of cheese and mustard packets for that type of money we paid it should have been better I would not recommend this resort too anyone and were not the only ones that felt th [... read more]is way about the resort lots of.people had.complaints it sucks will never go there again

Beautiful resort!

We traveled to this resort over New Years and it was a great vacation. As 23 year old's we were expecting a bit more of a party atmosphere, but we were barely disappointed. The entire resort was beautiful and well-kept. Staff were friendly and welcoming. The rooms were spacious and extremely well air conditioned. The weather was hot and sunny the entire trip. There was always a show, nightly and then the club on the resort was open nearly every night for late night partying which we liked. The f [... read more]ood was REALLY GOOD. When we arrived, the front desk had already booked our 5 a la carte dinners which was nice since we didn't have to go through the trouble of booking them ourselves. Each dining option we had a good experience at and the general buffet for breakfast and dinner was good. There was never an issue with the quality of food. We booked an excursion to go ziplining through the mountains which was amazing and well organized. Booking excursions through the hotel was easy and relatively fast since they had many staff there to do it. Overall, it was more of a family oriented resort... but extremely relaxing and fun when you needed it to be (depending on what you are there for). I would definitely recommend it. The beach is extremely close to the rooms and while I've (personally) seen nicer beaches before, it was still pretty decent. We just found there to be a ton of seaweed in the ocean when you'd step out into it from the beach. Either than that, the facilities (washrooms) on the resort were always kept clean. And there seemed to always be activities occurring and music playing. Staff constantly cleaned your room daily and restocked fridge and towels. No issues for us! Very enjoyable vacation. I'd give it a 4/5.

Nice Resort

Grounds were really nice, lush with foliage. Pool was huge. Rooms needed a serious renovation. Al a carte restaurants were great. Unfortunately everyone got sick, (the runs). We also spoke with others at the resort and they also got sick.

I might not return

I did not even get what promised. We are two adults and two kids. We booked for having two queen beds. Not even that, we were only given two double beds . Very little for having paid CAD11000 for two weeks (we have Wi-Fi one hour a day, yes one hour should we would like more is a payable option....unbelievable...

Not what it was last time

Resort was dated (last there in 2000 just after it opened). Air conditioner did not work blew air but not cool air. On first day could not book restaurants until 4th day in but when we did get to restaurant there were 13 tables with people at them and 27 empty. It was that way at all the restaurants that we did get to. Only able to use 3 out of the 5 we paid for. Room not always cleaned. Only local booze, and all whiskey was scotch no rye. No Drambuie or other premium liquor. Beach crowded to ge [... read more]t spot. Entertainment with local girl who screams a lot was not enjoyable. Beach is excellent and water great.

Very Disappointing.

We travelled to Occidental Grand Punta Cana from November 16-23, 2014, as a couple. Our initial impression as we checked in the lobby was that the resort was run down. When we got to the room, this confirmed that the resort was outdated and hardly felt anything like a 4 star. The bathroom was terrible, the bathtub was yellow and stained and the corking was gone. The pools are shallow and not very clean. It was impossible to get good spots at the beach, even if we put our towels at 6am, people j [... read more]ust take them off ( the transat reserved area of the beach is Quebers who stay for weeks and do whatever)!! The buffet is okay, always the same and if you enjoy Kenny G, that's the only cd they play!! We also had to fight to get restaurant bookings, at first we were told there was no reservations available, so we found an Air Transat rep who came with us and somehow spots became available!! The restaurants were good, but we skipped on the Steak house as everyone seems to get sick from eating there. The pizza up on the terrace above the theatre is over rated, but it's still better than the buffet. The Michael Jackson tribute show on Monday night is good!! Overall, this resort is lacking in many areas, we made the best of our trip but we can't lie and recommend even at the rate we got, there are other better options!!

Great resort

The staff was amazing, everyone was sooo friendly. They were not pushy at all for tips like in some other places. The food was beyond what we expected, it was simply delicious. The a la carte restaurants and the breakfast buffet were amazing. The room was a nice size, but the bed wasnt very comfortable. The entertainment at night was also great they had different kinds from dancers to musicians to acrobatics and karaoke. I (22) was travelling with my sister (20 years old) and we hoped there woul [... read more]d be more people our age but i wasnt the case, Most travellers were older couples or families. It is not a party hotel for sure. However there is a club called Mangu 2 steps from the resort, the entrance is free if you're from this hotel. The club was okay. Right outside the resort you can find bars, casinos and gift shops. They are all walking distance. Don't be afraid to walk around its pretty safe.

Barcelo Solimar Nicaragua

Example: What did you think about  this hotel? excelent , but need a life garde for the beach .I saw someone close to draining saved by another client ! (grounds, public areas, rooms, dining, features, etc.)

Very nice and clean resort, just the right size

overall this resort met our expectations, fantastic bartenders, especially Santos at the lobby bar. the resort was kept cleaned daily. Maids also kept our room cleaned. The a-la-carte restaurants were fine, especially the steak house

Great beach

Resort was great for my first time on an all inclusive resort. Staff was very friendly. The beach was gteat and had wonderful white sand. Guest services was very helpful as well. Tge sports barwas great and regularly showed NFL games in english.

Not bad, could be better!

should have listened to the trip central agent, mind you not bad, but could be better. Service could be a lot better. Grounds are very nice and clean. Food options are numerous especially the buffet, yummm! Mexican was great, didnt try steak house but chinese was ok, italian was notch above ok. We told them we were on honeymoon, no special treatment, others had banners on their door maybe they paid for a honeymoon package! building 23 is the best, in the middle so closer to everything between fo [... read more]od, beach and steps from entertainment. Mangu was nice, service at mangu sucks especially the bar tenders snobby! music is only spanish! no one knows how to speak english on the entire resort! language a big problem. beach was ok to good, day before we left, there was a ton of sea weed that was not cleaned up but they werent the only ones who didnt. tons of bars around, never too far from anything at least if your in building 23. Entertainment was ok to good, they were making an effort to entertain. overall nothing spectacular but i guess it is what you pay for. Nothing bad to complain about really. But definitely not 4+ stars. Bring your own conditioner they only have body wash and shampoo!!! and bring bug repellent for some reason we were incredibly itchy the entire time, and didnt see any mosquitoes only occasionally so not sure why, unless there were bed bugs but not confirmed. Will try Bahia Principe if I go back to punta cana. Preference club no special treatment!

Great Resort!

Overall the resort is great! The food, beach and service are wonderful. The only complaint I have is that they don't have enough beach towels available and there are too many hecklers always trying to sell you something. Other than that it's great!

Nice resort

I went to Punta Cana to celebrate my birthday. The resort was nice food was good, the only problem was my room. Not cleaned properly at all when I checked. Ceiling in bathroom was leaking. Balcony door was really hard to open and the maid stole my blouse from my suitcase. I voiced my opinion politely but nobody cares. I never saw my maid at all to ask her about my blouse, I guess she was hiding. I will never go back to an Occidental resort again. I guess from now on I need to lock my suitcase wh [... read more]ile on vacation.

Relaxing day at the beach

We really liked this hotel. We were there just to relax at the beach and didn't take in any nightlife.the only downside was that there was a youth travel group there at the same time,second week of March,and they were everywhere day and night. We stayed at the beach and were not bothered but opted to head to our room after a late dinner to relax . Loved the room, top floor has very high ceilings!

Good resort

Very nice resort, buffet had a lot of variety. Rooms were nice. My only complain is the AC didn't work in our room, hotel was quick to accommodate and gave us another room but unfortunately it didn't work in the second room either. In the end we were upgraded to ocean view room and it was beautiful with a working AC. This is nice resort it has it's issues but the staff is super accommodating. Joanna at guest services was amazing!! If you want to get your nails done for under $10 go see her. Raym [... read more]ond at the swim up bar makes amazing drinks!

Spotless Resort

Beautiful beaches, Friendly staff, very clean resort. Some of the rooms were a little dated but still spotless. Food choices were good. Lots of activities for all ages. Night time entertainment was always enjoyable.

Wonderful resort

The grounds were well kept, rooms were clean, food was great. The staff was friendly and courteous. The night life was happening. The disco and shops were great. We enjoyed all of our outings. The beach was well kept.