Occidental Punta Cana: Occidental Rating? - 5

Okay, we booked a Superior Ocean View Room. Arrived at about 4 pm on Sept 26. Changed clothes, turned A/C down cause room was warm and went to have a drink and dinner with friends. Came back to room at around 9 pm. Floor in front of room door was soaked, roof was dripping, and a freshly installed piece of drywall on the ceiling was saturated with water. I slipped on the floor when I went in. Went to the front desk and complained, #1 Ceiling was leaking condensation from A/C unit in our ro [... read more]om which wasn’t working #2 wet floor was a safety hazard as I had slipped on it People at the front desk told me there was nothing they could do about it tonight And I’d have to wait till tomorrow. I told them it was a safety issue and the A/C not working was unacceptable and I wanted a new room for the night. This argument continued for 2 hours until I got a lady from Guest Services to come and look at it. She called someone and we were moved into another room at 11:30 that night. A huge thank you to Yugeisy Castillo for all of her help! The rest of the week was mediocre. Food was okay but the staff were not serving anyone. Definitely wanted you to get it yourself. DO NOT BOOK THIS PLACE

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Barceló Bávaro Palace: Don’t Be Misled by the 4.7/5 Google Rating

My Personal Rating: 7.5/10 for groups, 7/10 for solo travellers or couples. My opinion: The Barceló Bávaro Palace in Punta Cana presents itself as a 5-star resort with a wide range of amenities, but guests should approach with measured expectations. While the property offers multiple pools, varied dining options, golf courses, kids’ zones, shops, and evening entertainment, it is no longer at its peak. Signs of aging are noticeable, and some facilities have declined in quality. A major draw [... read more]back is overcrowding. The buffet, for example, is extremely busy, which negatively impacts service speed, cleanliness, and food safety. Coordination between the front desk and bellmen is often poor, and at times can even feel disingenuous. For group travelers, the resort’s extensive activities and entertainment options can be enjoyable. However, couples and solo visitors may find the atmosphere too hectic and the service far from personalized. On the positive side, families will appreciate the theater, pools, and child-friendly activities. But the experience is far from the polished luxury one might expect from a high Google rating. The 4.7/5 score online is misleading—this is a large, lively, family-oriented resort that thrives on volume, not on detail or refined service. Here’s my bottom line: It’s a fun, activity-packed option for groups and families, but not the serene, high-end 5-star escape many expect. Balance your expectations before booking.

Royal Hideaway Playacar: Incredible Resort

This resort is absolutely stunning! We were very pleased with the cleanliness of our room, the overall maintenance and care of the grounds and the warm and inviting staff. The food was delicious, restaurants were alway busy. The drinks were well made too. We truly have nothing bad to report!

Occidental Arenas Blancas: Amazing resort

I am a repeat customer at this resort. I was there Sept 13 - 20 and the food, in my opinion, was so much better than the last time I was there in May. The wait staff as well as the front desk staff were great always there to help and same with the wait staff. The location is right downtown Varadero which is a great feature. The rooms are dated and need updates but as ar as cleanliness and the room itself it was great I had no issues with the resort.

Occidental Arenas Blancas: Amazing service.

Very good care, a cordial and respectful treatment, excellent supply and abundance, in all senses, in the breakfast, the amuerzo and the meal. Very attentive staff. Only many mosquitoes at dawn and dusk. I repeat my visit and will recommend this hotel to my friends and family. I am sure to return soon with friends and family.

Barcelo Maya Caribe: Amazing Resort

Everything was fantastic! Clean rooms, wonderful grounds and restaurants were well kept with great service and food. Loved the pools and beach areas! Highly recommend this resort and definitely will return again! Thanks for making our vacation special!

Occidental Arenas Blancas: Don't waste your money

It's the worst hotel on the peninsula. I don't recommend it. The buffet has no air conditioning and all the windows are sealed. Not to mention the terrible food. Be prepared to eat ground beef; that's what they offer every day: fish with tons of bones and chicken bones. The staff does everything in their power to provide you with good service, but the place is ready to be shut down. If you don't want to waste your money, don't go to this hotel.

Barcelo Maya Palace: Great resort

Great property, something for everyone. Very clean, great food options, both alacarte and buffet. Beach ok snorkeling, some sections rocky, good friendly service. Average all inclusive entertainment. Transfers good

Barcelo Maya Palace: Amazing Resort

This is the 2nd time we came to this resort. The experience was even better. Love the resort! Food at a la cart restaurant was amazing, lots of activities you can do in the resort, beach was beautiful and you can swim with sea turtles!

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Barcelo Bavaro Palace

Big hotel, good facilities including SPA. Food is ok, no complaints. Most of the à la carte restaurants are fine. The ocean in August was very warm, but it was also filled with smelly weeds everywhere. People worked every morning to clean it, and we mainly used pools. In my opinion, the staff are friendly, although for a better experience, it would be beneficial to speak Spanish. Overall, it is a positive experience, but the value is overpriced.

Barcelo Maya Caribe: Lovely vacation and resort

We stayed (Mom, Dad and 10yr old) at the Barcelo Maya Grand Caribe last week and had a fantastic time.While we encountered a few annoyances, overall the stay was fantastic and we woud definitely recommend this resort. The grounds are beautiful, lush and well maintained. The ameneties are bountiful, the beach and ocean are lovely, the food is really good and the staff overall are super friendly and responsive. Coming from Canada, in summer, we did not bring closed toe shoes. Sandals ll the  [... read more]way! This proved to be an issue because although the gym is huge, well appointed, the staff would not let me train on a matt with weights or a kettle bell without closed shoes. They let my hsband do so and their sign only says closed toe shoes recommended, but I was spoken to slightly rudely and dismissed. Dissapointing. Shoes were also an issue at the restaurants (other than buffet). We were told that men must wear closed toe shoes (but not women), and were turned away at 2 out of 4 reservations. We were obviously annoyed because people wearing shorts, t-shirts, crocks and what looked like pyjama pants were allowed in. We asked why and were given no reason, just shrugs. Boo. Our toilet kept blocking and our shower was super slow to drain, leaving us in several inches of water by the end of a shower. We contacted the front desk that told us the issue woud be resolved soon. The toilet issue was fixed a few hours later but the shower never got better. Oh well. Staff did gift us free passes to the water slides/surfing wave, which was nice.We had a great day there. Do note that many amenities carry extra charges, but that is totally undertandable. Utimately, attitude is everything and there were many more positives than negatives, so we were happy in the beautiful Mexican sun and sleeping in super comfy beds.

Occidental Papagayo: Good laid back hotel

This resort was exactly what we needed - laid back atmosphere, nice beach, good food, light entertainment and great weather. Resort has beach in the bay area , so there are low and high tide and beach is getting wider and narrow , but we were able to swim and snorkel. Long beach is good for walks, but have water shoes as some areas have sharp stones(also can purchase in little store at the resort). There were no mosquitoes ? and flies, couple times towards evening we had rain but still we had  [... read more]the whole day to enjoy the beach, they have plenty sun-beds and shade under the trees. Rooms were cleaned every day and we had free supplies of 2 water bottles, 2 beers, 1 Coca-Cola and 1 Sprite. Keep in mind in the evening there are raccoons checking garbage outside. People are very friendly and eager to help with any question you have. There are many steps in the resort, so ask for rooms in buildings 1 or 2(it is close to dining and pool area) if walking is a problem. Would recommend this place to friends - it is a good value for money.

Barcelo Maya Tropical: Amazing resort!!!

beautiful property! great amenities! Food was awesome! Rooms were adequate. We are Seniors and would have very much appreciated shuttles to the pools buffets etc. But was managable! Only complaint and its a very small one-the pool water was way too warm and would have welcomed an infusion of cold water to the pool waters. was a bathtub! Beaches are beautiful and the staff at the Barcelo were so awesome!

Barcelo Maya Palace: Our favourite place

We keep coming back to Barcelo Palace. Tried many other resourts as well....but this is the one we like! Amazing staff, food, restaurants and turtles ? The hotel does a great job with cleaning seaweed too !

Barcelo Maya Palace: Fantastic family resort

Beautiful resort with immaculate grounds and beautiful beach. Staff never stopped working to maintain the grounds. Bar and wait staff were fast and efficient. The food was delicious, and had choices for even the pickiest eaters. The kids buffet was a hit for our kids! The kids club was welcoming and had awesome activities every hour. Room was spacious, clean and quiet! Can’t wait to go back!

Barcelo Maya Palace: Great Resort

What a great place, beautifully maintained.very quick to fix any issues. Food was excellent, from the buffet to the alacarte restaurants, not a complaint. And as someone with a severely food allergy that is saying a lot. Lots to do, and no pressure if you wanted to just relax.

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY – COMPLETE DISAPPOINTMENT AT A “5-STAR” RESORT

I recently stayed at Barceló Maya Beach Resort for a 3-day trip, and it was an absolute disaster from the moment we checked in. I booked this resort based on the glowing 4.7-star reviews and the fact that it’s listed as a 5-star hotel on Google. That rating is completely misleading – I now believe many of those reviews must be fake. This trip was meant to be a special celebration for my friend’s birthday. Instead, it turned into a frustrating, poorly managed experience. Here’s why: • Terrib [... read more]le Transportation: No buggies available anywhere. The only shuttle bus between lobbies runs every 25 minutes, making it extremely inconvenient just to move around the resort. • Faulty Air Conditioning: Our room was hot and uncomfortable. Even after multiple complaints, nothing was done. • Staff Don’t Act on Issues: While the staff were polite, they consistently failed to take action. It felt like we were just being pacified and ignored. • The Food is a Joke: For a resort in Mexico, there was no authentic Mexican food. No tacos. No spice. No flavor. Just bland, low-quality buffet food. The “all-inclusive” option is misleading — it covers only buffet and snack bars. Most à la carte restaurants are paid, and even the paid ones were awful. • Birthday Ruined: I had arranged a birthday cake and wine through guest services, and they assured us the cake would be delivered to our room at 7 PM. We waited. No one came. At 8 PM we called to check, and they casually said the request wasn’t valid because it wasn’t made 24 hours in advance — even though they confirmed it themselves earlier! Totally unacceptable. • Beach Was Dirty: The beach was a huge letdown. It looked beautiful in the photos, but in reality, it was not clean. There were strange red deposits all along the shore – not sure what it was, but it made the water look uninviting and the experience unpleasant. • Pool Bar Chaos: The pool bar had only two staff members serving a huge crowd. We had to wait over 15 minutes just to get a drink. On a hot vacation day, that’s the last thing anyone wants. • The Only Good Thing – Spa: The spa was the only part of this resort that met expectations. Clean, professional, relaxing. Everything else was below 2-star quality. This place does not deserve a 4.7-star rating. If you’re considering it for a special occasion, please look elsewhere. I wouldn’t go back here even for free.

Occidental Punta Cana: Great Property

Just came back from DR after a trip for my son's 18th birthday. The weather was fantastic, the resort was clean, had numerous pools and comfortable beds in nice cool rooms. The buffet food was fresh and tasty and thankfully featured local foods also. The one entertainment show i watched had lively and energetic performers. Only letdown, of all things, was the seafood restaurant. Otherwise beach was beautiful, but unfortunately filled with seaweed, so we couldn't fully enjoy it. Best part was def [... read more]initely the dune buggies.

Occidental Punta Cana: Amazing Resort

Rooms were newly renovated staff was very nice, very good listener to any of our concerns, I would recommend this resort for all ages, every facility was very nice Very clean on regular basis Grounds, pools were perfectly clean Food was my favourite All day activities for all ages Excellent beach.

Barcelo Solymar: Be aware . Pictures doesn't mean always reflectsThousand words!!

Hotel :Barcelo SolyMar - Varadero Update :End of May/2025 Stay: 7 days Room: Upgraded Ocean View My feedback is not about what Pictures show: the Beach,how Close to shopping or Entertaiments is an opinion about the Resort itself. For such a large list of conveniences ,no locations are provided on arrival,instead Discover at own time. Reception was approached 4 consecutives days for : Room Service: Private Ocean View Balcony: Heavy Sliding Door with no Exterior handle making it ver [... read more]y hard to operate . Minibar: No existance Mini Fridge: for storage of Fresh daily bottle of water provided. Flatscreen TV: Poor Quality images if any. Just 1 Bottle of Water Housekeeping : Bed Sheets:Don't get replaced same for Toilet Paper unless you ask often. Faucets partially blocked providing minimum water pressure. Facilities: Elevators Stoped working mecanically for 3 out of 7 days.The use of Stairs denoted "loose" glass-metal railings,unsafe to lean .They were aware of this too but un-resolved Service: for " A la Carte" Meal reservation , only 1 hr per day provided to make reservations,if you miss out ,choice for Buffet : Here is were Services stand out: for 3 days we did not know of other places but the one across from Reception ( no others were disclosed to us) we hardly found kindness and quality of basic services,unless.... you Tiped ! Once seated with food on the table: delayed Utensils,Napkins, Water or Juice ;Wines & Drinks are diluted too. Not a pleasant experience,since Management didn't acknowledge our concers and Act on them. Does it really Feels they care ?? Name withheld.