My experience

Clean, well kept resort. Average room for resorts. Food was well prepared and good variety, even for vegetarians or those with limited diets. Tasty, hot meals. Specialty restaurants were good, especially the Octopus ! That is not to be missed. We took advantage of the Vintage Club with our upgrade. They were excellent to deal with, lattes, bar, canapés, and additional features. Entertainment was o.k with two special shows. I’d definitely go back there.

Great resort

All was very good, from the food, resort, beaches, clean rooms, staff. We would definitely go back again. There are lots of excursions you can book at the resort and they are all very good and well planned from pick up to drop off.

Nice relaxing trip

We recently returned from our vacation and totally enjoyed ourselves. This resort is very clean and well maintained even though it's a bit older. Our first room was on the 1st floor by the quiet pool and was nice enough, except it faced a fence with a road and staff parking lot on the other side. Idling diesel buses and loud chattering staff made it noisy, smelly and just not very pleasant on the terrace (if you dont sit out much, it wouldn't matter as the room itself was quiet enough). I requ [... read more]ested a room change and once they determined what was available the next day, they were very accomodating and moved us to a ground floor room that was the pretty much the same, but with the terrace facing a nice quiet courtyard. The buffet was very good, so we didnt even try any a la carte restaurants, and we didnt miss it. There was always a good variety so there was always something even if you're picky. The grill at the beach bar was a nice option for a burger at lunch and the fried chicken was really good! The pool areas and bars were very nice and clean, it wasn't bad at the beginning of the week, but as it got busier closer to the weekend, it became harder to find chairs at the pool since we aren't early risers (the typical towels on chairs all day with no one there was a bit annoying but it happens everywhere), but the occasional mid day shower cleared a few out. We didn't have any problem finding one at the beach. There were plenty of vendors on the beach, but they were respectful if you said no and we didnt find them bothersome at all. We did two excursions; first was the VIP cruise to Paradise island which was fantastic. Second we did the monkey jungle that was part of the zip lining excursion (we opted out of that part which was no problem, we just paid the child price). Had lots of fun with the monkeys, but we hoped we would be interacting with more than one type (the squirrel monkeys were very adorable though). Overall, this resort gets a solid 4 star review from us as a great resort for the price, not quite a 5 star but perfectly comfortable, good value and well maintained. We would consider returning.

Great Resort!

We were pleased with the Gran Ventana right from our arrival to the day we left. The grounds are beautiful, and all of the facilities and grounds were constantly being maintained and cleaned. The beach was beautiful! The staff were all very friendly and efficient, and the food was excellent. We would gladly go back, and we would recommend it to our friends. Excellente!

Amazing Vacation!

This was the first time we took the kids on a vacation like this. The resort was a perfect destination for our family of 5 (kids are 9, 9 and 14). Check in was quick and chef came up to us and asked if we wanted to eat as the restaurant was closing soon. Very thoughtful service. We had joining rooms as requested. There was an issue with the original rooms however Hotel switched us out right away. Rooms ended up being separate that night however we just wanted to sleep. The next morning the h [... read more]otel set us up in new joining rooms that were perfect for us. One room had king bed and other room had 2 double beds for the kids. Rooms were very clean and appeared to be renovated. We were in the Saona building. The food at this resort is respectable. Something for everyone. Very much enjoyed the fresh fruit selection. We are at all 3 al la carte restaurants. The Octopus restaurant was the menu I enjoyed the most. The Italian restaurant is ok and the Ocean Grill meals were hearty. The ribs were decent at the Ocean Grill. The snack bar in the afternoon was ok. Nacho’s, burgers, hot dogs and fried chicken. The fried chicken was a nice treat as it’s not something I would eat at home. The desert selection at the resort is weak. The kids enjoyed it though. If they elevated the al la carte dessert offerings the guest experience would be enhanced. The entertainment was not the best however it made us all laugh at how bad it was. Created some great memories. If they could clean that part up i am sure guests would appreciate it. The main pool was enjoyed by all of us. We liked that this area was not massive. We were able to watch the kids from all areas. It gave them the freedom to run around. It felt very safe. The pool activities were fun. I really enjoyed the pool volleyball everyday. Mr. Chocolate kept the energy high for the games. He was a favourite of all the family. He is the perfect hype man for the resort We decided to try the upgraded services for the last 3 days. We upgraded to the premium package . This is something we truly enjoyed. The liquor selection in the Vinatage club was much better quality. I really enjoyed going there for pre dinner and after dinner drinks. Laura our concierge once we upgraded was wonderful. She is so kind and very sincere. My wife and I loved her. The private beach area available with the upgraded service package was enjoyed by all of us. Service on the beach was nice. Beach chairs very comfortable. Lots of vendors on the beach. They approach you however a simple no thank you and they leave you alone. They were all very polite and not too intrusive. We also appreciated the turn down service in our rooms with Kisses left on the fresh towels each night. Overall this was a perfect vacation for our family. We are already looking forward to going back!

Awesome Vacation & Resort

The VH Gran Ventana is a beautiful resort. We stayed there from Jan 27 to Feb 2 and have not one negative thing to say about our stay. From the moment we arrived and checked in to the moment we left our stay was filled with delicious food, friendly staff and lively entertainment. The hotel lobby is fresh, airy and elegantly decorated. Our room was on the 2nd floor of the Soana building. Ours was an inner room facing the wedding gazebo and a small ocean view. The palm trees and dune obscure  [... read more]the ocean view somewhat but you can hear it and we were treated to a couple of wedding events so that was cool. The room was quiet - far enough away from the entertainment area but close to the pool and a short walk to the beach. The room was well appointed with a king bed, a flat screen, chair and private balcony facing the wedding gazebo. The bathroom was quite big and had a full tub/shower - a nice size sink to put your stuff on and plenty of room to move around. The AC was cold and everything was clean and tidy. There was a small water line break that happened while we were there but the staff managed it well I thought. I heard lots of moaning and groaning over it but that sort of thing could happen anywhere and the staff got things sorted and up and running as quickly as they could. That did not at all damper my experience at the VH and I am only adding it here because undoubtedly someone will base their review on that one thing - and a person needs to get the whole picture...so read on.... 😉 The food was DELICIOUS! I honestly was worried because I had read reviews of other places in the DR where the food was not so great, but I am happy to say that is not the case at the VH! We ate mostly at the Buffet for our meals simply out of convenience, but the food was always really good and there was lots of variety. We ate at 2 a la carts: the Italian and the ocean grill - both were fantastic! The beach and pool are really nice. There are 2 pools - one is the quiet pool and if you go there, the bar is great - Juan will hook you up with something yummy! We mostly stayed at the main pool though because it was close to our room. It’s big and with a swim up bar, why leave? LOL The staff at all the bars were excellent and I have to say they have fantastic memories because they just knew what we wanted. The beach is so nice and so clean. There are many coral reefs on the Playa Dorada stretch and snorkelling is a must. The fish are a delight to see and the swimming is spectacular! There was something to do EVERYDAY! From the fun stuff the staff did at the pool to Zumba at the pool and at the beach, to the evening entertainment of dancers and the human dragon (peaked your interest there didn’t I?) I feel like I have left something out but this review is probably long enough already, so I will sum it up by simply saying that I absolutely LOVED my experience at the VH Gran Ventana and I cannot wait to go again next year!

A repeat visit that we won't be doing again!

After wrangling with them after 2 days we got into a lovely and appropriate junior suite. The building to which we were originally assigned flooded later in the week. The last two days there was either only cold water or no water with toilets backed up. On the day we were leaving the heavens opened and we felt so sorry for those arriving as their rooms could not be made ready for them as there was no running water and the toilets were awful everywhere. Our remote for the TV disappeared and [... read more] couldn't be found or replaced The quality of food in the restaurants was not as good as remembered

VERY RELAXING RESORT

From the time we arrived at this resort we could see the grounds and beach were kept very clean. Every morning there was staff cleaning floors and walkways with soap and scrub brooms on occasion. We also witnessed staff pruning trees and walkway bushes along with daily sand removal from the beach walkway. We only had our meals in the buffet which had amazing variety but also plenty of foods to cover most appetites although there are Al la carts that are very good from talking with some people  [... read more]that did use them. I was impressed how many people could go through the buffet at breakfast and supper. You may have to wait a few minutes for an extra coffee or tea with your meal but as soon as you sit down, there is somebody there very quick with water and asking if you would like a beverage. I had no complaints about eating at this buffet and feel for the traffic that goes through, they do an amazing job keeping up. I thought the beach was very well kept and did see employees cleaning very regular along with cleaning seaweed or grasses that will come up on shore with the waves or tide. I was very happy to be able to snorkel right off the beach and didn't require going on an excursion which allows you to go at your convenience and not on a schedule. The grounds are not very large so you can walk from the far building which has a quiet pool/bar to the ocean in a few minutes. The quiet pool and the beach are far more relaxing but if you want some music or be entertained with a more party atmosphere, the main pool is the place to be. The staff at this resort are very good and after talking with several of them seem to be long time employees which is a good thing in my opinion. We were very pleased with this resort and would go back for sure.

Family friendly

Very clean, everything is so close, great food, day entertainment was good but night time could use some better events. Not crowded and staff very good and friendly, speak good English. Beautiful views of ocean from a lot of the rooms.

Just OK

The grounds are very nice. The food was decent at the buffets. The staff work very hard serving coffee wine and water. The Ocean Grill and Octopus restaurants were very good. Had sea bass and surf and turf that was really good. Did not enjoy the Italian restaurant though. Had pork cutlets with marsala sauce and they were very hard to cut and were not tender. I guess I should have complained at the time. We had a noisy room overlooking the pool. When we stayed there before we had a quiet r [... read more]oom that overlooked the grassy area which was more suited to us. I also must say that the drinks were terrible. I don't think I had anything that I really enjoyed.

Amazing resort

Tres bon service. le personnel est a notre ecoute. L endroit tres propre n. Nouriture tres bon et beaucoup de choix. Les seveurs nous reconnaisaient apres 2 jours et encore plus apres 1 ans. Tres belle accueille.

Great resort, small and close to pool, beach and restaurants

This is my 3rd. Visit and it gets better each time. Great food, really clean and amazing staff.. The upgrade to superior premium is well worth the extra. Private beach with waiter service, Vintage club all day with great assorted coffees and snacks, and speciality cocktails. Also all a la carte dinners booked right there. Also free wi fi. Fresh white beach towels brought to room daily with candie kisses. We were cared with lots of love.

Excellent Value for the price paid. Loved our 9th visit!

Hotel: Love the layout, it is compact and within 5 minutes you can be from the lobby, main pool, your room and to the beach. Rooms are very clean. There are 3 floors (and I believe a 4th floor in one area) and no elevator, so if you need the main floor, email prior to going and request it. There is a small fridge, and you get one pespi, 7up, water and 2 cans of beer each day (they have Diet Pespi at the bars). There is no coffee maker and there is a hair dryer in bathroom. There are only 2 [... read more] small drawers and a few shelves for your clothing. They do have some hangers in the closet, but I bring my own for all my tops/dresses. Maids do a great job in cleaning each day. Food: We love the food here and that is why we returned for our 9th visit. (and going back again in April). The buffet food has lots of variety (and yes, it will feel repetitive, buy only because they offer lots of options). We enjoy all 3 of the al la carts. We book them upon arrival for as many nights is available. If you struggle to get into one, you can always go to the restaurant at night to check and see if they have had any cancellations (which happens often) to see if they can take you. They provide excellent service and food at all 3 of them. The main buffet has really good service as well (There is always a manger on site who is overseeing the staff to make sure you are getting your water/tea/coffee). You have to keep in mind that on really busy times of the day you may have to wait a little longer to get your table and service, which is understandable. Drinks: We do not buy the “royal” package; therefore, the alcohol is not premium, however we enjoy the drinks here. All the bartenders are very pleasant and will mix any type of drinks if you don’t see it on the menu. Its nice they have the blenders, so they can make those blender drinks for you as well. Beach: yes, there are lots of venders on the beach. Some people are annoyed by them to the point of not wanting to come back, while others, like us have gotten to know them over the years. I get a massage from Anna, nails done by Lilly and my silver jewelry with Pedro everytime…lol. My husband loves to sit and chat with the most of the vendors who are generally nice people. The beach itself is always kept clean. There are areas in front that have coral and if you bring your snorkel/mask, you will love to see the coral and fish. We love that you can walk long distances on either sides of the beach and not limited to just the resort. There was a lot of wind and some rain when we went, and that makes a difference in that the water was not as clear as the sand gets stirred up. If you walk along the beach I think you will find that this resort is the calmer side and much cleaner. Entertainment: The entertainment team work very hard and we recognize that based on the amount of money we spend to go here we don’t expect that they bring in outside entertainment. Remember that there is no disco on site (one just outside the resort at the mall where you buy your own drinks). But people tend to just stay around the lobby and drink after the evening shows. Service: It is the service and food that brings us back to this resort. We did have one issue with one of our rooms and although we called maintenance twice, they could not figure where the water was leaking from. By the third time, they figured it out and offered to move the group to an even nicer room to make up for the inconvenience. So many of the staff go above and beyond and too many to name…. The only improvement I would recommend is having more umbrellas (especially around the pools). If they had umbrellas between every set of chairs, that would eliminate the people playing the towel/reserving game. So frustrating that when you want to come back from the beach in the afternoon, that you cannot find shade anywhere by the pool. Tipping- Some may say that we only receive excellent service because we tip a lot, but we actually tip when we have received good service. A tip goes a long way for them, and they truly appreciate it. We tend to book this resort when the price is $1000 or less (from Toronto) and we feel for the price paid, it is excellent value. (Keep in mind that if your looking for under$ 1000, the only options are usually Cuba and Puerta Plata for a 4 star). We have travelled to many resorts and keep coming back to this one for the excellent value for the amount paid. See you in April!! 😊

Great place

the nite music is far to loud lots of french who leave their manners at home finger in the soup then their mouth sorting the bacon with their hands then into their mouth lick clean and repeat arrive at d r airport behind 2 other planes 45 min to clear customs then sit on a bus in the parking lot for 40 min waiting to fill bus

Had a great time!!

We had a great time at the resort. Everything was always very clean and the staff were incredibly accommodating. The beach was great! The water just depends on the weather of course but regardless it was great for swimming, very clean. Juan, the bartender at the tiki bar, was our favourite of the staff!! He is so friendly and his drinks were always perfect!! We would come back just for Juan!!

Great Resort for Value Minded Travelers

After doing much research on where to get a decent resort at a reasonable price - VH Vantana was the winner and we were not disappointed. We were able to book 14 days for $1550 Canadian for first 2 weeks January. We arrived from the airport in good time - hotel being 25 minutes from the airport. We had requested rooms side by side with friends on upper floor. Unfortunately, the ones assigned were facing the noisy entertainment square- but after 2 more tries, we got a great superior room fac [... read more]ing beach trees on ocean side- thanks Edward. We got room 2228 - convenient to beach - pool and restaurants with an ocean view - and when it rained, we could walk under cover to entertainment- restaurant and lobby. Beds and pillows were comfortable. The resort is about 30 years old which would make a lot of people shy away from it - but management takes good care of the property - so there were not too many issues even though water went off for a few hours one day - power went off another day momentary - and rooms needed to be sprayed with pesticide while we were there Age shows in some areas but management tries hard to keep things in order. The food was very good - 3 a-la-carte restaurants. Restaurants have a good selection without too many frills and extras - but there something for everyone. I must say that the red table wine was terrible - many glasses were left on tables. And they want to sell you bottles of wines in many places for double the price you pay in Canada. They also need a better sports bar – they only had 1 TV ny the pool bar. The service was slow at times at the pool bar - due to volume. The entertainment group tried hard but it was terrible 90% of the time. The water ballet was ok and the Karaoke was funny. The local’s pedlars do roam the beach but that didn’t bother us much. The beach was very nice and lounge chairs were available most times. If you like walking – the beach cove is a great walk both ways with lots of natural habitat to explore. We met many people that where repeat customers- so this place has something going for it and we loved it as well. It’s not the biggest or fanciest resort we’ve been to - and the ocean can be rough at times - but the size of the resort was perfect and the people and staff very friendly. This resort appeals to young families- singles and retirees as well. I figure that 75% of the customers were Canadian – no wonder it’s a friendly crowd 😊 We’ll probably return if the price is right.

Highly Recommend!

This resort delivered more than expected! The food was incredibly delicious, not just for resort food! My party of friends was delighted at each meal, which was always varied. The grounds are well laid out and nothing is far away - very short walk to the beach, restaurants, pool - all very convenient. The staff are all very lovely, helpful, and fun, and the resort itself is also located a 5-minute walk to a local mall where you can buy souvenirs, services, and conveniences. I went with two  [... read more]girlfriends, and we had a great time, but there were also couples of all ages, families, and many different types of groups on the resort, all enjoying the amenities. I would recommend this resort for anyone looking for a basic all-inclusive vacation to the Dominican Republic!

Great Resort

My second time visiting VH Gran Ventana. I really love the location. It's got a great beach. The staff are always cleaning and maintaining the grounds and facilities. The people are really nice. It is a great resort for older people as the pool, beach and restaurants are relatively close together. The food is good, although the a la carte restaurants aren't as good as they used to be. On my first visit in 2011 I was impressed by a la carte's not so much this time. The room was clean and we had a [... read more] view of the water which was nice as we were on the ground floor. I prefer a much lighter bed cover, ours was very physically heavy and I found it difficult to get comfortable. They had entertainment every night but it was repetitive and can use improving. I would visit again. Location, beach, people and food made for a great vacation.

Enjoyable Stay

We liked the VH Gran Ventana. The food was excellent. The grounds were well taken care of and cleanliness was a priority. The beach was amazing and prime snorkelling only steps away. We were ANNOYED by the vendors on the beach. Perhaps a Market or them coming to the resort at a scheduled time to sell their goods would more appreciated by vacationers. More bar tenders are definitely required at all locations to speed up the service. Chilled pop and blenders would make better drinks! We purchas [... read more]ed the Premium package upgrade. We did not like that you had to remain in that room to consume premium drinks. Your bracelet should allow you to get premium liquor at all bars. The furniture in the premium area needs to be upgraded. The couches were disgusting. People should not be permitted to save beach and pool loungers when they are not present to use them. Often by 8 AM all the loungers were occupied by towels not people. New Year’s Eve Bash was FABULOUS. Overall we had a very enjoyable stay and are even talking about returning in March. The drawing card is the beach, food and snorkelling.

Old but nice!!

excellent value for money. old resort but well maintained and pleasant staff. near convenience ! I recommand this resort for familly and couple not really for single !