Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Great resort

Great time, buffet was always hard to get a clean table, had a great server on the night shift though always tried to get a table for us as we were a group of 10 Food is great and always a great selection would recommend this resort

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Just OK

Grounds were clean, rooms were clean, impossible to get chairs by the pool unless you were one that saved them before 6:00 am. Beach was not great, lots of corral made it difficult to go in the water. A - la- carte restaurant food was not very good. Japanese was the only one we found that everyone enjoyed. We were a party of 10 and I would not go back.

Casa Marina Reef Resort: Average Resort

This hotel is dated however the rooms were clean. The bathrooms in the room were good there was water pressure and toilets worked well. The fridge was stocked daily. The pool was good the food was good there could have been more lounge chairs you just had to get them early. The downfall is the bars....they are too far away from everything, so if you wanted to get a drink you had a fair hike to get to the bar. The beach is crowed because its a very small beach. Overall it was great weather  [... read more]and a very relaxing vacation.

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: Great Value

We have been to Dominican Republic 20 times so this review has a good data base for comparison. If you are mobility challenged this is not the resort for you. There are a lot of stairs but if you like a little exercise after a great buffet then the value at this resort if fantastic. Food was good each night at the buffet and the Asian Grouper is the best I have ever had. Staff are friendly and like any other place there are good ones and bad ones,once you find a server that's good look for him [... read more]/her tip and the service is fantastic. Shuttle takes to "lifestyle" resort next to Confresi with is very nice but some areas are VIP owners only still a nice place to see. We are planning next year to return.

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: Not 'All' inclusive resort is a disappointment

The people in the Dominican are lovely, and most of the staff was friendly. This was our third trip to the DR, and this place was a disappointment My wife and I traveled with our three sons aged 26, 20 and 17. Our vacation was wonderful as a time of being together with my family, and we made great memories together. Breakfasts were very good for selection and freshness. Mexican restaurant was the best, with all of us loving our meals there. Indo-China restaurant was very good Moonlight res [... read more]taurant was also a nice dinner for all. The one we wanted, the Brazilian was unavailable. It was booked full, yet had several empty tables when we looked in. The last night on Monday, dinner was very limited in selection and very unpleasant; we ate little and were hungry. Another item since we were traveling with young men was the lack of snack options. When the restaurants close there is nothing to eat anywhere. If the bars are open, why not have food available? I also wanted to bring to your attention the lack of activities available to us at the resort. When some of us went to try our skills at archery, we were told to go to guest services to get a ticket at extra cost. The upgrade to do archery, or any of the activities, was $20/day/person with no guarantee of availability. This was one of the items which were definitely promoted as inclusive. We then went to the Air Transat Representative ‘Freddy’ who recognized that the website did clearly show archery as inclusive, but he could not help. We then approached the staff of the resort at guest services and were summarily dismissed being told “it is not included and our agency was mistaken”. We were very disappointed as this was one of the items that was most interesting to our family, having remarked about it before we booked. I corresponded with Air Transat about this and got a reply. They copied the website slide showing the inclusion on the website, in their response email. I even showed the email from Air Transat to the staff and they said it was not their responsibility to maintain the tour company's website. Several requests for service on our sons room AC were left unmet. Their room was hot and humid for the last 4 nights. No screen to keep out mosquitoes so the door remained shut. Our room’s AC was in need of maintenance as well as the intake filter was plugged allowing very little circulation of air which meant that the air that did come out the vent was very cold but almost no volume. Bathroom ceiling always dripping from condensation (I hope) Probably the most unpleasant experience was the septic system. The sign at the toilet paper rolls told us to dispose of soiled toilet paper in the waste basket beside the toilet, as the system cannot process the paper. This was accompanied by the smell of the septic system which was apparent throughout the 200 series of buildings and beyond. We have all been suffering from Montezuma’s revenge since our second last day as well. We will not be returning to this resort again, although we will return to the Dominican Republic.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Not what I expected

I felt miss lead on this vacation. Was told we would have king size bed, didn't have one, was told safe in all rooms. Yes, there is put it is an additional cost and a key lock not a touch code. Even when I purchased the key to our room safe, I was told by the front desk staff they could not guarantee me somebody else (the staff) couldn't get into the safe. Not as friendly staff as I have experienced from this chain of resorts . Older resort needs some upgrading.

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Good resort

If you are looking for huge rooms and marble everywhere, this isn't the place. but if you want great beach, clean rooms and a good variety of food for a good price then this is the place. We stayed for 10 days starting on the 17th of February and were impressed with this resort. Smaller resort everything close, very friendly staff. Having stayed in some that you need a trolley ride to the beach this one was perfect. From our room which was in building 7 near the spa it was less then a 5  [... read more]minute walk to the beach or the main lobby. One thing odd was the mini fridge wasn't restocked. Not a big thing but nice when it is.

Lifestyle Tropical Beach Resort: Did not enjoy our week....felt like we were at the bottem of the status/hierarchy line

Rooms were non functional old and used had to call to repair..showers, unlocked patio door, room air etc. Meals were excellent.....pool area very noisy boom boom music all the time not a restful or peaceful vacation

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Very nice resort but poor snorkelling at the beach

The resort is very nice and the staff are very friendly! The food is fresh and tasty! The bus ride is a bit longer from the airport (1.5 hours) but you get to see the real life of Dominicans thru the small towns on the way to the resort! The resort itself is quite big, you have to walk a lot! The beach is a long one but the sand is not white and fine like Cuba's. There is no fish to see when you snorkel in the beach area! You have to join the excursion to enjoy better snorkelling! If the reso [... read more]rt had a better beach, I would give it a solid 4 stars. Nevertheless, we had a good time during our stay!

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: Great vacation

We just got back from our honeymoon at this resort, and for the most part everything was great. Grounds: great landscaping, beautiful plants and flowers and very clean. when we booked, we thought it was a smaller resort, not realizing it is in the middle of a giant time-share-esque property. We took the tour just for kicks and after that, no one really bugged us for anything. There are, of course, guys selling stuff on the beach, but they were pretty low key. Room: We had a Junior Suite, Oce [... read more]an View...I guess building 40 technically has an Ocean view; we could see some water over the roof of the restaurant in front of us. This truly had no negative bearing on our enjoyment, however. The bathroom was very nice, bed was comfortable, lots of closet and drawer space. minor complaints; 1.This resort does not keep your in room fridge stocked with drinks. They had 3 beers, 1 pepsi and a 7-up in there as a "welcome gift". This is the first resort I've ever been to that does this, and I found it cheap and disappointing. 2. We had to rent the lock and key for the in room safe. Again, this is not a big deal, it was only $3/day, but seriously?? I found this to be also, cheap and kind of silly. Restaurants: Not as large a selection as some of the other resorts I've been too, but every selection was very tasty and well prepared. All the a la cartes were great too. Beach; the beach was super fun and very nice. The VIP beach area was also excellent if you could get a bed. We enjoyed the shops on the beach, the puppies, and everything else down there. Bars; The VIP bar, swim up pool bars and disco were all quite good. Drink quality is better in the VIP area (planned that way, i assume). One thing I liked, was that, although the bar staff was happy if you tipped them, I never got the feeling that it was expected every time, or that they were only serving the big tippers. Juana, Henry and waitress Raquel were our favorites. One thing I found odd and annoying was how difficult it was to spend money there. I know that sounds weird, but follow me... We wanted to buy a nice bottle of wine at the first a la carte and were informed that there is no wine list and no options to purchase any. We found out much later in the week that we could buy a bottle at duty free and bring it with us. This is the first place I've ever been to like this. Then there is the bank machine issue...they only give domincan dollars...no option for American. Then, on two occasions, 2 ATMs were not working. Again, none of this ruined our vacation or anything, but it's just annoying stuff. BIGGEST COMPLAINT: This was our honeymoon. We contacted the hotel in advance to inform them of this. I asked if there was anything free or even for purchase as far as a honeymoon package. I was told that the Honeymoon package was free, but they could not tell us what it was. I thought we might get a room upgrade, or an extra a la carte, or a discount on spa services...you know...something honeymoon-ish. All we got was a small plate of fruit. Pretty disappointing. All in all, it was a really nice, fun, lovely vacation. I'd give this place a 7.5/10 overall. Puerto Plata in general, impressed us.

Viva Heavens by Wyndham: Pleasant surprise

First of all check in was a breeze,Jose on the front desk was pleasant and proficient ,our luggage was brought to our room within 3 min,the room was spotless, bright and spacious. because we arrived late at night we ordered room service which was delivered in no time.there are 5 restaurants ,we tried five ,the buffet served breakfast nothing special.the Mexican and Blend were excellent the Italian was very good too,this also serves as the lunch beach bar, not bad but the same every day, Pizz [... read more]a Hot dogs burgers fries .bit boring.no waiter service on the beach as advertised.but the staff at the bar were fantastic, the pool bar doubled as the evening bar, staff here were also fantastic , so friendly always a smile . this place could really use a lobby bar, the fact that there isn't would make me not return, the walk to the beach is 3-5 min not bad at all in fact i've walked a lot further at other resorts . beach is fantastic but could use a little more shade.the best part about this resort is definitely the Staff. both animation and wait staff superb, we had staff come and join us for breakfast more than once , a nice touch I thought, I guess it helps them with their English and you with your Spanish. would I go back ? If they changed the menu a little and put in a lobby bar and had the waiter service on the beach maybe yes but as it stands now No

Emotions by Hodelpa Puerto Plata: The worse Resort we have ever been to.

Food was disgusting so we ate off resort most of the time. They kept turning our air conditioning off. Room was not cleaned until as late as after 7pm. Sheets never changed. Bed cover dirty/stained. Furniture broken. Fridge mouldy and bottled water not replaced. There was a fire/generator I believe. No power all night. Public washroom disgusting. No hot water most of the time. Staff saying they had not been paid in over 2 months. Renovating and putting people in rooms with just a bed. B [... read more]eautiful beach but should not be open until they complete reno and open all the facilities listed available.

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: Fair for the money

I got a one week all-inclusive (taxes included) for $1119. This is cheap considering the cost of other resorts for February 2017. I found that our room was clean, the air conditioning worked and the service was very good. There are only two things to note here for anyone considering this resort. First, there is a lot of walking since the resort is built on a hill. Therefore, going from your room to the upper level (lobby) or down to the beach will require some leg strength. Second, while t [... read more]he a-la-carte restaurants are very good, the buffets themselves don't have a lot of variety. All-in-all, a good buy.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Wonderful Bacation!

We really enjoyed the hotel. We thought the rooms were fine and liked the cathedral ceilings and balconies off the rooms. We enjoyed walking the long beach and loved the tradewinds keeping the heat very tolerable. The food was fairly good and lots of variety. We enjoyed the evening performances. The staff were very friendly and helpful and polite and hard working. The ocean water wasn't as clear as we expected and was not great for snorkelling etc.. We were disappointed that there was very poor  [... read more]free wifi connections and as a matter of fact we were unable to connect to the wifi all week. The mini bar in our room was not refilled every day as promised. The sports facilities were adequate but not great. The pool areas were lovely and we liked the open concept layout of the main building. Overall we were very pleased and enjoyed our relaxing vacation.

Casa Marina Reef Resort: beautiful grounds

Loved the pools on the reef, hated that the beach was red flagged until the day before we left. The food was not very good (I had better in Cuba!) The room was basic, but the bed was comfy. Great location!

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: Wondering Time

We had the time of our life, weather was great, food was excellent!!! But beware of the timeshare guys they are very push and try telling you they are only going to show you around the resort since it is so big, but that's not it, they will try everything for you to go with them. Overall was excellent.

Casa Marina Reef Resort: Very enjoyable stay

I found this hotel to be located adequately close to the airport approximately 15 minutes the grounds are quite well kept the pools are stellar the view of the ocean is quite breathtaking from many locations on the grounds the buffets are quite well done the staff on the morning Buffet up near the main desk still make me smile they had to be the most friendly people I met that I found all the stuff quite welcoming I was in one of the more recently renovated rooms, the air conditioner work well , [... read more]the water worked good ,safe available, the bed was quite comfortable the pillows had a little bit to be desired they were big and there was no assortment of Sighs or densities I was on the ground floor I had a patio door walking right out to the pool area the locking mechanisms on most of the patio doors in the Dominican I have found to having not very good locking mechanisms either not locking or still being able to be opened from the outside when locked this hotel was no different now with that said they have Security the grounds 24 hours so the security of your patio door may not be as critical as at some other hotels. As in quite a few locations in the Dominican their pathways are rock with cement it looks very pretty it's not so much fun to walk on if you have any walking difficulties I imagine it would be difficult for a wheelchair to get around as well when it rains you must be very careful walking from one surface to another especially some of the tile that is used on the floors wickedly slippery extremely dangerous and how they can leave it like that I do not understand my suggestion would be simply 3M non-slip tape. I am not holding them to very high standards but I am holding them to Common Sense there is a stairwell that you must go under at the end of the hall outside of I believe 1117 the stairs would be very hard to move the path not as hard. I do not believe I would recommend this hotel for young children or for elderly however I am neither and I will probably go back because I did enjoy myself

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Ok Resort

The Hotel is a little dated but overall it's very clean. The food at the buffet is ok. Many days there were empty bins of food and very slow to bring out more. The biggest issue is the safes are not electronic but a key lock they they said others could have access to that same key. Plus you have to pay 4 dollars a day for it. Funny.....I didn't see that info anywhere on any website. Most of us on the trip did not pay to use it and had to keep our personal items with us all day. Free wifi in t [... read more]he lobby is horrible!

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: Nice Resort

Grounds well groomed ,lovely pool , great walkable beach,renovated rooms large and nice.Food very good except fairly poor in snack bar. We did find the servers in the upscale restaurants to be very efficient and smiling but the buffet and snack bar people were far from congenial and some appeared to care less about the service they were providing.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Fair Resort - starting to show its age.

Food was terrific, staff was very friendly but not very many beach activities i.e. para sailing etc. Beach was not as well kept as I expected. Seaweed problem with no white sand beach as we were lead to believe. We had to pay extra if we wanted a lock for the safe.