Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Bahia Principe Punta Cana

The hotel rooms, grounds, swimming pools, entertainment facilities, beach and grounds keeping were wonderfully kept and plentiful. The foods at the buffets were plentiful and offered many choices. The largest disappointment was with the large number of registered guests greatly outnumbering the available space and facilities to a point that long lines occurred for seating at meals, dinner plates were unavailable until kitchen could retrieve in used plates for washing for guests awaiting dinnerw [... read more]are and cutlery after waiting in long lines to access the room and be fortunate enough to find a vacant table even if still soiled. The lounge chairs around the pools were plentiful however were greatly outnumbered by the amount of guests trying to obtain one. The amount of shade available around pools was sparse and as such lounge chairs were in most parts subject to far to much sun. The beach area was always overcrowded with people trying to find space with an unoccupied lounge chair. The ocean was usually quite rough as it is open to the full sea.

Ocean Blue and Sand: Overall very good resort showing it's age as a 4+ star.

The property is meticulously clean and well maintained and the staff work hard to ensure you have a pleasant time. Beach is cleaned of sargassum seaweed every morning and raked. The food is very good in taste and selection. A-la-carte restaurants offer simple menus with upgrade $$ options if you want to indulge. You have to line up before 9am to book the Steakhouse or the Japanese restaurants, and both are excellent. The others work on first come basis and you can usually get seated between 6-7 [... read more]pm. While the bars are plentiful unless you upgrade to Privilege class the top shelf liquors are not available and after dinner only the Lobby Bar and Piano Bars are open. The Beach Restaurant is only available to Privilege guests for breakfast, but open to all for lunch. Not all the restaurants are open every night! Rooms are clean and have comfortable beds, laminate floors and no carpets. Never a problem with hot water, a/c, fan or mold on our third-floor suite. They even provide a simple and complimentary shaving and dental kit along with mouthwash in the bathroom. Easy property to walk and there is a trolley that runs every 10 minutes. The resort is a business so will try to sell you membership over an hour presentation, but you can politely decline. Although the beach is nice, it's NOT what's in the promotional photos. More than half of it has washed away and there are huge sandbags installed to control erosion. Vendors are allowed on the beach and sell everything from jewelry (beads), excursions, cigars, photos with parrots and iguanas and so on. A polite wave-off and they move on. Lounge chairs are plentiful at beach and pools but get up early to grab your favourite spot. The Blue Team rallies guests to get involved in beach and pool games along with nightly dancing. They host a Beach Party mid-week. Yes there are sand-flies so bring some bug spray. The nightly entertainment was somewhat lacking and repetitious. A few karaoke singers and local theater dance productions on the weekends. Top marks for food quality and selection, cleanliness of grounds and rooms, maintenance of pool and beach areas. They should consider more or better evening entertainment. One disappointment is the name brand liquor. All-inclusive should mean all-inclusive. Ordered a martini at the lobby bar and when I asked for name brand Vodka or Gin I was told it was for Privilege guests only so they used local stuff. Overall we found it good value for the money and would consider returning.

Casa Marina Reef Resort: Love it here

Casa Marina Reef resort, rated as 3.5 stars, I would rate more as a 4 or better. The reef side does need to be refurbished, I won’t deny that, but the rooms are kept clean and that’s important to us. Housekeeping is timely and efficient, only once during our stay it was after 3 before our room was done. People complain about no hot water, there’s lots, just let the water run. The meals are great, always a variety and always your choice of beef, chicken, pork and fish at each meal. Friendly  [... read more]staff tops it off, willing to help with your needs. And lastly, yes Dominicans are there on weekends, but you can’t go to any resort whether in Dominican or Mexico and not encounter local people. They pay just like us, be respectful, smile, speak to them, the younger people are just like ours. Also, worth noting, a lot of older people and long stay clients, us being one of them.

Excellence Punta Cana: A very good resort - overall, part of our favourite Brands

The entire experience was almost perfect…spoiled only by a bit of rain. Thought the pools could have been a bit warmer. All dining experiences virtually perfect, and room fully met every expectation. Never a service disappointment. Ocean georgeous, and sandy beach went for miles - no seaweed ever washed up on shore. Going back soon!

Playabachata Hotel: Beautiful Property

The positives: beach, cleanliness of the overall resort, hot showers, water pressure and friendly staff. The negatives: lack of shower towels in rooms, lack of dishes in the restaurants, lack of variety of food in the buffets, lack of staff in restaurants. Yes we paid slightly less than other resorts but we still expected a towels for showers and a plate at meal time.

El Beso Adults Only at Ocean El Faro: Surpassed All Expectations! Amazing Trip!

7 of us friends just got back from a trip to Ocean El Faro. We opted into the privilege package which granted us access to all restaurants on both sides (family and adults only). The resort was very clean, and modern (built in 2019) - a refreshing change from the aging 5-star resorts I have been to in the Dominican Republic. My room was luxurious, king bed was extremely comfortable and nice cold air conditioning. Service overall was very good - not always the fastest, but staff were pleasa [... read more]nt and extremely hard working. The beach is not the nicest - strong waves and rocky beach was not ideal, but not a deal breaker for us. We are very glad to have taken Susan's recommendation, and I personally would love to come back again!

Bahia Principe Explore Turquesa: Very good and nice resort

Grounds very nice and clean ,public areas clean ,rooms very nice & clean but bathrooms needs renovations,dining excellent -food fantastic.Staff- good. The review is for ; Esmeralda ! not for Turquesa. -PS. on arrival to Turquesa we change to Esmeralda only because of the beach,

Paradisus Palma Real Golf and Spa Resort: First Time Solo Resort

This was my first time going all inclusive and I was travelling solo. As a solo traveller what stood out were the events on offer, there was a busy calendar of activities ranging from craft workshops to yoga to rum tastings. These were a good opportunity to mingle with other guests and were always led by enthusiastic staff. The evening entertainment was a standout and featured talented musicians, dancers and singers. I would often simply take a performance in without needing to speak to anyone.  [... read more] The facilities are very good. My room was spotless and had everything I expect from an excellent hotel room: a good shower, lots of amenities like a snack bar and coffee, an iron, a flat screen TV and good air conditioning. It was the in adult only portion of the hotel which I highly recommend because the pool here is exclusive to adults, has a bar inside it, and was honestly so nice that I barely ever went to the beach. The grounds are easily walkable, which I was told was a contrast to other resorts like Melia Gardens where you have to get shuttled everywhere on golf carts. The service was up and down, some experiences were wonderful and others were just fine. Basic Spanish is appreciated and tipping is required for better service, this cost me ~$100 CAD over the course of my 7 day stay but meant that I always had a good experience with the bar/restaurants/cleaning staff. If you don't want to tip that's fine but the resort will be full of Americans that are, so service will just be slower. The food was also variable, the buffet was consistently fine and food was hot/plentiful but quite basic. I tried all of the restaurants on the grounds and unsurprisingly the Mexican (Blue Agave) and Caribbean (Flora) were the best. The steakhouse (Mina) and the Italian (Mascalzone) were both mediocre. I didn't get to try Sante as it is for the premium guests only (~$120 CAD per day). Overall the value here is pretty good, I paid to feel safe and not have to think for 7 days and I got that experience. If you want to do anything beyond relaxing by the pool and some light partying then this is not the place for you. Bavaro is a walled off tourist enclave with no readily accessible local culture, and from what I was told it is easy to get taken advantage of when going on trips off site.

Occidental Caribe: Excellent service

Everything was very clean although it is an older resort. There is something to say about a well oiled machine... The food was decent and the beach beautiful. The pools were clean. They definitely need more loungers. The staff were very friendly. They aren't consistent with stocking water/ beer in your fridge.. but all around... I would go back.

Serenade Punta Cana Beach and Spa Resort: the Serenade resort was amazing

this hotel was big , with 7 residents buildings and the main one for reception, restaurants and bars and shops the grounds were well maintained , staff were constantly cleaning everything the buffet was good with daily changes in variety of food breakfast was interesting as there was a Constand lineup for crepes and the donut wall was a hit with the kids and adults alike WE were able to eat at three ala cart restaurants...Japanese, steak and Mediterranean the Japanese restaurant was aweso [... read more]me there was plenty of entertainment near the pool bar, lots of music and dancing the beach was good. we took almost daily walks along the beach and a few times went into the ocean my only complaint was our room our room was fine but the bathroom had some issues 1- the bathroom door would not lock we called maintenance, they came to examine it and they said they were coming the next day with the the proper paets guess what...they never came back the whole time we were there 2- there was no privacy in taking a shower I had to hook up my shower curtain which I brought with me and an old beach towel to provide more privacy for the whole shower the shower and bathroom area was badly designed everything else was okay and we enjoyed our stay for the 7 days

Occidental Caribe: Great Resort

Pros -Very clean -VERY friendly service -Like the layout of the resort -Food was good -Excellent entertainment staff. You could tell that they put a lot of effort in and seemed to enjoy their jobs -Special note to the pool towel girl at the 'quiet' pool. Always had a big welcoming smile. I think her name is Maria Cons -Food service in the Buffet and in the restaurants was very chaotic. Lots of servers and managers but did not appear to be serving guests. Did not always get what we or [... read more]dered in the restaurants, but we were fed. -Resort is dated but comfortable -Mini bar was not restocked regularly

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: Sucks

Hello the resort is to big for nothing,no excess to the vip and chairman sites , 30% of the people got sick , no dressers in the room for our clothes only 8 dirty cubbies hanging in the closet, a/c was only working at 69 degrees (that’s very cold), got zapped from a plug while I was plugging in my phone , stairs uneven and some higher than the other , beach full of seaweed and small rocks .The food was good , service was so so , the drinks at the bars is only what they have on there menu’s. Woul [... read more]d not go back again . Thx have a good day

Bahia Principe Explore Turquesa: Aweful beyond Words!!!

The worst thing in the word is trusting a company like Trip Central to provide you a last minute deal at a 5 star resort - Bahia Grand Principe -Turquesa. This hotel is a symbol of everything that is wrong in the world. Dirt, dirt and dirt toppled with a bunch of racist employees who refuse to speak English. Our vacation was nothing short of a nightmare. My husband is covered in bites. Day three of waking up to a blood stained sheets followed by some kind of insect droppings/shells, we went to c [... read more]omplain only to be told the staff didn’t understand. Oddly they knew that the only option was to upgrade for $90 US per night. Once we paid, the staff’s English kicked in enough to tell us we were going to finally get clean and better service. Everytime we wanted a drink we were either ignored or told we needed to pay for select liquor or beer. All in all we are home now and my husband is on antibiotics. At this point I am convinced that Trip Central is aware of this resort’s milicous attempt to force people to upgrade or live in filth for 7 days!

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Very outdated

The rooms are absolutely disgusting! Very old and rundown. They do not spray for bugs and everyone got eaten alive. The food, pools and grounds were absolutely wonderful. Service is terrible. I do not recommend this place.

Excellence El Carmen: Excellent Hotel

This hotel had everything. From great food , service and entertainment. Would definitely go back. Cannot really say anything bad about this resort. A must try. The grounds were kept impeccable. The beach is clean . Loved it

Hyatt Vivid Punta Cana: Great gateway

This Resort was pretty good, a little smaller from what I’m used to but everything is close by. The club section rooms were definitely worth the extra money. The beach wasn’t as good as Bavaro beach but it was still good, they constantly cleaned up the seaweed multiple times a day. The rooms were a bit tired but everything worked. Food was pretty good, buffet and restaurants, coffee shop, all good. The grounds at this resort are immaculate, what a gorgeous property!

Occidental Caribe: Ok resort

The resort overall is ok but the rooms need updating. The à la carte restaurant are good and service was efficient. The entertainment was great but the nightly shows were never on time. Food was ok but most of the time it was cold. Would not go again probably would go for a 5star next time.

Playabachata Hotel: Playabachta Resort Puerto Plata

this resort was excellent value for the money. the grounds were beautiful with a flat walkout to the beach. easy access to everything for those with disabilities. 3 buffets to choose from and 2 a la cartes. there was a variety of good food to choose from. 2 nice large pools with bars close by. all the employees and staff were very accommodating and pleasant. the entertainment team were excellent and kept us busy even during the few rainy days. the rooms were slightly dated but very very clean. a [... read more]ll and all it was great vacation and I would highly recommend it.

Viva Heavens by Wyndham: Great Family Friendly Resort

My family and I had a great time at this resort. It met most of our expectations for the price we paid. Positives: Smaller resort, family friendly, friendly staff, great grounds and surrounding area Negatives: Buffet food options can be repetitive, music goes into the night but didn't bother us, beach was quite wavy

Vik Hotel Cayena Beach: Slice of heaven

The Cayena Beach section of this bigger VIK hotel is just great, friendly staff, great food, and the most amazing setup. It's like a Boutique hotel and everything is within a 1 minute walk from your room (Bar restaurant, pool, beach. We loved the peace and quiet. There is some beach erosion, but 1 minute walk gets you around that, and they seem to be trying to fix it as best they can... at worst it is a minor inconvenience. If we go back to Punta Cana, we will be repeat guests.