Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: Great Food, No Disco or Pre-booked a la carte

Great resort! The food was hot, fresh, and well seasoned. The staff were very attentive and energetic. The swim up bar is a plus, and their two pools allows for multiple seats around the pool. Tip: avoid the shops on Caribbean street (pushy vendors, overpriced merchandise). Take a 5 minute walk down the beach and you'll see the craft huts. Beautiful wood carvings, coffee, alcohol, water shoes, etc are available there! Cons: for the a la carte, they do not accept reservations. It is served [... read more] based on the first 100 people in line. The restaurant opens at 6:30pm, and people advised that to ensure seating that we be in line by 5:30pm. Cons: no disco on site. You have access to the disco at the neighbouring RIU, however your drinks will not be all inclusive.

Casa Marina Sosua Trademark by Wyndham All Inclusive: Second time not as good as the first

This was my second trip to the Casa Marina and I do enjoy the resort and the town immediately outside the resort. However, I paid for a garden view and what I got was a view of a ditch, barbed wire fence, and what looked like to me some sort of prison compond. There was supposed to be a bottle of rum waiting for me in the the room, but no dice. I particuarly did not like the one night I returned to my room to find my bed covered in ants. Service is not great but the beaches are b [... read more]eautiful and stepping outside to the local town of Sousa is nice. I will probably book a different resort next year though.

Viva Heavens by Wyndham: Viva Wow!

The hotel was fantastic, rooms were clean, food was awesome, beach was good (minus vendors but they have a job). All in all 4.5 stars! The only draw back in my mind was the fact that people don't tip..!

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: Another wonderful stay!!!

Second year in a row at this resort..... Just like the first time it was a great vacation!!! Resort is clean, food is good, drinks are great, staff is very pleasant and weather was amazing!!! Would certainly return!

Riu Merengue: RIU GOOD TRIP

All was great at the Merengue resort. Good food, beautiful grounds, multiple hotels to share services and helpful staff. The room was clean, freshly redone and everything worked. Best of all was the way we were treated by the front desk staff, particularly Delmis. RIU resorts needs to clone him for all locations. We will be back!

Sunscape Puerto Plata: Fabulous week - great resort!

I just returned from a glorious week at the Sunscape Puerto Plata. I have enjoyed this resort in the past under the previous ownership but the recent renovations have made a great resort even better. The food is fabulous - we mostly ate at the buffet, but also went to the Italian twice and the Grill. All of the food venues offered great quality and service. Having a coffee maker in the rooms is a nice addition as is the TV. (Any chance of getting CNN in English?). It was great not having the ann [... read more]oyance of wristbands and needing advanced reservations at the a la cartes - smart move! I am always touched by how sincere the Dominican staff are and how hard they try to accommodate your every need. They are incredible and really make the vacation! The gym is a great addition as are the Zumba and dance sessions at the end of the afternoon. LOVED the CoCo coffee lounge - staff are lovely as are the products!! We also loved your music choice throughout the resort - keep that for sure. You're doing a great job Sunscape. See you next year! And many thanks to Brianne at tripcentral for your impeccable service and trip coordination. Much appreciated!

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: Good time

The resort kind of lacked in the food department for the fact it didn't sit well in their stomachs but besides that the only thing bad is the amount of stairs. The people are nice, and it had great party life. rock on!

Viva Heavens by Wyndham: Good but could be so much better

This is a beautiful place. Rooms are very clean. A la carte restaurants are delicious. Buffet restaurant could change their selections, most dishes repeated themselves way too often. Beds are in need of an upgrade. My husband and I both woke up with sore backs from the beds being so hard. Anamation crew is in need of supervision. (Getting drinks from bar staff, then hiding to drink them. Activities listed never taking place. Telling older tourists what to write on tripadvisor so that they migh [... read more]t be rewarded by management)

Emotions by Hodelpa Puerto Plata: Playa Dorada Beach House

Room was not ready when we arrived for about 2 hours after arriving. Was no electricity to the room till late in the evening even after going to front desk shortly after getting the room A/C never shut off the whole trip Leak from the ceiling from room above in the bathroom. Food was cold and not very good at all no variety either Staff barely spoke a word of English did not even understand "bathroom" or "knife" when asked for them. Got many many bug bites from the bed once removed bed spr [... read more]ead was a bit better Laundry was not done in time when rooms cleaned had to wait for towels and ask for htem if you saw the maids or never would have gotten them. Only 1 key and it was a old style key and door did not lock properly could bump door open when locked not very safe. When checked out said would put luggage away while waiting for bus to airport and when time came to leave was still laying out in the lobby and no one was watching it. Found if you did not tip staff right away they just seemed to ignore you.. Once gave tips boy service was great. Ran out of certain things alot throughout the week eg: Diet coke, wine, tea.

Casa Marina Reef Resort: SHHH - GREAT resort

We had a great time as usual. We have been here many times and they accommodate your needs and it is always a fun time. The food is great, the ala carts.. hmm OK for Mexican and Italian, don't particularly like the seafood.. but main buffet there is always great tastes of a variety of dishes. They keep improving the grounds, rooms and even though we lost the beach area due to a horrific storm before we went, they still made room for us to sit on the beach and enjoy the ocean. This is now our  [... read more]little piece of heaven and plan to return next year! Kathy and Peter

Casa Marina Reef Resort: Okay Resort, Million Dollar View.

Okay resort, very clean, very large and spread out. Lots of activities going on with many pools, bars and eating areas. The beaches were fantastic , shaded, wide and clean. Beware though of deep water and large waves at times. The view at the beach bar is one to behold. You can see for kilometers as it is located on a 10 meter high cliff overlooking the beaches, ocean and mountains. One afternoon, we watched the whales 300 meters away from this location. Food was okay, however becomes repetitive [... read more] . We had a Garden view room overlooking the pool. No complains, it was large, clean, and the air con worked great. Staff at the resort were very friendly and service was second to none.

Riu Merengue: Enjoyable last minute vacation

Clean hotel with well maintained grounds. Friendly and helpful staff. We had a slight hiccup at check in, they couldn't find our reservation. Instead of making us wait the front desk suggested we go have lunch while they sorted it out. Even off the resort the friendly staff recognized us and gave us some helpful advice.

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: Riu Bachata

grounds; well kept, clean and tidy public areas: washrooms clean. WI FI only available in lobby. smoking in lobby and entertainment area was overpowering for us non-smokers rooms; clean and tidy dining: except for first day raw hamburger and tough steak at the buffet, food was good. Unfortunately, fruit was tasteless unlike what one would find on a cruise or home for that matter. entertainment. good for the most part. the "Mister" program and "Married couples" program were both raunchy and i [... read more]n poor taste. Glad didn't have children there. No swearing just very suggestive actions.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Will not recommend this resort

The most disappointing trip I've ever had and I travel a lot. Beach is covered in seaweed, water is cloudy and murky, we were severely bitten by sand fleas in just 30 min that we spent walking on the beach. We look like we have chicken pox. Food is scarce and monotone, we ate pasta and French fries all week with occasional broccoli or cauliflower and it was a treat! Entertainment and night shows were ridiculously boring and amateur. Room was ok, few giant roaches, half of the lights were n [... read more]ot working. Water pressure is the worst I've ever experienced - it took me over 30 min just to wash my hair, and it's only shoulder length. Activities are horrible - we had 11 people signed up for archery and only 1 bow! Same with mini golf - only 2 clubs. And yes, one of the worst nightmares - no normal coffee. I'm not totally spoiled but when I have to wait 40 min in line for self served coffee from the machine and get hot water or warm milk instead of cappuccino or espresso, I'm really disappointed. Staff is not very helpful, we never got a blanket for my daughter that was not provided to start with, and I asked for it 4 times. Quite often at the buffet we were not even offered water or wine, nothing. And when it says that the drive from the airport to the resort is only 60 min - we were on the bus with no toilet facilities for almost 2 hours because they go to other resorts too. Overall, I would not recommend this place to anyone. Avoid at all

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: good time!

Just got back from the Confresi Palm and had a great time! The resort is very large and a lot of steps! Good was quite good for Dominican standards and the ala carte restaurants were very good. The biggest downside in my opinion is the beach. It is very small and very crowded with no shade. Have been to much nicer beaches in the Dominican. Overall would rate this resort as good value for the money.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Love Dominican!

I had only been to Varadero twice before going to Puerto Plata this month. Although Cuba has nice beaches, we found Dominican to be a much more enjoyable trip for several reasons. The most notable of which is the food and this may be partly due to the fact that we stayed at Grand Bahia Principe. This hotel had fantastic food that was available any time of the day or night. I think that this is partly due to the fact that the hotel is part of a chain and works hard to maintain the reputation  [... read more]of the chain as a whole which is clearly seen. If you are unsure about where to book, I would suggest a reputable chain like this. Although we tipped regularly, we also did not feel pressured for one. For example, on the excursion that we went on in Cuba, the guide made us put something in his hat based on how we liked the trip but in Dominican they didn't even mention a tip at all (most people gave one anyway). We also found that there was a great deal of family friendly activities and games during the day and night that often would result in a prize if you went to the evening show. One of the evening shows was a Michael Jackson tribute which was incredible especially for the acrobatic display of a couple of the dancers. There was a small group of the staff that was involved with entertainment and were there almost every day. They do a great job at connecting with the guests and encouraging them to get involved in the many activities (dancing, beach games, pool games, bingo, evening show, etc, etc, etc.). We usually wouldn't get involved in many of these activities as we have young children but because we were able to leave the kids with grandparents we got involved in most of them and had an awesome time. The only possible drawback would be that the beach on the east side of Dominican (Punta Cana) is nicer. That said, there was 4 great pools at this resort and the beach wasn't too bad. We will be going to Dominican again someday (hopefully)!

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: Had an amazing time!

My boyfriend and I stayed here last week and had an amazing time! Nothing major to complain about. Although there are a few things that could be updated. A little rough around the edges, but deffinetly worth going to. Food was amazing here and everyone was very friendly. People on the beach are a little annoying, always trying to get you to buy things and go tubing. Overall not disappointed!

Casa Marina Reef Resort: Meh

Overall the grounds were very scenic, more so at sunset.The buildings are older and noise from late patrons or early morning deliveries are clearly heard, suggest you bring ear plugs. The food was very good a la carte and buffet.Beaches can be rough and if the red flags are up please stay out some were lost because they chose to ignore the warnings

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Very nice resort

Everything was fantastic except for the beach area which we were very disappointed and one of our friends got bit on her legs by something when on the beach area. Also the TV had all Spanish stations and I could not get on the Internet in the lobby.

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: WILL NOT RETURN

Upon arrival at hotel we had to wait an hour just to check in. After many flights of stairs and no lighting was on my boyfriend stubbed his toe.we had a room that was dated back from the 70'same. The food was less than ok. Same meals day in and out. After 10 pm everything is shutdown except on bar. We were not happy with this resort.