Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: Beautiful resort

The resort was beautiful and the food was good. Nice buffets and terrific a la carte restaurants. There were lots of pools and the beaches were nice however there were waves everyday. The rooms were clean and our cleaning lady was amazing. Not sure I like the different coloured wrist bands, I felt like we were divided into classes.

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: Very Good

Stayed January 12 to 19, 2017. Was a very nice place to stay. Were welcome and any questions were answered promptly by the staff. Grounds and rooms very clean and neat. Food was very good with lots to choose from. Did have theme nights in main dining hall that were nice to see. The Brazilian al a cart was fantastic. The Mexican one only had one entree to choose from. Was quite windy when their so did not get to use beach. Were able to go for walk one day on beach and is very nice and  [... read more]clean at this resort. Spent most of our sun time near pool and was sheltered from winds coming off of ocean. Always chairs available. Would return again.

Riu Merengue: Needs a good updating!

We arrived at the Riu Merengue on a Monday afternoon and upon entering our room, all we could smell was must and mildew. The bathroom ceiling had been previously patched from some former damage and the mold was starting to come through again. The smell was awful and I have allergies. We went to the front desk immediately and said we couldn't stay in there. They told us they couldn't get us another room until Thursday. Then they said someone was moving out of their room early Tuesday, so we c [... read more]ould have that one when it was checked out. What really bothered me was they wanted us out of our original musty room early so they could clean it for someone else. Should musty and moldy rooms not be blocked off so they can be properly fixed before someone else has to spend a week there? The beds were so old and hard that we could barely sleep in them. They should have been discarded a long time ago. I know you aren't in your room much on vacation but if you wanted to watch TV, all the rooms still have a 20 inch RCA tube television. There were so many little things that we weren't happy with either. We've stayed at the Riu Montego Bay and we loved it. I don't know how this resort could possibly be placed in the same category or rating. The fridge in our Montego Bay room was stocked with twice as many items as it was in Merengue. The saving grace for the Merengue was the staff. They were so friendly and hard working. The grounds were impeccable. I am so disappointed that Riu doesn't deem it necessary to update the Merengue. My opinion of Riu has gone straight downhill. If we ran into these types of things in a cheap resort it wouldn't be surprising.

Emotions by Hodelpa Puerto Plata: Relaxing vacation

The hotel was very nice. Don't forget that it is a 3 star so don't expect a 5 star. The food was tasty and enough of a selection to find something you like. The blender drinks were yummy. The hotel was clean and right on the beach. I felt it was good value for my money.

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: First time at an all-inclusive resort!

Overall pretty good resort! Clean and well maintained. Good service from all staff; very friendly, entertaining and welcoming. Food was good; lots of variety and the cooks grilled fresh meat/ seafood right in front of you every meal. There were also 3 a-la-carte restaurants that were decent. Rooms were mediocre. Pool was fairly big and clean. Beach was a little disappointing as there were lots of patches of large rocks in the water and the water was darker and at times more murky than the pictur [... read more]esque clear blue-green water you see in pictures. Mixed drinks were fruity and delicious, not great for beer or wine as they only have one local beer on the resort "el presidente" and a local red and white wine. Careful of the locals though! They're very good at hustling tourists!

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Very nice resort

Large, clean rooms Good food - lots to choose from Lots of lounge chairs around pool and at the beach Friendly staff Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Enjoyable stay

It would be difficult to find fault with my recent stay at this resort. We have been to many resorts in the mid price range and this was the best. The food was varied and good. The resort was clean and welcoming. The smaller size meant less line ups and quicker service.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: It was pretty good

The place was good , beach was pretty dirty. Food was pretty good for the most part. Overall experience was good, I would recommend it to my friends .one thing I was disappointed with Was is that we had no one in our buss on our way in to explain or talk about the resort or the country.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Grand Bahia San Juan

Just returned from 1 week. We had a great room which was ocean view that I did not ask for. The resort had a lot to choose from to eat...no one should have an issue with eating. It is kept very clean. Sure the beach is not your crystal blue water, but its a beach. The staff are very friendly and go out of their way to help u. It is a very large resort, but is layed out very well There is lots to do at the resort to keep u busy, or lots of quiet spots. My only complaint was the bus ride. We trave [... read more]lled an hour on a small bus, too many people confined to a small area and the driver drove very fast. I would definitely recommend this resort and return in the future. People need to remember u are in a third world country.

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: OK but Wouldn't Visit Again

While this hotel looks beautiful in the pictures it is definitely showing it's age. The property is clean but getting run down. The food was mediocre and even presentation seemed to be lacking. We were also greatly disappointed by the number of "Dominican escorts" at the resort. It left the hotel feeling cheap and rather seedy. The shows were very nice but there was a lack of covered seating to view them as we had a great deal of rain. Won't revisit this one!

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Clean Resort

We (my husband, myself and our 2 friends) were at the Gran Ventana last year and had a fabulous experience! So much so, in fact that we decided to return this year. Unfortunately the weather was very wet (which is not in the control of the resort). We were a tad disappointed by a few things. We all discussed this to decide if we had legitimate complaints, or if the weather was the major factor. While the weather certainly did play into it, unfortunately there were several things within [... read more] the resort's control that we were disappointed with, namely: The service in the buffet, and the a la cartes was substantially lower than it was last year. There seemed to be an abundance of bus boys and shortage of servers, and it was challenging getting the attention of the servers that were on the floor, unless it meant physically getting up and speaking with them. Having said this, the servers that WERE working were all professional, and pleasant. It just seemed like there was a shortage of people in this function. Second to this was the fact that there was a very definite linen shortage. Our friends had to find the maid in order to get face cloths, and when clean linens were finally brought to the room (in our case it was bath mats), they were generally delivered after 9:15 p.m. and in our case, our bath mats were decidedly damp. This is through no fault of the maids! They were all so accommodating, and did their best to provide what was required for us, however the standard answer was that the linens were still being cleaned and were not available when we expected them/needed them. Also, we were not sure how the resorts are set up, but we found that since it rained every day (for a lengthy period of time) the resort did not seem to have activities planned to keep the guests busy. As we have never travelled anywhere where it rained the entire time we were there, I'm not sure if this is something that the resort plans on "in case". Again, with the weather being very wet, I'm sure our opinion of this was influenced in this regard. Having said this, we found the staff to be as pleasant and accommodating as last year. The resort is clean, and when were were able to be on the beach, the loungers etc were all clean and well kept. We would go back to the Gran Ventana, however for us, it would be a few years before we tried it again, given our experience this year. The next question is would we recommend this resort to a friend? The short answer is Yes, with caveats, namely our comments above. For the most part the resort was as good as it was last year, with a very few negatives, as listed above.

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!! We'll be back!

What a great experience! Our rooms were beautiful and clean. Maid service daily. (NOTE: if you want your mini fridge restock you need to call and ask.) The beach is clean. Lots of chairs available. Locals on the beach selling but very friendly. Food was great. 2 buffets, Casablanca was our favorite because of the views. A la carts available but we did not try them, our children weren't interested...but heard guest speak very highly of them, especially the Italian one. There's daily activities an [... read more]d games around the many pools and nightly entertainment. Was disappointed that our VIP welcome party on Sunday was cancelled. Was really looking forward to it, but it was the weathers doing :( NOTE: This is a huge resort. LOTS of stairs (which didn't bother us but just an FYI) they provide shuttle buses and golf carts that get you to and from. They'll show you where to wait. Sometime they come right away sometimes 20 mins...we found dinner time was the longest wait. We managed to find our way around walking, so that's what we did. If you don't know just ask. Staff were very friendly and helpful. Our travel rep Freddie was amazing! Be prepared to take a timeshare tour. No obligation to buy. You get a free t shirt and a bottle of rum...so we are told. We did not take the tour, as our daughter was in the room ill. They approach you during breakfast. We met a couple that took the tour, they said it was nice to see the grounds. Maybe next time we will. My husband and I will defiantly be back. I would highly recommend upgrading to VIP. It will allow you access to Casablanca Buffet and some a la carts as well as the VIP beach, which is a nice treat. The VIP beach will allow you free WiFi there. Just get the security guards to punch in the pass codes. The public beach and VIP beach swimming area is just the same. VIP you get beds, waited on from the bar and restaurant is the only difference. Book excursions with your travel rep at the hotel, or just at the hotel, better deals. We did the city tour...Rum Factory, Cigar factory, Mount Isabel DE Torres & cable car, Amber Museum, Fortaleza San Felipe & Cathedral San Felipe Apostol...GREAT historic tour. Overall amazing time and we plan on going back.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Decent Resort

Good Facilities for adults and kids. The resort has ample space and good activities. Evening entertainment was good for both kids and adults. Some of the infrastructure needs maintenance, however its not very bad.

Casa Marina Reef Resort: Great Time!

Recently stayed at this resort for the first time. The room was good, the food was great. We enjoyed our stay there. Usually we go to Cuba for our trips, but this time went to D.R., I am glad that we made the choice to try somewhere different. There was a vast assortment of food and so delicious. The à la cartes were also good. The grounds were well maintained, but they need more garbage cans as people would leave their empty cups laying around. I found the room to be clean and bed was c [... read more]omfortable. Would definitely go back there again.

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: Beautiful resort

The resort itself was beautiful. Great views. A tonne of stairs... The food was not the greatest but you could survive. The worst part was how they constantly tried to upsell you a membership. We did the one tour of puerto plata with the cable car and loved it.

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: Ok

Where do I start!! I would give this resort a 5/10. First off the service wasn't very good. Maybe because I only speak simple Spanish. There was a huge language barrier with front desk bartenders and housekeepers. None of the staff spoke much English which made pretty much all interactions difficult. The grounds and pools were clean although many of toilets would not flush and after eating at the buffet this is a very important feature. That being said the food was not very good. The buffet [... read more] had a very limited selection of pretty much the same thing every day. There were barely any fresh fruit or desserts which are my favorites. We were a group of 7, 6 adults and 1 child we all had the "trots" about 20 min after every meal! The a la carts were ok. Blue lagoon was actually delicious as was the Brazilian. The rest not so good. This being said I love any food I don't have to cook. My Asian meal I couldn't even finish I'm not a picky eater by far neither are my family but we all agreed the food was sub par. My ocean view room I paid about 800 dollars more for than our friends who had a ground floor suite was nothing but a view of a red roof from the restaurant in front of our building. Our room was beautiful though. Our teenaged sons stayed in a standard room. They were supposed to have 2 beds but ended up with a king to share. We also wanted them to be close to us but were on the opposite end of the huge resort! We tried to have these issues resolved but the language barrier prevented that!! Oh yeah and if you like hot water don't get the standard room. They had hot water 3 of 8 days! I thought the beach was clean until I lifted a rock and found a used condom. Mmmmmmm. Night life is great IF you are under 25. There really isn't a bar to hang out at till the wee hours for the 30+ crowd. This resort seems to cater mostly to the VIP and timeshare members. Oh yes and the do not disturb sign on your door means nothing!! My other half woke up from a nap to clean towels in the bathroom. Another time we left the room with the sign on the handle came back and our bed was made and room tidied. NOT OK.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Great resort for the price

I had a great time with my friends at this resort. For the price we paid I have absolutely no complaints. Rooms were nice and clean , food was good, pool were great , beach was great and long, so perfect for walking 😊

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: Great value for your money!

We had a wondeful vacation. The food was very tasty, hot, a varied selection. There were three A La Cartes and two out of three definitely worth going to. The Brazilian by far was superior - the food, the service, wait staff and manager Danny was all five star !!!! Our room and grounds were clean. Staff pleasant and helpful.

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: Amazing Resort

Very clean and organized The room is cleaned every day and there is a note when you would like te change the sheets ( very clever ) Entertaining was all day long a lots of games for all ages and the prizes Many pools for kids and adults Food was perfect lots of variety

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: wow wow wow

Like People - Very friendly and Helpful Hotel Room - Clean , decent size, bathrooms were clean Food - Great food options for Non Veg. Transportation - We were picked up from the airport on time. Games - Animation team did a great job entertaining guests. They had regular sports activities. Can Improve Hotel Room - Toilets were leaking, Back door not locking properly Food (Veg.) - Hotel can provide more food options for vegetarians Sports activities - TT table , Pool table were [... read more] not in playing condition. Tables were dusty and old. There were no hot water tub or whirlpool for the guests.