Viva Heavens by Wyndham: Lovely Resort

I loved the staff, from rooms, buffet and entertainment. Everything was very well maintained. rooms cleaned every day, fridge replenished daily, the grounds and pool kept up to par. There was a good selection of food.

Emotions by Hodelpa Puerto Plata: Good enough resort

Not what I expected or invisioned the resort would be. There were bees in the washroom of my hotel room coming from the hole in the ceiling. Everyday I would dispose of at least 6 bees. The toilet did not flush very well. The food was not great - not much variety - monotonous and plain. The nightly entertainment was ok. The only saving grace of the resort is the excellent staff - friendly and very helpful. Most likely will not return there or recommend it to my family and friends. Overall r [... read more]ating, 4 out 10.

Riu Merengue: Good time away

All in all this hotel was good and we did have a nice time together as a family. I was happy with the cleanliness of the resort and the facilities, the rooms were done every day and very clean, there were plenty of chairs at each pool (and options for pools) and the beach whether you wanted sun or shade, the buffet had a good variety and plenty of space to accommodate the 6 of us eating together and because you could go throughout the resorts you could pick which show if any you wanted to see t [... read more]hat night. There were activities throughout the day if you wanted to partake. The things I was disappointed in was that there were only 2 restaurants at the Merengue that you could choose from and there were no reservations, you had to line up at 6:00 each night is you wanted to go. The other things was the service at some of the bars was not very friendly and only 1 bar in all three places was open 24 hours. Otherwise any other bars only opened at 10:00 am. The biggest complaint was the quality of the alcohol. You have dispensers in each room but the alcohol was watered down and tasted awful. Also they only restock beer in your fridge every other day and only 2 tiny Coors Light. I have been to other resorts in the Dominican and the alcohol was much better everywhere else.

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: Somewhat disappointing

Our room as pretty nice except it smelled like sewage. The drinks were the worst I've ever had: way too sweet , not really frozen. After being there for a couple of days, it was very apparent that unless you had a time share there and had a VIP bracelet on, you could only use about one third of the resort. There were a lot of bars, pizzeria,restaurants, ice cream parlour , crepe place, sushi place and beach areas that we were not allowed to go. And premium drinks too. Sort of deceiving in the de [... read more]scription which does not state any of this.

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Ho Hum

The hotel was clean, staff was friendly. That said it really was a "budget" hotel.....we paid for the upgrades, some of the upgrades included were a lock for the safe (I was surprised that a lock on a safe was not a standard amenity), room service (but our phone did not work for the first 3 days.... after asking 5 different people, it finally got fixed). Entertainment was actually dreadful.

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: Great Resort, Amazing People

The Riu Bachata is a wonderful Resort, beautiful views, from the beach to the mountains to watching the cruise ships come in. We had a terrific time. Fabulous people, everyone there worked extremely hard to make our trip incredible. Loved the entertainment staff.

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Beautiful beach, great resort

Very family-friendly resort -- compact, not too spread out for short little legs. Everything well-designed, pretty, convenient, and well-maintained. Wide variety of foods at the buffet, fresh and good quality. Professional and helpful staff. We visited the first week of January and found a diverse and pleasant clientele (Europe, Canada, locals, etc, mix of ages, no problems with people partying *too* hard and getting disruptive). The beach is truly beautiful, a wide expanse of soft sand, with  [... read more]gentle waves hitting the shore in a bay sheltered by coral reefs. We found the beach vendors agreeable (I have seen other reviews that implied they were a nuisance, but that was not our experience at all -- if you speak a bit of spanish you can also learn something from them about life in DR). If you like watching dance, some of the evening shows are worth checking out (I especially liked, of all things, the MIchael Jackson tribute). Pro tips: (1) Suites ("Beata" building, by the quiet pool) are lovely, rooms in the other two buildings are smaller and can be very loud depending on proximity to the daytime and evening entertainments, and have very little by way of hooks, drawers etc to unpack into. Our kids couldn't get to sleep in a room near the theatre, and the hotel kindly upgraded our party (two adjacent rooms, six people total) to suites in the other building. (2) the sea life by the beach is wonderful, but do not go snorkelling without fins. My partner made that mistake and got two feet full of sea urchin! The resort may try to give you a snorkel without fins, but hold out for a pair of fins too, and don't go too shallow while exploring the reefs. (3) not many mosquitoes in January, but the sand fleas were out in full force on the beach at night and dawn, so bring repellant. We hired a taxi and did a wonderful morning trip with our young kids to "Monkey Jungle" for an amazing up-close encounter with adorable rescued monkeys. The little squirrel monkeys climbed all over us, curious and gentle and oh so cute, and we got to feed them. Proceeds from the monkey encounters and zipline go to support a charity, at the same location, that provides locals in need with free medical, pharmacy and dental (and even basic nutrition kits for malnourished kids). It's a long trip (the road is slow and rocky, so it took us 60 minutes not 30 to get there) but well worth it. Much better than doing the standard kid-friendly excursion your tour guide will push, an expensive encounter with captive dolphins (an animal that truly doesn't belong in captivity)!

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: Fantastic

The resort was amazing. Lots of great food, drinks and activities. We loved every minute of it. We ended up buying into the membership at Lifestyles. Worth every penny. We are already booking our next vacation for May of 2017.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Dated Resort

Rooms were clean bathrooms were updated. Resort just s need a minor makeover, the sand fleas and mosquitoes terrible take lots of bug spray and the food tends to repeat every second day the staff could not be more friendlier or helpful and I know we were there for New Years they made it spectacular from the food to the whole evening.

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Great family getaway

Only 15 minutes from airport. Staff very friendly and attentive. Food fantastic. Easily accommodated glutenfree. We're able to talk with head chef. Great atmosphere during day and evening for entire family. Would return again.

Paradise Playa Dorada: Good place mostly

We really enjoyed the resort, overall. The beach was nice, food was good, staff were attentive and friendly. However, our room had some issues. The door to the washroom didn't close, there is nowhere to put clothes away and our thermostat didn't work. Our room was either freezing or really hot. We had to get up multiple times in the night and manually turn the air conditioning on or off. We asked them to look at it and we were told it would be fixed tomorrow. Unfortunately [... read more], tomorrow never came.

Paradise Playa Dorada: Nice resort

Very disappointed with our suite. It was up on the fourth floor. I would call it attic not a suite. It had windows, but all you see out of windows was rusty roofs. When we went into the suite, toilet didn't flush, there was poop in it. No water in the washroom at all. They finally fixed it about 10:30pm. Water pressure was so bad that we only had sponge baths for seven days. No fridge in the room. We asked for one three days in the row, and each day they said "we will get you one", we finally [... read more] gave up. There was a lot more, but what is the point, they didn't do anything about it. The resort was misrepresented, no mini golf, no bicycles, no workout room, etc. We booked three rooms, they all had problems, no air conditioner, no dressers. There is a lot more. We will not go back there. My husband and had room 1940, our sons with their families had room 2040 and 1145. This was suppose to be our family "happy"vacation, it turned out to be very disappointing.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: A great place for what it is!

The pool is great, beach is beautiful, drinks are good, buffet food was as good as you'd expect from a buffet, and the a la carte restaurants were delicious. Our room wasn't extravagant, but I didn't book a trip to the Dominican to sit in a room. Our bar fridge wasn't working, which we didn't notice until 6pm on the day way came. We called the front desk, they came within minutes to investigate, and when we came back from supper there was a new fridge in the room. The showers didn't have as  [... read more]much pressure as I'd get at home (many of the resorts I go to are like this), but the water was always hot enough. The only complaint I will agree with is that the bugs are terrible -- many of us in my group came back with a lot of bites. But I'm not sure how much control the hotel has over this. They spray for bugs daily so, in the end, it is what it is. Overall, I think if you're not a spoiled diva, you'll love this hotel. The people are extremely friendly and helpful and service was always good.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: A great place to relax!

The resort was better than expected! We found the staff very friendly and easy to get along with. Although they did not speak much English we were able to get everything we needed sorted out. The grounds and vegetation are lovely; it's a very green, healthy landscape. The beach was peaceful though there were a lot of sand fleas. Bug repellent is a must. The food was good. Buffet had a lot of selection and nothing bothered my stomach. Wine was not great but other drinks were fairly good! The Medi [... read more]terranean restaurant was excellent. We had a suite by the beach - roomy with a nice view. The water pressure is low, but it's workable. Cleaning staff were great.

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: Awful

The hotel was extremely outdated. My air conditioning did not work and they did nothing about it for 3 days. There was a leak in my ceiling that they did nothing about. The overall resort was very unorganized in the way they do their entertainment and plan their shows. I will never return to or recommend this resort

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: Meh

If you're going on a vacation to have good food and to be entertained I would not go here unless you're going to spend money on things outside of the resort. Food was the same everyday and nothing was organized so you had no idea what was happening each night. My friends and I had to entertain ourselves basically. Weather and beach was beautiful though. This resort is more for young children and older adults not for ages 13-35

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: Not Great

Definitely not a 5 star resort. Beach was nice but nothing else. Horrible entertainment and very low key. Food was ok but it did not change. The a la carte restaurants were just ok as well. Would not recommend going to this resort. I have been to many resorts for equal or less money and this was by far the worst experience. If you are going to have fun, do not go.

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: Nice resort

Good, relatively small self contained resort; food was pretty much the same every day at the buffet. Vegetarian options (variety) were limited. They should have different cuisines. Entertainment was decent. All rooms were within easy proximity of various facilities like the pool, beach, buffet etc House keeping service was very good. Some of the reception staff were also much better than some others.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Good Resort!

This was my second time back to Grand Bahia Principe San Juan and I was satisfied with my stay. Please see my review below on certain aspects. Look & Feel The resort is beautiful - I have always enjoyed the layout and the design. I found the room to be a little outdated, but I don't usually go on vacation to stay in my room! The room and resort always felt clean. Beach The beach is OK - there are wave breakers in the water that make it to look unappealing. I spent most of my time by the [... read more] pool, and went to the beach occasionally. Food The food is OK - not a plentiful variety to choose from, but your staple items are always there. The restaurants were good (specifically, the Mediterranean restaurant). Entertainment The evening entertainment is great! We would always attend the shows and would then follow to Pueblo Principle for some karaoke and the disco. Hope this helps!

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Beautiful resort fully decorated for the season,

The staff and servers where amazing as usual,this is my 3rd stay at the Blue Bay,our rep Harry is always so welcoming and makes the stay enjoyable.Big festivities for xmas and the whole xmas week.Going back in April and will be staying with them.The food was enjoyable so many choices to choice from.