Jewel Paradise Cove: Awesome Vacation!!!

Being first time vacationers we were very nervous about travelling. Eliana was awesome with answering my questions and concerns and putting my mind at ease. The booking and information went very smoothly. We had a most amazing vacation from start to finish. The hotel was great and we can't get over how great the grounds were kept. We upgraded our room when we checked in and there were no issues. We were quite happy with the room. We noticed the fridge was not stocked but was not a big deal for [... read more] us and went out on a stroll to explore the grounds. On our return the fridge was stocked and all was in order. The service was most excellent and all employees encountered were very friendly. We especially liked that there was a main beach and also a smaller quiet beach. There were quite a number of swim up bars and restaurants on the grounds. We especially liked the many private settings and nooks throughout the grounds that you can just sit a relax for some private quiet time.There were also alot of activities available so there was never a dull moment. The food was absolutely amazing at the Japanese restaurant and the entertainment that went along with the preparation of the food right in front of us was pretty awesome. Ofcourse we can can't leave out the ever famous jerk hut...lol. Our checkout was seamless and the airport transfer arrived as scheduled. Overall, our experience was absolutely wonderful and we will definitely plan to revisit this hotel.

Wyndham Alltra Playa del Carmen: Great Resort

We really enjoyed our time here. Our room was beautiful, clean, spacious The Bella restaurant was EXCELLENT. coffee bar & 24 snack spot was a nice addition to food choices. Service by all resort employees was the BEST. so friendly, polite Pool area great too!! We would definately return for another vacation here

Jewel Runaway Bay Resort: Amazing !!!!

Everything about this family vacation was truly amazing! Monika was so helpful and professional! We highly recommend her. The resort was fantastic, the people are beyond accommodating, food was great and rooms were very clean! The Waterpark is amazing just like the staff.

Jewel Runaway Bay Resort: An Amazing Resort!

I would highly recommend this hotel! I’ve been to Cuba and Dominican so many times but this hotel by far is the best we’ve stayed at. Our room was always clean in fact in was cleaned twice a day! Also, every washroom on the resort was always clean no matter what time of day or what washroom you went in it was always immaculately clean and never out of supplies. The staff were so friendly and where there to help you with everything. The food was amazing. And it was plentiful. Food at the wate [... read more]r park, food on the beach, food at the snack bar and Buffett! That’s not including the four restaurants that were open for dinner! I can’t begin to explain how beautiful the beach is. The water was crystal clear, we would bring bread and feed the fish every morning. We got lucky with the weather as the only time it rained was when we were pulling away from the resort back home. We are definitely going back next year!

Sunscape Cancun Resort and Spa: Marginally Nice, could have been much better!

The hotel was nice but worn down in areas and needs an upgrade. There are too many rooms/peoples to be accommodate in thé common areas, and we were there in low season. The quality of the food is quite variable and food items are recycled from dinner to lunch and breakfast. The drinks are often watered down. The hotel presentation (not mandatory but highly recommended by them) was I appropriate and uses as an opportunity to sell client further vacations

Dreams La Romana: Disappointing

The hotel was lovely and the food was very good. But I found the site to be too noisy for my liking and the beach was a disappointment considering I am used to the beaches in Cuba. It was small and noisy. A public beach was right next to our hotel’s small beach and it was noisy and also the main location for the tour boats to pick up the tourists to take them out to the reef etc. There were over 20 tour buses everyday and hundreds of tourists being moved on and off boats. The entertainment tea [... read more]m at the hotel took over both the pool and the beach so it was very difficult to not have to listen to the constant heavy beat of their music. Also the “privileged” guests, those who paid more for upgrades, were noticeably treated better with special areas on the already too small beach roped off for only them to use. We were actually told to move one day as we didn’t know we were not allowed on that part of the beach. And it’s not obvious or somewhere removed. It’s right in front of the hotel and eating area. Created a bad feeling. Much busier and more touristy than I am used to in Cayo Coco, Cuba

Dreams La Romana: Not so great

We booked a last minute all-inclusive to stay at the Hilton, La Romana in DR. Although we were told this was a 5 star resort...I would completely disagree. Over the course of the week, we likely mentioned to reception 3-4 times that it was our anniversary and we didn't even get flowers or a darn balloon to help us celebrate. The kicker, we advised the travel agent when we even booked...I know every other resort I have stayed out would go out of their way to ensure someone celebrating would be  [... read more]treated as celebrating....not for this resort. Did I mention that when we were picked up from the airport and almost got into an accident because our driver was driving carelessly. He almost hit a car going over 100, but luckily we all screamed and he maneuvered quickly out of the way.....we were all shocked and terrified. Here is a breakdown of all the things that were good vs not: Good: staff was friendly by pool bar, restaurants and reception...no complaints there, room staff were amazing, ensured rooms were always presentable and there to help if there was anything additional required Not good: cleanliness in the VIP beach, we noticed the sand and beach had the same garbage, towels and mess for days at a time. The way to differentiate was orange towel had access to the premium area, and whomever had brown towels has access to the regular beach areas. Every morning we would try to find space and would have to ask the staff to clear off spots as there were brown towels everywhere. We noticed after the second day that the beach was not well maintained in the premium area. There was garbage, tables were a mess, used towels from the previous night still on the beach the next day. After 3 days of seeing the same mess on a couple of the tables and the same garbage in the same area, I finally asked one of the staff members to clean it up, as it was upsetting. It was cleaned shortly after. The food was ok...not a ton of variety and it was very evident that the food from the night before was being reused the next morning...not very appealing. The variety in fruit was minimal... and for the kids we would ask for fresh avocado. You ask 3 people and they would day they don't have it, and then you ask another and suddenly they have it. This was a daily occurrence, literally trying to find the one kitchen staff that would get us avocado. Having been to several other resorts in the Dominican we found this to be the least appealing when it came go food. Asking for your eggs to be well done, was not always well received, which was shocking. We had 3 kids with us and on the site it clearly stated that there were loads of activities for the kids and even at the front desk they provided a breakdown of the activities for the day....I was shocked when there was minimal activities going on, even after being advertised. Ie...poor aerobics...cancelled....pool volleyball...nope! There is no music at the main pool and next to no activities. There was a second pool in the premium area, that had a little better vibe, but was meant to be the quite pool...so still nothing for the kids to do in terms of activities. When I asked the manager on location why the activities were not taking place, I was told there was low participation. HUH? don’t you need to run the activities to get people excited to participate? Either way, the entire week we were there, we saw a max of maybe 15 people at the main pool and the resort at most day times felt empty. I asked the manager about that as well, and they stated that the resort just flipped over from a dreams so was trying to rebuild on things....clients, the facilities and even blocked off the adult area as it was being renovated. Explains a little but something just didn’t feel right. Everyone we spoke to seems to be dissatisfied and said they would not return. We continued with our week, and then the Dominican night happened. There was a beach buffet set up, a bunch of vendors who were selling jewelry...which was great until one of them took things a little to far. My daughter had to go to the washroom, I took her and had to walk through the vendors that were lined up around the pool. As we were walking by, clearly rushing as she had to go, one of the vendors asked us to stop. I told him that my daughter had to go to the washroom, but we would definitely return when we came back. He wasn’t overly impressed and continued to push why I wouldn’t just stop and look right then and there. I explained yet again, that my daughter had to go to the washroom and that I would be happy to stop after. He then got a little mean, grabbed my hand and said, "you don’t want to talk to me because I am Black and old right?" My jaw dropped! I could not believe what I was hearing! My 9 year daughter felt horrible and asked me what I did that he would say that....she was upset as was I. I had to explain things to her, but seriously was in disbelief myself. In totally shock, I told the gentlemen that what he said was inappropriate and that me not wanting to stop had nothing to do with either of what he said. I walked away shocked, and on my way back from the washroom I asked to speak to the Manager on Duty. Once pointed out, I explained to the manager what had just happened, he said "ok, thank you for letting me know" and that was that! He didn’t even ask me to point the gentlemen out or anything...just a simple "ok". The entire night, I was wondering if I should even say anything or just leave it. The next morning, I asked to speak to a manager again, this time in the premium reception. The Lady at reception said the manager was not available to speak to me, but she was the assistant was willing to help out. I explained to her what happened along with details, she took a few notes and said that she would pass onto the manager and get addressed. I asked the young lady to have the manager connect with me when they are back, and she said ok. I went about my day with my family, and then I noticed the same assistant was waiting by the pool waiting for me. I spoke to her, and she explained that she spoke to the manager about my concern and that he advised he was sorry and that the vendor would not be around until the following week, and so I need not be concerned as I wouldn't need to see them again! HUH??? Long story short, the actual manager did not come to speak to me but he did send some fruit to our room, I assume to apologize for what happened and that was that! This entire incident was embarrassing, inappropriate and poorly handled. Was I looking for someone to be fired? No, did I want someone to act as though they actually understood why this was a problem and it shouldn't have happened...yes! Anyhow, we ended up leaving 2 days later and to be honest, we couldn’t have been happier. In comparison to other resorts we have stayed at this was dull and not fun for families and clearly the management didn't take this serious incident overly serious. My recommendation....spend your money wisely and go to another resort where you can trust you will be taken care of and respected for choosing this resort over others. FYI the rating below are stuck at terrible...i would rate the service 3/5, location 3/5 and cleanliness 4/5.

Dreams La Romana: Impeccable Service

With the recent renovations the rooms are fresh and clean. All of the grounds and pools are well kept and the staff are amazing. Can't say enough about the service level we received - my expectations are now high because of how good it was. The food was also really well done, the buffet was always stocked - regardless of time and if you went to a la cart - the waiters were fantastic. There were renovations still ongoing when we were there - we honestly did not even notice they were working a [... read more]nd it didn't impact our stay at all. This resort also has one of the best/involved entertainment teams. Something for everyone, funny, interactive and scheduled in multiple locations if you preferred the beach over the pool.

Dreams La Romana: Lovely resort.

Grounds are beautiful. People are so, so nice, just fabulous and will anything for you. Food is good, lots of choices, no lobster though. You won't go hungry here! Entertainment team makes this resort what it is. Ocean is warm, no fish for snorkeling. Waves not big, good for swimming. Enjoyed our vacation here.