TRS Turquesa: Great resort, unfortunate hard sell

Everything was great from the weather, to the suite, to the butler service. The problem lies with the ambushing of guests at check in for the rewards program. A waste of time that was never even resolved by an offer. It is a scar on an otherwise fantastic vacation. This should be told to customers when they inquire about the resort. I would recommend with the caveat.

Majestic Mirage Punta Cana All Suite Resort: Relaxing Vacation

Booked our trip through Tripcentral.ca was easy, our travel agent Kevin Dupuis was quick to respond to any inquiries. Stayed at Majestic Mirage in a standard Mirage club room, had a great time resort was only a few items that caused me not to give it 5 stars I would rate 4.5 if it was available. Traveled with my girlfriend for a week in January we are in our 40's. I have traveled to over a dozen Caribbean resorts ranging from Mexico to Cuba to Dominican Republic and others. This resort has more [... read more] of a adults only relaxing atmosphere although there is a family section I didn't see many children. Pro • Butler service was great our butler was Carlos he was amazing. They use What’s App to communicate with you. If you don’t have it install it and get familiar with it. Your Butler will come find you or call to check on you to make sure you are enjoying your stay. Butler will make reservations for restaurants and answer any questions you have • Staff was amazing here always greeting you with an Hola very hard working • Drinks were always tasty lots of selection of different liquors • Rooms are huge with a separate living area and bedroom, the extra bathroom is a plus too. Balcony is big and the outdoor Jacuzzi tub is very nice. Tip takes a while to fill so start filling early if you want to use it. • Beach is amazing lined with palm trees soft sand you can walk for miles in either direction. Lots of Bali beds and chairs available. The adult section is nice if you want a more relaxing vibe • Nightly entertainment is very good something different everyday • Pools are very clean they are long and narrow never had trouble finding a chair or Bali bed. Most of the activities are at the family pool. • L’Essence French restaurant was by far our favorite restaurant • Resort layout, long and narrow not overly large was able to navigate resort without getting lost. • Covid testing was quick and easy, I am Canadian and required a PCR test. Test was $65USD and results were emailed in 24 hours Con • Food at most of the restaurants is good but not great was expecting more for a 5 star resort • Room service had our order wrong 2 out of 4 times, I know there is a language barrier, perhaps moving to an online ordering service could help Overall we had a great time and would return again, if the food quality went up a bit and room service was better it would be a 5 star easy

Bahia Principe Escape Aquamarine: Would not recommend in the slightest

The hotel was so large, crowded and confusing. Staff were mostly rude and unhelpful. We were left in our room for 16 hours without food due to covid. Staff kept assuring us dinner would come and no one came.

Lopesan Costa Bavaro Resort: Amazing experience!

Staff was amazing, we had such great service! They were great at the buffet. Very clean and classy rooms. Amazing pools, and waterpark for kids. The beach is beautiful as well, such soft sand! There is everything you need on this resort and in the boulevard. Overall great experience.

Royalton Splash Punta Cana: Awesome resort , awesome staff!

The resort is super nice and the staff is amazing , especially the vibe team member Junior ! He always made our experience at the pool fun! Food was delicious and fresh. Waterpark is fun for all ages .We paid 15 $ pp for a la carte on the Royalton PC side and was well worth it, Good food and service was amazing. Highly recommend the resort. Always something to do. Only problem we had was TV in one room stopped working and had to contact the front desk several times to fix it.

Riu Palace Punta Cana: Best of the Rius

Great way to escape the covid insanity of North America. Very nice resort with excellent staff. Staff all vaccinated and masked . Masking required in food areas but otherwise normal life there. Grounds beautifully kept and good food selection. I have stayed at the Bavaro and Bambo, and of the 5 resorts on this property this is the nicest. We stayed on the top floor as to get ocean views. Excellent beach that is great for families. Definitly recommend this resort and I would return.

Excellence Punta Cana: Paradise at a friendly resort

The Excellence lives up to its name, with beautiful landscaped gardens, large beach, many pools and restaurants. The Magna restaurant at the Club is the perfect way to start the day, sitting outside and enjoying fresh fruit , French press coffee and a variety of breakfast choices. Be prepared for digital menus only, sometimes irritating to navigate.

Royalton Bavaro Resort and Spa: A beautiful resort

Stayed in the diamond club. Our butler, Francisco was amazingly efficient. He booked us at various restsurants for dinner every morning and helped with our every need. The room was well equipped and the service exceptional. The beach is a little weedy but beautiful. Recommend this resort for a grand holiday.

Excellence Punta Cana: Overall a wonderful experience!

Great food, pools and beach area was always so well maintained and clean, friendly staff wearing masks all the time, great restaurants and food was exceptional. Though lunch buffet has been temporarily discontinued due to covid (i think). Room service food is good too. Rooms were cleaned and beds made every day. Entertainment nightly was so fun especially the solo sax player created such an amazing atmosphere most evenings. Evenings can get a bit cooler and a cardigan is a good idea. So well man [... read more]aged. Highly recommend. 5 stars!

Ocean El Faro: Definitely a 5 star resort

We brought our 4 year old daughter to the Ocean El Faro and she loved the water park and lazy river. It was great to see actual lifeguards making the rounds, especially around the water park. The staff was enforcing COVID protocols well (gloves for buffet, masks at the outside bar/inside buildings). Beach doesn't have anything to slow down the waves so we couldn't swim there but the sand is nice and there are ample chairs and Bali beds. We went with the Privilege room and we glad we did. The r [... read more]oom was kept very clean and more fresh towels than I would have requested. Minibar with beer, spirits, pineapple juice and nuts was restocked daily too. We left a note for more water and the guy kept us well hydrated for sure! The room service was great (flank steak delivered to the room you could easily cut with a butter knife and risotto that was excellent too!) but we really liked the Privilege restaurant. Ate there every day for breakfast, did lunch and dinner once as well and it was great. My daughter is picky so a couple of times we asked for something different (nothing crazy) and they always brought us what we asked for. All the food we had was really good and the restaurants for dinner were good experiences for sure. You book your reservation on your phone, which is pretty neat. Having reliable wifi throughout the resort was a welcome surprise too. Like they say they do and I was like "ok sure buddy" but yes, they did. The resort is "long" so the walk from the beach to the lobby takes a few minutes. They do have shuttles going around but people I spoke to just used their legs, as I did. We would happily come back again!

Royalton CHIC Punta Cana: Positives and Negatives

Excellent Staff. The people at this resort were amazing. A couple of small issues with the resort but please stop advertising the "Dreambed". Our bed snapped and cracked every time we moved and the frame was made of cheap plywood. Pulled the sheets back on the final day and mattress was dirty. This resort is showing it's age with hand dryers not working, smelly bathrooms, etc. Food was generally ok but always overcooked at the buffet. Nice touches were: always having room key on your wrist (all  [... read more]resorts should do this), no cards required for towels, entertainment was generally very good and as mentioned all the employees were terrific.

El Beso Adults Only at Ocean El Faro: Amazing resort

I was quite happy with the resort. The grounds were clean. The beach was beautiful. We had plenty of chairs and we had drinks served on the beach which was great.The rooms were very clean, staff was amazing. All the staff at that resort were amazing to us. Loved all the restaurants, so much food to choose from. Super covid safe. We will be going back to that resort where they treated us so good.

Bahia Principe Escape Aquamarine: Beautiful resort

This beautiful resort managed to make our stay feel as safe and normal as possible during a challenging time of getting staff and dealing with covid. The resort was very clean, the staff wore masks appropriately, were friendly, and were as helpful as possible even though many were new to the job. The beach area and beach buffet needed more staff to keep up with cleaning but this was also due to some visitors standards of cleaning after themselves, to be fair. It was very helpful for us to trave [... read more]l with my brother who could speak some Spanish. I would recommend this resort but would also encourage learning some basic language, use of translation app. We have found that people appreciate the respect of attempting to use at least polite phrases in their language.

Catalonia Royal Bavaro: Not too great

Resort was not as clean and taken care as should be. Not a lot of care during these Covid times. They were barely cleaning the tables between customers at the restaurants. We got Covid during our stay there. Food was terrible and often cold at every single restaurant. Service was also not great, slow and painful.

Catalonia Royal Bavaro: It was only worth it because we had an upgraded villa

Like the subject says, the best part of our stay was enjoying our villa. The customer service and food in the restaurants were generally sub par. Our orders were forgotten, or cold, etc. The food and selection in Cuba was much better - and that says a lot. The ups - the room (although it smelled of mold when we got there, didn't seem to be ready because our bath robes appeared the next day, the fixtures were broken (tub, the hand shower, curtains), the juice bar, the drinks were always gener [... read more]ally very generous. The live music was nice including the general ambience in the adults only side. Only complain here is guests/families, not respecting the adult only side and the staff didn't care to say anything either. But most of it was poor and we wouldn't go again... waiting almost an hour in the car to get to the hotel, the check in service was extremely slow, in fact, nearly everything at the desk was slow, including booking dinners.... the only decent food was that the buffet for breakfast. The Tapas place was so awful we left mid meal - the waiter didn't speak much English, after our first tapas dish we were asked if we were ready for dessert, we mentioned twice that we were waiting for the 2nd and 3rd selection. It finally came out and it was cold... like not even heated up. It was so bad, we just left. At the steak restaurant , the only reservation we were able to get was for 9pm. Our order was taken at 9:45pm after we said something. Honestly. They could use some help. The beach was just ok. Not great, and a lot of seaweed. We've travelled a lot - some fancy, and not. Been in some rough situations, and this one is closer to the bottom. The reviews gave me so much anxiety before the trip but I went anyway. I was glad I did because I needed the break and wanted a villa... couldn't find it elsewhere. So don't go with high expectations. Would I return? No.

Sunscape Coco Punta Cana: Disgusting resort

On December 23, we took the long-awaited vacation trip after 2 years of a pandemic. We chose the Be live Collection Punta Cana (rated 5 stars) to immortalize this moment. But unfortunately, as soon as we arrived at the hotel, our holiday nightmare began. It started with the room we were accommodated in, it stank of sewage, it was dirty, the bed was horrible, the elevator was punctured, rusty, the place was very dirty. We made the first complaint as soon as we checked the situation of the  [... read more]room, we changed rooms, we thought it would be a little better, but the nightmare continued, the bed was hard, the bathroom flooded, lots of mosquitoes. Again we asked for a change of bed, we arrived at the end of the stay (06 January) and the bed was not changed, even with several complaints made. Regarding the sanitary measures of COVID, the hotel is far from complying with them, at the reception there is no gel alcohol, people do not wear masks, employees wear masks below the nose, the rooms the hygiene team does not use alcohol. Restaurants are not sanitized with alcohol. We felt disrespected, we worked hard to have the dream vacation, but unfortunately that didn't happen. Can you imagine paying a high amount to be happy with your family and due to the bad service, bad hygiene mainly, no COVID protection measure for your 10-year-old daughter to acquire COVID and you having to extend the nightmare even more. In view of the situation, the hotel at no time was sympathetic to what we were going through. We were already weakened by so many complaints made and never resolved and we still had to give him positive with my daughter, where isolation caused us even greater psychological trauma. We paid more for stays that passed the initial period, I stayed on the first day of isolation in a room that was not working: TV, air conditioning and internet. Only on the second day of isolation did they solve the problem. We were offered room service and the food was terrible, just vegetables and protein for a sick child. Since then, I have gone to the hotel buffet myself to be able to feed my daughter better. On the fourth day, I asked for the room to be cleaned and they accommodated us in another neighboring room, the same one with a dirty sofa, only one room light working (room entrance light). Detail I’m still here suffering every day!

Bahia Principe Escape Aquamarine: Still a Great Resort

We vacationed November 27 to December 11. I've been reading reviews that are "2" and "4". Both apply in certain circumstances. Our 2 weeks there were early on in the reopening so there were some glitches with restaurant locations and reservations as well as supply of coffee, pop in the mini fridge, dearth of bathroom towels and consistency in service. But the grounds are in perfect condition - pools clean and well attended, lots of chairs and pool towels, the food is mostly good to very good [... read more] (with effort we obtained reservations for 12 of our nights). We especially enjoyed MEAT and the Indian restaurant; didn't love the Greek or Tequila. Our first room was not the upgrade to poolside and after the night of constant noise from the neighbouring hotel staff we asked to move but were told it would be an upgrade of $250 US. We decided to wait to see. After 3 days we showed the front staff the video we had taken of the music and noise at 3 a.m. Only then were we offered to move to another room on the same side of the hotel without an upgrade fee. We decided with 11 nights left to just pay the $ but were disappointed that option wasn't given to us on the first night. And speaking of upgrade costs - as is the case with "all inclusives" the attempt to get you to pay more begins the minute you get on the bus - it's like you're there for free and are meant to feel guilty if you don't buy more. The one issue I had is with the wine which is just terrible. They make their own and pour it into bottles. But to upgrade to something drinkable is minimum $38 US per bottle. To have wine with dinner every night would add $700 to our vacation!! Why not offer something drinkable? Or reasonable upgrade cost? We did meet people who had the false positive covid tests - this definitely added to stress levels over the week. Their stories are true. We were at Bahia Principe 2009 and 2010 - I would say the service is the same; language "barrier" hasn't changed. The resort is still very nice - not a 5* but a solid 4. And efforts were being made (example coffee makers in the rooms) every day to get things back on track.

Bahia Principe Escape Aquamarine: Awesome Experience

Our experience at Grand Bahia Aquamarine was fantastic this past holiday (Christmas to New Year). Grounds- The one thing you will notice is how many staff are constantly maintaining and cleaning the premises. The resort is spotless. Staff- The staff are super accommodating and friendly. This includes front desk, bar staff etc. We ran into zero problems. If there were any issues, it was probably due to a language barrier, which comes with the territory when traveling to another country.  [... read more] Food- The food was great! Buffet and Al a Cart were all on point. You should definitely look into booking the restaurants immediately upon checking in as they fill up fast. But they are very good which is why they fill up quickly. Restaurants and Buffet staff ensure everyone is wearing a mask and wearing gloves. It's was an awesome experience, and a big part of that experience is due to the staff, the cleanliness and their seriousness towards COVID and your safety. Obviously, everyone still has to use their common sense. But if there were any moments where I felt "un easy" it was always due to the people not taking things seriously, NOT the resort or staff.

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Punta Cana: Family froendly

Recently came back spending our Christmas holidays at the Hard Rock with my 4 teenage children. We had a great time enjoyed the beach,pool areas, food, shops and activities. All the staff were pleasant and accommodating. Covid protocols were in place and testing was easily done at the hotel for an extra fee.

Excellence El Carmen: Info For Those Wondering About Covid

As I’m sure that there are many people wondering if they should travel because of Covid. Here is some info. For insurance purposes, we got the Manulife Covid-19 Pandemic Travel Plan - medical and trip interruption coverage. I purchased it online a couple of days before we left. It was $65 total for both of us. It covers you if you get Covid while on vacation and if the government changes to a level 4 travel restriction. If you go to the Excellence website- there is a long explanation o [... read more]f their Covid safety protocols and there is a Frequently Asked Questions page that explains their complementary stay if you test positive on your Covid test. We left from Toronto in the early afternoon. We found that the airport was not too busy. We wore N95 masks and didn’t eat or drink on the plane (you can if you choose to but are encouraged to not keep your mask off for very long). At the resort, most staff wear the clear masks that go up from their chin. Some staff wear the blue surgical masks. Most guests do not wear masks inside or outside. Some guests do - so it is up to your comfort. For the Covid tests, you can go to the Concierge Desk at 8:00 am two days before your departure. You pay for your PCR test at the front desk and fill out a form for each person at the Concierge Desk. You will need to have your passport numbers, flight date and flight time. You then go to the concierge room of building 10 for the PCR test (building 8 for rapid test). There is usually a short wait for PCR tests and sometimes a longer wait for rapid tests. Make sure to bring a phone or tablet for each person (they don’t tell you this). When you enter the room, you need to scan a QR code and basically fill out the same info that you fill out on the paper form - including passport number and email address. They emailed the results to us in about 36 hours. They have hand sanitizer at all bars, entrances to all restaurants, and at the front desks and elevators. The buffet is like it used to be - you serve yourself. The tables at some restaurants are well spaced out. At some restaurants the tables are quite close together. Many restaurants have an option to sit outside or inside. You can also get room service 24 hours a day for any meal if you prefer to eat in your room. We chose to get a room with a private pool and we used private transfers to be extra safe. The two pools near buildings 12 to 16 are quiet if you are not comfortable at the busy main pool. When we arrived in Toronto, after doing the usual declaration and customs, we got our luggage and then we were directed to the area for our PCR test. I had registered on the Switch Health website ahead of time so I didn’t have to frantically do it at the airport. I would say it took about 30 minutes to go through the line. They email the results within 72 hours. We felt safe at Excellence El Carmen. We were outside most of the time and were able to be socially distant from others. We are happy that we didn’t cancel. It was much needed break from the Covid world in Ontario right now. Here is a list of things to remember to do: The day before you leave for your vacation: *Do the Dominican Republic online form to get a QR code to show at the airport - I took a screen shot of it. *Download the Excellence El Carmen app and do the online check-in *Do your online check-in for your flight *Download the ArriveCAN app and fill out traveller info and get started on your ArriveCAN form. *Download the Canada eDeclaration app *Download or print your proof of vaccination QR code *Search “Arriving into Canada - Toronto Pearson Airport” for the link to Switch Health Arrival Tests and info about your arrival test *Register on the Switch Health website - this will be so you will be ready for your PCR test at the Canada Airport 12 to 24 hours before your flight home: *Take a screen shot of your proof of negative PCR test to show at the airport * Do the Dominican Republic online form to get a QR code to show at the airport - I took a screen shot of it *Do your online check-in for your flight *On the ArriveCAN app complete your ArriveCAN form - I took a screen shot of the QR code *Complete the Canada eDeclaration app form - I took a screen shot of the QR code *Have $20 US cash for each person to give when you go through security. Don’t cancel your vacation. You will be so happy that you went