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

Catalonia Bavaro Resort: Nice resort, safety concern: careful what you buy there

The resort looked well maintained and the staff is really friendly. Not everyone speaks English or French, but this is a minus for the hotel chain, which does not offer courses anymore (information got from the staff). The check in/out was quick and the reception staff friendly and helpful. Food is very good, the deserts are exquisite. Excellent coffee. They have pork, chicken, sea food, pasta, pad thai stations where they cook, then a variety of kitchen prepared dishes for everyone's taste [... read more]. There are multiple pathways from the lobby to the beach, some taking you through a maze of ponds, bridges, resting places, where you can see fish and birds. Really nice touch. Too bad that guests were leaving drinking glasses around, which were rarely removed in the same day (we saw some in the same place for few days). There are multiple bars around, but what was a bit odd was that they were not familiar with any of the most popular non alcoholic drinks in the Dominican Republic:Morir Soñando, Chocolate de Mani, Jugo de Avena. The drinks they were offering were nicely done, and I have even seen somebody ordering a custom cocktail, which the barman was happy to make it for them. We only asked for the room to be cleaned once during our 8 days stay, but they got to it around 5 pm, even though we had the "clean the room" tag hanged at 8 am. At that time I needed to use the shower and I had to interrupt them so we got only the bed done (sort of, so I can't say what the final version should look like). The hallways seemed like they were cleaned briefly and rarely. The hotel markets itself as "echo" on the premise, but I think they only refer to the fact that they do not offer straws anymore. There is a loooong way for it to be considered "green". The utility vehicles run on gas, including a big tractor that comes on the beach every morning to collect the algae raked by few guys every morning (you feel the exhaust gases for half an hour while it's there). They water the lawn in the middle of the day, where the water evaporates faster, wasting it, and the balcony doors are single pane glass, allowing the heat in, even with the drapes closed. For the whole week, the AC could not cope with the heat and was running continuously. Even with very few times a day opening the entry and balcony doors and drapes closed at all times, we could barely get the room to 23 Celsius. Unfortunately we had a bitter experience buying gifts from the hotel allowed merchants in the main plaza. We bought a silver chain and pendant, two bottles (one 750ml and one smaller) of Mama Juana, vanilla extract, and some cigarettes. It turned out that the chain was not silver (even though the seller said they were, and the ones on his table show as marked). What they put in the envelope they gave us had only the pendant made of silver. The bottles of Mama Juana were not sealed, one of them even had a cap with some other name on it. The vanilla extract bottle was not sealed either. We were afraid to even taste what's in them and the vanilla extract was smelling like glue/paint/something weird that you do NOT want in your food. So we had to toss them. When I asked the merchant after the purchase of the "silver" gift how come that wasn't silver, he pretended he doesn't understand and that was not possible. I though of bringing this up with the manager, but after I saw in their own store some of the Mama Juana bottles that seemed to not have the original caps (which are yellow plastic, sealed, with an additional easy to peel seal on top), I figure that he might already be aware they sell refilled bottles, if you understand where I am going with this. I do have pictures to back up everything I wrote in this paragraph. Bottom line: we got stung with 3 out of 4 items we bought on the hotel premises (NOT on the beach). The beach area is nice and wide, with chairs and beds, but you need to be there before 9 am to find some unoccupied ones. the water is shallow long way into the see, but almost right from the shore there are algae growing on the bottom, which turns into a mushy-muddy one, kind of unpleasant to walk on. There is a sandy channel, about 5 feet wide, that takes you towards where the waves break, about 500 meters from the shore. Some groups of guests were loud in the middle of the night (twice around 1 am) or on the beach, with their boom box. Even though there are security personnel planted or walking around, it didn't seem they intervened. The staff seems like either they are overworked or the management is not able to organize them properly. Overall, we would give the hotel 4 stars, except for safety, considering the fake and dangerous product we bought. If you want a relaxing vacation, this is not the place for it. Below is not related with the hotel, but rather to the experience outside of it. Be careful at the exchange rate the tour operator uses. Sunwing asked for 1.47 CAD/USD. Pay by credit card, or bring USD. At the airport when leaving, the security check personnel made people with flip-flops taking them off, which left them walking bare foot in the area. After I was waved in through the metal detector, I was face to face with the security officer who was not wearing a mask. Literally, two feet in front of me, talking to me. When shuttling from the airport to the hotel, the driver roughly handled one of our carry on baggage and damaged the extensible handle. I saw them how they handled every other luggage and it seems like they really hate their jobs.

Royalton Splash Punta Cana: Very nice property

We loved our stay at the Royalton Splash. Rooms were spacious and clean and the suite with bunk beds for the kids was great. The food was an 8 /10. We upgraded to the diamond club on arrival and I’m glad we did or we would have been stuck with one buffet and two a la carte restaurants the entire week. The only frustrating part was that certain ones could make reservations and others could not which led to lengthy delays. I think this booking system is a bit flawed and many families were frustr [... read more]ated in trying to get seated. Pools were fantastic, water park was great fun and the beach was clean and gorgeous. Overall a great vacation.

Excellence El Carmen: Excellence El Carmen

The Excellence Staff were amazing. Restaurants were so inviting and personal. Special mention to Emilio and Franchiely at the Lobster House. Another Special mention to Frialyn who stood out above all others. Frailyn represented the resort with such a dynamic and professional service at the Excellence Beach Club. This was our second time at this resort but it won't be our last.

Excellence El Carmen: Great COVID Christmas Trip

First time visiting an Excellence Hotel, and we will be back. Beautiful spacious property with lots of greenery, palm trees, and places to sit and relax. The staff attentiveness and overall service level was top notch. Bars & washrooms are plenty and conveniently located. A very large beachfront, but it had some erosion that staff were actively working on repairing. Minimal seaweed which was cleaned up daily. Most days the ocean had just the right amount of waves to swim/play. We stayed  [... read more]over Christmas and they were fully booked but it never felt crowded, most days we could still get a front row palapa on the beach at 9am. Restaurants were all spacious, and most had options to eat outside. No dinner buffet, and no dinner reservations, but only a short wait for the restaurants. Food was hit or miss and I did get food poisoning one night. The menu's can only be accessed via the Excellence App (covid protocol) which is a nuisance if you're trying to "unplug" on vacation. Men need to have pants, shoes, and collar shirt for dinner. Due to COVID we mostly kept to ourselves, which was easy to do at this resort. All staff are vaccinated and wear clear mouth shields, but shields were often sitting low on their chin and not really doing much. Its up to the guests discretion if they want to wear a mask once on the property and most did not. For the pre-departure COVID test ($80USD) Reception did not provide clear instructions. They do not make appointments and you have to wait in line. Prepay for test at main desk, bring receipt to concierge desk to pickup test paperwork, then go to test building where you'll need your phone to fill out the same information again online. Results took about 36 hours and go to your email (junk box). We had a swim up room on the A side of building, but request B side for better sun exposure. We did not do the Excellence Club upgrade and did not feel like we were missing anything. Previously staying with Royalton, the base level at Excellence El Carmen was on par with Royalton Chic Diamond Club. If our visit had not been during a pandemic we might have rated this resort lower, many returning guests commented things were not up to pre-covid standards, but the staff were working hard to get through shortcomings. Overall we loved this resort and had an amazing vacation!

Royalton Bavaro Resort and Spa: Didn't meet Expectations

Although this resort was beautiful to look at there were more negatives than there were positives. Upon arrival we were told that pools close at 630pm and that we should upgrade to a swim out suite. The price went from 600- dollars to 430 US dollars. We upgraded however later we learned the pools were open but they weren't monitored by a lifeguard. We would've been okay with this decision regardless however the swimout and every other pool at the hotel were ice cold including the hot tubs. They  [... read more]were not heated. We were then told to rent a cabana buy purchasing an expensive bottle of champagne. We decided why not make our stay better. The cabana came with a server, a private pool and lounge chairs located in the pool area. To our surprise these pools were also ice cold and we were unable to use them and the server was never around. This cost over 250 US dollars. This place seemed like a complete money grab. The food was okay but not enough variety for 7 days. Only one restaurant (Teppanyaki) was by reservation and the others were walk-in however upon walk-in you would then be told to wait up to an hour to eat. Rio, the brazilian was probably the best. The steakhouse was always out of menu choices which makes no sense when you are dining at 7pm. Stay away from the italian restaurant. The buffet has several options, breakfast here was good. Location wise this hotel is approximately 20 minutes from downtown Punta Cana, although there isn't much to see. We did happen to take the 45 minute trek to Juanillo which is a gorgeous area-would rather stay here if I ever do decide to come back to the Dominican Republic. The rooms are very clean and up to date, and the spa was really good with heated pool/ jacuzzi if you choose to spend more money. I would not recommend this hotel, many people we spoke to were disappointed and repeat guests told us it was much better a couple of years ago. For the amount of money we spent and the long flight from YVR it was a very unrelaxing time and a complete waste of money. If you prefer places like Los Cabos- This is not the place for you. The resorts are all located on a long beautiful beach, seaweed included, but that's about it! No culture, just upscale hotels on a beach. No bars/restaurants on the beach- only resorts. If you like to stay situated on resorts with ice cold pools- this is the place for you!

Finest Punta Cana: Amazing experience

Our agent was very helpful and did everything we asked for. The resort was so nice and clean. It was amazing. Food was great. They followed the covid Protocols very well. Beach was clean and the service was awesome. I will definitely go back

Majestic Mirage Punta Cana All Suite Resort: Amazing employees

First of all, the resort has a mask wearing mandate and good measures in place to ensure safety. For example in the buffet restaurant - the food was mostly handed to you instead of self serve with a lot of plexiglass around the food stations. We saw some people not wearing masks outside the rooms but there is nothing to do for ignorance, right? My husband and I stayed at this resort in a family side swim up suite for a week. The resort is nice and we were well greeted and the food in good and ha [... read more]d a good variety. We especially appreciated the Japanese restaurant where service was friendly and efficient and the experience was very enjoyable. Our suite was nice and clean but unfortunately the air conditioning was always blasting cold. A complaint didn't resolve the issue. We go to Punta Cana for the sun and warm weather, so... The pool was nice but needed many tile replacements. We saw one lady that cut her foot. The bars were nice with good drinks and friendly employees there too.We had requested a quiet room but got one close to the pool entertainment where every day was very loud for 2, 3 hours. I appreciate music but yelling in a mike, not so much. We also had very noisy neighbours who took over with their loud speakers. So, only 2 days were relatively quiet. Would not have expected a spring break like atmosphere for a family pool with drunk people and smoking near the kid pool area.Even saw someone vomiting in the bushes. This was our second time at Majestic resorts but would not go back because we expected more noise control in front of our room in a five star resort.

Dreams Onyx Resort and Spa: Love this resort

It was our second time there. We booked a preferred swim up room both times. Our butler was Nelson and couldn’t ask for better service. The grounds are beautiful. The pool is amazing and the ocean was always cleaned every morning.. We did all the a la carte and liked them all. Workers are very friendly. All workers wear masks all the time. There is hand sanitizer everywhere. At the buffet you get serve at all the different stations. Great resort, my husbands favorite.

Grand Palladium Punta Cana: Good other than the food

Went with a group of 5 friends and all 5 of us got food poisoning. The food was disgusting and at times not edible. Other than the food the resort was pretty good nothing spectacular. It was clean plenty of pools, bars and things to do. Service was pretty good but hard to come by someone who could speak English.

Occidental Caribe: Resort is alright

The hotel is nice, grounds are beautiful, food was good. Rooms are good, beds are really comfortable. Clean for the most part. Staff tries their best, but if they don't understand you, they just say no English, they need more staff that speaks better English or understands. Beach is beautiful, but very windy, waves are really strong. Good trip. But wouldn't chose this chain at this moment.

Wyndham Alltra Punta Cana: Shows it’s age

The resort looks nice in photos but overall not the best experience. The food was mediocre and the buffet had a small selection which the tried to hide with repeats of bread and salad bar items. The entertainment was also boring. Everyday it repeated the exact same activities as the day before. The rooms also showed there age. The lights in our building hallway weren’t on all night and my wife fell down the stairs one night maneuvering through the dark. Only bright spot was the staff was very  [... read more]friendly. Overall not a great experience and would not return.