Bahia Principe Explore Legend: Great Resort

We visited Bahia Fantasia Punta Cana in July 2023. The overall resort is beautiful and enjoyable for the whole family. Our kids really enjoyed the water park and the pool. Our experience upon checking in was not great. We paid extra for a room with a Castle front view, but were disappointed that no such room was available. It would have been decent just to tell us that, but instead they kept us waiting in the lounge for hours after checking in, and gave us the run around because we asked to spea [... read more]k to a representative that could help us out. After a frustrating start, one Rep, Stephanie, finally acknowledged, there are no rooms with castle view because of the growing palm trees and apologized. We finally had someone honest. Be aware about paying extra for upgraded rooms, there is a strong chance they won't be able to fulfill your requests. Putting aside that experience, the resort overall is beautiful. The rooms are well equipped. Room service and housekeeping are great. We had Yvonne who always kept our room well stocked. The buffet was decent. Ruben, who worked at the buffet, was spectacular. He always made sure we were happy. He was super friendly and always had a big smile on his face. We only got to try two different A La Carte restaurants. We were disappointed that we didn't get to try other restaurants either because they were fully booked and with the exception of one, all the other restaurants are in the other resorts or on the beach. You can use the shuttle to get to the other restaurants, but the wait can be very long for the shuttles and the only timings available for the restaurants were either really early in the evening or very late, which meant either you end your day early at the waterpark or the kids fall asleep at the restaurants for late reservations. So, we stuck to the buffet and enjoyed the nightly kid shows. They had fantastic shows every night (superhero night, princess night, lion king drama roleplay). We were impressed and very pleased with the nightly shows. The resort also had three different sections of pools. The main one was always packed and busy. With young kids, we preferred the other two pool sides that were less busy. The downfall with that was bar service was only offered at the main pool. If you spent your days at the waterpark or the smaller pools, then you had to get your own drinks. The castle is right in the middle of the pools, and it was great. Kids can indulge in ice cream and parents can grab their drinks. Overall, it was a great resort and fun place for the kids.

Majestic Colonial Punta Cana Beach Resort: Return trip

The grounds of the resort are beautiful. The rooms are nice and the air conditioning works well. Most of The restaurants are air conditioned but the heat of the season does not allow for the restaurants to maintain a comfortable temperature. The housekeeping staff is lovely and attentive. Bar and pool staff are friendly. The food is overall very good. Our favourite restaurant is the Japanese, hands down.

Select Sosua Adults Only, Trademark by Wyndham All Inclusive: Beach is beautiful

So we stayed on the select side of the resort and let me tell you definitely had kids there and people whom where not part or the select section they buffet was the same food every day the infinty pool was beautiful and the beach stunting best thing of the whole place. The water was always cold to shower and also to the point where the water had no pressure at all mold all over my room and my toilet and tv did not work would not be staying here again!

Grand Palladium Punta Cana: Could be better

When first arriving we were not greeted well. They did not offer any beverages including water after a long hot trip, as other resorts do. The baggage people did not take our bags from the bus and my family had to do it themselves. We also tried to book the al la cart after we checked in and they were completely booked. The rooms were okay except for the bathrooms. First, if you are sharing with anyone who is not your partner, there is no privacy. You can see the person in the shower as there [... read more] is a slightly fogged glass facing the beds. Second, the shower leaked everywhere. There is no door and the shower has no depth so the water leaked all the way to the toilet. We had to use all our towels on the floor for the first shower and the resort was unwilling to bring new ones. If you are booking this hotel and you are not in the members travel club you are treated like a second class citizen. Be aware of this as they will roll the red carpet for them but will only provide the basics for everyone else, including a simple greeting.

Occidental Punta Cana: Didn’t like it

Services at the buffet and bars are really extremely bad , they ignore you , and they take hours to bring you what you asked for location and beach it’s good , my room Was good , entertainment was good , I’ll recommend that you go to a better place

Riu Republica: Riu Republica

Great party resort, food not so good. Basic resort, good for the money if you get it at a discount. Lot's of young adults always looking to party. Food very basic, nothing in the late night. Room very basic, sometimes ac not good. Overall good for young adults with little finance available. Mexico better option.

Occidental Caribe: Occidental Caribe

Too much music noise from one of the pools all day long. A liitle dated hotel but very nice. Food pretty good. Staff very friendly. The air conditioning did not cool the room quite enough. Elaborate different display of free alcohol outside dining room every night.

Ocean Blue and Sand: Fantastic Week

Check-in & Rooms: We arrived late evening and had no wait at reception. Staff were very friendly. We did not get our requested rooms right away (2 rooms in the same building), but were moved after the 2nd night. Rooms were spacious and clean. Outdoor Areas: The grounds are very well maintained and pools are clean. There were shaded chairs available if at the pool by 9am. The beach chair area looked quite crowded and close together, but because of the abundance of seaweed we didn't spend much [... read more] time on the beach. You can walk many km in either way on the beach, very safe, and very few vendors. Loved that all of the restaurants, shops and evening activities are all together at the front of the resort. It felt like you were walking around a little village every evening. Staff & Entertainment: All of the staff were fantastic! So friendly, and service was great. Never had to wait long at any of the bars or for drinks at the buffets. There were afternoon games at one of the pools every day, activities around the lobby in the early evening and a show every night at 9:30, but this isn't pushed on you if you just want to relax. Disco was great for the older teens. Restaurants: EL CAREY & LA TORTUGA main buffet was fine, food was a bit cold. Lots of variety for breakfast and dinner. VILLA MARINA was a nice buffet option for lunch, nice to be able to eat outside. SENSAI RESTAURANT was fun, food was good and portions were large. Booking on the App was quick and easy. MARGARITA restaurant was good, no reservations needed. Food was not great at IL MASCHERATI DI VENEZIA, but no reservation needed. STEAK HOUSE was surprisingly good (none of us had steak!), but it's the one restaurant you have to line up to reserve. Bring a coffee and your patience and line up at 8:30am. We did not try BLUE MOON RESTAURANT, the one restaurant that requires long pants for men, and did not try ROUTE 66. MIKE'S COFFEE was fantastic both in the morning and at night! Our teenage boys loved OVER TIME SPORTS BAR for late night drinks and food. ​ Privilege Upgrade: We did NOT upgrade to Privilege, and really didn't notice a difference. For the first 2 nights we were in a regular room (building 4) then were moved to a Privilege room (building 10). We preferred the regular room, the view was nicer, and unless you plan to use the jacuzzi tub, the bathroom is more spacious and practical in the regular room. We were able to eat at all of the restaurants and didn't notice a difference in the designated Privilege seating areas.

Occidental Punta Cana: Not what it used to be …

As I prepare to leave the resort from my 31st visit, I must say, Occidental Punta Cana is NOT what it once was, and has declined at an accelerated rate. We flew in on Friday, and look forward to flying home tomorrow. When Barcelo purchased the location in 2015 and began renovations in 2016, I saw improvements during my following 4 or 5 visits. Since then, it has been a downgrade spiral, that has almost hit its lowest…. For one, the food is not what it once was… there were a few is [... read more]sues in our first 2 meals in the main buffet (rotted lettuce and cucumber as well as a pasta dish that had that taste of something about to go bad), so we decided to purchase the Royal access to at least eat well during our stay. The Mexican à la carte food was great, as usual, but the portions have definitely shrunk. The Royal meals were awesome, but that was to be expected. I honestly have nothing to say of the service on resort... after 30 visits, I know the staff and they know me, and we were always greeted with smiles, “Hola”s, and staff ready and willing to go the extra mile to please. On a side note, the AC was not working properly in the Royal restaurant and not once, nor in the buffet, Mexican or Royal restaurant did we get a “carbonated” coke. It was served flat at every meal, wherever we ate, for 5 days. Was that the end of the world?? Absolutely not…. But there was a time that would not have been tolerated. Lastly, I have seen over the past 5 years or so, and through a few general managers, some of the oldest staff (who had been here throughout) be let go…. I had told myself in the last couple of visits that there were only 2 staff members left, who have become friends, that kept me coming here, and as of today, one is gone… In closing, I am booked here for September, but you can bet your bottom dollar if I can change locations without losing out on $1300, I will be keeping the dates but changing locations 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️ It has been a good run Flamenco/Occidental, but our relationship must come to an end 💔💔 For those eating at the buffets, here are a few pics of Royal Restaurant meals ….. Special shout out to Jean Louis, Juan, Weslin, Yuri, Leissey, Ronaldo, Alexi, Francia, Jose, Williem, Karina, Ana, Elvis, Joseph, Jean, John Kelly, as well as Hipolito, Wendy, Sandro and the Royal Restaurant staff!!!! Keep smiling and doing what you do!!! 💜💜

Bahia Principe Explore Legend: Very kid friendly resort

Very good resort, alot of fun and activities for everyone, the food was very good, the service amazing. However alot of seaweed on the beach and in the water. I would definitely recommend the hotel but not during the summer

Riu Republica: Great times!

RIU Republica was great. Definitely a good party vibe if that is what you are looking for. There are quiet areas too. Food was pretty good. Recommend the Indian restaurant! Room was a bit run down but that is what you get in places like this. Otherwise clean.

Ocean El Faro: Soak Up the Sun, Relax and Unwind

We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Ocean El Faro. We did most of the restaurants and found all to be excellent! Mike's coffee was a gem as well! Bowling alley was so much fun. Good time was had at the lazy river, pools, water park and ocean. Our room was plenty big enough for the four of us. We took in a few shows and did an excursion. The grounds were well manicured. The staff overall where very kind, hardworking and helpful.

Melia Punta Cana Beach Wellness Resort Adults: Lovely vacation!

Upon arrival, we were checked in very quickly with no issues! The food at the buffet was very good with many options. The beach was wonderful with many spots with shade available. The only issue we had with this hotel was the seaweed at the beach. However, we know that every effort was being made to contain it as best as they could. Special shout out goes to the following hotel staff who went above and beyond to make our stay a memorable one: Remy, Moises, Benjamin, Ramon. Thanks to all the oth [... read more]er staff whose names I cannot remember but who were also instrumental in helping us to enjoy our stay.

Playabachata Hotel: BAD RESORT

Hotel rooms are old. Everything is dirty and in my room, the toilet was leaking for some reason. The food wasn’t the best. Some food smells funny. Flies flying around the food so be careful of what you are eating. If you want good food, you are going to find it during excursions. If you are looking to party at this resort, are you out of luck since the resort is full of locals. Was there for 7 days and never saw people partying.

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Don't Expect too much!

We stayed at this resort from June 30-July 4. Overall it was ok. The few staff members we interacted were great from beginning to end. The food was ok nothing to rave about. The beach was very nice. There were a few mishaps like on our last night the resort had no water. The entertainment is only for the locals. If you are looking for something cheap this is the resort. Don't expect too much. This was my second visit and I noticed the decrease in care and value of the place.

Serenade Punta Cana Beach and Spa Resort: Excellent

Grounds were well kept. Very clean. Always mopping, always cleaning public bathrooms. Rooms are clean and modern. Luxury master suite was extremely spacious, like a mini condo. It had 2 full baths, 2 king beds and a sofa bed. Bathroom ensuite had no door it was just fully open. Odd if youre sharing with friends. But in the regular rooms theres a blue design on the bathroom glass not fully covered and you can see through the uncovered edges. There were 4 or 5 pools, water slides, kids pool area.  [... read more]Steakhouse was very good, Italian restaurant was also good, Japanese was too, it was the typical hibachi. Need to book reservations 2 days in advance on the app. Good layout of the resort. Everything is easy to get to. Plenty of chairs at pools and beach. No need to reserve. This is by far the least English speaking resort we've been to in 20yrs. It did seem Spanish speaking locals or from other countries got more attention even when we tipped. Those same visitors were very rude, pushing kids out if the way to get their food first at the buffet. This was every meal. This was not the resorts fault. Hard to control other's behavior. Overall we would go back. Very happy. Oh and the bottom of the pool is rough for kids, bring water shoes for them.

Riu Bambu: Annual Family Vacation

Fast, friendly and efficient check in service. Very impressed with cleanliness of hotel. Very easy to get oriented on the property. I enjoyed the fact that everything is within a short walking distance. We enjoyed buffet every day, the variety and quality is at its finest. When red and black caviar is served you know that the Riu is going all out. Plenty of seats, tables and staff to look after your every need. The Bavaro beach is one of the best in the area. Only suggestion I have for the hote [... read more]l is that since we arrived at 10:30 pm with a family of 7 after travelling all day is that they provide a small snack section with fruits and such. The sports bar sandwiches are not enough. As well as bell boy service to take luggage to rooms. It’s a little difficult to get your bearings at 10:30 at night .

Bahia Principe Explore Legend: So so

The resort is big and you can walk or take the golf cart. Decent size pool and kids pool. However, services are so so - majority of the staff are rude. The Italian restaurant was very slow - after waiting for 1 hr 1/2 still no food was reserved. The front desk service was very slow and gives preference to spanish speaking guests even though you are in front of the line.

Vista Sol Punta Cana: Average hotel for the price

We visited this hotel during the first week of July, 2023. I would suspect that all the bad reviews have come from the fact that people just got stuck with a terrible room. We met hotel guests that were very unhappy with their stay, and complained about their room, the main complaints were that the air conditioning did not work, or that the room smelled of mold. In our particular case we had no issues, and the room was OK, except for the fact that we could not just adjust the air condition [... read more]ing and that the ventilator in the bathroom sounded very loud and rumbled like a motorcycle when you turned it on With respect to the food, it was a bit disappointing, as I have been to other resorts in Punta Cana, which had much better food. I think the food was geared towards Americans, and many of the meats, were saturated with sauces, and either ended up being too salty, too fatty, or too creamy . It was also repetitive. Pretty much the same thing every night. The main meat at the grill was pork chops. Although they did have chicken, the chicken was gone as quickly as it was put out. Surprisingly, for a hotel located in a country, which is surrounded by water, you would expect to see more seafood . There was not much seafood at the Buffet. The à la carte Restaurants were OK, but nothing special. We found ourselves going to the buffet after eating at the à la carte Restaurant. The nightly entertainment was typical of these resorts. The animation team was present at the beach, and typical of what I’ve seen at other resorts. The beach itself is Ok. never overcrowded or never had to fight to get a chair. I guess that’s the benefit of a smaller resort. Although there was some seaweed, you can’t blame that on the hotel, as the beach would’ve been almost perfect without the seaweed. But the water was still swimmable, just annoying to have seaweed hit you while you’re in the water. The big disappointment was the staff at the hotel , many of them did not speak English, and I heard staff speaking more French than English itself. When we first got there, our key to the room wasn’t working, and the problem was discovered to be a dead battery in the door mechanism. Something that should’ve taken five minutes to fix. I was first told it would be one moment. Then I was told half an hour. Then a few hours passed and nothing. After complaining to the check in folks they appeared not to care that we were locked out of our rooms. Thanks to Monica Léger, the guest services representative, who made this happen. It took several about three and a half hours for the problem to be solved. Although some people were polite, mainly at the à la carte restaurants, we found the majority of the staff that worked at the hotel were not friendly or sociable. Perhaps it was the language issue, or perhaps another issue such as bad management. To sum it up the hotel itself is not a bad hotel, just needs some work, and I guess your stay will depend on which building you are in or which room you get. As I have mentioned, some guests complained about the air conditioning, being too hot or too cold, and having room smelling of mold, but in our case, the room was almost perfect, except for the fact that we could not adjust the air conditioning, and that the ventilator in the bathroom was extremely loud. For the price we paid, I cannot complain. I could, however complain about Sunwing, as our flight was delayed 15 hours when we left Montreal. We lost an entire day and although the staff at the airport and on the plane indicators that it was due to a lack of resources or staff, a problem which many airlines are facing, Sunwing would not take responsibility, and blamed it on a mechanical issue with the plane ( which just happens to be safety related…an exception under Canadian legislation). We met guests who arrived on other days and many of them had the same issue having at least 12 to 15 hour delays when leaving Montreal to go to the Dominican Republic. Very disappointing with Sunwing, and I am hesitant to fly with them again considering that they won’t take responsibility. If you can avoid Sunwing and fly with another carrier, perhaps you may have a better experience. Although my understanding is that, since the pandemic is over, all airlines are facing the same issues. Sunwing just won’t take responsibility. And I hope they lose many customers, because they don’t treat their customers as they should. SHAME ON YOU SUNWING. YOU SURELY KNOW HOW TO TREAT YOUR CLIENTS. (I am being sarcastic …in case you didn’t get that).

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Very very descent!

Nice overall. Can only think of positives. Had a super vacation. Staff is friendly and amazing in general. Long line to check in but we forgot about it as soon as we entered our air conditioned room and went straight to the beach. Never used pools which they have several. The water there is as hot as pee.