Occidental Punta Cana: Awesome resort!

This is our 2nd time to visit the Occidental, and our experience was wonderful, and we will return again. We stayed in building 23 on the 2nd floor, and although we heard a few complaints from some in other buildings, ours was wonderful. The room and balcony were beautiful, and the mini fridge was restocked daily, plenty of bottled water, and our housekeeper was amazing, and kept everything very clean. The bathroom could use updating, as the water from the shower would leak onto the floor, no ma [... read more]tter how careful you were, but that would be the only complaint I would have about the room. I found the king size bed, very comfortable. The grounds are beautiful, the food is amazing, in the buffets and at the a la' cartes. The beach is beautiful white sand, and kept very clean. (the only thing, I might suggest, as we went on the Transat preference club and were supposed to have a section of the beach specifically for this club, would be to have the area marked off better. We could never get a place under one of the huts as it was always reserved by people who shouldn't have been there, different color arm bands. They would reserve with their towels early in the morning, and maybe not even get to the beach until late afternoon. We were told at our orientation, to let security know if this happened, however, we really felt it was honest mistakes by them, as it wasn't well marked, and didn't want to embarrass them. A rope dividing to closer to the beach with a better sign would have prevented this). The night shows were a great improvement, over last years, even having an early live show for the children, very much enjoyed. The staff, everywhere, were very friendly, happy and pleasant. Truly a pleasure to interact with them. I couldn't have enjoyed our stay, any more then we all did.

Occidental Papagayo: Outstanding Resort and trip

The hotel was awesome. Beautiful grounds, super friendly staff, great food and abundant wildlife right on the resort. Monkeys, iguanas and many different birds. The staff were all very helpful and friendly. The resort is quite hilly so be prepared to walk up hills and steps. It's not bad at all and there are shuttles readily available to take you from place to place. The ocean was beautiful and warm.

Starfish Cayo Guillermo: Perfect family holiday!

have travelled globally and extensively for over 30 years. If you embrace a culture and its traditions and people for what they are (not what you expect), this is a truly wonderful experience! The staff was amazing and so kind to the grandchildren. The food isn't the same as at home, but that's why I travel; great experience for kids to learn that sometimes, you can't 'order up' and get what the grandmother gets for you! -- excellent choices and always something delightful! (the kids went beyon [... read more]d their comfort zones and learned to expand their dietary likes -- plus the pasta, pizza were excellent. Also, the baker on the resort is fabulous! Great choices, hot and fresh! Our accommodations were superb . Imagine our delight when we arrived to 2 connected ocean-front villa rooms-- 2 huge clean bedrooms, 2 t.v.s, and 2 bathrooms! Beds were exceedingly comfortable and the pillows were lovely. The washrooms had no problems, air-conditioning was excellent and quiet, t.v. had just enough choices in several languages but not so many that the kids wanted to stay inside. the cleaning staff was superb. And, of course, to see the sunrise over the ocean was superb! Nighttime shows were very professional. Yes, sometimes the hotel ran out of a particular thing .. rum, coke, wine or mint but it was always available in a day. Folks, you're on holidays!! Kick back and try something new! All in all, simply a wonderful holiday! Thanks to all! I guess bottom-line, I have to say, $ for $, this was one of the best holidays I have ever experienced. TripCentral did an amazing job of booking us at an amazing price.This is not a resort to go to (nor is Cuba the place) if you are rigid, demanding or only willing to eat/drink/do what you do at home! We will definitely return next year and are bringing more family with us!

Starfish Cayo Guillermo: Very good resort

It is a 3 star resort so one must adjust expectations but we loved it. we had a nice quiet bungalow and that is JUST what we wanted. We very much enjoyed our trip and would totally go back. The staff were really nice and the beachside accomadations were the best.

Occidental Punta Cana: Occidental Grand Puna Canta

There are not enough washrooms located around the resort to accommodate the amount of people. The washrooms were not always in working order especially the women's. We had to fix our toilet in our room several times. Furniture in rooms was well used but apparently it is suppose to be upgraded soon. We could not regular our AC. When entering our room and the AC came on we would get a foul smell. Not sure what is used to water the lawns but it was VERY FOUL SMELLING! We would have to take another  [... read more]route to the beach as the water was laying on the walkways and since we didn't know what it was we did not want to walk through it and get it on us. Beautiful beaches and lots of chairs. Good food and very clean. Friendly staff.

Occidental Punta Cana: Beautiful beach

Beach was beautiful, food was good , grounds clean , rooms definately need work . The light was hanging on wires , air conditioner leaked constantly , toilet didn't work properly . Was under the impression that we would have a Transat room but was not the case.

Occidental Punta Cana: THIS IS AN AMAZING RESORT WE WILL BE GOING BACK

We loved everything about this resort, We have been to a lot of places but this is the first time we said we would come back to the same resort. We read a lot of review before some things were like the reviews but some things were not. You have to go to this resort to see the beauty and the worm friendly people.

Occidental Punta Cana: Needs work

We were suppose to have a separate check-in desk. Noone was working there so we had to wait in the lineup for 30 mins + to get checked in. Staff was not very friendly. Resort was nice. The room we had was a good size. Very dated. Lights with cords cut off or no bulbs. Broken drawers. Couch was dirty. Bathroom was large but needed some updating as well. Tub was dirty. Lots of bugs. Power went out in the building (not the resort) one night. About 5 hours before it came back on. Two nights in a row [... read more] we had no water from approx. 1am-7am. Was not impressed with this. Went to customer service area to see what they could do and they turned us away. Buffet - food was pretty good. Service was not. Most days we had to keep pestering just to get a glass of water. Most of the restaurants were the same as well. It seemed like the only ones who got service were the groups of ladies. The Steak restaurant was the exception. Food was delicious and the serivice was outstanding! Lobby bar - would it hurt you to smile? Always felt like we were bothering them when ording a drink. Waited over 20 mins (with tip in hand) one night to order a drink. Gave up and went to the bar by the theatre. The guys are that beach bar we always great! Smiling and always friendly! They always has a long line of people but you never waited long to get served. Late night pizza - AWESOME!!! Overall we still had a nice relaxing time. The beach was nice, the pools were nice. The layout of the resort was nice. We walked around it a lot during our stay.

Starfish Cayo Guillermo: My Favorite Cuba Resort

Food was very good. We have traveled many times to Cuba selecting Four Star accommodation or more.Due to price restrictions on our part & reviews we chose this resort this year.. rooms were comfortable & very clean..We loved the fact that we did not have to reserve chairs in the morning. we could always find chairs on the beach at any time in the sun or under Palm trees for shade. We are beach lovers but pool chairs seemed to be available as well. This resort is small in comparison to other reso [... read more]rts we have been to but we loved it. Never a line up at the bars or buffet.. Great resort for those with mobility issues as everything is on one level ,no hills or long walks. The beach however goes on & on so we could get our long walks in when we wanted to. The staff were amazing & were willing to do anything to make us feel at home.We met many people who are repeat guests Ten times or more & we will become one of them.Kite sailing was amazing entertainment while lounging on the beach.Many guests enjoyed fishing with great results ten minutes walk down the beach.

Starfish Cayo Guillermo: It's still Cojimar no matter what it's called

This was our 11th trip to this hotel, although it had been 3 years since our last visit. Hotel has been repainted, and improvements made. Nice to see repeat guests and a number of the same staff. We will return again next year - it's our home away from home..

Occidental Punta Cana: Extremely clean

This resort is amazingly clean outside and inside. The food is awesome and tons of variety. Everything is easily within walking distance. The biggest down fall with this resort is the week we were there anyone that got a sunshade on the beach kept it. They would leave personal belongs and towels over night to save it and that was from one end of the beach right through to the other side. This was very frustrating as it didn't matter what time you got up you would never get one and there were lot [... read more]s. We always found a chair and a tree to get under but the resort should be policing this. The shows were average I find them the same everywhere I go I'm not a fan of them at all. The disco was so much fun at the resort we didn't leave the resort to go to Coco Bongo in Bavero but they say that's a good time for $60. There are lots of people tying to sell excursions on the beach they say to book through the resort for everything. The boathouse at the resort has people in red shirts walking around trying to sell you on excursions through them and tell you the other company down on the beach rip you off. We sat all week watching this and come to find out the other company sells cheaper and you get in the same boat at the boat house at the resort, we found this very sneaky. We were a group of six and all had a wonderful time no sickness no waiting in big lines for food. You can't go wrong with this resort.

Occidental Papagayo: Great Resort, Rock Star Staff..too many stairs

Hotel was beautiful. We went April 3-10, 2016 so we were at the end of the dry season so it wasn't as lush as it would be during other times of the year. We stayed in Room #806 Royal Luxury Package. Wine and chocolates were in the room upon arrival -- GREAT view! -- Room Service is free with the Luxury package. -- Wifi was available but VERY spotty, so it was better to just take my tablet to breakfast and dinner with me as there always seemed to be a good signal at reception --- Just too many st [... read more]airs to get to the room. Seriously, I can't see any senior or anyone with a disability being able to do that for a week let alone after laying in the sun and drained of energy. There are carts that you can call and have pick you up and take you to the lobby or wherever, but if you don't want to wait then you have quite a hike ahead of you. Food was fantastic and so was the variety. Staff could not have been nicer or more cheerful (Katherine "Katy Perry" is a rock star staff member...remembered everyone's names, always made it a point to speak to us, and has a FANTASTIC personality). There are many scheduled activities at this resort (snorkeling, rifle shooting, cooking lesson, archery, water volleyball, etc) but some of the equipment needs tending to (ie. archery....the arrow rest was like a plastic 3M mug hook that was falling off so it was hard to hold the arrow to shoot it). My only two complaints would be: ONE: there are NO CLOCKS ANYWHERE! This drove me nuts sicne I had no watch. There are activities that you have to sign up for and arrive at specific times. Also the snack bar and buffets close at certain hours so it would be helpful to have at least 2 clocks on the premises. II suggest one by reception for those catching buses to Coco Beach or the airport and one outside the snack bar so it is near the Activity center where you show up for scheduled activities and can be seen at the pool as well. TWO: it would be nice to have shelves in the shower. We had to line all our stuff around the floor of the shower and being low, water was getting in some of my shampoos that had paper-tear tops (like samples) rather than lids. I would suggest bringing eye moisturizer as well as there were several dry fires on the hills outside the resort and the smoke made my eyes dry and burn for the first couple of days...again, dry season issues. Rooms were cleaned well, but the last 2 days there our rooms were not tended to until around 4pm so we had no water or drinks. Also, that defeats the purpose of the nightime "turndown" other than to take our used towels from the morning. When we first arrived they came before noon, so I'm not sure what changed. Overall a great resort and we would go back again!

Occidental Punta Cana: Nicest resort I've stayed at!!

I was a little hesitant about this resort because the price was so amazing. I quickly fell in love with it. The a la carte restaurants were amazing and the buffet had a large variety of foods to choose from eg. fish, chicken, salads, pasta etc along with the best desserts I've ever had at a resort. Both the grounds, pool area and rooms were clean and well kept up. I have travelled to the Carribean over 16 times and this was the nicest beach yet. Soft, silky sand and easy access in and out of the [... read more] ocean which is ideal for young children and the elderly. I would highly recommend this resort.

Occidental at Xcaret Destination: Huge, clean resort!

My fiancé, his parents and I visited the Occidental Grand Xcaret from March 31-April 7. The only hitch we had is as a family, we wanted to have our rooms close together and we were first placed in 2 different buildings. Once it was brought to their attention, they were able to put us in the same building, even the same floor! When I was first searching for our vacation resort, my instructor priority was size. To say that this resort is big is an understatement. Now we love to explore so this wa [... read more]s perfect for us, but if you don't care to walk then maybe avoid this resort. You're right in the jungle so there is plenty of shade if you need it, and plenty of sun as well. Huge pools, plenty of loungers, minimal beach. The small beach we were aware of before we booked and it didn't bother me in the least. In fact, it was perfect for snorkeling... tons of fish to see right on site! There is a lot of wildlife to see as you walk through the resort. Many restaurants, some we liked, some not as much. But even for picky eaters, you'll always find something to eat. Everyone is so friendly, we especially loved Fabian, who always greeted us at the snack bar by the pool. All in all it was a very enjoyable trip and I would go back in a heartbeat.

Occidental Punta Cana: Beautiful resort

Excellent services, nice beach with a lot of activities to do, friendly atmosphere, nice spot for family vacation also a lot to do with kids and beautiful surrounding. Recommand this spot for a holiday!

Occidental Cozumel: Beautiful Resort!

This was a beautifully landscaped and the grounds were very well maintained. The beach was lovely and great for walking and snorkelling. The pools and pool areas were very clean. Only thing lacking was shade both on the beach and around the pools. More umbrellas would have been a plus. The food was very good and there was always a great selection. Staff were very friendly.

Occidental Punta Cana: Good food, amazing beach, dated rooms

The beach was breathtaking. The food was good and the rooms were dated. Our biggest complaints have more to do with transat than the resort. Our inbound flight was delayed 3 hours and on our return flight we were left on the plan for 45 min waiting for take off with no AC. I am still surprised no one passed out. The flight staff both ways were significantly less than friendly. And our on site Transat reps...well I could write a an entire review about them alone. They were less helpful ( and more [... read more] pushy sales reps) than the resort staff themselves. Unless you went to see them to purchase something all you got was "come back later" (when they had more time to pressure you into selling something, NOT fix the problem!)

Occidental Punta Cana: Occidental Grand Punta Cana AMAZING

I just came back from a 7 day all inclusive trip to this truly amazing resort. End of March to the beginning of April. I couldn't believe any of the bad reviews after being there for a day. The staff are super friendly I hadn't met one unhappy person there, this even includes the 3 different excursions we did. The beaches are speechless and we never had to fight for a chair I'm not much of a pool person but there would always be seats available walking by! I would go back for sure I already miss [... read more] some of the wonderful abundance of foods lol so stop thinking about going and just GO and ENJOY!:)

Occidental at Xcaret Destination: XCaret resort

Great resort the grounds were beautiful the beds very clean the only issue they gave me 2 doubles instead of a king but the food was good always founf something good to eat the only down was the beach not very big but the great pools made up for that and mcgill at the pool bar was an amazing bartender I ever saw. Thank you to xCaret for a great week

Allegro Cozumel: Gorgeous Resort!

Just returned from an 8 day stay at the Allegro Resort and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. This resort is rated a 3 1/2 star but it was at least a 4 or 4 1/2 star resort. The grounds were gorgeous and groomed everyday to look their best. The food was better than I expected and customer service was great. The staff made sure to make every visitor feel welcome. The al a carte meals were a fantastic experience. The Air Transat representative did a great job explaining taxis, shopping, fe [... read more]rry, and the most popular things to see on the island. Cozumel is a very relaxing place to go if you just want to get away or if you feel the need to shop, it is also close enough to do some shopping too. Our Tripcentral agent, Nicole Kirk, did a great job helping me choose this resort and I was not disappointed at all. I will definitely be returning to Cozumel next year to continue my ventures.