Good but dated. The food was quite bad.

First the primary reason for our 3 star review. We did not like the food. At all. But maybe by DR standards it is fine. So, if you're good with the food at DR resorts, you should probably ignore this complaint. That being said, we've stayed in one other DR resort and the food was quite a bit better there. But we have stayed in numerous other resorts (none in Cuba which has its own poor reputation) and in every other case the food was significantly better. So we won't be back to the DR I think.  [... read more] Second, it sucks that my first experience upon reaching this resort was to (apparently) being scammed by the check in staff. I booked a room with two double beds. When we checked in we were told that there was no rooms with two double beds available but only a single King. OK, whatever, the world won't end if we only have a King so I agreed. And THEN I was immediately told that, in fact, there was a room with two double beds available. And here is the thing, even with the extra crowd on the weekends (locals I assume - they were great to be around), at worst the resort was maybe 30% full. To the point where there were only one or two a la carte restaurants open at any one time) and the buildings seemed empty. Or at least ours. We were in building two on the top floor and did not see anyone else on our floor the entire time we were there and only occasionally did we see anyone else on the first floor or on the stairways. So, my assumption (and I invite the hotel to tell me I am unjust in this assumption) was that I was going to be pressured into some upsell to a more expensive room had I objected to having only a king bed instead of two queens. Also, the place advertises are having wifi throughout the resort. It is pretty bad everywhere but in our room (Building two) it wasn't just bad but simply non-existent for well more than 50% of the time. Like could not connect at all. And even when we could it was terrible. And, on the theme of continuing my complaints (honestly positives to come), the local alcohol was simply undrinkable. Even in mixed drinks. To the point where I saw many other guests carrying around their own bottles of booze instead of drinking what was available. But there IS a solution to the terrible alcohol problem. We upgraded to the VIP level which gave us access to a better quality of alcohol. For us it was US$25/day (not each, for both of us). That also gave us access to the VIP lounge which was kind of like a business center lunch room at the front of the property so was not very useful. But it also gave us access to the VIP section of the beach. It wasn't big but there were beds there (sheets changed daily). The most amazing thing about the VIP section and the best thing we've ever had at any resort was they had muskoka chairs to sit in. This was a godsend for us as the ubiquitous lounges every resort has are brutally uncomfortable unless you are lying down and we like to sit up to read. The muskoka chairs were, by far the best part of the resort. Now some positives. The bartenders were almost universally clearly enjoying themselves and provided great service. Particular shout outs to Joan/John at the snack bar and Evaristo. Both provided exceptional service. Many of the other staff seemed to not really enjoy their jobs or actively did not like them. Now it seems incredibly entitled on my part to want staff to pretend to be happy and it is. But surely the resort could hire people that actually liked their jobs? The beach was great. There is quite a lot of shade provided by trees. The best shade, I think, would be to the far left of the resort as you are facing the water. Lots of trees and not many people in that area. The water was warm. It could be rough. There was some seaweed but not that much. The water gets deep pretty quickly but there is a sandbar of sorts way to the left of the resort where the water is shallow for a while. The pool is great. The house white wine is awful. I could drink the house red but it was just barely palatable enough. We took a taxi tour into PP one day. Three or four hours for a private tour for US$40 (plus tip) and was well worth it. A couple of other things. The casino is right in front of the resort. It is not part of the resort. If you play poker, they apparently have a game every night but it is Omaha and not Texas Hold em. There is a cigar store right in front of the resort as well. Very expensive cigars. Even with the import taxes and sin taxes in Canada, I could get the same cigars cheaper back in Canada. I've read other reviews complaining about the cats on the resort. No need for that. They wander around but have absolutely no interest in the guests so do not demand to be fed or pet or anything. Indeed, if you tried to pet one (and I did a few times) they ran away. The room safes are weird. They use a key which you get at check in. Costs $3/day for the safe. Not much money but that isn't my real complaint. The biggest pain is that I had to keep track of that key instead of just the combination I've used at every other resort I've been to for twenty years. And I am sure, had I lost that key, they'd have charged me a fortune. And one final complaint (because why not) and if you've read this far, you must be a glutton for online reviews with lots of complaints... There are a number of stores on site just after the reception area. A few of them have the vendors calling out to you (ok, lets just call it harassing) as you walk by. Really annoying. I don't blame them. They are clearly not busy and need the business but this is not something I've experienced at any other resort. Sure it happens all the time in a local town etc. but never in a resort for us. It was tiring. Holy crap! You STILL reading this? Hope it was helpful. And, if not, hope you are so bored or content with your life that you did not mind reading it all. Happy travels.

Amazing pool and location

Second time to this hotel. April 2025 - Beach in puerto plata was wavy (yellow flag) or closed due to a storm. No green flag In 2 weeks due to storm passing by? Amazing pool. First time To this resort. Nov 2023 no bacon in two Weeks. April 2025 Bacon every second day. Amazing rolls and breads. Air conditioner worked great! Excellent price for a vacation!!

Great experience

The hotel staff was friendly and overall, we had a great experience at this resort. We found great joy in chatting with Juan at the pool bar. No issues with food, and no reservations required for restaurants. Beach was closed the first few days due to tides but the pool was a great spot to hang out. We ended up spending a lot of time at the pool even when the beach reopened. Our only complaint are the rooms could use updating.

Lovely resort but has a problem withmold in the room

Everything was great except the room smelled musty on entry and the discovery of mold was very evident on our back packs after having them stored in the closet for two weeks. Staff was very welcoming and efficient

Good resort

Overall, the resort is nice Everything is easy accessible. However, the nightlife is lacking. The shows are not very good. The entertainment in the pools is almost nonexistent. However, the water aerobics is a lot of fun. The music is in one area so unless you take a speaker there’s nothing. This is not a resort for people with children or young adults. Just nothing for them. Was raining a fair bit the week we were there. The roofs were leaking in our rooms not nearly enough umbrellas!! . staye [... read more]d in the adult only building 6 beds are rock hard quite nice and presentation tho. With house coats and slippers.rooms hadGreat air conditioning. Wifi is spotty unless you’re in the VIP lounge. VIP lobby was amazing!! Drinks were good in the VIP we definitely loved the coffee machine. buffet was good Especially the pasta /omeletteguy . Bacon is only served every second day. Did have a problem in snack bar with somebody cooking raw chicken beside other food and touching it with raw chicken fingers. So if you’re eating here be cautious just watch as their heating your food they do it right in front of you. We did all of the à la carts they were all good just took way too long. Two hours plus each sitting so if you wanna get into these make sure you’re there at a 6:10 or you’re not getting in. For 6:30 opening In the sports lounge, it’s very hard to get tokens for pool tables. The machine is very finicky . The beach is nice in front of the hotel, however, as soon as you walk 10 feet away. It’s all trash and lots of glass. Not very well maintained it had a fair bit of seaweed. Didn’t see anybody out maintaining it the whole week. But for the value, it was good. I would suggest anybody going spend the money and go adults only. Or VIP.

Nice but needs improvement

Hotel areas are clean and well kept. Great service from staff. VIP is not worth it. Rooms - are dated, missing amenities, not consistent house keeping services. No drawers to put your clothes. Coffee machines not cleaned, old and rusty. Only mirror was in the bathroom. Hard to get extra pillows and blankets, although part of VIP service, had to ask constantly before we received them. Mini bar was not filled daily. Only pop and beer. VIP lounge - great bar staff and service. Nic [... read more]e area to relax and grab coffee every morning. A al carte - reservations not needed , no special consideration for VIP. Everyone has to wait for a table, very long line ups. 3 a la cartes in total, however only 2 were open each day. Mediterranean restaurant was the best. The Mexican restaurant needs improvement. Buffet - very good, great selection each day. VIP beach area - not the best. Needs a lot of work and upgrades. Great bar service there for VIP. Pools - very nice but no swim up bar. Very limited shaded areas. Not enough umbrellas. You had wake up by 430am to reserve a shaded area. Grounds - very well kept Shows - entertaining, great staff and enjoyed the variety of shows. Overall, the hotel rooms need a major upgrade and Staff is amazing

Marien family vacation

Nice enough resort. The rooms are a bit dated but clean. The pools are nice but not much for entertainment. No servers at the pool or beach. The food was average (better than Cuba) but plentiful. Lots of fresh fruit at every meal. The nightly shows were ok. The dancers were great. The beach had lots of seaweed but you could walk and find some clean spots. All staff were very friendly and accommodating. Overall it’s a good no frills value resort with an incredible mountain view.

Marien family vacation

Nice enough resort. The rooms are a bit dated but clean. The pools are nice but not much for entertainment. No servers at the pool or beach. The food was average (better than Cuba) but plentiful. Lots of fresh fruit at every meal. The nightly shows were ok. The dancers were great. The beach had lots of seaweed but you could walk and find some clean spots. All staff were very friendly and accommodating. Overall it’s a good no frills value resort with an incredible mountain view.

Really good resort

Room was great, grounds kept tidy, pool welll maintained , restaurants good, beach good, entertaining alright, pool bar awesome, check in and check out smooth, drinks good, food okay, everything was close by.

Amazing resort

We booked through Trip central ca Liz did very good job for our trip. The resort is nice close to airport. Peaceful quiet they need more chairs under shade for really upgrade. No noise at all quite place night shows are amazing specially the magic show was super duper Roy magician is top notch guy for magic.Only minor issue is the wifi only in lobby Beach it's limited in the rooms. Overall its very good resort. I just came back this week after one week

Great hotel.

Very clean. The employees are very friendly. They all go out of their way to make you're stay the best it can be. The house keepers do a great job with the rooms. Been there 5 times. It's our go to place in Dominican. Food is very good. Like any place you go, you get some very rude guesses. Nothing to do with the resort.

Quaint and friendly resort

We were there from March 12 to March 23. Staff is amazing and make you feel very welcomed! This hotel is currently under renovations (for more than 2 years from what we were told) therefore we did not get the room we thought we would get. The buildings shown on the map that are to be specific to VIP are closed therefore we cannot rely on the resort map. They have a huge pool and there were no difficulties accommodating everyone at the pool. They are in the process of adding quite a few tiki u [... read more]mbrellas to provide more shaded areas around the pool. Wish they would enforce their rule about reserving spots at the pool as on many occasions we would see these chairs with towels from 6am till after lunch with not a soul tending to them. Food was good but we feel there was not enough variety at the buffet. All 3 a la carte restaurants are on a first come first serve basis for all. We enjoyed all 3 more than once. Room was clean and re-stocked daily with no complaints but I must say that we were disappointed that the beer given in our rooms and at VIP lounge is Coors Light. Their local beer was only available on tap at the bars. We are the type where after a long day in the sun, we enjoy relaxing on the balcony/terrace but unfortunately the most uncomfortable chairs of the resort are situated there which prevented us from being able to unwind comfortably outdoors before calling it a night. We truly have no complaints. It's more about a few disappointments which we all end up having at whatever resort we go to. Demographically, we love where this resort is situated as you can walk many places...Jumbo , MacDonalds or Burger King if you wish to have a taste of home, their liquor store which has a full serve bar and the beach was long enough for a good walk as well. We are not at the point in our lives where we want to go back to the same resorts we have already been but I will say we will be back in Puerto Plata. We have no regrets staying at the Marien. Due to the renovations occuring, I would not recommend at this time.

Average

Resort is clean workers are friendly food was ok Mediterranean (seafood) wasn’t what it was hipped to be but ok. Rooms were clean shower was a challenge constantly changing temp sometimes no cold sometimes no hot. Beach is really rocky getting in and was rough, there was small pieces of garbage all over beach and further down beach to north beach was like a dump really bad. Would we go back… not a chance

Great Vacation Spot

What a great hotel!!! The front lobby gentleman (Jose) was so accommodating. He was there to help us with whatever we needed. The food was amazing and the bar staff superb!!! Clean accommodations and comfortable beds. Very relaxing atmosphere. Staff were simply amazing.....can't wait to go back

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

Great small and very walkable resort. The staff are very friendly and very attentive.the beds are extremely uncomfortable, so much so that I preferred to sleep on the couch in the room. The food was meh. My husband and I both were ill with what we can only assume was food-borne illness and lost 2 days of our vacation. The pool was lovely but there was not enough shade nor loungers. The beach was nice but the water was quite turbid and there was little we could do to cool down. With a few upgrade [... read more]s, this could have been our new favorite place, but sadly, my comfort is too important.

ABS0LUTELY BEAUTIFUL!

BEAUTIFUL RESORT, , SAFE, CLEAN, VERY FRENDLY AND POLITE, , FOOD WAS DELICIOUS , SERVICE WAS GREAT, THE SHOWS WERE GREAT, THE BEACH WAS CLEAN AND MANY LONDGE CHAIRS.BEAUTIFUL POOL, I HAD A FACIAL AND LYMPH DRAINAGE MASSAGE AND IT WAS GREAT AND VERY PROFFESSIONAL. MY HUSBAND USED THE POOL AND HE LOVED IT. WE TOOK A TAXI TO THE CITY AND THE TAXI DRIVER TOOK US ON A TOUR AND FLEA MARKET WHICH WE STAYED IN TOWN FOR DINNER AND HE STAYED WITH US ALL DAY. OUR ROOM WAS CLEANED EVERYDAY WITH CLEAN TOWELS [... read more] AND TOILETRIES AND WE HAD A BLOW DRYER. THE ONLY IDEA I WOULD LIKE , MY LEGS ARE NOT STURDY AND I WOULD OF LIKED TWO RAILINGS TO USE THE POOL OTHERWISE NO COMPLAINTS!

Belive marien

Very lovely resort, great people for staff, great food and rooms are very comfortable. The one. problem I had was all the cats roaming around the buffet for every meal. I was very uncomfortable with that, they are actually right under your feet at the table you are sitting at. That would be the only reason I would look to book another resort which is really too bad.

Amazing Scenic View!

We recently visited this resort in Jan 25, it’s a dated resort with no real area to hang out evening time. The scenic view is breathtaking but beach is horrible with garbage from ocean. 3 star resort.

A very good choice

The facilities and rooms were Clean. Staff were friendly and responsive to our needs. It was not very crowded. The food at the buffet was good and different options in every meal. It seemed they were preparing the food options wisely.

Great resort!

Great place for families with kids and those looking for a relaxing place. Very friendly and helpful staff. Good service. Food was Ok. Close to the beach. Very good swimming pool. Definitely recommend it.