Coral Costa Caribe: 2nd time visiting! Great resort

We love this resort!~ We were there 8 years ago and decided to go again due to its small size and the peacefulness you feel as you enter. The excellent and friendly staff will work hard to provide you with all you need. Service is exceptional, as is the cleanliness of the entire resort. This is not a luxury resort, however, there is always lots of great food for every palette, and management and staff worked hard to make Christmas Eve wonderful! Lobster, shrimp, oysters and every kind of dis [... read more]h you could imagine were served as well as great entertainment although the weather was a bit unstable due to rain. We are going back for 2 weeks next time as one week wasn't quite enough. Thank you to Juan at the bar for taking such good care of us! Till next time!

Emotions by Hodelpa Juan Dolio: It was fun, but food was ?

Need garbage cans in the room areas, not just the bathroom & need ashtrays on the room balconys Good entertainment , Michael Jackson & the beach party were very good,,,,,,,,,,,probably would not return, but the staff was amazing, casino would be nice & a better mixture of music at the disco. Beach is wonderful

Emotions by Hodelpa Juan Dolio: Just okay resort

This resort was okay but I don’t think I would ever go back. It is really far from the airport that the packages usually use, the Punta Cana one. Overall, it was neither good nor horrible but it was mostly bad for me. The buffet is repetitive and the a la carte is bad. We also had to change rooms because ours was musty. The air conditioner was not working and I truly believe this resort is only for locals. This is why most people speak Spanish and most of the activities cater to Dominicans. Ther [... read more]e were stray dogs and cats all over the beach and the resort including in the restaurants which is actually disgusting to say the least. I was so uncomfortable the whole time I went to eat because the first day a cat crawled beside my leg and went under the table as we were eating. For the good parts most of the staff was really nice except I noticed on the weekends, some of the staff only really cater to locals so there’s not as much care during the weekend but it was still okay. The drinks to me were also really good for the most part. The older man who makes most of the drinks in the main area and the young girl were phenomenal but there was someone who came in once on the weekend who couldn’t even get basic drinks right.

Emotions by Hodelpa Juan Dolio: False Advertising & Food Poisoning

We stayed at this hotel in March 2024. We were a group of 4 and had booked 2 swim-out rooms ("essentia"/privileged). First, why Tripcentral/Air Transat sends you to Punta Cana's airport is mind-boggling. The hotel is a 2-hour drive away, when Santo Domingo is 45-minutes from the resort. It is 2 days of your 7 day trip wasted. Not to mention that the bus driver barely stays on the road, is swerving in and out of lanes. I'm not referring to passing vehicles, legitmately swerving as if he was d [... read more]runk or falling asleep. This was also the first trip where there was no representative to greet you on the bus to inform you of where you're going, when to meet your rep at the hotel, etc. BASIC INFORMATION ONE NEEDS. Lets start with the website/app that you use to navigate the resort, for a map or booking a la carts... The map is so outdated that it isn't even accurate. Considering it tells you almost nothing, it's disappointing to say the least. It advertises that it's 7 restaurants are open, these are the locations and times, etc... Nope. That is not the case. For 1, the main buffet is located elsewhere, under a different name, because the other is closed for renovations - but still advertised as open. As essentia guests, you are entitled to a free 30 minute massage. As someone who is pregnant, I could not get this... so keep that in mind, if you're planning to babymoon here! I did transfer it to my friend, so it didn't fully go to waste. There is also a city tour to Santo Domingo - don't ask the hotel or Air Transat representative (should you ever find him) because no one knows anything about it. However, the invitations are sent out Monday mornings and the tours are on Wednesdays. It starts at 9AM and you return to the resort by 1:30 PM (Unless the ghetto bus gets 2 flat tires... but don't worry, they'll only change one and drive the rest of the way with one waiting to explode!). On the tour you'll go to a cave, inside the cathedral (know this because it's important you're legs and arms are covered), a gift shop, and the oldest street in Santo Domingo (that is now just filled with gift shops and nothing else). 2 people of our group did snorkeling for the day, it was $100 US per person. If you want to book excursions, don't bother hunting down the Air Transat guy because we didn't see him until our 2nd last day. He doesn't have an office, and was around the timeshare guys. He doesn't have a sign or anything, you'll likely never know he's who he is. There is a guy with a small little "store" on the beach, attached to the snack bar. He sells excursions for snorkeling, horseback riding, etc. Nothing too exciting. I bet if you had the Air Transat rep be readily available, there would be more options. Anyways, the rooms were basic. Housekeeping was minimal. This is the first resort where the housekeepers don't make the towels fancy, place flowers on the bed, or give a bottle of wine/rum. The showers barely drain, and there is absolutely no hot water - barely even warm water. So make sure you take really quick showers! The swim-out on the essentia side, we booked because the pictures made it looked private, rather than open. However, your side gets no sun and the pool is freezing cold! I think we only saw 1 person in the pool, and it was very brief. The pool is also dirty from the tree's and hardly maintained (only once in the mornings). Very disappointed, as the swim-out was a main factor for booking this resort. Another reason we booked this resort is because it says there are 7 restaurants. I'm pregnant, so this was a major deciding factor when choosing this resort. There are not 7 restaurants. Let's me be clear: there are 3 locations for restaurants, your main buffet (breakfast/lunch/dinner, decent hours, closes at 10:30PM), and 2 spots for A la carts (side by side, next to the essentia rooms). The "6" restaurants (excluding the main buffet) rotate. There is no schedule. You will never know what day the italian, mexican, or asian restaurant is open. So, when booking, choose wisely, because from our experience each is only open approximately 2 days a week. In "7" days, I never get to try the Asian restaurant. The buffet itself was very small. They did do their best to rotate menus so that it's not 100% the same thing every day, but it was still pretty awful. I never had bad food in the DR until this place. The snack bar.... DON'T EAT THERE! We all got sick for days from the food. The hot dogs sit in water, collecting bacteria, something is seriously wrong with the burgers... just looking at them you know it's not right, but then to try to taste it... I spit it out IMMEDIATELY. The hot dogs were described as tasting like "mush" --- I don't even know what that means, but it's not good. A good thing about the resort, is that it is not busy - but that's probably because it's 2 hours from the damn airport. The general pools were kept clean, for the most part. They are definitely peeling and in need of repair. It's advertised that there's a jacuzzi however this is in the adults only section - being an adult, or essentia, does not give you access to this. So that was disappointing. The beach/essentia is across the street from the main areas, which was kind of nice because it was keeping the essentia areas separate from everyone else. I wouldn't recommend ocean view rooms, because the buildings are so low, your view is likely obstructed by trees/beach chairs. The ocean is FILTHY. I have never been to a resort and not spent a day or more in the ocean. It is filled with seaweed. The beach is public, so it is not maintained. There are a few shops, and a lady who sells massages, on the beach. I only inquired about the paintings and walked away when he was $90 US for a small 5x7. We did the romantic dinner on the beach our last night there. It was $150 US. You definitely pay for the experience. The dinner was basic, and not very good. But I did get to take a bottle of wine home (since I was obviously not drinking it there). So that was nice. The staff definitely expect to be tipped CONSTANTLY. Do not expect service if you are not tipping every single time. We are the type to give a $10-$20 at the end of the day, not $1 every single time... Louis on the beach/essentia side refused to even acknowledge us. Absolutely horrible service. Also, the hotel will not give you smaller bills ($1's) so be prepared... which is another reason we were being forced to tip $10 and up. The entertainment was disappointment. The staff will dance to the same song every single night... and twerk. Because as a family-friendly resort, that's what everyone wants to see. We all desire to see girls lift up their dresses, flash their asses at the audience, and twerk. When there's a competition on the "beach party" night, the guys will do a race, the girls --- well, who can twerk the best. It was disturbing to watch. The Michael Jackson show is 10x better in Cuba. I couldn't really tell if his eyes were even open, but he looked high AF. It was awkward to watch. The resort is also open to locals... so be prepared for that. They didn't cause any issues, but it is something to take note of because I'd say majority of the guests for the late night entertainment/disco, is locals. I do not recommend this resort. It is no where near a 3-4-5 star. Spend your money and go elsewhere.

Coral Costa Caribe: Excellent resort

I stayed at the coral costa caribe 14 yrs ago and decided to go there again in Mar.24. Upgrades are great. Rooms are always clean showers amazing never ran out of hot water. Grounds are kept clean as are food areas and the sports bar. Only thing I would suggest is a new way to book al a cartes. 6 am line up everyday while on vacation is not acceptable. Maybe be able to book online before the trip or even during the trip for any day not just the day of.

Emotions by Hodelpa Juan Dolio: Emotions - by Hodelpa Juan Dolio Feb 2024

We were in the Adult Only Area ! Loved the adult pool area calmer and very central. We loved the room 4314, no elevators but the resort is accessible friendly. Only 1 buffet restaurant and food is on repeat ! Drinks are well done small glasses so I was happy I brought my own. As for TOWELS ! Terrible and very disorganized. Wasn’t able to gain access to a new towel daily and almost needed to be a bully for them to give me one after day 2. So consider bringing your own. Over all it is not a 4* r [... read more]esort but a high 3.

Whala Boca Chica: Our review of Whala Boca Chica

Entrance to hotel and lobby not great but OK. Our main take away was inconsistency! Beach was great due to breakwater which made it very calm and warm. Great for families & non swimmers & just relaxing in the water. The 2 pools were good. The one a la carte restaurant was only open 2-3 days a week & was definitely sub par. Buffet was adequate, inconsistent, but we never went hungry. Wait staff poorly trained & didn't seem to know what to do. Most never smiled & were not friendly Activities were  [... read more]held on an inconsistent basis & not as per posted schedule. Evening entertainment very unprofessional & mostly not worth watching. Service was lacking & we were often blatantly ignored. There is a definite language barrier here. Speaking Spanish would be very helpful. It was nice to be able to walk in the small town that surrounded the resort. There were numerous vendors on the beach selling products & massage. Most did not force themselves on us. The massage was very professional. There was no representative from the airline but there was a representative from a local company in the hotel at all times. Very good to deal with but you needed USD or pesos, no credit card. But you could get cash on your credit card from the local bank with an extra charge. We would consider going back here for a strictly beach vacation provided the price was really good as we now know what to expect. Go there with low expectations.

Emotions by Hodelpa Juan Dolio: Decent Trip for the price

This is a solid 3.5 star hotel; the rooms are basic with all you need but nothing else, no hooks for towels, limited drawers, very loud in building 3. The food was ok, enough to find something to eat but I wouldn't call it good food. The beach is amazing and you can walk very far safely. We always found chairs no problem. The staff are excellent. The bus ride to get there from Punta Cana was 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Coral Costa Caribe: Beautiful setting near the ocean

The food was super great.....it was very clean, staff was so nice....the only thing that we had not checked was the drive from the Punta Cana was 2 hrs from the Resort....a bit too long for me....... Besides the fact that it was a small resort compare to others it was divine for resting and sunbathing.

Whala Boca Chica: Terrible

Terrible resort from food too the empty water coolers rooms were decent so was the service pool towels were hard too get and pool was dirty the beach was good but the resturants around were top dollar when the seen u was from gringo land

Emotions by Hodelpa Juan Dolio: Very Good Value with a family

Hotel accomodation great but needs upgrades with appliances such as fridge had to replace room fridge 3 times. Room service needed more towels exchange had to ask everyday to supply us with fresh towels. Dining room buffet in this case was great lots of variety of different foods and choices. bonus was omellette and pasta bars always available.Staff were great always giving us excellent service. Booking "a la carte" restaurants was a our biggest challenge trying to book reservations for a la [... read more]rge group was difficult. We could not book online because having three diffferent rooms the reservation could not be processed for our group. Pools and Bars on site were great. Staff were amazing! Beach areas clean and safe not to many venders trying to push buying their products Location Location on this small resort was perfect for a large family group Evening entertainment for adults and kids was amazing

Emotions by Hodelpa Juan Dolio: Good value for money

Resort was good value considering what we paid. The food seemed to be a common complaint in other reviews. It was mediocre and repetitive, but it had taste and we never went hungry. Management of food service could be improved for greater consistency. There were vegetarian and vegan options at each meal, but the options became repetitive. The resort it's self was very nice. We were there at the peek in the last 1.5 weeks of December. It was busy but never felt overly crowded. The location  [... read more]is a ~1.75 hour drive from PUJ, so be ready for the long drive if you are flying into that airport. On the plus side the somewhat remote location meant there was only one resort in the area and the streets around this resort felt more local and authentic. The beach was also pretty quiet. The gym was very well equipped with treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, dumbbells, and various weight stations. Drinks at the bars were somewhat limited. We aren't big drinkers and were ok with the selection. Staff were very friendly and present. Many of them didn't speak English but customer service did, and they all seemed to know enough English words that we never had issues communicating. The resort had excellent WiFi throughout. We stayed in the Deluxe room. It was large and comfortably housed 4 people, however it was one room with no dividers. Overall, we would book again given the opportunity.

Emotions by Hodelpa Juan Dolio: Great place to stay

This was our first time in DR , when we first walked in to the resort we were very impressed by the set up , even though it lacks a lobby area where people can gather and meet away from the rain ., We have encountered few situations that we were hoping that we could avoid , such as the lack of English speaking staff and the persistent of the guys who are trying to sell a package and won’t leave alone all day , so you literally try to avoid them all day and force to take a different path so you  [... read more]don’t talk with them , Even one of them came and knocked on our door while we were relaxing in the room !!! Beside all that you runaway to the beach and the other people try to sell you something while your laying down in the sun ,, The rooms were ok but the finding of cockroach's few time was gross !! We encounter rains a lot and we asked for an umbrella but they wouldn't provide one you have to buy it from the store for almost $20 usd .. The food was great at the snack bar and available but some of the staff over there were very cranky almost all the time and you asked them for anything and they wouldn’t even look at you !! They prefer to serve the local that they were there all weekend long … I heat not to give a good review about it but that was what we encountered beside few things that I don’t want to mention here !

Coral Costa Caribe: Amazing Resort

This was my 15th time to the Coral Costa Caribe. It is the best Caribbean resort and I have traveled extensively to 6 Caribbean countries over the years. The resort caters to their clients and treat me like royalty. I have now gotten to know a lot of the staff personally and the greeting I receive when I show up is unbelievable. The accommodations, beach, food and customer service are all top-notch. I will continue to make the Coral Costa Caribe my holiday destination as I know what I a [... read more]m getting every time! The location is close to numerous interesting places to visit off-resort and places you will want to visit every time you visit. It may not "present" as a 5-star online but this resort offers like a 5-dtar in my opinion.

Emotions by Hodelpa Juan Dolio: Awesome vacation!

We had a great time at Emotions by Hodelpa Juan Dolio! The weather was perfect, rooms were clean, beds were comfy and the beach and pools were fabulous! The only thing that could be improved on was the beach and pool loungers were quite worn, other than that, no complaints!

Emotions by Hodelpa Juan Dolio: Small but pleasantly surprised

I was put off by some reviews, you do have to cross a road to get to the beach and main buffet- it’s not a busy road and I felt very safe. All the workers were so accommodating and extremely friendly. If you are looking for a party- this is not the resort for you. It’s quaint, personable and quiet quiet. The tour people were quite annoying but when you tell them no for the 100th time they do stop asking by day 6- the beach vendors are respectful as well. We had room 5125- the swimup was phen [... read more]omenal, temperature was great and it was clean with close proximity to the pool bar! The room and resort were very clean. The restaurants were great, buffets were not great as the selection was extremely limited but we didn’t starve.

Emotions by Hodelpa Juan Dolio: DO NOT RECCOMEND

The staff will only pay attention to you if you show that you are going to tip them, I got food poisoning from the food, the pools are not cleaned, entertainment is lacking, the beach has lots of seaweed, snack bar never seems to have snacks available, the adults-only section is right by the entertainment section of the resort - very loud and not relaxing. We could hear the disco music from our room - kept us up at night.

Emotions by Hodelpa Juan Dolio: Enjoyed

Very well designed resort. Clean and well maintained Nice beach, plenty of room well maintained and cleaned daily. Personnel ready to make extra steps to satisfaction of customers. Good coffee. Room cleaned with replacing towels and bedding daily.

Coral Costa Caribe: Coral Costa Caribe

Pros: The Safari excursion (offered by Sunwing?) was VERY nice! highly recommended! The rooms had powerful AC units that cooled the rooms down within minutes (they are off when no one is in the room). The buffet was surprisingly very good! All water that was served to us was bottled water. There and many bars in the resort and the service and decent and fast. Most staff were polite, friendly, and helpful. Minor issues: Beach vendors often come by to harass you to buy somet [... read more]hing. They are very insistent and use high pressure sales tactics. For example, my girlfriend had a vendor start making an ankle bracelet around her foot without consent. They are very pushy and only leave you alone if you totally ignore them or if you say "no thank you" a few times in a row. ATM machine is hard to locate. Asking front desk employees can help guide you to the right location (outside main entrance) Major issues: Were were told not to drink the tap water 24 hours after arrival. I drank the water(1 small sip) to take my pills in the morning without knowing it was unsafe. I had digestive issues for a week after/during the vacation. When booking, we wanted 1 king bed but upon arrival we were given 2 queens. We asked to change rooms and they we kind enough to changed us the following day. However, in the new room, there was a cockroach under our mattress. After a complaint, they changed us immediately to another room. They handled things nicely, but it was 2 days of changing rooms instead of enjoying the resort. You need 20$ USD as part of a leaving/exit tax. This was not explained to us before arriving. When leaving, we were told that they accepted Dominican Pesos equal to 20$USD. Our Sunwing representative told us that 1000 Dominican Pesos = 20$ USD. At the airport we were told it was 1200 Dominican Pesos and they don't have change. I had to take out money from an ATM twice and overpaid (2500 dom. pesos) just to leave the country. I understand this is not the Hotel's fault, but I'm putting this here for general information and precaution. It would be nice for this information to be accurate and available from the hotel and not to have to stress and overpay throughout the leaving process.

Hodelpa Nicolas de Ovando: Nice hotel in great location

Nice hotel with all services: pool, restaurant, business center, etc. Good service, good location in the colonial district. The pool area is a nice place to relax and have a drink and a view on the City. There are many interior courts. Close to many restaurants, cigar shops and markets. Very central with a view on the river.