El Beso Adults Only at Ocean El Faro: Fantastic resort!!

I just returned from a 2 week vacation at Ocean El Faro El Beso resort in Punta Cana. The resort was absolutely fantastic! There was so much selection for meals and everyone was great! A coffee shop with sandwiches and fresh baked goods, smoothies, fruit drinks. An adults only restaurant at the beach with buffet breakfast and a la carte lunch and dinner. French,Italian and Japanese restaurants. The entire resort was immaculate. The staff even wiped down the chair legs in the lobbies every  [... read more]evening! Multiple swimming pools, a lazy river with a bar in the middle! Kids mini Waterpark. Great shows. Beautiful piano bar open for quiet moments open every evening. I can't wait to go back!! For me this place is beyond 5 stars!

Royalton Splash Punta Cana: Great service

Our butler was great. The building concierge was fantastic. Short resort tram ride to beach. Overall had a great time. Dorado and hunter restaurant were amazing ¡!!!!!!¡!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡¡!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [... read more]!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dreams Flora Resort and Spa: Amazing resort

Recently renovated, not too big not too small,friendly staff,variety of food,nice grounds ,room cleanliness,minibar Cons: Entertainment Room soundproof Limitations of seats at World cafe during peak times,but staff working very hard to make it available asap

Viva V Samana by Wyndham: Great place to stay!

Short ride from the airport! Which is great in the heat. Except for the small bus! Too cramped. Very clean and comfortable rooms. A couple of power outages but they only lasted few seconds. Friendly, hard working staff. Big thank you to Yocairy!! She rocks! Food was excellent with a wide variety. Resort is the perfect size! Easy to get around. Pool is clean, and well maintained. Beautiful beach and view of the ocean. Will definitely go back.

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: Average stay

We did enjoy our overall experience at the Senator. We had to upgrade our room, as the our assigned room was very old! Our new room was great, building 2, ocean view. This resort is VERY clean, rooms, and the grounds. The entertainment was prob not the best ..... But it was entertainment. The food was good, yet very repetitive, especially breakfast and lunch. Exactly the same everyday we were there. The drinks were very unimpressive. Juices were weak,.wine was awful, spent all week trying to fin [... read more]d a consistent drink I liked. My hubby drank beer and he enjoyed it. The staff were mostly pleasant, except the people who try to sell "time shares, or whatever they call it, can get quite insistent and almost aggressive or even pathetic begging you to "Attend a 1 hour demonstration . We did not fall for their tactics. The pools were clean, but the music was too loud for us, so we spent most time at the beach towards the Playa bachata. Overall it was a nice vacation. Would we return to this resort? Probably not, unless it was an incredible price.

Riu Republica: Wonderful resort

Had a wonderful time the resort was amazing. The staff very friendly.. The resort is very large lots of hotels and bars pools. The food was really good. The only complaint I had is the buffet food was cold and the beds were a little hard, but something I could live with.

Riu Republica: Fantastic, friendly and fun.

The Riu Republica was fantastic. I’d give it a 4 rating. The only complaint I have is I had to ask for clean dishes a few times. They could definitely do better with that!The food selection was fantastic. Our room was fantastic and well kept. We did leave Spanish notes with gifts and tips. Resort was full but never felt full. No waiting for a drink. No having trouble finding a chair. Entertainment was great. People and staff were friendly and fun. They had games during the day and prizes . I won [... read more] at darts twice lol . Apparently I’m really good at darts in beach sand and sun with a drink ha ha. Honestly I wouldn’t hesitate to go back. Loved it! It was a great time. Never felt overly noisy . Sprayed ourselves with no scent musk oil ever evening. Didn’t get one bug bite. Never got sick. People complain for nothing. Oh and never waited more than a few minutes for a drink.

Coral Costa Caribe: Resort facility lovely, staff less than enthusiastic

The Coral costa Caribe was an esthetically lovely resort with a lot of central located amenities. The food was good with an excellent variety to choose from. The coffee bar with specialty coffee was an added bonus. The A La Carts were hard to navigate as there was minimal signage and they rotated sites. I found the pool bar staff to be less than excited to be there with barely a smile or even a conversation at the top part and would infrequently serve down at the pool area. I had a hard time wit [... read more]h the rudeness of our Westjet/Sunwing representative. Initially when we were interested in an excursion he was wonderful but once we paid and then had a couple of questions and concerns he totally ignored me and was on his phone. Then he lied to my daughter in law when she stopped by, He told her our concerns were taken care of as he had talked to me already but when I went back to talk to him he had left before 1100 when he was to be there until 1200.

Majestic Elegance Punta Cana: Beautiful Resort

First of all let me say that I was there with my daughter and toddler granddaughter so my comments are based on our family configuration! The Majestic Elegance Hotel in Punta Cana is beautifully landscaped, the rooms are very large with an open concept, ie the jacuzzi tub and the double sinks are in the open room area and the shower and toilet are individual private rooms with unlockable glass swinging doors. We were there with a 20 month old toddler and found the room not to be child friendly [... read more]. For example there is a step down to the jacuzzi tub and patio door area with an approximate 3’ marble ledge which she initially bumped her head on a number of times. The toilet snd shower doors are very heavy glass and they swing inward and outward. Our toddler initially managed to pinch her fingers in the doors several times. In the first room we were in the hand towel bar was approximately 10” long positioned on the front of the sink facade at eye level of the toddler. Again she initially bumped her head numerous times and actually could have walked into it at eye level. Suggestion would be to mount towel racks at a higher level. The floors are very slippery when wet causing danger to anyone. After showering we had to place towels on the floor outside the shower door. Aesthetically the room is beautiful however not toddler child friendly! The air conditioner was not working in first room we were in (for three nights) we asked to have it fixed on two occasions and after having three uncomfortable nights we asked to move rooms which they kindly moved us and the air conditioner was working well! I would also like to mention that the resort, as beautiful as it is, is again not child friendly in regard to pushing a child in a stroller. There are little to no ramps, mostly steps and the one bridge over the pool is in very rough condition and is three stairs up and three steps down three or four times across the bridge. Therefore impossible to use with a stroller, thereby having to go a longer way around every time going to/from the pool area. The staff: in all the years of travel, and I have travelled and lived all over the world, I have never met such wonderful, friendly and accommodating staff! They are the best staff ever! Big thumbs up ? Food: food is a personal taste thing. I don’t believe it would be fair to comment as everyone has personal tastes. Our preference was the Steak restaurant and the Italian restaurant. The Sea to See was great for lunch! Again we were with a toddler which did limit our going to the restaurants as we had to eat an early dinner. Pools: the pool we used daily was in good condition but there is only one entry with steps, which for seniors or someone with a handicap they would require. There were always lounge chairs and umbrellas available. The pool where the swim up bar and activities took place is in very poor condition. There are sooooo many missing pool tiles causing the pool floor to be very sharp in places which could cause someone to cut their feet! Would I return: I would return but not with a toddler. I would also only stay on the Club side as there are many more benefits to the Club side!

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Awful Tourist Trap from Hell - Luxury? NO!

Lobby, Sky, Water, Grounds: Picturesque! But way too many cats that guests & STAFF feed/touch/pet. Gross!! Coffee Shop, Beach Bar & Grounds Maintenance - Miguel, on the beach to be noted: Excellent. Everything else was a NIGHTMARE and RUINED our vacation completely. The list is endless, so in a nutshell... Service & English Language: ZERO! We had to call daily for basic requirements that were met poorly, or not at all. Staff: Didn't speak ENG at all (outside of the lobby) & didn't even t [... read more]ry to understand us. Rude & useless & arrogant & did their jobs poorly. (I've been EVERYWHERE and NEVER had this problem!) Endless stream of inconsistent, mismanaged, or not managed at all, horrible service. AND everybody and their mother wanted a tip! Rooms: Not remotely noise proof & the beds were as hard as brick. Rooms were never cleaned, just swept (poorly) & beds made; that's it! God forbid you ask for more. Everyone is so shocked when you you have a "complaint/issue". Oh, and everyone in the pool drinks & pees in it all day. The guests told us. And the Esmerelda guests suck up Ambar umbrellas, meaning you have to get up at 6am to find one. And Ambar guests pays double! Ah yes, besides the restaurants being a disaster, an with average or below average food, the smell of diesel, all day, from the motor boats on the Ambar beach really sealed the deal. We are boycotting Bahia properties, as of now.

Catalonia Royal Bavaro: Amazing Resort

We had a great holiday at the Catalonia Royal Bavaro. Had great food and a variety of food choice. The staff were always friendly and very helpful. The pools and beach were great. They did a great job cleaning the seaweed off the beach every morning

Bakour Punta Cana Suites: The bakour Punta Cana

The grounds were nice , nothing spectacular! Hotel has some new rooms, but we were in a very run down room & not happy about it ! Food wasn’t the best either staff weren’t overly friendly! Weather was beautiful so that was good! I wouldn’t return myself!

Bakour Punta Cana Suites: The bakour Punta Cana

The grounds were nice , nothing spectacular! Hotel has some new rooms, but we were in a very run down room & not happy about it ! Food wasn’t the best either staff weren’t overly friendly! Weather was beautiful so that was good! I wouldn’t return myself!

Casa Marina Sosua Trademark by Wyndham All Inclusive: Not bad

Going into the vacation I really didn’t have high hopes. I do have to say I ended up having a pretty good vacation. Great pool, the restaurants are great. The beach is garbage and the rooms aren’t anything special. We also didn’t pay for the select side and only had garden view so that was kind of our fault, not sure if it would’ve been better with an upgraded room. The cleaning staff also didn’t clean our room in the mornings like we had requested multiple times which was annoying because then  [... read more]sometimes our room wouldn’t end up cleaned. The entertainment lacked. And not much for kids to do. Overall it was a decent vacation though.

Casa Marina Reef Resort: Casa Marina

The rooms were fine, but unfortunately there was a lot of noise from the hallway till 2 am in the morning, could not hear anything from attached rooms, just the hallway. The staff were great. The weekends were noiser than the week days. Unfortunately both myself and my friend got sick with e.coli, which was not a good experience, we are unsure if it was something we ate or drank from the resort. We did not eat or drink off the resort.

El Beso Adults Only at Ocean El Faro: Great spot for a sister trip!

We chose this resort because it fit our budget for a 4-night getaway and we were impressed by the aesthetics captured in photos, as well as the adult-only option. We arrived at the resort for check-in just before midnight, and although we were assigned a room with 1 king bed, Luis working the front desk at the time, was able to give us a room with 2 queen beds instead, which we appreciated. Unfortunately, the mini fridge was empty upon our arrival (likely because we weren't supposed to have th [... read more]e room) and it took a while for us to receive water any time we called the desk for refill, but aside from that, we were happy with the room itself. There was a bit of wear and tear, but it didn't bother us. The AC unit in the room is fairly loud but for anyone who doesn't mind a little white noise, it's fine. Because it's a smaller resort, you have to be up and out early to grab beach chairs and bali beds by the pool, or anything with an umbrella. There is a section of beach that has soft sand, great for swimming, but it's quite rocky elsewhere. It's a public beach so there are vendors milling about that can be bothersome (but out of the resort's control). The process for making reservations at the a la carte restaurants was a bit stressful, as the booking feature within their app opens every day at 8am for the same day - you cannot make reservations in advance. I had to be ready to press "reserve" right as the clock struck 8am, and that may be an issue for those that like to sleep in. We enjoyed Pez Dama for dinner the most, but our servers - Olga at Dolce Vita and Leonel at the Steakhouse - were awesome. We mainly stuck to Aperol Spritz and mamajuana shots during the trip and appreciated the wonderful service from Franklin and the lovely lady with the light eyes (I forgot to write down her name!) at the adults-only pool, and Elizabeth at the main lobby bar. When we were making arrangements to leave the resort for our flight home, which was very early in the morning, Francisco at the main lobby front desk was so kind and helpful. My sister and I wanted somewhere we could hang out, veg, swim, tan, nap, eat and basically do nothing else - El Beso at Ocean El Faro delivered!

Riu Republica: This RIU not as nice as the Los Cabos one!

I found the resort way too big (1300+ rooms). The first room was not nice. It was on the ground floor and the balcony would not lock. The security box was closed so had to get someone to open it. The toilet ran. The bar fridge had no door on the icebox so it was over iced and was making a huge puddle on the floor. The phone would not call down to the front desk. So we changed rooms the next day and that was on the top floor and definitely nicer. Now, I think we still had residual sprin [... read more]g breakers because there was a lot of noise. Eventually it would quiet down. The restaurants...just two needed reservations and that was crazy. They were both steak houses. We were told be there for 6pm to get a reservation ticket. We walked right in. At the end of the week, we went to go there for 6pm and were then told, no its 5pm you have to be there. Next day, we went there for 5pm and there was a huge line up. Lucky we knew someone closer to the front and just dined with them. Then that restaurant I swear did not have any A/C on, it was brutal. Our favourite restaurant was the one with the pink chairs , I think it was the Kulinarium. We went twice it was so good. The pools were fine, the bars were fine. There are mosquitoes! We only saw the Michael Jackson show which was pretty good. The beach is beautiful, hot hot hot but the water was rough. Got in everyday anyway because I love the ocean. I am 64 and have been going south for years but my time in an 'all inclusive' may be done. I think now I would prefer quieter, smaller and maybe I control if/when for my food and drink. All in all, and in the end, not too bad but I would say this is a 3.5 resort and not the 4 to 4.5 it reports.

Viva V Samana by Wyndham: Great experience!

We are so happy we chose Viva V Samana by Wyndham for our vacation and would absolutely return. The resort is only a few years old and very up to date. The beach was gorgeous and well maintained by staff. Our room was new and felt clean and fresh after housekeeping. We were also pleasantly surprised by the little lounge pool in our patio. We had read some negative reviews about the resort food, but we were honestly pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed it all. The restaurants were good too [... read more], but you had to book them quickly. We didn't do any excursions, but we took a taxi to Las Terrenas one morning and shopped and wandered and it's absolutely worth doing. We loved this resort and met several people who had returned many times (one couple said it was their 7th visit!). We can see why and would absolutely come back again if we come back to the Dominican.

Riu Republica: For a Riu Hotel, it was subpar.

For a Riu Hotel, it was subpar. Very disappointed. First room, fridge was leaking all over floor, safe would not open, toilet ran, the phone did not work and the sliding door (ground floor) did not lock. Had to walk to reception as phone did not work to request a different room and was told none was available until the next day, but would have someone in to fix issues in 25 minutes later. 3 hours later we returned to our room where nothing was addressed! Had to walk back to reception (long w [... read more]alk as we were at very back of hotel) to complain. Our floor at this time now had a small river on it where we could have easily slipped and injured ourselves. They finally sent someone to fix issues. Switched rooms the next day (thank God!). I've been to several Riu Hotels, this did not measure up to the 5 star rating.

Serenade Punta Cana Beach and Spa Resort: Family-friendly with great staff, but in need of maintenance

We just returned from a one-week stay at Serenade in the Dominican Republic, traveling with young kids. Overall, I’d rate it about a 6.5/10 — we had a good time, but there are definitely some areas that need improvement. Pros: The staff were absolutely lovely — friendly, warm, and great with kids. The resort is very family-friendly, which made traveling with a toddler and a baby much easier. The water play area was a big highlight: there’s a fun splash zone for little ones and larger water s [... read more]lides for older kids, which kept everyone entertained. We also really appreciated how actively the beach was maintained — staff were constantly working to manage the seaweed, which made a noticeable difference. Cons: The biggest issue is that the resort feels quite run down and in need of maintenance. Our room had no hot or even warm water for the duration of our stay, and the mini fridge didn’t work. We reported both issues, but unfortunately they were never resolved. Communication was also a challenge, as the staff answering the phone didn’t speak enough English to fully understand the maintenance requests. Around the resort, there were several maintenance concerns: • Public washroom stall locks were rusty and didn’t align, making them difficult or impossible to lock • Broken tiles around the pool bar with sharp edges and exposed adhesive (a safety concern) • The kids’ play area, while very fun, was noticeably dirty and could really benefit from a deep clean and proper sanitization The food was okay — the buffets always had enough variety that we never went hungry, but overall the flavors were fairly bland. We didn’t get a chance to try the à la carte restaurants or attend the evening entertainment, as our toddler’s schedule didn’t quite allow for it. Final thoughts: This resort has a lot of potential, especially for families, thanks to the great staff and kid-friendly amenities. However, the lack of maintenance and upkeep really holds it back. With some improvements in those areas, it could be a much better experience.