Riu Republica: Great vacation

Overall, we’d rate this place 4 out of 5. We arrived at reception and Dennis asked if we’d prefer a room by the beach or the pool. That was a first. Very nice!! Rooms are a bit dated but they are large and kept very clean. Balconies are large too. We were on the 1st floor so easy to go up and down the stairs. Elevator wasn’t working so could have been difficult on others. Food was plentiful and diverse. Something great for everybody. Best thing is you never had to make reservations for an [... read more]y of the restaurants. My favourite part was that there were so many loungers whereever you wanted to go…beach or pools. No need to make that early morning walk to reserve…EVER. Loved that because we’ve never had that experience anywhere. The beach is beautiful but being on the Atlantic side, the waves/undercurrent are rough. We’re beach people so, for me, that was difficult. I got thrashed underneath a number of times so ended up settling for swimming in the pools. The resort is humongous with a massive slide area. Yep!! For adults. Quite fun. Staff are friendly and if there are any issues, they are quick to react. My hair dryer broke but within an hour, it was replaced. That’s pretty good. Housekeeping work hard, so bring toiletries and tip them well. Same with food and beverages…tip these folks well. They deserve it.

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Do NOT stay here!!

This resort was mediocre at best! It is no where near a 4-5 star!! The main pool by the beach was closed for renovations and we were never informed by anyone when or after we booked. The service was not great, the pool bar ran out of stuff daily. No frozen drinks either! The pool was scummy and cloudy on most days. The beach was way over crowded so much so that the beach chairs were lined up touching each other! A huge disappointment for our entire group and a waste of $4000! I will never stay a [... read more]t Bahia Principe again.

Barcelo Bavaro Beach: Beautiful resort

Back from The Beach on Friday. Resort was great overall…beach beautiful, pool luscious, food delicious, service awesome. There should be some/any shade on the beach! As someone with serious mobility issues, the premium service was not worth the extra $$$, as most ala cartes were over at the massive Palace. Would be worth it for the young mobiles. Wondering… The Toronto airport security people totally destroyed my suitcase cover and wrecked my suitcase, by cutting off the zipper tabs. I ca [... read more]n only open my suitcase with pliers (which I’m sure aren’t allowed in my carry on), plus cannot be locked. Do I have any recourse for reimbursement of the damages?

Sunscape Puerto Plata: Resort is paved with good intentions

Hotel, food, beach were good per se But hear me out. Beach sellers/peddlers were literally harassing us since it was pretty quite on week days. I literally had to pay for a pedicure to get the lady to stop harassing me. we ended up staying at the pools BUT On Weekends the resort filled up with locals. It was chaos. Buffets were being abused and staff couldn't keep up. Multiple line ups overall not enjoyable. Noise and partying late into the nights. 3-4 AM. On week days it was aw [... read more]esome. The gucho grill was amazing. Staff overall amazing. We spent 2 weekends out of our 10 days and both weekends were a nightmare.

Barcelo Bavaro Beach: Decent food

Overall the resort was nice, the buffets were kept clean and people seemed to use the utinsils in a good manner. The A Le Cartes were very good except for the mass confusion of who ordered what ( we did have 9 people in our group) water and wine was topped up regularly and the food was presented well and good flavour. The housekeeping needs improvement many times they took the towels away but never gave new ones, and don’t leave your Advil out in the counter or it will disappear. Ran out of ho [... read more]t water for 3 days so cold shower it was. The Palace had lots more to do and better entertainment than the Beach hotel so most evenings were spent over there. All in all it was nice maybe a 3.8

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Ok for the price

The good: Kitchen, bar, housekeeping and grounds staff are wonderful. Food was good, hot and fresh. Beach was good, there was a lot of seaweed in the water so people tend to congregate in the areas that are clear. Bed was comfortable and room was pretty quiet. Spa was amazing (at their sister hotel) The bad: Room we had was in need of repair - shelving unit, rusty broken hangers and rods, patio door lock broken, latch on tv unit broken and rusted and hanging off with exposed rusty nails, [... read more] fridge rusted on outside Front desk staff would be hit or miss if you got someone nice Pools were beautiful but a lot of bird droppings in them from constant birds flying overhead Couldn’t get bottle water at the bars, had to ask to have it restocked in room everyday and bring from there Don’t go on April 29th weekend - it was a National Holiday there and the resort was jam packed with the local residents and a ton of kids. Very noisy weekend Only were given 1 pool towel which you could not switch out for a dry one until 4pm so if you swam you then sat on a wet towel the rest of the day Beach chairs were super uncomfortable Beach was littered with garbage The ugly: Was very disappointed in what little we saw of the DR on the drive from the airport to the hotel. HUGE amounts of garbage everywhere on the sides of the roads. Incredibly unclean and showed little pride of ownership of the land.

Barcelo Bavaro Beach: Rooms left to be desired

Grounds were great. Room itself had a leaky shower that soaked the bathroom floor. Toilet that ran forever. Never stocked hand towels. It was clean though. Pool was fantastic. Not so many friendly staff.

Grand Sirenis Punta Cana Resort: Would not recommend

Our stay at this hotel was honestly not the best. On our first night they had given us 2 double beds and instead of the king we had requested. We finally got our room at 1am. We found a cockroach in our room as well in the washroom of the hotel by the pool bar. They had not soaps the first day. Although the resort is kid friendly they do not allow kids to play recreation activities. such as beach volleyball or water volleyball as they said it was a risk to play with adults. My daughter is 12. 5â [... read more]€4 and plays rep volleyball. There were many complaints about this as this is the reason we chose this resort. Another downside to this resort is the pressure to biting the VIP package. They will call you and if you don’t answer will show up at your door trying to get u to come to breakfast to discuss the pro large with VIP I will say the beach, pool and al a cart restaurants were wonderful.

TRS Turquesa: Big resort

Actual adult section not overly big ,but most of the decent restaurants were over at paladium area , shuttle will take u . Resort is beautiful and well kept , loads of pools n bars , def drinks were top shelf but the buffet was limited although u could order off menu , smart phone to scan it . Language was an issue as too many front line services didn’t understand English well . Prob 50% of guests were Spanish speaking , making it less likely to get more English speaking workers , I’d recomm [... read more]end this resort , but be prepared to walk a distance from pool/garden view rooms

El Beso Adults Only at Ocean El Faro: Wonderful Resort!!!

This resort won’t disappoint. The rooms are very modern and well laid out. The wicker swinging chair on the balcony/patio is so fun. Only a quick walk to the beach and the el beso section has its own beach bar. Pools are wonderful. Entertainment team is great. The little lagoon to the left of the beach is perfect for swimming and snorkeling. The restaurants are very good. You use an app to book your reservations the day of. The layout of the resort is great. The lazy river is a lot of fun 🤠[... read more]©

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Very much average resort

On the plus side the food was plentiful and diversified. The service at the dining facilities was provided with courtesy and a smile. This place is huge almost the size of a small town. But for a limited number of units one has to be prepared for a long walk (more or less 15 minutes) or take an available lorry to reach the crowded beach and hope for the best to find a shaded area. Unfortunatly see weed has started to appear and has to be crossed to get to clear water. The weak point was the room [... read more] becoming worn out and questionably clean. We had to have pillows replaced for bad smell, we were out of drinking water for 3 of the 9 days despite numerous request and to top it all the refrigerator did not functioned during the full stay. While there are positives we would definitely not return to that place. With regard to COVID, no mention anywhere of the subject on the site

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: Disappointed!

This hotel was very disappointing due to locals taking over for half the time we were there. Pushing, rudeness, name calling… fist fights even took place and police had to be called in. Room was good but food was the same day after day. Beach was dirty and not maintained. All in all, I would never return to Be Live Marien.

Playabachata Hotel: Amazing resort

The only problem was wifi. It was very slow in the lobby and we didn’t have wifi in rooms that made the communication very difficult. Every thing else was amazing! Staff very really good. Including more sport options for kids will be great for future.

Grand Bavaro Princess: Spectacular Hotel.

Most people that review only comment on the negative. I will try to be as honest as I see it. Generally the hotel is very impressive and mostly in excellent repair and upkeep. The weather was flawless, even if for me it was too hot. The staff is very attentive and accommodating. They do not have their hand out for tips and provide quality service regardless, but do appreciate a gratuity. The buffet food is above average and in abundant supply and variety. The A-La-Carte restauran [... read more]ts were engaging, fun and offered some interesting experiences. We visited Wasabi (Japanese, beware of insect bites if you sit along the pond seating area) The variety of birds that inhabit the adjacent pond area are entertaining to watch and very active. Foccacia (Italian,Pizza), Nice restaurant. The Pizza was ok, pasta was terrible and the capresse salad below par. Tanuki (Benihana style) was fun with an entertaining reasonably skilled chef, food was ok except the overly tough and chewy beef. Overall a fun experience. ElPescador (seafood). Not outstanding, overly bright seating area where we sat. 24/7 Bar and Grille. American style sports bar with TVs and some entertainment. Snacks and drinks 24 hr. Menu based food service as well. Good AC if you want to beat the heat. It was the most comfortable place for me. El Gaucho (steak) We went twice. Good the first time not so good in a big way the second time. Tough meats, confused waiters, "The Food Trucks" plus a daily change up of added food choices at an added serving area beside the food trucks. All close to the beach. There was a salad truck which was probably the best, also a hamburger, hot dog and french fry truck (good hot dogs and ok fries but bad hamburgers) The chef was a great guy though. In addition there was a bar truck with great service and very accomodating servers. In front of the food trucks there is a large covered/shaded sitting area. Good for people watching. There is a very nice coffee bar (now called Cappuccino was called Frappuccino) Great coffee drinks, cold and hot, and excellent pastries. Bad hours though. Only 10am till 6pm. I think it should be open earlier and open later. It is a nice place to sit with a small pond in front. The ocean was a bit rough, varying depths as you walk out, gets better past first wave roll. Seaweed is becoming a bit of an issue but the hotel does their best to clean it up. Beware of invisible insects. We used insect repellant but still got several painfull and itching bites that do not show up until days later and last for up to a week. You do not see or feel the bite as it happens. Avoid dining at Wasabi pond side seating and walks through the nature area. Cover up and use insect repellant and you should be ok. The grounds are very well kept The hotel is well staffed with an attentive staff. There was little to no preventive measure obvious for prevention of covid. There were few to no hand sanitizers to be found and there was little reminder of social distancing. However there appeared to be a ongoing cleaning attempt by staff. The shuttle was usually a little crowded and wait times sometimes extended. We walked a lot and probably why we got so many bites. During peak time there should be added shuttles. Wildlife is abundant. The rooms were clean,spacious and modern with a daily stocked mini bar Most beach vendors were not overly aggressive. Beware of monkey and parrot photo opportunity scams on the beach. One guest was charged $150 USD for photos. He was NOT happy! The washrooms were clean and well serviced and easy to find The main pool entertainment at 4 pm was always high energy. The hotel is well run. I would recommend this hotel. They do their best, Great place for families too.

Ocean Blue and Sand: Beautiful place.

Very well kept and clean. Quick check in. Very efficient service. Lots of entertainment. Disappointing access to pool umbrellas, people got up early to take all the umbrellas, and then didn’t show up all day to use them.

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Just OK

First of all, Covid is the thing of the past at the Bahia. No talk of Covid, no masks. Everything back to normal. This was our 3rd time at the Bahia. We went as a family group of 7 adults, with my sister and her husband's 21st stay there. The Esmerelda was our first choice, but it was under construction, so we stayed at the Amber. We would not stay there again especially for the money we paid for the time we stayed in our rooms. We thought the rooms were to clinical (White). We missed the colo [... read more]r of Punta Cana. The bed spread with colorful palm trees. The colored walls. The Service was great and very clean. With being at an adult pool, we expected more music and more activities. We had more fun at the Punta Cana pool. The lobby was ok. We visited other lobbies and felt more comfortable than Amber lobby. Other lobbies had a water station that we could help ourselves. It was very hot and not always a waitress around in the daytime. Overall, we had a great time. We noticed other sections of the resort being shut down for renovations. I hope they don't lose the flavor of punta cana.

Casa Marina Sosua Trademark by Wyndham All Inclusive: Great resort

Great hotel Great staff. Great food. Room and bathroom we got is outdated .No hot water for over 3 days. Need to get information about the different services when arrived. Did not get any Information and how to get around the hotel. However, I would recommend this hotel .

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Bahia Principe Ambar

Our vacation didn’t get off to a great start as Air Canada changed planes and moved our seating that we paid extra for and my wife and I couldn’t even sit with her. As for the resort it was excellent. The food was good, our room was clean and our fridge was always full.We never had a problem getting al a carte restaurant’s all were good. The only criticism is chairs by the pool we’re hard to get as people got up early and put out towels on chairs and then went to the beach or back to be [... read more]d. With credit to the resort they would monitor the chairs and remove the towels that were not being used.The other problem was the swim up pool bars was so poorly run. It opens at 10am with the workers not showing until 10. They never had vodka,CC or even Rum most day until after 11 or after. We always tip but the didn’t seem appreciative and couldn’t even keep track of people’s order. Our only saving grace was the girl taking drink order by the pool ( Adelaida)was the best as she would to other bars to get our drinks.

Punta Cana Princess: Good value adults only resort.

Just returned from our third visit. Excellent value and excellent service. If you are looking for a resort that caters to an older clientele then this should fit the bill. That being said entertainment was available at the pool and lobby daily. The specialty restaurants and the buffet were all good, not quite 5 star but a good experience. The first week the hotel was full and we had to get down to the pool and beach by 6.00 to get a covered chair which is an absolute must in that heat. During  [... read more]the second week there was still availability at 7.30, getting later in the year I guess. A big issue is people putting towels on seats around the pool and on the beach, very inconsiderate !! There is space to add more umbrellas around the pool area which the resort should consider. WIFI signal is very weak and inconsistent other than the lobby. The staff are engaging, always ready to help and will bend over backwards to ensure that your stay is the best it can be, service is everything and they were the best. If you have any problems ask for Alexander and he will address them immediately, he is there morning noon and night. We had a very good time and will return.

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Great value vacation

Our flight times leaving direct from Halifax was the first thing to entice us. Only 4 hours ( and we gained an hour) , 20 minute hotel transfer and we were on the beach. Resort is smaller than others but in that hot sun you don’t want to walking far anyways, so this spot was perfect. I loved how you could see the mountains from the beach and you were only a short swim from coral to see fish if you wanted. Only thing about the beach is that it lacked umbrellas at times. We found basically no  [... read more]one was on the beach past 3pm because it would get a little breezy. Personally without the beach breeze it would’ve been uncomfortable, so it was perfect for us, as walking up to the Main pool was about a 5-6° temperature difference and the pool felt like a hot tub. We were at the beach daily. The entertainment as mentioned by others was nothing special, but I didn’t fly all the way to DR expecting 5 star shows. Other thing we noticed is that the wifi wasn’t always great , BUT - being on vacation for me is a good beach, drink in hand , and book I. The other. Not being on your phone 24/7 is part of me being on vacation (I’m in my 20’s) , so I really didn’t need to sit there and stare at a screen or read emails during my stay. Rooms were very clean, everything worked in our room , and we were a short walk to everything. No complaints only the pillows were a little lacking, but by the time we retired every night we were too exhausted to really notice. Puerto Plata was a short ride away which lined up with our excursions we wanted to do. We did the town, cable cars and Fort felipe. Also did the waterfalls. Both times we did these privately with taxi drivers just out by the mall and saved hundreds of dollars. The taxi would take just the 2 of us directly where we wanted and get ahead of any cruise ship lines. Ask for Diomie if you need a car ride out by the Strip mall!! He was the best. The staff were friendly (except the DJ who wouldn’t take requests), the food was better than I expected and we ate at all three al la carts restaurants as well. Our favourite was the Octopus grill but the view at ocean grill was nice in the evening. Excellent service at all. The deal we paid booking was good value for a 4 star resort and we did get everything we wanted out of our stay. We booked with Sandra Taylor and we would recommend booking tripcentral ! Any chagnes to itinerary or details we may have forgotten (entry requirements) were emailed way in advance to ensure a safe and happy vacation.