VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: amazing vacation

My group consisted of 2 couples ages 24-29. We arrived on March 5, 2015 around 11pm and we're greeted with a welcome drink at check in. The hotel reception were very nice and got us to our rooms within 20 minutes. Our rooms were located in Beata building and we thought this was to our advantage as it was quiet at night. Rooms could use some updating but for us who were only in there to sleep it wasn't a big deal for us. We waited for our luggage to be delivered to our room for about 10 minutes a [... read more]nd while we waited took advantage of the mini bar in the room stocked daily with beer, pop, and Water. Room was nice enough for us, bed were a little uncomfortable but wasn't a big deal what we slept on after a day of drinking by the pool. Our shower had very little pressure and the bar fridge leaked puddles of water all over the floor everyday, but again we were not very critical nor did we care. Our room faced the quiet pool and it was very nice to sit on the porch and have a drink every night before dinner. Bugs were not really an issue for us in the room, however while we were there our room was fumigated twice in 3 days and a few of my girlfriends lip glosses and make up brushes went missing. Again not a deal breaker for us as we were just happy to be in paradise. The a LA carte restaurants were awesome and we ate at the octopus, ocean grill, and Italien. Italien was by far our favorite. The wine isn't the best, but you can get better for a price. The buffet was awesome for breakfast and we all pretty much ate omlettes every morning for breakfast, those guys are awesome. Lunch wasn't very good at the buffet and dinner was hit and miss. We ate lunch mostly every day at the ocean grill as they had a wider selection of food but again most of the time was the same food everyday. The pizza and quesadillas were amazing though. Beach was fantastic. we walked the whole thing both ways and the vh by far has the nicest spot with lots of beach chairs to choose from. Vendors were a little annoying but you get to know them by name and they become quite friendly and will leave you alone if you are polite to them. They are just trying to make a living and people need to understand that. The staff at the resort were awesome. The water aerobics were fun to watch, but it was alot of the same dance routines every single day. Pool bartenders Franklin and Jonas were by far our favorite. Those guys definitely deserve some credit and appreciation. So personable and friendly. Drinks were good but again got tiring. If you wanted something different to drink you could pay for it at the vip fidelity club. We liked the drinks because they made them strong and would have them ready for us most of the time right when we finished a previous drink they would be pouring the next. Dangerous. Haha. The entertainment at night was by far the worst thing about the resort. Just repetitive and boring. First night merengue was fun. African show was weird and creepy. They need to step their game up in that regard. New material. The problem for us was pretty much everything shut down around 1030. No club or disco on site and much of the Playa Dorado mall closed down it made it hard to find something to do at night and we found ourselves bores and trying to sneak onto the other resorts. Pool bar is open until midnight and buffet open until 2 am that will serve drinks as Well. Wasn't huge deal for us but being in bed at 11 every night got kind of boring. Pool was awesome, there were daily games of pool volleyball and every one of the entertainment staff were very friendly. Shout out to bon Jovi, Carlos santana, and coco who were responsible for handling most of the events throughout the day. They were awesome in grabbing people for fun games. I won a few and they most of the time reward you with coffee or booze. No big complaints overall it was an awesome vacation and stay. We would definitely come back but towards the end we did find ourselves getting bored as daily activities were repetitive. We loved the pool and beach and drinks even though they were lower class alcohol but we didn't care. We will definitely be recommending this resort. Ya it needs some improvements but they try really hard to be accommodating and it went a long way for us. Thanks for a great vacation !!!

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: lovely clean friendly resort

I loved my vacation stay at Be Live Marien and will return next year,food was very good ,rooms very clean,excellent time,friendly staff,check in was swift,tours on the cable car and shops in town well worth the price also the dinner theatre at ocean world was excellent

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: the best

the grounds were amazing there was all ways some one cleaning.the staff were great.our room was very clean & we got a free upgrade to a beach view. I go for the beaches & this beach is the best the sand is not so fine that it gets ever were but very nice to walk on the only thing is that it's windy. the water is great & bring your snorkeling gear the reef have hundreds of small fish to feed.

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: Great time

The hotel was clean,the food was great,staff was outstanding,the shows and al la cartes were amazing,entertainers were amazing. I would tell people to go to this resort if you have the chance. Made a lot of friends here!!!!

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: Great Resort

Resort was very good. Clean, food was good, staff were very friendly. Had a good time. The drinks were also very good. Being an all inclusive resort, it gave us the chance to try different food and drinks. The beach was also very nice. It was ok for swimming, but the week we were there was quite windy, so you had to be aware of the undertow if you were not a strong swimmer. There were lots of loungers, so getting one was not a problem.

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: Awesome Resort

very nice resort with beautiful landscape and plantation, very green with slopes and small buildings..staff,service, food, entertainment, welcome party all excellent.... Beach not develped and maintained by hotel....needs to pay attention .....

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: Great stay!

Stayed at the Be Live from Feb 20-27th, hotel was a tad runned down but overall a great week with lots of wonderful staff and people. Food was also good with lots of variety. Would come again for the right price !

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: Tired resort

We arrived at around 12 noon and checked in but could not get a room till 3, unless you wanted to pay extra, The Wi Fi is extra and is only good for one device, the safe was extra, I would rather pay more for the trip instead of all the extra fees. The food in the buffet was very good, The resort is clean and very safe just old and tired.

Emotions by Hodelpa Puerto Plata: Nice place !

Nice place to stay in family or with friends. Clean and cosy, every body is polite and smily, Good animation staff young and very energetic that they share during the day and at night show, special congratulations for the show fire and water! The

Riu Merengue: Had a great trip !

The resort and beach were very clean, rooms were always taken care of. However we had no hot water during our last two days there. The food was good but got very redundant, there was never a change in selection from day to day. The daily and nightly entertainment was okay, Ive seen better, and Ive also seen worse. the beach was okay, alot of seaweed, but still enjoyable. Service at the bars was great, however all bars on our resort closed at 11, and we had to walk 10 minutes to Riu Bachata, in o [... read more]rder to get 24 hour bar service. Overall, we had a great stay at Riu Merengue but I would never stay there again. We made the best out of what we had.

Sunscape Puerto Plata: Great resort!

The hotel was very nice, clean and the people that worked here are amazing! The a la carte restaurants were fantastic!! We ate at them all, and enjoyed every meal. The room was spacious, and the cleaning staff did an excellent job. We would love to go back again!!! We even had friends staying locally come to spend the evening with us.

Sunscape Puerto Plata: very nice resort with super friendly staff

This resort exceeded my expectations in every way! I was there APR 23-MARCH 01. The staff were all smiles and were particularly impressive with children; they treated everyone in a friendly and professional manner, (even when customers were demanding and rude). They all seem to speak at least three languages and work very long hours, six days a week. They appreciate tips and toys, pencils etc, but do not seem to expect it. The entertainment at night is very impressive, and the activities during  [... read more]the day are frequent, varied, and fun to watch or participate in. The pools and bars are fabulous and it was never a problem getting a lounge chair or a drink. The beach is long, clean, and accessible, and it's easy to swim or paddle in. The food is fine - there is a big selection with some new selections each meal, lots of vegetarian or fussy eater options.I only went to one a la carte (Japanese, good entertainment, lots of food) because the buffet was good, maybe better. There is only wifi access in/near the lobby and it costs $5usd for an hour. My one, very minor, complaint is that some activities are not publicized very well. I heard indirectly about an evening synchronized swimming show that was spectacular, and the same about the gigantic paella cookouts, but I'm sure lots of people missed these. There was an interesting and varied mix of people from Canada, France, Germany, Chile,France, Russia.... and a range of ages from very young to very old. I'll be back next year I'm sure!

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Very Good Resort

Upgraded our room, very spacious. Great air conditioning, clean, two bathrooms and closets. Maid was excellent. The grounds were beautiful and the food delicious both at the buffet and the A la Carte. Very long property, very private on beach. Sand is brown but so what. The bottom of the ocean was like velvet to the feet. The water was clearer when the waves were low.

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Still our favourite - couple of disappointments

8 of us stayed at Gran Ventana Feb 27 - Mar 6. Of the 4 couples, 3 had mobility limitations. I had emailed Marisol well in advance, requesting rooms that would be close to the pool, hence the shortest walk possible. One couple did receive a room,that was only two doors in, the other 2 couples were at the very end of the hallway (including an 85 yr old lady). Needless to say, I was very disappointed, as I didn't feel this was an unreasonable request. As well, we arrived on Friday, tried to book t [... read more]he restaurants and the only availability was 9:00pm sitting, so we didn't get to enjoy any of the restaurant dining. I guess being our 4th and 5th visit, I was hoping for a little more TLC. On a better note, the resort is truly beautiful, staff is very friendly, resort is very clean, food at the buffet is awesome. You can always find something to eat that you will enjoy. The returning guest dinner was wonderful and greatly appreciated. Will I return? You bet, still an outstanding resort, just a little sad that we couldn't be accommodated.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Very nice resort

The resort was very clean and the food was great. The staff were friendly and efficient and ready to serve. I was with a group of 4 and we all had a awesome time. We had no complaints. We would go back anytime.

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: Great resort

Very clean! Well maintained. Good entertainment, friendly staff. Beautiful beach for walking, water warm. lots of food, usual buffet style, nothing great but normal for Dominican! Good drink menu. USA money is excepted everywhere .

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Excellent vacation!

We have booked our family (2 adults, one 12 yo) vacation during Reading Week, and we were a bit worried it will be very noisy. This resort is the perfect place for a family: not too many very young kids, not too many (and definitely not very rowdy) college / university students, not too many older adults; just the perfect mix. The rooms are clean and well kept, the entertainment crew is friendly and they put on very nice shows (we've enjoyed all the evening shows, but if you must miss one, make  [... read more]sure you do **not** miss the Circus Night - an amazing show); the pools are beautiful; the food is good (we haven't gone to any of the a la cart restaurants in one week, just enjoyed the buffet). The beach is not as crystal clear as you might expect (they do have wave breakers throughout the length of the resort beach), but we love a bit of waves and, on the upside, we were able to treasure hunt for shells :) The shopping / disco / karaoke / casino strip is a night touch and allows for a quiet evening, while offering the young(er) ones a place to dance and be loud :) We have booked a safari trip through the neighbouring mountains / villages / laguna; I would greatly recommend it if you want to have a taste of the local life. We have enjoyed it thoroughly! There are multiple organizations you can book through, we have used Transat's own, and we would recommend it (smaller group - about 14 people), wonderful guides, beautiful trip.

Sunscape Puerto Plata: Staff needs to improve on customer care

The resort was beautiful and being in club premium is definitely the way to go. The selection of food was excellent. As for the service and friendliness ... that is something to be desired. I found staff at this resort were rather rude and really didn't seem like they wanted to help you. The staff at the "Italian" ala carte were down right horrible and beyond rude. We sat and waited and waited .. people even got up and left due to the poor service.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Beautiful but far from actionm

Bahia Principe San Juan is one of the most beautiful resorts I have seen in the Caribbean. All staff were very friendly with good service. The food was good. It's a great r&r resort. There are some on-resort activities but the resort is very far from everything so travel to excursions is long and far and not always comfortable.

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Great value for the price

The resort was small but nice. Staff were friendly and fun. Beach was beautiful and water clear! Food was good and drinks were .....strong! It was quiet which is what i was looking for. Happy overall.