Caribe Deluxe Princess: We will not go there again.
It was our second stay in this resort and the quality definitely went down. Our room required renovation. Service was not great, especially in the bars. Restaurant staff was not great, we had to wait to get water or drinks. And on the top of everything there were cockroaches in our room.
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JamesS -
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Hyatt Vivid Punta Cana: Great resort
We had a lovely time at this resort. The food and service was excellent. We did upgrade to a ocean view room in the preffered area however it was not ocean view. Be careful when they sell you this upgrade.
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Private -
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Sunscape Coco Punta Cana: Sketchy resort
Lots of scammers on the beach, staff tried to sell me cocaine, felt a bit unsafe at times. Food was awful, burgers were very stale and got me sick. Service was very unprofessional at times, and definitely isn't worth it.
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Private -
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Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Amazing!!
Best resort ever! better each time I return as I’ve been to this resort 6 times and love everything about it! With all the updates they have done and adding the coffee shop and sports bar, this resort has everything!
Entertainment is amazing and staff are like family
Highly recommend
Although the grounds are immaculate and stunning, the Barcelo Bavaro Palace was one of the largest resorts I have ever been to. Having a tram/train to get from one side to the other is an indication of it's foot-print. The main pool was outstanding. I particularly liked the water spouts that gave wicked massages. We really enjoyed the underwater loungers, but not where they were situated right by the buffet. It did give a feeling like everyone is watching you while they eat.
The buffet was ext[... read more]ensive and had many options and something for everyone. We got to know some of the staff and a few would go over and above to find us mango or extra passion fruit for our table... worthy of the extra tips ;-)
When we arrived, we met with a manager Adiascar Corcoran who treated us extremely well. For six of us travelling together in celebration of our collective birthdays, he made sure we had the best a la carte reservations for every night. He also sent a birthday surprise to our room. Our rooms were also spectacular! I can't tell you how wonderful it is to have a private Jacuzzi tub on our balconies. I used ours everyday, sometimes twice a day.
I would recommend this location for those who want a big, clean resort. People who like large pools and beautiful palm trees. The restaurants were great, specially the Mexican. If you want real Dominican culture and more of a natural real experience, this isn't quite the place. The shear size, makes for a loss in intimacy and getting to know people.
The beach: Perfect for long walks, awesome pictures and sunning in the morning. We were lucky to not have to battle too much Sargasso washing up and whatever did, they took care of it early in the day. We only saw mass amounts on our last day. It's a natural phenomenon which houses many wee beautiful creatures. It is what it is. We did appreciate the efforts to keep the beach clear. However... the one thing I found frustrating was the stickiness of the ocean water. It is clear that it's polluted by massive amounts of sunscreen. We could feel it on our skin, sticky and white some days but usually we were just coated in a sticky-ick. I would like to see more efforts towards pushing for either no sunscreen use in the oceans or at least a reef friendly kind.
I had a very difficult time with the animal enclosures out in the water. I'm pretty sure it's animal cruelty. We didn't quite know what we were signing up for in a snorkel tour. I assumed open water areas. We were taken by boat (who was on a 5-song-loop) to first, an area cordoned-off for snorkeling and then a ocean floor-walk with the big glass helmets. This area is far over-polluted and murky. There was only one kind of fish who have been trained to stick around as the tour guides squirt bread from bottles to attract them to the ocean floor-walkers. Also not an environmentally sound practice. The Ocean floor walk was pretty cool, if it weren't so "set up". We didn't need all the extra Insta-moments or photos stops. It was clear that the push was to get us to buy the video. I would have been happy to just pay to have a guided walk in a natural area where healthy sea-life just float on by. It just felt very dirty/touristy.
We then set off to another encloser where we were told we would swim with sharks and sting rays. What we witnesses was very sad animals. terrified sting-rays who cowered from the snorkelers and crawled up on each other in a corner. Same with the sharks who looks very unwell. If these are rescued, then let them heal in peace. We were then lined up (at first we didn't know what), my camera was confiscated and i was urged to line up with everyone else. It was too late to bail when I realized I was lining up to have a poor sea-lion kiss everyone on the cheek as if we were at Sea World in the 80's. He was beautiful and there was no need to train him to do this. It broke my heart! The dolphins were next and I just couldn't watch. They were so distressed that some were fighting. I was out! I sadly took myself back to the boat to drown my sorrows in how fake & cruel this all was.
I would come back if there were huge efforts towards the environment, waste, and true cultural experience.
I would like to add a piece about our booking agent Angela. She continually made mistakes, left things out, emailed the wrong addresses and/or didn't respond to emails at all. It became glowingly painful to get answers.Some of us just gave up on her. She did promise all of us a gift card per room of a value of $100.00 towards an excursion (which they would NOT accept ) or massage, which they also would NOT accept. We tried calling Trip Central's complaint number & email to ask what it WAS good for and OF COURSE, got zero response. We were counting on those funds and we were never able to use it. So, if you're given a Tripcentral gift card, double/triple check WTF it's truly for. We were also promised a rebate from the airline through our agent and those also never showed up for most of us (or have yet to). Only two of the six of us received a rebate on their credit card before the trip. I wouldn't use Angela Douglas of Trip Central ever again, even if you paid me. Her correspondence skills are extremely lacking and she doesn't deliver what she promises. We have email proof of what we were promised what we did not receive. She blew it, big time.
Oops, one more thing. Our arrival at the Dominican airport consisted of a 2 hour line up in the heat (thankfully inside the open air), just to go through their customs. I felt awful for anyone travelling with children. That alone would hinder me from ever coming back. 2 hours is just too long to line up like cattle. No thanks!
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John -
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Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana: Fantastic Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana
We loved the new Hyatt in Cap Cana! Beautiful, elegant design with modern layout. A large enough resort in that area which is quite exclusive in the DR. The beach features white sand, and calm turquoise waters. Lovely. Nice pools. Water park is 2 min by golf cart. Food was very good with buffet available every meal, and a la carte options added at night. The Waves Grill is open every day at breakfast and lunch and offers some nice table service choices too. Drinks are top shelf, and well mixed. [... read more] Service staff everywhere are outstanding and smiling for you the whole time. All are very competent and can't do enough to please you. Rooms are very comfy. Our balcony view was amazing. From the lobby you can see across the pools and the ocean to the horizon. Sunsets exceptional. A very quiet and safe area to vacation in and adults only if you like that. Sister resort allows children.
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Private -
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Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Great Resort!
Huge resort, but still walkable. Impeccably clean. Lovely rooms and balcony with jacuzzi tub(building 5,4th floor is a great spot). Great beach, good food, a la carts were all good except seafood restaurant had cold food and it was ok ish. Mexican was awesome and Japanese was awesome. The only thing Barcelo Palace is missing is a beach bar and a lunch place on the beach. Always had to go to buffet. Nightly shows were surprisingly really good too! Wi fi only in Casino which was a little annoying[... read more] but it’s good to be “unplugged†for a week. I would recommend it and I have travelled quite a bit.
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Private -
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Barcelo Bavaro Beach: Last Minute Getaway Nov 28 - Dec 10, 2019
PROS
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Beach
A la Carte Restaurant selection
Access to adjacent Bávaro properties
Friendly staff
Pool
Trains between the properties
Never had an issue finding lounge chairs
Quiet atmosphere
CONS
Rooms outdated
Bathrooms in severe need of complete overhaul
No wi-fi unless purchased
Only free wi-fi is at the casino in Barcelo Palace
Several of the Al la Carte restaurants have a $15 per person charge
OVERALL
Based on the last minute booking and the price we paid, we co[... read more]uld get by with the cons. If we would have paid a higher price, the disappointment level would have been pretty high
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Rudster -
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Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Very nice resort
Very clean and well maintained. Great food, nice pools and beach. It's a big Resort, but there are lots of buggies to take you from Buffet and Lobby to the beach and your room. One word of caution the tiles around the pool areas can be very slippery when wet...especially for children who like to run!
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Jojorose81 -
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Lopesan Costa Bavaro Resort: Excellent resort
We were there for a week in November. At first the resort seemed a little too big for me but after a day I figured out where everything was and it was great! The grounds are gorgeous! Nicest I’ve seen in any other resort. The people working at the resort were also amazing. There was quite a bit of a language barrier but I speak a little Spanish so I got by okay.
I would recommend this hotel and would go back in the future.
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Private -
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Tropical Deluxe Princess: You get what you pay
Pros: Nice and well maintenance landscape. Nice beach. Nice pool. Nice and friendly staff
Cons: I stayed at room 5406. Room is OK but bathroom is kind of dirty with mold at bathtub and vanity countertop. There is hot water in shower but not in vanity. Air conditioning's fan is super, SUPER loud. Turn off the fan is turn off air conditioning. Ceiling fan needs some oil. There is no blanket unless you ask for, standard is just a thin bed sheet. I asked for blanket and they gave me another sheet. [... read more]lol. After a few nights, I finally got a "real" blanket.
Wifi is only available at lobby which is far away from rooms. 5-7 minutes walk or using shuttle running back and forth between lobby and rooms/pool area. Internet is slow and on and off depends on locations in the lobby. Next to the reception get stronger signal.
Food is ok. Nothing fancy but I got what I like to eat which is eggs station for breakfast. Cook to order pasta station for lunch and dinner and tasty soup.
Overall is an OK experience. You get what you pay for.
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Lili -
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Blau Natura Park Resort: Great resort!
Overall it was a great experience, but would like to point out that we waited for over an hour inside the bus, waiting for other flights or families to clear customs (line up was excessively long that day!). Although we were comfortable in the bus with the air conditioning, we just wanted to get to our resort and relax. I think the airport transfers should be better planned.
Upon reaching the resort, it was pleasant to see, and it was not long to check-in and get to our room.
The staff were h[... read more]elpful, the entertainment group was great! We were pleased they greeted us by name, and requested us to participate in the beach/pool side games.
The regular rooms do not have much appeal, and we had faulty electricity (the power even went out for 15 mins before we had someone come by to fix). We upgraded to a premium room by day 4.
Only one pool may be a problem when the resort is at peak season. Saw there were not many chairs available by mid-day.
Food was good, but not much variety. Breakfast same every day. The a la carte restaurants were great!
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Private -
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Excellence Punta Cana: Excellent resort
The hotel was spotless, our room was very clean, the food was fantastic , the staff very friendly and helpful. The beach was also cleaned daily-seaweed etc. Overall an amazing experience and I would highly recommend this resort!!!
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Lorraine and Dany -
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Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Amazing Resort
The grounds, the rooms, the restaurants all were excellent. Cleaning personnel were forever attending to the various restrooms all over the resort. All staff from the reception area to the room attendants were all courteous and friendly and always willing to help.
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Kate14 -
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Bahia Principe Escape Aquamarine: Amazing resort
The hotel was fantastic. They accommodated us to change our room so we could be closer to friends. The grounds were very well maintained. The staff were extremely friendly. The food was fantastic. Having trolled running often, helped us reach the beach quicker when we were ready to enjoy the view.
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Becca and Brian -
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Melia Caribe Beach Resort: A perfect wedding destination
Rooms and grounds were very clean and well kept. Only downside is 3 restaurants are not for children and extra payment required for the Japanese restaurant. Had to ask for beer to be put in the room.
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Private -
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Melia Caribe Beach Resort: Lovely resort
The resort was clean well cared for, food ok, but lots of choice. The beach was large, plenty of loungers. Staff very pleasant and helpful. There was a bit of renovating going on in some of the units. Service to and from airport on time. Getting into the country was lengthy---long lines, slow fingerprinted in one line and not others.
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MichYork -
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Melia Caribe Beach Resort: Wonderful Holiday
A group of 25 people stayed at this resort for a magical wedding celebration. This was a large resort but easy to get around. Beautiful beach that you could walk forever. You never felt crowded. The staff and service were amazing. Gentle, kind people that always have a smile. I don’t usually go back to the same resort but I might just have too.
What an amazing week away! From the minute we arrived at the hotel until the moment we left, we wanted for nothing!
The staff were amazing! The food was delicious and the resort was beautiful!
I would highly recommend this resort!
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Private -
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Grand Palladium Punta Cana: Great resort
Rooms were clean ,AC worked well. We enjoyed all 5 pools, A very large resort , great if you like to walk but if you prefer, a small train and carts are available . Beautiful gardens. Staff very nice. A lot of different menus in the a la carte restaurant.