Awesome Resort!

The hotel and grounds were very nice and everything was close. The staff was friendly and food at the buffet and a la cartes was great too! Lots of vendors on the beach. Entertainment was above aveeage. Overall a great place!

This resort falls in our top 5

Food was excellent at the buffet and a la carte We liked the layout, cozy and uniform: lobby, pool, entertainment area and the open concept buffet. Our room was ok (could use some TLC). A little too noizy after 9:00pm due to traffic behind the building. You have to get up early (5:00 am) to reserve a palapa. The only drawback are the peddlers on the beach, way to many. They should be located in one area of the beach and leave it up to the tourists if they want to buy.

Perfect vacation

This was our 4th time at the Gran Ventana ------ this time for 2 weeks. Better than ever! Service and food great. Request responded to by assistant manager promptly. Looking forward to returning trip. Thanks to Fred at Tripcentral for his advice.

Perfect family vacation

Went with my husband and daughter and met family there. The staff were all friendly and enjoyed it when we tried to speak Spanish. Ha! The food was delicious and there was a great variety in the buffet at each meal! The al a carte restaurants were fantastic most notably Octopus. Everywhere was kept very clean. Beach areas could use more canopys or shaded areas. Often hard to get a chair by the pool without 'reserving' them in the middle of the night. Overall very satisfied.

Will not return

This resort is def for retired people and babies......it is no good for people from the ages of 20 to 65 who like to drink and have a good time......If you want a resort for just sitting on a beach and read for a week, well this resort is for you. The entertainment staff sucked...Most of the staff were rude, and rarely smiled.....There was the odd few that did.....The swim up pool bar was terrible, 1 bartender took almost 15 to 20 mins to get you a drink..Oh what am i saying, there was only 1 ba [... read more]rtender on at all times and most of the time he had to go up to the top bar to get ingredience's for the drink you ordered so more waiting....terrible....All 3 bars closed at 12, depending on who is sitting there at the time, if there was only a few, they closed earlier....1 bartender was good, his name was louis.......and there was another one at the beach bar, very freindly and smiled alot. The beach was nice. There were vendors constantly in your face on the beach, but were curtious and moved on when you said no thanks. There was a mall by the resort but most stores were closed....If your a shopper, nothing there for that....Cab ride to town was a half hr and that was 90 american dollars for 9 of us...so 10 dollars each and he came back for us in 2 hrs. The rooms were clean....The resort is out dated.....You could get free wifi by the entertainment stage, but only facebook, couldn't get into email etc.....you had to pay for that, and that was for your room. There was 12 of us and none of us will ever go back to that resort. Our ages were from 47 up to 69.....8 from Cape Breton Nova Scotia, 2 from Ontario and 2 from Montana, and most of the people that were there that we spoke too felt the same. This resort certainly does not go out of its way to make you feel comfortable at all.....The staff looked bored to death as were all of us.....Entertainment staff were terrible....You had to be quiet after 12, were not even allowed to talk around the pool, or laugh, we were told to keep it down. Most resorts have shows etc...Nothing at this one, oh there was BINGO and Karaoke....OMG.....Alot of money spent on a resort that sucked....The best thing, the weather was beautiful.......

Not more than a 3 start

Nothing special no glass for dring anywere unless the buffet or if you upgrade for premium. Manager respond quick after we talk directly to him about not having hot water for 3 days he tranfer all of us (4rooms) to a different bldg all in a suite. Was able to keep the room until 3 pm. I did not like the animation team and they do not speak french on the resort.

Could have been better

This resort was clean and the food was good however the service in the buffet was terrible. Sometimes you would get a drink with your meal and other times you would not. There were many occasions where you ordered a drink but it never came. The weather was excellent and we all had a good time other than with the service. Also they had to fumigate for cockroaches while we were there. My other complaint is the vendors on the beach so we mainly stayed at the pool area. Amanda is an amazing ag [... read more]ent to work with.

Amazing memories!!

The hotel was great, the food was amazing, the entertainment was different and one of the reasons why I love this place... wasn't your regular Micheal Jackson show. The crazy games everyday at the pool was awesome!! Did not have a bad day.

Great week at Gran Ventana!

Just got back from 7 days at VH Gran Ventana. Literally cannot complain about one thing. The resort is beautiful, spotlessly clean. We had a superior room which was more than sufficient, clean and well maintained. Mini fridge stocked daily with pop, water and beer. When we wanted diet pop we called and it came quickly and after that we were given diet without asking daily. Buffet was excellent as far as all inclusives go. Tons of variety. Little bit different daily. Tasty,hot and fresh. Beach is [... read more] stunning, clean and lots of space for long walks in both directions. Staff are so friendly and helpful. Overall, an awesome experience with zero complains.

Wonderful resort

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort was a wonderful place for a family holiday. The food was fantastic, tons of variety at the buffet restaurant and a great experience at the a la carte restaurants. The resort staff were very friendly and wonderful with the kids and the grounds and common areas were very clean and well maintained. The pool is great for both adults and children and the beach was great for kids as it was very calm and clear water. Just a tip if travelling with young children who go [... read more] to bed early, ask for a room near the quiet pool as this is a building further away from the main auditorium where the night time entertainment occurs. It`s further away from the buffet restaurant, reception and the beach entry but is better if you prefer a quieter evening.

VH grand ventana comments

Our stay was wonderful. Very pleasant staff, food was very good. Very clean. The grounds were clean. The only disappointment for me was the decor. We had been there 2 years prior and had really liked the decor (lobby, pool area ect) The new colors are pale, curtains in lobby do not match the decor! Staff very kind and helpful especially reception front desk. Thank you for a wonderful week. PS. People should not be able to place their towel ALL DAY long around the pool area. I hated thi [... read more]s the most!!!

RESTING VACATION

I thought the food was very good as all amenities were near by which was ideal less walking than other large resorts . The staff were very nice and the service was great. I think for a relaxing peaceful holiday this place is great I would go back again

An excellent resort and holiday!

The VH Grand Ventana is maintained with great detail to cleanliness and making the experience enjoyable for everyone. The main dining room was run efficiently with a good amount of variety in the daily menue, and the a la carte restaurants were amazing. The beach was always kept clean and the beach vendors were respectful when their services or products were declined. The pool was kept clean even when it was busy. Puerto Plata is a beautiful Island with a lot of activities available [... read more]. We bought some excursions through West Jet and some others through Elvis and Malo on the beach which we got great deals on. They were all amazing experiences! We thoroughly enjoyed our holiday! Jullie and Kaz

Great hotel

This was our first time at this hotel. We were very impressed by the quality and selection of the food at the buffet never went hungry. We stayed in the renovated part of the complex the bed was the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in with the exception of the grand paladium lady Hamilton in Jamaica . Very nice clean hotel and well worth going to.

5th visit to VH Gran Ventana

This resort never ceases to amaze! We have been here as a couple three times and twice as a family (kids 14 & 5). The staff are always friendly and very welcoming. It's always a great feeling when the staff remember you after not seeing you for a year. The food was great once again and the resort is always very clean. We have and always will recommend VH to anyone who's looking to take a trip to the Dominican Republic. Sincerely: Matt, Becky, Caleb and Rayna

How does this resort rate 4 stars?

We were told we were going to a 4 star resort and we were very disappointed when we got there. If it is a 3 star resort, I would be surprised. We were there from February 3 - 10, 2017. The a la carte restaurants were excellent but being restricted to one visit in each of the three for the whole week, we relied mainly on the buffet for our meals. While there appeared to be a great variety, a lot of it was not very appealing and it was very repetitive. We felt they were offering the dinners from t [... read more]he day before for breakfast and lunch. The buffet dining room was very disorganized and the staff in there was not very friendly or helpful. They each seemed to have their own jobs to do and were not willing to give us napkins if they were not the napkin person! The same with cutlery, water, wine. There are many staff members in there, but very poorly organized. The grounds themselves were OK. The pool was quite small but pleasant and I did my physio exercises in there everyday. The beach was nice but each day, it was a scramble to get decent loungers that we could move into the shade. A lot of the lounge chairs on the beach were broken or torn and no one seemed to be bothering about removing them. They were a safety hazard as far as I was concerned. Another safety concern was the fire alarm, which rang many times when we were in our room. One night it went off 4 times. We were not told what this alarm was and the first time we went rushing out into the hallway expecting to see people leaving the building, but no one was in sight. When we eventually asked about it, we were told it was the fire alarm and that someone must have been smoking in their room. I thought we should have been warned of this when we checked in. As it occurred so often, we just started ignoring it, but had there actually been a fire, it could have been very detrimental. A couple of stars amongst the staff were the ladies who cleaned our room each day. They were always smiling and friendly. Another bright star was a waitress named Andrea. She was very friendly and helpful. We definitely will not be returning to this resort.

February 2017

This was a return trip. Six weeks in the past two years and enjoyed the vacation with the exception of the drinks at the regular bars and at the buffet. Some were undrinkable. The Vintage lounge and the VIP beach drinks were, as usual, wonderful. That is, if you purchase the Premium package. The VIP beach was crowded this time and the umbrellas and shade is limited. First time we had to go to the beach early each morning to reserve seats as the sign indicating that items would be removed after a [... read more] short period of time. The Vintage lounge seemed to be more of a "BAR" this time than a lounge as it was often loud and noisy with groups doing shooters and very rude behavior without consequences from staff. As to the future-if these problems are addressed by the new management we may consider returning.

March 2017 VH Grand Ventana

Everything was wonderful, great location, beach etc. The pool and Beach areas need more shade umbrellas. Having to get up before the sun comes up to get a shady spot is unacceptable. The wine served in the bars and restaurants is not good, with the exception of the Vintage Lounge which is only accesible if you are part of the Royal or Premium package.

Amazing resort

this resort was amazing very clean inside and out, staff was very pleasant and food was amazing lots to choose from at all meals . we really enjoyed our stay here from Feb 24 th to March 3 rd would highly recommend this resort

MY VACATION

I felt that because it was my first time there that they should have given me info. at checkin regarding the resort and what was available . No special greeting by the resort staff when i arrived after a very long travelling day. Every other resort that i have gone to has greeted me with a nice hot towel and refreshing drink. My room had no dressers or comfy chairs or coffee maker. Staff extremely helpful however when i needed help. Good selection of food and beverages. The pasta bar was  [... read more]amazing....the very best ...even better than the Italian dining room. Within walking distance of the golf course and also a mall nearby.