Excellence Punta Cana: Excellence at its best!!!

This resort lives up to its name, everything from our room, restaurants, beach and entertainment were Excellent. We celebrated our 25th anniversary and my birthday while there, staff went above and beyond. Special shout out to Victor at the Excellence club beach area and Lizbeth in the club excellence office, the special decorations in our room to celebrate my birthday were beautiful. A big thank you to the Excellence Punta Cana for helping make our trip one to remember!!!! We would also like  [... read more]to thank out travel agent Carol Webber for helping us book our special vacation.

Riu Palace Bavaro: Should be 3 star

I would not recommend this resort. It should be 3 star at best. Very outdated. Beds are terrible. I didn't sleep for a week. Needs an entire update. If you can book the Riu Punta Cana would be a better resort for the same price. We were supposed to be in the Riu Punta Cana but our terrible agents at Tripcentral stuck us in the Bavaro and then would not answer or return phone calls!!!!!! Never deal with trip central again. I travel every year and they were the worst customer service I have ev [... read more]er experienced!! Good thing I didn't have to get ahold of them for anything really important. They only take your money then never take your calls. Although the hotel is dated and the booking company sucks there were lots of good things. Staff at hotel was amazing. Food was amazing. Beach was amazing. Very clean.

Ocean Blue and Sand: Not a 4+ star resort. Not even close

I planned to go to this resort back in March 2020. As travel restrictions have reduced for April 2022, I decided to go and stay at this resort. A big mistake as I didn't read the recent reviews since Covid caused some issues at this place. I have been to the Dominican 7 times now. Quite the experience. BEACH- there is no beach. It is a shoreline. There is water and there is sand. I did read that the shoreline was washed away but the resort has done nothing to attempt to improve this ot [... read more]her than the large sand bags to break the waves in various places. Many people give the beach a 5 star rating which is a joke. I don't spend much time on the beach but on this trip, I walked both north and south of the resort and didn't see anything near as disappointing as the Ocean Sands. POOL-large and beautiful as described. Unfortunately no where near what is needed for the umbrellas and pool chairs for both the pool size and number of people. Reserving an umbrella required you to put out towels at 4-5am. I caught on to this on day 3 and did it for the remaining of the week. In speaking with many people and families, they to never experienced anything like this. The pool bars were understaffed based on the number of people in the pool area. I did ask for Canadian Club at all the bars and only one had half a bottle. When i completed the bottle after mid week, there was no more available. When I asked when they would have more, they didn't know or even check. Service was only good if you tip them. Also very poor communication skills. I also went to the lobby bar and it as well did not have Canadian Rye Whisky. When I laughed at the bartender, he became a little annoyed. However, not as much as I was. STAFF-Most were not friendly but I do make a point of saying hello to everyone when I walk by or they come to my table for service. Many of them did respond with a hello. I don't blame them as I think they have not been trained properly and don't speak the language very well. I do think they were understaffed in most areas based on the number of people staying at the resort. WELCOME GIFT-These Time Share people try to get you to commit to the H10 resorts (cash for life program) on your 2nd day on site. This is a waste of time as I would only consider listening to someone at the end of my stay to see what they have to offer. They did mention that I should consider switching to premium to get an upgrade which I did see on a review that it is not worth the offering. I did get a chance to speak to someone from Ontario that had the upgrade and felt it was a waste of money and didn't see the benefit. I did notice that the people involved in this "scheme" speak English very well. Too bad the rest of the staff didn't have the same communication skills as that would help improve this resort. FOOD-spent most of the time eating at the buffet in morning and night. Large variety of food but most of it was never hot, either warm or cold from a previous meal. Always very busy, good but not great. I did manage to get to the Steakhouse one night and waited 90 minutes for a table. A very rushed meal and not a relaxing dinner. This was only open 2 days during the week as some of the others. When I spoke to a few others from Canada at the pool, they suggested to stay away from these specialty ones as they were also only open a few days. Not enough staff to manage all the Customers that were on the resort. RESORT-beautiful grounds, layout and pool as indicated on websites. Looks like very little maintenance and money was spent during Covid over the past 2 years but I did notice that they were working on fixing a few things during my week. MANAGEMENT-I do sum up that the issue with the resort is due to poor management. No consistent communication to the Customers. I do see that this resort wants your money and really doesn't want to deliver the service and attention it needs to in order to be a 4+ star. I have only been to a 4 star resort once in my years of travel and this is definitely below that. In summary, it must be a 3 star. I would suggest staying away until such time some travel agents visit and confirm if improvements are made. I know I wont experiment with any H10 resorts in the future.

Dreams Cap Cana Resort and Spa: Beautiful brand new resort

The hotel itself was amazing. The location was beautiful and a short drive from import. What really stood out at this resort was the service. You always felt like you were receiving VIP service from all staff members. They were friendly and quick to attend to your every need. The food was outstanding and we especially enjoyed the Italian restaurant Frank and Lola’s.

Impressive Premium Punta Cana: Could be Great

I'm gonna break it down for you all: Check-In: Check-in was a bit disorganized - they didn't have our reservation at first, but they eventually found it. Our booking agent had requested one big bed and I had emailed 3 times requesting it over 2 months before, but they could only put us in 2 separate beds which we pushed together. That was ok, considering the hotel was 100% capacity. The issue was that I had to beg to get into the room an hour after check-in time (5 pm). Luckily we were keepi [... read more]ng busy drinking mojitos in the pool while waiting so it wasn't that bad! The Room: We had a pool view room and it is very large. Two showers and two sinks and inside has two queen beds and a big sofa bed, and a table with two chairs—lots of space for clothes and stuff. The room stinks, though, like mould and mildew. You get used to it after a while, but it shouldn't smell like that. The balcony is large and had a view over the pool where we sat and enjoyed most nights! The Food and Drinks: The food in the buffet is almost un-eatable. We got very sick the second night and had our fantastic butler Wilnier book the ala carte restaurants for us the remaining nights, or we just ate at the premium lounge. On the Grill is the best ala carte restaurant! Book your breakfast at Villa Magna for a beautiful view and a nice ala carte selection. The drinks were pretty good; you could get sky vodka and Tanqueray gin. The premium lounge had a bloody mary, and a mimosa serve yourself corner! That was fun and convenient. Premium guests also have access to room service which includes a short menu of chicken fingers, fries, sandwiches, quesadillas, and some other minor things. That's a nice touch! There is also a pizza bar near the pool and beach which is open until 3 AM and the pizza is actually quite good! The service: The service is absolutely 0 out of 5 stars EXCEPT for our butler, Wilnier. In the premium side, you are supposed to be assigned a butler and ours was named Wilnier. When we checked in he found us and gave us his what's app number and was always available to help us out, very friendly, and always took care of us. He said good morning every day and came and had a chat with us each morning while he was doing his rounds. Without Wilnier I don't think we saw a single staff member smile once. We had to flash money to even get service to look at us. Most times if you wanted a drink or anything it felt like you were disturbing the staff and they were going to kill you if you asked for anything! Although the bartender at the Tiki bar made great drinks and was friendly after a couple of days of tips $$$. The server Victor in the On the Grill restaurant and Julio were both fun as well. The staff definitely need some training on service standards and needs to be held accountable because it was atrocious. The grounds: The resort is absolutely stunning, you can walk around and be in awe at the beautiful gardens and minor pathways throughout the resort. Definitely breathtaking. The beach is well kept and has lots of space and different areas to lounge! Towels were always available and ready to go for the pool or beach, which is excellent! This resort could be a 5 star but falls VERY short on service and food in some areas. If the staff attitudes were better, I believe everything else would fall into place. Oh yeah, someone should maybe clean the air conditioning vents in building 23 as well :) It might be mouldy or dirty inside! Thanks to Wilnier again for saving our vacation. Someone promote this man so he can teach everyone how to behave in the service industry!

Breathless Punta Cana Resort: Great Week at Breathless!

This was a great resort. Would we return? Probably not, but only because there are other resort chains that we love more. We read a ton of reviews before we went and to be honest, we disagree with a lot of what's been recently said. The towel game is definitely in play but by 9am, there were still plenty of options. The shaded options were few and far between at that point, but other reviews stated there just weren't enough chairs for everyone. This is not true. There were plenty.  [... read more] Others also commented on the wifi. It wasn't great, but it was manageable. The connections frequently dropped but it was only a minute or so before you could connect again. We never had a problem in the room, it was just when you were around the pool that sometimes it would drop. Is it a party resort? Maybe. But if you weren't into that scene, it was easy to avoid it. We asked for a quiet room and that's what we got! We were completely unaware of the loud music, doors slamming, etc that others complained about. We never heard a thing! No one ever approached us for time-share meetings. Not once. Which was great. Covid protocols - masks were required at the buffets and enforced *most* of the time. If you didn't have a mask, they would give you one at the entrance, but when they ran out, they just let you in. Masks were not enforced anywhere else even though they had signs posted at all entrances that you needed one. All staff wore masks at all times. Our butler was great. His name was Gliny. We didn't need a lot of help during our stay but anything we did need was right there to help us! He also set up a nice birthday surprise of a door banner, rose pedals, champagne and a cake for the hubby's birthday. This was a nice touch! Housekeeping was great. Our room was *usually* done by about 12pm. Once it wasn't done until late in the evening (7-ish) but it wasn't a big deal. Turn-down service was hit and miss. We seemed to only get it twice during our week stay, but again, not a big deal. I can turn down my own sheets... The Xhale upgrade was 100% worth the extra money. With this upgrade, we were allowed to have breakfast in the open-air Strip Grill restaurant instead of the main buffet. THIS ALONE MADE IT WORTH IT. I could not imagine eating any more meals in the main buffet. It was closed-in, crowded, and just not a nice atmosphere. Speaking of which, none of the restaurants had a nice atmosphere. We didn't overly enjoy the experiences in any of them. The dinner service was just ok. No one was overly friendly and they often got the orders wrong. Not a big deal to us, as all of the food was pretty good. Nothing that stands out as being excellent, but no poor meals either. If I gave feedback to the resort, it would be to liven up the restaurants so that you didn't feel that you were sitting at a random table in an open-space room. It always felt awkward. The Mexican restaurant (Picante) was advertised as part of Breathless, but it was in fact part of Dreams. A TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE when you think you're at an adults-only resort and you are suddenly surrounded by more kids in one room than you've seen in your life!! (I'm not a parent if that's not obvious). My advice is to skip Picante all together, and stay at Breathless. The gym was also part of Dreams. As avid CrossFitters, we were naturally at the gym at 6am daily... the gym was pretty well equipped but SO HOT!!!! No air conditionning? And kids were allowed there too...climbing all over everything. Had we have known this in advance, we may not have chosen this particular resort...but that's just our preference and no fault of the resort. The beach was nice, and well maintained. We took a daily walk in each direction but other than that, we spent no time there. Lastly, this is not a comment about the resort but about our private transfer to get there. This was the first time we paid for a private transfer from the airport, and this will become the norm for us. It was awesome! As soon as we got our luggage and got out of the airport, we were immediately swept away into a private van and hurried to the resort without stops along the way. It wasn't cheap but the experience was well worth the money. All in all it was a great week and nice weather.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: A real 5 star two week vacation.

Been to El Portillo several times. We were given the black royalty wristband that we appreciated. We will return to El Portillo. It keeps getting better. We noticed the amazing skills of the staff, very polite, helpful and enthusiastic. Many got to know our names. Buffet…..5 Star….Great selection. Greek, French and Italian restaurants….5 Star Cleaning staff……5 Star Relax Pool…..5 Star (Carolina was the best…so funny and helpful.) Main pool looked nice and was kept clean. Fro [... read more]nt Desk……5 Star…Made us feel welcome. Gardens……5 Star….Grounds crew does a great job. Beach……5 Star, clean and relaxing lounge chairs. Towel service….5 Star. The guy there was very polite and very helpful. Bars….good variety and quick service. Washrooms…..always clean. Room…..nicely appointed. Shuttle to and from El Catey was great. Suggestion: Having that program for kids every night was not necessary. Someone yelling over a microphone was hard on the ears. There are hundreds sitting there having to listen to that almost every night. The kids have lots to do without that nightly time period. More singers, guitarists even keyboard music is needed.

Casa Marina Reef Resort: Another great stay

This was my 8 or 9th time at Casa Marina I have list count. The resort is in the town of sosua and this is one of the many attractions to this resort. The resort itself is very well kept the grounds and beautiful. The main attraction for me are the 3 cool pools where you can relax, have a drink and meet people from all over. The food was good I actually put on a pound or 2. We are booked for October already a group of 10

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Fine beach

Enjoyed the exercise routine The a la carte restaurants were good. The sandy beach was great for walking. There was a bit of a problem with the toilet running on. There was water leaking onto the balcony from above. Sort of fixed

Catalonia Royal La Romana: Awesome resort😃

The grounds of this hotel are beautiful. Every area is carefully maintained and has creative features. The ground keepers are constantly working quietly to enhance the property. The public spaces are well maintained and convenient. Hotel staff are friendly and helpful. Our room was comfortable and held every convenience we required as seniors. Our housekeeper Evelyn worked diligently to maintain our room through immaculate preparation of the space. The Friday night buffet was spectacular and fo [... read more]r us a wonderful introduction to the resort. We appreciated the front desk help to book the numerous a la carte restaurants. Wait staff were friendly, helpful and efficient. We loved the photo op features which we took advantage of. The garden near the beach was breathtaking. The shuttles to the beach were very much appreciated. Having a swim up pool was a delight. Having a few pools and a clean beach to choose from was great. Loved the hot tubs too.

Viva Heavens by Wyndham: Good for budget but little things could have made it nicer.

Recently returned (April 14 2022) from Viva Wyndham Heavens and feel we got a little less than what we expected but still enjoyed the sunshine and pleasant people of the Dominican. The resort deserves high marks for cleanliness and the attentiveness of their staff to the limits they are permitted.I say this as with every trip to the Dominican Republic I've always found the people to be very welcoming and willing to help. It seems at this Resort the training provided is lacking the attention to d [... read more]etail seasoned travelers have come to expect over the last number of years. Little things like service around the pool or on the beach, timing of meal courses during Ala carte dinners, bread plates when serving rolls, offerings of the entire accents to a meal rather than delivering upon request when convenient. Visited Blend, Rosmarino and Pueblo 222 as well as V Kitchen (buffet). Blend has a good offering of Seafood and Steaks however your quality/ cut of Steak will be a hit or miss situation, I had one night over marinated cheap cut and on second occasion although very small it was good.Someone needs to look at the table/booth heights as I'm 6' 2" and the table was above my sternum, not comfortable. Rosmarino, or Italian was just okay, far too sweet a sauce is used everywhere, and should consider Fresh Parmesan offering. Pueblo 222 was my favorite however why not offer the wonderful guacomole, Salsa and cream with the Fajitas/ Tacos rather than people having to ask for it. As far as the Buffet I don't believe I had anything hot from the steam tables all week, and never once saw what we would call bacon at breakfast. Although creative you could see the efforts made to use every bit of what was previoulsy served. Inexpensive booze but reasonable beer and no Canadian whiskey at all. I saw an occasional bottle of Absolut Vodka bu that was for VIP clients, so if VIP gets Absolut the rest of us are wondering how VIP the VIP could be? By the way, do not under any circumstances order the Club sandwich from room service, we lost 2 days with illness as a result.

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: family vacation

Traveled with 3 kids ages under 6 years old and was a fantastic experience. Veronica at the kids club is amazing!! When kids are happy mom is happy :) pool is pristine with roped off shallow ends...a huge help when supervising little people. Food was fresh and flavourful...bring stretchy clothes to accommodate all the deliciousness! Lots meat and variety. Kids loved the chef Franko! Wait staff very attentive and maid top notch. Beach very turbulent due to constant winds. Never made it past kids  [... read more]disco so can't comment on entertainment lol overall fun family get away

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Bugs and more bugs

We had bus in our room that caused bites all over me feet and legs the 1incident they maintenance came and sprayed our room the next day we out told someone would be too our room in 15min no one showed up and we waited over an hour. When we went back to the front they asked us too be in our room at 4pm no one showed up. We went back to the forntdesk 2hours later we had a voucher for cream for the bits and signed a release for this incident. We had dinner went back to the room to find it investe [... read more]d with bugs I went back to the front desk and had to demand a new room. When my airline tryed to helpnthey said we signed off in the incident. Trip Central didn't respond at all

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Punta Cana: Hard Rock resort was lovely!

The resort is very large. I called it a small city. It is definitely geared for families. The staff was exceptional. Wonderful with the kids. The beach was amazing. With lots of chairs. Everything was very clean.

Lifestyle Tropical Beach Resort: good resort to visit

We just return from Life Style tropical, good vacation without any surprises, very calm and peaceful vacation with good food and entertaining. Restaurants added value to our vacation, delicious food. Our priority were beach and ocean, which was very nice and enjoyable, not deep not dangerous, a little bit waive, just amazing. Only one minus you should take care about chairs on the beach and walking distance is more than usually. Also make sure that you should walk under hill. However resort has [... read more] beautiful structure of different pools and chairs around. You can use also all facilities of resorts near Life style.

Iberostar Waves Dominicana: Beautiful resort

It is a Great Amazing clean and nice resort Perfect setup Beautiful pool Really nice beach Food was good Staff was nice The shows good be a litlle bit better But still ok The room was kept clean There was every day a Sunwing person

Catalonia Royal Bavaro: Most amazing experience

This was one of the most relaxing yet entertaining resorts I have been too. The staff was amazing, kind, friendly. The rooms was heaven. The private pool rooms are amazing. I will most definitely be back with more friends. Thank you

Casa Marina Sosua Trademark by Wyndham All Inclusive: Beautiful location! Nothing can compare

The location is by far better than anything in the area. Jacuzzis on the cliffs at sunset, breakfast by breaking waves, when the waters are calm turquoise water in the beach. Only areas that could be improved are more staff at buffet (provide better, faster service) and more $$ for animation and cooking staff etc

Viva Heavens by Wyndham: Well worth the price!

The beach and food were great. You can pick apart the rest but at the end of the day we’ll worth it! There booze selection is very limited and the rooms are a little run down but over all this place is okay.

Majestic Elegance Punta Cana: Beautiful resort

We stayed here 10 days and it was wonderful. Good food, beautiful beach and great service. This resort is huge and has many pools. The resort could use a little refresh but I loved it anyway. Lobby is spectacular. People are so friendly and welcoming. I will definitely go back.