Playabachata Hotel: Spend your money elsewhere

Beautifully promoted on trip central and the photos do the outdoor amenities justice- except for the cabanas on the beach that are reserved for VIPs at the resort next door. We had very noisy construction in the lobby during our entire stay. It was loud and we had to take different detours daily to reach the buffet. The food was good, though! Also no pool bar or beach bar as promoted in package inclusions. We were also surprised to find that there is no discotheque as promoted. We really enjoyed [... read more] our time in Dominican Republic and our Transat representative Alexandra was amazing. We had so much fun on our excursions. Covid testing on the property was convenient and cheap ($20USD). Honestly, no complaints there considering we’re still in a pandemic. One final note I’d like to make is that they are newly owned by Senator Hotels instead of Riu (as they stated) and they are incredibly pushy in promoting the Senator hotel right next to Playabachata. The concierge are nice, but the offers they’re trying to talk you into are expensive and they’re insistent. We were offered breakfast and a tour of their suites and accepted due to persistence and curiosity about the food. We were advised we would have a 90 minutes tour, to which we agreed. Afterwards, we were presented with membership options for Ultimate Leisure Club that are at minimum thousands of dollars. They did a raffle while we were there (as they said they do weekly) and we won an expenses paid week-long trip to their facilities in premium accommodations. They took down my email but I highly doubt I’ll be hearing from them. Overall, a disappointing hotel experience, but the country is beautiful, the people are friendly, and the weather is fantastic.

Majestic Colonial Punta Cana Beach Resort: Majestic Colonial March 2022

It's our 3rd time at this resort Always a great experience. Stayed in Colonial Club section. Noisy the 1st few nights. Too many college kids partying in the hall. But security finally stopped that

Viva Heavens by Wyndham: Absolutely recommend this gem of a resort!

The resort was the perfect size which made walking around and finding your bearings super easy. It was very clean, the pool was incredible, the beach (and the walk to it) was STUNNING. The a la carte restaurants were delicious, and there were a large variety of refreshing cocktails. Quiet enough for people that want to relax, but there are also a bunch of fun activities going on all the time for people that want to have fun. Really amazing experience!

Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana: Beautiful but disappointed

Our arrival was very nice, we were greeted with a cool drink. Our check in was prompt and smooth except for the fact we asked for adjoining rooms which we did not receive. My daughters room was not ready until after 4pm. Our first outing was to the barefoot Grill. The service was horrible. The waiter was just miserable and I don’t think he could have moved slower. Our biggest problem was the service at this resort. For the first 3-4 days the service was terrible and the food was not gre [... read more]at. Around the 4th day something changed. Service got better. Maybe because we were entering March Break. It was nice to see. The rooms were very nice and clean. Unfortunately the rooms did not get cleaned everyday. For some reason they skipped my daughters room multiple times during the week. Which was frustrating for her since she had 2 children with her. The grounds were beautiful and so was the beach but it was unswimmable. This area of Punta Cana is known for learning how to surf. So the waves were huge. Not a nice swimming beach. The pools and the pool area were very nice.

Majestic Elegance Punta Cana: Great stay

We loved the resort, if there was an issue it was trying to find food at the buffet. Especially the buffet by the beach, usually there was next to nothing when we tried to eat. I would recommend to others

Dreams Onyx Resort and Spa: Amazing

This resort was extremely clean and the staff, service everywhere are very nice and helpful. They are genuinely there to service you, they like their job! Thank you to Alejandro at the pool bar, and beach boys simply amazing. Food is high quality and we had access to all restaurants at the breathless hotel, that is a big plus. It was my first time at a Dreams and i am now hooked! Booked again for august!!

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Great resort

Overall great experience! The food was amazing and the beaches were beautiful. The music played in the clubs could have been better but still not bad! I would skip all the al la cart restaurants (expect for the Mexican restaurant) and just eat at the buffet, the food is really good and offers a wide variety.

Nickelodeon Hotel Punta Cana: Amazing Resort For Kids!

The best facility we have been to, very CLEAN, the infiniti pool overlooking the sea is very unique. Rooms are spacious, comfortable, modern and well designed. Your wristband is actually your room key. Water park is great but be aware that parents can't come down on the slides with their children: the rides are for children only. The activities were amazing, with a variety of things and they even had a Beatles band (really good production) for adults. Food was very good as well as service: don't [... read more] Forget to TIP the incredible team there as we saw a lot of people being serviced and not leaving anything for the hotel staff. They Work 12 days for 3 days off or 6 days for 1 day off, depending on the department, so do take care of them. We definitely recommend this hotel for families traveling with kids: the best we have been to so far. Special thank you to Julia / Jesus / Ana / Omrieux / Francisco and everyone else at the buffet + Luis in the Beach bar + Carmen, Luis, Francisco and everyone else at the pool bar + Jose Cappucino in entertainment + the guy who organizes all pool and beach settings + Jose (our personal concierge, a great guy) + Henry and the Bell team + Antonio (server) at the Asian restaurant and everyone else who made this a memorable trip. PS: careful if you choose to go on their Prestige Club tour as it is similar to time shares and they might make you uncomfortable if you don't sign.

Royalton Splash Punta Cana: Royalton splash resort review

Water park was great! Lifeguards at the top and bottom of each slide. Rooms were ok, beds were uncomfortable, food was not good. A la Carte restaurants were recycled buffet food not enough selection for kids. Activities at the pool We’re not geared for kids.

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Great trip

We really enjoyed this little hotel. Great layout , food was good , rooms were clean. The staff are really what make this place though! Super fun entertainment staff!, the bartenders and servers were great! Our only complaint about the whole week was the MUSIC ! The music they played at the pool was horrible elevator music. They didn’t start to play good music until about 4 every day. Everyone around the pool seemed to be on the same page but when we asked for the music to be changed staff [... read more] said management wouldn’t allow it. Disappointing

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Inviting, clean place

This hotel is right on Dorada Beach. A long strip of sand and swimmable waters. The resort is small enough to provide good service and make the place look spacious. Staff wears masks all the time. The rooms are clean and with pristine bedding. Good for families and couples. Covid testing is available for $40 US but we were charged more because the person said so. Wheelchair accessible.

Bahia Principe Escape Aquamarine: Outstanding resort!!!

my boyfriend and I were situated right by the lobby of aquamarine, it was central to the pool as well as the buffet. the buffet food was amazing for a resort, they had a lot of variety and healthy choices. servers were always kind and available. the a la carte dinners were even more amazing, we got to choose 6 restaurants during our 7 day stay and we were very impressed with all of them (my boyfriend has a sensitive stomach and is extremely particular about his food choices). we wished that we h [... read more]ad been closer to the beach, it was about a 10 minute walk but buggies were always available for transport. this resort is HUGE, i think has 7 different hotel sections. beach was a bit overcrowded so you need to either go during meal times or early in morning / later at night. overall, we had an amazing time, the reviews are as truthful as can be. amazing blue, clear water. extremely clean grounds & rooms, you see so many staff constantly working and keeping the resort beautiful. we are 100% coming back, hopefully the ambar section. and we have already recommend to so many people. really beautiful place all together.

Sunscape Puerto Plata: Beautiful Resort

Really had a great time here and would go back again and again. This was my second time there since covid hit and its just starting to open back up so not everything is perfect but they are working hard everyday to make sure it's back up and running a full capacity. most of the staff were amazing and only found 2 that need to work on the attitude as I found them rude. They had to finish there conversations before taking your names on restaurant list.

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: Beautiful resort!

The resort was very clean and the staff friendly and efficient. The food at the buffet was diverse and served hot. The dining at the specialty restaurants was very good and the food above average. Only complaint was that there were no benches along the walking paths for older guests to sit and rest. All in all a very nice resort that I would recommend and will return to.

Iberostar Waves Punta Cana: GREAT RESORT

we,ve always enjoyed our stays at Iberostar our # one go to resort in punta cana . this year we could tell lots of new employees were being trained after 2 years of Pandemic . lots of familiar faces

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: An excellent resort for our 14 day holiday.

We paid for the "premium upgrade" on our room and it was totally worth it. Our room was larger than normal, faced the ocean and was very quiet at night. The upgrade also gives unlimited reservations to the "ala carte" restaurants and access to a private lounge with premium alcohol and coffee. Food selection at the buffet for meals was very good with plenty of choices that were sure to please everyone.

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Great COVID protocols

This was our third stay at Luxury Bahia Principe Ambar- adults only. Our last time was 4 years ago before the pandemic. We were very pleased with their safety protocols. All employees had to be fully vaccinated. Every employee had to wear a mask. In the buffet area everyone including guests wore a mask along with a plastic glove so you’re not accidentally touching something with bare hands. We felt the beach wasn’t quite as wide as last time but still beautiful and great for walking. The roo [... read more]ms are very spacious but basic. Tons of tv channels to watch the news if need be. The adults only pool was very warm. The evening shows on the main stage were ok but the magic show was excellent. The 10 pm start evening shows in the Ambar lobby were really great and well choreographed. The quality of the food has improved. We got to try 4 a la carte restaurants. We really liked Portofino, MEAT and Rodizio the Brazilian steakhouse. You must make reservations and due to limited staff and CoVID restrictions we couldn’t get into all of them. The buffets give a large variety. The brand new Las Olas beach house is a beautiful spot for buffet lunch overlooking the ocean or the evening dinners if you can get a table at one of the 4 restaurants in this big new building. We walked a lot which we loved but the tram is there to use as the property is huge. We got our CoVID rapid antigen test tests performed by a nurse on Monday morning and our flight left Tuesday afternoon with Air Canada vacations. Great new 777 planes. We had our results emailed to us with plenty of time before departure. We were pleased with all safety protocols and the standards at this resort. Amazing value for the money. The staff are all very friendly and try hard to please the guests. We would definitely go back again.

Be Live Experience Hamaca Beach: Be Live Hamaca is Horrible

We have been travelling to Dominican Republic since 2015 (once or twice a year) mostly to Puntacana. It was our first trip to Boca Chica Santo Domingo and it was horrible. The resort we went in Feb. 23rd 2022 for 10 days is called “Be Live Hamaca Beach”. It is a very old resort, with all the issues we experienced are as follow: Lobby: The first day we entered the resort, we noticed that the water was pouring down (not leaking) from the ceiling of the main lobby… the lobby was mostly f [... read more]ull of water. The second day the pouring the water happened again from a different side of the ceiling in the lobby… same issue, the lobby was full of water until it was fixed few hours later. The staff weren’t friendly, and they hardly speak English except for one of them who was always on the tiktok. Room: There was no hot water for couple days, so we had to take cold shower. The toilet wasn’t flashing properly, and the bed had a broken leg. When I brought this up, the guy in the reception heard my complain but without doing anything, he continued watching tiktok on his cell phone. When I told him it is urgent, he pointed to a service desk which was at the other corner of the lobby, but no one was there. The guy told me to wait for him to report the issue. When the service desk person should up, there were lots of other people waiting for him and the line up grow long. The service desk person recorded my issues; however, no action was taken except the hot water was resolved. The 3rd day the doorknob came off, so I took it to the service desk, and it took them 2 hours to fix it. Restaurant: There is only one buffet restaurant which the food is almost the same every day. Not too many varieties or options to choose from. When you walk in, no one will set you up to the table, so you pick a table and wait for the waitresses to bring you the cutleries and drinks. Some time the wait is too long so we went to grab our own drinks. We booked those speciality restaurants, however there is only one restaurant that changes the name and menu every day. There is about 12 items on the menu and most of them are not available. The food is not good, and services were not in our satisfactory. Overall, the “Be Live Hamaca” resort is not a place we will visit again. And as per our experience it won’t even qualify for 3 start standard rating.

Secrets Cap Cana: Excellent experience

Best hospitality I have experienced in the Caribbean. Beautiful resort. Highly recommend. Enjoyed that it was close to the airport, transfers were quick and efficient. Rooms were nice, 24 hour room service was amazing!

Playabachata Hotel: Playa Bachata February 24 to March 3 2022

Our stay at Playa Bachata puerto plata. This is an average resort. Nothing real special, nothing really bad. The buffet is almost always the same but there is much choice. If staying for a week you can find something new and tasty each meal. The shows in the evening were ok. Very simple nothing to big. Only one pool was open. It was ok. A bit of wear but daily activities going on pool side. The beach is ok but if you vacation for the beach this place is not for you. We always found lounge [... read more]rs but alot of them were broken. There was alot of local people at this resort which I enjoy however it seems that the bartenders cater to the locals and the rum is not of great quality for the Dominican. Our house keeper was so nice. She didn't speak much English but she was grateful and took care of us. We went on 3 excursions, all were good. There is no covid protocol. The resort says there is but only employees wear masks. That was ok with me. Our sunwing rep gave us false information about our covid test. It wound up that we had to get our test on a different day then what he stated. Im going to chalk that up to the rules just changing. We did have one bad thing happen. Our toilet overflowed the second night covering our whole floor even the bedroom. Bad plumbing I believe as other reviews speak of the same thing. They say it is your fault you used to much toilet paper. No I didn't. The mess was cleaned and we were given a new room. There are liquor dispensers in room as advertised but no liquor to go in them so don't expect it. We paid 775 each for the week all inclusive and I believe I got my moneys worth. Nothing fancy but ok.