Ocean El Faro: I would classify the resort as "GOOD"

The resort was beautiful and the pool were fun. BUT the service was absolutely terrible. The people at the front desk were beyond slow and never seemed to be able to answer general questions. The service at the restaurants was very very slow, and the food was OK but definately not great. The Sunwing represenative for the hotel was extremely rude. Did not have the pages in the book for departures and could not confirm our pickup time for departure until a few hours before the pickup. The [... read more] weather was great which was the reason for going to Dominican.

Bahia Principe Escape Aquamarine: Good vacation, but management doesn’t care about repeat customers

Resort is good very clean and people are friendly. We were disappointed because we have been to this resort 15 times and had expected to get a VIP bracelet as we had on the past. They have changed the rules with the new Ambar. We will not be back as they don’t care about repeat customers especially if you have been there 15 times.

Paradisus Punta Cana: Too large and not consistent with service

Start with the positives: beautiful grounds, very clean, food quite tasty, large beach, and nice bartenders. Negatives: checking in at 10:30 pm took almost an hour and a half and we were the only ones there ( 6 in our group) that is one of the reason I wanted to fly in the pm rooms should have been ready, resort too large for us, were refused ala cartes they said they were all booked, but they weren’t, when our friends arrived the next day they had no problem booking the ala cartes ( fig [... read more]ure that out)only 2 buffets for such a huge resort, also one or the other was closed a closed a couple of nights because of large bookings so sometimes had to wait ( not impressed)reported to air transat rep the front desk had know knowledge we were coming he said he would take care of it and they didn’t even know we were even there when we checked out. First day no room cleaned, had to ask, no turn down service at all, no chocolates, no rum in our room asked 3 times (our 6 friends that arrived the next day and received it). Was refused once by the trolly for a drive to the lobby he said to me it was only a 2 minute walk and drove away. It was no 5 star too us, not enough chairs by the pool, a lot of chairs at the beach should be chucked out

Royalton Bavaro Resort and Spa: Love the Lazy river and Fry truck

The lazy river is the best feature to this resort. So much fun! The fry truck is in the perfect location and always busy and has the best food. Restaurants are ok. Steak house still not up to par. Japanese and Brazilian are ok. Italian is very good. Buffet has excellent and numerous choices. Even a little buffet for kids!! Rooms are good. Had trouble with our room key bracelets again. Last year also! Frustrating. Need to do a better job of letting people know what activities are happening.  [... read more]Need to have more spots open for the painting class! Had problems with Sunwing flight down so it was 10 wait at Toronto so didn't get to resort until 3am. One then two people to check us in and had to take luggage by ourselves. Would come back and would recommend. This is not an adults only....many families and children.

Le Sivory: Amazing

If you want a relaxing,restorative vacation , this is the place to go. Friendly staff, good food and well laid out and accessible grounds. Our room was extremely spacious. The “all inclusive” was more than we’ve had other places, so good value for your dollar.

Occidental Caribe: Great value for your money

Beach and pools were beautiful. Food was not bad, Paris was by far the best restaurant! The resort was pretty clean. Maids were hit or miss with their service and it didnt seem to matter how much you tipped. I think you get the most out of your money at this resort!

TRS Turquesa: Best vacation ever

Wow...where do i start! This resort is awesome. It was our second time here. We stayed for 10 days with a group of freinds! I want to give special recognition to my butler Yajaira and her team. Sandi and the team at the evening pool bar! And my maid Teresa Yan, who kept our room spotless and confortable. A typical day: Morning a la carte breakfast on the beach patio with a magnificent view of the ocean, with live music in the background. Wander down to the beach, easy to find chai [... read more]rs. The beach is clean, lots of palm trees and cabanas to sit under. Waiters bring you drinks! Wifi reception is great. Lunch time you wander back up to the pool. They served fresh grilled meats, fish (highly recomend the grouper) lobsters, shrimp, calamari...salades. you can bring your plate of food back to the beach and eat it. Later in the afternoon, they have live entertainment in the pool. So while you get ready for dinner, you can listen to amazing musicians play music while floating around on a platform in the pool. The blues rock guitarist was the best! Dinners were amazing! My butler Yajaira booked everything for us. BTW ..Yajaira is amazing. You are lucky if you are staying in block 52. We had champagne and bubble baths waiting as a surprise! Then we wander into the main lobby to enjoy a cocktail before dinner. OMG..oh my god! Try the the gin and tonic with cucumber! Delicious! Or the chocolate or expresso martinis. Best restaurant was Eldorado! Jose our server made it the best experience during our stay. The tomahawk steaks at Caprichi were amazing too! Late evenings at the pool bar! THE BEST! Sandi and guys were amazing. They keep the drinks coming and make the best shots...always freindly! Cant say enough about how hard Sandi and the guys work to ensure everyone is happy and having a good time. We met a lot of great people at the pool bar at night. Good times! Cant wait to go back! See you soon!

Riu Palace Punta Cana: Average resort

Was excited coming into the hotel. Lobby was nicely decorated and airy, check-in staff was great. Disappointed in our room. Although it was spacious, cleanliness could have been better. Floor needed to be swept, bed only had one sheet (stains) and four pillows. It took 4 days and many requests before we got extra blankets. The bathroom had been recently renovated but looked rushed. Good thing about bath was great water pressure, rain shower and double vanity. Our balcony faced the parking lo [... read more]t which was a disappointment. Don't rely on cleaning staff, not very good. The grounds well kept, beach / pool fantastic (wake up early and reserve a chair with your towel). Buffet was good, didn't care for the a la carte Steakhouse. No entertainment unless your a child. They played kid games and videos on the stage / big screen until 930pm every night. Then a two person singing group played..no English music. It was annoying being constantly disturbed by people trying to sell their wares on the grounds. Do not take the Santo Domingo bus tour..it cost 106.00 per person and was a 13hr bus trip from hell. This was our first and last trip to the Dominican.

Riu Republica: Excellent resort, had a wonderful time.

I loved the resort had a great time, friendly people great food. Would definetly return in the near future. The rooms were clean and had a great selection of alcohol as well as a beer fridge. Very comfortable stay, had fun in and off the resort. The entertainment was excellent as well as the food.

Bahia Principe Escape Aquamarine: Five star first rate

Very clean property. Friendly staff. Great food. Very large resort. Not the best beach. Very busy. Lots of seaweed. Good entertainment. Large clean rooms. Needs more food available after hours. Pools awesome. Foam party a blast!

Bahia Principe Explore Esmeralda: Beautiful Resort

We loved our stay at the Bahia Principe Esmeralda. The grounds are spectacular. The beach is amazing. Our room was spacious with a balcony. We enjoyed the food and the specialty drinks. I think couples and families would equally enjoy this resort as it has something for everyone. Looking forward to our next visit to Bahia Principe Esmeralda!!

Grand Memories Punta Cana: Great family vacation

This resort was great. Good food, nightly shows for families. Pool was wonderful and the Waterpark was a big hit as well. Service was great and always their to assist you with your needs or questions.

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Beautiful

The resort was very beautiful and the food was great. The shows were entertaining and our favourite was the circus. My only concern was it being over crowded due to the amount of resorts at the Bahia Principe. The beach was shared and couldn’t find chairs for two, when we were getting up at 730am. One time our beach chair and towel were stolen when we went to get food at the pool restaurant. The towel place said it was my responsibility and it would cost $10. I probably wouldn’t return due t [... read more]o everything being so far apart, and even if there are transport carts available, they weren’t always stopping at designated stops.

Sunscape Coco Punta Cana: Had a great time

Had an amazing time, the weather was perfect, food very tasty, although getting reservations was a bit of a problem for the a la carte. Nice room maid service was good, very clean resort. Didn't see much of the beach as it was to hot, and not much shade, it was hard to get a lounger at beach. The front desk were awesome they were very helpful and pleasant. especially Willmer and his crew, they enjoyed the chocolates we gave them. Air Canada reps. were great and there when we had questions. Qui [... read more]te impressed with Air Canada flight, it was on time leaving Halifax, lots of leg room.

Royalton Splash Punta Cana: Grand Memories Splash - Punta Cana

This was our families first trip ever down south, and we absolutely loved it! We have two kids (5 & 8) and they had a lot of fun and were always entertained! We were travelling with another family also with two kids (3 & 6) and they have been down south many times before. They agreed that the food was excellent, probably in the top 1 or 2 of anywhere they’ve been before. There was entertainment every night for both kids and adults which was very fun for us! The water park was a hit for bo [... read more]th the kids and adults also. When we book another trip, as long as this resort is still within budget we will just book there again!

Bahia Principe Grand Bavaro: Great resort

Excellent hospitality and organization of the place. Very clean. Little too big but the way we were treated made us forget how far the places were. Beach area crowded but well maintained. Not much bad to say about this resort

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Immaculate grounds. Crowded beach

The resort grounds didn’t have a shred of garbage anywhere. It was a really clean place and I really like the food they serve at the buffets. The al a carts are great food also and I highly recommend the Dominican resteraunt. The beaches were so crowded. Even getting to the beach for 7 in the morning the chairs were already taken. People put one flip flop and a magazine across 4 chairs although they weren’t supposed to be reserved. I’ve been 3 or 4 years ago and it was with a group of 20 p [... read more]eople. We were always able to find spots for the entire group. With the development of a couple resorts on site it’s really gotten crowded in the beach. I would still go back.

Paradisus Punta Cana: Overall good resort, beautiful grounds

I can understand why this resort gets mixed reviews after visiting for a week, HOWEVER, overall it is a very nice resort with the most beautiful grounds we have ever seen at an all inclusive. This was our 8th all inclusive from various islands in the Caribbean, so lots to compare too. We stayed mid January in just a regular room (no royal service, no reserve) GROUNDS Like I said above, it really is so beautiful here. The resort is huge, as most people mention. There are lots of tro [... read more]lley cars you can take if you don't feel like walking, however we always walked as it was so peaceful and serene. (Really only takes about 10-15 minutes to get from beach to lobby). We had a stroller with us, so we would often take the outer (smoother) walkway around the resort (especially when baby was sleeping) as all other paths are cobblestone. FOOD I can honestly say that anyone that complains about the food is just not being rational. Of course you are in a third world country so 63 the food is not going to be as you used to in your home country. But, we all found the food great. For breakfast you will want to eat at Gabi Beach Buffet. We always had full plates of food. You can get your eggs any way you like with the cook, plenty of bacon, sausage, hash browns, fruit, cereal, pastries, cheese, and other items. Loved the fried plantain and grilled tomatoes. For lunch, Naos buffet is better than Gabi. We often found so much food we liked that we would go back to the table with 2 plates. So many salads to chose from. (someone complained earlier about the salads and that you cant trust them, I don't know why they said that). All the food is kept in an indoor room, and it is kept quite cool, so we never had an issue with anything. Lunch also included a variety of cooked fish and meats, vegetables, fruit, cheese, deli meat, you could also get a pasta made at the pasta station. There was also hot dogs, and hamburgers too. Loved the onion rings and calamari! THE RESTAURANTS Feugo - not too bad. Probably our least favourite. Had the Mofungo and it was quite good, also sushi and maki were just okay. Bana- very good Japanese meal. We had a lot of fun at the table and the meats, salmon and shrimp were cooked to perfection. Mole - our meals were just okay, but the nacho chips they bring out at the start were great. Vento - one of our favourites. Menu selection was great. Osso Bucco was amazing. The Grill - Juan provided great service. Really nice selection on the appetizer bar. We ordered the family platter for 2 and it was great. We did not eat at Aqua due to the other reviews about the food being the worst on the resort, and the mosquitos. Passion - we splurged for a date night here. It was one of the best meals we have ever had anywhere in the world. Service was spectacular, and the food was incredible. You have to have an open mind, and familiar with fine dining to eat here though. The 8 course meal was $80 US per person and we did the wine pairing for $40 US per person. (Well worth the wine pairing) We are lucky friends of ours arrived at the resort a few days before us so they were able to pre-book all the restaurants for us at a reasonable time since we had a baby. It did seem hard to make reservations if you don't pre-book. One of my complaints is that I had emailed the resort 10 days before arrival to reserve and they never got back to me even after a follow up email. POOLS/BEACH We enjoyed most days at the main pool near the bar. The pool was great, nice and big, and lots of beds. We met the most amazing bar tender ARGENIS who took care of us all week. What an outstanding human being! Never let our drinks get empty. The pool only had a few moments of loudness, so it was mostly on the quieter side compared to some other resorts we have been too. One day we reserved a cabana on the beach for $35 US which included service, and a bottle of champagne. We found this well worth it since we had a baby and it was a lovely spot for him to nap. We brought over some loungers and it was a wonderful relaxing day. The beach itself was very nice, clear, warm, and clean. They come by and clean up the seaweed. There are a lot of vendors that walk by on the beach trying to sell you things, or excursions, but we kindly told them we weren't interested and they don't bother you. The loungers on the beach are not good. Probably in the worst shape out of any resort we've been too. The resort needs to upgrade these. Of course there are separate areas on the beach for royal service and reserve which both have nicer beds/loungers with padding. ROOMS This was one of our biggest disappointments. Like I said, we did not upgrade so we just had a regular room. The layout didn't work so great since we have a 11 month old who is crawling and there are 2 stairs in the room that go down to a sitting area. Made it a bit challenging with him. The beds were just okay, and the other furnishings are outdated. The room had a "cold" feel to it, not tropical or welcoming at all. Im sure the royal service and reserve rooms are nicer, but it would be good if the resort upgraded the regular rooms. On a positive note, we had an issue with the AC and the toilet and they sent someone to fix both within 30 minutes. We were in building 5 which was the absolute best spot for pool access, and only a 2 minute walk to the beach. Room was also not very clean. SERVICE We were slightly disappointed with the service at the Gabi buffet, and some of the restaurants. We had good service at Naos for lunc, shout out to Maria. It's too bad the service staff don't pay more attention as we ALWAYS tip at EVERY meal, and a lot of them missed out on what could have been a higher tip. Room maid service was great for us (but we tip high on the first day for the maid the fridge attendant then continue to tip throughout the week) Goes A LONG way. Aside from Argenis, we found the service to be mediocore throughout the resort. OTHER NOTES/TIPS - upon your arrival there will be a "concierge" in white who will come to talk to you and tell you they are there for you to answer any of your questions etc. But, they are just trying to get you to come to the time share breakfast at another resort. Kindly tell them you are not interested and they will leave you alone. - They claim to be an Eco Resort so there are no straws with drinks - There are a lot of costly "upgrades" at this resort. Ie. higher shelf alcohols (back bar stuff like Patron, coronas etc. drink packages, room service is $5 US per visit, cabanas on the beach) - If you're going to drink red wine go for the Cab Sauv, the Merlot tastes like grape juice. Overall, we liked the resort, but didn't see much difference between this resort which compared to some lower priced resorts we've been too.

Breathless Punta Cana Resort: Beautiful resort great time!

The resort was amazing! Clean great service beautiful pools and beach. Lots of excellent entertainment and relaxing as well. Lots of choice in restaurants. Everything was easy to find and close to rooms. Vibe was amazing. Great for all ages. Would definitely go back or to another breathless!

TRS Turquesa: Fantastic resort to go

Well we’re do I begin from the moment we arrived at the resort we were welcomed with drinks and was checked in fast. We went up to our room witch was fantastic fruit tray wine in bucket. Our conceige was amazing she went above and beyond for us. She filled our tub with flowers bubbles candles and champagne fantastic place to go.