Hyatt Vivid Punta Cana: Always Feels Like Home

This was our fourth trip to Dreams Palm Beach and we were constantly reminded why we keep coming back. The staff at Dreams, from the Preferred Club, to the restaurants, to the cleaning staff and maintenance crews, everyone is so welcoming and always willing to greet you with an enthusiastic 'Hola!' or 'Buenos Dias!' Everyone takes pride in what they do, making you feel like you are truly part of their family. A few very special people we'd like to thank: Wilson - It doesn't get any better tha [... read more]n Wilson at the Preferred Club. He greets us with open arms when we arrive and from that moment forward he treats you like a part of his family. He is one of the main reasons we didn't want to go anywhere else for our first trip out of COVID, and why we keep coming back. He never stops working and is full of surprises. It is my honor to call him a friend! Pablo - working behind the scenes as the Social Media Coordinator - my wife's BFF at Dreams - one of the most pleasant and caring people we've met at Dreams - we only wish we were able to see him more often this trip - we know we will keep in touch! Emillio - If you hear anyone say 'EXCELLENTE' at Dreams, know that they probably heard it first from Emillio - working the Preferred Club Adult's section - Emillio is beloved by everyone he interacts with. He does his work with pride and treats the Preferred Club like his home. Emillio is as close as they come to a celebrity at Dreams - in a word Rockstar! Ariady - 'Ari' is Wilson's partner in crime at the check-in desk. A great big teddy-bear with a warm heart, always quick with a joke and never without a smile on his face. We remember Ari as a bit shy when we first met him - happy to say he has burst from that shell and is just a pleasure to be around! Cristina - our hostess with the mostess, at the Seaside Grill (SSG) - amazing smile and welcomed us with enthusiasm on every visit. We start and end every trip with a visit to the SSG, and Cristina is one of the reasons why! Yeimey - also at the SSG was also terrific and helpful, she was super friendly and made sure we were well hydrated with every meal :) Juan and Ivan - two more of our SSG favorites welcomed us home and we are so happy we were able to see them again this visit - we were just a little sad we didn't get to see them more often. Ricardo - I think he has found a way to clone himself as he is seemingly everywhere, from SSG to the restaurants and the buffet - Ricardo is always on the move and such a pleasure to interact with. Demetrio - also a man on the move - he's got a VIP touch and makes himself available for whatever you need, whenever you bump into him. Valter Espinoza - Dreams Palm Beach General Manager - while I've never spoken to him personally, we wanted to note that he runs a tremendous operation and you can tell he leads by example; not expecting anyone on staff to do something he wouldn't do himself. Example: in the middle of a tropical storm, we witnessed Valter with a stack of abandoned poolside cups and an errant floaty under his arm at the Preferred Club pool. Drenched from head to toe but making sure the grounds were kept free of debris and looking pristine once the sun was ready to come out again. A few new faces that we enjoyed on this trip include: Naomi - our server at El Patio and also working the breakfast buffet - it was nice to see more female representation on the server side of things and she was so sweet and friendly - personality++ - can't wait to see her again. Geichel - A bundle of enthusiasm, working at Bordeaux, Portofino and the buffet - A baseball fan, so we instantly connected and full of energy; a pleasure to interact with, whenever we had the chance. Carlos Alfredo - Pool side at the Preferred Club adult's pool (when Emillio is on break) and at Portofino - 'Yeah Baby' this kid has charisma and just puts a smile on your face when you see him. Manuel - Last here, but not least, our AMAZING room attendant. It was so refreshing to come back from a morning dip each day to a room that felt as fresh on day 7 as it did on the day we arrived - he takes pride in his work and it shows. We love Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana and can't wait to be back... thank goodness that our next trip is less than four months away - we're already booked for December 2021. See you all soon family!! Ryan and Tammy

Emotions by Hodelpa Juan Dolio: Poor experience

This was my 7th time in the Dominican Republic and my first time at an Emotions resort. The hotel experience with awful overall. Customer service was very disappointing. They seemed annoyed everytime I approached them. Information they gave me was inconsistent. It seemed impossible to receive service at the restaurants other than a la cartes. Communication was inconsistent and incorrect most of the time. Room wasn’t great. We had to change rooms after two days because our bathroom flooded into [... read more] the bedroom after every shower. No one helped us move our luggage to the new room. We had to call for towels 6 of the 14 days and even then they only brought a full towel set twice out of the 14 days. When we complained about the service they sent us a bottle of champagne. We decided to save it for our last night and two days later our house keeper took the bottle for a friend of her because she said she thought we didn’t want it. Our “mini bar” we stocked with a beer pop and water - we had to request that it was refilled every day. Food was okay nothing special. Bar only insisted on giving white rum with drinks even when I specifically asked for dark. When I needed to find out what time my bus was coming to take me to the airport it took 4 days to get ahold of my travel rep. In the end they gave me the phone number and told me to call them on my own. The phone in my room did not work and wifi was non existent. We met a few other couples throughout our stay and the awful experience was mutual. Some of them paid for excursions but the bus never came to pick them up. Some had kids in their private adult pools. I was truly disappointed that when I addressed a concern the service seemed to get worse. They didn’t seem interested in pleasing their guests. This was an engagement trip for me and my fiancé. We made the best of the beach - which was great and the coffee bar - which was also great! We made the best of it but I would never go back to that resort.

Ocean Blue and Sand: Punta Cana, Ocean Blue Resort, Bavaro Beach

During covid it was a challenge to finally arrive at resort. It was an incredible stay at this beautiful resort, we upgraded on arrival to the privilege rooms which are much bigger and we had our own private beds and lounge chairs on the beach, also had our very own contiki bar service, which was outstanding. We highly recommend upgrading once there if it’s available. Can’t say enough good things about our experience! Just be aware there is a big issue with seaweed on the shore! Resort did t [... read more]heir best to clean it daily or every other day to make it more pleasant for the guests! Highly recommended! Our return to Canada due to covid was much more challenging expect many delays before you get out of plane and terminal!

Ocean Blue and Sand: Amazing

Excellent Hotel Good service Amazing place Nice people too 🙂🥇 Of course I will visit the same place again another time, very happy and pleased I will recommend it to others if they want to spend their holidays there Ocean blue and sand only!!!

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Excellent!

Staff and grounds are exceptional. I had no complaints. Was so happy here I extended my stay. The food was amazing and they accomodate your request willingly. Very professional management team that show accountabilty. Ambiance is outstanding. Full protocol for Covid in effect, temperature taken before entering restaurant and hands are santized. Open air outdoor restrants and 24hr room service! Buffet is served to you to eliminate touch points, everyone is masked, and covid tests were ev [... read more]en accommodated in house! I felt very safe.

Ocean Blue and Sand: An average resort

Definitely not a 5-star hotel. The problems: 1. The safe, the TV remote, the telephone and the coffee maker did not work. It took two calls to fix the safe, two calls to replace the coffee maker, three visits to the reception to fix the telephone and the remote was never fixed 2. Ala carte restaurants were extremely hard to book - unlike other resorts, here it was not possible to book in advance, but just for the same day. So every day you have to be at guest services at 9 am to book. 3. Line [... read more]ups and long wait for food (at the beach snack bar) and for drinks. 4. The maid usually came to clean the room at 6-7 pm, so we did not have the room made up for 2-3 days. The things we liked: 1. The pools - a lot of them and suited for everybody; young or old; well maintained too 2. The buffet variety, especially fish and seafood. Tasty too. 3. Generally, the hotel territory looks nice. 4. The personnel works hard to entertain the guests.

Melia Caribe Beach Resort: A guilty paradise during Covid!

This was our second time to this resort, and we were in an upgraded area called The level. The first time we were here we were in the adults only section also called The Level so it can be a bit confusing. My recommendation is if you are adults travelling it’s worth it to upgrade to the level and then you can also go onto the adults only area etc. While the resort has done an excellent job of maintaining COVID-19 protocols, there certainly were Some big hits and then some equally big misses. F [... read more]irst off I would like to recognize the wonderful staff who are working and trying so hard. While the resort was closed for eight months They were not able to retain all of the experienced staff so there was a combination of experience staff who returned along with very inexperienced staff. This was evident in areas such as the barefoot Grill on the beach where they would leave cooked items out for hours, and we’re talking about pre-cooked hamburgers, french fries, chicken nuggets, etc. which could’ve easily been cooked fresh upon order. Instead they were left in the open air in metal Buffet containers for im guessing are least a few hours which is a huge no-no and it was completely in edible. Same goes for the Merkado snack trailer where I was actually given a completely raw hotdog… And I’m not kidding it was completely uncooked! Also during breakfast it seems that the staff are not checking to see whether the heater or lights are on in the Buffet area and one morning I had 2 completely ice cold poached eggs. Needless to say this is a quick way to get your guests sick, but having said all of that for the most part the food was good and absolutely wonderful at these restaurants: the Italian,Quimera, the Vietnamese (muoi) the Riviera and the Buffet at the American Grill was also OK. We were really disappointed when we had a meal at La Hacienda which is the Mexican restaurant. When we were here last time this was a highlight of our trip but this time it was a complete disaster. Again you could see the inexperience is what came into play and made the experience far less palatable than expected. The grounds and the pool and the beach are all amazing and while the swim up bars are closed you can still easily get whatever you want to drink without any issue. I really noticed a difference in the quality of the liquor as last time we were there in 2016 we could get all top shelf liquors but not now. it looks like most of the liquor is local which is OK but you don’t get the same quality. Also our butler Reynaldo a.k.a. Ray, was absolutely amazing and looked after our every need. He texted us every morning to see how we were and what our day was looking like and where he could help. Truly this was such a help for us and even though we had been there before he helped us navigate through a few different things and nothing turned into an issue as a result of his care for us. I also wanna Shout out to other staff such as Alexandra Amanda, Catherine, Jennifer, German, Carlo, Moses, and so many others that made our stay so enjoyable. Considering that we were able to come during a pandemic and Just not have to think About it for a week was a really good break for us so thank you very much Melia Caribe tropical and we look forward to seeing you again next time!

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Fantastic time in Punta Cana

The resort was the Bahia Principe Ambar, it is adults only. The facilities are amazing, the beach is wonderful, the pool are is very new. They were very clean kept sanitation to a max, and were very cautious of COVID rules. I would come back to this resort. Amazing time !

Casa Marina Reef Resort: COVID restrictions

During COVID most of the hotel extras were cancelled. The staff was wonderful in trying to keep us safe. The food was great and the newly renovated rooms are gorgeous. The pools and beaches were clean and well maintained. Overall a great experience Pack to entertain yourself

Catalonia Royal Bavaro: Not impressed

This was my third time at this resort and I was pretty disappointed. Despite being COVID the quality of this resort has gone down a lot. When I first arrived the room we were given was missing basic things that we always get in our rooms and also had ants. They only have two restaurants open a night- with one always being booked leaving us with the same restaurant every night. The menu has less food than previous years and the food quality has gone down so much... my partner got food poisoning t [... read more]he 4th day we were here. One night we made a reservation at the front desk, later found out that restaurant wasn’t open. When I told the front desk about the problem they offered no solution and told us to deal with it and get room service.One night it took two hours to get food. There was a couple staff members who were really friendly, The rest seemed pretty miserable. The beach wasn’t maintained well compared to years before. The weekend was packed with a-lot of locals who made lots of noise and made the trip less enjoyable as this resort is usually a lot more peaceful. After being at this resort 3 times- this will definitely be the last. I was disappointed with the customer service especially the front desk.

Occidental Punta Cana: My favourite place!!

This was my 18th trip to this hotel. I keep coming back because the service, people, rooms, food and beach are all wonderful!! I must add that with covid, ALL precautions they can take are enforced!!

Cayo Levantado Resort: Awesome location

Me and my wife were there the 3rd week of February, 2020. I read all kinds of review and I dont pay too much attention to them. We had a great time, great food and staff. Location perfect You make your vacation your own. Yes there was some construction but they work so few hours - we barely saw anything happening We have been at bigger resort with bigger buffets but this one was small and perfect. Quiet location Enjoy

TRS Turquesa: Lovely Resort

The Rooms are very nice we had a swim up only down fall not much privacy in the shower and washroom area when you step out of shower you are open to all in the room and toilet you can here all, the e-butler says there is Canadian Club for your room to be honest only place you could get it was at Hemmingway's after 6:30 in evening other then that the room was fine. All restaurant's were good Mexican was a little iffy, barbeque at beach was awesome We got roped into vacation club presenta [... read more]tion beware when guy or girl in lobby say it's only 30 minutes tops it was over 3 hrs and then interrogation at the end when we said we we're not interested and the gifts they promised they reneged on we only 2 t-shirts and a beach bag that smelled so be aware if you agree The staff in the hotel blocks are very nice, made my birthday special with a cake and bubbly

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: An awesome resort!

The hotel showed a great service, variety of food and drinks. The suite was clean and comfortable. The animation team during the day is lacking a little bit of interaction with the visitors but that is a personal opinion.

Impressive Punta Cana: We will not be returning to Impressive Resort & Spa!

We went twice last winter when the new owners were in the process of taking over Impressive Resort & Spa and we had the most wonderful vacation possible. Everything was perfect including the resort grounds, service, room and food. As a result, it was our favourite resort in Punta Cana and we couldn’t wait to return until this year when we had just returned from our 14 day winter vacation experience. We asked ourselves: What has happened to our favourite resort to ruin our experience? What i [... read more]t was was the food and service...the new owners had noticeably cutback staff as there were long lineups at the bars, many broken chairs at the beach and the quality of food at times was even better in Cuba. Everything else was just as good as last year but because of the poor service and food quality we will be vacationing elsewhere in Punta Cana.

Occidental Caribe: Great Resort!

Had a wonderful stay at the Occidental in February. Grounds were immaculate. Rooms were kept clean. AC worked perfectly. Food was plentiful and varied every day. Lots of loungers at the beach and the pool. Staff were very, very friendly. Loved it here.

Barcelo Bavaro Beach: Amazing Resort ! 6 out of 5 Stars !

Loved absolutely everything about this resort - the food, the cleanliness of the resort, but most importantly the people. Best service all around at this resort. This has been our 2nd time to this resort in as many years and we have found our home away from home.

Bahia Principe Explore Esmeralda: Beautiful Resort

The resort grounds are lush and well maintained. The rooms are large, comfortable and kept clean. Buffets have a great selection of foods to enjoy however getting table service for coffee and water at 2 of 3 of the buffet was a little lacking at breakfast and lunch. A-la-Cartes are plentiful and enjoyable.

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Amazing resort!

No complaints. Staff were excellent, food was delicious, and the resort was well maintained and clean. The beach was really nice, though very busy and hard to find a seat at times. Pools were amazing.

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Amazing resort!

Hotel room, lobby, grounds and beach very nice! and clean! Access to local shops, nightly entertainment, sports bar and disco! 4 nice big pools in walking distance, access to 2 other resorts. Beaches absolutely beautiful! Buffet and restaurant right off the beach!