Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Decent and mostly enjoyable week

My husband, adult son and I just returned from this resort on Mar 16/26. Overall, we had a very nice week. The good Food and food variety were very good at the buffet. Selections were hot, tasty, and abundant. Although we stayed away from the fresh salad options, the items looked very fresh and clean. The fruit was also fresh, ripe and delicious. We booked both the Italian and Steak House specialty restaurants and both were outstanding with good quality and nice size portions. The Animati [... read more]on team was fantastic. All of them were high energy, friendly, and engaging. The nightly shows were good too, some were hilarious. The staff, in general, was wonderful. The 3 pools were very nicely maintained, and the poolside bars were well-stocked. Need improvement This is an older resort, and it shows in many places. The villas definitely need an upgrade or major overhaul. They are very dated, furniture and doors, shelves are sticky from being painted over and over instead of sanded and properly painted or replaced. Tile grout on floor is cracked or stained and just looks very unattractive. Several guests mentioned plumbing issues, room keys and / or door locks not working. Our bathroom floor wasn't cleaned, swept or washed all week, or maybe even prior to our arrival because there was a crumb or something on the floor behind the door when we got there and it was still there when we left. The bathroom mirror also wasn't cleaned regularly. Unfortunately, for me, these were deal breakers for leaving a tip. I just felt grossed out seeing the same grime and dirt every day. WIFI is hit and miss. In this day and age, reliable and fast WIFI is a non-negotiable at any resort. It was almost nonexistent in the villas further away, and sometimes even in the lobby or pool area. It took me a couple hours to finally complete airline check-in before our flight. I tried in the room and out by the lobby. Very frustrating. It would not be an expensive fix to install extenders by each block of villas. Another problem, which is quite major, is that 95% of the pool longers are in need of repair or replacement. Although the chair frames were good, the fabric itself was ripped and falling apart. When you sit on one of these chairs, you literally get hit on the head because the rip causes the back rest to whip forward. As the week wore on, there were fewer and fewer chairs available, mostly because the broken ones had to be removed as they just didn't work. We spoke to several return guests who mentioned they would not be coming back to this resport. It's a shame because it has great potential but really needs updates. At best, this resort is more a 3 to 3 1/2 star in its current state

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Awesome Experience - Bahia Principe Luxury Ambar

I recently returned from an incredible stay at the Bahia Principe Luxury Ambar, and it exceeded expectations in every way. From the moment we arrived, the service, atmosphere, and attention to detail made the trip feel truly special. ? Resort & Grounds The resort is beautifully maintained, with lush tropical landscaping, clean walkways, and a modern, elegant aesthetic throughout the adults‑only property. Everything feels fresh and upscale, and the layout makes it easy to get around without fee [... read more]ling crowded. ? Rooms The rooms are spacious, comfortable, and well-designed. The bed was excellent, the bathroom large and functional, and housekeeping did a fantastic job keeping everything spotless. Little touches—like the stocked minibar and cozy seating area—made it feel like a true luxury stay. ? Dining & Drinks The dining options were a highlight. From à la carte restaurants to the buffet, the food consistently impressed. The variety is excellent, the ingredients are fresh, and service in every restaurant was warm and attentive. The bars were equally great—high‑quality drinks, good selection, and friendly bartenders who took pride in what they were serving. ? Beach & Pool The beach area is gorgeous: soft white sand, plenty of loungers, and a perfect turquoise shoreline. The resort keeps the area clean, and we never had trouble finding a spot. The pool area is lively yet relaxing, with great music, attentive servers, and a fun, upbeat vibe without ever being overwhelming. ? Entertainment & Activities The entertainment team deserves special mention—they were energetic, engaging, and made every day feel fun. Whether it was daytime activities, music, or evening shows, there was always something enjoyable happening, but nothing felt intrusive if you simply wanted to relax. ? Service What truly sets this resort apart is the staff. Everyone we encountered was warm, professional, and genuinely committed to making sure we had an exceptional stay. Their friendliness and attention to detail left a lasting impression. A special shoutout to Kevin Paulino - Guest Experience Specialist - He took care of all our needs and was always attentive, professional and friendly. ⭐ Overall Impression Bahia Principe Luxury Ambar delivers exactly what its name promises—a luxury, adults‑only experience with excellent food, beautiful surroundings, and top‑tier service. Whether you’re looking to relax, enjoy great dining, or simply soak in the sun on a stunning beach, this resort is an outstanding choice. Highly recommended—would absolutely return.

El Beso Adults Only at Ocean El Faro: Our Stay at El Beso

What a wonderful place. There were so many meal options. The staff could not be friendlier. Where we stayed, the music was too loud for most of the day. El Beso is an adults-only complex, but the music was largely geared towards a much younger crowd. On the other hand, El Faso, which was a family resort, had much better music, and there were more options for entertainment and restaurants. I believe the same company owns both resorts, since we had access to both. Mike's coffee is a must for great [... read more] coffee, good baked goods and just a neat place to hang out. The El Faso lobby was also stunning and a great place to hang out. We also took a couple of tours, thanks to John, who was most helpful in arranging them. We had one issue: our coffee in the room wasn't restocked. Because we like to sit with a coffee before breakfast, we were assured it was on the way. We eventually gave up, walked down to Mike's, and got two coffees. After breakfast, we returned to the room, but there was still no coffee. It did show up later that afternoon, so we had it the following day.

HM Alma De Bayahibe Hotel: Beautiful Resort with Friendly Staff!

The HM Alma de Bayahibe is a fabulous resort with the friendliest staff! The buffet restaurant offered variety and delicious hot fare every meal, plus the Dominican and Italian à la carte experiences were fantastic! The buffet offers health conscious options and decadent opportunities as well. This resort is not beach front but the man made beach is absolutely beautiful! There are plenty of loungers but if you want or need a palapa be prepared to rise early to reserve it by putting towels on [... read more] the loungers underneath it. There is a free shuttle service from the resort to the local public beach just a short ride away. At this beach you can rent 2 loungers and an umbrella for approximately $17US. This resort has 4 saltwater pools and a lovely freshwater pool surrounded by shaded beds but again you must rise early to reserve those with a towel. The animation team is lively and works hard to engage guests in various activities so you can choose to participate or not. There is a food truck located on one side of the man made beach offering delicious burgers, wraps, fish & chips, chicken wings and more. On the other side there is a snack bar with a wide variety of food including pizza, chicken, shish kebabs, fruit cups and more. You will not go hungry at this resort!! They offer a bit of entertainment some nights which was quite good but the resort isn’t really set up for this so seating is very limited. Bar service is excellent and all close at 11PM so the nights are generally quite quiet. If you want to party hard this is not the place to go but if you want to relax it is a good choice. The staff are definitely friendly if you remember that you get what you give… speak a little Spanish and ask them how they are… it is obviously appreciated by them. This resort has a few kitties roaming around in the evening but they don’t bother you. We found them to be sweet and friendly. Overall this is a lovely resort with spacious rooms, hot water, gorgeous surroundings, friendly staff and delicious food and drink. You can’t ask for more!

Bahia Principe Escape Aquamarine: Amazing resort

Excellent food Beautiful resort Personnel can be more friendly Beach is beautiful but is lacking of beach chairs À la carte restaurants are wonderful Property is well maintained Entertainment is great

Bahia Principe Escape Aquamarine: Amazing resort

Excellent food Beautiful resort Personnel can be more friendly Beach is beautiful but is lacking of beach chairs À la carte restaurants are wonderful Property is well maintained Entertainment is great

Catalonia Bavaro Resort: Beautiful Resort!

Just got back March 12, 2026. We upgraded to privilege which is located close to the beach. Large hotel with lots of walking which was fine with us. Here are my thoughts: Location & Beach: the location is pretty good but a good bus ride away if you wanted to go to Saona Island which is close to La Rowana. The Hotel is close to Punta Cana Airport & it is located on a strip where there are beautiful beaches. The beach at this hotel is very good and it has a sand bar & coral reef that’s  [... read more]in front of the hotel but behind the barriers however many ignored the barriers (ropes) and went beyond as you can stand up on the sand bar. Based on what I saw, the water was between knee to waist deep. That particular area had nice turquoise water which was beautiful to see. Value (price vs quality) & Rooms: the value was good. The suite we had was big, quite nice, clean & located close to the pool and beach. Our suite Rm 718 had 2 showers, a toilet, bidet & 2 sinks which was convenient.The bed was comfy however the pillows were too low for me. Nice touch with the umbrella which we did use, bedroom slippers, safe & laundry bag. Maid service cleaned the rooms daily. There is a Casino on site which we did not use, a games room, kids area and a nightclub where we did go in once however the music was playing way too loud. You were given pool cards which were exchanged for pool towels located by the pool. Food: I would say you get your money’s worth as there are many places there for food choices. Restaurants - Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Steakhouse (our favourite) & 2 buffet’s (main & by the pool). The buffet had a selection of various foods and it was pretty good, I expected worse. By the pool during the day there is bar-b-q meats with rice & potatoes and close to the kids area there is an area where you can have pizza. By the shopping centre there is a cafe/coffee shop where you can have your choice of tea, coffee, cappuccino and desserts. There is also the theatre where each night there is some event happening. Services: I would say my biggest pet peeve was the service and I have experienced this in every resort I have stayed in the DR. If DR would place some focus on training some of their staff in learning to speak basic English I do believe that the service reviews would improve greatly. I would say 90% of the staff do not speak or understand English so it is quite frustrating as a guest & I am sure also to the workers. They do not understand what we are requesting or asking majority of the time and it comes across as rude or indifferent but in fact they really do not understand English. In addition, they could improve our impression by smiling a lot more, many do not smile or acknowledge you when you are trying to get their attention. I was impressed by 1 staff member at the service desk who also spoke good English. His name is Jose and I believe he may be a Supervisor as the person I was dealing with called him over and said this was his boss. He is young and wears spectacles. I had a complaint went to see him and he resolved the issue right away. He was calm, professional & even went an extra mile to compensate for the inconvenience by having a small bottle of rum delivered to my room which was impressive. Any activities by the pool area or whenever any staff member was speaking, it was always in Spanish. As a result, we English speaking guests did not know what was happening but tried to figure things out when we shouldn’t have to do that.

Bahia Principe Escape Aquamarine: Excellent vacation

Amazing buffet with a huge variety of items. Truly appreciated the fresh fish and seafood as well as the pasta bar. Beach was beautiful but seating was limited and restricted to a small area of beach. Staff wasn’t as friendly as other resorts but they were professional.

Riu Republica: Horrible experience

My stay at Riu Republica Punta Cana was extremely disappointing and far below expectations. From the moment we arrived, it was clear that the property is not being properly maintained. The grounds felt neglected, with visible wear and a lack of cleanliness in several areas. The room itself was in poor condition—outdated, not properly cleaned, and in need of significant upkeep. Basic standards of comfort and hygiene were not met. I am convinced there were bed bugs. The public areas were eq [... read more]ually concerning. Many spaces were overcrowded, unkempt, and lacked the level of care you would expect from a resort of this category. It made it difficult to relax or enjoy the amenities. Overall, the experience did not reflect the quality that is advertised. I would not recommend this resort to others and would strongly suggest looking into alternative options when visiting Punta Cana.

Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana: Fantastic Resort

The hotel and grounds is very well kept and there are folks always cleaning. The beach is beautiful, great for walking the water is clear with a sand bottom, and no seaweed. The waves are fun to jump and you can even try surfing if your up to it! The entertainment stuff are great they make you feel very welcome. Victor& Kenny so much fun! The rooms are very nice, The French restaurant and Sea Side Grill were both amazing Great Food! The buffet has lots of options and a kids corner.  [... read more]We will defiantly be returning to this resort. The staff are amazing and very helpful

Sunscape Coco Punta Cana: Relaxing vacation

We were a group of six with 3 rooms in the sunclub. Our room was a swim out. The rooms were clean and only had a couple days where our fridge didn’t get restocked. There is construction going on next door which was quite loud every day. Definitely impacted the enjoyment of the swim out room. There are plenty of food options and bars throughout the resort. The new no reservations for restaurants is super annoying as you can wait several hours to get seated. There seems to be staffing defic [... read more]it as we struggled to even get water at the buffets. Definitely a huge lack of lounge chairs around pools and at the beach. Ended up renting Bali beds a couple days.

Wyndham Alltra Punta Cana: Mould

Mould in the rooms made our clothes smell and made me sick. I was sick during my trip and got very ill upon my return. We smelled the entire time and we stunk up the airplane on the way home. We asked around because by day 2 we wanted another room - but everyone we spoke to was experiencing and complaining about the same thing. I have a lifelong allergy to mold and pre-existing health conditions, which were exacerbated during my time at the resort. Please go at your own risk!! It isn't worth  [... read more]your health. I am back at the doctors on Monday for another check up. And we paid $5200 CAD for one week :( And the service was not good. Everything else was perfect.

Paradisus Palma Real Golf and Spa Resort: Excellent resort!

I have been to many all-inclusive resorts over the years but this was my best experience by far. The resort is new, modern and beautiful. There are a lot of pools and a lot of variety of things to do, whether you're looking to party or just relax. The beach is amazing, lots of loungers with excellent thatch shades if you want to stay out of the sun. The beach also had a fantastic dedicated margarita bar. The food was excellent both at the buffet and the booked restaurants. There are a lot of ome [... read more]let stations for breakfast which is nice. We liked the Kanna outdoor restaurant for lunch as well. None of our party got the dreaded TD. We took a golf cart to the Casino, it is located at the adjacent sister resort, and we had a fabulous time there. The night-time entertainment was great in the main lobby area, as was the late night sports bar. Overall an excellent vacation and would highly recommend this resort!

Riu Palace Macao: GOOD RESORT BUT BOOKED WRONG 2 WEES.....

HOTEL FULL OF 20 OR LESS YEAR OLDS WHO RUINED THINGS FOR MANY REPEAT CUSTOMERS WHO WERE LOOKING FOR REST AND RELAXATION. BEACH BAR MILES SEEMED FROM THE LOUNGES ON THE BEACH. OUR ROOM WAS OVERLOOKING THE LOADING DOCK OF THE HOTEL NEXT DOOR. TRACTOR TRAILERS IN AND OUT AT ALL HOURS OF DAY AND NIGHT SO OUR BALCONY WAS NO REFUGE FROM THE DRUNK KIDS !!!!

Secrets Royal Beach: Amazing Resort

This resort could offer nothing more than we could want. We cannot wait to go back again. Starting off with a fabulous breakfast buffet!!! Love that you get a “pot of tea” with piping boiling water with hot milk. Then onto the great Coco Cafe offering delicious Lattes (with Baileys) and Mochas. Also many other selections along with snacks, both healthy and not so healthy. The pools were crystal clean, and usually a good selection of seating. The staff was second to none, always avai [... read more]lable to take drink orders and share a kind word. The nighttime entertainment was fabulous. Quite a variety. If beach was your thing, beautiful white sandy beaches that go for miles.

Secrets Royal Beach: Amazing Resort

This resort could offer nothing more than we could want. We cannot wait to go back again. Starting off with a fabulous breakfast buffet!!! Love that you get a “pot of tea” with piping boiling water with hot milk. Then onto the great V ch Coco Cafe offering delicious Lattes (with Baileys) and Mochas. Also many other selections along with snacks, both healthy and not so healthy. The pools were crystal clean, and usually a good selection of seating. The staff was second to none, always [... read more] available to take drink orders and share a kind word. The nighttime entertainment was fabulous. Quite a variety. If beach was your thing, beautiful white sandy beaches that go for miles.

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Great value at this resort close to Airport and shopping

My granddaughter and I recently stayed at the Iberostar Waves Resort in Puerta Plata. All staff were very friendly; the front desk immediately saw to two of my concerns - I wanted a flatter pillow plus our room safe needed resetting. I am very particular about food. The food at the main and beach buffets was fantastic - I had made to order omelets in the morning and at night they put a steak or other meat on the grill for you if you wanted. There was also seafood, even smoked salmon in the [... read more] morning. I am lactose intolerant and they catered to people with food allergies. They had soy, almond and oat milk plus gluten free bread and low gluten bread. They even had a low sugar desert area. Deserts were five star and they often had a chocolate fountain with fruit kabobs for dipping. Three a la carte restaurants were very good. They cooked paella or seafood in a large caldron outside every day. I loved that. Plus they had a stage at the beach for beach night or excercising. I loved the hotel lobby and the adjoining large bar/coffee shop/seating area. There were shops to browse in plus a general/tourist store. The resort had a plaza with a huge fountain and seating at tables. It reminded me of the outdoor plazas in Europe and I am sure that the fountain was quite old. The bricks around the fountain looked quite old so maybe they moved the fountain from an old town. People played cards during the day and after supper listened or danced to the small band at the village plaza. There was a huge theatre with a show every night. There were lots of activities at the resort - from bingo, outdoor chess, ping pong, spa, gym plus the swimming pools. They even had a enclosed area for young children. We were there from March 10 to 17th and I picked Puerta Plata (instead of Punta Cana) to avoid the seaweed on the beaches. Unfortunately there was seaweed on the beach but there was always a fairly large beach area to get into the water. Water was warm. The resort felt like home and I am looking forward to going back to the Iberostar Waves resort next year.

Paradisus Palma Real Golf and Spa Resort: Beautiful Resort

The hotel is modern & updated, beautiful appointed rooms & landscaping is well kept with lots of greenery. Great restaurants! Lots of daily activities, plenty of beach & pool loungers with lots of shade. One gift shop.

Paradisus Palma Real Golf and Spa Resort: Beautiful Resort

The hotel is modern & updated, beautiful appointed rooms & landscaping is well kept with lots of greenery. Great restaurants! Lots of daily activities, plenty of beach & pool loungers with lots of shade. One gift shop.

Majestic Colonial Punta Cana Beach Resort: Outdated rooms, beautiful beach, good food, overall good

Outdated rooms, beautiful beach, good food, good entertainment, Bavaro beach fantastic quality and excellent games on the beach. Variety of food, number of restaurants and bars, entertainment all very good.