Catalonia Bavaro Resort: Great resort!!

We were there for the week of Feb 21 to the 28th. We were well looked after from the reception upon arriving until we left on the last day. The Restaurants (4) were good with the Japanese one being the best. The buffets had a fantastic selection with chefs cooking up specials for us. The pools were great with a swim up bar. The grounds were very well maintained with all sorts of ducks and birds all along the wonderful treed pathways. The beach was nice but you had to be careful walking out becau [... read more]se there was some coral rocks here and there.

Be Live Experience Hamaca Garden: Nice resort, good food but it needs updates

Overall the resort is nice, but not as nice as expected. The food was wonderful, hotel was clean, but needs a good update. There was also not much entertainment available compared to many resorts. 3/5

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Fabulous Time

This resort thought of everything when it comes to what makes a vacation special. We did book premium and found checkin process smooth and welcoming....oceanfront room stunning to open curtains and be right on the ocean! Pools that are more like small lakes weaving along parallel to the extensive beach with warm shallow water.....ample beach loungers everywhere.....water sports, and free non motorized watercraft......something for everyone. Though we are a retired couple we still enjoyed the 18 [... read more] hole mini putt as well as strikers Bar with great pub food , massive tv, pool tables , bowling lanes, air hockey....and other games when a break from the sun was desired. In addition the shopping concourse is very nice with a good number of boutiques..this large central area also includes the buffet restaurants, a la carte venues , casino, and huge stage production area. Premium quests can use hydrotherapy area in spa daily for free which was wonderful to have a hot tub then plunge beneath the outdoor hydrotherapy treatment sprays...which overlooks the other pools and the beach. The gym is well equipped and free as well with classes in yoga, spin classes...Down by the beach there is daily water volleyball and beach volleyball , Zumba and water aquafit classes. The staff are fun and do a good job of getting people feel comfortable to join in. The Food overall was great, beef always tender, views from balcony’s of buffet restaurants are oceanfront......so nice,our preference over being indoors at fancier a la cartes. We did a few a la cartes but found the buffet has a great selection and if outside the view was just so beautiful.... all food was very very good......the wine not one we could enjoy.....so stuck to champagne and beer. Staff were very pleasant and easy to joke with.....mostly Spanish but communications good humoured. Totally enjoyed ourselves.....so much to do......so many things we didn’t have a chance to try........something for everyone. I highly recommend and was sad to go home

Ocean El Faro: Lovely resort

We thought the resort was well laid out with all the restaurants on one street . Loved the coffee shop. We enjoyed the lazy man river. For our 40th anniversary guest services graciously sent us a bottle of champagne with 2 glasses and chocolates. We enjoyed our rooftop hot tub and jacuzzi with 2 bathrooms. The food was really good and the staff were very helpful and kind. The main lobby is gorgeous.

Secrets Cap Cana: Secrets Cap Cana - Amazing Experience!

This was our first visit to SCC in Punta Cana. We chose a non-preferred king pool view .. ended up being upgraded to a partial oceanview. Building 5, Room 5308, it was fantastic ... nicely located in relation to the coffee bar/lobby /pool area. When we return (and we will) we are very content with non-preferred. Our concierge, was very attentive, he familiarized us with the property, our room, he set us up with what's app, so we could reach out to him, in the event of issues. He personally vis [... read more]ited with us each day to ensure our needs were met ... he was very kind and sincere. He wanted to do more for us, but we were already happy and comfortable. We were not approached about time share, which I appreciated. We thoroughly enjoyed the a la carte restaurants for dinner.. Seaside Grill provided a lovely lunch .. but we really enjoyed the beachside grilled lunches too! The service at restaurants was amazing, And the food was delicious and presentation was impeccable. I like the idea of not having to make a reservation, although we were only a table of 2, we never had to wait more than a few moments to be seated. Poolside drink service and beachside drink service outstanding ... those girls hustle all day long! We enjoyed our evening drinks at the pool bar. We took in 3 evening shows .. outstanding!! I joined in on only 1 ocean aqua exercise class, I wished I started earlier in the week, to take in more classes. Using the in room tablet, we did order breakfast room service...a fantastic service! Excellent service within the Coffee Shop and Best. Coffee. Ever. They were building several more palpapa trees while we were there, on the non-preferred section of this beautiful beach...which will be a nice touch and offer some shade. The beach is gorgeous .. no vendors or locals .. its a gated community .. always felt very safe. There are so many staff members that deserve an honourable mention ... the gardeners, the housekeeping staff, especially those that took care of the pool banos and beach banos ...they were always super clean! The towel fellas, the restaurant hostesses, all the servers ... I'm sorry this is a long read ...We had such a terrific experience, a truly classy resort, that takes pride in customer service and it shows. Any staff we had interaction with, behaved in a professional manner, yet were friendly and genuine. We were treated royally as non-preferred guests... I can't imagine how the level of service could possibly improve, had we been preferred guests. On another note .. using Air Canada Vacations was flawless ... flights were good, on time, transfers to and from the resort were efficient and less than 20 minutes, which was awesome! We would absolutely recommend this hotel to friends and family .. Thank you for a memorable vacation..

Bahia Principe Escape Aquamarine: Excellent trip!

The resort was great and Air Transat offered very comfortable flights. This is my second trip to the Dominican Republic and to Bahia Principe and both times, I had a great time. I am definitely planning on returning.

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Fantastic Experience

Beautiful resort with gorgeous grounds. Loved the ambient music throughout the buildings & main walkways. The food was wonderful and the service/services were top notch. I'd definitly return to this resort and would recommend it to anyone thinking about traveling to Punta Cana.

Grand Bavaro Princess: Amazing Resort!

Wonderful resort in all ways! We upgraded to Platinum and found good value. Great food in all the Platinum restaurants, beach lounges comfortable and both Platinum and regular pools very nice. That being said, the resort was not full so lots of options. The resort has just reopened after a significant upgrade to all rooms (added a third story to all buildings), the rooms were refreshed and the grounds, as usual, beautiful. A few new buildings were added as well as the new Platinum pool. [... read more] The staff were all pleasant and helpful. Minor issues we had were fixed within 10 or 15 minutes - we were treated very well. There were a few things not yet opened, i.e. the Coffee Bar and the food trucks, but all in all a very nice vacation. A side note - the walk in shower in the room does not have anywhere to put toiletries (a ledge would be nice to place shampoo and soap). Great resort and would definitely return!

Riu Republica: Unreal Riu!

My friend and I had been searching for weeks looking for the perfect vacation for us. We wanted a clean resort with great food, a beautiful beach, good service and adults only without springbreakers. We had finally found a trip we loved in Costa Rica but it quickly sold out and we were discouraged and on the hunt again. I decided to call the travel agency and got through to Marnie who was AMAZING. She gave me multiple options but highly recommended Riu Republica. We took her advice and all the a [... read more]bove requests had been fulfilled! I have beent to almost 10 all inclusive resorts in the Caribbean and this was my favroutir resort yet! Marnie's positive attitude and constant assistance was amazing and I plan on visiting her to thank her when I can! I will continue to use trip central and our travel agent, Marnie, whenever booking another vacation again! Thank you so much!

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: Great staff

We had a good stay at this resort. However I don't think I would go back. Its like they put together 5 resorts and made it one. Very large, lots of stairs. The room we stayed at was very basic, you would have to upgrade to get a nice one, but it was central and very close to a pool and bar. There was lots of food choice and lots of bars on the resort. To watch the entertainment, you had to take a shuttle to another place. Overall it was good, but I've been to better places for the same price.

Royalton Bavaro Resort and Spa: Child friendly resort

The resort was lovely, well laid out for children. Resort staff was friendly and helpful. Service was immediate for any requests or necessities. My main con's for this resort are that there were not any coffee stations close to the beach unless you are diamond club(the walk to the front of the resort was a bit of a distance). There was a coffee maker in the rooms and yes, room service was excellent but does not help the walk for a "good" coffee during the day and service at the pool for drink [... read more]s seemed to only apply to men...I could sit for hours without a drink but when son was beside me service was good and he was approached right away. I recommend a Royalton over other hotels, you are guaranteed good food and service.

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Both Relaxing and Fun

small well maintained resort. Adults only was great. Entertainment was great for a smaller resort. Food was very good and and was always easy to find lounge chairs at a resort that was fully booked. We had a great time and would considering returning to this resort. The price was just right. we had no complaints . Staff was friendly and was always someone available for service. We enjoyed a romantic dinner on the beach of lobster and champagne for a reasonable price.. Weather is always reliable [... read more] we were very pleased overall.

Catalonia Royal Bavaro: Loved It!!!

Resort was immaculate, lush grounds, great variety of dining and bars. Staff were plentiful and lovely. Beautiful room, pool and ambiance great variety of adult entertainment. Only minus was the seaweed and rocky/coral underfoot on beech.

Bahia Principe Escape Aquamarine: Beautiful Resort

The resort and grounds were stunning. The food and drinks were excellent, especially the a la cartes. Lots of sunshine and heat. Definitely recommend but request a pool view room. The staff were very welcoming

Impressive Punta Cana: Mixed feelings

Our checkin was a nightmare. Non-responsive, rude staff. Finally, I got help at 4pm as I insisted. At 4:30 we got to our room, door wouldn’t open.....had to get repairman to replace batteries. Room was close to ocean, so we disregarded our checkin ... Resort is Georgeous, clean and rooms spotless. The beach is nice. They could use more lounge chairs. We noticed the main pool has black crude along waters edge. Never cleaned, so we avoided it. Quiet pool is nice. Buffet is good, but [... read more] plastic glasses, dirty plates and very slow service. Food could be cold. Spoons were never on table. Ala Cartes. Italian.....BEST! We had lamb. Excellent. The staff decorated my table for my birthday and came out singing with a cake. Japanese......Very entertaining and yummy. Grill.......Both our dishes were cremated. Waiter lazy and couldn’t care less. We walked out. French.....escargot and Soup cold. Duck was so tough, a knife couldn’t cut It. We got a 1/4 in. Of wine while another table got their third glass. We walked out of there too. Entertainment.....Best Ever! Bands before show, dancing, and after show till midnight. Lots of fun. Drinks watered down. Service overall is very slow and non extinctint Very close to Town and catamaran excursion fun. Don’t think we’d return due to the negatives.

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: nice resort

They are always cleaning sanitizing which is great to see. Upon arrival no one wearing Face Masks. ,on departure all Security at Airport were wearing Masks. A British Cruise Line was denied Port due to sickened people onboard. We have trouble with all food once we leave North America even having consumed Ducorol prior to travel. Stomach aches and pain from day 2 until our return home so we will have to see a Dr prior to leaving for any future Island. Overcast and rain all but 2 days did not he [... read more]lp with our mood on a yrly vacation we hoped for sun everyday. Nothing against the resort they try to be perfect and can't control weather. Had hoped for better food from a 5 Star maybe we are too fussy. The resort is amazing other than our food issues.

Royalton CHIC Punta Cana: Decent Stay! Great party/entertainment resort

We've just returned from a one week stay at Chic Punta Cana. Given the mixed reviews we read, we had set our expectations accordingly to hope for the best but expect to be somewhat disappointed. I should note that during my stay I was asked a few times to complete a tripadvisor review by staff which makes me realize the importance of filtering reviews with less concentration and more suspicion on some of the "one-and-done" reviews especially with only one or two sentences. Our arrival and che [... read more]ck-in was quite smooth. Since we had a Presidental Suite with Diamond Club access we checked in at the Diamond Club centre. It took about 15 minutes until we received our key bracelets (which I thought was a really cool touch), were introduced to our butler, Miguel, then escorted to our room in Building 4, 1st floor. I had read that the rooms were pretty tired and, while I see why, I was initially pleasantly surprised with the room despite it needing a bit of an update. During our stay we didn't have any issues with air conditioning as it worked perfectly with separate units for the bedroom vs the living area. Unfortunately, the problems we did encounter really impacted our enjoyment and overall trip impression. I encountered a few large cockroaches in the room and, while the team took care of them quickly, it left me feeling a bit uneasy throughout my stay. The other issue would be that our toilet area often smelled like an outhouse due to sewage back-up issues. I understand that these things can happen but, having stayed in several "5 star, adults only" resorts in Punta Cana in the past it was the first time I had experienced these issues so it felt particularly unpleasant. We felt the food was decent at the resort but did not compare in quality to other similarly rated resorts we had stayed at in Punta Cana, particularly in the buffet which was average. Many people we talked to really enjoyed Hunter's Steak House. We had great meals at Tagine and Vespa (great pizza!). The buffet was typical but unremarkable compared to previous experiences at other Punta Cana resorts. The sushi restaurant was held in the same place as the diamond club breakfast. It was disappointing that the design of the sushi felt like a cafeteria rather than a cool sushi spot which we often see and the food at this restaurant did not impress us. The pool area was lively and enjoyable. The chair game is much worse than other resorts - if you do not get up very early there was limited availability so you wouldn't just risk location but instead may be lucky to get a chair/bed at all. I woke up early to run everyday so was able to observe this but we decided not to participate in the game and paid for a cabana for our entire stay. The cabana was a great touch and our butler, Jimmy, was amazing and we received the best service from him. We thought that the pool and beach were really great. The entertainment at this resort is really impressive if you are okay with noise, which we are. I would rate the entertainment team above average - this is where Chic excels. I enjoyed that they had fitness classes by the pool/beach area beyond your typical aquafit so you didn't have to miss out on precious outdoor time during the day by going to a gym. The beach was beautiful and clean. We went on long beach walks daily which we enjoyed. A special shout out to J Carlo and the entertainment team who were dedicated to ensuring everyone had fun. The evening entertainment was also great and much better than most other resorts we've been to. We enjoyed many of the shows but there is no dedicated theatre area for these shows and we noticed that people would be reserving seats (which were more limited than even the pool area) hours in advance with many left standing throughout the shows. As mentioned above, entertainment is where this resorts excels. They had some original shows like the Queen tribute, Madonna tribute, circus and a 'silent disco'. It was a fresh change from typical Michael Jackson shows. Since there are many fitness classes offered throughout the day, I was disappointed with the gym which was on the small side with limited weight machines and equipment but we were able to get creative and it was adequate. Service was hit and miss. Our butlers Miguel (room) and Jimmy (cabana)really went above and beyond. Carlo's (server) and Amouris (pizza maker) at Vespa were absolute delights. Other than those great experiences, we seemed to encounter a lot of average service and a lot of employees who seemed to be having bad days. If entertainment is the most important feature for a resort for you, I would recommend this resort to you. Without the upgraded suite, diamond club access and rented pool cabana, I would be cautious in recommending this resort at all as, even with these add-ons, I would rate Chic as a stretch 4. I would not consider this a luxury resort so would have to ensure I set expecations before recommending this resort to friends or family.

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Inconsistent

Lovely grounds, ala cartes fabulous. Service lacking. Big difference between day and evening service. Daytime staff helpful and friendly. Evening staff dismissive and not helpful. Restaurant staff was always excellent. Buffet staff at Ambar sketchy. Wifi intermittent. Transportation between Ambar and rest of resort not available after 7pm. Told my nephew to walk and he was on crutches Room service should also include alcoholic drink service.

Riu Republica: Lost me as a client

The worst experience ever with the airline and with the resort. Sunwing and Riu chain have lost me as a client. Everything was horrible, starting from the flight, room, food, service, beach and the flight back. Will not ever go there again and will not ever recommend it to anyone.

Majestic Colonial Punta Cana Beach Resort: Beautiful resort

Clean resort, great food selection at buffet as well as all other restaurants. Rooms cleaned in a timely manner. Lots of shade at beach. Grounds are impeccable. Great service at various bars. Received a call twice during our stay to ensure everything was fine.