Beautiful clean resort

Beautiful resort and amazingly clean. Staff was very friendly and very respectful. We did enjoy eating at three of the A La carte restaurants, ''Milos'' being the best. The food was good though there was no change of presentation or food offered in the buffet. From morning to evening it was always the same thing. We also enjoyed going on a few excursions. Though, I must add, the Sunwing Agent should make it a point in answering our questions truthfully. For one excursion, we asked four times  [... read more]if the excursion was overly extenuous, we were told all four times no. There should be no problems even if you have sore knees or asma. Only when we got on site were we given a pamphlet describing that excursion as being strenuous. We did have to take breaks and also my sister did need to pull out her breathing pump. There was a constant animation from exercising in the sea, to various activities. Animation in the evening as well. All in all I would easily give it a 8 out of 10. Thank you Tammy for your help in organising this trip.

Loved it!

After reading some reviews about this resort, we decided to book it and see it for ourselves. This resort was awesome. Food was delicious and staff were friendly. The beach was calm and clean. Pool looked clean, but we didn't use it. We have a pool at home so we were in the ocean everyday. Overall, this place was definitely worth trying.

"You might want to check other restorts"

Hola, after been bounced twice from Cuba due to the hurricanes, we decided to try Dominican Republic, it was a quick discussion made, but went without doing are homework. The price was reasonable. Flew out Air Transat, love flying with them, Got to the resort about 45 minutes later, at 12 noon, but could not check in until 3pm (they really should change there policy regarding check in and outs). Room ok, 3rd floor, the grounds were well kept, the food was ok, better than one country I could n [... read more]ame, (not). I found that the staff are not as friendly, grounds keepers the same,the beach area, I guess due to the hurricanes had a bad odour, when eating at night a lot of bugs, not the best beaches I have been to. There was very little entertainment for all, learn to dance lessons, ball bouncing, trivia game, at night again very little, sit around one of the bars and listen to music, not they best place for families and children, there was excursions you could take, really think on that, yes went on the Sonia island tour, sorry not worth the price, waste of time. also if you happen to decide to go I would check with your Rep. the price might be different than the staff that roams the area. I know its there job and that's how they make there money too live. The resort looked good, but no I will not go back. One other thing to mention is the money exchange at the resort wow be careful, Canadian dollar they take half, check with your own banks first. I'm sorry to be negative on this resort, but for what you pay for, you should expect more. Oh last thing they lost some of are .luggage, from being put on the bus which I watched very carefully, and when we got off the bus someone has stolen it, we never found it we got the rep involved with other personal no luck, we check outside to see if it was discard in the ravine area no such luck.

I'd come back!

We upgraded to VIP which was a great idea because the resort was crazy busy, especially when it came to the beach!!! So I was really glad we have a private beach. The resort was crazy clean considering the amount of people that were there. I'm not going to go through every category because everything was really good and there's nothing in my opinion that I'd change or suggest that they could change! I'd 100% go back or use the same Resort in other locations!

Good value but!

A little far from Santo Domingo but la Romana was 20 mi . Rooms ok nice bedding and cleaning staff were excellent. Free WiFi poor unless by pool at night. Don't waste money on Saona excursion unless you like 2000 people on a beach... Frank on the beach excursions is great orange hat . .Bartenders not friendly . ..rarely. Liquor quality poor..no coconut rum or rum cream. Pool and spa Jacuzzis dirty. Entertainment in lobby each night was great with a rock band on our last night. Shows exc [... read more]ellent. Not many English speaking staff or vacationers so not great for us.

Wonderful Resort!!!

This resort is absolutely beautiful......water features around resort....accommodate many wildlife features .....peacock....chickens....fish...turtles...ducks and other various birds....all friendly and love to be hand fed...nice walkways....beautiful landscaping. Pool is large with swim up bar....entertainment all day long!!! Buffet offers great selection....staff amazing!!! All a carte restaurant's offer excellent variety. Great evening shows...cirque de solei was Vegas quality!!  [... read more]Recommend the. Go cart and dune buggy excursions....great tour....lots of fun...excellent machines!!! Would definitely go back!!!

Horrible! Money grabber Resort

Definitely NOT a 5 star resort as they have it on their lobby wall. I have been to many resorts and based on experience would say this is NOT even a 4 star hotel. Maybe a 3-3.5 star. I don't have high expectations and if you are going to cuba or dominican Republic you should not either. I don't care if there's birds flying around the buffet area or if the waitress dropped a plate on the floor and put it back on the pile. I don't want to think about how they cook the food in the back or barely wa [... read more]sh our beach or room towels. However, I have never seen a division of hotel guests the way I saw it in this resort: VIP vs Regular guests. I'm fine with them having a separate beach, bar, room and services; however in a resort with 1000 guests where 800-900 of them are regular, I didn't see it proper for them one day all of a sudden to reserve half of the beach outside their VIP beach area for the 100-200 of them, especially when there's signs saying 'Forbidden to reserve sun beds'. Everyone was wondering around trying to find a sun bed where to stay - not so nice. The beds were barely used. Just an inconvenience for the rest of us. If I would go VIP though, I would pay extra to go to a dreams or luxury resort instead of here. Also the big pool for regular hotel guests not clean and very few sun beds available. I never used it for my baby and I wanted to. The VIP pool super clean. It's more for hygenic reasons that I was worried and so should the managers of the resort. Also there was 1700 people at the resort at one point and only around 500 sun beds. The reason why is because they wanted you to pay for their beds 10$ a day and if you wanted to stay at the pool you had no choice but to pay. The beach and sand was very good with rocks on the bottom but still very good. The food was good for me, even with a one year old. I'm not sure why people have commented here that it's hot when supposed to be cold and vice versa. Not true and that comment really worried me but I found the food better than Cuba so I was happy about that. The resort, hotel and services were not good. The rooms are old, the key to safety deposit was 3.50$ per day. I have never paid for the safety deposit key anywhere else. Everyone at the resort is trying to sell you timeshare or excursions. For the 10 days I stayed, there always was someone trying to sell you something. If people want to buy gifts, they will walk to the shops or go book excursions. Also, the majority of guests were European so it's true that the staff barely spoke English. Italian and French was mostly heard. Also, you need to pay a deposit to use the kayaks, and only 30 min allowed. I guess they don't want people to stay longer than 30min, which is fair to the other guests but because of the deposit issue, people just didn't bother. So if you are a kayak person and as long as you have a watch on you, then no problem.

Very interesting resort

We had a great time here if you like birds this is the place for you it's almost like a bird sanctuary the grounds are well kept the staff is fastastic food was great rooms are very clean entertainment everynight was fantastic lots of loungers at the pool and beach with plenty of activities we've been to Sandals .Riu .majestic colonial which are a lot more money then this place but if your looking for a good time in the sun this place is a good price for what they offer all I can say is we will  [... read more]go back cause we had a great time .

VIP is the way to go here....lovely.

Myself an a friend spent a week here; unsure of what to expect, as some reviews worried us. First, it's 20 minutes from the airport, I like a reasonably short transfer like this. The check in, a wee bit of a gong show, as reception directed us to ''follow that guy'' a guy in a blue shirt who was swiftly moving through the area. Anyhow, he lost us. ha ha. We found our way to the VIP lounge, and got things back on the rails. The room, (a junior suite) had a bedroom with a king, and a b [... read more]alcony, and a large tv, and the front room had a queen and a large tv with a chaise/couch but it was more set up like a living room. Also a balcony, then out back was a large terrace with deck chairs. Oh there was a kitchen also. Could the room have been decorated nicer? yes, would some simple paint spruce up the bare white walls..of course... did it affect our trip? obviously not. The grounds, very clean ( the water at some sprinklers really smelled foul at times) The beach is clean, white sand, considerably rocky as you walk the beach a good distance. But the beach area for lounging and swimming is good. The VIP area had a good number of beach chairs, and NEVER had to worry about ''saving'' them, many times we were the only 2 out there. The regular beach area was JAM PACKED regularly with towels on every chair, but often not bodies on the chairs. VIP pool separate from the regular pool was quiet, clean and again, no one there. It was great. NO sqwaking kids or thumping music with foolish poolside games etc. VIP had their own small restaurant next to the pool, so you didnt have to wander far from the beach/pool. Granted the selection was quite limited. The bar service around the VIP beach and pool was excellent. Each morning Miguel would make sure things were good in our room and ask if there were any issues. He also made dinner reservations for us each day. On one afternoon it began to rain, so .. we had Miguel make us a reservation at the spa and had a grand deep tissue massage...it was excellent. Once finished we returned to the beach,and the sun was back. We ate at the Brazilian, Mexican,(best margaritas ever!) Gourmet 2x (vip captains dinner was steak and lobster wow) and Japanese. We did not go to the pizza restaurant, as pizza was readily available on the buffets and snack bars and we just didnt see a need. Each evening we had drinks and rapid wi fi in the VIP lounge, we also often elected to have a wee snack or dessert in there after dinner had settled. It was nice as there was no smoking inside...outside in the plaza area where the nightly music etc was...was SOOOO THICK WITH SMOKE yes...outside... it was quite surprising. VIP guests get wifi for 15 hours in the room. Wifi was also available at the VIP beach. It might have been a small amount extra to go VIP but...highly recommended. We were happy with the amenities, the staff, the cleanliness, the drinks, the service. One thing we did notice, we like to make friends when we travel and ''hang out'' or get to know new folks. it was VERY difficult ( actually impossible) for us as we speak ENGLISH (with a smattering of spangleish) we were not able to find any other guests who spoke english. Tons and tons of french... and dutch... so we enjoyed ourselves anyhow. Just an observation. Oh!!! and the guys who are in like safari clothes... with safari hats... those are TIME SHARE guys... they ask if you got your welcome bottle of mamajuana and free t shirt. they take you to the time share desk near the pool...and you get a well dressed time share shark to drag you all around giving the hard sell etc. If this is not your thing... dont fall for the free tshirt/bottle ploy. We watched it happen time and time again. Just tell them yes.. you got it and keep moving on.. ( unless you WANT to check it out) oh ,and in the evenings, there are the usual sales people in the walkways (like in many resorts) they are pretty aggressive and try to reel you in to come look at their wares... if it's not your thing, just be polite, say no thanks and keep on walkin. NO PROBLEM!!! https://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowUserReviews-g663484-d209587-r459422052-Be_Live_Collection_Canoa-Bayahibe_La_Altagracia_Province_Dominican_Republic.html#

Fantastic Resort

This was one of our best getaways,great weather and very friendly staff. We were lucky enough to get one of the villas, and it was one of the best accomidations that we have stayed at. The beach and pool areas were out of this world.also the food and the resturants were very good. We were also apart of the VIP package, check in was very quick and explained very well.

Great family vacation.

Going in I had read some pretty bad reviews of this place that were posted after we booked so my expectations were not that high. The resort turned out to be great and the people were super friendly to us (and especially to my 9 month old daughter). Overall we had a great week but it's far from the best resort I've been to over the years. Pros: - Room was great. A/C blew very cold. A big plus! - A la carte Restaurants we very good and service was excellent - Loved the outside plaza setup [... read more] with the bar and coffee bar vs a huge lobby. Way better than most resort lobby bars. - My daughter absolutely loved all the birds by the ponds (ducks, geese, etc). Made out week - Water was relatively calm (and all the colours you would expect of the Caribbean) and was perfect for taking our daughter for a swim without big waves crashing on us. Cons: - Food in the buffet was always cold - Beach is very crowded - Hard to find a chair. People put towels out to save chairs all day. Most of the time we barely even saw them being used. Resort has a policy against this but NEVER enforced it. - The water sprinklers smelled like raw sewage when you walked by them - Despite all the signage around the resort being in English it was difficult to find English speaking staff at most of the bars - Long beach walks were out for us. Tried a couple of times but the beach was rocky and full of trash to the south and was at a 45 degree angle to the north making for really awkward (especially carrying a baby). This isn't specific to this resort. All resorts along this strip had the steep beach. We walked past them all (Iberostar, Dreams, Catalonia etc)

The best we've been to!!!

The resort was amazing. We upgraded to a villa and we are so glad we did. The VIP is so worth the extra cost. Maintainence was never ending. The resort was beautiful and seemed like a zoo with all the wildlife that live there. We will be back!!

Great Resort but not as good as 2 years ago

The Resort itself is beautiful. I had been there two years ago and had gotten a beautiful room and the service was excellent. This New years, even though it was my second time there, which my agent from TripCentral forgot to mention, the room was pitiful. We didn't even have a chair. Honestly, in Cuba you would get a better room in a 3 star resort. It is sad to say, but this resort is not what I would consider a 4 star. The washrooms in the common area where mainly so dirty that we had to go [... read more] to our room. There, the toilet didn't flush very well either. Most of the outside showers did not work either and the pool was not the cleanest. After explaining that it was my second time, we got access to free wifi in a dedicated area. I have to say that the New years eve dinner was excellent but we had to pay an extra $20.00 US per person. I do hope that the management will take a good look of what is happening there and will improve again. I have recommended this resort after my first visit but would not do so at this point.

Great Resort!

We were pleasantly surprised; we expected an Ok resort but was amazed by the friendliness and energetic staff everywhere. From reception with Angel who did his utmost to find us a very nice room, to booking restaurants with Ingrit; both very professional, helpful all with a smile at all time! We were impressed by the buffet; always fresh & abundant with lots of variety! even cream cheese & peanut butter was available for the North Americans lolol! Clean beaches - clean rooms - maintenance  [... read more]of building non stop. The mature grounds, garden and birds on resort was enjoyed by all. Nice activities & shows at night (if you wanted to participate) but no hassle by staff if you didn't. We were expecting no more than a 3 star hotel /Cuban style - we got much, much better! p.s. great if you are there New Years Eve; we got Party at the beach plus great fireworks - very, very nice! Tks Karishma for your advice - we really enjoyed our stay!

Horrible roach infested resort

This was the worst all-inclusive experience of my life. Roaches in the main buffet dining hall, rats roaming the dining hall floor, same food everyday. Beach was the only redeeming quality of this resort.

Great vacation spot!

A non-pretentious but comfortable, beautiful and energetic hotel. We went there to surprise my parents who were already there so we didnt know where we were going or what to expect. It was our first resort experience as well, since we are of the backpacker type. The beach was beautiful, water warm, sunsets unforgettable, the people friendly (helped that we are fluent in Spanish) and the food delicious - lots of choices for a vegan/vegetarian diet, which we were super happy with. We left the ho [... read more]tel to explore the national park, Bayahibe and Santo Domingo on our own terms (not into these super guided tours) and we loved it all. It was a true relaxing vacation!

Nice beach!!

Hotel rooms were modern and beach was beautiful with plenty of chairs, entertainment was good. Most of the bar and buffet staff were slow and sometimes we didn't even get what we asked for. The ala carte line was half an hour long because they only accept bookings Sunday AM. This should be better managed. The full daytrip we booked to Saona was spent at a different island for the majority of the day and only got to enjoy saona for 45 min. Be careful before you book any trip and ask questions. Th [... read more]e wait staff in the ala cartes were quick and the $36 usd lobster dinner is not worth it. Overall great experience but def needs some changes.

Lovely staff..fantastic beach..great food

the first day was a challenge. my air conditioner clanged and creaked until it finally died, leaving pools of stinky water all over the floor. i was given a new room and it was perfect. the staff were wonderful and friendly and the a la carte restaurants were exceptional for the ambience and live music, although the food was overcooked and stale. the buffet was varied enough not to be boring after 7 days and the front desk kindly let me stay in my room until shortly before my shuttle left for th [... read more]e airport ( after i reminded them how awful my first day was). for an older hotel, it was very nice and i recommend it to anyone looking for a piece of old fashioned tourist accom ( the 1000 room hotel next door was frightening!) with friendly, helpful staff, beautifully kept grounds, lots of play areas for adults and kids alike.

GOOD, BUT COULD EASILY BE MUCH BETTER

Well, where do i start ? i will start with the good. the check in was smooth and we were greeted with a cold beverage, the room was very clean, linen fresh and a variety of soaps and shampoo provided, the grounds were well maintained with ducks, peacocks and other birds wandering the grounds, the pool is quite large, reasonably clean but as per the season there was quite a few little nats floating in the pool, the grounds of the resort have lots of little paved paths to wander around the resort, [... read more] the beach area has lots of seating and loads of shaded areas, ocean had very little sea weed and you could walk out quite a distance, lots of sea life to see here, saw more on the hotel beach than on my $100 snorkling trip so bring a mask and flippers. All the staff were great, even though its all inclusive bring some $1s , a buck here and there gets you faster and steadier service, i found out it was about 80-90% european when i was there and they traditionally dont tip, so a tip is noticed, my breakfast waitress (i sat in her section every day) had my coffee even before i sat down, just the way i like it. The evening entertainment was fun but typical for an all inclusive. Now the bad, my only complaint was the food, and i know the dominicans can cook but this hotel cut corners on the menu and put items out as far as i can tell to fill up the trays to make the buffet look full, in the 2 weeks i was there i did not find bacon, a decent ham or sausage on the breakfast buffet but i did find meat balls, chicken wings, carrots, broccoli, stewed beef, and an assortment of pickled veggies, at the end of 2 weeks i was dreading the buffet, i was joining the throng of other tourists wandering around looking for something different to eat. Now for the resturants, the oriential was not to bad and was a fun meal with them cooking in front of you, the gourmet was the best, the brazilian was hit and miss but found usually something was being served raw or burnt, the mexican was not good at all, their idea of mixed grill, beef, pork, chicken, salmon, grouper is to mix them all into one discusting mess, over all the food was better than cuba but not by much, i did however have a few good meals but you have to check out snack bar and the buffet and choose wisley, All considered i do not think i would recommend this hotel as there are so many that i have been to in this price range that are much better

Pleasant and Relaxing Resort

We have travelled to many resorts throughout the region. This resort is one of the finest we have visited so far. Upon arrival, we could not help but notice the cleanliness of this hotel. The check in staff was very professional. Our suite was very elegant and well maintained by the cleaning staff. Although we only utilized the buffet, we were well pleased with the variety of dishes and the professional service we received. The bar service was fantastic. Nightly entertainment was excellent. We [... read more] are quite happy that we chose this resort and will definitely return in the future. Thank you 'Be Live Canoa' for a pleasant stay.