Could be a amazing resort with a few improvements

So many things I loved about this resort but needs a few improvements to a couple things one I wouldn't of booked had I known the locals take over on weekends. I experienced this at the coffresi up the road and is why I though I'd try playabachata.second is making alacarte reservations line up starts at 7 opens at 830 and can only book one at a time no thank you wasn't able to book any for this reason.i loved my ocean front room until the nite traffic of people going by at all hour drunk an loud [... read more].that path should be closed down maybe at nite an diverted to one behind. . Impossible especially my last nite had to be up early a beach party prevented that and traffic of it. The view was absolutely amazing.the entertainment was constantly changing from our side over too the Senator resort you'd get all set up for a good table only to be told it's way over there by time you get there good luck getting a seat. Both resorts need their own entertainment please. Also one bar mainly constantly being looked off passed by and definitely having to several times speak up it's your turn after being ignore that would be the 24 hour pool side bar I'm speaking of the bar by the entertainment section should always be open as well it's a huge resort one is not enough.loved my massages at the Haitian market at the end of the resort by Elizabeth amazing top notch massage from her definitely worth the 45 for a hour. and cheaper go down to the beach go right all the way down and BAm they are. I absolutely love Puerta Plata it's alot more safer than Punta cana I find. I walked all over not having to worry. Even went to tattoo shop which I can't recommend enough definitely the best I've ever gotten. He I absolutely amazing and I will be back to see him specifically again ,if you want a tattoo please go see Yonathan tattoo Shop. the farther the shack the cheaper they get on the beach. Great people down there. The food was ok in the buffet I didn't go hungry but could of had more choice on certain nights. The beach was fabulous. The main pool is a little small and way too busy an way to loud the music could be down just a bit so you didn't here it way down the beach. Yes there is a quieter pool further down by the empty part closed section of buildings looks like maybe getting ready for.turn over and Reno's maybe...the resort is extremely large from one end to another shuttle carts would be a really great idea for the size and amount of buildings which I would of got lost if I wasn't in a beachfront one. Tr staff at front desk absolutely amazing and my house cleaning was fantastic. Would I go back to this resort umm probly not as I really want a more quieter, organized easier no locals sharing a all inclusive vacation it's just to loud and I find that recieved priority service especially at that one bar I love the local experience just not at a all inclusive where they take up well over half of the resort on weekends and other days while I was there. Over all though we had a great vacation. And will definately return to Dominican Puerta Plata area . Oh and bacon bacon bacon please lol

Love this place

This is the second time that we stayed here.. the rooms themselves could use some freshening up but the grounds are beautiful..the beach is beautiful.. the staff are very warm and friendly and the food is pretty decent. Unlimited drinks and food.. for the price it's well worth it.

Horrible rooms & service

Playabachata Service Upon arrival we waited an hour and 20 mins in line to check in. The front desk person working our line was serving the same group of people for that whole time. The group of people started off as 2 but kept growing as their friends and or family kept showing up. They spoke Spanish the whole time but from what I could see they were not checking in they were making other arrangements with her & seem to spending a lot of time joking & laughing as we waited in line. The wait w [... read more]ould have been longer if I had not noticed a front desk person who was quietly working on the far side of the desk assisting people only if approached she otherwise made no effort to assist anyone in line. When I did approach her she looked annoyed that I asked for her assistance to check in. No smile, no apology for the long wait. Our room wasn’t ready so we were given our wristbands & told to come back in half hour & directed the other side of the desk for room key pick up. When we came back we were greeted by a delightful friendly face finally. I can’t remember his name maybe Fernando? During the rest of our trip the front desk staff warmed up a bit. I actually got a few smiles. But only because I had to be extra charming when I asked for their assistance with anything. Accommodations Immediate smell of mould & mildew. First thing we noticed was how dated the room was. If looked like it hadn’t been renovated since the 70’s. Not a picture on the wall & weird light switches. We learned that one of the switches by the front door controlled the power for the whole room. The AC was set at a minimum setting & no matter what we did that didn’t change so the nights were hot for sleeping. Next thing we noticed was ants lots of them. We had to put our luggage up high & zipped closed to keep them from getting to there & hang what we could. The only place we didn’t see them right away was the washroom. But by the time we came back to our room in the evening the ants were also in the shower & all over our toiletries. We had to rinse everything to get the ants off and then re-pack it all & put it up high on towel racks & zipped up in the baggies we had. Our light in the washroom only worked the first night after that we had to take our phone to the washrooms & use the flashlight at night. Our toilet has a weird something at the bottom & rust. We were afraid to take a shower it was definitely not clean. Our mini fridge worked but was old and rusted.There were holes in our blackout curtains & dirt on our bed sheet skirt. We like many guests were in the lobby in the morning to try to find an outlet to charge our phones since there was only 1 normal outlet in the room & it didn’t work. Most of the outlets in the lobby also didn’t work. Thankfully we met Genaro at guest services who let us know that there were adapters available at the front desk. You have to pay a $3 deposit but it was worth it. We didn’t pack any lotion or body wash knowing it was a standard that hotels/resorts provide but all we got was a very small bar of soap. Food The food was ok. Not great, not good but ok. I got up early & waited in a line for an hour to make reservations for the steak house for our last night which was my birthday. The food at the steak house wasn’t any better. We waited over 30 minutes for them to take our dessert order & then 20 minutes to recieve it. The restaurant wasn’t even busy. I mentioned we were there for a birthday celebration. We were told we need to tell them that ahead of time. It would have went a long way if they just said “happy birthday” Beach Current is strong can’t really swim. There is also a big batch of sea weeds that you need to climb over. Pool Pool was nice but always so busy hard to find a chair or spot. Location It is far from the airport so a bit of a milk run to get back & forth. We had to upgrade on the way back because the bus got to the airport so late that I was afraid we’d miss our flight.

Nice resort

I thought the hotel was okay everything was within a close walking distance the food was good and delicious but i was very disapointed of how unfriendly the entertainment team were with the tourist.The mics for the show at night were too loud. Unfortunately because of the unfriendliness of the Entertainment team i wont be going back to this resort.

Great resort! Budget friendly, but superb standards.

I am extremely pleased with the location, service, cleanliness and overall reception by the Playa Bachata resort. Food was awesome, staff were extremely helpful and even though the resort has some dated areas, it was a very pleasant experience!

Beautiful

Loved the resort n the food n drinks n people we great ❤️ The beach was amazing n the weather was great one day of rain on n off but sun was in between the showers .would revisit this resort again plenty of fresh food to choose from had some of the best salsa I’ve ever eaten ❤️lots of great memories thank you ❤️

Playabactcta Resort

The rooms were mediocore at best ...musty smelling in need of repairs . Food was a hit and miss not much variety the best thing was the pasta. Foam party was fun drinks weak . Steak house was horrible not steak not sure swas kinda meat was served itaian was way better. Would rather pay extra and stay at the neighboring resort....

Nice resort, terrible staff

The resort was beautiful, the beach was beautiful...food was good...we had issues with the 8 of us being split up and no staff would help us...sunwing rep was useless, i had no a/c for the week in my room, no fridge for 3 days and the phone didnt work...the pool was so overcrowded that i couldnt use it...they allow Senator guests to come use the facilities at Playabachata but we could not use theirs. I could not get the alacarte restaurants booked, you could only book one restaurant per day. d [... read more]esk opened at 830am but lineup must have started way earlier...our group of 8 that was split up all over never got to eat at the alacarte, line cut off once right in front of me...how frustrating...it was a horrendous experience and i travel alot....worst experience yet and i am not picky...do not go here!!

Clean resort

The resort is clean is all I can say I read all the reviews and thought that the bad ones was just human nature that you can’t please everyone,but now I can say is it was the worst place to look after the customers no a/c complained many times and nothing was done got taxi to city through the hotel only to find out from taxi driver not to book through them as they get a cut he said if you call taxi yourself he would have charged half what we paid .ITS the same gross food ,drinks and the shows we [... read more]re not worth going to we-will never go back we went with a party of 8 bad knees bad hips and the put us the farthest away from everything and none us us where even close to one another

Terrific resort!

Upgrades to the electrical were appreciated. The food was the best yet. They catered to their international visitors'preferences. Staff very friendly and obliging. Entertainment and pool activities were great.I love the layout of the resort and it's beautiful landscape. Will keep returning every year.

Great Resort

This resort was nice, clean, very friendly staff. The entertainment crew with Chocolate, Sky, Happy Boy and Donkey and the rest, were over the top hard working to keep us all laughing at the pool. The food variety was good, except they could have more bacon. Most of the servers were always happy and helpful. Rooms were nice and very clean. Grounds were being cleaned all day, every day. I would go back any time. Front desk people were very helpful. The common bathrooms were maintained all the tim [... read more]e even though some guests would destroy them, (some people are pigs). The bar service with Fabiou were excellent.

Mediocre. Not the best food

kay Here is an honest review from a traveller who has been to DR before and has done it all from luxury resorts to 2 star bare bones stays. I will try to be objective as I can so that a prospective traveller can get a good idea of this resort. I am a 30 something mom to a toddler with a pretty paid back rural lifestyle. Not one to complain at a restaurant or be a "Karen" TLDR: Room: Oceanfront suite 4/5 - good AC - TV worked - clean Food: 2/5 - Poor variety - timing wasn't great - o [... read more]verall food quality wasnt good Beach: 4/5 - Good swimming - clean beach - not the most comfy chairs Pool: 3/5 - clean pools - main pool is LOUD - second pool is quiet but FAR Staff: 2.5/5 - Didn't care about us - Not rude, but not friendly either - Some staff are warm and friendly. (some waiters, grounds crew) Entertainment: (didn't attend any shows or parties) DETAILS: The Room: We stayed in an oceanfront 1BR suite. This room was pretty good! The location was literally on the beach and was fairly quiet except for people walking by on the walkway but thats unavoidable. The AC was cold, which is great if you like AC. The room was spacious, clean and and had a separate living room area which was ideal for travelling with a toddler. The bathroom also had a separate toilet area from the sinks which was also great for a family travelling. Yes, there was a cockroach in the bathroom. I killed it with a sandal and that was that. The Food: I am not a foodie or someone who is too picky about food. That being said, I found the food definitely lacklustre. And the ambiance of the buffet was loud and busy. I only remark on this because there wasn't much offered as an alternative. It seemed like everyone had to use the buffet for dinner every night so of course it was busy. Some things were good, but many of the items were repetitive or just didn't look or taste good. We only went to one of the "restaurants" which was just the beach snack bar re-arranged to be the Steakhouse / Italian restaurant. We had the steakhouse one night, and didn't bother with the italian. The steak was tough, and again the food was ... okay? We didnt bother with the italian because it was just a pasta and salad bar which you could get the exact same items in the buffet. So the buffet was very busy with long lines, a difficult time to find a seat and a loud atmosphere. The snack bar offered the same thing every day: hotdogs, fries, burgers, make your own sandwiches, salad bar. The hotdogs were fine (didn't look the most appetizing but tasted fine) the burgers were inedible. my final note about the food; the timing. Breakfast was fine, 7:30 - 10. Lunch didn't start until 1pm which was a strech for us and our little one who is usually napping at that time. Dinner didn't start until 6:30 which was real tough for us as a young family. Yes, the snack bar was open in the interim but as previously mentioned the snacks were limited and hard to eat. The Beach: This was a bright spot for us! We love swimming and the ocean and the beach was wide and clean and the water was warm and pretty good for swimming. Conditions weren't ideal to get too deep or snorkel properly but there is a small reef you can take a look around. Chairs did seem scarse if you didn't get up early and reserve with your towels. (we have a 3 year old so that wasn't an issue) Lots of the chairs are in disrepair and not super comfy. We were able to change our towels every day no problems so we always had dry towels. We loved the beach and that was the reason we were there so so complaints there! The Pool : We aren't pool people so this wasn't a spot we spent a lot of time. There are 2 pools, one main pool with really, really loud music and lots of people and action. It's also close to the bars/snacks and the entertainent crew so if youre into that then thats the spot for you. there is a second pool that is also beautiful and much quieter. BUT it is pretty far from the rooms/drinks/food so pack a lunch :) We spent more time there with our kiddo because there was a kids pool that she enjoyed. The pools seemed clean and well maintained. One thing to mention is that there are only ladders into the main pool so if you have mobility issues that is something to consider. The Staff: Now, we are pretty chill people. And pretty friendly too, (Canadian) We tip at every meal and do our best to be respectful and kind to everyone. I personally found the staff at this resort generally pretty cold and unfriendly. The vibe I got more often than not was that the staff didn't care wether we lived or died. Meaning strong indifference. The front desk staff, the guest services, the bar tenders all seemed "too cool for school". It wasn't like we were rude or had an obnoxious kid with us, generally the staff just didn't seem to care about us at all. of course there were exceptions, some of the wait staff at the buffet were approachable and kind to my daughter. And I acutally found the groundskeepers the most friendly people at the resort. This even comes down to the kids club staff. Most days it was 1-2 ladies in the kids area and they seemed so incredibly bored/disinterested in their jobs/the kids. They had toys set out on the tables and they just sat in the corner on their phones. We joined in the play area with our daughter since she was too young to be left alone there, but the staff made hardly any effort to engage with her or play with her or offer any kind of activity. It wasn't a big deal but was a little surprising to me since these were supposed to be the kids club staff... I would hope they would be a little more animated. also note we did not spend time at the pool so we have no experiece with the adult animation team so I can't comment on them. We didn't attend any shows or parties because we have a little one. So I can't speak to that. I will say that the show does go on at 9:30 which felt SO late to me but I am a young mom. Okay I think I covered all of the major points of this hotel and I tried to be as objective as possible. This was just my experience as someone with a young child, who enjoys a quiet easygoing vacation, I don't party or get drunk so I can't speak to any of those elements. But if you are similar I hope this review was helpful. OVERALL EXPERIENCE : 3/5 Sorry, we won't be returning. Hope this helps!

Relaxing vacation

Staff were all friendly and helpful . Rooms need upgrades (dated) as lounge chairs mostly broken, otherwise everything else was great. Food was great and I can’t say enough about the cleanliness that happens at this resort, especially in washrooms. Would go back again

Great resort but needs some changes

Resort was good but them need to get rid of the constant non stop super loud techno Spanish music piunding minute after minute. It was ingrained in my head, couldn't even hear my headphones with my own music..and on top of that all day even at night up to 3 am.. Only thing it would make me not want to go back.

Avoid Playabachata Puerto Plata Hotel!

Arrived late night. Receptionist was the slowest worker in the worlds. Imagine arriving late night with super tired kids and a receptionist takes 30mins per person(!) to check in. When my turn came in, receptionist said that we only have one room and not 2. After arguing for 15 mins and showing all the confirmation letters he seems to find second room. He gave us rooms in separate towers, keeping us away from our kids. We had no option but to take it. The rooms were terrible, ceiling was leaking [... read more] into the bed, electricity went off several times during the night, meaning no AC, no hot water in the room, no WiFi in the rooms, rooms were smelling so bad, overall room condition was too old and uncomfortable. Most terrifying thing was that we there was no way to communicate with our kids in case of emergency as they stayed in different building, no telephones, no internet, no electricity. All concerns were reported to hotel reception as well as Sunwing rep. IF YOU ARE READING THIS, and you think of visiting this place, keep in mind all the issues I have reported above and remember that NO ONE WILL HELP YOU TO RESOLVE YOUR ISSUES, hotel will say that they are fully booked, Sunwing will say sorry and that’s it. This hotel nowhere near 4.5 stars as advertised, it’s maximum 2 stars (which uses mechanical keys for room and safe boxes ). I had to pay more and upgrade to their other hotel which is next to it, called Senator Hotel and Resorts. I would highly recommend booking there and pay some extra, instead of ruining your vacation and staying at Playabachata! As for me, we would most definitely not be booking with Sunwing and Tripcentral in the future and won’t be recommending it to friends and family either.

Amazing resort and affordable

In the nutshell. Beach- clean, beautiful and palm trees on the beach should be a feature to promote. Rooms a bit outdated, but who cares as you only sleep there. Everything was functional in the room, shower, hot/cold water, sinks, lights, safe etc. Pools, chairs drinks all available all the time. Buffet, a good variety of food to choose from. I did enjoy fruit selection and desserts. Small suggestion to improve the internet quality as it was available in the lobby only and not an excellent rece [... read more]ption overall. The rest is very pleasant area to spend few days with your family

Good for the money

Beautiful beach, nice pool area. Clean. Food was not that great, very repetitive. The service at the buffet very bad. Had quite a few complains about the room, that no one really cared. Simply no towels and blankets.

DO NOT GO HERE!! YOU WILL BE SORELY DISSAPOINTED

My family and I stayed here from Mar 6th-13th in rooms 1362, 63, and 67. We were very excited about our vacation, but upon reaching the property, we were met with disappointments after disappointments. Here's my list of disappointments... 1. There is no wifi on the property (except in the lobby area where the quality was less than acceptable). I had no plans to roam when on vacation but gladly had to do so in order to provide wifi to my teenage daughters 2. The rooms were very dated an [... read more]d although they were cleaned daily, they didn't feel homey: we never received a good night's sleep because the beds were old with soft mattress and pillows and a plastic cover on the mattress with tears that were piercing your skin as you get in and out of bed. There were hardly any clean towels to use, whether in the rooms or on the beach/pool, as they were always running out of towels. The sheets were never changed for the entire week. 3. No iron in the rooms 4. The food was terrible - My teenage daughters stopped going for meals after day 2 of being at the resort. The food is often either too salty or just tasteless, no flavor. I couldn't believe there was a resort in the Caribbean that couldn't prepare a decent meal. We didn't enjoy going for meals, we ate only because we had to. It is heartbreaking to be on vacation and counting down the days to leave. PROS: 1. If you lose your stuff, it is highly like that you will get it back. My hubby lost his wallet on the beach and it was returned to him. 2. The entertainment by the pool in the daytime as well as nighttime entertainment can be fun. 3. The staff members are friendly. 4. Activities (paid)outside of the hotel are very enjoyable: City tour, Dune buggy, ocean world. In spite of these pros listed, I would NEVER return to this resport because my dissasapointments were far greater.

I would not recommend this resort

Zeus Puertas, General Manager Joe Carroll Local Guide·74 reviews·2 photos 2 weeks ago NEW Vacation | Family DO NOT GO HERE. The staff are rude and less than caring. We stayed in room 1275, the room from hell. As we opened the door the room was dirty. Hair and dirt on the floors and bed. I asked for a tumbler for the safe and was told they didn't … More 2 Playabachata Hotel (Owner) a week ago Dear Joe, Thank you for taking the time to share your review. We are disheartened to hear [... read more] about the issues you encountered during your stay. Cleanliness and guest satisfaction are our top priorities, and we take reports of unclean rooms and malfunctioning appliances seriously. We apologize for the inconvenience you experienced. Regarding the safety of guest belongings, our hotel prides itself on security, and we regret to hear of your concerns in this area. We strive to ensure a tranquil environment for our guests and are sorry if noise disturbances impacted your comfort. We are also committed to culinary excellence and are troubled by your dining experience. Our staff is trained to provide the highest level of hospitality and we are concerned by any reports of less than satisfactory service. We hope to have the opportunity to demonstrate the high standards we aim to deliver. Kind regards, Zeus Puertas, General Manager soma chroma 116 reviews·2 photos 4 days ago NEW COCKROACH ALERT! Stayed at this hotel till March 4 2024. While the staff, food and location are still superb there are COCKROACHES in the hotel. Big ones. I checked in and as I … More Playabachata Hotel (Owner) a month ago Dear Soma Chroma, Thank you for this positive review of your stay. We're thrilled to hear that our team made a lasting impression with their hospitality. It's wonderful that the flavors of our cuisine met your expectations and that our location enhanced your stay. The coffee plantation adjacent to our establishment is indeed a point of pride, offering a serene backdrop for our guests. We appreciate your loyalty in choosing to stay with us again. We look forward to welcoming you back on a future visit. Kind regards, Zeus Puertas, General Manager Asalee Saddler Johnson Local Guide·42 reviews·30 photos DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND DO NOT BOOK!!!!! If I could give 0 star, I would. This hotel doesn't deserve 1 star; however, since I can't give 0, we'll just do 1 star. The room was musky when we arrived. The toilet makes an annoyingly long noise after flushing, the AC sounds like the roof is about to be lift off. The food is tasteless and the same thing every night. The juice and liquor is watered down. You get no towel if you don't go early nor do you get any lounge chair. The entertainment is no good and music is mostly Spanish. The housekeepers just barge in, no knocking before entering and they know little to no English. One walked in on me naked. The staff are miserable and unpleasant with the exception of a few. There is no iron nor ironboard in the room. The power outlets in the room doesn't work. We have to go to the lobby to find an outlet. There is no wifi in the rooms. Only the lobby area and it's very weak. The Concierge was deceitful about a welcome package and they tried to sell us a VIP package with their parent hotel. The concierge book our dinner under another guest's name. We were turned away twice from the restaurant and left embarrassed. After day two we were ready to leave. The remaining five days were hard. Imagine being on vacation and disgruntled. It was no fun! The hotel can do much better. It left a bad taste about Dom Republic. I won't be back ever!

Needs upkeep

The driveway as you arrived at the Coral Playabachata was very littered with garbage and still the same when leaving. Left a really bad 1st impression for our friends accompanying us for the first time. Rooms at Coral Playabachata had been closed since 2020 and smelled musty. We had booked a Superior Garden view at Playabachata (NOT Coral) and were told upon arrival that we didn't have a room and were asked to sharea room with the couple we were traveling with. This all took place around 1:30am [... read more]. We advised them that we paid for our room at Playstation and were not accepting to share. They temporarily provided a musty room the 1st night. On the 2nd day, we were moved to where we had booked. The on room safe had no tumblers therefore useless. We stored our valuables and money in our friends' safe which was an inconvenience at times. Since our friends were only staying one week, we wasted 3 hours before their departure trying to have our safe fixed. They borrowed a tumbler from another room. This safe issue was very common occurence. Many people complained of non-functinal in room safes. The next big issue was the extreme shortage lounge chairs, so much so that 40-60 people, every day, used the lunch dining room chairs on the beach or pool side. This resulted in no place to sit at lunchtime. Many of the lounge chairs are in severe needs of repairs as they sagged terribly or the back rest adjuster were broken or completely removed. The dinner buffet dining room was always running out of dinner plates. Exchanging our beach towel for clean ones was practically impossible forcing us to re-use same towel for 4-5 days. This was our 3rd consecutive year at this resort and we were i ctedibly disappointed .