Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: Fantastic!

My husband and I recently stayed at the Senator Resort and Spa Peurto Plata. The resort has recently been remodeled and is beautiful. The grounds are immaculate and housekeeping/maintenance work continually throughout the day to keep common areas and public washrooms sparkling clean. We loved how close everything was and that we didn't require a golf cart to get around from one area to the other. Our room (in building 7), although just the basic room, had a fantastic view of the pool and beac [... read more]h and was kept tidy and full of fresh towels by the housekeeping staff. Our experience with administrative staff was fantastic, check in was a breeze and any questions or concerns (2 minor hiccups) were dealt with quickly and efficiently. Likewise, our experience with the serving staff was amazing. Orlando and Ana Maria in the buffet and Juana in the snack bar off the pool were always smiling and available. The staff in the a la cartes and sports bar were equally friendly. Occasionally, during busy times the serving staff did seem stretched a little thin for the amount of diners and resulted in longer than normal wait times for refills or fresh plates. This is probably most true in the sports bar and the snack bar off the pool. We still received great service, just took a little longer. This is not a staff issue, but rather an issue of staffing during busy/peak periods. The Entertainment staff were just that - entertaining. They took time to learn people's names and really read the room when it came to approaching visitors. They were friendly and fun without being obnoxious or too over the top. Pollo was a real stand out in this area and even though my husband and I aren't really " joiners" he made us feel part of the fun while letting us remain at our own comfort level. Food was great and there was quite a bit to choose from. We went to the Japanese a la carte which is a great time and the steak house which was lovely. There are a couple of areas that could use some work. These include the number of chairs and umbrellas around the pool, which, especially in the case of umbrellas, are too few. If you want a seat and an umbrella, be prepared to get up prior to 5 am to "save" your spot. I didn't like that we had to do that and it was the only real issue I had with the resort. Another issue that we saw that needs to be addressed related to the Japanese a la carte. We had a woman at our table/hibachi-thing that had a severe allergy to shellfish - either she needed to be told this a la carte could not accommodate her allergy or the staff at the restaurant need to be better trained about preventing these types of allergic reactions/cross contamination. She was forced to leave because of food preparation practices. This is a training and communication issue. Overall though, a fantastic time at a great resort. We'll be back.

Vista Sol Punta Cana: Great holiday!

Buffet was amazing, something for everyone!! The reservation restaurants did not disappoint either. Pools beautiful and clean and a beach to die for. The rooms were spacious and always clean. Many bar areas which was good because this resort offered no poolside service :-( Our swim up room areas were left dirty all night more poor service. If I had to rate I would give this resort an 8/10, service not a deal breaker but would have been a nice bonus.

Majestic Colonial Punta Cana Beach Resort: wonderful facility

-rooms were clean and well appointed -food in every restaurant was wonderful -service on every front was exceptional -staff are very friendly, helpful and always smiling -easy process to check in and check out -entertainment was varied and quite enjoyable

Playabachata Hotel: Concerns

Playabachata Resort has beautiful grounds. The ocean is beautiful and the excursions are wonderful, however; we paid for a Superior Garden View and ended up in a room that was moldy and damp. My husband is allergic to mold and struggled with this the whole week. They did not put us up in another room. Our view was a wall and two dead plants. We enjoyed being outdoors, but coming back to sleep was depressing. Also, for four days straight our fridge was not replenished with fresh water and when we [... read more] asked at the desk, we were told that the Russians arrived and they needed to be catered too. We had to walk out to the bar, to get ice water in a cup so we would not be dehydrated. When asked if our room was the upgraded one we paid for, we were told no. They were the basic ones. The maids and the employees at the resort work hard and we appreciated what they did for us. They deserve recognition. When people ask us if we had a great time, we say we enjoyed the sun, the company we were with, the excursions and the food, but definitely not our room. We have been home for three days now and I am now on the third round of washing all our clothes to see if we could get the smell out. Our luggage, our backpacks and shoes are outside in the crisp air in hopes that the mold smell would not be there when we bring them in.

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Fantastic place to Spend a Vacation

Everything here was lovely! Cannot think of anything to complain about! Rooms were amazing, food delicious and the grounds,pool and beach were awesome! Everyone working here always had smiles and warm greetings for us! So lucky to have spent a week here!

Playabachata Hotel: Mixed Emotions

The beach and the pool was amazing however the rooms were very subpar with water stains, ants and very musty smelling. Service was not great, rooms weren’t cleaned until often after 6pm. Often clean towels were forgotten and they only restock your fridge every 2 days. For a place that you can’t drink the water you would think this should be daily. The food was good but was the same thing over and over. The restaurants were a let down. All and all the beach was well worth it but the s [... read more]ervice and rooms was a true let down.

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Iberostar Costa Dora

Very nice facility with numerous things to do, combined with a wonderful staff. Place is old (20yrs) and needs some updating, but the place is not run down or dilapidated. Food was good, as was the Dining Room Staff. Our room, and the furnishings were also old and tired, they needed renovating/updating, but everything was clean and worked well. The beautiful surroundings, relaxing environment, and friendly staff made our vacation quite enjoyable.

Bahia Principe Escape Aquamarine: Excellent 10 day vacation

There is nothing bad to say about this resort. Cleanliness stands out in our minds. We did have our room changed as our first garden view room faced the parking lot for the employees of the neighbouring Royalton resort. I would recommend staying away from the 84000 block on the garden view side if possible. Another minor glitch is the saving of lounge chairs around the pool. People would put a book on the chair early in the morning, say 3am, and they would head to the beach and return to the [... read more]ir pool chairs after lunch. Very unrespectful to the rest of the patrons. Other than that I’d highly recommend this resort.

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Great vacation!

We really enjoyed the resort but the rooms could use updating. The food was great. There was always plenty (in fact too much) that I liked. There was always plenty of activities going on and you were invited to join in but no pressure. Nice to have the wifi throughout the resort too!

Occidental Caribe: Great vacation!

The hotel was beautiful! It had an amazing beach and pool. They had lots of entertainment including games , shows and music. The food at the resort was good and they made great drinks. I also enjoyed the variety of excursions that were offered. The only thing I could say that was disappointing about the resort was how often you were bothered on the beach or at the pool to buy things.

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Great resort

All was very good, from the food, resort, beaches, clean rooms, staff. We would definitely go back again. There are lots of excursions you can book at the resort and they are all very good and well planned from pick up to drop off.

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Nice relaxing trip

We recently returned from our vacation and totally enjoyed ourselves. This resort is very clean and well maintained even though it's a bit older. Our first room was on the 1st floor by the quiet pool and was nice enough, except it faced a fence with a road and staff parking lot on the other side. Idling diesel buses and loud chattering staff made it noisy, smelly and just not very pleasant on the terrace (if you dont sit out much, it wouldn't matter as the room itself was quiet enough). I requ [... read more]ested a room change and once they determined what was available the next day, they were very accomodating and moved us to a ground floor room that was the pretty much the same, but with the terrace facing a nice quiet courtyard. The buffet was very good, so we didnt even try any a la carte restaurants, and we didnt miss it. There was always a good variety so there was always something even if you're picky. The grill at the beach bar was a nice option for a burger at lunch and the fried chicken was really good! The pool areas and bars were very nice and clean, it wasn't bad at the beginning of the week, but as it got busier closer to the weekend, it became harder to find chairs at the pool since we aren't early risers (the typical towels on chairs all day with no one there was a bit annoying but it happens everywhere), but the occasional mid day shower cleared a few out. We didn't have any problem finding one at the beach. There were plenty of vendors on the beach, but they were respectful if you said no and we didnt find them bothersome at all. We did two excursions; first was the VIP cruise to Paradise island which was fantastic. Second we did the monkey jungle that was part of the zip lining excursion (we opted out of that part which was no problem, we just paid the child price). Had lots of fun with the monkeys, but we hoped we would be interacting with more than one type (the squirrel monkeys were very adorable though). Overall, this resort gets a solid 4 star review from us as a great resort for the price, not quite a 5 star but perfectly comfortable, good value and well maintained. We would consider returning.

Riu Republica: Our visit to Punta Cana

I would like to mention an amazing employee.......Wilken Florian. He does an incredible job and goes above and beyond for the guests. He was fabulous all week and he always went the extra mile to make my stay happy , helping me when he saw the need.

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Down to Earth Fun

Blue Bay Villas Doradas is a smallish resort offering a surprising variety of experiences. Within minutes of our arrival, we felt very much at home and comfortably familiar with the entire property. The grounds were well-kept, including the beach. Our room, although dated and sparsely furnished, was large and clean --- the walk-in closet was a big plus. Its proximity to the entertainment theatre was a positive for us, although some guests might prefer a quieter location. Throughout our 2-wee [... read more]k stay, we found the staff to be always friendly and aiming to please. The animation people were very creative and entertaining and often hilarious. The buffet offered a wide variety of wholesome healthy foods --- freshly baked breads, multiple salads, grilled meats and seafood, omelette station, fresh fruits, a variety of desserts (the choice of ice creams was always a highlight). The 3 a la carte restaurants generally offered good food with excellent service. Overall, we will have good memories of our vacation to talk about for years to come.

Playabachata Hotel: Mix review

The beach and the pools were BEAUTIFUL!! The super saver room was not to bad considering the price paid for it, BUT the service was terrible and the rooms were not cleaned very well and had to repeatedly ask for the services that were supposed to be included.

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Misleading. Not impressed.

We do not recommend this resort. It is very old and needs a lot of work. The rooms and facilities are very outdated. The star rating should be maximum 3 stars at best. We were only given 1 room key per room which was very inconvenient. The argument was that this would save energy for the environment, yet the hotel does not recycle the countless daily plastic cups... we were given access to internet for only 1 device per room, and internet access could not be transferred at all to other devices.  [... read more]There was a leak in the bathroom ceiling, the bed covers were not clean at check in, curtains were old and dirty. We needed to constantly ask the front desk to ensure covers are clean and floors were washed. They didn’t clean the floors or shower area until they were asked to do so several times. The food was ordinary, hit and miss at the buffet and sometimes not the best. Stay away from the seafood restaurant!! We were hit on twice by a security guard whose job is to make us feel safe...That being said, many of the resort employees worked very hard and tried to accommodate our requests. Perhaps there is just an overall difference in cleanliness standards. The servers and cooks at the restaurants are very sweet and worked very hard. We appreciated their kindness. They made our trip better.

Casa Marina Reef Resort: Not so good

Grounds were nice. Rooms not so good, first time I paid for safe in room, bed sheets did not get changed every day, no face cloth, 1 hand towel for 2 people, 1 glass per room, TV did not work and several different kinds of flying, crawling insects, they did fumigate the rooms. It seemed the guests were always arguing with staff in the front lobby area. The food was not so good, We ended up eating dinner out every night. I’ve stayed at several resorts around the world and they cater to the gu [... read more]ests, never have I heard no From a resort, for instance, “I’m going golfing or fishing for the day, can you pack me extra beverages and sandwiches we are leaving at 6am, resorts always said yes”. Not Casa Marina, I will not be back.

Punta Cana Princess: excelent two week stay

Raysa is an excellent hostess at the main buffet and is very friendly. You could always find something good to eat. Hose was very friendly and an excellent bartender at the beach bar where he never stopped .

Riu Republica: Amazing resort,

We liked everything at Ria Republican during our vacation last year, so we returned with our friends again this year. The resort’s well groomed grounds, with great food, friendly and helpful staff, comfortable beds and clean rooms and other facilities, is what we liked the most. This large adult only resort never felt crowded during meals or around many pools.

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Punta Cana: An absolutely amazing week at an amazing resort!

The hotel was extremely clean, easy to get to get around with the use of the little trains that were constantly available. All the staff were very helpful and friendly. Our family will definitely come back next year to the Hard Rock!