First of all I can’t rave more about Geraldy Ramos!! HE IS THE WEDDING PLANNER EVERY WOMAN DREAMS ABOUT!! He made our day absolutely perfect!! Ricardo from the beach bar on the esmeralda beach is honestly the sweetest man you will ever meet!! Lastly Romana our cleaning lady was amazing!!! Love them alll!! The food was delicious, they clean your time twice a day! Everyone was absolutely perfect!
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Handsom Rob -
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Occidental Punta Cana: The price is right
The Occidental Punta Cana is a warm and inviting resort. The staff is friendly and a number of the staff are able to speak English. The hotels cleaning staff is responsive to your requests and if you tip them they become your best friend for life, or however long your trip is :) The food is above average, they offer a number of restaurants, Seafood, Chinese, Mexican and of course the Steak house and the beach is great. They have staff cleaning on the beach and removing old drink cups. Overall I [... read more]would recommend this resort to all my friends, I will come back to this resort.
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Private -
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Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Average
Few waiters were friendly. Lots of seaweeds in the beach when we came. They use plastic cups for alcohol and yet they banned plastic straw. They pressure you to buy privileged club. Found cockroach in the room and leaking from the ceiling. Room smells like toilet bowl. Food is salty. Free coconuts!
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Private -
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Bahia Principe Explore Esmeralda: Large resort
Overall it was a very nice resort. Rooms were clean and very spacious and house keeping was friendly. Food was average, I suggest booking la carte restaurants and you can book as many as you want from my understanding. The Italian was not that great in my option. Beach was close but bar on beach was slow and understaffed. Overall I found the bartenders had very bad customer service. If you tipped everytime they had smiles and friendly, if you did t well rude and slow. Lobby staff I found wonderf[... read more]ul.
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Private -
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Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Nice resort
Resort was clean & comfortable, the beach was full of weeds we could not swim on it , food was great and there was varaities but the service in the buffet was not good, it was veryyyyy slow stuff and the big problems that the staff dose not speak English or French
The resort and staff were of high calibur! Although, in comparison to most resorts, I would say that the rooms were on an average scale. The pools were large and it was always easy to find chairs or areas in which some degree of isolation could be found from other vacationers. If you elected to upgrade your package, we found that the benefits did not seem worth the money! There are two smaller private pools (1 adult only pool, and 1 family pool), a choice or premium alcohol (still watered dow[... read more]n) and rooms stated as having an Ocean view. But, the Ocean view is still obscured by multiple Palm trees ( in our case the trees were only a few feet from the balcony, so we could not see anything but the family pool below, from the third floor).
The resort is very clean and maintained very well! We had no concerns of any bugs, dirt, sand, or other distractions.
The food (a la cart) was top notch and very tasteful in both flavour and presentation. The buffet food was satisfying and had plenty of options to choose from, the restaurants were all well maintained, cultural, and comfortable.
The Beach was well maintained, but due to the coral reef a fee hundred meters off shore, all seaweed, dead fish, or other algee, and Ocean wash-up, was contained along the entire beach line. Therefore swimming is a risk one has to accept while waist deep in murky brown waters. Plus due to these contained issues, there is always a strong odor of dwad fish and wroten eggs (mostly noticeable in the mornings before the resort staff are actioned to clean the beach front). As this is not the resorts fault, I do not discredit them in any way! They did their best to clean up the sand and water from mother nature's dowel balance.
SCUB was of the best quality and aquatic life I have seen from a resort in which we launched right from the beach at the resort.
Prices of excursions are all a set price (but negotiable)..... There were plenty of options to choose from but the prices were a bit high. Boarder a deal with the representative if you have a group of people going all at once.
Entertainment has a few mixed opinions... There were always activites ongoing, but at a very moderate budget. The resort only played local music, which some may find alluring, but it was hard to dance to if you preferred popular mainstream music. Poolside activities were always ongoing, from yoga to volleyball matches. They were not distracting to anyone just wishing for some quiet time either. As the poll's shape and size allowed a bit of isolation from the noise and visuals.
In summary, if you enjoy taking in the resorts (local feel) then you will enjoy this place. If you are a beach bum, then this is not for you. Due to the stagnant waters, the resort had a constant strong odor of dead fish and rotten eggs. Very noticeable on the first day, but you get used to it very quickly and only notice it in the morning when exiting your room. The resort was clean, had great food, and adequate services. It is a great resort if you want to spend a low budget.
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Sharm -
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Bahia Principe Explore Turquesa: Its was okey.
Our room was nice and spacious and clean. Food overall is okey. Most of their dishes were salty. Service in the buffet was bad. It took them 5-10 mins just to serve you a glass of water. Sometimes we had to remind them again. Its a huge resort (grand bahia it self) you can get lost if you dont pay attention. Beach is 10-15 minute walk from turquesa. Beach was very disappointing theres alot of seaweeds in the shore and in the water. We didnt get to swim in the beach alot because of it. Stayed in [... read more]the pool most of the time but still tried to lay down and take naps by the beach under the huts. Look for IGNACIO in the lobby if you want to do an excursion he's nice and got us some good deals. SAONA ISLAND is a must to see although i was seasick the whole time the place is really beautiful. We also did the buggies i just wish there were more obstacles in the way.
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Private -
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Bahia Principe Explore Legend: Ok resort
The resort was too big and not enough staff. The beach and water was not clean. I won't go back there. The beach smelled like gasoline. The staff were so lazy. There was a dead cockroch in our batheroom. No good.
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Canada -
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Barcelo Bavaro Beach: Clean, good vibe and white sandy beaches.. The best trip I’ve been on.
Starlin is the bomb, everyday he gave us way above average service along with hilarious conversation.. lol.. Thanks man!
The resort is huge, you’ll get that cardio in if you want it although there is a small train that rips back and forth throughout the day like every 10-15 mins.
Two resorts in one, the beach and palace sides.
The beach is like an adult mature kinda vibe, until people get lit.. With a 25+ feel.
The palace is full of the younger side plus parents.. and the club is also on [... read more]this side so you have about a 20-30 min walk there and back from the beach side.
The excursions were ok and kind of expensive.
the rooms are well taken care of with clean white colour and daily serivice, we had no issues with anything and they provide a lot of water daily.
All in all, I’d definitely go back.
Thanks!
The atmosphere was great, the food was super good with many choices. Multiple pools which is great if you want to switch things up! The facility is really big and beautiful! Would totally recommand this resort for any age:)
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Leelee -
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Iberostar Selection Bavaro Suites: Great resort!
Felt safe, very clean! Food was good! One comment is about the night club, seemed as though they have an employee night. With being on a short trip, it did take away one of night entertainment.
Staff were very friendly and definitely return!
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Private -
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Barcelo Bavaro Beach: Resort excellent
The resort is beautiful. The hotel staff are very nice. Food was great. The resort is very clean. Absolutely no complaints.
But, the Air Transat representative at the hotel, Charleston Perez, was extremely rude and not helpful. On speaking with other guests on our flight, they had the same complaint about him.
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EuroRae -
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Iberostar Waves Dominicana: Amazing.
What can I say about this place. Normally I write a novel however this time I won't. The food was plentiful, and beach was immaculate. Service was amazing too! We would go back and book again. Israel our guest service Rep hooked us up. We got champagne 2 times, we were celebrating my husband's 40th birthday. Room: we stayed in the spa junior suite the room was always super clean no issues at all with toilet or water pressure, ac worked fine fridge always stocked and fresh towels lots of tow[... read more]els! The drinks always full of alcohol, not cheap at all on the booze. They have your typical vodka cran, you can get mudslides, gin N tonic and more delicious! Some days the lounge chairs at the beach were sparce, but we always managed to get a spot.
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Private -
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Catalonia Bavaro Resort: Beautiful Resort
The grounds were beautiful, the food on the buffet had good variety. The Japanese and Italian restaurant were delicious. The Rodeo steakhouse needs to be trained better to both serve and cook steaks.
Bartenders were fun and entertaining. Our family would definitely go back to this resort.
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John -
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Now Garden Punta Cana: Some good some not so good...
Tripcentral issues:
A. Shaukath screwed up our honorifics twice and we had to go to
a supervisor to eventually get it resolved.
B. Shaukath screwed up the bedding arrangements royally.
I specified two double/queen beds. EMPHASIZED it several times
as I was travelling with my adult daughter.
Upon our arrival we had been given one king bed.
Kudos to the onsite reception as this was resolved fairly quickly.
BAD on Tripcentral!
Hotel
Bad N[... read more]ews:
1. Rooms were small and configured poorly, i.e., there was no separation from the bedroom and the bathroom.... like no doors to the bathroom area.
2. No chairs to sit on in the bedroom... room being too small for chairs.
Two small chairs on the balcony....very uncomfortable... the type you pay $5 for at Walmart or Target.
3. Television was very small with no HD... not a huge problem, but one that should be remedied.
4. Food across the board very middle of the road.... think pastries from Walmart and buffets a notch or two below Golden Corral.
Mexican was way beyond bad... horrific really.
5. One choice of red and one of white for the white... or pay wildly exorbitant
inflated wine list .... truly a joke.
6. Beach was truly disgusting with huge amounts of seaweed and non-stop
tractors and dump trucks making huge amounts of noise.
7. Coffee shop and everywhere else truly horrific..... and NO 10% cream
8. Pool tended to look dirty with what appeared to be black mould near the
seating area at the bar. A few weird worms swimming in the pool every day.
Good News:
1. Grounds/buildings looked fabulous and well maintained
2. A couple of good meals at the onsite Garden restaurant
3. Drinks with premium liquor readily available with mostly attentive bar tenders
4. Shuttle to Larimar was sufficient
5. Staff were middle of the road ... some good some not so much
6. Transfers from airport ok
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Private -
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Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: amazing trip!
hotel was amazing, services were fantastic, so much to do for the kids, water park was so much fun! food was great, nobody got sick. always so much choice. restaurants were great, but my fave was the Japanese. definitely go there if you can!
my only complaint, and its not even a big one, was that there was tons of seaweed! something going on in the ocean right now so unfortunate you have to deal with that in the water. besides that, the beach was beautiful anyway!
will be going back for [... read more]years to come for sure!
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Private -
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Bahia Principe Escape Aquamarine: Decent resort
In general we had a very decent vacation at Luxury Bahia Principe Ambar Green. We have only positive impressions from the staff and all aspects of the stay but one thing of "force majeure" nature really undermined our positive overall assessment. Probably for many others the ocean and the beach are not the priority of vacation (every day we saw many vacationers lying next to the pool) but for us that is always the one of the top items on the list. And during our stay with that resort the mother [... read more]nature spoiled significantly the attempts of the resort's staff to provide us with the best service: the ocean and shoreline were full of seaweed and the measures taken by resort's staff for cleaning were really insufficient. Certainly they need to focus more on the cleanness of the beach and to provide more resources for prompt shoreline cleaning and to do that in the night but not in the daylight in front of the guests. During our stay we had to lay in the long chairs looking at the beach with the wheel loader running from one end to another.
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Jessica25 -
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Riu Republica: FANTASTIC RESORT!
This hotel was amazing! definitely very lively and relaxing at the same time. My boyfriend and I travelled here for the first time and absolutely loved it. I definitely recommend any Riu Resort. The beach was absolutely wonderful.. the only issue I would say about the beach is to head there super early in the morning to grab a shady spot. If you don't go early enough you won't get a good seat. All around a great hotel, great food, fun games, the swim up bars are fantastic. Definitely 5 star!!
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Pjamies -
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Barcelo Bavaro Beach: A Great Vacation spot in Punta Cana ..
We just got back from the Barcelo Bavaro Beach resort. It was a fantastic resort with a great beach, and
access to it's big brother (The Palace).
This resort is focused on 18+ Adults and I found it to be quite a laid back atmosphere (no kids allowed).
The beach is beautiful, but on our last 2 days there was a large amount of seaweed that washed up, making access to
the water kind'a yucky. There was a cleanup crew, but this amount of seaweed completely overwhelmed them and
if was just left [... read more]for the guests to navigate through to get to the ocean. I am not sure if this is a common problem, but the
hotel needs to find a better way of fixing this in the future.
The beach Palm trees seemed to be very sparse in there shade coverage, so look for smaller palms to hid under, as the sun
is very strong and you will roast quickly (the constant wind makes it seem cooler than it actually is ..)
Our room was great, with a fantastic view of the beach and lawn (get room 5052 if possible, tho it is an upgraded cost)
Only issue I had was with the bathroom shower which uses a half glass wall instead of a shower curtain which will leave a large
puddle of water on the bathroom floor after a shower.
The Food is above average, but does not change from day to day, so get reservations to the other restaurants on the complex.
Suggestions: Chex Gourmet (which is on the complex). It was by far the best restaurant we went to ...
Bring Dress Pants\Shirts\Shoes, as several restaurants only accept casual-formal dress attire .. (saw 2 couples get refused . lol)
(The Restaurant Dinner ticket will state the Dress Attire on it ..)
All other restaurants are at the Palace (a 10min walk or 5min train ride)
Most of the other restaurants are just partial a-la-cart making you have to get your salad and desert yourself.
Other restaurants are actually just cafeterias ..
We did not try the French, Spanish or Mexican restaurants, but was told the Mexican was terrible.
The Casino and Disco plus all shops, etc are at the Palace ..
The Nightlife at the Beach is very basic with only a small stage show which ends at 11pm (suggestion is to go to the Rock-In-Roll
group show, which plays all your favorite 60\70\80's music .. it is actually not bad)
The biggest shows are at the Palace, which has a huge auditorium and lots of seating ..
Tip, you will need to tip your room cleaner (approx $2\day) to get all needed towels swapped out .. we missed doing this
twice, and had to get the front desk to have them deliver extra towels ... (I usually give a tip at the end of the stay, but they like it daily)
Also, tipping your waiter\bartender, etc seems to be the theme here .. (so much for ALL-INCLUSIVE)
SO bring lots of US $1 bills ....
There are no water sports at the Beach, you have to go down to the Palace for that ...(not sure if it costs tho ..)
If you are doing any excursions, suggest the Saona Island and the ATV's
If doing the ATV's, bring fully facial sealed eyewear (think construction safety glasses), as the dust and mud will blind you even with
normal sunglasses on .. trust me on this!!
Saona Island is a Sailing\Speed boat ride to a beautiful island off the DR. You will get lunch and swim time on the island and at a sandy
key in the middle of the ocean. It's lots of fun.. bring suntan lotion, towels, swimsuits, sun hats, etc
There will be local guys there wanting to take pictures of you for inflated prices ($100\approx 80 pics), suggest you do not pay more
than $80!
Don't forget to get together with your Guest Services Rep, as he\she will have good info for you ...