Wyndham Alltra Samana: Disappointed on my third stay

Just returned from a week in Grand Paradise Samana. This is the third time we have stayed here over the past 7 years..unfortunately it will be our last visit. Some things have improved since our last trip..The quality of food is certainly better and the new pool area is very nice, but some things have changed for the worse. Since our last visit they have implemented a tiered guest system.. with "select","premium" and everyone else. If you happen to go as a regular visitor the experience is as a  [... read more]third class citizen. The management of the main dining hall is the best example. It used to be the whole dining area was open to everyone. Now more than half is reserved for select or premium guests leaving only half available for the rest of the guests. So while half the dining area was virtually empty the regulars were crowded into a too small area with tables so close you were constantly being knocked by passers by. If you did not get to the buffet (either breakfast, lunch or dinner) as soon as it opened you would be lucky to get a table. People were sitting at tables with no place settings or often sat down at a table that others had just left before it was cleared to get a spot. The upshot of all this was dining was more of a cattle call than a relaxed dining experience...meanwhile we gazed longingly at the dozens of empty tables on the other side of the dining room. It also seemed to have affected the staff.. who on previous visits were outgoing and friendly. That does not seem true anymore. They seemed remote and generally unhappy. Maybe it had to do with the fact that seemed more about policing who could do what and go where under the tiered system than actually providing a service to the guests. I don't blame the front line people. I think they are just as unhappy about this as I was. The laid back, friendly vibe I returned for has gone :( The natural surroundings both on the property and around it are stunning..It is truly a beautiful area. I have recommended this hotel many times over the years to friends who want a relaxed vacation in a beautiful setting but I cannot in good consciousness recommend it anymore. I will not be going back

Viva Tangerine by Wyndham: Nice resort

Staff are very friendly and helpful. This resort is spotless , always being kept clean. Beautiful view from almost anywhere on the resort. We would return for sure ! Very close to town , nice walk on the beach into Cabaret . Short drive to Sosua or just stay and relax on the beach. Always a chair available .

Dreams Onyx Resort and Spa: Excelent resort !!!

Such a wonderful and amazing resort! Everything was perfect. Beautiful public area and grounds, large rooms with a good view, friendly staff, Delicious and varied dishes, very nice restaurants and bars with various foods and drinks, lovely beaches and very clean pools, happy night parties, everything was good, we enjoyed so much and recommend to all. we wish to go there again in the future.

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: Amazing resort

The senator spa resort hotel is a great place to stay if you decide to go to the deminacan republic I had a awesome time & the staff we very professionally outstanding team thank you all Jackie chan .

Presidential Suites Cabarete: Wonderful place!

The grounds are directly on a main road running through Cabarete so very noisy. This is a new hotel so everything is still shiny and new and well maintained. The room we had was very spacious and up to date. The pools were very nice, clean and cool. The beach would disappear with the tide on many occasions and there were days when you could not get on the beach. The staff were all very good. Mosquito, lizbeth were especially fun and entertaining. Great fresh food at all the restaurants, great fo [... read more]od overall.

Emotions by Hodelpa Juan Dolio: Appearances aren’t everything!!

Starting with getting off the bus the hotel looks great. The walls are freshly painted, landscape was nicely trimmed. The lobby is very small. There were 2 bus loads of people to check in. 4 staff working the check in counter. The staff were pretty decent at English. There were no rooms available at that time, we all had to come back a couple hours later to get our rooms. They did give us our bracelets so that we could go get food. On our way to go get food a timeshare guy was hounding us pr [... read more]etending he wasn’t timeshare. When they did give us our room we had no towels and only got one room key. Internet was very poor. Hardly ever worked. Internet connection with no access. The back pool was vacuumed every day. Adult pool had a dead gecko in it for 2 days, and was only cleaned once in the whole week. Jacuzzi was full of sand. All pools and jacuzzis were super cold. Ocean was warmer. Music was way too loud at the main pool. Not as many restaurants as advertised. Easy to book dinner reservations. Buffet had a limited selection. A la carte restaurant food was always over cooked. Service was painfully slow.... 3 hours for a meal at the Mexican. Lunch and dinner buffets were pretty much the same foods. No variety day to day either. Bar had not much of a selection for drinks. Bartenders were not very good with English. Bar menu had 12 drinks. Each bartender made the drinks differently. Disposable cups were great, meant no lipstick on “washed” glasses. Beach was well kept. Local sales people hounded you at the beach all day. Always hustling. Wouldn’t take no for an answer. Hotel allowed local sales guys to set up markets strategically at spots you had to walk through in order to get to the beach or main pool or restaurants.... no other way around. The rooms were a good size, clean, updated. Some people had clothing go missing from their bags. Safe was too small. No towel rack on the balcony. Deadbolt didn’t work on the door. Archery and the bicycle tour was great. Evening entertainment was hardly ever in English. Resort is very French driven. English were excluded from activities. 90% of the staff were professional and courteous. Some staff mocked us when we couldn’t speak their language, being pretty rude about it.

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Amazing resort

Tres bon service. le personnel est a notre ecoute. L endroit tres propre n. Nouriture tres bon et beaucoup de choix. Les seveurs nous reconnaisaient apres 2 jours et encore plus apres 1 ans. Tres belle accueille.

Caribe Deluxe Princess: On the best section of beach in Punta Cana!

This resort is safe with good security and quite beautiful with a colourful rustic flare in design (departing from the average white of every other hotel around). The biggest drawback about Punta Cana in general is that everyone is trying to sell you something. Everyone seems to get a cut of whatever they can convince you to buy whether it be an excursion...(beware of Sunwing right from the get go convincing you to go elsewhere...long bus rides and never worth it to us) to peddlers on the beach  [... read more]shoreline. They are not allowed onto the property itself so rarely do they bother you here compared to anytime you may leave the resort. But if you are interested in purchasing something everyone is ready to barter if you have the time and patience. There are gorgeous mangroves throughout the expansive property laden with all types of organic flora and fauna.....pink flamingos and various other gorgeous creatures in the various ponds en route to your hotel room. Several peacocks show up at the Crepery (very good crepes) around 5pm each day for some bread crumbs, lots of kittens around too making having a coffee most enjoyable...(and you can get a latte there pretty much any time through the day which they don't mention). You can walk the various paths or just catch the train trolley running about every 10 minutes, but be sure to be at a "stop" for some drivers may not stop for you if you just try to flag one down. It can be confusing figuring out where you are some of the time the paths are so curvy and intertwined. We stayed in a suite for the extra space with a lovely view overlooking the quiet pool with partial sea view. We would leave our door ajar a bit at night to sleep to the sound of the water but this year it was rainy there so we let in some mosquitos and got bit, never saw a single one when we did this last year when it rarely rained.These rooms are in a little rough shape and are due for the renovations that will be coming up in June when they close for 6 mths to re-do all the rooms at the resort. The staff there on the whole are very accommodating and friendly. Their earnings are so minimal they really rely on your generosity to tip to earn any sort of living so most try hard. We tried to tip a little as much as possible based on how much extra they genuinely did make our stay pleasant. We took a particular shine to Theresa at the excellent Brazilan, Rodizzio, and Crepery and most particularly Emilio, a true gentleman, who really created the best atmosphere and made our stay very enjoyable in his company...always going the extra mile for us. You will find that everyone there works at different places doing different jobs at times as well. Because it is a "Club" type of resort it attracts a lot of party people that like to drink. The entertainment at the resort pretty much caters to these people. The performers/dancers in the nightly shows are very good but the program is rather dated, lacking a certain sophistication we are accustomed to at home...The Michael Jackson show is not to be missed though! There were very few cultured type people when we first arrived but it improved as the week progressed. The food on the whole is very good and we heard was better than most of the higher end hotels in the area. Drinks pour all day. The resort will soon be priced out after the renovations so if you can find a deal now best to take it. The beach is the nicest we found in the entire area! Hope you have good weather!

The Eurostars Grand Cayacoa: Not bad but can be improved

Small and quiet so one doesn’t need to fight for beach chairs. A bit disappointed by the buffet seafood choices (only fish and squid). The shower only has warm water, so don’t expect to take a nice hot shower. Lack of facilities for kids. However overall an enjoyable trip and j will give it a 4 /5.

Barcelo Bavaro Beach: Great resort

This is an excellent resort. The adults only portion of the complex is also a very nice feature. There is lots of walking is required but there is a shuttle available if needed. Nightly entertainment is also very good. Punta Cana beaches are always well maintained.

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: BEAUTIFUL RESORT

Great Beach and Pools! Food was fantastic and great selection. Great presentation! Plus you have special thened restaurants to reserve. Staff was friendly and accommodating. What more can you ask for ! I would highly recommend this resort !

Playabachata Hotel: Okay

The hotel is set on a beautiful location with a nice beach and clear waters. The food was okay, there was very little different items from day to day and as long as you don't mind eating the same thing over and over again for a week you will be ok. Outside of a few limit staff members that were friendly(in the buffet section) the rest were hostile when you tried to speak to them. Almost like you were wasting their time. The room was dirty from the moment we got there til we left. We asked for ne [... read more]w sheets as the ones we had were stained and had a died bug on it..still waiting on those. The white towels had stains we were never given a facecloth and the toilet was gross. Would I go back to this hotel for the view yes for two waiters that were beyond nice yes....for any other reason not a chance.

Blau Natura Park Resort: Great resort!

When you first arrive you are welcomed in with a warm relaxing atmosphere. Check in was a breeze although we did have to wait for our room to be ready. They stored our luggage for us as we went to the lunch buffet and got a few drinks. When we got into our room we realized it was much bigger then expected, with 2 double beds, a couch and table there was still plenty of room. The beds were hard as rocks as we do find this is common in most resorts we have stayed at. The beach was beautifu [... read more]l and we spent most of our time lounging along the shore or splashing around the ocean. There is also a pool with a swim up bar. The bar had a rain fall to walk through which I wasn't a huge fan of but could appreciate the thought by it. The pool was usually dead or filled with children. They did have afternoon activities by the pool that looked like great fun. The buffets were fantastic. Breakfast was made up of the same stuff, but still good. I didn't visit the lunch one very much during my stay but when I did I was very satisfied with my options, they always had pizza! Dinner was my favorite, something new every night to choose from and the chicken was amazing! We went to one a la carte and was very happy with the food and service at luna steak house. The meat was cooked perfectly and very tender. Servers were great and served us 4 or 5 bottles of champagne with dinner, a great night all around. The nightly entertainment was very amusing and indeed entertaining even though we didn't understand everything that was being said. I believe most of the guests during our stay were from Russia and Spain while we are Canadian. It was a great experience to meet people from all over even if there was a language barrier. There are animals everywhere and they are beautiful. I just love peacocks and flamingos. This was a good resort but could do with a few upgrades to be an even better one.

Excellence El Carmen: Birthday Celebrations

We had a good stay at Excellence El Carmen, but was a little underwhelmed with the resort. We had higher expectations for food quality and variety based on the hotels website descriptions. Upgraded excellence option keeps you close to the pools and beaches with large spacious rooms.

Riu Republica: Not a 5-star resort to me. Descriptions of resort features are misleading.

Extremely disappointed with the quality of this resort. We feel lied to and duped on many fronts To me, this is not a 5 star resort by any stretch of the imagination. First there is almost no aesthetic appeal to the property itself. It's a very clinical mega resort. To be fair I gathered as much from the pictures but was hoping it was going to be better. The room was ok but we were in the back section of the hotel. If you have a room anywhere near the theatre area you will be awake till the  [... read more]party ends. It's loud. "All Inclusive 24 hours" - No room service. No ability to order. The sports bar is the only place for 24 hour food and I wish I could upload a picture that did this justice. Barely any food there. A pan of hot dogs in water, a pan of hamburger patties in smelly water, nachos with cheese sauce, and then cold premade, cellophane wrapped sandwhiches. That is it folks. Pathetic. A la carte restaurants are buffet style in non themed rooms that just resemble an extension of the main buffet seating. Zero ambiance. No background music at all. No outdoor seating. "Premium branded drinks throughout the hotel" is advertised. Everything is local brands. Brucal rum, vodka, gin. Seriously we saw a bottle of Smirnoff vodka, a bottle of very cheap scotch, and some Campari. There is absolutely not a single bottle of top shelf liquor at any bar here. No exaggeration. WTH?? Nearly all staff don’t even speak basic English and a smile is rare to see. They are just unhappy to be here and any request made of them, even with a please thank you, is met with just a dead pan reaction. I am at a loss to understand the positive reviews about service... did we stay at the same resort? Paid reviews? We brought $80 in US $1 bills to tip and other than cleaning ladies and some rare staff we didn't dole much out. "ADULTS ONLY hotel, exclusive to adults over 18 years old / Spring breaker policies". This is a policy that is clearly not enforced and to be fair I don't expect they could enforce this? Significant amount of people here from Jan 18-25 were a drunken mess and loud nuisance. I am not a prude and expect everyone should have a good time but this was over the top - girls/guys gone wild garbage. Entire pools turned into displays of debauchery with dozens of drink cups floating/spilled in the pool. No cutting people off for drinks (we saw several people unconscious and that needed medical attention). Seriously? No lifeguards on the beach and no signs that we saw to indicate that. An older man from the hotel died by drowning on January 21 - staff are poorly trained to deal with emergencies. The beach is nice. On the rougher side compared to further down the Punta Cana stretch of beach. Tons of beach chairs which is great but they are all stacked up on the beach at the front of the huts blocking views. There is no staff to help get chairs and brush them off (sand/water). 5 star... really!!? No beach side service. They occasionally (maybe once every 1.5 hours) walk around with a tray with 30 drinks on them. Rush. No orders. No pool side service other than on the rarest of cases. The steakhouse was so gross we walked out halfway through dinner. Could barely cut the steak (only one type available - I think it was ribeye) and it needed like a minute or two of chewing before swallowing. Oddly enough the Italian restaurant serves beef tenderloin that is very good. Clearly RIU has a source on good steak, why serve garbage? The location is very secluded so you are really trapped unless you want to pay $40 USD to go to town and $40 USD to get back. You are literally on the edge of the strip of hotels (only hard rock is past the RIU resort). I’ve travelled to the Carribean for over 20 years and never once stayed in such a poorly presented place. No wonder Punta Cana tourism is down substantially...murders aside, the problem is most of the people working on this resort couldn't can’t care less. Will be spending my vacation time and money outside DR and never on a RIU property again. Management is lacking in every respect. I mentioned these concerns in passing to Sunwing, they were good about trying to engage the hotel. Sunwing offered me a $50 credit if I filled out a long form and signed away my first born - no thanks. Pass. We did meet with the RIU hotel manager and while he was generally disinterested and just made excuses (didn't write a thing down) they did offer to transfer us to the RIU palace on day 5 but we didn't want to move with 2 days left. Lastly, only noticed on the day before I was going back to Canada in winter, the hotel cleaning staff stole an expensive wool sweater I had brought. I engaged the manager on duty and hotel staff and they just were not interested in the issue. Tons of excuses. Sickening. P.S. From my wife - There is no shampoo provided, not one single day we were there. There is body wash in the shower - maybe they expect you to use that. 5 star folks - riiiiiight.

Riu Republica: Riu Republica 5 star

Hotel was 5 star no complaints. Quiet pool and party pool..adults only resort...food was awesome..buffet and sit down restaurants..room was spacious with balcony...beach was long and sand was like brown sugar no rocks or coral very comfortable on the feet...lots of activities...night shows were entertaining...you didn’t have to leave the resort..would go back again...love the Riu

Occidental Caribe: Awsome Resort!!!

This is the 2nd time my husband and I have been to this resort, the first time was 14yrs ago when it was Breezes and both times we really enjoyed it there. This time we were a group of 9 people ranging in age from 18 to 74 & all of us really enjoyed the resort, the food was good, the resort was clean & the staff were amazing. We would differently go back!!!

Royalton Bavaro Resort and Spa: Nice resort

The hotel amenities were very good ...loved the lazy river.....the rooms were very nice.......the buffet was very lacking and the fact we had to wait to be seated was not good ....I didnt like the fact there was only one buffet for breakfast for such a large resort and I didn't like the fact the diamond club would be seated first and we had to wait. The a la carts the food was wonderful but the biggest downfall was the service in this resort ...they were very slow .....it made it not so nice con [... read more]sidering we paid for a 5 star resort....I have travelled extensively and would go to other 5 star resorts over this one

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: All in all a nice vacation

Hotel rooms- a little dated but still ok Food- only ate at the buffets but was happy with the selection and quality Beach- busy but fantastic Service- impeccable if you tipped. Extremely friendly staff Insects- only at dusk and late evenings at the lobby. Bug spray helps. No issues with sand bites at the beach. Entertainment- very good. The evening shows were great for the entire family. Drinks- not too strong but probably a good thing to control over consumption. Merchants- overwhelmin [... read more]g. It seemed as though someone is always trying to sell you something Overall rating - 7/10 . Would probably go back if it was priced below $1,000 for the week but would not pay more as there are better resorts available...but it was still a good trip

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Resort was good

Hotel was good,service was good! Did not like the half naked girls that looked underage dancing in the casino I feel of this is a family resort then this should. Or be allowed. I also didn’t like that people left their trash and plastic cups on the beach that ended up in the ocean. I think they should charge $1 for plastic cups and they get a refund when it’s brought back.