Bahia Principe Explore Esmeralda: Excellent Place to Vacation

Everything at this resort was 5 stars! The people were pleasant the grounds were beyond beautiful, the food was good. We were right on the beach so no need for a long walk or trolley. Very pleased the travel agent recommended this resort for our family!!

Playabachata Hotel: Ok

Grounds and beach was great.. pool ok, no swim up bar.. Service and staff were friendly.. Entertainment crew were good and the evening shows were entertaining.. Buffet were repetitive, mostly the same food every night..

Playabachata Hotel: Disappointing!

This was my 4th visit to this resort. My first visit was ~18 - 20 years ago, when this resort first opened as part of the RIU chain. It was great at first, but with every visit over the years, the resort kept going downhill. My most recent stay (this will be my last) at Playabachatta was disappointing. The bad... The check-in process was way too long. The room smelled of humidity (probably moldy too). The bathroom showed signs of age (cracked tiles, dripping taps, loose handles, etc.). TV re [... read more]mote did not work. The food selection at the buffet restaurants for breakfast, lunch and dinner was very limited. Several times had to wait for clean plates. Food stations were sloppy. Waiters are not attentive (take too long to setup table, bring drinks, etc.). Twice the bars ran out of beer. The buffet restaurants were a major disappointment. The a-la-cart restaurant was worse. Our reservation was for the 2nd seating (forgot the exact time). When we arrived, the restaurant was not ready. The waiters were still cleaning up from the 1st seating. We had to look at the dirty tables and floors for 20 minutes before it was all cleaned up. The waiter who took our order was a bit rude when taking our order for food. The waiter who asked what we wanted to drink forgot to bring them. The food itself was horrible. We ordered "steak" medium-rare. The steak was half steamed and then lightly seared. It was chewy and had no taste. Really, really bad!!! The "nightly entertainment" was not nightly. When there was a show (45 minutes of it)- it was amature and unimpressive. The good... the beach was good.

The Eurostars Grand Cayacoa: Beautiful grounds but needs improvement

The resort and views were absolutely breathtaking. I had a suite room on the first floor in a villa. Room and bathroom was nice in size and decor was simple. Bathroom had a tub with jets which was great but our shower had no pressure. We also had no hot water for 3 days, 2 days it was warm, and maybe 2 days it was actually hot. When i mentioned it they said to run the water for awhile but that never worked. We would've asked to switch rooms but didn't want to repack and waste time so we dealt w [... read more]ith it. We were quite far from the main grounds so we had to use the never ending stairs up because we were on a hill or the trolly which was suppose to come every 5min. I found most times it didn't come that often so we started to call the front to ask for one before leaving our room. As the week went on our wait for the trollys were longer and since it was raining on and off 5 out of the 7 days we were there it became annoying. Buffet had lots of varieties and the chicken was always good but i found the food was inconsistent in the taste and the way it was cooked (eg. Potatoes were cooked well one day but the next they weren't). The a la carte restaurants were amazing especially the surf and turf at the Mediterranean one. The a/c was quite high in them though, almost had to bring a cover to stay warm. We had the golden package and got an extra a la carte but when we booked them a day after landing there were none available for us to book a 4th because they were full. Beach was nice water was clean and no seaweed. Pools were nice but cold (could've been because of the rain though), beach water was actually warmer. Staff were nice and very friendly. Even in the pouring rain one staff member continued doing aerobics by the pool, very devoted staff. All in all we still had fun and made the best of it.

Riu Republica: Terrible resort

Hello Natalie Caya, Thank you, for getting back to me, as for our trip to the Riu Republica on January 14 to the 21, i would like to share my disappointment on a 5 star hotel , 1. the food was terrible and cold, not at all rated for a 5 star 2. 2 days no beach towels, had to sit on chairs all day with no towels 3. no hot water one whole day 4. only local drinks, limited choice 5. no service and long wait 6. no umbrellas , it rained most days and we had to walk in the rain I have bee [... read more]n to 3 and 4 star hotels and believe me they were much better than this 5 star hotel. the couple that we were with say a 50 % downgrade. i would rate it less than 3 star

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Excellent Value for the price paid. Loved our 9th visit!

Hotel: Love the layout, it is compact and within 5 minutes you can be from the lobby, main pool, your room and to the beach. Rooms are very clean. There are 3 floors (and I believe a 4th floor in one area) and no elevator, so if you need the main floor, email prior to going and request it. There is a small fridge, and you get one pespi, 7up, water and 2 cans of beer each day (they have Diet Pespi at the bars). There is no coffee maker and there is a hair dryer in bathroom. There are only 2 [... read more] small drawers and a few shelves for your clothing. They do have some hangers in the closet, but I bring my own for all my tops/dresses. Maids do a great job in cleaning each day. Food: We love the food here and that is why we returned for our 9th visit. (and going back again in April). The buffet food has lots of variety (and yes, it will feel repetitive, buy only because they offer lots of options). We enjoy all 3 of the al la carts. We book them upon arrival for as many nights is available. If you struggle to get into one, you can always go to the restaurant at night to check and see if they have had any cancellations (which happens often) to see if they can take you. They provide excellent service and food at all 3 of them. The main buffet has really good service as well (There is always a manger on site who is overseeing the staff to make sure you are getting your water/tea/coffee). You have to keep in mind that on really busy times of the day you may have to wait a little longer to get your table and service, which is understandable. Drinks: We do not buy the “royal” package; therefore, the alcohol is not premium, however we enjoy the drinks here. All the bartenders are very pleasant and will mix any type of drinks if you don’t see it on the menu. Its nice they have the blenders, so they can make those blender drinks for you as well. Beach: yes, there are lots of venders on the beach. Some people are annoyed by them to the point of not wanting to come back, while others, like us have gotten to know them over the years. I get a massage from Anna, nails done by Lilly and my silver jewelry with Pedro everytime…lol. My husband loves to sit and chat with the most of the vendors who are generally nice people. The beach itself is always kept clean. There are areas in front that have coral and if you bring your snorkel/mask, you will love to see the coral and fish. We love that you can walk long distances on either sides of the beach and not limited to just the resort. There was a lot of wind and some rain when we went, and that makes a difference in that the water was not as clear as the sand gets stirred up. If you walk along the beach I think you will find that this resort is the calmer side and much cleaner. Entertainment: The entertainment team work very hard and we recognize that based on the amount of money we spend to go here we don’t expect that they bring in outside entertainment. Remember that there is no disco on site (one just outside the resort at the mall where you buy your own drinks). But people tend to just stay around the lobby and drink after the evening shows. Service: It is the service and food that brings us back to this resort. We did have one issue with one of our rooms and although we called maintenance twice, they could not figure where the water was leaking from. By the third time, they figured it out and offered to move the group to an even nicer room to make up for the inconvenience. So many of the staff go above and beyond and too many to name…. The only improvement I would recommend is having more umbrellas (especially around the pools). If they had umbrellas between every set of chairs, that would eliminate the people playing the towel/reserving game. So frustrating that when you want to come back from the beach in the afternoon, that you cannot find shade anywhere by the pool. Tipping- Some may say that we only receive excellent service because we tip a lot, but we actually tip when we have received good service. A tip goes a long way for them, and they truly appreciate it. We tend to book this resort when the price is $1000 or less (from Toronto) and we feel for the price paid, it is excellent value. (Keep in mind that if your looking for under$ 1000, the only options are usually Cuba and Puerta Plata for a 4 star). We have travelled to many resorts and keep coming back to this one for the excellent value for the amount paid. See you in April!! 😊

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: great place

the nite music is far to loud lots of french who leave their manners at home finger in the soup then their mouth sorting the bacon with their hands then into their mouth lick clean and repeat arrive at d r airport behind 2 other planes 45 min to clear customs then sit on a bus in the parking lot for 40 min waiting to fill bus

Whala Bayahibe: Great resort

This is the second time I’ve been to this resort and I love it! It’s clean, fun and friendly staff, some of them actually remember me from my first trip there, and the food was great, and it was the perfect resort for what I needed!

Sunscape Puerto Plata: 7th visit!

Beautiful grounds. Friendly staff. Love the beach in this area. We get the suite everytime. Love having breakfast with Norberto and crew. After dinner drinks with Luis. All the staff are wonderful. We like that it is 15 minutes from airport.

Casa Marina Reef Resort: Not so great resort

I wish I had known more about the resort before I booked it was ok but the food I expected better, the two other times I went to the Dominican, food was 100% better staff was more friendly , smaller lobby than I’m used to, they kept running out of towels,I made the most of it and although I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, I did enjoy myself

Sunscape Puerto Plata: Excellent vacation destination in the Dominican Republic

Excellent resort with very friendly staff.Excellent buffet with a varied selection of food plus 3 other restaurants offering Asian,Italian and Argentinian menus.Pool and beach bars for great lunches and snacks and drinks. 2 pools and a great beach.Can not stress how wonderful and helpful the staff are at this resort!

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: It’s okay

The resort on the hold was OK there was a lot of stairs and a very narrow area that was not VIP. I don’t think will ever visit that again porta Plata was nice but that resort I would look for a different one the people were nice the servers were very very good just too many stairs

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Had a great time!!

We had a great time at the resort. Everything was always very clean and the staff were incredibly accommodating. The beach was great! The water just depends on the weather of course but regardless it was great for swimming, very clean. Juan, the bartender at the tiki bar, was our favourite of the staff!! He is so friendly and his drinks were always perfect!! We would come back just for Juan!!

Royalton Punta Cana Resort: Stunning resort

Great accommodations, great food and friendly service, the family had a great time. Awesome water park for the kids. Beach area was fabulous and well maintained. Grounds were immaculate. Will be definitely going back.

Catalonia Royal Bavaro: Great adults only resort

The resort was very clean and attractive. The employees were attentive. There were lots of choices for food service and the food was consistently good. The Sunwing representative was helpful but not pushy. The nightly entertainment was relaxing.

Royalton CHIC Punta Cana: Great time

The Chic punta Cana has excellent food and drinks. Most of the staff is happy and welcoming. I think the hotel is need of some repairs as it is starting to show it’s age. We missed having a bathroom door to close off from the main room.

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Great Resort for Value Minded Travelers

After doing much research on where to get a decent resort at a reasonable price - VH Vantana was the winner and we were not disappointed. We were able to book 14 days for $1550 Canadian for first 2 weeks January. We arrived from the airport in good time - hotel being 25 minutes from the airport. We had requested rooms side by side with friends on upper floor. Unfortunately, the ones assigned were facing the noisy entertainment square- but after 2 more tries, we got a great superior room fac [... read more]ing beach trees on ocean side- thanks Edward. We got room 2228 - convenient to beach - pool and restaurants with an ocean view - and when it rained, we could walk under cover to entertainment- restaurant and lobby. Beds and pillows were comfortable. The resort is about 30 years old which would make a lot of people shy away from it - but management takes good care of the property - so there were not too many issues even though water went off for a few hours one day - power went off another day momentary - and rooms needed to be sprayed with pesticide while we were there Age shows in some areas but management tries hard to keep things in order. The food was very good - 3 a-la-carte restaurants. Restaurants have a good selection without too many frills and extras - but there something for everyone. I must say that the red table wine was terrible - many glasses were left on tables. And they want to sell you bottles of wines in many places for double the price you pay in Canada. They also need a better sports bar – they only had 1 TV ny the pool bar. The service was slow at times at the pool bar - due to volume. The entertainment group tried hard but it was terrible 90% of the time. The water ballet was ok and the Karaoke was funny. The local’s pedlars do roam the beach but that didn’t bother us much. The beach was very nice and lounge chairs were available most times. If you like walking – the beach cove is a great walk both ways with lots of natural habitat to explore. We met many people that where repeat customers- so this place has something going for it and we loved it as well. It’s not the biggest or fanciest resort we’ve been to - and the ocean can be rough at times - but the size of the resort was perfect and the people and staff very friendly. This resort appeals to young families- singles and retirees as well. I figure that 75% of the customers were Canadian – no wonder it’s a friendly crowd 😊 We’ll probably return if the price is right.

Iberostar Selection Bavaro Suites: Just OK

The property was beautiful, the entertainment was well done and the food was good. However, the English communication was very poor amongst the staff. We had trouble several times getting the information we required. French is certainly the preferred language after Spanish. Also, as the resort seemed to draw a large number of smokers and smoking was allowed everywhere it was very uncomfortable as non smokers being around a lot of cigar smokers as appears to be the custom for many. I would  [... read more]recommend the Iberostar Pariso Beach over the Dominican location.

Royalton Punta Cana Resort: We love Royalton

My boyfriend and I have stayed at our fair share of Royalton Resorts and we love the experience. The Punta Cana resort is a little older than some of the other Royalton’s we’ve stayed at in the past. Rooms and showers are a bit tinier but still nicely presented! What we loved: El Dorado restaurant Memories Splash Being Diamond/ hideaway guests - all the snacks and drinks Ariel from the Hideaway pool bar was Amazing!!! The struggles: We had troubles with the safe - easy f [... read more]ix We paid for an upgrade but didn’t quite get what we paid for initially. Angel and Stefani the manager were amazing and helped us get the perfect room in the end! Overall it was a good experience!

Excellence El Carmen: Superb Resort

The hotel offered amazing service from start to finish. The staff is always willing to help and go above and beyond for all guest. The food was amazing and hotel was very clean. The spa is well worth a try and French dinner was great. Lots of food choices.