Melia Caribe Beach Resort: Average Resort

We stayed at this resort the week of April 13th to 20th, 2018. This is an older resort with nice mature grounds. Upon arrival we were unimpressed by the lobby but was clean. We arrived around noon and tried to check in after a considerable wait - not due to any huge crowds but due to “system issues”. After some time we received our bracelets and were told to return around 3 because our room was not ready. So a good part of day 1 was wasted at the lobby. When we returned close to 3 t [... read more]here was another huge lineup. Eventually we got our room. It was clean but average. Food was ok, unless you’re really picky you’ll find something. Don’t have any complaints about the staff at the restaurants, they all work long days and we’re very attentive for the most part. We ate at most of the a la cartes and they were ok. We never had to wait for a table but this could’ve been because the resort was not full. I sense this would not be the case during the busy season. The beach is lovely and there were always many chairs available. Again possibly because the resort was not at capacity. There wasn’t too much in terms of fun games and activities at the beach, there were some activities at the pool but nothing like I’ve seen at other resorts. Evening entertainment at the theatre was average. What we did enjoy was that they had a variety of live musicians and singers performing at one of the lobby bars every evening near the main lobby. The resort is really large but they do have trollies circling the resort on a regular basis. These are not the typical golf cart looking ones but actually look like little trains with a caboose. Bottom line, the resort was ok, wasn’t the best nor the worst we’ve stayed at in Punta Cana. Had I not got a really good last minute deal, I would’ve been disappointed but for what we paid, it was ok. Special mention to our travel agent Victoria Sullivan who was very responsive and attentive whenever I had questions.

Bahia Principe Grand Bavaro: Nothing but positive

This resort is by far one of best we have ever visited. We were here for ten days and have nothing but positive to report. From the rooms, getting around the resort, the staff, all positive. For the size of this resort it is very well organized, the food was top notch and no waiting at the buffet to fill your plate. Probably one of the most impressive things was how clean everything was. Again for the size it was incredible how clean any public area was including washrooms that were imaculant. [... read more] Would certainly return to this property.

Bahia Principe Escape Aquamarine: Somewhat above average resort!

This was our third visit to the Ambar Resorts, but this had its problems: - No Malbec red wine, nor Italian red wines throughout the entire resort! - Irish folk music being played at the Italian specialty restaurant and no Pasta & Meatballs! - Ordered Shiraz red wine at the French restaurant.......brought to our table ice cold, my food order was mistaken for another client, my wife ordered braised duck served in puff pastry..........it was served on SHREDDED WHEAT!..........Requeste [... read more]d our bill and left without any dinner!

Excellence Punta Cana: Excellent Resort

What can I say that has not been said already. This was our first time at the Excellence Punta Cana. We have stayed at the Excellence in Mexico and knew what we should be getting and we were not disappointed. From the time we arrived we were welcomed with open arms. The staff were very friendly and accommodating. The newly renovated rooms are nice and clean. The food was excellent from the buffet to the restaurants. The beach was fantastic and you could go for walks along the beach withou [... read more]t any issues. We were a group of 10 and no matter where we went at night time for our meals they were very accommodating. thanks to the help of Yaritzabel who helped in making this possible. The only drawback was that there were no floaties for the pool. I know this is minor but for a non swimmer it meant that I did not spend to much time in the water. All in all if you have not tried an Excellence please do you will not be disappointed.

Ancora Private Residence Yacht Club and Marina: Great Family Resort

We just returned from our 7 night vacation at the Alsol Luxury Village and loved every minute of our stay. I booked an all-inclusive package with Air Transat departing from Toronto. I did a lot of research on this resort before booking. The room: was clean and so spacious. We booked a 2 bedroom. It was perfect for our family - 2 adults and 2 boys 8 and 10. Housekeeping always promptly made up our room, and the fridge was stocked with water and pop. We always had an adequate supply of towe [... read more]ls and face cloths as well. The room was one of the main reasons I chose this resort, and it certainly met my expectations in very way. Only negative, not much on TV, but we had brought DVDs and had Netflix, so no issue. The food: I read of a lot of negative things about the food and personally we never had any problems, we were always full and enjoyed every meal. Even my kids, whom have never left Canada, were satisfied. Really something for everyone, and I found the service at all of the restaurants friendly and quick. We ate at Mariners buffet, Italian, Steak and the Alsol poolside grill. There are no issues making dinner reservations you just have to check the daily newsletter to see what is open each morning. We did try room service once and it was quick and very good also. That is a very nice included feature and loved having the option available. The pool: we used the main pool at Luxury the most. We did go over to Tiara to use the beach once, which we found adequate but boys did not enjoy the salt water and preferred the swimming pool. There are multiple pools available, and the main pool at Luxury was used was fantastic, never had to rush to find a nice spot and it was never busy or crowded at all. The beach is small and man-made, I don't think typical of many Dominican resorts so as long as you know this in advance. Activities: The activity staff at the pool were wonderful, my boys loved all the games played and winning the certificates. They loved using the ping pong table. We attended only one evening show, on our last night ... the circus performance which was good. We did use the beach shuttle once during our stay. Not the best experience but this was absolutely no fault of the hotel. They provided the shuttle as promised, but shortly after we arrived very bad weather moved in and we were stuck there, on the beach in the pouring rain. We paid for a taxi to come back and all was fine. We had a very quick photo session one day at the pool, where a photographer from the Tiara side came around. It was very quick, there was no pressure to buy, they did the shoot with us and then said if we wanted to see the pictures/buy, to come over to the Tiara. I did of course and ended up purchasing ... I thought the price was fair, and they are very nice pictures, good quality. I heard him say he has a monkey, a snake and a parrot that he alternates each time he is out doing shoots. We had the monkey that day, he took some pictures with the monkey and some just with us. Overall, we had an absolutely wonderful time. We did provide some tips, but nothing over the top and not every time. The staff really do provide excellent, very friendly service and when we did tip it was well deserved. We would most definitely return and recommend to anyone who is considering the resort. I hope we are lucky enough to return again next year.

Catalonia Bavaro Resort: Excellent !

Lovely grounds, good restaurants. Very relaxing, nice pool and beach. Bars and, in particular, snack bar and pizzeria was excellent. Really enjoyed our time there and would go back again in the future.

Bahia Principe Explore Esmeralda: Beautiful resort

The hotel was wonderful and clean but the best part was the staff. They were absolutely incredible from being friendly to extremely helpful and efficient. I would love to go back just to see the staff again.

Majestic Colonial Punta Cana Beach Resort: Incredible experience!

Service was outstanding and the grounds were immaculate! The scale of the resort was amazing. We enjoyed it immensely! We would definitely come back again and plan to book in the future! Thank you for everything!

Occidental Caribe: Friendly Staff and Fun resort

The hotel is very big, it has a lot of good amenities such as sports bar, kids zone, kids pool, and the best part is pool bar:) The buffet is ok but the alacarte was really good. The staff works hard and friendly. The entertainement in the theater was great. However, the day entertainment by the pool area can be improve. They have pool bubble party every Saturday and Sunday night beach party were both amazing. The grounds keeper worked the hardest and unfortunately dont get the credits they dese [... read more]rve. The room we have was oceanfront but gave us a double bed and our room was above the French restaurant and you can hear pots and pans at all times in the room. We requested a new room with a king but the view isnt as great. The room is clean they maintain the room everyday and fresh towels daily. Our last day the we didnt have hot water we called the front desk but we were checking out anyway so we ended up just having a cold shower. Guest Services were all very accomodating with the dinner reservations and booking alacarte is never a hassle. The beach is pristigne, clean, and no seaweed compare to other resorts beside it. We walked about 3 miles along the beach to the market and we found that Occidental Caribe had the best beach and sand. Also, the beach isnt very crowded because the beach area is big. The buffet workers and chef are so friendly, but I wish the coffee and water can be a bit hotter in the morning. Overall experience in this resort was amazing. Both big pools are kept clean and maintain. Love the pool bar and the bartender is super friendly.

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Great time

Overall our stay was more then I had expected, with this being my first time outside if Nova Scotia to south, I was very happy. The first day I was very nervous and overwhelmed but by day 2 the staff and management team were so helpful and understanding with the needs of there guest I could tell this was a safe and heart warming resort, they were very quick to the needs of the guest. I would recommend it to anyone going to Punta Cana.

Royalton Bavaro Resort and Spa: Amazing place

Awesome food and staff. Rooms were clean and spacious. Staff were friendly and helpful. Zen restaurant was great but inconvenient to make a reservation. A better system for this at the A la carte restaurants would help. Loved hunters steak house and Riu grill as we as the seafood restaurant. The flow rider was awesome.

Excellence Punta Cana: great location

room grounds dining all 5star location although great too far from the airport dining was good not great excellence mujeres by far the better resort a small problem with smokers no control over where their supposed to light up

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Punta Cana: Second Visit

It was just okay this year. We are a family that has returned to Dominican every year for 10 years. Last year we decided to go to Hard Rock and we were blown away on how great it was. That being said when you return to the same resort you usually get a few added perks in our experience for example last time we returned after the last year at another resort we got the same rooms as the prior year. In this situation we actually got absolutely nothing for returning to our surprise. We h [... read more]ad two groups and they put us in rooms in section 1 and 7 and this was 10 min away from each other. Now after that to be honest the resort is amazing. The food is great but they now require reservations for a few but it just requires some planning. The service you get from the pool side is great. We will return again but will be a little more careful around room bookings.

Sunscape Dominican Beach: Average resort it’s a 4-

Grounds beautiful, pools good, beaches are always clean, food average, good service was not consistent and no reservations at Al a carte painful for waiting. Upgrading to VIP at sun Club is a BIG JOKE and nowhere worth the money! Even though it’s not a resort we would go back to and things we didn’t like it was a great vacation. Nathaniel and Juan were excellent around the pool and very hard working. We met great guests, fantastic weather and had lots of fun and laughs!

Ocean Blue and Sand: Ocean Blue Sand Resort

We were very happy with the resort. It was beautiful. The rooms were very clean, the staff were very friendly, food was great. Beach was amazing. The pools were amazing. The drinks were good. Wouldn't recommend the steak house. The wait for dinner was extremely long. Grounds were beautiful. I would definately return to this resort without hesitation.

Breathless Punta Cana Resort: Second stay/ wedding week

This was a our second stay at Breathless Punta Cana. Our first stay was April 2015. We chose Breathless as our wedding destination because we loved it so much! The hotel is clean, the staff are friendly, and the food is awesome! We stayed in the ocean front master suite which was stunning. Our guests also had a great time. The only thing we noticed a decline in, from our initial stay, was the entertainment department. When we went two years ago we knew so many staff by name and even befriended o [... read more]ne. We noticed we hardly saw anyone around from the entertainment team. Also, several people ate burgers there and were sick. They were raw in the middle. The wine is also not good so don't stay here if you are a wine enthusiast. Other than that, it is a beautiful resort. I love the décor here! Our wedding was fantastic. I was overly impressed by the buffet dinner at our wedding reception! I highly recommend this resort! You can party if you want or enjoy piece and quiet if you want. upgrading to exhale was worth it to us so we could access the exhale pool and have upgraded beverages.

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Beautiful, large resort

The resort was large, well kept, and clean. Service was good. Breakfasts were great, lunch and dinner were good, but certainly not amazing. The Beach was beautiful and could walk for miles and feel very safe. One thing we did not love was the mosquitos! They were really bad in the evenings. We think perhaps do to their “marsh”, which is part of the property. First time ever in Punta Cana where this was an issue.

Bahia Principe Explore Legend: Best suited for families, ideal

Resort very new, all amenities and services excellent, the cleanliness was second to none. We went to attempt to hook up with friends who were at an adjacent resort. As a 60+ couple we found ourselves wishing our grandkids were with us as the resort is the most idyllic place you could ever want to take kids on a southern holday. We were at Jewel Runaway Bay a few years ago and it was the best to that point we had seen for families but this one was 10 times better for families woth children aged [... read more] 1-14. The food for all ages was spectacular, if you can't find something to eat that you enjoy here, you're usual duet must be rocks! We got jammed up with our room first night (no air conditioning and we watched the balance of the week as they continually put people in that room, without repair, which we knew as patio doors were opened in that room throughout niight and day in useless attempt at relief for poor B657688rds) and depsite being a tad cranky with a repack and move the next day the workers were spectaculer and service impeccable. The only other negative is with so many adjoining resorts, it was way toooo large. However with the assurance and diligence of security it's great other resorts can't visit this one, for childrens safety. With a lttery win I'd take our 8 grandchildren here in a heartbeat.

VIK Hotel Arena Blanca: We were disappointed.

The pluses: the beach was fantastic and like Camelot it only rained at night. The food was good but not as much variety as other places we have stayed. Everything was a very short walk away and very convenient. The minuses: some things the hotel could improve on are: coffee makers in the rooms for guests,staff were more reserved and less friendly than other hotels, and the hotel itself was tired. We planned on spending most of our time at the beach but some things can’t be ignored. Leaking c [... read more]eilings when the room above guests had a shower, showers don’t function only the hand held would work, televisions not working or receiving all channels. Tours were not as advertised and no communication with reps about changes. The biggest problem was at the airport air transit has to improve gate departures 3 hours waiting to get checked in at 90+degree weather and 100 per cent humidity and 3 air busses full of travellers leaving within two hours demands a better check in line up arrangement. Some passengers were in hung up at the end of lines and other passengers were obliged to break lines to let Montreal and Toronto flights be processed leaving Halifax people not even time for a bathroom or food before boarding for home. Not acceptable. There was a sick child that was in line and should have been given much better attention - that was child abuse.

Royalton Punta Cana Resort: Great resort!

Resort and grounds are beautiful, clean and well maintained. The beach is amazing, soft sand, no rocks or coral when entering the crystal clear water. Staff were very friendly, great service all around. Our luxury room was great, cleaned and restocked daily with turndown service in the evening. Fresh bath towels and face cloths every day but only had hand towels twice during our week stay. Food was good, buffet was as good as the restaurants. No reservations required for restaurants (except for  [... read more]the Zen), so you may have to wait a bit for a table, they give you a pager and send you to the Martini bar. Drinks were great. Overall wonderful experience and would definitely return!