Great

staff are so nice food good grounds kept ex. and nice cold beer EX.resort and priced right nice beach peddlars but a no is all it takes.if you see something you like barter for it most of the time you win.

Not a 4 star!

First of all, just to say....We have been to Punta Cana and would definitely go back there again in a second. Peurto Plata, not so much. The nicest things about The Gran Ventana were the room which was ok and the a la carte above the lobby which I believe was call the Octopus. The grounds are very small and are not kept up as in swept or cleaned walkways, everythnig looks like it's cracking and run down including the pool, the beach is covered in seaweed and palm droppings which were not being c [... read more]leaned up, there were hardly any people there and we arrived on a Sunday, thehe main buffet was was very small and small selection of food was just ok. If you are looking for a beautiful resort to have fun at, this is NOT the place. We talked to our Sunwing guide who was great, and moved to the Riu Merengue the day after we arrived in Peurto Plata. I will give the Sunwing reps a good review, they are very helpful and pleasant. At the Riu Merengue things were a lot better! Fun, good food, lots of people. Right beside the Riu Bahata and we could use those grounds too. Grounds were well kept and in spite of the one section of reconstruction of a restaurant area, the Merengue was nice. I will say the rooms and bathrooms and showers were on the small side but the rest of the resort made up for it. The only other downfall at the Riu was that the free internet in the lobby was limited to 90 minutes a day. Come on Riu, really?? So there you have it....if you are going to Dominican Republic, go to Punta Cana where the beach is white sand on the beautiful Caribbean not on the rough Atlantic like Puerto Plata. This is obviously only my opinion but I have been to nicer resorts with better food, service and beaches in Cuba, Mexico and Punta Cana.

Fantastic Resort

This was our second time to this resort (first time was 10 years ago). The resort is lovely. The rooms are clean and beds comfortable. Food was delicious. Beach was nice but too many vendors on the beach. A simple no thank you and they continue on their way but that happens a dozen times a day. This place is very well managed and efficient and friendly work staff.

Loved everything

We have been to a number of all inclusives and i had a great time at the Gran Ventana,good food,good weather,good clean rooms and great service in all areas.only advice would be to bring lots of single dollar bills [us] can onky get dr dllars at the resort.

Average Resort

The taste of drinks and food could use some improvement- entertainers need to be more mindful of all audiences/guest and not just favor guests from certain 'backgrounds' more than others - entertainment could be longer and better - facility was kept clean at all times and reception staff/maid service were efficient.

Overall a great resort

First time to DR and this resort was lovely, grounds and rooms clean and well decorated, everything close together, felt very safe on resort. Being a slow season, there were no lineups for anything but that also meant the buffet and grill bar were not on top of their game. The outdoor grill cooked all the food at noon and just reheated the burgers, chicken, fries, etc.. when you ordered and the food sat out on the counters. Buffet had everything we wanted, but was a little repetitive. Smoothie b [... read more]ar for breakfast was awesome. Day trip to Puerto Plata and Cable Car ride up the local mountain was amazing - booked with James at the little shopping plaza for a better deal. Overall a great holiday, met some other guests that all felt the same way.

Amazing people, amazing resort!

My daughter and I have met the most amazing people ever!!!!! The night shows and the entertainment team are, by far, the highlight! I would definitely recommend this resort to anyone who wants to relax and party! We hope to see you all again next year!!!! :) Cheers, Oana and Dorina

GOOD RESORT(if priced $925.00 or less)

THE RESORT IS ALRIGHT IF THE PRICE IS RIGHT. THE GROUNDS ARE OK THE ROOMS NEED UPDATING BUT ARE KEPT CLEAN THE FOOD IS GOOD, THE VARIETY IS NOT THERE BUT THE QUALITY IS GOOD. WE HAVE GONE 4 TIMES TO THIS RESORT SIMPLY BECAUSE THE PRICE WAS CHEAP - IF IT WERE MORE EXPENSIVE WE WOULD GO ELSEWHERE. OVERALL VERY GOOD IF THE PRICE IS RIGHT. ($925.00 or less) WOULD GO BACK IF IT IS AT THAT PRICE.

Worth every dollar spent

This was my second time at this resort . And it was fantastic . The staff were more than happy to assist at any time . The entertainment was great . They brought in a jazz band from the USA abd they were fantastic. I will be returning again in March this time for longer . Ladies I am a single woman who went on her own and felt safe there. If there was one thing they could improve on it would be the reservations for dinner you wait in a line up . Should be a little easier .

Great Resort

The resort is little old but well maintained, it is compact and the food is good, we traveled in the low season so it was not busy, easy to get a spot on the pool and the beach. The entertainment team is amazing, they try their best to keep families busy. It is walking distance to the casino and the local mall. We will go back and always book with Debbie from Trip central.

Great Week in April at Gran Ventana

Nice smaller resort. Nice room overlooking the quiet pool & bar. Short walk to the beach which was always easy to swim in. Food at the buffet and ala cartes was always good. Very friendly and attentive staff.

Excellent food!!

We enjoys our stay. We loved the volleyball , the friendliness . It was very clean and the entertainment was central to everything else, so everyone is always part of the fun. We brought our 2 teenaged daughters and they even had a blast! They danced with staff and met a lot of new friends :-)

Very nice Resort

Just returned from a two weeks vacation at the Gran Ventana. Having read many of the reviews there were no surprises. I agree with most of the reviews, positives and negatives. The place is clean, rooms are spacious, food was good, staff were very friendly and the weather was perfect. So I have no complaints. I believe you can make your holidays whatever you wanted to be. You can complain about the availability of chairs or you can look around until you find one. You can complain about the hard  [... read more]pillows or you can ask them for a softer one. If you cannot find something you like at the buffet, then you should go to a resort where you can have your personal butler and pay for it. I found they will try hard to accommodate your requests. One request they couldn't accommodate is a hot cup of coffee in the morning or hot water for tea. They know that cold water doesn't make hot cup of tea, but guests consume coffee and hot water faster than the resort can boil it. It didn't bother me however since I decided to skip drinking tea all together. Next time I will carry with me one of those small electric water heater and a thermos cup and heat their coffee or make hot water myself. The city tour excursion I took was a highly priced shopping experience. Except for the cable car, the rest I could have done without. So if you are adventurer you can take local transportation to the cable car buy your ticket, spent as much time as you wanted then buy your rum and cigars at the airport or at the beach. Forget about those highly priced precious stones. I consider this as a rip-off waste of money. Internet is not very reliable even after paying $ 20 a week because I thought I would get better internet than the free one that is available at the lobby and the main pool. I wish they do without the free one and provide a reliable internet at a reasonable price. I paid $ 50-60/ week in some other resorts in the area and didn't get any better service. I would be interested to hear from others who could obtain local service using their smart phone as a hot-spot. Entertainment was mediocre at best, but they try hard and it is worth attending if you prefer it over watching TV or chatting with other guests. In general it is no paradise as some guests thought, nevertheless a comfortable and enjoyable accommodation at the right price. I would, at the right price, definitely return again. Room Tip: If you want to avoid the crowd stay in the quite pool complex