Excellence El Carmen: Amazing Resort / Sub-Standard stay

Hotel, grounds were amazing. I was staying for a 1 year anniversary. Excellence El Carmen made this 1 year event a very bad memory for my partner and I. Anniversary dinner was forgotten on 2 consecutive days. No flowers were left in room until a complaint was filed. At that point it was too late.

Punta Cana Princess: Beautiful resort

This was one of the best resorts that we have been to. The staff was friendly, food was excellent and the beach amazing! Everything is within walking distance. The grounds are well groomed with nice carvings.

TRS Turquesa: Beautiful!

We just returned from this beautiful resort! Beach was amazing, warm water, white sand. There are several pools, all beautiful. Food was ok overall, didn't like that we had to make reservations for dinner and could only get 6pm slots for all nights. Overall great holiday!

Catalonia Bavaro Resort: Good value resort

We stayed in this resort in spring of 2009, 2012, 2013 and decided to visit it again in December 08-15 of 2017. Our room 1218 is a regular junior suit and we found it in overall good technical condition and the housekeeping was also very good. A very friendly personnel is in all areas of services; all are polite and eager to assist. We felt very comfortable of staying in full harmony of the excellent weather, pleasant environment and good maintained premises. Thank You All !

Excellence El Carmen: Excellent!

The Excellence El Carmen was by far the best resort I have ever visited. The customer service was great, the food was great, the hotel was clean and we had an overall wonderful experience. We would definitely go back to this resort or any Excellence!

Sunscape Bavaro Beach: Good vacation, but...

We traveled from December 2nd to December 9th. Overall it was a great tip and we enjoyed the resort, although 3 out of 4 of us ended up with the stomach issues. I recovered after about 4 days but my kids, aged 3 and 5, did not fare so well. I took them to the doctor upon the return from Punta Cana and their stool samples were sent to the lab for testing. Today I received a phone call from Toronto Public Health and they told me that my 3 year old daughter had salmonella. This is extremely disappo [... read more]inting and worrisome. I wanted to write a really nice review for the resort as we really enjoyed our stay, but will not do so now. Clearly, food handling/cleanliness is a problem.

TRS Turquesa: not a 5 star resort

everything was fine, except the shows did not start until 10:15, too much construction, staff in general seemed lackluster, 3 restaurants closed, the beach could have been cleaner, travel club were a bother.

Sunscape Coco Punta Cana: Do Not Stay Here and Do Not Book Via AirCanada

Well, where to begin.. 1. It took 2 hours to check in at reception when we arrived. The reception desk was an absolute disaster; no system, no lines, people scattered everywhere, staff did not know how to contain the throngs of people. 2. After we checked in we were told to come back in 20 minutes for a room. 20 minutes passed so we asked for the keys, we were told we had to wait another 25 minutes for the room. Long story short we arrived in our room 3.5 hours after check in and after asking [... read more] for a room upgrade for waiting around for so long - we did not get the upgrade despite being told by staff we would. It was pathetically handled by the staff, of course. 3. We arrived in our room and it seemed fine, good shower pressure, clean towels, it was fine. Less than what we expected but fine (Superior Deluxe Room). We slept in that room for a total of 2 nights of our seven day trip. On the first day we woke up with what we expected to be mosquito bites on our legs and our backs. We were due to meet our Air Canada Representative that day (Franklin, 'Frankie') but he did not show up and did not contact us to let us know he would not be there. I waited 40 minutes for him at the specified location. We guessed he would arrive the following day at the same time but we arrived a couple of minutes earlier to be certain. Meanwhile the bites on our bodies had gotten worse and were more plentiful at this point. He concluded that the bites were bed bug bites. I cried for an hour straight and then again a couple of times throughout the day. He then exclaimed, stupidly and incorrectly, that the Canadians and Americans bring the bed bugs to Dominican Republic and that he does not have them in his country. He took pictures of the bites to send to his 'Dr. Sister' and said he would call to us later that day to bring us some antihistamines/anti-allergics as they are cheaper in outside pharmacies. Lo and behold, he did not show up for the rest of the week - what a surprise. He feigned disgust and anger at the hotel and marched us to the reception desk whereby he asked the supervisor for our room to be changed immediately - Teresa was her name. She explained that we were to come back at 3:00pm and there would be a room (it was now 10:30am). I went to our disgusting old room and collected our cases and disposed of underwear, clothing and pajamas or anything that was near the bed. We were brought to our new room by a nice bell boy whom we tipped generously as he was lovely. The new room was a huge improvement and we were very grateful, however we should not have had to deal with the first room issue in the first place. 4. The food was great - surprisingly. 5. The staff were nice - we did not have any major issues 6. The beach is gorgeous 7. The pool is filthy and we did not see it being cleaned once in the week we were there. 8. Go to Saona Island - it is the best excursion by a mile 9. We booked Saona and Frankie called us the night before to try and tell us it had been cancelled due to bad weather. We were incredibly annoyed and made that clear to him. He called us back two minutes later to say it was back on. The whole situation was a bit odd and had we not have been angry at it being cancelled I doubt we would have been going on the trip.

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Punta Cana: Hard Rock Excels at all levels

Just returned from 7 fantastic days at HRPC. My husband and I have visited many all inclusives but Hard Rock excels in all areas. We were a family group of 7 ranging in age from 2 to 63. The grounds, accommodations, activities, food and especially the staff are absolutely the best. We experienced excellent customer service and even the kids were treated like royalty. Highly recommend HRPC for families.

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Punta Cana: The Best!!!

The Hard Rock Punta Cana resort is incredible. I stayed with my husband, parents, sister, niece (2) and nephew (5). The resort has the most amazing beach front, pools, kids area, restaurants and rooms. We traveled with three generations and there's something to do for everyone. The service was friendly and helpful (plus 24 hr room service!) and the staff was great with the kids. It will be hard to stay at any other resort in Punta Cana after staying here.

Barcelo Bavaro Beach: It is really amazing Resort!!

I was here five years ago and I could not wait to come here again.(I did not go anywhere between). We love here so much we decided to extend our week staying for five more days(wish we could afford more). I feel like home here. Everything is sooo good (I am crying when I am writing ). People here are so nice so friendly. They really make this vacation special. I am so happy to be send here by my dear friend who is not with us anymore. I am sure He knows how happy and healthy I feel when I am he [... read more]re. I talked to many people who come here year after year and we all agree this is the best!!!!! Thank You, Alice and Milan Blahut

Bahia Principe Grand Bavaro: Great resort for families

Traveled to Grand Bahia Principe Bavaro from Dec 11 to Dec 16. Check in was quick and simple. The experience was good for the price. Please note that this is really not a 5 star resort more like 4 star for really good 4 star. Room: The room was big and they even gave us a crib. Issue: the air conditioning was weak and the air quality in the room was not too great. Whole family would sneeze and cough until we left the room. I was planing to ask them to switch to a different room but read other [... read more] reviews on this site that it was a nightmare process and was not really worth with it with a baby. Grounds: Beautifully maintained. Huge resort, lots of things to see and do. Too many mosquitoes though, so make note of that if you are pregnant of have little kids (take bug spray). Facilities: Pretty much has everything: Spa, many pools (kid and baby friendly ones too), restaurants, kids' water park etc. Staff: Absolutely great. Most of them took good care of us. Food: Not bad, most of the items are good and you can always find something to eat at the buffet. The chef was kind enough to even give us whole avocado for our 10 month of boy. Only complaint: the carving station's meat was always too dry. Beach: Beautiful to look at look at but too many people at the time we traveled. The 'premium' section is too big, they need a bigger regular section. There was lot of see weed in the water at the time we traveled. Would I travel there again? Maybe if the room's air quality was controlled a bit better.

Riu Palace Bavaro: Riu Palace Bavaro, Punta Cana

About 20 minutes from Punta Cana airport. This resort is in great condition. No signs of any hurricane damage from this past fall (2017). Easy check in at front reception with friendly staff. Access to Sunwing rep in lounge was always easy for planning excursions. Food was good at the buffet and multiple restaurants. WIFI is exceptionally good at this resort. It is free everywhere on the resort and in the rooms. There is a small fitness centre in the spa if you want to work out. Bavaro beach [... read more] has beautiful white sand and you can walk for miles.The closest casino opens at 7pm but is so small it is not worth going to. All in all a great vacation location.

Riu Republica: Fire Safety a Major Concern

The resort, people and food were excellent but garbage is incinerated 2 kms from here causing rooms to smell like fire. There was 2 nights where the fire alarm lights (stage 1) went off most of the night inside our rooms and the hall ways of the new buildings. Staff told us "no problems". Plumes of smoke were outside our room, there was no way we could just go back to our room and try and sleep. RIU management and Sunwing had no resolve for us except telling us to email both companies. We had no [... read more] assistance from the Sunwing emergency email except that our concern would be forwarded to the Toronto office. Sleepless nights and fire safety concerns is not my idea of a good vacation.

Sensatori Resort Punta Cana: Awesome Vacation

This was our 2nd time at this resort and it did not disappoint. Everyone who worked there was amazing. You will not go hungry at all. The room was perfect. We had a premium honeymoon swim up. We went to the spa and it was fabulous. Our bar tender (Wander) was the best ever. We went to the beach twice and had the Bali beds. They were so comfortable. I highly recommend this resort.

Iberostar Waves Dominicana: Amazing family resort!!

Went for 8 days beginning of December, had a great time! We had a 4 year old and a baby and all had plenty to do and eat. The Food: was fantastic, we stuck to the buffet and beach restaurants and didn't want to make any dinner reservations. Had plenty to eat, from seafood to stews to pizzas and vegetables. Nothing looked stale. There were never line ups either. The room: we had a king bed and a sofabed for our kid. They offered us a crib for the baby but we had brought our own. We recom [... read more]mend room 4053 in building 4. It was quiet at night away from the hustle and bustle as well as close to the beach. Daily cleaning was thorough and left us plenty of water bottles and towels and beautiful decorations on the bed. It had a sunk in bathtub. Lovely decor and modern washroom. The pools: are large, never felt over crowded. People seem to wake up early and reserve seats at the beach and pool but it wasn't the fault of the resort. It was tough to find seats in the shade after 10 am. They have a shallow kids pool too which was nice. For kids: The kids club ladies are sweet. The playground and toys are a bit run down but the ladies working there try to make up for it with activities and singing and face painting. The same ladies also run the evening kids entertainment which is 8 pm to 9pm. That was my daughters highlight of the day! She loved the dancing and singing and they even brought out bouncy castle on some nights. We found out halfway through our trip from one of the employees that we can actually visit the neighbouring resort that had a huge beautiful watwr park for kids! It was a 5 min walk from building 4 and you'd have to cut through past the street with all the markets. There is so much water splashing and a giant bucket dumping water that your kid will definitely need to be comfortable with water. My year old was too scared but I can see her going in 2 years down the road :) Night entertainment (for adults): it was fun. Entertaining and on some nights really funny. They did couples contests that were definitely not appropriate for kids. Daytime entertainment: we didn't partake as much as I'd liked because we had to stay with the kids, but when we did get away we joined the dancing lessons and pool exercises and bingo. The entertainment team is fantastic, very joyful to be around. Front desk: no issues checking in. We were aware that check in is at 3 pm and we arrived at 1, but they were kind and accommodating in finding us rooms that suited what we needed. They gave us bracelets, sent us for lunch and kept our luggage, and when we got back our room was ready by 2pm :) Beach: sand was amazing. Water was warm. It was never clear or calm but it was fun to swim in. No seashells anywhere though :( just smooth sand everywhere. Again you'll have to get up early as people seem to reserve seats. The resort clearly has signs telling not to do that but people do anyway. The occasional person comes by to sell an excursion but they are very nice and respectful and appreciate your respect back when declining. Accessibility: we were amazed with the accessibility of this resort! We were able to push the stroller everywhere! There are ramps everywhere there were stairs. Even on the beach! They have a boardwalk that takes you through to the umbrellas and chairs half the way down the sand. Staff: all were super friendly whether you tipped or not. Tips are appreciated but not mandatory For families? Absolutely, there are kids EVERYWHERE and the resort is accepting of loud laughter and play. For couples? no way... they'd be annoyed at how loud and active kids get, it's definitely a family resort and that's why we loved it! Make sure you visit the pond with the flamingos close to the entertainment stage, they are lovely :)

Occidental Punta Cana: Decent

We most recently spent 10 days at this resort. The resort is very well maintained and modernized. Rooms are beautiful and grounds immaculate. Food was excellent, service was good right from the maids to the bars. For the 24 hour food there was just the pizza available upstairs that they cooked in a wood burning oven. It was delicious but a little more choices would be better. The beach is beautiful, white sand however the time we where there the water was very rough due to the winds. Lots [... read more] of vendors on the beach but if you say "no" they will move on. I enjoyed the markets we went to, we visited 2. 1 way down the beach and the other right outside the front of the resort. The markets have better deals than the vendors on the beach. The resort is large so we did get our share of exercise for the 10 days. Switching rooms isn't always an option. The shows where not good. Only 1 night they had a circus show which was nice. The rest of the nights not good at all. If your looking to hear Dominican music either day or night, you won't. Which I thought was strange since we where in Dominican. Would we go back, that would depend on the deal. It's good for R&R. The weather was excellent the whole 10 days. We did 1 excursion which was a nightmare. The Soana Island one. I would not recommend it as we spent the better of 10 hours of the day in transit between buses and boats and only on the island for 1 1/2 hours. Not a good day at all.

Barcelo Bavaro Beach: Well-designed resort on a gorgeous beach

The Barcelo is a great design. Connected to a larger resort where there were many dining choices, a big theatre, casino and disco - the adult-only portion was more compact. All the grounds were very well maintained. The beach was amazing; clean, turquoise water and white sand studded with thousands of palm trees on an endless beach for walking. Lots of chaise lounges. The pool was superb although their activity leader should have had her mike taken away as she is quite shrill. Fortunately [... read more] activities were afternoon only. The rooms were large and we had an excellent view of the ocean from our unit. I loved the retractable clothes dryer on the balcony for bathing suits. Great idea. The restaurants were lovely. Mostly open-air. Service was quite poor. Very slow and forgetful. Staff needs a bit of training. The food was plentiful and varied. Unfortunately I got a severe case of food-poisoning while there which has tainted my overall impression of the food. Overall, this was a beautiful resort. Just be careful what you eat.

Majestic Colonial Punta Cana Beach Resort: Mediocre! Not worth it !

From the moment we entered our room the air conditioner was not operational and the whole room was having a damp feeling.The toilet paper dispenser was not there and the paper roll was placed on a ledge behind (needed some dexterity to do my thing !). The extending vanity mirror came off the wall when my wife was doing her hair. The whole ambience of the resort including the view from the room was bad. We upgraded our room the next day.

Bahia Principe Escape Aquamarine: Mosquito alert!

Third visit to Punta Cana, resort is pristine and the staff work tirelessly to maintain the appearance. Food was great, wide variety of menu options and restaurant themes. Entertainment (Animation) staff were hard-working and friendly. Top marks to Alexander and Luis! The beach was more crowded than I remember, and it took me several days to orient myself within the resort. The construction site next door to the resort made our first night unpleasant, a situation the staff had no control over, [... read more] although they moved us to another room the next day. This was slightly less well appointed, but acceptable. The turn-down service, although unexpected and thoughtful, was sporadic, and the room was not consistently re-stocked. Our biggest problem was mosquitoes. Despite waging war on the critters every evening, they plagued us at night. We kept our doors closed as much as possible, but there was no relief from the nuisance. By the time we left the D.R. I was covered in ugly red lumps, not the kind of souvenir I wanted. The front desk and Guest Services staff we dealt with were courteous but understaffed, we spent more time waiting for service than I would have liked. Our arrival was disappointing, confusion and disorganization made the check in process long and frustrating. We were lured into attending a "Presentation" that was supposed to last an hour, showcasing an offer to visit the resort's latest development. This is actually a pretty hard-sell for a very expensive travel agency service operated by Bahia Principe in conjunction with major credit card providers and others in the leisure industry. We lost an entire morning to this exercise before the true nature of the offer was revealed. The offer may be irresistible to some, but I felt the invitation was presented dishonestly. On the whole, we had a good holiday, but the resort has become so vast that I felt we, as guests, were simply a commodity to be processed and smiled at.