Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Decent place for getaway

In general our week of vacation has been spent well: direct flight from Toronto to small quiet Samana airport with quick passport control and Customs formalities, rather short transfer from airport to resort, prompt check-in (because we knew the rules from previous visit and broke away from the group from the bus, otherwise we would waste the time), food and drinks all day long and remarkable beaches not only within resort limits but specially outside of them. It looks like resort management rea [... read more]lly pays attention to the guests reviews and we saw no any shortage of chaise-longues on the beach, there were plenty of them. But a few remarks should be addressed to resort management for further improvements. Room cleaning should be better organized with less hassles to the guests. On the first day of stay we came back to the room around 4pm and our room was not attended yet. We simply asked the maid for the fresh towels. On the second day our room was not cleaned at 4.30pm and I had to talk to the administrator at the front desk to expedite the procedure. We could not apprehend the schedule for room cleaning but certainly the guests should not adapt their time to the cleaning operations. The second issue is the room entry door. We could not open it to the full opening because it ground against the floor but we did not make a big deal of that. The big deal was the lock - we could not get into the room three times and had to wait for security guy to open the lock and then for service guy to fix it. On the third time we simply demanded to change the room and had the nice room for one night. But as I mentioned in preamble a few nuisances did not spoil our vacation and we will definitely come back again soon.

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Great trip!

Had a great time at the Bahia Principe Punta Cana May 2019. The weather, beaches and pools were great. Very little to no seaweed along the stretch of beach. Ample availability of chairs and umbrellas at the beach and pools. Staff were very friendly. Rooms were clean and well appointed. The resort is well maintained. The landscaping is really beautiful. Very efficient shuttle service running non-stop throughout the resort.

Royalton Splash Punta Cana: Can't wait to return!!

We stayed here the week of May 13th Husband 7an 3 year old sons an myself. We did upgrade to the Diamond Club which was nice to have a private check-in with a cold drink on arrival. We had an amazing time from the pools to the beach an water park. The show's were good it was nice having 2 to chose from every night. The staff go above an beyond to make sure all your needs are taken care of. We are already planning on returning.

Grand Memories Punta Cana: Fantastic resort

Rooms were clean, food was good and pools were awesome. The vibe team were awesome. Remembered my children's names. Especially Luis, he was amazing. Room service was usually pretty quick. Mini bar was stock daily but if you needed more they are only a call away.

TRS Turquesa: Great resort

Grounds were fantastic, beaches are clean and we spent most days at a cabana. Luckily the last day we were there a lot of seaweed washed up on the beach. Once the seaweed washed up on the beach it takes at least a day for the front-end loader to clear it away. Resort Pools are very clean and there are a lot of pools around the buildings. Spa was very nice and the food there I found the best for snacks and small breakfast. The large group we went with really liked it as well. The gym was great  [... read more]and convenient. Great selection of restaurants on the resort. I found the food to be ok. Transportation around the large resort is convenient and fast.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: OVERALL A TRULY WONDERFUL/FAB VACATION.

JUST RETURNED FROM GRAND BAHIA EL PORTILLO SAMANA.FLIGHTS AND TRANSFERS WENT SMOOTHLY.RESORT WAS ABSOLUTELY BREATHTAKING WITH BEAUTIFUL AND IMMACULATE GROUNDS.THE SERVICE WAS PAR EXCELLENCE.STAFF WERE METICULOUS AND EAGER TO ACCOMMODATE EVEN THOUGH ENGLISH WAS LIMITED.AMAZING CHOICES AT BUFFET.FOOD WAS REALLY GOOD AND DRINKS WERE PREMIUM.WEATHER WAS SUNNY AND BEAUTIFUL ALL WEEK.A LA CARTE RESTAURANTS WERE TERRIFIC AND PRESENTATION OF FOOD NOTED.ENTERTAINMENT WAS PRETTY OK.ACCOMMODATION WAS DECEN [... read more]T EXCEPT FOR THE POORLY LIT ROOM,SLIPPERY BATHTUB AND LIMITED WATER FLOW FROM SHOWER.FELT SAFE AT ALL TIMES..WOULD SURELY RECOMMEND THIS RESORT.ALL REQUESTS REGARDING ACCOMMODATION WERE FULL FILLED.WOULD SURELY REVISIT.FEEL TRULY BLESSED AND GRATEFUL FOR AN AMAZING TIME.SPECIAL THANKS TO LIDIA,OMAR,ANA,ESPERANZA,JOSE AND OTHERS.WARM FRIENDLY PEOPLE..ALWAYS SMILING AND READY TO SERVE.GOD BLESS.

Excellence El Carmen: Great but not excellent!

Beautiful grounds - very well maintained and spotless. Suite - best ever /king bed/good pillows/good linens/seating area and walk in shower . Had Junior suite pool view - no pool view just an algae filled pond near the outdoor theatre - so noisy at night until at least 10.30 or 11 . offered to move us to next building but we stayed put. Have to book excellence club to get better location away from noise .Room not cleaned until around 4 every day. Main pool is small but we had nice private pool [... read more] at building 12. Staff good - always asking how is your holiday - gets to be in sincere toward the end of the week. Food biggest disappointment, I know one does not go to allincl for the food but it was hit or miss. Steak was good but overall not great. Would be better if they cut the menu in half and had more supervision.Very long wait for service in a la carte restaurants i.e did not order starter but Salmon - 45 mins later 4 scallops arrived on a bed of carrot puree then wait another 20 for the dessert menu. Big on cocktails and drinks service.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Very relaxing vacation

The hotel is in a very beautiful setting. The beach is perfect with clear water and nice coral reefs with fish, you can walk on the beach left and right side of the hotel for kilometers and enjoy the view. The hotel is nice, food is good and the overall environment is friendly and relaxing. The hotel is perfect for couples who want to relax and enjoy quiet time, for families with children.

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Family Vacation

We really liked the layout of this resort, rooms, restaurant, pool and beach were all close together. We felt safe letting our kids roam around. Pool and beach are wonderful. Great for snorkeling at the beach. Rooms were good, the only complaint we kept being locked out of our room. It was finally fixed on our last day. The resort caters to locals on the weekends during low season. Can get crowded at pool and restaurants. Unfortunately the locals we had to deal with were rude, we were glad to [... read more] see them leave. The service was great all week until the locals came than it changes, staff seemed grumpy and overwhelmed. Food is not great. Breakfast is the same everyday. Italian restaurant was good. There is a mall about a 5 minute walk which was nice. The weather was fabulous! So you can overlook the bad. I would go back if the price was right.

Riu Bambu: Very good

The Riu Bambu was very nice , it was a mix of younger , older people which made it a great mix , and had something for everybody . It was very lively, a lot of entertainment , pool party’s and the staff were very friendly and approachable .

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Barcelo Bavaro Palace is an Amazing Resort!

This Is a beautiful mega resort on the best beach in Punta Cana! It takes 20 minutes to walk on the beach from one end to the other end of the resort. Great restaurants and lots of things to do for both kids and adults. Staff are very friendly and professional. If you want to have a relaxing & fun vacation this is a great place to go. Thanks Eva @ Tripcentral Hillcrest Mall!

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: A Must Return Resort

Food is excellent, beaches are spectacular, room second to none, easy to get around, super staff, great bar service, Relax Pool is really relaxing, scenic drive from the airport. Looking forward to our fifth visit soon.

Bahia Principe Explore Legend: top notch resort for kids

First off I'd like to say this was my 4th visit to bahia fantais in Punta cana. If you have kids thisbis the resort to go to the staff go out of there way to entertain the kids. This section of bahia has so many hidden gems like it's own pizza bar by the waterpark aswell as popsicles and icecream!. Atleast 2days a week they put big blow up slides in the main pool or all ages to use! If you would like to know alot more about this resort please feel free to join a Facebook group I run called (fant [... read more]asia bahia principe punta cana) its filled with the most up to date information,photos and videos.

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: Great vacation!

The hotel was great, our room was very clean. It was literally a 2min walk to the beach from our room. Confresi staffs were very polite and friendly. Food was okay. The price we paid was pretty descent considering we had the pool, cabanas and beach to ourselves! I would definitely go back with my friends and family again to this resort!

Bahia Principe Explore La Romana: Super vacation destination

The hotel grounds are clean and well kept , as well as the beach and pool areas. The rooms are well maintained ,the staff are second to none and very friendly. The food, be it the restaurants or the buffet is excellent. Definitely worth the value and well worth a return holiday visit.

Casa Marina Sosua Trademark by Wyndham All Inclusive: Excellent Resort

WE totally enjoyed our 2 week stay at this resort...The grounds were very well kept … The rooms were awesome very spacious and our maid was awesome....There was always enough food at the buffet and the snack bar..We did not do any A La Carte's as we enjoyed the buffet every night... My only complaint is the West Jet Representative..Lewis… There was a meeting set up for the briefing the day after we arrived.. Ourselves and another couple showed up for the briefing and Lewis was a no show... T [... read more]he hotel tried to call him with no response.....When we finally did meet up with him and asked where he was he just shrugged his shoulders and said he was busy...When we asked him how we confirm our flight back he threw the book at us and said when do you leave we looked in the book and said to him this is the time for pick up and he said if that's what the book says... VERY DISAPPOINTING for someone who is supposed to be representing West Jet.....We will be going back to this resort....

Casa Marina Sosua Trademark by Wyndham All Inclusive: Clean, uncrowded but very disinterested staff

Point form: Cleanest bathrooms ever Room was okay, smelly at first No beer in mini bar Towels are older than I am (very) Staff in the buffet busy talking to each other First meal over 1/2 hour to get a beer with an hour to closing No soy or almond milk and wouldn’t get any after going to guest services (oxymoron) No management visible Charge $15 US for safe Expensive WiFi Beautiful beach Good chairs but too few Way too few umbrellas Clean pools but main very noisy Weekend crowd [... read more]ed with Dominicans took over Bar drinks were very poor No olives Food was mushy, repetitive and unappealing Most staff busy with each other but some standouts Sosua is a hole impossible to walk around without harassment Close to airport Much nicer places in DR Would not return to Casa for free

Grand Palladium Punta Cana: It is a nice resort

The resort grounds are very clean and well kept. The employee of the resort are very nice and helpful, specially Bianca in Customer Service. The food and choice of Veg/Meat was good in the buffets, and most of the restaurants. The Indian, the Japanese, the Argentinian, and Italian restaurants were good.The Chines Restaurant was ok. I would avoid the Mexican Restaurant- The food tasted old , the flank steak tasted and felt like boiled old beef jerky. The mole chicken was the worst I have [... read more] ever had - It was dried up chicken legs, hard to cut or chew, with a bit of chocolate brushed on top, instead of cooked & simmered in the mole sauce - Absolutely tasteless - There was nine of us, with different food orders, and we all wanted to leave after the first bite . The beach is constantly being cleaned for agile, and is not a clear water beach (like Cuba ) - Lots of waves, not good for snorkeling, not too many people in the water, but always can find shade and seats to relax .Good drinks served as well. Good choice of swimming pools and entertainment at the pool available. PS . Our Air Transat Rep never showed up for the pre arranged meeting (we waited one extra hour and still no show ) ,or the next few days per Transat book next day meeting times, to sell us excursions or tell us about our trip back pick up time . Had to call local Transat office few times, and finally got hold of Anne which was helpful.

Sunscape Coco Punta Cana: horrible

do not go there unless you wanna be hustled by the people!!!! no peace or what’s so ever, always bothered at the beach for excursions and in the hotel! people working there are mean not pleased to serve you if you do not tip them!!! only got excellent service from 2 people. the food was the same for 10 days, very bad food. water in the ocean is dirty and brown

Grand Sirenis Tropical Suites: Detailed review

We travelled as a family of three. Our daughter is 12 years old. We have been to Cuba twice and this was our second trip to Dominican. Overall we had a good time but we would definitely not return to this resort and it was definitely not worth the money. For the amount you pay you could definitely stay at a better resort. We have stayed at Memories in Punta Cana and Sirenis was incomparable. There was very little for her to do so we were disappointed. The kids club is geared towards younger ch [... read more]ildren. And the pool activities exclude children and only include adults. A few days there were a couple little games set up on the beach but they were quick and unorganized. Check in - Staff were ready for us and immediately started organizing our baggage for us. It was a nice gesture but almost a nuisance as it would have been easier to just cart our own baggage but it could be convenient if you wanted the help. Check in was a little bit slow, not all to the fault of the resort. There were a couple of counters open for check in but the lady in front of us was being fussy over her room location which delayed us a little bit. Staff at check the check in counter were nice and helpful. After checking in we had to take out luggage tags back to the bell boys and they walked us to our room and carted our baggage. Tip was clearly expected but we didn't mind. We went to the buffet after getting settled but they were closing in half an hour so there was hardly anything and it was cold. This was very disappointing after long travels. Our Room - We were in building 33 which was a 2 minute walk to the main lobby and buffet. It was 2 minutes to the pool and ocean, 5-7 minute walk to the coffee shop and kids club area and 10 minutes to the water park. We had a tropical suite which consisted of two rooms, a living room with a small sofa and a pull out sofa and the bedroom with a king bed. Our 12 year old daughter slept on the sofa bed and was comfortable all week. It is a little bit shorter so she had to lay on a slight angle but other than that it was comfortable. There were no blankets for it upon check in so we had to call to reception. Someone came within 5 minutes and they made the sofa bed up for us. The TV in the living room was large but the English channels are limited, it is mostly Spanish. We were always able to find some sort of English show/movie to watch at night. The TV also has hotel information on it which was very nice. It has display options were you could see the general resort info, the daily activity schedule, the room service list and other relevant info. The lighting in the living room was good with 2 different lightings so you could have it bright or dim. Living room had it's own thermostat and ceiling fan. Sometimes the thermostat would randomly change from 15 degrees Celsius to 26 which was a pain to check and switch but even at 26 it stayed cool. No closet for the living room but there was a shelf area by the TV and a side table which we used to store luggage and clothing. The main bedroom had a much smaller TV and did not have the extra information, just some Spanish channels and a few English. Most channels came in quite blurry, some unwatchable. Always managed to find something at night though, and never used it throughout the day. Bedroom had it's own thermostat as well which also reset to 26 degrees a few times. AC did keep it nice snd cold at night. A lot of closet space which used an entire wall and had hangers and shelving in the bedroom, it was quite useful. Beautiful floor to ceiling sliding mirror doors on the closet. Not Tue most spacious room we've stayed in but it was more than adequate. Sliding door on to the patio had a lock which worked without a problem. Adequate table and 2 chairs on the patio although quite small patio area. The safe in our room worked well all week. Fairly clean. Corners collecting dust and dirt behind furniture. The bed had a fabric headboard, there was a small bug smear on side of it. Sheets were always clean and changed regularly. Phone in the room we use a few times to call reception and room service. You can hear quite a bit of sound from the hallway and upstairs and neighbors. Could always hear small children and families in the building hallways being loud and screaming, this usually ended around 11:30pm after entertainment had ended. Music going until 2am one night but we didn't make a complaint, we just slept with out TV on. Room was always cleaned by early afternoon. Floors always washed nicely and beds made up well. Bathroom - Probably the most disappointing part of the room. Very little counter space. I left my toiletries and make up on the shelves in the bedroom closet as there was just no counter space. Lighting was good. Toilet and shower in the same room could be an inconvenience but didn't bother us. The bathtub had some staining on the bottom but was clearly clean. Shower had rainfall showerhead and a handheld. The rainfall head sprayed water all over the floor though. Hand soap, basic toiletries and toilet paper always stocked. Food - There are two main buffets, although only one was open while we were there. The buffet always had something edible but nothing that we looked forward to. A lot of hot dishes were often cold. Most foods had odd labels and you were left guessing what they were. Staff in the buffet mostly spoke Spanish so it was hard to communicate. Always fresh fruit available. The fruit smoothies were very good. It took a long time to get water or drinks and we had to ask most of the time. There was no self serve water so bring water bottles from your room. Breakfast was by far the best meal of the day. Several a la cartes but we had read poor reviews on most so we only tried the Brazilian and Japanese. The Brazilian one was very good. Lots of meat and a small buffet area. The Japanese one was good with the tepanyaki cooking but did get hot in front of the grill. Food was great at both. Beach BBQ had a few things, nothing great, but it was conveniently located between the pool and beach. The lunch buffet beside the pool was the best place to get lunch by far. The waterpark also had a good lunch selection. The coffee shop had great donuts and baked goods, as well as self serve soft ice cream cones, which was delicious. There are bars absolutely everywhere throughout the resort. The lobby bar made the best drinks. The chocolate monkey was amazing. The Pool - The pool is one extremely large pool. It has a beach entry at the shallow end. The pool bar was in the shallow area and it got very busy. It could use more shallow/waist deep area. It goes for very shallow to a small area of waist deep, to 7 feet deep. There was more deep than anything. The main pool area had music going all day and the entertainment team was out full force trying to get everyone involved in activities. Music usually got turned up around 3pm and was very loud. The quiet pool area only had 7 feet deep water and really was right next to the loud pool so it wasn't very relaxing. Locals are allowed in to the resort on the weekend and the pool got VERY busy and the water got disgusting. The foam party was fun but very very busy and crowded. The pool activities often excluded children and were only for adults. We found this odd because we thought it was a family friendly resort. Sometimes tricky to find a shady spot but there were always plenty of sun chairs. Towel exchange located right at the pool. Never had a problem exchanging towels, some we reserved towels twice in a day. The Beach - Beautiful beach. Sand was soft and silky. Palm trees everywhere if we couldnt find a hut for shade we were always able to find shade amongst the palm trees. There are constantly people approaching you and trying to get you to purchase excursions from them. They are relentless. Just make no conversation and say no, they will go away. Picnic tables with shade are plentiful on the beach beside the BBQ. Kayaking and a few other water sports are included and were fun. We snorkelled on the left side if the beach. We used bread from the BBQ to attract fish, it was amazing to have the little fish all around you. General Resort - The resort is beautiful. Well groomed gardens and landscaping. Staff always working hard to keep it beautiful. Lack of service was an issue for us. If you spoke Spanish then you 100% got severed first. When the locals were in for the weekend it was very difficult to get a drink at the pool bar. The staff were all clearly just doing their job and had no real interest in being there. It could be a matter of personal preference. We have decided we prefer a smaller resort. The buffet would often get so busy you would have to wait a little bit for a table. Staff had trouble keeping up with water and drinks and clearing tables because it was so busy. We got room service one evening and the man who brought us our food tried to buy the shirt my boyfriend was wearing, it was awkward. Entertainment - The mini disco before the main night entertainment was the same song and dance each night and was very geared towards small children. We didn't stay up for the later shows after the mini disco because they didn't seem appropriate for our daughter. There was a burlesque show one night and a skit about two people in love another night. There was another small social area with the same lady singing every night. We tried to sit there for a while but it was too loud to talk over. Archery is on the entertainment schedule for 11am daily. We went and waited at the archery spot and nobody came. We tried to ask a few workers about it but none of them spoke any English. We asked the kids club leaders, who sent us to the gym to find out if it was running. The staff at the gym said no that we could try again tomorrow. We had a good time because we made it a good time but wish we had of spent our money elsewhere.