VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Nice resort

This resort is very family friendly. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it there however, it was only my boyfriend and I. They close the main pool every night at 7pm which was kind of a bummer .. the bars also all close down at 12pm. Besides that, the place was super relaxing, quiet, staff were friendly and the food was pretty good. We went in April so the beach was very windy. I’m not sure if that is normal for Dominican or not... another thing is that the beach is public so all the locals will wa [... read more]lk up to you numerous times on the beach trying to get you to buy things. It’s okay at first but after a while it gets to be kind of irritating... especially if you’re just trying to relax and enjoy your time. One of the locals actually got aggressive with us when we wouldn’t give him a $65 (American) deposit for an “excursion” that we later found out wouldn’t of even happened. Good thing we didn’t give him our money. The resort itself is very clean as well. However, I did notice that the maids don’t clean your room as good unless you tip them so make sure you bring extra tip money. Another important thing: make sure you talk to the front desk about all the activities and excursions you can do when you get there. We went to ocean world, it was so much fun. We swam with dolphins. Overall I will give this resort a 7.5/10. If you are looking to party, this is not the right resort. If you have a family / or you’re just trying to relax, this place would be perfect for you.

Ocean El Faro: Lots of Positives, a few negatives

We recently stayed for 7 nights with extended family. Flights and transfers were flawless. The lobby is breathtaking- we’ve never seen anything like it! Main resort boulevard is charming and lined with restaurants. Food at buffets was incredible but not as much at a la Carte restaurants - go for service and ambiance only! Big thank you to steakhouse staff for arranging a birthday cake for my niece. They went above and beyond to make her birthday special. We loved the feeling of space and pri [... read more]vacy throughout the resort. Lots of different areas to relax, and the designer has done incredible job throughout. The trolley that wandered thru resort was awesome- convenient and great to get back to beach or lobby. Our room - wow! We had oceanfront in building 5. Absolutely 5 stars. Our housekeepers were top notch- Elena, you were wonderful! The negatives - H10 staff hounding you to attend timeshare meetings. This really disappointed us and we were surprised management was okay with these sales tactics - low class in our opinion. The other negative is how much servers pushed non-stop refills of alcoholic drinks- the bartenders looked at you strangely and made comments if you ordered non-alcoholic drinks. Again, a bit ‘classless’ in our humble opinion. We wondered why they seemed to want everyone inebriated...however, all other staff were amazing, very polite and professional. Beach was empty which was heaven. Very windy so not great for swimming. Overall we would recommend this resort but once is enough for us- H10 staff turned us off from returning again. I highly recommend any future visitors to firmly say no thanks or simply tip the guy to leave them alone!

Bahia Principe Explore Legend: Great family resort

Very clean resort, felt very secure, and lots of family activities. Shows were amazing! Entertainment staff were very good with the kids. Down fall was the beach and ocean water, lots of debris from ocean plants. Also hard to get a shaded spot as people would block loungers with towels all day.

Ocean El Faro: Great resort - still a few bugs to work on

The resort is beautiful. The main lobby is stunning. The food in the buffet, the snack bar and the beach restaurant is amazing! So much variety and great quality. The food in the restaurants was disappointing. For example I had the eggplant parmesan at the Italian restaurant and it didn't have parmesan on it! Despite the fact that the buffet had a full parmesan wheel! The pools are great and the lazy river is awesome. The staff are all friendly and helpful. The only negative is the hard sell to  [... read more]buy some stupid hotel pass or go on an off resort excursion. They don't take no for an answer until you get irritated or just walk away. We had a problem with our room, we reserved 2 beds and only got one. They moved us to a bigger room but the bathroom ceiling was leaking and smelled so we had to move again. They were really good about accommodating us but it did take a long time. All the rooms are really nice and we'll furnished. We had the only room in the whole resort that didn't have a swinging basket chair. The beach was not great but mostly because low tide was basically from 11am to 3pm so prime time. The beach itself was nice but for swimming there were lots of rocks in the water that you couldn't see because there was a constant wind and rough surf. There was also a lot of weeds washing up on shore but they were working all day every day trying to clean it up. By the end of the week they had got most of it but it was and endless battle. At high tide the swimming was great and the surf was fun. There is a lagoon to swim in that is sheltered and super calm and beautiful. Unfortunately it isn't set up yet so there are no chairs or umbrellas and no services. It was a bit of a walk so not lots of people which was nice. The snorkeling was ok but nothing too special. I was disappointed that they didn't have any masks and snorkels available even though they said they would. The lagoon was beautiful but looks onto all the construction. Overall we had a great vacation. Just need to fix a few things

Emotions by Hodelpa Puerto Plata: Great Resort! Great family vacation

Just got back from a week at Emotions and it definitely exceeded our expectations. The staff was amazing, especially Kimberley who works in the towel exchange. The rooms were nicely renovated and clean. The beach was cleaned daily, the water was clear and we ended up spending most of our time there. Even the people selling stuff on the beach take no for an answer and do not try to force you into making a purchase. The evening entertainment was lacking however, this could be because of the e [... read more]aster holiday. Food at the buffet was good and always hot. We tried the Italian restaurant (portion quite small) but tasted great and the Mexican restaurant was so amazing we went more than once. Resort is only 20 minutes from the airport and has a mall within shopping distance. Wifi was great even at the beach. We did find the pool today be too busy for a good part of our stay but that is because locals are allowed onsite and seemed to overtake the area on Good Friday. This did not affect our vacation since we spent our time by the ocean.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Great resort

The entertainment was outstanding. Every part of the resort was clean and well maintained. Staff were attentive and service was always good. Everyone worked so hard to make our holiday great. Lots of good food, loads of variety and great choices. Beach was windy in the afternoons. Great place to enjoy the ocean, the pools and the activities. Yoga on the beach was one of my favorite things, long walks on the sandy beaches, loads of fish to see while snorkeling in front of the resort. Had  [... read more]a great time and hope to return.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Happy Holiday

This was a wonderful holiday destination for 3 couples who are all celebrating retirement. Friendly staff, clean rooms, good food and fantastic beach. Everything we were wishing for and more. Lots of great entertainment. Good value. Everyone in our travel group had a fantastic time - even the weather was perfect!

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Great staff

Rooms were clean, staff was very accommodating and grounds were very well kept. Beach was very windy with sand blowing after lunch Meals at buffet were decent but, enjoyed the A la Carte's more There isn't much to do at this resort so for anyone looking for a quiet trip would be sufficient

Playabachata Hotel: Playabachata Review

At first, we thought we were going somewhere pretty nice. After being in the hotel and the grounds we saw it wasn't that great. We even saw 3 cockroaches in our room. I wouldn't recommend this resort.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Just the best!

This hotel is the best value of any hotel in the Dominican. From the arrival and transportation to the hotel the team strives to make this the most memorable and enjoyable vacation ever. The staff, the resort, ,the food and the management, all work together to make this a wonderful resort for families or couples to spend time relaxing and enjoying themselves.

Bahia Principe Grand Bavaro: Beautiful resort.

We only had the privilege to stay on this resort for 3 nights since we were only on a mini vacation but we enjoyed our stay tremendously. The resort is beautiful and well kept. We were checked in in a very fast manner and enjoyed swimming in the many pools and the clean beach the resort provides. Food in the buffet was excellent and also had a big variety of choices. There are also other restaurants that you can choose and book. Our room was very big with a king size bed and view of the pools.  [... read more] Getting around the resort was easy since they have trolleys going back and forth from the beach all the time. We really enjoyed our stay here and hope to come back next time for a week. Thank you to all the staff that work very hard to make sure you are comfortable and happy at all times.

Sunscape Dominicus La Romana: Beautiful resort

Beautiful place! Only went to one A la carte restaurant- Japanese. Excellent! Plenty of shops/boutiques on the resort for whatever you will need; souvenirs, clothes, liquor, jewelry, snacks...etc. Good size resort with good walking distances everywhere. Lots of birds, turkeys, ducks and a peacock on the grounds. A lot of European tourist. Our room was very spacious with closets and drawers. Did not like the bathroom area, glass doors for toilet and shower. No hooks to hang anything in the s [... read more]hower: towels, facecloths etc, (bring your own facecloths). Beach is nice but too crowded. You need to get up quite early every morning to reserve your chairs on the beach. Be sure to put an old t-shirt or old beach towels to reserve your chairs. We started using our resort towels and twice, someone stole a resort towel on 2 different days. Never had this happen to us before. I don't recommend leaving those resort towels unattended. We were not impressed! Security guards on beach don't seem to notice these people. You will pay 20$US if you do not return your towel card at checkout.

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Just what we ordered

Spent a week here this April (8th to 15th) . While I would not call it 5 star , I cannot really say anything bad about the resort . Would love to see the buffet (lunch) change it up a bit , way to many things the same every day . We went to have a quiet week , just to chill and enjoy our space & time . Other than the usual stuff , saving chairs for hours , and crying about it when they are not still there when they come back . Food was good , service was good . Room , beach , pool , all good .  [... read more]I cannot name just 1 or 2 staff , they all work they tails off . Anyone who wants to complain , I say go work there !!!!!! Nope , was an excellent week . Met some amazing people , and got the rest we were looking for .

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Fantastic resort

The Ambar at the bahia principe Dominican Republic is a great resort.The rooms are newly renovated and are beautiful.The maid service always had our mini fridge stocked and did a fantastic job cleaning our room.We spent a great deal of time at the pool and met a wonderful server Daritza.Daritza was friendly,always had a smile on her face and took very good care of us.The buffet breakfast and lunch were always good and we also enjoyed all of our a la cartes.The only thing I would recommend if y [... read more]ou go e mail the resort 2-3 weeks ahead of time to get the a la cartes you want .Overall we had a fantastic week.

Sunscape Coco Punta Cana: Resort could be improved!

The grounds where beautiful, pools was good, beach well the ocean was not so great lots of sea weed but the caretakers kept the beach clean ever day. The buffet was not so good the workers did not go out of their way at all, it seems that they cannot make a decent drink and the workers not so friendly they should also learn to speak English. I can say that the weather was great sunshine and blue skies every day.

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: Great time if you're not too picky

I was a bit concerned with lots of negative reviews, but we were very happy with our stay. Things I was most worried about were good air conditioning and no bugs in the beds, and I'm happy to say there were no problems there. The staff was very friendly, and we tipped often, so the staff kept the same table for us most times and remembered our drink preferences. The pool was fresh water and very clean and temperature was great (around 75 I would guess). However, despite signs forbidding rese [... read more]rving lounge chairs, almost all shaded chairs will be reserved by 8-9AM each day and staff won't enforce the rule. While we didn't want to, we had to join the strange practice of getting up extremely early to put towels and personal items on some chairs in the shade in order to have shade while at the pool. I think it would be a better experience for the average patron if the staff removed towels if left longer than 30 minutes. We got up at 5am every day to put towels/books out to save chairs and that worked pretty well. Keep in mind the resort will charge 20 dollars for a lost towel, though. We paid 60 dollars for unlimited internet throughout the resort and in the rooms, and we had good connectivity in the room. However, during busy days (mainly weekends where there are a lot of locals), the Internet bandwidth was pretty saturated and refused to work at all. This was usually during lunch/dinner times where everyone in the main restaurant is using wifi. The food was great with lots of choices, and we attended all three specialty restaurants. We waited in line about 30 minutes prior to reservations opening (for us Monday at 8am), and I would recommend you do the same. My complaints about the food were that I didn't enjoy breakfast most times due to the rarity of bacon, and fried hash browns. I suspect other resorts in Puerto Plata will have similar scarcity, though. The Greek restaurant is very cold, and I enjoyed the food there the least of the three specialty restaurants, but that's mainly due to personal taste. My favourite food was the pineapple at the Brazilian restaurant. Overall, very happy with our stay even though we have a few gripes here and there. I suspect most of the negative reviews here are due to people letting one or two details ruin their trip. Also, I think, while not mandatory, tipping will result in a slightly better experience.

Riu Republica: Very nice resort!

Resort was very updated and clean! Beach was amazing! So much to do all the time! Food was excellent! Love the restaurants and that you don’t have to make reservations! Some staff could have been a little more friendly but all worked hard.

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: Good resort

Went there as a group of 6 people and had a nice time there. We got awesome weather was there for 10 days and had 29 to 32 degree with beautiful sunshine all through our holiday. We had a couple of minor issues when we got there but nothing big. When we got to resort we had to wait 2 hours for our rooms because it wasn't ready for us yet. One of the couple their room key didn't work when they got to there room but got easily fixed & quickly :). Also one of the couple had requested a main floor [... read more] room due to difficulty walking but didn't get it, they go a second floor room. All 3 couples had requested to be in same building (block 4 which is quieter) but one of the couple got a room in block 5 which is VERY near the pool and very noisy (they didn't get many quiet nights sleep). We all got very comfortable king size beds in all our rooms. Refrigerator in room was nice and cold, we had 2 beers (Coors light) 1 Pepsi, 1 7up in it upon arrival and 1 big bottle water which they were good at replacing it when empty, if not replaced we just had to go to front desk and they got them to replace it asap or we could get it refilled ourselves at any of the bars. Just a heads up you have to pay for your in room safe if you want one (3 dollars a day). Also another heads up is that when you go to buffet for super men cannot go in with a sleeveless shirt, or swimsuit which we only found out once we got there. BUT they can wear a sleeveless shirt for breakfast & lunch time which made it a bit confusing. The resort was clean with spacious rooms & great friendly staff (two thumbs up on staff). The AC in rooms worked really well. One of the thing we didn't like about the resort was the washrooms on throughout the resorts didn't have paper towels to dry our hands and there hand dryer was really not very efficient ( VERY LOW BLOWING POWER) took what seemed forever to get our hands dried . Food was good but only got bacon every second day, they had a fair amount of choices for food at every meals. We didn't try the "A la carte" restaurants so can't say much about that. Our biggest issue was the sand blowing on the beach in afternoon :( it got really bad and we kept getting sandblasted when laying on the beach. I was ok in morning but around noon the wind always seem to pickup and we got sanded. The water temperature was great throughout our stay there. In some section of the beach there was weeds in water but in morning it was pretty good but by afternoon it got bad because of the wind I guess sending the weeds towards the shore line, by 2 pm the water really got dirty with weeds and such so not as pleasant. Most people went in the pool instead in afternoon because of this issue, which of course was not the resorts fault or employee in anyways as the can't control the wind or weather. As for the entertainment there in evening we only went to one of there shows there as it would start way to late for us. The shows always started at 9:45 pm which after spending the whole day outside enjoying the weather & fresh air that by that time we were all in bed asleep lol. The show we did see was not worth staying up late for. We enjoyed our stay there but would not go back due to mostly the issues at the beach and the evening entertainment. I'm giving this resort a overall 4 star because of the service and decent food.

Bahia Principe Escape Bouganville: Bouganville=great time!

Lets start with Transat: We were here April 13-20th. Booked for a 6:30am flight that was changed within weeks to 3:35 pm flight. By the time we were in our room, it was 10:45pm. Lost the entire day. On the Departure date that was originally early and changed to late flight (8:40pm), we requested a late check out that came with a 25 (2 hours) or 35 (3 hours) usa charge. Denied. Hotel was full. So, we had to check out by 12 pm. Sat around until after 4pm. Delay at the airport (Santo Do [... read more]mingo). By the time we got home, it was 5am Sunday Morning. We lost the first day and the last day thanks to Transat selling a 6:30am flight with early leave, weeks after booking. I can understand if it was closer to the date, problems with the flight etc. But weeks after booking in November for an April flight? Bogus. The company Transat used for the airport transfers, demanded $1.00 per bag being put on the bus. And I mean, demanded. You were not allowed to put the bag on yourself, and he wouldn't put it on, until you gave him $1.00 per bag. The did sell beer, $4.00 usa/can on the bus going to the resort. Because of this, I will NEVER book with Transat again. Even TripCentral couldn't help us because Transat wouldn't work with them either. Hotel: Had some issues with hot water for 2 days but afterwards, fixed and no other issues. We had a great time at the resort. Beautiful, clean, the best animation team we have seen. Stand out staff we met: Felix-Animation team was a really great person. Friendly and genuine. Jose-Server at the morning buffet-friendly. Took care of us. Elvin-Server at the morning buffet and don Pablo. Friendly. Took care of us. Room-We had 53006. Main floor, middle of outside buildings. Absolutely loved this location. It was pretty much central to everything. Very quiet even being on the main floor. Within walking distance to everything. No need for trams. Food-As expected. This is our 3rd Bahia vacation. No issues with the food. Beach-As expected. Very clean but water not clear but not an issue, again, expected per reviews. Pools-There are 2. Beach and quiet. Both nice. Now, lets talk saving spots at the beach, and pools. Despite warnings of no saving loungers, its done. So, if you want a covered spot, wake up early. Excursions-We booked Sanoa day trip through Coming2 . Disappointed with what we were told and what actually happened. Was supposed to be a catamaran both ways. Turned out speed boat to the island. Catamaran on the way back. Because of this, no drinks on the way to the island. On the trip home, only hard liquor, 7up, pepsi and water. No Beer. They saved a lot of money off of us. No one drank the hard liquor. The worse part was driving through the city during high traffic just so we could make a stop at a tourist trap that was not on the agenda. For the price, 75.00 usa each, I wouldn't do it again nor recommend it. We wasted an entire day basically sitting around. The Beach was red flagged and the water cold. The area that was supposed to be a natural hot springs was not even warm. Privilege club: I talked with members who were happy they purchased however, after 2 hours of listening to them talk, taking us on a walk to see a room that looked exactly like the room we paid for, the price was high and came with 18% interest. Within 5 minutes, the price came down and the interest was 0%. And the couple we spoke with had the original price with 0%. So, if this interests you, make sure you tell them what you want because to save the sale, they will give you what you want. We did get a 25 min massage each out of the 2 hours. Spa: We used the free 25 mins massage and both enjoyed it. Very relaxing. I recommend this service. All in all, we had a great time. The Bahia line delivers on service, cleanliness and everything you would expect. No complaints about the hotel. This hotel is on our list of possibly returning and I highly recommend it. Transat however, I am not a fan. When we book a flight based on the price and departure and arrival times, we expect to get that within reason. Transat did not deliver what they sold in my opinion.

Paradise Playa Dorada: Better than expected

We were pleasantly surprised in our fourth floor spacious, clean suite, with ocean view. The food was first quality with varied dishes every day. Beaches were nice. However the eastern windward beach was inhabitable in the afternoons due to high winds and blowing sand. The western sheltered beach needs more chairs and shade. On leaving, courtesy suite confusion could be eliminated by having sign up list.