Excellence El Carmen: Excellence El Carmen - A true 5 star resort

The Excellence El Carmen was wonderful. The resort was exceptionally clean and well cared for. Our room (terrace suite with plunge pool) was spacious and comfortable. The rain shower was fabulous. No hot water issues and great water pressure. The service was the best that I have ever seen at any resort. Room Service was fantastic when we ordered. We met some wonderful people (other guests) at this resort as well. The staff were friendly, helpful and a lot of fun. We received the same le [... read more]vel of service whether we tipped or not. The evening shows were the most professional compared to any resort we stayed at. Even though we did not partake in the Excellence Club, both my husband and myself felt nothing lacking. We had one meal that was not very good (Grill House). My husband's steak was exceptionally rare, but the restaurant was very busy and had a birthday party going on at the same time. Talking to other guests, they had a wonderful meal when they went, so we just put it down to an exceptionally busy night. It in no way affected our overall opinion of the resort. We are looking forward to going again for our 10th anniversary. This is a 5 star plus resort in our opinion.

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: The Grand Bahai Principe Puta Cana is an amazing resort

The grounds, the room, the restaurants, the pools, the beach, the people were all fantastic. We loved it there, although it is so big and many of the buildings look similar so it is easy to get lost the first day or two. There are always trollies that you can hitch a ride on to get down to the beach or back up to the lobby where the buffet is located. We only had a few issues. When we arrived they couldn't find our envelope with our bracelet, room key, towel cards, etc. so it took about an hour  [... read more]to get checked in. We also had two lights in our room that didn't work and we called down three times during our stay to ask to have the bulbs switched and it didn't happen, even though we were told that they would send someone to fix it. Sometimes it was difficult to find someone who spoke English who could help us, but overall we had a great week there!

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Luxury Bahia Principe Ambar Green

It's a beautiful resort, we where there last year but at the Punta Cana. We wanted to go back because we loved it and the food was delicious, the staff is friendly.. The only thing that bothered me; is I asked for a room on the top floor away from the noise and got the bottom floor and couldn't sit outside to enjoy a relaxing drink before bed with all of the construction outside our patio door everyday/night. It's great new resorts are being built but it does put a damper on your vacation with a [... read more]ll the construction going on.

Royalton Splash Punta Cana: Made memories at Memories.

Had a blast at this resort. The entertainment staff was awesome, the service was incredible. The Beach was heavenly.(Bavaro Beach). Will definitely recommend this to families, groups of friends or even singles. I will be back to the Dominican soon....

Sunscape Coco Punta Cana: Great time!

The hotel grounds are beautifully laid out, the rooms are spacious and the staff are excellent. The food was good and the vip was well worth the extra cost. The beach and ocean was the most important of all and Punta Cana definitely delivered that !

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Resort starting to show its age

The rooms are starting to show it's age we were ten couples for a wedding every room had its problems refrigerators not working tubs plugs nut working jets not working some air conditioners not very cold. We have been to this resort five times every year getting worse if you want to go here upgrade to ambar or Esmeralda is a good choice

Occidental Punta Cana: Newly renovated, beautiful resort.

The grounds were well kept and the beach was gorgeous. I loved that it was newly renovated. They had nightly entertainment and a Disco as well. I had a spa treatment which was excellent. In addition to the expansive buffet, they had a range of a la carte restaurants to choose from.

Catalonia Bavaro Resort: Would I go back? YES!!

We really enjoyed our stay at the Catalonia resort. We were a group of 17 people. My husband and I thought that the resort was rated and priced accordingly. If you are easy to please and easy going you will not have any issues here. We have no complaints only a few “preferences”. GROUNDS: Size and layout were good, we could easily walk to and from the lobby/beach from our room. The staff kept the grounds clean and well maintained. Some center pathways are dim at night. ROOMS: We were in [... read more] building 23 the garden side. Nice, clean and a fair size room. Hammock on the balcony is awesome. The water closet and shower (very small shower) were separate from the sink area, bonus for me. Hot water setting is sensitive, we thought we were out of hot water because if you turned the knob too far either way the water got cold again, no issues once we found the sweet spot. Large Tub is nice feature however we did not have much luck finding it’s hot water sweet spot. There were also many people who spoke of 'drips from the ceiling' when the room above them would take a shower. Not sure if it was a plumbing or condensation issue. BEACH: Nice and clean. Clear water, some corrals so you needed to pick your section if you wanted to be in water above the waist. We were always able to find chairs and shade, I recommend going early to reserve them with your towel. POOL: Really neat layout; shallow, deep, whirlpool... however something that annoyed me was that children seemed to gravitate towards the pool bar section since there is a shallow ledge in that area of the pool. Would of been nice if parents would prevented their children from jumping and splashing in this area. (There was plenty of room at the further side of the same pool). FOOD: Good for DR, always something to choose at the buffet, they even had a little kids section at the lobby buffet. Most dessert were mediocre but the churros were yummy. We also tried the a la carts, Caribbean, Italian, Japanese (Great show) and Steakhouse (really great tenderloin and NY). PUBLIC WASHROOMS: Further than what I prefer from the pool/beach area. BARS: Beach and Pool I would suggest sticking to basic ingredient drinks like beer, mojitos, slush and rum. The lobby bar is better equipped to make martinis, fancy cocktail and Caesars (pleased that they had generic clamato). ENTERTAINMENT: Fernando and his team were great to chat with, but the scheduled entertainment could use some help. I preferred the day activities over the night time shows. The evening show “Circus” show was good. LANGUAGE: I would strongly suggest learning some Spanish. The little that I do speak came in handy. We also found that they often understood French better than English since it is similar to Spanish. RECEPTION: No issues with Check in or Check out. We were able to change bigger bills for smaller ones most days. TIPPING: I know Tipping is “Included” but we gave them basic tips (2$ a day for housekeeping and a few small items, 5$ a day at the bars, 6$ a day at restaurants...) and it went a long way, we never had any complaints about any of our services. STAFF: If you find a staff member very helpful, take note of their name. After they get 10 “positive mentions” on the comments cards they get a day off. (Comments cards were handed out at the buffet on Thursday night). OVERALL: May not of been the best resort that I have even been to, but for the price and location it was perfect. Would I recommend? Yes! Would I go back? Yes!

Melia Caribe Beach Resort: Great time, beautiful grounds, but a bit too big for my taste

I should start by saying I traveled with my family of 5; my husband, 4 year old, 2 year old and 9 month old, and I specifically picked this resort as it is one of the ONLY resorts in the Caribbean that INCLUDES kids club for kids starting at age 8 months. The kids club was terrific. We also paid for evening babysitters and we had Cynthia each night and she was terrific and we fully trusted her. The hotel itself was beautiful and the grounds were impeccably maintained, but just when I compare it  [... read more]to other resorts I've been to (without kids) some comments I have are as follows: the pool was too deep - had to walk on tip toe to get to the bar, and could hardly drink your drink while standing in the pool (i'm 5'8); the only restaurant by the pool/beach/family rooms closed at 6pm, and it only offered a 'snack bar' dinner. If you wanted a the full buffet dinner (ie. With vegetables, desserts, grilled meats, etc.) you had to take the trolley/golf cart up to the main lobby (about 3-5 minutes depending on how many times you stop) and the main buffet only opened at 6pm. In theory that might not sound bad, but with small children it made it difficult to get a good dinner meal in when bedtime routine starts at 630ish. I was disappointed with breakfast, but was quite happy with the lunch and dinner buffets, and the a la carte dinners. Rooms were great, family rooms were large with a second area for kids to sleep - this area was part of the main room, but separated by drapes (sheers, actually - I would recommend switching from sheers to drapes for more privacy for parents). The resort was just a bit too big for my liking, as it was about a 10-15 minute walk to the restaurants and bars, all of which were up at the main lobby. Even without kids it just wasn't convenient to say 'let's go eat', or grab a drink...and the trolley/train that loops through the grounds doesn't seem to be on any schedule...it might be a 5 minute wait, might be 15 - although there were often golf carts that would drive by and offer to pick you up. I was also surprised that the dance club didn't open until 12am. Where I've been previously, it would open after the entertainment, at 1030 or 11, so that was a bit later than expected. But, there were some good options throughout the lobbies for entertainment - djs, live music, karaoke (too much in my opinion), salsa dancing, etc., and the traditional shows/nightly entertainment in the theater was less of a focal point. Overall the staff were friendly, but I didn't find that tipping either helped or hurt the service. Language was a bit of a barrier, which was to be expected. The kids had a great time, we had a great time, but I personally would select a smaller resort the next time around (assuming they have a kids club that works for all of my kids by the time we travel again!) thanks Melia for a great week!!!

Melia Caribe Beach Resort: Great Resort

Very nice resort. Rooms clean and comfortable. AMAZING pool, great buffet at beach, enjoyed breakfast and lunch here with amazing beach/ocean views. Reliable Wi-Fi throughout the resort. Main pool was great for kids. Pool was large with lots of fun areas. Lots of activities at pool and bartenders at pool were very good to make the kids mocktails. Recommend families stay in family section near beach and pool as resort is very large and staying far away from pool with kids would be difficult [... read more].

IFA Bavaro Village: Relaxing, great beach

The beach was beautiful with lots of loungers and natural palm trees for shade. The drinks were fantastic. The food was ok, we enjoyed the buffet more than the a la carte restaurants. The lunch buffet at the beach was fantastic. The staff was friendly and tried their very best to understand english and our very limited spanish. There were not very many other Canadians or americans at the resort during our stay. Our room was nice, great water pressure in the shower. The air conditioner kept the r [... read more]oom cold but it also leaked. You have to ask the staff for bottles of drinking water if you want some for your room. I highly recommend the couples massage at the spa!!! If you want to buy souvenirs go to the vendors down the beach to barter. Offer half of their first price or lower, walk away if you still don't like the price. They'll let you know if your price is still reasonable.

Majestic Colonial Punta Cana Beach Resort: Amazing resort

All accommodation, dinning, entertaining very good. Nice room settings, good overall cleanliness, lots of activities, very friendly stuff, ready to help and please vacationers. Good sports activities on the beach.

Vista Sol Punta Cana: great resort for the price.

The best part of this resort is the beach. Lots of shade if you want it, or not and great for swimming. I would rate this resort just short of a 4. No premium liquor and the showers could use an upgrade and some of the beds are very hard are a few of the draw backs. The little things that they don't have are. Face cloths not uncommon for Caribbean and kleenex. The pros good size resort, no line ups for food or drinks and the cleanest washrooms i have ever seen in any resort. I would go back to t [... read more]his resort if the price is right.

Occidental Punta Cana: This was a great hotel and the food, room, beach and staff were so good.

the dining room were good, but was not so happy with the Chine's one, to dark in side and the food, so so, went to the main dining room to eat after this meal that night. The rest of the dining rooms and food were very good, and I loved the beach dining room a lot.

Catalonia Bavaro Resort: Pretty Good Resort Except for the BOOM, BOOM Tech noise from Pearl Beach Club

We had a good stay here. The grounds were beautiful, the food was good , the rooms were clean even if well worn and the staff were helpful. Front desk excellent. Problem: Techno "club noise" at Catalonia's new adjacent Pearl Beach Club. The BOOM-BOOM sound permiated the entire resort. We had to change rooms as we thought we had a quiet room, BUT not so. We were moved to the other side of the property away frm the noise, but could still hear the very loud boom-boom music even with doors close [... read more]d. We visited the club and it was very modern with six HUGE speakers pointed in the direction of the Catalonia Bavaro .

Majestic Mirage Punta Cana All Suite Resort: Don't go there

There is nothing good I can say about this hotel. I really cant believe that they have good reviews. My only guess is that some people are wowed by marble and bali beds(which were filthy) Thankfully I was able to have Air Transat get me transfered to a REAL five star hotel in after 24 hrs I was there April 9th... No distinction between adult and children Dirty pool..dirty rooms..sewage smell...no visible staff...except in check in area...standing around. Food aweful....poor presentation at [... read more] buffet..felt like I was a work in a conference room. I talked to some people at the airport coming home and they said they would not return...one had food poisoning...as per other reviews. I called trip central to ask about a different hotel but the agent pushed this ....no matter what hotel i asked about...she kept going back to this one..which was one I was not even looking at I believed her and fell for it..also paid more than any trip I have ever taken...must be bonus for agents booking this!!! I have been in customer service my entire career...currently self employed...work hard for my money and take 1 trip a year... If Air Transat could not transfer us(at a cost of 516.00 extra) I asked them to fly us home and forfeit the vacation. So in the end...I paid about 800.00 more than I should have and lost a day and a half ....the result..got to Luxury Bahia Principe Ambar Green..next door..where I had been last year...a true 5 star...

Riu Bambu: Very nice, BUT

Very nice resort. The staff was very friendly and entertaining. Just 2 issues. Only 2 sheets on the bed. Talking to other guests there is an extra blanket in the closet. We had no extra blanket. Asked housekeeping staff for a blanket. No luck. Asked the front desk twice. Again no luck with the promise of "yes seniorita right away", NOPE!! So we froze all week. If we turned air off then the room was too hot, so we chose to freeze. Secondly I left a pair of earrings behind in a drawer. I emailed  [... read more]them upon my return home. They got back to me 2 days later and said they asked housekeeping staff and said they were not found. I don't believe the housekeeping staff took them. I just think they didn't check the drawer in the room. Sound advice, leave your jewellery at home. The earrings are still there I'm sure. Now the resort is closed for 3 months. Oh well, live and learn. Had a wonderful vacation anyway.

Melia Caribe Beach Resort: Great Resort but really huge

Melia Caribe Tropical is a great resort with beautiful nature( plants, trees, flamingos and peacocks), great decorations, very good food and free WIFI all over. We had some minor problems with our room but they were quickly solved by resort's staff after our arrival. We had a great weather and very good time. The only thing we found the resort really huge, needed few days to know our way around and had to use trains to get to beach . Thank you for all your assistance.

Sunscape Coco Punta Cana: Beautiful resort

Hotel was ok. Room was ok Pool was too crowded. Need more pools in resort. Food was great. Surrounding was great. Restaurants were in excellent condition. Entertainment was good. Over all the resort was decent.

Sunscape Coco Punta Cana: Lovely resort

Hotel rooms need upgrading, roof was leaking and balcony door lock were broken. Resort surrounding was excellent. Facilities were excellent. Great service. Great food. Over all resort is beautiful, people were great.