Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: WOW! The customer service is top shelf!

We stayed at the Iberostar Costa Dorada from Feb. 11 - 18, 2024. The resort itself is a bit on the small side, older and a bit dated. That is pretty much it for the negatives. The Costa Dorada is a beautifully landscaped and clean resort, situated well on a beautiful stretch of beach. The ocean was rough the week we were there which limited the time on the beach and in the ocean, but the sand was always clean during the day. If you are staying 7 or more nights you are guaranteed 3 to 4 reservati [... read more]ons at one of their 3 a la carte restaurants. After you use your guaranteed reservations you can make additional reservations after noon the day of (this was not well communicated so we didn't find out until our last day). We ate at the Japanese restaurant twice (teppanyaki) the first time was great and very high energy, the second was not high energy and a bit disappointing. The Italian restaurant was also very good, my wife went back a second time just for the risotto. The best part of the resort was the staff! The concierge were amazingly helpful and friendly. George was our primary concierge and helped make reservations and provided information about the resort and the area and some pointers on excursions. When George wasn't there Lis and the rest of the team were equally helpful. The service staff at the restaurants take obvious pride in their jobs and were so help and friendly. The staff at the buffet were very friendly and attentive and really helped get the morning off to a good start. I wish I knew the name of the cook at the omelet station for our first 4 days, he was great and entertaining :). The resort is nice and the weather can't be beat but it is the people of the Costa Dorada that really made our vacation! We would definitely go back.

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Awesome place!

Had a great time at this resort! The place is very clean and the food is really good.i like how it's not massive so it's not a long walk to the beach no matter where your room is. The paper cups at the bars are a bit disappointing, but we had travel mugs anyway. 5 min walk to the golf course is nice and if you're into golf it's worth playing. Will definitely go back to this resort.

Viva Heavens by Wyndham: Mostly a great experience

Hotel grounds, beach, pool and rooms were well maintained. The only issues we ran into were around the reception staff. We booked a king size bed and we’re forced into a room with 3 double beds. We arrived at 1pm and were told we could check in at 3 we came back at 3 and they said our room wasn’t ready. They told us 5-10 minutes. We waited 45 then they took us to a room we didn’t book. When we tried to correct it at the desk, the manager said they couldn’t make it work and was visibly annoyed we [... read more] asked to have our room changed. Entertainment, bar staff and maids were exceptional! We used Hector the Protector to book our excursions and we saved so much and had an amazing time!

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Amazing resort

The resort was really good Food was great Rooom nice size They need to fix patio door locks on ground floor But the did come down and put lock on right away. Pool were great everything clean I would go back

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Amazing resort

I really loved this resort, with spacious lobby, restaurant, theatre, swimming pools, kids special play room and swimming pool, fitness room. Public amenities nicely decorated, lobby and restaurant have huge chandeliers, one of the kind pieces of art. Nice lighting touches too. Three residential buildings are nicely designed, with the inside tropical gardens, lovely. Food very good, service friendly but not sufficient at certain hours. Entertainment mostly very good, especially 6 member Latin mu [... read more]sic band, Silent and Beach Party, Fire show at the beach, show at the swimming pool areas. The most amazing of all was the nature and beautiful, long, golden Playa Dorada, no seaweeds, very well maintained

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Hidden gem

We've been to this resort 6 times now. It's just the right combination of size, food quality, staff friendliness and extras like orchid gardens, peacocks, a beach barbecue, super animation team and shows and of course lots of ice cream!

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: VH Grand Ventana Beach resort

This was the 11th time we visited this hotel. We noticed some changes that were obviously to keep down the overhead in order to stay competitive. For example the table cloths on the tables in both the Ocean Grill and the cafeteria were no longer. The food was very good but again with a few changes. As well, it looked like lower status managers were expected to do more. The senior manager, from food and drink services as per usual, was very gracious and kind...a true gentleman who knows the  [... read more]value of a customer. Raul in the cafeteria went over and above. He works very hard. Felix, is one of the servers, is quite good. I see a big improvement with Adrian since last year. The only problem we encountered was at the reception. The junior employee barked at me because I had the audacity to enquire if my room was ready. She needs to spend some time learning customer service from some of the senior managers because they really know what is customer retention and customer service. As well during the week, we encountered a small issue where the maid forgot to leave us some towels. This could have been dealt with very quickly. However, it took four hours and finally needed to be escalated to the night manager, Dominique. The reception showed a real lack of urgency in that situation.

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: A Good Resort

A very friendly resort. Everything was clean. We enjoyed the food. In the afternoon they always had lots going on around the pool. We couldn't get a safe for our room, they said most were broken, I feel like that is very important to be able to lock our valuables in a safe, but we managed. We had a couple issues with no towels for our room and pool towels were very hard to get. 5 yrs ago we stayed there it was awesome and this time was just ok.

Playabachata Hotel: amazoing nplace to relax and enjoy the weather

the service was great the food is excellent the day after i got there i could not find a beach chair or could not get a towel within 5 minutes of asking at the front desk everything was settled a chair and towel even the manager called me that same night for my opinion and told me to check with him if i could not find a chair or towel thumbs up to this resort if my health permits me i will be there again next year keep up the good work

Viva Heavens by Wyndham: Missed the Ocean

February 6 to 13, 2024. We were really pleased with almost everything about this resort. Our room was awesome- 4107, as it faced a green space and the ground floor terrace was relatively private. We had a large room (Amnesia Jr Suite) with the most comfortable queen size mattresses and pillows. The main restaurant had lots of variety and an abundance of food. The staff, at the reception desk, in the restaurant and bar, and cleaning ladies were friendly and pleasant. My husband and I both ha [... read more]d some mobility issues and so I was not pleased that the Sunwing rep meeting took place on a second level. Not accessible for us. The BIG DISAPPOINTMENT was where the beach was located, over a 15 minute walk for my husband, using a walker. I travel south to swim in the ocean. There was only a very small area marked off by bouys, and knowing that the ocean was a sudden deep, with the rough water, there would be rip currents...there WAS NO LIFEGUARD. I will not swim in the ocean with no lifeguard present. Hence, there were no more visits to the beach. I don't do pools because of chemicals, so this was a HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT. The evening entertainment, though I heard it was excellent, it did not start until 9:45pm. This was getting late for us. Plus the daily activities were not posted anywhere, so we missed a number of events that I would have participated in. The weather was terrific and I did not have to plan, prepare or clean up after meals. That is my second reason for going south. VIVA Heavens scored 100% on that.

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: Relaxing vacation

A beautiful palm filled resort. Great spa services. I had a hot stone massage on the beach. Ask for Suna. Upgrade to VIP beach was worth it for free wifi at that beach, day beds with white curtains, good service and sushi. A buffet here and nearby at Tropical. The food was only fair. The specialty restos were good. You can walk between resorts and also take the shuttle bus. Upgrade included a room near the pool and beach. Unfortunately the bathroom smelled really bad and the airconditioning was  [... read more]weak. The worst part was lack of wifi. You can pay extra. One hour free every 24 hours. Good value and a really beautiful (tho older) resort. I had a very relaxing week.

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: great resort

The resort was beautiful. Located near a mall with many shops. The beach was clean and well maintained. We took a long walks along this beautiful beach. The food was awesome and in great variety. We loved it.

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: Good time resort

Hotel well kept as a whole. Grounds, pools, restaurants, shops, beaches were clean and looked after daily. Rooms were clean but need updating..had trouble with toilet, barely warm water, tap sprayed water. Food was excellent in al a cartes but buffet needs better variety of dishes and please, please teach them how to cook all of their meat. Too dry, tough, no taste, no gravy.

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Nice Place

Room was not luxury but clean and fully functional. Bed was comfortable. Rooms have A/C. The resort is nice. The walk to beach is lovely with greenery ponds and wildlife. The beach is lovely. Lots of seating but must reserve a spot for early beach time but started clearing out about 1pm. Staff was friendly enough. Food was decent and lots of variety. No bacon at breakfast. A la carts booked up fast. Drinks were fine. House red was ok. House white i did not like. Nightly entertainment was mostly  [... read more]lacking during our 7 day stay. 3 nights were decent enough. Swim up bar closes at 6pm. Pools close at 7pm.( i hear its common) dont go here to party till all hrs of the night unless your with your own group. Crowd age varied alot with mostly people over 50yrs old. We werent there to party so it was fine for us. overall it was good for what we paid and we would return.

Sunscape Puerto Plata: Terrible resort

The room was nice enough. Coffee maker with both regular and decaf coffee Bar fridge stocked with soft drinks and water We were in the Sunclub adult only section small pool private bar and some snacks. Stairs everywhere without hand rails. No reservations for the ala carte restaurants and they are up a long flight of stairs with children running up and down. Pizza was ok wood fired oven. Long waits in the restaurants terrible food. The buffet restaurant the food was usually cold and [... read more] they would bring out fresh food and put it on top of the old food. There was turkey one day at lunch freshly carved it was good. I am an adventurer of new foods but everything was so oily. The beach was okay very windy sometimes there would be someone bringing drinks. No food available on the beach so had to leave and walk to the restaurant. Lots of broken tiles real hazard. Probably the worst vacation I have ever had in 30 years

Playabachata Hotel: Love this resort

We love this resort. The grounds are probably the nicest ones we have ever been to in the Dominican. The staff are so friendly and work so hard. We just returned from 28 days and look forward to going back again. The only issues seem to be in the large buffet because of the amount of people in there. Getting through the line ups and enjoying a hot meal are pretty hard to do unless you time it right. Both the Italian and Steak restaurant were wonderful. I highly recommend booking the superior roo [... read more]m which puts you close to the ocean. This was our second time here and will definitely be returning.

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Beautiful resort

Enjoyed another relaxing week at the Iberostar Costa Dorada. Our 7th time staying here did not disappoint. Kennedy, Carlos and Dulche took very good care of us for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The pool is huge and refreshing. Selection at breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet was more than generous. Ala Carte restaurants were also very good. Activity in the lobby area during the evening hours was very good with music, vendors and theme food nights going on every night. This is a solid 4 Star res [... read more]ort and we look forward to our next visit.

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: 3 star resort

This Resort at best is a 3 star complex. The rooms are a mixture of upgraded and older non-upgraded. Second floor rooms have luke warm water only. I found many maintenence problems, such as plugged bathtub drains, spanish only TV with the exception of BBC or CNN. Dirty towels not changed when left on the floor. They would be hung back up wet. New clock radios had electrical cords that could not be plugged into the Dominican outlets without an plug adapter. Pool loungers were limited to people wh [... read more]o got up at 5 am to reserve them with towels. The food was not good, the buffet was always overcrowded as was the pool. Pool washrooms were some distance from the pool and I didn't see many people getting out of the pool to use them. I have been to many all exclusives in the Dominican Republic but this Resort was a real disappointment. I do not recommend this resort.

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: Staff is very good

Anna in the Legends bar was excellent. She spoke very good English and always treated our group like family. The alla carte restaurants were really good and the buffet had good variety. Definitely needed more chairs at the pool area. Their were some very rude French Canadians.

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: Very Impressed

DO NOT LISTEN TO THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS.This is a very clean hotel / resort with an amazing staff to answer all your needs and keep you happy. The pool area is huge and beautifully landscaped and although the pools are dated, they are well maintained. The beach in itself was a disappointment-waters were rough, sand was not that white sand, lots of louge area above, but the beach to walk on was small. I was very impressed with the food choice and tastes.The 3 a lacart restaurants were all amazing  [... read more]!! Take a walk to the uptown area on the resort- Icecream and Pizza are a nice treat. Ya want AMAZING pub style eats .......visit the Sports Lounge and the bar is 24hrs!!!!! The rooms are dated but are kept extremely clean......that said we did not have a screen door ( just glass sliding door) that we could leave open and listen to the waves - no major issue. The entertainment staff / bartenders are the nicest and most entertaining staff that I have encountered in my years of travelling!!!! Would I return - DEFINATELY