Occidental Punta Cana: Gorgeous beach, excellent service, very nice hotel

We stayed in one of the newly renovated buildings, 23, which was very nice. The service was excellent at all bars and restaurants (we are frequent tippers) and the food was good. The beer is cold and plentiful; tried mamajuana as well as a few other cocktails. Not really a fan of the house red wine but there were plenty of other drink options. Kudos for excellent service to Bibiano (and Franklin) at the lobby bar who are smiley and work well as a team and to the wonderful Nordy at the hibiscus  [... read more]bar near the theatre (not sure of the actual name of this bar but it has carved hibiscus flowers.) Nordy makes a wonderful martini and is very friendly and efficient. The a la carte restaurants were good and there was always something tasty at the buffets. The beach restaurant has really good burgers, much better than the ones at the snack bar. Excellent pizza at the wood oven pizza place, which is open 6 pm to 6 am. The beach is lovely, soft, white sand, lots of chairs, but not much shade. The gym has several machines (most of which work) as well as free weights. Clean and adequate. Overall, a great hotel for those who love the beach. Too many smokers for my liking, but that's totally a personal preference.

Barcelo Bavaro Beach: Impressive resort

My husband and I very much enjoyed our vacation at Barcelo Bavaro Beach resort. The grounds and beach area were well kept and the pool was wonderfully laid out with a ramp entry at one end that was shallow to the other end which was about five feet deep, perfect for swimming and very refreshing. Plenty of shade and sun areas both at the pool and beach and we never felt crowded. The turquoise water, the palm trees and powdery sand were visible from many of the restaurants and buffets which we fo [... read more]und both beautiful and very relaxing. The room we had was adequate. Nothing fancy but the bed was comfortable and the bathroom area provided everything we needed. The air conditioning was a little wonky, either too cold or not cold enough since the controls did not allow for much choice. The room could also have used a few more places to hang wet towels and swimsuits inside the room itself as opposed to hanging things on the balcony outside. But these were small things and didn't detract from our enjoyment. We were a little disappointed in the food at this resort. We have been to other resorts in the DR and found the buffet at the Bavaro did not have the variety of choices that we had elsewhere. The a-la-carte restaurants we tried, the seafood restaurant, the steakhouse and the Mediterranean restaurant all seemed very assembly lined with not much flavour and were very skimpy with the vegetable sides. The exception was the rib eye steak I had which was huge and delicious! The desserts everywhere look beautiful but generally are tasteless and bland. Nevertheless we always managed to find something to eat and it didn't prevent us from gaining a few pounds! We liked the variety of activities that the resort provided and were impressed by the shopping areas and rooftop lounge. Getting around the resort was easy with the train trolleys doing the rounds continuously. Overall we had a great week and would consider returning in the future.

Ocean Blue and Sand: Lovely resort

My husband and I went with another couple who had been to this resort 11 times! We were in Priveledge which I would recommend. Excellent value. Very impressive lobby. Beautifully kept grounds. Rooms were comfortable and very clean. The staff was superb, friendly and accommodating. Entertainment was good although we did not use the casino or bowling alley. Pool could use more umbrellas as shade was minimal. We hope to go back again. Would not hesitate to recommend to a friend. Special call out [... read more] to Wilfredo , Luis and Jose 'ConciergeButler for Priveledge,Judy in Customer Relations. MInaska and Betanya in the dining room, Superman, Juan Ramone and Stephanie on the entertainment team. And Rachell in the Piano Bar. They were wonderful.

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Can't wait to return

This property offered absolutely everything, the service was better than excellent, food and everyday selection was amazing for the Caribbean, the beach was clean and spacious, the selection of children's water parks, trains, kids club was endless, so very pleased, can't wait to return next year, I will be telling all my friends with children that this property is a must!! The adult only side of the property looked just as great, likely a bit quieter! ;)

Ocean Blue and Sand: Work to be done

The workers at this resort are fantastic. The lobby bar and the pool are great place to hang out. The food at the buffet restaurant and the restaurant at the pool is great. The Wifi is not good. The rooms are good but the maids do not replace towels if she takes some away from the room if dirty. The room's temperature would not go down lower than 23 Celsius, too warm for me.

Occidental Punta Cana: Beautiful Beach, Delicious Food, No Smiles at the Front Desk

We stayed at this same resort 16 years ago when it was called Occidental Flamenco. Our daughter had her wedding here. It was absolutely heavenly and we always wanted to come back. I know things change over the years but our travel agent told us that renovations had taken place and Air Transat only books the newly renovated buildings. When we arrived, it look a very long time to check in, other people who were behind us in line seemed to get their rooms before us. Finally we were told we would [... read more] be in Building 12. I knew this was not a renovated building and said we were promised an updated building. After much conversation we were told we could be moved in 2 days. After speaking with other people, we found most of us were put in older buildings even though we were told we were Preference Club. The room we were in had problems with the water. If you flushed the toilet once it would not flush again for another hour. The water from the shower from the next room flowed out into the hallway. There was a TV but no remote and it would not even turn on. I called the desk and reported these things and was told they would be looked after but nothing happened. The next morning we went to the desk to see if we could be moved. I said we paid for the Preference Club Package with beach towels, robes, slippers and updated room. I was told very rudely by a desk clerk, Mercedes, that everyone pays the same to be here and they place you where ever they have room. I was not happy with that comment. She finally she said we could change rooms if we moved out of our current room immediately, bring all our things to the baggage storage area now and come back at 2 o'lock to be placed in a different building. We did this, came back at 2 and were then told to wait another 45 minutes. This took up most of the afternoon. The room was much nicer, but the phone did not work, we still did not have a remote for the TV and didn't get beach towels in our room or robes or slippers. We reported these things several times. Someone came to fix the phone but it still didn't work. The Transat Rep also said he would report our phone problem but nobody came. We did not have a working phone in our room our whole stay, we had a nine day trip. We did not have a cell phone with us, I felt a little uncomfortable knowing we would have no contact with the desk if we had an emergency in the middle of the night. We were given a remote for the TV but never did get the beach towels, robes or slippers. I was really disappointed in the way we were treated by desk staff. We were not treated as guests but as inconveniences. Of all the times we spoke to them, we never saw a smile. The other staff in other areas were friendly and made us feel welcome and always had a smile. The Buffet staff were wonderful and helpful even though sometimes they had a language barrier. You can smile in any language.

Ocean Blue and Sand: SPECTACULAR

This resort won't disappoint. Absolutely beautiful! The grounds are stunning, the beach and pool were right there next to our building. The rooms were impeccably clean, the floors gleamed and were cleaned everyday. The Buffet was great. The only restaurant you have to book is the Japanese. It took several days of waiting in line only to find out you couldn't get in. However, once you get in you won't be disappointed. The best meal by far!!!! A must do!!! There is a quaint coffee shop called M [... read more]IKE'S it has the best iced coffee ever!!! I have travelled south several times to many different destinations. This resort was by far the best. I would definitely recommend it!! The entertainment was also great. :)

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Awesome

The beach was beautiful and the staff was super friendly. The excursion with "Sammy" of Bavaria Runners for the day was worth every penny. The a le carte restaurants were superb. Definitely planning to go here again.

Riu Republica: Awesome Beach

We stayed at the Riu Republican from March 23 to March 30. We arrived at approximately 3:20 to find our room wasn't ready. We were directed to the buffet to have something to eat and our room was ready by 4:00. Our room was bright and I loved the turquoise accents. It was a Courtyard view (2151) in a quiet building. The king bed was fairly comfortable. Although we didn't meet our housekeeper, housekeeping services were excellent. For evening dining we decided to try the a la cartes we never [... read more] had to wait to be seated. Our preference was the Asian restaurant which we went to twice. The buffet was also great with a wide selection of food. Service was very good in all the dining areas. The dress code for dining was very lax. Bathing suits were allowed in the buffet for breakfast and lunch but most people dressed up a bit for dinner. Long pants were not required for the men in the a la cart in the evening. There were three pools at the resort, one was private, one was quiet and the bar pool was very active. We preferred the quiet pool and never had difficulty getting a lounge chair. The beach on the other hand, if you wanted a lounge in the shade you needed to go down at about eight o'clock to reserve a chair. The beach was amazing for walking. The ocean was fairly rough. We had three days of red flags which really didn't deter some people. The rest of the time it was yellow flags. Overall we enjoyed our stay, great service, good food, good drinks, comfortable rooms and an amazing beach.

Iberostar Waves Punta Cana: Very relaxing

The resort was very quiet and comfortable. The guests seemed to be more in the senior age group which suited us just fine. The rooms were very clean and comfortable and the staff was very pleasant and helpful.

Royalton CHIC Punta Cana: The beautiful rooms didn't make up for it

The rooms were clean and appeared exactly like the pictures shown. My issues are only with the staff of the resort. We were visiting for a festival that went on for 3 days out of our stay. Due to this, we were in and out of the resort. Each time that we tried to leave the resort, it was a hassle. My friends and I felt as if we were in jail. In addition, after 4 days of our stay, we were asked to show our wrist bands during dinner which made us feel extremely uncomfortable. Furthermore, I did not [... read more] enjoy the food from the buffet. I felt nauseated after the times that I've eaten there. The steakhouse was very good, however, when I called to book a reservation, the staff told me that they don't book reservations, and to walk-in when we were ready. We went down and the hostess told us that there is about an hour wait which at that time the restaurant would be closed.

Dreams Onyx Resort and Spa: Great Resort

We ( myself, my husband, my son age 12 and my daughter age 6) had a great time here. We spent our full week on the resort. While the resort was not large there was lots to do. My family loves the water and spent a great deal of time in the pools and at the beach. My son played basketball, tennis, played pool and joined in events on the beach (egg toss Olympics). My daughter discovered the Explorers Club and spent a little time there doing bottle panting, treasure hunts, ping pong, and the kids  [... read more]disco. One place we couldn't keep them away from was the ice cream parlour. They also loved climbing the floating wall in the pool. We ate well the staff were great especially the ladies in the Explorers club . We had a swim out room, our own little pool. and it was nice to relax around either before we went to the main pool or after our day at the main pool. My husband and I loved spending time as a family and playing and watching our kids enjoy themselves. We also relaxed while laying by the pool. There is a great adult only preferred pool/ area which looks amazing and i would love to try. Would I go there again? Absolutely!

Iberostar Selection Bavaro Suites: Great Vacation at Iberostar Bavaro!

Stayed the week of March 27 to April 3/17. There were six in our group. The hotel is very clean and the grounds are beautiful. The beach is one of the best I have been to. The rooms are a good size and fairly updated. The bathrooms are on the small side. Shower leaked due to the door not fitting properly and didn't stay closed. Our maid, Juanita did a suburb job with cleaning our room. She is a wonderful lady. She works hard and deserves to be tipped. The bartenders at the beach bar we [... read more]re great, Michael, Francis, Santos and Ernestine. Michael makes a great "dirty monkey". Again, tip all the staff, they are great. We enjoyed all of the restaurants for the most part. The Italian was good the first time, not so much the second time. Japanese restaurant chefs put on a good show and the food was good. Buffet was really good except for "Dominican night". All of the meat was really dry. Breakfast and lunch were great. Lots of selections. Didn't spend much time at the pool. It was smaller than most Iberostar I have been to. Entertainment team are fun. All of us really enjoyed ourselves and it was a great trip. Would return in a heartbeat. Solid 4 & 1/2 star.

Bahia Principe Explore Legend: Amazing resort!!

The Luxury Bahia Principe Fantasia is a beautiful resort, and definitely caters to families. The buffet provided many great options for both adults and children. There are several a la cartes (would recommend contacting the hotel 2 weeks prior if you want to ensure a particular a la carte). There are many activities for the kids at the main pool, water park, kids club, and great entertainment in the evening. There is a nightly "castle show" at 1000pm that is definitely worth watching! The servic [... read more]e from the staff exceeded my expectations. I did find that sometimes you would have to wait a bit to get water/drink refills at the buffet (particularly at peak times, which I found very understandable). Our family of four had an amazing trip, and we look forward to our next trip there.

Grand Bavaro Princess: No frills resort!

First, I will qualify by saying this was my 16th all-inclusive in the last 13 years in either DR, Mexico, Jamaica, St. Lucia, or Bahamas. We usually alternate our travel from all-inclusive to exploring-type (Europe, Asia, Hawaii, etc.), so when we decide to go on a week long AI we generally know what to expect - we don't go there expecting gourmet cuisine or to be waited on hand and foot. This is actually to first time that I've ever given a negative review because I don't go with crazy expectat [... read more]ions whenever I travel - I always make the best of it. I will give my very fair thoughts on positives and negatives of this resort. Positives: It is a short drive from the airport. The grounds around the bungalows are lovely and well taken care of. The beach is beautiful. The suites are very nice - not fancy, but large functional and were promptly cleaned every morning; something I've learned is often rare as in the past we return to our room at 4pm to an uncleaned room. A few staff really stood out as desiring to give great service and to (at least pretend) to like their job. Negatives: Extremely poor service save for the few people who tried hard (Jhonny at the front desk, the whistling gentleman at the beach buffet, the bell boys, and the omelet chef were excellent). If you sit in a buffet there is a 20% chance that someone will serve you and if they do there is only a 40% that they will get what you requested or that they will come back a second time. There is no wait service at the pool or beach and some spotty service in the lobby. Generally, there was a different clientele here. The resort was full of about 100 partying 20 year olds (which is fine, I guess, if was spring break) though there were small children and families in the pool (there is only one main) the animation team were playing really loud music with explicit lyrics at 3pm. Then I witnessed a couple of them barfing in the middle of the beach restaurant's courtyard while people were eating breakfast. The food was mediocre at best. If you wanted a snack at 4pm, your only option was a sandwich and fries. A member of our family was a vegetarian (a very low maintenance one) and had a very difficult time finding things to eat other than salads. As I said above, I do not expect to be waited

Paradisus Palma Real Golf and Spa Resort: Awesome resort

The hotel was perfect! It was very clean, the food on the buffet was amazing, the staff truly made this resort the awesome place it is. From the beautiful beach, the pool, the bars, the food, the people, the accommodations it was very difficult to say goodbye!

Bahia Principe Explore Turquesa: Large & Loud

Very Very Large resort, loud loud music all day long, if you want to be on the go all the time with loud music and kids, this is the resort for you. If you want to rest and have some peace go elsewhere. The resort is beautiful and very clean, but the pools are full of kids, they have no respect for other people in the pool. Its very hard to find any shade both at the pool and at the beach. Way to many people in one place, its like 5 resorts under one umbrella. If we had kids it might have b [... read more]een alright but as a couple who just wanted to relax and have some fun under the sun it was not the resort for us. The staff were all very kind and pleasant and the food was good.

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Wonderful holiday

I have been to this resort 4 times now. The grounds are beautifully maintained with a gorgeous selection of palm trees and flowering shrubs. My friend and I were staying at Ambar Blue and the pool area, beach and surrounds were lovely. The beaches were clean and on the 2 days when seaweed was washed ashore (in 11 days), the staff was quick to rake and remove it from the area. The restaurants were fine to excellent. Kudos to El Olivo and Don Pablo, gourmet dining at its finest. A special note t [... read more]o the Japanese restaurant which served a fun experience while grilling the food in front of you and 6 others. Our room was clean, maintenence was excellent and the beds comfortable. The staff was excellent overall. Although we were disappointed in the initial greeting when checking in. The gentleman on the front desk lacked customer service skills and made the process very frustating. After travelling for more than 5 hours, a more welcome process was expected. Our only unfortunate experience occured on the last night of our trip. We had retired to bed when we were awoken an hour later by the door opening, the lights turning on and two men walking in with their suitcases. The only reason that we didn't panic was that they were so obviously shocked. They left immediately and we reported the incident the next morning at the front desk. The reaction was rather blase and so we reported again to a gentleman at the front of the lobby. I believe his name was Edgar. He apologized and took all the particulars and promised to look into this breach of security. We will however, always put the chain on the door in future trips. Overall though a wonderful holiday at a lovely resort.

Occidental Caribe: Great vacation

We had a wonderful vacation at this resort. Beach and grounds were perfect. No long walks or trolleys to the beach. Food was great. Rooms were great except the mattresses and pillows need to be replaced. The best of all is the staff, very friendly and helpful. The resort has a great layout that,s why we have booked it over and over again. We will return.

Sunscape Bavaro Beach: Great escape!

Sunscape Bavaro offered us a great escape with our boys. Overall, the experience was great. Of course, there were a few hitches and snags but all the travelers there seemed to have the same issues. There needs to be more efforts so that we get the room we booked!! And shouldn't double beds be standard size, not this large twin bed! Unfortunately, this made our nights a little bit sleepless. People are very smiley, courteous, and nice but they also don't hesitate to make up stuff (we called it  [... read more]the Dominican truth!). The concierge's nasty trick to get us to tour other resorts and the 90 minute presentation to enroll in some travelling program was NOT a fun experience and a total waste of time. It did, however, give us a 100$ voucher towards the amazing zip-line/monkey expedition. Wonderful time that was! All these small issues aside, we had a great vacation!