We enjoyed all of the facilities at the resort. The staff were all very friendly and helpful. The wedding was lovely and well organized. The beach party was one of my favourites. The beach was well looked after. We enjoyed the food. Our favourite was the Japanese restaurant.
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Karen -
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Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Dissapointed
The pools were great..a little cool but refreshing.The beach was over crowded...went one day early in the rain to get a chair.second time wasn't able to find chair.the beach is too small for that large resort..very disappointing. The grounds are beautiful ,very well maintained.Difficult to communicate as they are not fluent speaking in english.Buffet was small and poor section in food. Again over crowded...if you don't get there first thing it is cold and picked over.
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Paul739 -
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Punta Cana Princess: perfect resort
As usual the resort was great, the service was excellent and the staff make you feel very welcomed.We have been at the resort for the past ten years and intend to go back next year. The food is very good especially the chicken and the pork chops, the beef as everywhere on the island is a bit tough. Fruit and vegetables are aplenty and very fresh.
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Private -
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Catalonia Bavaro Resort: Excellant Resort
The Catalonia Bavaro Resort was beautiful. Very well kept grounds and the accommodation were lovely. The pool area is the fun zone and the staff keep you engaged. Weather in January was fabulous 27-30 Celsius every day. Well worth the money.
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Cathy -
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Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Disappointed
I'm not one for complaining, but I was very disappointed. We had upgraded to the golden royal and the rooms were not what I expected. The rooms did not feel fresh and clean. There were items missing in our upgrade and if they are missing at the end of your trip you would be charged for them with them assuming that they were in the room at the start of your vacation. I called to get our house coats this service brought them and dump them on our bed like laundry just pulled out of the dryer[... read more] mixed in with other laundry. About 4 days later we finally got new ones.
The food was not a five star by any means at some point it was actually not edible and cold.
The grounds are beautiful the beaches are Lovely and the people are very friendly. The weather was great but I would not recommend this to my friends who would be expecting a five star resort this may have been a 3.
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Private -
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Bahia Principe Grand Bavaro: WHERE ARE...
This was our second visit to the resort and last time my daughter was married at the resort and we had 75 guests book. We returned as we enjoyed our first visit but below is why we can not see ourselves returning and we will not recommend this resort to any of other friends.
The grounds are beautiful, the many labourers working so diligently.
The beach area is overcrowded - is it the addition of the Fantasia Resort that makes the beach area seem like we are in a busy city park or festival. The[... read more]re isn't any room to even enjoy a relaxing walk as the many guests are also playing soccer, frisbee or football in the same area, so a person gets ran over. Definitely a place where injuries can occur as the players are not aware of anyone but those playing the game but they too should have the space to play...but they do not have anywhere.
Buffet service at both the Bavaro and Punta Cana were non existent. There was no one to sit us and at one breakfast we were greeted and sat, we then went to get our food and hard to know why, but while at the buffet our table was given to a new couple which was only determined as I saw a hatin the table that was it ours. when they too arrived at the table and said it was there table, we were left in an awkward moment to explain we also had been sat there but since the waiter and other guests spoke Spanish to one another, we were told to move but had to wait for a table to become ready. I have never felt so embarrassed and when we were given our table our food was cold and it still took a long time to get service for coffee or water. In fact, we were almost done before anyone came to offer and by that time it was absolutely beyond reasonable.
There are many other instances of terrible service in both of these buffet areas and I feel compassion to the staff working as they are working quickly but there is either a lack of staff or they just do not have a system.
We were so fortunate to figure out we could eat at the Turguesa buffet and started to make the longer trip to that buffet. The food was better and the staff were there to offer water/beverages within the first five minutes of being seated.
Speachless our stay was more than we could have imagined. Our wedding went off without a glitch. The resort was everything and more. All of our guests could not of had a better time. The staff was amazing as well
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Private -
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Royalton Punta Cana Resort: It was okay
Thought the hotel itself and grounds were great. Was not happy with staff regarding lost/stolen items. Also, the rooms were never stocked with wash cloths or hand towels and nothing extra done with tips. Concierge pushing (basically) time shares was a big turn off. Upset that the check in staff failed to mention that there were no elevators in the buildings where you stay, and placed us (with two children 3 and under) on the third floor.
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TracyLee -
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Royalton CHIC Punta Cana: Amazing Resort
Lovely, elegant resort. Room was lovely. We were upgraded by the staff to the Diamond Club. Not sure why but it was a nice surprise. A few extra perks in the diamond club. Service in some areas could be improved but overall it was great. The buffet was fabulous. More than you could possibly want. Only went to the Steakhouse restaurant. I enjoyed it, my husband did not. But he also had a fabulous steak cooked fresh in front of him at the buffet which was to die for!
We were not disappointed!
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Nini65 -
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Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: My Punta Cana Experience
The food and accomodations were good. Pool and beach were very nice. ON the not so good side, my phone was broken and it took 2 days for someone to come and fix it. I had to keep on asking for facecloths. I did not like the fact that a maid came to my door at 9:30 in the morning on the day we were to check out to clean the room even though we had until 11 am. to check out. I did not like the fact that they cut the cable service shortly after 12 midnight on Wednesday even though we had the r[... read more]oom until 11 am on Thursday. I am used to staying in a hotel where I have the convenience of going downstairs for Internet and food/drinks. The villa was a new experience but I would not stay in a villa again. My neighbours in the adjoining room were also extremely noisy!
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Private -
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Wyndham Alltra Punta Cana: Some good some bad
Check in/out good. Beware of time share sales while getting your discount coupons after check in. Our room was small and dated. A/C barely worked. (Rm5110) Nowhere to put clothes away. We had a swim out room but our patio had red sand outside so whenever we came in there was a mess. I disagree with all the rave reviews on food. Buffet food just ok- restraunts were good. Bars generally had slow service. Beef gyros and potato chips at the beach was a great lunch. Pool is nice but cold. Good friend[... read more]ly service was hit and miss. There was nowhere to go for nightlife, drinks or food after midnight-not 24hr AI. They promote gluten free but servers are not trained and limited choices. We did the shark snorkelling excursion (nexus) and I do not recommend, there is nothing to see except a few sharks and rays in a cage (sad). I did enjoy my vacation but I would not return here
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Private -
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Ancora Private Residence Yacht Club and Marina: Great trip
Rooms were fantastic full condo like feel- bedroom kitchen dining bath and 2 patios with a walk in closet. More room than needed for 7 days. Pools were nice and able to use facilities at Tiara as well. Ala Cartes were ok no reservation needed except for Japenese and it was the best. Buffet was small and did not change much from day day. Staff were really friendly a few really stand out Cavin in the buffet, Migual at the pool bar, Maxim at the pool and the pool area security guard
The kids[... read more] program appeared fantastic and staff very attentive.
We would return, worked great for us, was quiet and relaxing with some entertainment in the evening.
Not the resort if looking for a beach
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Robbie -
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Riu Naiboa: Riu Naiboa
The hotel was kept very clean; The food was excellent with lots of choice; The beach and little shops were less than 5 minutes away! The beach and pool were awesome! The service at the restaurant and bars were very good!
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Private -
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Caribe Deluxe Princess: Mediocre
Aside from the beach we were not overly impressed with this resort. The pools were way to cold. The souvenirs were overpriced and the staff at the whole resort made me feel awkward. I did not feel welcomed at all. The rooms were very musty and way outdated.
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Cindy Piña Colada -
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Grand Palladium Punta Cana: My Paradise
Grand Palladium Punta Cana this is our 3rd visit and we call it home away from home everything you can ask for is there! Excellent through and through we have yet been disappointed. William the bartender is amazing! Excellent value for your money! Stunning beach food is amazing I can go on and on but you must experience it for yourself! Highly recommend Grand Palladium Punta Cana!!! Can't wait to go again!!!!
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LP46 -
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Sensatori Resort Punta Cana: Lovely new resort!
We just got home from a one week holiday at the Sensatori resort Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. This resort is fairly new as it was completed May of 2016 and indeed it was lovely.
To say it was clean is an understatement as the staff was constantly cleaning every aspect of the resort every day, painting and power washing. Even before entering any of the eating establishments, hand disinfectant is provided to all guests...a real plus. The rooms were cleaned with care and stocked very w[... read more]ell every day.
The grounds were also very impressive with greenery and flowers which were groomed continuously while we were there.
The room:
We were in a swim up adult only section of the building. Most of the swim up units were in the shade all day, and at this time of the year the water was a bit cool, where we would have appreciated a room that faced the sun( we had requested one but none were available). However, having said that, in the hotter months the shady rooms might be more appreciated as an escape from the hotter days and sun. The mini bar was refilled daily as were the bathroom sundries and towels ( lots of towels which was great).
Restaurants:
The food on the resort was great and there was lots of variety. There were 2 buffets The Lighthouse ( which was next to the beach) was great for lunch and the Sugarcane ( which was located in the gourmet village) was open for breakfast and supper. Both buffets had lots of choice and variety. The food at times was not as hot as one might want, which is an area that could be improved. The service was excellent at times and less than that at others however most everyone was really trying to do their best to please.
There were also a la cart restaurants some which required reservations and others that didn't. The Verdello , Spacewalker and K23 required reservations which could be obtained at the concierge office outside each block of rooms. We ate at the Verdello, which was ok and at the K23 which was fantastic- gourmet cuisine and treatment- a real experience.
Another nice addition was the Doppio which is a coffee and tea house with sweets and treats. This made for nice afternoon visits and breaks.
We also ate at the Wok Wok which was ok and at the Burger restaurant which had delicious food and good service. Needless to say, we had lots of choice. We also attended a special lobster dinner on Wednesday night at the Lighthouse restaurant, but having travelled from Nova Scotia, we soon discovered that their lobster could not begin to compare to ours- a nice experience in any case.
Activities and entertainment:
There were lots of activities each day of which we participated in the water aerobics, archery and exercise gym. There was entertainment in the gourmet village square each night which was a nice addition. There was also nightly live entertainment in the theatre which was nice but a bit repetitive as the same group of singers sang different artists songs on different nights. A little variety would certainly add to the experience. The Vino Vino bar also had nightly entertainment for the night owls which would provide dancing opportunities into the wee hours. All the bars were good with the James Bond bar next to reception standing out as the best on the resort ( for both drinks and bar tenders).
The beach:
The beach was great as it is a fair size, nice sand, lots of chairs and waves to jump in the water. You can also walk quite a distance in either direction along the beach past other resorts.
Points to note:
1) The Sensatori is on the same grounds as The Nickelodeon which is a family resort designed for kids. People who are staying at the Nickelodeon have access to all the pools, beach, entertainment , sports and restaurants ( except K23 which is adult only) as the Sensatori guests. However, the Sensatori guests do not have access to the Nickelodeon water park which was a bit of a disappointment. Even though there are sections of the Sensatori that are adult only, it is not an adult only atmosphere. We didn't mind, but if you are looking for a quiet environment, it might not meet your expectations.
2) We discovered while there, that when in the Dominican, most resorts won't accept or make change for large American bills ($50.00 or $100.00 bills) if they have any writing on them or a tear. So bring smaller bills with you.
3) It was interesting to note the majority of people staying at the resort were from the UK. It must be really be promoted there.
All in all, we had a great time...relaxed...ate well...and enjoyed the great resort.
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Private -
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Wyndham Alltra Punta Cana: Dreams Punta Cana is great value
Dreams Punta Cana did not disappoint! It's location in Uvero Alto is amazing. The grounds are truly amongst the best of any hotel - huge well designed swimming pools, a stunning beach and tons of lush foliage. The Super Saver room was absolutely fine - very clean and well maintained with everything working. Food at the resort was very good - with generally a good selection. Lots of activities for kids, with a specific call-out to the staff at the Core Zone sports area who were really great and a[... read more]ccommodating. Evening shows were well done. Lots of available loungers by the pool and the ocean and the pool mats were a nice plus. Compared to the newer resorts on either side of it, the grounds here were 100 times nicer (I'm sure the grounds in the other resorts will be great in 10 or so years, but right now they offer virtually no lushness or shade).
Only complaints (very minor): more selection of fish would have been nice at the buffet (they had grouper a bunch of times, but not a lot else). And the dessert area could have been more accommodating to those with nut allergies (ie. have a distinct cooler for nut free flavours of ice cream instead of mixing them with nut varieties). When down south I like to minimize my time indoors - easy to do here except for the buffet restaurant which is very much indoors - and they could fix this easily as they had a lot of patio space outside the restaurant, but only ever 4 or 5 tables setup out there.
Overall, I would highly recommend this resort as great value for the price paid.
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Mike -
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Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: great resort of bahia
it was great. The food was very very good, so was the swimming pools and the facilities at the beach. The transport within the resort was very well organised. rooom service was excellent. The entertainment program were very good.
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Steph -
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Riu Bambu: Large resort. Very clean. Modern
The resort was large, as there were several buildings, with 2 levels. I stayed in 714, which was great. It was more in the middle i would say. I didn't mind the walking though, which is expected at this resort.
Very clean.
Beautiful modern rooms.
I wish the pool was bigger, and would have been nice if there were more shallower areas. The swim up bar area was rather small unfortunately and always packed.
It was nice to be able to have to option to go to the different resorts also. Howev[... read more]er, it was so big, I didn't have enough time to even see the other resorts.
The food was amazing, the buffets had so much to offer, and I only went to the italian and mexican a la cartes (which was buffet style also which I like).
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Sidh -
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Wyndham Alltra Punta Cana: Great resort
Beautiful well maintained grounds ! The flamingos and peacocks were beautiful and added to the surroundings.
The beach was gorgeous but windy at times with lots of surf. Nice to watch but not to swim in. Great for long walks.
Rooms were standard but very comfortable beds. Room service a big bonus . Quick and hot! Restaurants were good with the Steakhouse and Bordeaux topping my list. Waits were not too long with staff helping to past the time. Great hotel for families with lots to do and the g[... read more]round floor outdoors space.