Wyndham Alltra Punta Cana: Many good features but not worth the price

FIRST IMPRESSION/STAFF There was good and bad. Upon arrival the first thing I noticed was that the resort may have seen better days long ago in the 90's perhaps because the décor and colour scheme is tired and outdated. Lobby furniture was could use upgrading. It was clean though and staff were very welcoming and kind. The staff in the hotel were actually the highlight of this vacation! Can't say enough good things about them. GROUNDS This resort is definitely clean and manicured. Crew ar [... read more]e out there manicuring the greens consistently, wait staff clear empty glasses and cups and its never in a disarray. If cleanliness and manicured shrubbery and plants is is your thing, you will be very happy about this. POOL/POOLSIDE There is one continuous pool that goes through the entire resort in a lazy river sort of style. it isn't deep, my children were able to stand up in it so if you like pools with a deep end, you won't find it here. The pool was always clean. The bars around the pool are well-serviced also and wait staff come around quite often to take orders which was fantastic! LOUNGE CHAIRS This one is a negative. For the amount of money we spent to stay at this resort, our expectation is that there should never be a battle securing lounge chairs by the pool . We like to begin our day at the beach and spend the afternoon by the pool and so we found that often, we had to scour the resort for free chairs and sometimes were unsuccessful! This was frustrating. People would get up early, leave their towels on the chairs and take off for hours. The hotel does have a policy in place where if you leave your personal belongings unattended for over 15 minutes, they will remove them but I never saw this practiced. Not to mention, I think that time frame is too short because if you leave to have lunch for example, with every intention of returning, I don't think you should lose your spots in 15 minutes! Kind of dumb, they need to just stock up on more chairs. ROOMS/HOUSEKEEPING The rooms were nice enough. I've been to cheaper resorts with larger, nicer rooms. We did get adjoining rooms which was ultra convenient. The linens and beds were just okay.. again, not what you would expect when spending the amount of money charged but they were clean. We were celebrating a landmark event on our week away and we had to request champagne to be left in our room. No extras were provided even though the staff were made aware by our agent that we were celebrating so that was a disappointment. I've stayed at cheaper resorts in Cuba where everyday, there was some daily creative decorative art using the linens left behind,sometimes chocolates etc. The maid missed the window to clean our room twice during our one week stay! We were up early and out the door, returning once after breakfast to gather our things for the beach so we left our "clean room" door sign on from about 9:30 am till 4:30 everyday. 4:30 was when we went back to nap before dinner. In our opinion that was ample time to tidy our room but like I said, twice we returned and our room hadn't been made up. That to me is a HUGE fail for the standard expected at a hotel that charges so much! You want to charge top dollar and get repeat business? You need to deliver that standard continuously or reviews like this one will keep popping up and your clientele will slowly diminish. DINING This is the one area where I saw a positive difference from cheaper all-inclusives. I would say this is about the only thing that stood out and sort of made it feel a bit better that we spent so much. (A "little" better). Daily the breakfast buffet was stocked with options. Items were fresh, hot, well-stocked and there was always enough. Same thing at lunch. No long line-ups to eat on the week we went but perhaps if the resort were busier, that would have been a possibility. I'm not going to say the food was gourmet but the a la cartes weren't just buffet food, presented in a different way like many resorts try to pull. You actually have different items to choose from. My favourite a la cartes were Oceana and La Trattoria. The Grille (steakhouse) gets mixed reviews but my family liked it. You don't have to make reservations at the restaurants in advance or at the beginning of the week. It's first come, first serve which we quite liked! We never waited very long for a table. Its not a culinary experience or anything but food is good enough that you won't starve and the desserts are the highlight! Everywhere you go there is dessert and delicious! SMOKING The hotel allows smoking in the open-air areas of the property. To us it was bothersome but if you're a smoker you will love it! I mean, it's 2019 and with all we know about second-hand smoke and how harmful it is, and with this being a "family resort".. I don't think this is a positive. Smoking should be enjoyed outside. I get how there needs to be an area for this but in a café where different people are sharing the space, it becomes very intrusive and annoying!!! This smoking policy is as outdated as their décor! ENTERTAINMENT Firstly I need to comment on the entertainment staff. What a fantastic group of people! They did what they could with what they have and the shortcomings in the entertainment were not their fault at all as I have no doubt they would rise to the occasion if given the opportunity! . Special shout out to Pokemon!! This guy was everywhere all the time, making your day brighter, acknowledging you every chance he got and making you smile! Way to go Pokemon!! SO this is the reality..Two nights were great. The circus night and the Pirate show. Other nights were weak. I have to give props to Cuba for entertainment as this resort made them look like American Idol !! In Cuba the talent is stronger in my opinion. Of course I need to exclude the carabret style singers in Cuba which make everyone cringe to watch but I am talking about the magic, dancing or acrobatics in Cuba.. they are just much tighter!! As a result of the weak entertainment at this resort, nights were a tad boring. We had to resort to being creative to have fun. We would just talk, play games and have drinks and that was fine but again... "THE MONEY SPENT" .. you'd expect more dazzle entertainment-wise! BEACH The beach was okay. IT wasn't perfection like Cuba (you can tell I love Cuba) but it was fine. I think the most annoying thing was the vendors trying to sell stuff to you but even this wasn't overwhelming. The beach was well-manicured but for me being a beach gal... I wouldn't want to spend another week on that beach. Water wasn't crystal blue, sometimes it was dark and murky. There are much nicer beaches out there but this is the Atlantic, not the Caribbean!. This of course bares no reflection on the resort itself but worthy of mentioning. If you're more of a pool person, maybe this will be a non-issue for you!

Ocean El Faro: I would classify the resort as "GOOD"

The resort was beautiful and the pool were fun. BUT the service was absolutely terrible. The people at the front desk were beyond slow and never seemed to be able to answer general questions. The service at the restaurants was very very slow, and the food was OK but definately not great. The Sunwing represenative for the hotel was extremely rude. Did not have the pages in the book for departures and could not confirm our pickup time for departure until a few hours before the pickup. The [... read more] weather was great which was the reason for going to Dominican.

Cayo Levantado Resort: Great Island Resort!

All inclusive resort. Well maintained. Never felt crowded, even at the pools or the beach. No line ups for anything. Food at all restaurants and at the buffet was great. Staff were all very accommodating and friendly. Room was a Junior Suite and was very comfortable. Butler service was also well presented and professional. This was included. English is sometimes a struggle - however the staff do their best to communicate. We were very pleased with our experience.

Bahia Principe Escape Aquamarine: Good vacation, but management doesn’t care about repeat customers

Resort is good very clean and people are friendly. We were disappointed because we have been to this resort 15 times and had expected to get a VIP bracelet as we had on the past. They have changed the rules with the new Ambar. We will not be back as they don’t care about repeat customers especially if you have been there 15 times.

Sunscape Puerto Plata: Lovely beach and great staff!

the beach was marvellous, inviting, beautiful sand and calm waves, great for children and taking it easy! staff was super-friendly and helpful. Go for the upgrade if you can it's worth it. The Adventure Club for kids was really well resourced and much enjoyed by the 3 yr old in our party. Food was good, on par with most AI resorts.

Paradisus Punta Cana: Too large and not consistent with service

Start with the positives: beautiful grounds, very clean, food quite tasty, large beach, and nice bartenders. Negatives: checking in at 10:30 pm took almost an hour and a half and we were the only ones there ( 6 in our group) that is one of the reason I wanted to fly in the pm rooms should have been ready, resort too large for us, were refused ala cartes they said they were all booked, but they weren’t, when our friends arrived the next day they had no problem booking the ala cartes ( fig [... read more]ure that out)only 2 buffets for such a huge resort, also one or the other was closed a closed a couple of nights because of large bookings so sometimes had to wait ( not impressed)reported to air transat rep the front desk had know knowledge we were coming he said he would take care of it and they didn’t even know we were even there when we checked out. First day no room cleaned, had to ask, no turn down service at all, no chocolates, no rum in our room asked 3 times (our 6 friends that arrived the next day and received it). Was refused once by the trolly for a drive to the lobby he said to me it was only a 2 minute walk and drove away. It was no 5 star too us, not enough chairs by the pool, a lot of chairs at the beach should be chucked out

Viva Heavens by Wyndham: Nice Resort but too small

The resort is very nice and clean but just too small for my liking. Not enough to see on the resort itself. And although they claim to have free Wifi throughout the resort, the chance of it working was only 50/50.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: The food at this resort is super. I've never seen such a variety at all meals, well presented and so good.

The hotels, rooms and surrounding areas were very clean. We couldn't ask for better service. The beach area wasn't so nice. I would definite recommend that resort. The bus ride from the airport is very long, like almost 2 hours.

Royalton Bavaro Resort and Spa: Love the Lazy river and Fry truck

The lazy river is the best feature to this resort. So much fun! The fry truck is in the perfect location and always busy and has the best food. Restaurants are ok. Steak house still not up to par. Japanese and Brazilian are ok. Italian is very good. Buffet has excellent and numerous choices. Even a little buffet for kids!! Rooms are good. Had trouble with our room key bracelets again. Last year also! Frustrating. Need to do a better job of letting people know what activities are happening.  [... read more]Need to have more spots open for the painting class! Had problems with Sunwing flight down so it was 10 wait at Toronto so didn't get to resort until 3am. One then two people to check us in and had to take luggage by ourselves. Would come back and would recommend. This is not an adults only....many families and children.

Le Sivory: Amazing

If you want a relaxing,restorative vacation , this is the place to go. Friendly staff, good food and well laid out and accessible grounds. Our room was extremely spacious. The “all inclusive” was more than we’ve had other places, so good value for your dollar.

Sunscape Dominicus La Romana: Disappointingly NOT a 5 star!

My wife and I have had the good fortune to vacation extensively throughout the Caribbean. We've stayed at 3 stars to 5 stars and I would have to categorize Be Live Collection Canoa as a 4 star, and not a 5 star as their website suggests. We attended the resort the week of Feb. 15th, 2019. I'll comment on the pros and the cons and let you form your own conclusion. Pros We found the staff to be friendly and courteous, the wifi was excellent throughout the entire property, the washrooms throu [... read more]ghout the resort were clean and well stocked, our room was well maintained, the entertainment was good, the beach is beautiful, plenty of lounge chairs and shade, but I'll comment more on the beach below, resort was overall well kept, short drive from/to the airport...sounds good so far. Cons The food in the buffets was disappointing! Orange juice consisted of 'Tang' powdered orange juice, eggs were either omelettes or fried, no boiled, or otherwise, syrup dish for the pancakes/waffles CONSTANTLY went empty - no one replacing it, people left waiting, two types of cereal...Fruit Loops and Raisin Bran, milk containers CONSISTENTLY empty - no one replacing them, people left waiting (lots of almond milk though)....they could use a buffet staff member keeping track of what is running low/empty and see that it gets replaced, food was REPETITIVE - pool area buffet especially, you could have broccoli, potatoes and cauliflower for supper and see it again for breakfast, there are more kinds of pasta that could be presented throughout the week than spaghetti and rigatoni, and the sauce was of poor quality. The staff in the buffet came to our table on 2 occasions at suppertime throughout the week asking if we would like more water/wine...that was frustrating. The pool was clean but the water was very cold!...few people swimming in it throughout the week. 2019 - solar heaters do an amazing job at heating pools and there was plenty of sun. The beach - step into the water and it is very rocky and slippery, my wife slipped getting out of the water and cut her foot, some snorkeling, but it is way out there by the roped swimming perimeter - with motor boats zipping closely by. The entertainment started late - 10 pm. After a 6:30 - 7 pm supper you had a long, near 3 hour wait (chat/drink) - how about starting at 9 pm, as many other resorts do, then people could sit in the lounge areas after the 1 hour show and chat/drink, probably a better start time for the many young children at the resort. I believe that in most instances you get what you pay for. The cost of this vacation was less than what we would have paid for at a 5 star like the Riu, or Royalton or Dreams. In balance, I definitely would have to categorize the Canoa as a 4 star resort.

Bahia Principe Escape Bouganville: Pampered in Paradise

Terrific place! The rooms are fairly modern and spacious. The grounds are immaculate. 2 pools (one quiet) offer whatever you're looking for... both have swim up bars. 2 buffets and 3 a la cartes… plus you have reciprocal rights to the adjacent B.P. La Romana with more dining options. Beach is nice: tall palms and lots of palapas. Staff were amazing! Pillow service and room scents available (included) as is butler service, room service, turn down service. We're not usually big on the extra pam [... read more]pering but it was a really nice extra. We try to get away a couple of times a year and this place was among the best we've been to. We would unreservedly recommend the Bouganville to anyone looking for a relaxing week in the sun.

Occidental Caribe: Great value for your money

Beach and pools were beautiful. Food was not bad, Paris was by far the best restaurant! The resort was pretty clean. Maids were hit or miss with their service and it didnt seem to matter how much you tipped. I think you get the most out of your money at this resort!

TRS Turquesa: Best vacation ever

Wow...where do i start! This resort is awesome. It was our second time here. We stayed for 10 days with a group of freinds! I want to give special recognition to my butler Yajaira and her team. Sandi and the team at the evening pool bar! And my maid Teresa Yan, who kept our room spotless and confortable. A typical day: Morning a la carte breakfast on the beach patio with a magnificent view of the ocean, with live music in the background. Wander down to the beach, easy to find chai [... read more]rs. The beach is clean, lots of palm trees and cabanas to sit under. Waiters bring you drinks! Wifi reception is great. Lunch time you wander back up to the pool. They served fresh grilled meats, fish (highly recomend the grouper) lobsters, shrimp, calamari...salades. you can bring your plate of food back to the beach and eat it. Later in the afternoon, they have live entertainment in the pool. So while you get ready for dinner, you can listen to amazing musicians play music while floating around on a platform in the pool. The blues rock guitarist was the best! Dinners were amazing! My butler Yajaira booked everything for us. BTW ..Yajaira is amazing. You are lucky if you are staying in block 52. We had champagne and bubble baths waiting as a surprise! Then we wander into the main lobby to enjoy a cocktail before dinner. OMG..oh my god! Try the the gin and tonic with cucumber! Delicious! Or the chocolate or expresso martinis. Best restaurant was Eldorado! Jose our server made it the best experience during our stay. The tomahawk steaks at Caprichi were amazing too! Late evenings at the pool bar! THE BEST! Sandi and guys were amazing. They keep the drinks coming and make the best shots...always freindly! Cant say enough about how hard Sandi and the guys work to ensure everyone is happy and having a good time. We met a lot of great people at the pool bar at night. Good times! Cant wait to go back! See you soon!

Riu Palace Punta Cana: Average resort

Was excited coming into the hotel. Lobby was nicely decorated and airy, check-in staff was great. Disappointed in our room. Although it was spacious, cleanliness could have been better. Floor needed to be swept, bed only had one sheet (stains) and four pillows. It took 4 days and many requests before we got extra blankets. The bathroom had been recently renovated but looked rushed. Good thing about bath was great water pressure, rain shower and double vanity. Our balcony faced the parking lo [... read more]t which was a disappointment. Don't rely on cleaning staff, not very good. The grounds well kept, beach / pool fantastic (wake up early and reserve a chair with your towel). Buffet was good, didn't care for the a la carte Steakhouse. No entertainment unless your a child. They played kid games and videos on the stage / big screen until 930pm every night. Then a two person singing group played..no English music. It was annoying being constantly disturbed by people trying to sell their wares on the grounds. Do not take the Santo Domingo bus tour..it cost 106.00 per person and was a 13hr bus trip from hell. This was our first and last trip to the Dominican.

Riu Republica: Excellent resort, had a wonderful time.

I loved the resort had a great time, friendly people great food. Would definetly return in the near future. The rooms were clean and had a great selection of alcohol as well as a beer fridge. Very comfortable stay, had fun in and off the resort. The entertainment was excellent as well as the food.

Viva Heavens by Wyndham: Good value for the money spent

Very clean although not fancy. Bartender and restaurant at the beach were very good. The walk to the beach was not too far. Chairs here were plentiful as well. Entertainment staff were very nice and friendly.

Bahia Principe Escape Aquamarine: Five star first rate

Very clean property. Friendly staff. Great food. Very large resort. Not the best beach. Very busy. Lots of seaweed. Good entertainment. Large clean rooms. Needs more food available after hours. Pools awesome. Foam party a blast!

Bahia Principe Explore Esmeralda: Beautiful Resort

We loved our stay at the Bahia Principe Esmeralda. The grounds are spectacular. The beach is amazing. Our room was spacious with a balcony. We enjoyed the food and the specialty drinks. I think couples and families would equally enjoy this resort as it has something for everyone. Looking forward to our next visit to Bahia Principe Esmeralda!!

Bahia Principe Explore La Romana: Excellent

This resort was excellent! Amazing services, staff, entertainment, beautiful views and extremely clean. I would definitely recommend this resort to others. I loved that it is especially family friendly. I would love to go back!