The hotel was very nice. The showers in the rooms were super small and difficult to maneuver in. The food at the buffet was nothing special. Seemed like the exact same stuff everyday. The Italian and Japanese restaurants were good though. Seemed like it took forever to get your room cleaned unless you were out of the room my 8am. The beach was really nice as well as the pool area. All being said this resort was nice.
Overall we had a good experience at this resort. The rooms were great size and clean. The bed sheets could have been more comfortable. The overall appearance of the resort was about 3.5/5, compared to others in the area. The a la carte dinners we mediocre, and the service was often very slow. The large buffet called flavours had a good variety. The buffet that is open during the day needs way more selection. Overall good time but needs improvement.
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Beej -
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Melia Tropical: Second time visiting the Melia Caribe
We had a fantastic time at this resort! Food was amazing and the beach is beautiful. The only complaint would be the service at the front desk. We traveled with a large group and the room selection was not up to par. We were given a room for three young adults with only a king size bed... maybe a bit too cozy for three 20year olds.
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Private -
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Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Punta Cana: An Exceptional Getaway
We really enjoyed our stay at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. We were looking for a vacation that was going to entertain every one of our family members (parents and young adults) from day one to check out. This location did exactly that and we truly have very little to criticize about this location. Everyone was very friendly, there were plenty of things for us to do on and off the resort, we were always able to find loungers by the pool and on the beach, and there's a good possibility that [... read more]we would go back so that we could enjoy the many things we didn't get to take advantage of while we were there.
If there was one thing that disappointed us, it would be the adjoining room (which was occupied by another young family) next to us felt and sounded like they were a paper's width away. We could hear every word they said even at normal talking decibel. However, once we were able to move our own kids into it, it felt much more like home away from home. Restaurants were fantastic, staff were all friendly and interactive, rooms were clean, and the resort was huge which we enjoyed the walking exercise during our stay, but plenty of shuttles or rentable golf carts if that's what you preferred.
Lastly, the only minor let down was the lack of music talent or bands to enjoy during the evenings. There were plenty of thematic dinners and DJ shows taking place all week, but we felt that there could have been plenty of opportunity for more live bands or musicians spread throughout the many locations in the evenings around the resort. After all, it's a Hard Rock, thought that would've been a no-brainer.
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Private -
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Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: This resort would be heard to beat!!
Beautiful resort! Well maintained and kept very clean at all times. Staff is always working hard and they are all so friendly. Beaches are AMAZING and so is the food. Rooms are fantastic and beds are cozy. Will not regret booking a vacation here and I will be returning to this resort for sure!!!
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Private -
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Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Amazing Resort
Spent 10 days over Christmas and New Years at the Bahai Principe Ambar Blue. The room was clean, and everything worked. No issues at all. The beach was beautiful and well maintained. The food was great in the buffet. Especially the fresh eggs station and the pasta station.The staff were friendly and helpful especially Julio, Roberto, Franklin, Sarah and Angie Thanks to them for helping to make our stay so memorable.We would recommend this hotel to anyone and hope to return some day
The resort, Bahia Principe Turquesa, was beautiful. The grounds were fantastic with maintenance happening all over the place to keep it in top shape. We drove through the neighbouring Rui resort a couple of times and were surprised at how run down and poorly maintained it was. Service was fantastic. You didn’t have to wait long to get a drink. The food was terrific especially the a la cartes. My teenage son made sure we got our money’s worth from the all you can eat buffet. I don’t r[... read more]eally know where he puts it all. The entertain wasn’t bad. There was something happening every night. Not as good as big cruise ships or Mexico’s Mayan Riviera Grand Palladium resort. It could be due to multiple shows happening simultaneously versus the single show. Most of the hotel lobbies had shows plus a theatre and open air show all at the same time. Our rooms were terrific. They actually look bigger than the web site pictures. Air conditioning worked well. Very well maintained every day.
Very few downsides. It rained a couple of times for all of 10 or 15 minutes. Unfortunately, one of those times was ten minutes before midnight New Year’s Eve. Of course, we’re dressed up for the event and it poured. We were drenched, in the open with nowhere to go for cover. Fortunately, it was a warm rain and stopped after 15 minutes. Fireworks were tremendous.
The Turquesa is the furthest hotel within the resort complex from the beach. The shuttles run often so it wasn’t a problem. We often walked there and back just for the exercise. The Turquesa pool wasn’t as busy as the others which was a bonus. For the first few days, definitely peak volume, it was difficult to find an empty chair at the pool or beach. So many drop their towels early in the morning then disappear for the day. The beach was absolutely beautiful. White, pure, soft sand including out into the ocean. Gentle waves. The flag was yellow but we didn’t have any problem swimming or enjoying the ocean. The seaweed that washes up is quickly raked and removed. We walked up and down the beach a few times.
While our sheets and bath towels were changed every day all of us noted the pillows weren't as fresh. Not sure if the pillow cases weren’t changed or if the pillows themselves needed to be washed.
We did one excursion to swim with the dolphins. It was a bit pricey since there were 7 of us – 5 swam and 2 of us watched. Cost was USD$815. We didn’t purchase the USD$350 pictures. Definitely would recommend this resort.
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Dave13 -
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Dreams Onyx Resort and Spa: Great resort
The Now Onyx is a great resort that needs a few tweaks to make it an excellent resort. This was expected due to being a newer resort. There is plenty to due at the resort with the hotel staff having something going on all day long. You couldn't ask for a friendlier staff and house keeping was very accommodating always doing little things to keep us happy. Food was great, and staff always made sure you had a drink in your hand around the pool or at the beach.
The only down fall about the rooms i[... read more]s that there was a musky smell in the rooms due to the humidity so I was told. I asked other people and it seems it was the same in most rooms.
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Private -
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Bahia Principe Explore Legend: Great resort for the families
We have stayed at Grand Bahia Luxury Fantasia hotel for the Christmas 2016.
We are very pleased with this hotel.
Advise: book your restaurants as soon as possible, since they are all booked and very few spots left. However, you can go to the restaurant, and take chances if someone does not come.
If something is missing in your room, like toilet paper, do not make a big fuss about it, just ask cleaning personnel on your floor, or concierge to get you some. Also ask them for the reception ph[... read more]one, since the phone numbers information is missing in the room.
Grounds:
Grounds are very well kept. Trains that connect beach with different hotels are running all day and night.
Fantasia is an ultimate choice for families with kids. The resort has great swimming pools, big kids club with trampoline, Water Park, teen’s club. You can visit all the hotels, entertainment is happening in all hotels, dance parties, theaters performances, or you can just chill in some lobby bars. All hotels lobby bars/grounds look very nice. Fantasia has three buildings in the castle shape, and really looks like in Disneyland. In the evening all castles are lit in different colors, and they change colors all the time, so it looks fantastic. They run a short entertainment gig in the evening in which the main castle is illuminated with different characters from fairy tales... The fountains near lobby are illuminated with different colors in the evening. Very nicely envisioned.
Food:
The buffet restaurant is very good with waste choices of food. We have been travelling to Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica and Dominican Republic all 4.5-5 * hotels, and this hotel is very high placed. I must admit, regarding food, that Iberostar Montego Bay Rose Hall Suites and Cap Cana Sanctuary are so far holding the first place of all resorts we have visited.
The snack bar in the castle which becomes circus restaurant in the evening was our preferred place for breakfast, since was close to our room and also closer to the beach.
I would not call it snack bar, since it has everything - probably the same food as in the buffet.
The fantasia gourmet restaurant was exceptional, but probably not for small kids, since you have to wait for the food, and kids may become bored, and everything made was like a small art piece on your plate.
Esmeralda Brazilian restaurant was a big disappointment. Also Circus restaurant was very good and better choice for dinner with smaller kids.
Fantasia has a snack bar on the beach, but is not near the snack bar in the Circus restaurant. Very small choices of food, but enough for a small lunch. You can always walk to the Punta Cana or Bavaro buffet on the beach, and to Ambar snack bar (without kids).
The new rule is that you cannot eat anymore in other hotel's buffets except your own hotel. However, you can eat in other hotel's snack bars, and some snack bars are as large as buffets.
Beach:
Beach is very nice, powdered white sand; tens of kilometers walk either way. Little bit windy, but not unbearable. Very nice and comfy beach chairs in Esmeralda part of the beach. Plenty of palapas, chairs, so you will never need to rush to take a place in a shade. Very busy place too. Volleyball, dance lessons on the beach. I was little bit annoyed with the banana boat and tubing since they were running most of the day very close to the hotel swimming boundary and luring people all the time. They would run most of the time empty and spoil the air with their fumes while waiting for someone to call them. They should put the boat in the designated places for boats and wait for people there, or ask people on the beach, not while running empty in the water. The swimming boundary is not far.
I did not like the empty part of the beach for 'preferred guests', since it is a waste of land, it is always empty. Even if I was a preferred guest, I would not like to sit alone in this section, while all other people sit around this empty section on the beach, behind volleyball field.
Rooms:
Rooms are very nice, huge, long hallway, separate washroom with door inside bathroom, shower, whirlpool-type bathtub, two sinks. There is a place for one king bed, one twin bed and sofa that can be turned for 2 kids sleeping sofa bed. If you are family of up to 4, you have king and sofa bed in the room.
A/C is tricky to operate. There are no any instructions, you need to hold longer second button from below (if I remember well) to turn it on/off. If a door or terrace door is opened, A/C becomes a fan instead of cooling. We are not sure, but if there is no movement in the room, A/C becomes a fan (or our A/C did not work well). However, you can turn ceiling fan on, so there is a movement all the time. You can manually change cooling modes , from fan, to snow flake, which I think is the cooling mode. So it is not correct as some people say that you cannot turn the A/C off, you just need to hold that power button long enough. It is not loud, but not too quiet too. Some people complained that were confused how to operate this A/C. Perhaps hotel should provide some manuals.
We had an A/C leek first night, but they repaired it the same day we complained.
They are cleaning room twice a day, in the morning and in the evening, so before your dinner, is a good time to ask them to provide you whatever you want in your room, like we were missing some pillow cases, and toilet paper, and they would just give you extra if you ask. It is hard to speak with cleaning personnel, since they do not know English, but body language works!
Also they are missing important telephone numbers in the room, for example reception number, since concierge number works only during the day, not in the evening. You can ask the reception to provide a number. They should have it in the room.
The bar fridge is daily replaced with fresh water and chips. There are some drinks in the fridge, and is all included.
We had very pleasant and great vacation in fantasia and we recommend it to everyone and especially families with kids. It is a 'paradise for kids'.
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Majestic Mirage Punta Cana All Suite Resort: 5 Star Potential when completed
We arrived on Christmas Day, it had only opened on Christmas Eve. It took a few hours to actually get into our room but we were shown around the resort and ate at the Marketplace Buffet while we waited.
The Pros: Our Butler Cristobal was a fantastic guy - efficient and accommodating! He made us dinner reservations, brought us bottled water, beer and wine glasses to our room, and took care of whatever issue arose - which saved us precious vacation time! We found most of the staff extremely [... read more]friendly. The A'La Carte dining choices were fabulous, but we didn't go to the Italian or Sushi restaurant. Our suite was clean, spacious and luxurious - definitely 5 star quality. The Bali Beds located pool and beach side were comfortable and really made us feel like we were on vacation. Because it wasn't completely finished, it was very quiet for most of the week - which was a great break from our busy lives.
The Cons: As the resort wasn't fully operational, we didn't feel like we got the full vacation experience. The salon and gym were not ready. The gym opened mid week. Some of the pools were still being worked on so they were not usable. There were workmen everywhere - but they made really good progress as the week went on. We had air conditioning issues one night and day but it was resolved and our Butler, Cristobal, kept us informed of what was happening. The A'La Carte restaurant staff were still getting familiarized with the menu, etc. and sometimes our food was either served a bit cold, late, or under/over cooked. This got better as the week progressed. I think my biggest concern was that most of the public washrooms were either not working or being completed as we were using them, and they rarely had hand soap. Bring hand sanitizer or wipes!
I think that when they've worked out all the kinks and it's completely finished - it will definitely be a beautiful, 5 Star resort. The staff work extremely hard, please consider bringing extra money to tip them - they really deserve it! My husband and I would definitely return.
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Louie -
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Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Place to be
It was worth the money. We are coming back there this summer .the place was very clean food was ok the service was very good.the people that work there were amazing. The rooms were very clean. Can't say enough about this place. I've been there 4times now and it's still the place to go . Specially new year Eve's was amazing they had an amazing musics that was North American style kind of music
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Jennymac73 -
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Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Amazing Resort! !
My husband and I just came back from the most amazing vacation at this resort! The hotel was amazing and our room was spacious and beautifully cleaned every day! The pool was stunning...3 big pools, a swim up bar and a jacuzzi pool! The staff around the resort and the beach were so friendly and very welcoming. They were all so efficient at their jobs! The beach was spectacular! We have been to many beaches but the one on this resort was definitely a 10/10!
The Grand Bahia Principe Punta Cana does not fail to impress. This was our 3rd visit to this resort and we've come to appreciate the beautiful beach, manicured grounds and the friendliness of the staff. Hands down our favourite a la carte restaurant is the Japanese one. Tons of fun having our tasty food prepared in front of us. Our visit was a much needed break from work and school and allowed us to spend some amazing family time together over the winter break.
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Private -
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Sunscape Coco Punta Cana: Over-rated!
Substandard food quality, slow service, lack of management interest in guest satisfaction!
It took us four hours and three trips back-and-forth to our assigned room before we were able to check into our room and, even at that, took 45 more minutes in line-up at main Reception to get our room key!
Our very first meal was a disappointment, as we had to wait 20 minutes for clean dishes to arrive. Same issue the next morning with clean coffee cups at breakfast... as if the hotel management di[... read more]dn't expect all registered guests to arrive as booked! Beach chairs were also at a premium if we arrived after 8:00 a.m.
Nightly entertainment, as well as any other event was totally spoiled by the MC/DJ/other group members trying to out-volume each other to an unbearable point - even long after midnight; which also made sleeping a luxury we couldn't enjoy!
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JenniferLove -
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Excellence El Carmen: Pleasantly surprised
We weren't sure what to expect with this one - mixed reviews and a new place - but we were pleasantly surprised. Great service, good food and an all around relaxing time. Also loved the modern gym for mornings after a lot of well worth it indulgences. :)
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Ryan -
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Excellence El Carmen: Go here! So Goood!
There is not one thing to not like about this place.
I am telling the truth.
Perfect 10!
I have been to 12 other all-inclusives.
This is a REAL 5 star!
Swim out room was perfect for me and my lady. Romantic.
Many food options; restaurants; the buffet has it all.
I will go back here, for sure.
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Gibbons -
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Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Punta Cana: Good but looking tired
This is a large resort! It is however showing thwbwear and tear of its popularity. We had 3 rooms, TV's did not work in 2 and hot tubs did not work in 2 as well. Mattresses, doors, floors show their age. Food was so so, not near as good at Hard Rock Mayan Riviera. We enjoyed that property far greater other than the ORO nightclub which is excellent and welcome night life MR is lacking. We won't be be back, preferring smaller more intimate resorts with fine dining but all in all our 4 kids 1[... read more]8-23 and us had fun and
Made great memories.
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JL51 -
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Royalton CHIC Punta Cana: Fantastic Resor!
We loved this resort for a number of reasons. Firstly, the size...it was a nice, compact resort with everything within walking distance. Secondly, the facilities. We made extensive use of the gym which was great (though needs more treadmills) and we were happy with the layout and availability of food, coffee, drinks etc. Lastly, the service. Almost without fail, staff from maintenance to food service greeted you with a smile and an HOLA! Very friendly and accommodating top to bottom.
On[... read more] the downside, New Year's Eve dinner was a bit of a disaster...long wait, cold/no food. It was very disorganized but it didn't detract from the overall enjoyment.
The Esmeralda's location is extremely ideal - as it's close to the beach, pools, and Fantasia. The waves from the beach and current from the water is pretty rough - so my 5 & 3 year olds couldn't go in. We watched the water and I would step in a bit and let the waves hit us. Otherwise, they played in the sand. The pools were great for family and water time. The food was excellent - and what was outstanding and made the time so great was the service. I've read many reviews about resorts bei[... read more]ng understaffed or things being stolen etc. I kept watches and money out in plain site in the room and the people were extremely helpful. Overall, Punta Cana was great and I would have no hesitation in visiting the Esmeralda again. Lastly, our daughter had an ear infection and being able to see a doctor onsite was fantastic. The doctor was extremely helpful and we were able to get antibiotics etc. right away. Get the family medical insurance for sure.- especially if you have little ones. It's really easy to get an ear infection after a flight and a day in the water.
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Rwoodcro -
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Ocean Blue and Sand: Great time
Fun at beach/pool - Lots of activities for everyone. Crazy games
Good selection of restaurants- My son had a birthday during our stay - they made it fun- Sang to him - brought dessert out with drums. Friendly staff.