Bahia Principe Explore Esmeralda: Great Resort

Great Resort, has everything you could need or want! The beach is fantastic and the water was crystal clear. The variety of food on the buffet is the best that I have seen so far. Looking forward to returning to this resort someday soon!!!!!!!

Riu Republica: Amazing trip!

My friend and I really enjoyed the activities the Riu Republica had to offer. This was the highlight for us! Of course the hotel was beautiful and clean. The food was ok but everything else was great. Can't wait to come back next year!

Riu Republica: Definitely a 5 star Resort

For a recently new resort it is amazing, the grounds are kept very well with new vegetation. They have a covered promenade from the main reception area along the front of the restaurants and buffet with a small tourist/souvenir store included. this promenade runs parallel to the walkway to the pool area. There are two main pools one with swim up bar the other more relaxing and peaceful has bar service. The huge buffet has been the best that we have experienced in our previous four times to [... read more] the Dominican. There will be something that one could find to prevent one from going hungry. As for the restaurants they are quite good but the menu never changes so multiple reservations at one particular restaurant will not provide choices. The reservations for the three restaurants is not the most convenient as bookings take place for all restaurants between the hours of 7 AM to 11 AM and only take place at the Japanese restaurant. The wine lists at the restaurants are limited and you must convert from the Dominican currency to American. Make sure you acquire a receipt for these beverages as they are an additional charge and keep the receipt for checkout time as you may find the price of your wine selection may have varied on your final billing. The beach is the nicest beach that we have experienced in the Caribbean and Mexico. The sand is clean very fine and soft. The water is somewhat a different issue it is quite clear light blue no rocks nor weeds but the waves are quite rough. Our entire week we never experienced calm water and the waves were rolling in on average 3 to 4 feet in height and as I am 5'8" there would be numerous times waves would be over my head and their force can knock you down and under. Being this was an adult only resort the people enjoyed the water and there was always good numbers enjoying the surf. The waves, I would not recommend for children, as they were consistent along the entire shore and as a precaution, for my loved ones, they would be wearing life jackets. Because of the waves there was very little use of floatation devices and there are no lifeguards on duty. The water was warm clean and had a sandy bottom. Seaweed washed up on the shore in the early morning which was raked up and disposed of by the resort grounds crew. The rooms are new and quite contemporary modern and just as pictured in the brochures and travel guides which are cleaned and freshened up every day. The mini fridge in the room is restocked every other day and there is a mini bar above the fridge stocked with liquor. A note, to be aware of, is that the only beer served on the resort is El Presidente but if you happen to meet up with the beverage person who restocks the fridge he does carry on his cart Heineken and that is where you can get a choice with a little persuasion and maybe a tip. Bottled water is available in the rooms in large bottles but not available outside your room so make sure you ask for extra water if it is a favourite beverage. You cannot get bottled water at the bars. If you are to want water when you are down at the beach you will be taking the bottle of water from your room. Suggestion: Why not bring a large thermos mug from home and fill it with bottle water from your room to keep it cooler? There are only two washrooms outside of your room. One near the sports bar at the main reception area the other down at the towel Hut near the pools. I learned the hard way that the symbols we use here in Canada of the male and female images does not represent washrooms in the Dominican but rather elevators. The Resort indicate their washroom facilities with the letters WC over the doors. The Sun Wing flight was standard you are served sandwich or wrap type meal. But from the onset of the flight and then again at your orientation meeting which is misnamed, you are bombarded with sales pitches for various excursions from your resort and you learn very little about the resort itself. Having visited the Dominican several times before we had previously done most of their activities and tours but there was an all day tour to a nearby island named Somo Island that was supposed to have crystal waters and white sand beaches. Because of the rough waves at our resort we decided to take this excursion which was $94 American per person. Upon boarding the bus and picking up numerous other resort passengers the bus ride was over four hours long then you boarded a so-called speedboat and stopped at what they called the world's largest pool which was shallow calm water and held starfish (for no longer than five seconds out of the water or else they would die and had your picture taken for an additional cost) then it was on to this island. This part of the trip took another hour and a half you reached a beach that looked like it had been ravaged by a hurricane with palm branches down and some of the hut buildings were dilapidated then you were guided to the REAL beach. This beach was not as good as our resort beach. The shore had shells and fragments before you entered the water and upon entering the water there were more rough pebbles and shells and a depression/dip and the rest of the waters floor was not smooth but would have scattered shells or stones throughout. The waves were some what calmer. They did feed you a buffet lunch, nowhere near the resort's excellence then on the return trip they stopped off at a small shoppers market which was basically for you to spend more money---- bottom line--- Don't Take This Excursion. There is evening entertainment at the open Theatre/stage not far from the main reception which includes the house band who open the evening. They are good but a whole week of their playing gets very repetitious then there is a middle performance usually dancing acts followed by the house band closing the evening. I was amazed at the amount of people who still smoke and this was permitted during the evening performances and also down at the beach in close proximity to others thus it made it unenjoyable for us non-smokers - obviously the smoking rules are not as strict as they are at home. To summarize: resort five, rooms five, dining five, beach five, water three, (due to rough waves), service five, (exception: front reception not understanding or caring probably due to the lack of understanding English- hard to communicate), cleanliness five. Some useful tips: Take a long two or more multi receptacles with a single three prong plug, these you can get at the dollar store that have three receptacles with a single three prong plug at the back, as in our room and I assume in all rooms there were a total of three single socket receptacles not double receptacles like we have in Canada. This will be useful if you need to charge electronic devices at the same time or just need extra AC . There are no clock radios in the room so it is best to take a battery alarm clock so as to tell time and to set an alarm if needed. (Battery so that you do not use up a receptacle using AC). Take a long a used up gift card say a two dollar Tim Horton's gift card (do not use credit cards or debit cards) to be placed in the card slot inside your room's door this is where you would normally place your room key card in, which controls the entire room's electricity and air conditioning. This way you do not have to leave your room key card in the slot when you leave the room. You just leave the gift card in the slot and your electricity in the room remains on which includes the air-conditioning and your room will remains cool throughout the day and you can use your room's key card for re-entering your room upon your return. You may find the cleaning staff may remove your gift card by just pulling it out of the slot but usually they will leave it alone. Maybe take to spare gift card(s). Great Place, Great Price, Great Vacation. Thanks Trip Central, Thanks Martine, we will definitely be vacationing with you again, Glen

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Bahia Principe Ambar

We went from June 22 to 29, 2016. This was our 3rd time to the Bahia Principe in Punta Cana. In general, we loved our trip. The only negative was the quality of the buffets. They definately cut down since the last time We were there. Some people told me that it could be because it was the low season???? It wouldn't prevent us from returning, but they need to be carefull that it doesn't continue.

Grand Palladium Select Bavaro: Pleasant vacation

The hotel was nice on the second floor, the first floor smelled musty, the beach was beautiful, the grounds were well maintained. The staff very friendly. However, one of us had our toe cut open in the swimup bar pool and reported it, not much was done about it . While on the beach it was annoying being constanlty harrased by salesmen selling excursions. I would go back to Punta Cana again

Riu Republica: Amazing Resort, Amazing time!!

The hotel was very modern looking and very clean, hotel staff were all friendly and helpful! The beach was pristine as well. Couldn't have asked for a better vacation, I didn't want to leave! Riu Republica and Punta Cana will forever have a special place in my heart! I would love to go back.

Riu Republica: somewhat disappointed

staff not very organized. Not very clean. Only 1 a la carte restaurant, and hardly any selection. Two other restaurants were actually buffet style, and it was the same food you could get in the main dining room. Would not go back

Bahia Principe Explore Esmeralda: Resort is beautiful but has some key issues.

The rooms are nice, resort is beautiful. The beach is beautiful. Very difficult to get reservations at A la carte restaurants. We arrived late around 9:30 pm by the time we checked in all the restaurants were closed at 10pm. Ordered room service and was told it would be 45 mins, it took 2 hours. Since we arrived so late we weren't leaving for the airport until 5pm on the day of departure. It was unbelievable the amount of run around getting a late check out. We had 23 ppl and 10 rooms a [... read more]nd hand to argue with staff for over an hour for 3 rooms for a late check out. In the end we got 3 rooms for 24 ppl with a late check out of 2pm instead of noon, even thought staff admitted that the Air Canada ppl coming in wouldn't get there until 930pm like we did.

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Thank you Tanya

Thank you Tanya at Trip central...we booked our trip one day and left the next....we planned a short trip and we were going to punta Cana and had picked a hotel...Tanya suggested the Bahia Principe Ambar.....she searched and found five nights instead of four... told us the hotel was wonderful...a great personality and great help so off we went..all I can say is the hotel exceeded our expectations also the Bavaro beach.we were in 62 walk to beach pool and restaurants....we were given a beautiful  [... read more]corner suite and let into our room which had been upgraded and was ready...we were over the moon.everything was beautiful...grounds..food and restaurants were amazing beautiful spacious and never felt like all inclusive.. breakfast on the patio every morning with champagne...staff amazing especially Eddie at portfolio......the entertainment was terrific in beautiful surroundings..we enjoyed taking the trolley round to see the other hotels at the Bahia...they were great.evdryone was having fun families old and young.we would go back in a heartbeat...thanks again Tanya

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Great hotel

Grounds were kept immaculate Room was standard didn't get what I asked though Great hotel overall The beaches were great and the services were standard. The people were very friendly and courteous. We arrived At 12.30 in the afternoon but our room was only ready at 3.pm and that was not cool at all.

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Beautiful Resort

Beautiful resort, amazing food, service was wonderful expensive shopping, fair service from sunquest rep, alcohol wasn't the best.. very cheap, casino wasn't fair.. switched dealers and burned 5 cards everytime we were winning a few hands, Overall it would be a 3.5 star resort!!!!

Majestic Colonial Punta Cana Beach Resort: Perfect escape

The hotel was in excellent condition. Grounds are well maintained. We loved our room and the attention to detail. We had a Junior suite on the 4th floor with an added bonus of a private outdoor patio and hottub. It was our 35th anniversary so we certainly appreciated the extra touches. The food was very good. Our favourite restaurant was the Japanese steakhouse. We were a bit disappointed with the French restaurant. We were served very well. They advertised a tennis tournament. I inquired a [... read more]bout it and was told to show up. The regular pro was on vacation and so they recruited a former pro to come and play with me, even no one else showed up. I definitely appreciated them going the extra mile. The beaches and pools are great.

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Good family resort

We had a good experience at this hotel where we spent some family time relaxing by the pool, kids played countless hour at the water park, and we enjoyed the nightly entertainment. We left with some great memories and felt fully rested. The food was good and the main buffet had a great selection which varied from night to night. There were, however, things that could have been better. We found the resort was too big and too populated and as the result going anywhere within the resort with kids [... read more] was not as convenient. You had to wait for the bus, sometimes it was full and you had to wait for the next one. Also, at times you would not be able to get any towel at the beach since hey had ran out! They also don't have enough restaurants for the number of guests they host. We weren't able to book all of our restaurants since the only available time was at 10:30 pm and that is too late with kids. Overall, we had a good time, but this resort can improve some of its services.

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Amazing Resort

Sensational resort!!!! A fabulous family vacation!!!!!! Would definitely recommend this resort! From the grounds , pool, beach, bars, and variety of foods from the buffets or al a cartes everything was to our liking!!!!!!

Breathless Punta Cana Resort: Super magnifico resort!!!

Breathless Resort was beautiful and the staff was extremely attentive. We thoroughly enjoyed the fantastic food at all of the various restaurants! The beach was clean and the ocean waters were warm. Loved the fact that many activities were offered and that it was also possible to have quiet relaxing time on the beach.

Breathless Punta Cana Resort: Amazing resort!!

Beautiful beach! Impeccable grounds dining rooms! Great food,bars! Great buffets lots of varieties,very clean! Needs to improve housekeeping in rooms. The best staff!!😘 Amazing ETeam! Dr. On site! Overall very nice! I would visit it again.

Wyndham Alltra Punta Cana: Nice resort

Resort was nice. The grounds where hard to navigate around tho. Food was ok nothing to write home about Staff was friendly and accommodating. Wedding I attend was well put together the planner did an awesome job.

Catalonia Bavaro Resort: Good

Pros: staff is friendly and helpful, food is good, resort is clean and well taken care of. Cons: we got a privileged room on the ground floor, terrible odor of sewage in the bathroom; we had to keep running AC at low setting so it circulates the air to minimize the odor. Probably because we bought a privileged package they tried to sell us a travel club membership. We did not intent to buy anything, the staff assured us it would be a get to know presentation with the gift because we are privile [... read more]ged customers, however in fact they try to sell membership which was a waste of time for us and no gift probably because we were not interested in buying, I would prefer honesty upfront, so we would not waste the time.

Breathless Punta Cana Resort: Excellent Resort!

Breathless is an excellent resort! A great place for couples of all ages and single people. A Party atmosphere all the time, but also areas where you can relax and be away from the crowds. Rooms are very clean and spacious. Food is outstanding. All those who work at the Hotel are very kind and courteous! They always pay attention to you! Beach is lovely! Great bar service on the beach too! I would definitely return to Breathless in Punta Cana and recommend it to anyone!

Royalton Splash Punta Cana: Good, but could be even better

My family and I recently returned from a fun vacation at Memories Splash in Punta Cana. The grounds and pools were very nice. The water in the pool was always nicely heated by the warm sun... be sure to wear sun screen though :). The beach was super easily accessible (about a 3 minute ride) by frequently available shuttles. The beach is beautiful and the water temperature is nice and mild... great for someone like me who hates getting into cold water. The water park is fantastic for kids and adu [... read more]lts. Great food options at all restaurants... but beware of Montezuma's revenge upon your return. There were 2 significant areas in need of improvement before my family and I return to Punta Cana and Memories Splash. One, the Punta Cana airport is a complete and utter Gong Show... it took us about 3 hours to get though the airport when we arrived in Punta Cana... picture being shuffled through like in a slaughter house... hot, depressing, frustrating... you name it, we experienced it. Leaving Punta Cana wasn't much easier... line after line after line... Second, the majority of the staff at Memories are not very welcoming at all... some seemed down right disinterested in interacting with us and some were simply down right rude and dismissive. However, there was one particular gentleman who worked at "Selections" who was very very nice and often went out of his way to come say hi to us and chat for a few minutes... we always left him a generous tip. So, in a nutshell, the resort and beach are beautiful and well maintained and the water park and pools lots of fun, but we will not be returning because of the airport and the staff... and probably because of the Montezuma's revenge (but I'm sure the revenge only has it out for some people)