Riu Republica: Great resort for adults

The hotel was nice, clean rooms. The only thing I did not like is the housekeeper did not clean our room regularly and when we did remind them they still did not do it. Also I found the food to be bland.

Royalton Bavaro Resort and Spa: Beautiful - New Resort

Amazing hotel - well maintained - well manicured lawns - a fun place for adults and children of all ages. Excellent cuisine in all the restaurants. The best for variety of fruits and vegetables. fish, seafood and meats. Lazy river so much fun - lots of pool and beach activities. Drawback - Diamond Club exclusives - in the specialty restaurants that are open to all, Diamond Club members get priority reservations. We actually got bumped from the wait list to accommodate Diamond Club and that t [... read more]o me is a no-no. Diamond Club have their own restaurant and pool which if fine, but I am not a second class guest. Rooms large and clean and modern, however, the free-standing jacuzzi tub situated in the middle of the floor as you enter is strange. Great staff, excellent location on Bavaro beach - lots of sun cover and very comfortable chairs. Still, the treatment of non-Diamond Club members would keep me from going back.

Secrets Royal Beach: Enjoyable vacation

Both my wife and I really enjoyed our stay at Secrets. Staff was fantastic right across the board with a special mention to our butler (sounds pretentious and it is ... but it was the first time we ever splurged) Robinson "The People's Champion", he was awesome. Can't remember everyone's names but all were very good especially Santa, Israel, Junior, Eduardo, Jeffrey. Food was great- if you are complaining about it - you are way too picky. Room was everything we needed and wanted after a slight [... read more] initial hiccup. View was astounding and all the amenities we needed. Would stay again in a heartbeat!

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Great resort

Extremely clean mini suites and hallways. Grounds beautifully manicured. Pool large and pleasant to spend time in with morning and afternoon events scheduled; bar accessible both from inside and outside water. Beach well tended with plenty of chairs and umbrellas.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Loved the staff the most

The staff was the best part of this resort for sure. They were all so incredible. The resort itself was average and the beach was disappointing. My family and I are the type that like waves and unfortunately this beach did not cut it. And the beach itself wasn't very nice.

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: Be alive collection Marien

Well I was not real impressed with the food was alot of the same thing. My husband got sick from something he ate at supper Wednesday nights meal .the staff was friendly but I found they really didn't give much information to you on things to do or places you might like to shop The room was clean and the maid was great.

Excellence El Carmen: 2nd time around

We had gone to this resort in January 2018 on the recommendation of our Travel Agent. We were not disappointed. We fell in love with everything this resort offered. So much that our group said let's go again next year! So we just returned from yet another fabulous trip. We had the honeymoon beachfront swimout rooms which were amazing. Plus the excellence club. What a memorable trip. The food was as fabulous as we remembered. Each restaurant was excellent. The service amazing. The Excel [... read more]lence Resort and their staff go out of their way to make sure everything is right if not better. We had so much fun! A top notch resort. We would highly recommend it.

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Great Resort

We had a great experience here. Friendly staff, from bartenders to servers to cleaning to maintenance, each staff member takes the time to say hello, smile, and ask how you’re doing. Many make lots of conversation and love to chat. I especially loved my morning “coffee man” who remembered my coffee order after just one breakfast, whose name escapes me. Bartender Elvin at the beach bar is another memorable favourite. Buffet food was solid, with a lot of variety and good taste. I especially  [... read more]recommend attending the Wednesday night “taste of the world” buffet, the pasta station, the omelette station, and the burgers. If you’re a chocolate person, try the chocolate cakes at dessert. The Caribbean a la carte restaurant was outstanding as well, absolutely delicious food. Try the goat stew entree and the plantain with ground chicken in tomato sauce appetizer (can’t remember name). However, we didn’t care for the Grill a la carte restaurant - the fajitas with alright though - and the Italian a la carte was just bad. The beach is simply gorgeous. We walked the beach in either direction and Gran Ventana definitely has the best beach along this stretch. I thoroughly appreciated the wooden cabana tiki umbrella things for shade. Always a gentle wind at the beach to stay cool. Facing north, there is nice sunshine all day. We snorkelled three days in a row, a nice amenity included with the resort. The pool is nice. Lots of entertainment for kids and adults. Also pool tables, foosball, and ping pong tables. The main pool can be loud with the entertainment, but the quiet pool at the third building is a good option for that. For reserving chairs, going early is necessary for shaded spaces, but both pool and beach have lots of space. Adequate bars, never a long wait. Water coolers throughout hotel for drinking which is helpful, plus water bottles provided in mini fridge. Rooms were clean and well kept. Had to pay for in room safe and wifi, as free lobby wifi wouldn’t work. Total for both was about $70 CAD. Tours all looked very nice. We enjoyed the cable car tour - affordable and an amazing view of Puerto Plata. About $150 CAD for two people. This hotel (and many others) are located in Playa Dorada, a gated hotel/condo community just outside Puerto Plata. Also located in Playa Dorada, a golf course and mall. Mall has lots of souvenirs and a movie theatre. Gran Ventana is one of the first hotels to be let off of airport shuttles (we were 2nd on ours), and also one of the last to be picked up, so not too long on the bus. Short distance from airport - about 25 minutes.

Dreams Dominicus La Romana: Missed the Mark !

The overall a stay was ok. The beach was very clean and provided a relaxing environment for the week. The service was seriously lacking. Each bar made each drink differently they were to say the least inconsistent. If you are going to stay at this resort it is worth upgrading to the preferred club. Each experience within the preferred club was great ! Outside of that everything seemed like an inconvenience to the staff. By the end of the week we were low on small bills an went to several out [... read more]lets to trying to get smaller bills including the Front Desk, Currency Exchange, Bartenders and Bell staff. We offered a tip to change the money and they were unable to make change. We were asked to purchase something at the gift shop in order to get change. We spent $30.00 and they were not able to provide us change from $40.00 so we were forced to charge the items to our room. At which time we went to the front desk to pay in cash the $30.00 item and guess what ? They had small bills. The entertainment was awful. The shows in the evening were not up to even a mediocre standard. We did not have a beach party which would have been welcome after listening to Karaoke from the other guests. We did have a few bright spots with the staff Victor and Zoleidy at the preferred bar were excellent. Champion and Eddy in the Entertainment Staff were also very good at trying to get the guests involved. Security was always lurking in the Shadows which provided and uneasy feeling like you were being watch at all times. I definitely would not be in a rush to return to this resort.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Excellent place to rest.

The weather was variable but enjoyable in general. However, a little too much harassment from local vendors of handcraft items nearby the hotel beach limits. In the buffet service, some times not enough staff to cook omelet for example. The replacement of food dishes takes too long. Room service is very good. Carts shuttle to and from the main lobby is annoying for residents who prefer walking. Too much cars smoke entering the lobby area due to buses and cars parked right at upw [... read more]ind location of the lobby. Smoking area is located near the swimming pool and right next to the walkway to the buffet. Very uncomfortable for non smokers.

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Overall a great trip!

We recently returned from a 7 day vacation at the Barcelo Bravaro Palace. Overall we had a great time. The resort itself is spectacular! The grounds are very well kept and everything is very clean.This resort is attached to the Bavaro Beach resort which is adult only. All the services, including the a la cart restaurants, casino and shopping area are all in the main palace complex, so the folks from the adult only area had to come to the Palace complex for these services. I did have a chance to  [... read more]go visit the adult only area. It was defiantly quieter and a little higher end overall. I went a couple times to the bar at that end of the resort. The second time they noticed may Palace bracelet and would only let me get one drink..:(, ( I was there to get one for me and one for my wife). I assume this is a way to keep you in your respective resort area, however there were lots of folks from the adult only area drinking at the bars in the palace area with no restrictions. There is a large theater with high quality shows every night. There are quite a few shops for general shopping and the main complex so there really wasn't any need to leave the resort. We usually travel around the area when we are on these trips but spent this whole trip on site. We did find some prices inflated in the hotel shopping area. The room it self was kept clean and made up whenever we asked. The bed was large and very comfortable. They kept the bar fridge stocked with juice, pop, beer and water. They also replaced the chips and peanut snack bags every day. The drinks at the bar were all very good. The clear well alcohol was not the best but was hidden well in the mixed drinks. If you asked for premium brand alcohol, ie Absolute vodka, Beefeater gin, they served it no problem. There is only one kind of beer available and the cups are small. The beach is very large and one complaint i have is it is too far to walk to the bar if you were way down the beach. I would recommenced taking a travel mug, to save you some trips! Bottled water is readily available. The beach was kept very clean and there was a crew out every day raking up the seaweed. The resort makes an effort to recycle with plastic only and organic only bins around the beach area. There were ample deck chairs available, although if you didn't get one reserved early in the day, you couldn't get close to the pool or anywhere near a bar on the beach. They allocated you two towels when you arrived to be used at the beach and pool area, which you could swap out anytime. On the second last day, we had a sudden down pour of rain and everyone's towel was soaked. I assumed they would run out of dry towels, but to my pleasant surprise, they had lots. There were hobbie cats available to use for free as well as sail boards and paddle boats. You had to book them a day ahead and you really needed to get there early to get a spot. The food overall was good. With any large buffet, you expect to see yesterdays leftover food recycled in today's meals somewhere. I did not see this. There was lots of selection and different foods every day. The fresh fish was excellent. the salad bar and fresh fruit was excellent as well. Overall, the buffets did not compare to those we have had in mexico, but we didn't loose any weight...;) The a la carts were a little disappointing. We ate at 4 different ones. The Italian restaurant was good. The pasta was always cooked properly. They need to work on their sauces. The Japanese was disappointing. They limit how many different dishes you can order, although you can share. The rice in the sushi rolls was overcooked (which I have found normal at these places). I wanted some Sake with my meal. I was told it was an extra charge (huh?) The seafood restaurant was good, the the service was very slow and non-attentive. Didn't enjoy the atmosphere. The steak house was by far the best. The atmosphere and service was excellent. the steak was done to perfection! There were not many English speaking people there including staff. We had a little difficulty communicating but overall it added to the experience. There were a lot of Russian tourists there and i found them generally self absorbed and rude. Lots of Spanish speaking tourists, coming from South America mainly. I would say less than 20% English speaking American and Canadian guests. The WiFi was supposed to be complimentary, however this was only in the casino. If you wanted WiFi outside of that there was an extra charge. I think it was $45 US for the week, not outrageous, but you could only have one device on at a time and it was a pain to log in and out! Overall a good experience and we would go back!

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Large Resort

Grounds well maintained. Room cleaning needs to be improved with proper replacement of toiletries. Perfect for families with young children in family only area. all inclusive price does not include Wave Pool and Pirate Island, this should be stipulated in description.when paying so families can budget costs. Good selection of food. Steak house and Seafood Restaurants should not be considered as an Al a Cart as the food was not anything different from buffet. Hoya (included as part of resta [... read more]urants, but is an Al a Cart) service at table with small buffet area,and good, hot food. Service slow, like all D.R. to be expected. Most importantly ************ they do not understand, speak English well and do not care to try.

Hyatt Vivid Punta Cana: Great staff and food!

What we liked about the hotel: - hotel is perfect size, not to big so easy to access all amenities - all the staff super friendly and helpful - food was amazing: gluten free options, lots of fresh vegetables and fruit, meats and seafood made to order! The morning smoothies were refreshing and perfect to kickoff the day – thanks to the amazing smoothie lady!! - beautiful sandy beach BUT lots of seaweed - however, hotel did a great job of cleaning it out a couple of times a day - like [... read more] the no wrist band and towel keys Things to consider / improve: - not impressed at all with check-in experience, the lady serving us was not friendly at all (counter to all other staff at hotel!) - we arrived almost 2 hours late and yet our check-in information was not ready, took way longer to check-in - rooms are out-dated unless in new buildings which cost more - the Seaside grill menu and food was the least pleasant AND most did not accommodate a small request e.g. I ordered steak and wanted a few shrimp on side and they did not provide (shrimp was on the menu too with a bunch of other items, I only wanted surf and turf). - hot tub only for privilege club which is unfair when there is only one hot tub at the resort – they wanted over $50 for use. - no adult pool / section for “normal class folks” only for privilege club – again a money grab - did nothing special for anniversary unless you paid for extras Overall, food and staff made the trip special! Not sure if I’d go back given the money grab on additional options which are offered for free by many other similar chains e.g. adult pool, hot tub use for adults

Excellence El Carmen: Incredible place!

We loved this place sp much that this was a return visit! The layout, the staff, and the food and drink were the best! The beach was really lovely. We were able to take long walks and had so much fun jumping in the waves.

Wyndham Alltra Samana: Beautiful Resort

Stayed at Grand Paradise Resort in Samana Dominican Republic for one week, the resort was very nice. Our room was perfect 1st villa which was a plus hubby had a wheelchair, the shower huge , two double beds with a beautiful ocean view and coffee machine to have our coffee each morning also the refrigerator was full with water, pop and beer which was refilled very day. The food was good variety, three a la carte Italian, Japanese and Seafood . The grounds are always clean, very organized. The [... read more] staff are friendly and helpful. Great place for children lots of activities also they have a kids building no parents allowed. Always a security guard at pool which is very good for small children. The beach is beautiful very clean but not long to walk. It’s a great place for families. There are excursions, you can walk to La Galaras to the market , very expensive I find , you can pay in US Dollars or DR pesos. Overall lovely resort bus ride 1.5 hours from airport to resort. Very clean , great food.

Riu Republica: Awesome Vacation Place

We stayed at the Riu in Punta Cana and the resort was awesome. All the amenities exceeded expectation. The pools were great and being able to hang out on the beach and swim in the ocean was an incredible experience. People are not exaggerating when they talk about how beautiful the beaches are in Punta Cana. The resort staff were awesome as well, including doing the little things like bringing trays of drinks around to the people waiting on the beach so that we didn't need to keep going back int [... read more]o the resort to serve ourselves all the time. I would say the one of the main highlights of the trip was the nightly entertainment at the hotel. I have never made it a priority to stick around for the entertainment at a resort before. At the Riu we saved our seats up front every night.

Riu Republica: Great!

It was a very clean and large resort. There was something for everyone. Whether your young or old there was the party pools and also the quieter pools. The beach was very nice but red and yellow flags which indicated the water/waves were rough and not so safe to swim. We’re more pool people so that did not matter to us. Lots of good food, drinks both alcohol or non and awesome capachinos l. Staff were always polite. Reminder it’s $20 US per person to leave the Dominican!

Be Live Experience Hamaca Beach: Unpleasant Experience

Booking in was good The room was clean , no plugs in sink or bath and balcony light was not working , reported to Sunwing Rep but nothing was done. Every day we had to request something like water, replenishing room fridge etc. ONE GOES TO THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC FOR BEACH AND SUNSHINE. IN THIS RESPECT WE WERE SATISFIED. Command of English or getting to be understood was a major problem. The Hotel advertised as having 2 pools with pool bars , 1pool actually had a REAL pool bar where one coul [... read more]d sit in the pool and have a drink but it is NOT situated on the Beach Hotel side . Four Specialist restaurant . No mention that two are situated in Hamaca Garden Hotel 2 in Hamaca Beach . This required a lot of walking, Steps and very little wheelchair friendly areas , Easy access was not to be found. The restaurants did not have too much in their decor to show you were in Italian, Greek , or Mexican, except for Brazilian which had their flag. But don’t be fooled only one of them managed to supply food you could actually chew and swallow that was the GREEK. THE BUFFET Was not too bad trying to cater for so many different cultures BUT if it’s chunks of meat it’s more than likely to be tough. The MAIN Buffet, Italian and Brazilian in the Gardens Hotel. Mexican and Greek in Beach Hotel. So to get to these various areas one has to try to find easiest access for either people with walking disabilities to get to meals or the. beach. The snack bar on the beach was a laugh, the only food supplied Hot Dogs or Burgers (not impressed) I feel that Pelican Bay attached to theBeach Hotel, one would have to pay extra or become a member from what we were lead to believe, they even closed it for a private function with loud music on the Sunday Night , which was most inconsiderate to NORMAL GUESTS. On the other side one had a V.I.P. area where again it was only for people who would sign a contract for that Experience. In conclusion the only GOOD THING was not controlled by the Hotel , the beach and weather Was excellent

Bahia Principe Explore Legend: Great new resort

Been to punta Cana over 10 times. Been to Bahia principe 5 times. Never the Fantasia. It was amazing. Resort was beautiful. Kids loved all the @ctivities and slides and pools etc. Beach was beautiful. Sufficient chairs at beach. Rooms were comfy. Bed was firm. mini bar refilled every day. Food was better then usual although still not up to our standards. Would recommend in a heart beat.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Well staffed, family-friendly resort

The room was spacious and immaculately cleaned every day, There were staff everywhere to carry out all of the various jobs to keep the resort clean and well-stocked. We only ate at the Italian a la carte restaurant, which was very good. Options were fairly limited for times at the a la carte restaurants for the Air Canada vacations customers, they probably save the good time slots for Bahia Principe customers. The staff were all very friendly which is hard to get used to, coming from Canada wher [... read more]e people don't say hi or make eye contact. The beach seemed to be cleaned almost hourly, there would be someone coming around with a rake and wheelbarrow to pick up the reeds washed ashore. I've never seen anything like it. In terms of souvenirs we found the beach vendors to be much easier to deal with, and willing to negotiate. The local shops at Las Terrenas would not negotiate and were pricier.