GREAT beach.....average resort.....don't go

wonderful place for our extended family...great beach....rooms and food OK....have been to Punta Cana many times and tried this resort for "money" reasons for our group of 13.....most of us had problems with the runs, some badly....the plumbing in the hotel is poor especially around the beach area's and I wonder if the plumbing issues are related to poor management of the kitchen area's....90 minute drive from the airport BUT it is a wonderful scenic drive.....we would NOT go back simply because [... read more] of the intestinal problems.....the staff are great with limited English but that is our fault for not trying to learn their language.....the Bar Manager, Santiago, is a wonderful person

Great resort

Good food. Nice ocean view room staff were very friendly. Nice beach but trouble with seaweed which staff worked hard to clean every day. My husband celebrated his birthday while we were there and I happened to mention this to front desk, they left a bottle of rum and fresh fruit platter in our room

STAFF VERY LAZY!!!

The hotel was beautiful and the food was good. Samana is a beautiful place - I would try a different resort next time. I found the overall staff was very lazy and did not interact well with the guests. It took 3 days for a cot to be placed in our room. It took 4 days to provide blankets for the beds..only sheets on it...I gave up asking for an extra pillow. The maid took 4 days to learn how to make our beds. I finally left a tip once she got it right. The bartender at the pool bar enjoyed talkin [... read more]g to other coworkers instead of making drinks for the guests.The reception area - the ladies took personal phone calls (on speaker) while serving the guests. The towel boy would not give our towel card back until we filled out his survey. The good side was a lady named Maria from the Asian restaurant - very nice and helpful - she made us feel very welcomed...I wish we would have discovered her in the beginning of our trip. On the weekend the locals are allowed to come and enjoy the resort. It was a mad house, kids running around unattended. The kids were allow to run around and cross contaminate the food at the main buffet.Guests screaming and partying until 4am. I felt I was a burden on the staff...next year I am going back to Cuba

Beautiful beach!

This resort is a 2 hour bus ride from the airport. We had no problems with the food and my teenage son loved the selection. The resort is kept clean but very basic. There is NO wifi at all. Was not working when we were there. A major complaint with our teenagers. Horseback riding is nearby and would definitely recommend. We were 4 people in a room and the whole week we did not get 4 towels. Either there were not enough or they did not bother checking (even though we tipped the maids daily). Ther [... read more]e is a small town within walking distance. Not much to see but it was nice to see the supermarkets and local life. The beach is beautiful, shallow and sandy. Not much to see when snorkelling though. Lots of palm trees for shade. Would recommend for relaxation and a quiet getaway!

The GOOD and the BAD

GOOD - food was delicious! everyday they had a different theme night and food was sooo tasty. It's nothing like Cuba! - shades in the beach. there are a lot of shaded area on the beach so no need to wake up early and get a beach chair because there are plenty and many areas with lots of shade - Archery, sports bar had foozball table, billiards etc. - Kids club BAD - ran out running water for 6 hours! Couldnt shower, wash your face or brush your teeth! It was terrible - no electricity! for 3 nig [... read more]hts out of 7. This means no light, no A/C no electricy at all all night. I was sooo angry and complained so much because the whole resort would shut down. I had a baby iwth me and we were sweating like crazy the whole night. It was so upsetting that this hotel could not even maintain electricity! One of the most basic things. We had a great vacation but this ruined it for us. - sand on the beach. There is very little sand area on the beach, unlike Cuba or Bahamas where there are a lot of sand. Mostly grass - terrible sutomer service at the front desk. When power was down I complained several times. they didnt even provide candles or try to fix the situation. All I got was blank stare from the reception workers

Just ok

Lots of palms trews" not to bad place to relax in general with your family. This place is good for family people not for singles or very young crowds. Food was oky , hotel staff was not so friendly in general I would say is not my destination and will never revisit again. Quite nights club closes at 2pm snack at is open from 12-2pm usually

Ok family vacation

The resort is ok. The staff don't really try to please the guests. Food was ok, my husband and son did get food posioning, glad I had meds on me. Not much variety in food for kids. Kids ate pasta and hot dogs for two weeks. They run out of food and usually don't have more like yogurt and fruits. Rooms are ok, our cleaning lady missed a few days because my son was sleeping at that time and she didn't come back. Front desk staff can be rude. The photo staff are nice and beach was nice. WIFI is not [... read more] free. Overall ok resort for the money

Great vacation

Good resort, beautiful grounds, clean rooms, good service. Small and nice beach area. Pretty decent food. Italian and sea food restaurants are great. In general , resort is very nice and ratio price- quality is reasonable.

The Best EVER!!!

Rooms were great, very clean, dining area was very clean, food was amazing, pools were clean and great, bars were very well maintained..overall PERFECT..The staff were great..and very friendly...we have been to many resorts, and we really enjoyed this one...very low key, relaxed time

Beautiful beach

Rooms were a bit dated, AC worked poorly, food was average. Beach was beautiful but the battle for chairs was a pain as there were not near enough for the patrons.120 more arrived the night before we left. the nightly entertainment was great also.

Poor Food

Resort was good over all, food was not good. i would not go again at this resort, but for the money I paid was definitely worth it. I have been to Dominican 3 times before and I so far I like la Romana the a best. Hope this advise helps.

PARADISE

Grand paradise Samana is a lovely relaxing spot to unwind and relax. The staff at this resort are simply amazing always pleasant and nothing is ever too much.I cannot wait to go back.Booking with Trip Central was easy and efficient will definately use them again for my next vacation

Surprisingly great resort

The amenities around the resort are great. The grounds are well kept and very beautiful to walk through. The staff was very friendly and always ready to help even with their limited ability to speak English. The beach was beautiful. The food was very good in the buffet restaurant and the a la carte restaurant offered tasty and we'll presented. My husband and I would definitely go back again.

Great value for money, Beautiful Surroundings

This was our 21st all-inclusive resort vacation, the 4th to the D.R., but the first to Samana. The gorgeous undeveloped jungle and mountainous terrain made this area our favourite in the D.R. by far. This was the first resort in the D.R. where we felt perfectly safe walking to town for half a day, and we did so twice. The resort itself is as we expected from reviews: - very average but clean rooms, the maid service was excellent, and everything worked. The room safes are an extra charge ($15 US  [... read more]I think), and you have to ask for a TV remote at the front desk. - The pools are small but functional, our room in block 5 had the quiet pool and bar right outside, very handy. The main pools have music, but nothing too loud or annoying. There is no swim up bar if that matters to you. - The beach is a narrow ribbon of sand about 20-30 ft wide in a quiet bay, water is nice and calm for snokeling and kayaking. There is quite a bit of seaweed, but that's nature. Leading up to the beach there is an expansive area of beautiful palm trees and grass, where most people hang out on loungers - if they can get one. The resort is short 150 or so loungers, and if you haven't claimed one by 7:30am (not kidding!) You won't get one. - food - excellent buffet with lots of made to order stations - omelette and crepe station at breakfast, cook to order steak or seafood at dinner, great beach snack bar as well as buffet for lunch -the a la carte restaurants (Italian and Seafood) were weak, the buffet is actually better. -all of the restaurants and bars are understaffed, you can wait a long time for drinks. As well, there is very little English spoken by the staff. - The evening shows are top notch, we especially enjoyed the fire twirling show in the pool, 15 high energy entertainers with flaming torches and great choreography, very exciting. - There are lots of activities - archery, aerobics, billiards, volleyball, ping pong, watersports etc. You can be active or lazy. In Summary: beautiful grounds, safe, decent food, understaffed but those who are there work hard, and a gorgeous relatively undeveloped area of the DR. At any price point under $1000 tax in it is a great value.

Nice resort

everything was great just lacking lounge chairs should be more of them. The food was great the pools were great . the beach was awesome and the people that work there are amazing. And will definitely be going back.

Winter Holiday

The hotel was awesome, the lobby and washrooms were beautiful when you walked in! Rooms were clean and nice, good size. Includes a mini fridge with unlimited pop and water bottles which was awesome! The bar tenders were very friendly and gave excellent service. The food was also amazing! I ate so much everyday and was never disappointed! Beaches and pools were also very clean, fun games and activities going on, the only problem was trying to get a beach chair so go to the beach early if the reso [... read more]rt is busy! Very quiet and relaxing resort. The weather in February was awesome, 25-30 degrees Celsius everyday!

OK resort

The Hotel was Ok, the room was nice and very clean, service was nice too. Food was very good, but lack of variety in the morning. Not enough bowls and cups in the morning. Same for some fruits. The pools are ok but no ambiance, no animation during the day, it was all at the beach. The beach is very small and not much of sand, most of the chairs where on the grass. Not much to do around. Small shops downtown, but most of them closed or open at specific hours only. Will not go back to Samana (Las  [... read more]Galeras), we were very disappointed.

Not a bad resort .

It is not a bad resort . The food selection was just right. The room was clean and spacious. The service was good . There was no delay of getting what you want . The check in and check out was fast. When we checked in our room was ready not like the other five star resorts that guest have to wait before they can get in to their rooms . The only thing that I can say that it needs improvement are the chairs on the beach. They should have more and probably get new ones coz some of them are broken a [... read more]nd good ones are taken early . The other issue is the stairs . They do not have elevators. If you have difficulty climbing up then request the villas. The person that should be commented for their hard work are the housekeeping and Carlos the bellboy. If you want a quiet place to go, this resort is for you. The only thing it is quite a distance from the airport but it was ok for the drive.

Very nice, clean with an amazing beach

Very cozy, beautifull ground, awesome beach & food. The stuff is friendly, polite & do the job properly. Some incovenients: the theatre is near to the buffet and some lights missing on the paths......

Average

Food - good - ate too much Beach - If not for the algaes the beach would of been great - not enough beach chairs for all residents Villa - Clean. Had a day of full hard constant rain - the roof leaked at a few places Animation - mediocre If you have been to the Dominican before & globally you want sun, food, clean & comfortable room (you don't spend the majority of you time in the room) at a good price you will like to resort.