VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Honestly a 3+* but treated like a 5*

Not a huge resort most in area are not , but amazing staff , nice pool +nice beach for snorkeling or sports . Good entertainment. Good food good drinks . Clean room. Great value . My second time and I'd go back again

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Beautiful, large resort

The resort was large, well kept, and clean. Service was good. Breakfasts were great, lunch and dinner were good, but certainly not amazing. The Beach was beautiful and could walk for miles and feel very safe. One thing we did not love was the mosquitos! They were really bad in the evenings. We think perhaps do to their “marsh”, which is part of the property. First time ever in Punta Cana where this was an issue.

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: What a great week!

We spent 7 nights at the Blue Bay Villas Doradas (April 10-17) and it was fantastic! We started out with a little doubt on the day we arrived. We found our room and discovered it was on the ground floor although I had requested a second floor room. In the end we were actually super happy to have had the ground floor (room 3110). Our room faced the edge of the resort grounds so, although it was near the pool area, we could very rarely hear any commotion from the activities that went on over t [... read more]here. The only downside to this room location is that on the other side of the fence that surrounds the resort, was the entrance driveway for the next resort, so the buses coming and going were a little noisy. Not that big of a deal as we didn't spend much time sitting outside the room. When we arrived, the safe and fridge in our room were not working, but we let them know and they brought replacements for both right away. We found the food to be ok, nothing that blew our hair back... but we are also on a limited diet so we did find ourselves eating the same things over and over again. Perhaps if we had been able to broaden our variety, we would not have been tired of it after the week. The Presidente beer is quite good, and we got our money's worth there for sure! The pool area never seemed over crowded and there always seemed to be chairs available. Same with the beach, never too crowded. The service was amazing! The staff at this resort are top notch! We did go out on the Catamaran and we purchased the tour from a vendor on the beach. His name is Cesar and he is GREAT! The tour was super fun! Snorkeling in two spots at Sosua Bay, lunch and drinks all included! The crew on the boat were a lot of fun as well. The night time disco and beach party were a blast! There is a mall very close by that sells loads of touristy trinkets/beach wear/alcohol/etc. We made several trips there (less than 5 minute walk). Other than the resort on-site cash bar, there were no premium drinks available (that we discovered) and as I like to start my day with a coffee and baileys while on vacation, I opted to buy a bottle from the mall at a very good price and keep it in my room rather than pay for the drinks at the resort cash bar. We did get roped in to the pitch to join the resort's Circle One program, however, Kelly (the gentleman pitching the program) was understanding and polite when we cut the meeting short as we were not interested. He was not pushy at all. I've only been home for a few days and I miss it already!!! Great resort, wouldn't hesitate to go again, although we do have some other areas we want to check out before returning to resorts we have been to already.

Bahia Principe Explore Legend: Best suited for families, ideal

Resort very new, all amenities and services excellent, the cleanliness was second to none. We went to attempt to hook up with friends who were at an adjacent resort. As a 60+ couple we found ourselves wishing our grandkids were with us as the resort is the most idyllic place you could ever want to take kids on a southern holday. We were at Jewel Runaway Bay a few years ago and it was the best to that point we had seen for families but this one was 10 times better for families woth children aged [... read more] 1-14. The food for all ages was spectacular, if you can't find something to eat that you enjoy here, you're usual duet must be rocks! We got jammed up with our room first night (no air conditioning and we watched the balance of the week as they continually put people in that room, without repair, which we knew as patio doors were opened in that room throughout niight and day in useless attempt at relief for poor B657688rds) and depsite being a tad cranky with a repack and move the next day the workers were spectaculer and service impeccable. The only other negative is with so many adjoining resorts, it was way toooo large. However with the assurance and diligence of security it's great other resorts can't visit this one, for childrens safety. With a lttery win I'd take our 8 grandchildren here in a heartbeat.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Beautiful resort

The resort is very lovely and the staff are accommodating and friendly. Our room was perfectly located close to the small pool, which was excellent and steps away from the buffet. Our room was kept clean and well stocked daily. The food was great with an amazing array of choices. The buffet staff, although run off their feet at times, tried their best to keep our water full. It appeared at times they had run out of clean cutlery though. Check in was a little confusing as staff didnt send u [... read more]s to the West jet check in right away - signs would have been helpful. Our biggest problem for the week was finding rum cream to drink (our new favorite) as they were constantly running out. Over all, a great place, certainly worth what we paid.

VIK Hotel Arena Blanca: We were disappointed.

The pluses: the beach was fantastic and like Camelot it only rained at night. The food was good but not as much variety as other places we have stayed. Everything was a very short walk away and very convenient. The minuses: some things the hotel could improve on are: coffee makers in the rooms for guests,staff were more reserved and less friendly than other hotels, and the hotel itself was tired. We planned on spending most of our time at the beach but some things can’t be ignored. Leaking c [... read more]eilings when the room above guests had a shower, showers don’t function only the hand held would work, televisions not working or receiving all channels. Tours were not as advertised and no communication with reps about changes. The biggest problem was at the airport air transit has to improve gate departures 3 hours waiting to get checked in at 90+degree weather and 100 per cent humidity and 3 air busses full of travellers leaving within two hours demands a better check in line up arrangement. Some passengers were in hung up at the end of lines and other passengers were obliged to break lines to let Montreal and Toronto flights be processed leaving Halifax people not even time for a bathroom or food before boarding for home. Not acceptable. There was a sick child that was in line and should have been given much better attention - that was child abuse.

Royalton Punta Cana Resort: Great resort!

Resort and grounds are beautiful, clean and well maintained. The beach is amazing, soft sand, no rocks or coral when entering the crystal clear water. Staff were very friendly, great service all around. Our luxury room was great, cleaned and restocked daily with turndown service in the evening. Fresh bath towels and face cloths every day but only had hand towels twice during our week stay. Food was good, buffet was as good as the restaurants. No reservations required for restaurants (except for  [... read more]the Zen), so you may have to wait a bit for a table, they give you a pager and send you to the Martini bar. Drinks were great. Overall wonderful experience and would definitely return!

Riu Palace Macao: Great great resort !!!!!!!

One of the best resorts I have gone to, food was amazing, service was great, a friendly smile on every employee. Resort was not overly big which was nice. Beach close, good frontage along beach, lots of chairs to relax. Great nightly shows. 3 pools one swim up bar. Pluses all over the resort, never tried the alcarte cause buffet was so amazing, different theme for dinner every day, and always the regular main stays (chicken, fish, pork/beef etc). Great selection of food. And a great desert b [... read more]ar cheers

Paradisus Palma Real Golf and Spa Resort: Nice place,... but,....

This was our third vacation to Paradisus Palma Real in the last 6 years. Overall, we really like the resort,...but,it would be nice if evening entertainment was added. Also, being over 60 years old, each and every time, we had requested a room close to the beach,...we even reminded the staff upon arrival at the reception desk of the same. After waiting at least half an hour at the reception desk, each time we were told to come back in about 45 minutes,....even though it is already about 4 pm and [... read more] the room should be ready by now. When we returned, and given the keys, the room ALWAYS ended up at the furthest point from the beach. It is pretty obvious that staff either do not listen to your requests, or they do not care about what one is saying. Like I said, a nice place, but it is time to look at different resorts where 5 star rating means exactly that.

Bahia Principe Explore Legend: Wonderful family resort

Luxury Bahia Principe Fantasia is a beautiful resort especially for families with young children. As my spouse and I were travelling as a couple we witnessed many families with babies, youth and teenagers having a great time. The grounds on the resort are outstanding and I'm sure remind many of a Disney like atmosphere with the castles. The swimming pool is huge, never a problem getting a chair with shade, a swim up pool bar and lots of beverages for young and old. I did notice some marking c [... read more]hairs but we never had an issue. The food was great and we usually had our breakfast at the Garden circus buffet. We remarked many times about how the resort was made for children, but adults were not over looked for food selection. I must say we didn't spend much time at the pool, most of our time was at the beach. The beach bar & buffet was excellent. Bar service on the beach was great, staff always friendly. Beach chairs were marked as well but we never experienced any issues finding shade or sun. The beach is beautiful, we spent much of our time on the Ambar Blue beach for the first part of our vacation. We also dropped by Ambar Blue pool bar, and Esmeralda pool bar. We were able to travel between all resorts and certainly enjoyed this. I as a grandparent loved the fact that other resort vacationers were not permitted on Fantasia, I'm sure this made families feel secure at this resort. This is a large complex with 7 resorts in all, we had no problem with walking or catching the golf carts to other areas, the beach is approx. a 15 minute walk from the front lobby. Our only complaint is that our first night room had no air conditioning and after a few calls and one service man, the next morning we packed our bags and advised that a room would be advisable by 4 pm so we went to the beach and enjoyed our day, it was a pain to pack and repack, however we didn't let it ruin our trip. I only wish the front desk etc could have apologized for the upheaval. This vacation was really needed in so many ways and worked out perfect for all as we surprised my sister in law & brother in law, and friends by showing up at the Ambar Beach. My spouse and his sister,lost their younger sister suddenly on March 1 and with all of us remembering a family trip to south just 2 short years ago it was pretty emotional for us to show up out of the blue. We have it on video and I'm sure we will all have fond memories of Luxury Bahia Principe for many years. I would like to thank Trip Central and especially Shauna for all her help, she made booking simple. I usually book our vacations on line but I'm sure I will use Shauna for our future travel arrangements.

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Great relaxing resort

It’s beautiful place to spend your vacation,lots of activities and tours that they offer that you can choose.very friendly staff all over resort,food was amazing lots of choices and different menu every day.Pools are very nice we like the idea that they have quiet area to enjoy and relax.Beach is very close and clean safe for swim.We had the perfect vacation experience at grand ventana resort.

Now Garden Punta Cana: Great resort

We had a great week at this resort. Room was comfortable and everything worked well and was kept clean. Service at the bars, restaurants and beach bar was very good. Loved not needing reservations for the restaurants. We didn’t mind the walk to the beach and enjoyed spending the late afternoon at the Garden swim up bar so close to our room. We did find the chairs at the beach were not very comfortable. Food and drinks were good.

Ocean Blue and Sand: Would recommend..

Great property, very clean, good food, good service. Main issue is not enough shade huts on the beach. Difficult to get into steakhouse restaurant as it is not very big. We would definitely recommend this resort.

Casa Marina Sosua Trademark by Wyndham All Inclusive: Relaxing vacation

Check in wasn’t smooth as my mom was travelling as a single and we wanted to be in the same building at least. I had emailed twice with no response and noted our request when booking our trips. When we arrived they had her in a room across the resort. If it wouldn’t have been for the porter Harold , we all would have been sleeping in one room for the first night at least. I even threatened to sleep in the lobby if they wouldn’t at least try to accommodate us. In the end and three trips bac [... read more]k to the lobby to get room keys working etc we were placed in rooms side by side. Much thanks to Harold. The rest of our stay was very good. Buffet was great, updated and plenty of variety. Italian a la cart was ok , buffet was better. The seafood a la cart we really enjoyed but others did not so much. The staff are very friendly and accommodating . Loved the disco bar. The animation crew were awesome, lots of games and fun. The pool was where we spent most of our time as the beach sand was very hot and the waves strong. They have vendors that sell a few evenings a week and that’s where we picked up some souvenirs. We took a couple walks into town first thing in the morning. Felt very safe. Bought some items at the grocery store. There are a few Canadian owned restaurants near by - we will try them next time 😉 I think everyone in our group of 5 would return. The only irritation other than check in was our sunwing flight was delayed until the next day and I tried to deal with the rep on the resort but we got into an argument and I’m sure he was cussing me out in Spanish and said he wouldn’t speak to me anymore. He insisted we check out at 1pm and I didn’t want to because there was no guarantee of a place to stay for the night and I refused to spend over 12 hrs at the airport. VERY POOR SERVICE SUNWING. All we needed was reassurances and he provided none. The next time we go we will get a renovated room as they were much better than our dated one. We will go back but with another provider.

Excellence El Carmen: Beautiful resort, wonderful beach

Loved this resort but I’m a little jaded, Excellence is my favourite chain. Have stayed at the Excellence PC a number of times so was pleased when I saw they opened a new resort just down the beach from the old one. If you’ve been to a newer Excllence or Secrets your will find this resort very familiar. This resort is mid sized I would say, adults only and never seems busy. There were two weddings at the resort the week we were there but we wouldn’t have known if we hadn’t bumped into so [... read more]me of the wedding party after the fact. Lots of room on the beach, no need for towel game here. We were in 7152 which was quiet and had a terrific view of the ocean. The staff here are first rate, there are a few on the Entertainment team that truly make you feel like family and while I seldom mention individuals I feel obligated to do so this time: Shakey- Shakey, Black Coffee, Diana, Kassandra, Coca Cola and John Brown. They are a hell of a lot of fun, if you want to participate but leave you alone if that’s what you want. Yoce and Carmen at the Excellence Club beach and Bar. Miranda at EC beach station. Food is good, no reservations required except for if you want to sit at Himachi within Spice, you can just walk in to Spice if you’re not into the show. French was my fave, Buffett with stir fry, pasta bar, onelette bar and all you would expect. Resort is spotless clean with staff constantly cleaning. They are in the pool every morning cleaning. Roberto, the guest manager is an incredible man. His question to me every time he sees me is; “can we do anything to make your vacation more enjoyable?” How can you beat this? First rate for me, I’ve been to Secrets/Sandals and a few others...as I say, a Excellence hits all points for me everytime.

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Amazing family vacation

The resort was everything we could have asked for and more The room was amazing and so was the view. Quick transport from the airport and easy check in. Highly recommended for families. Food was great as were the a la cart restaurants. Beach spectacular. If you prefer a quieter section of the beach request rooms in the 1100 to 1400 section away from the lobby.

Riu Merengue: Resort sold...impacted our vacation!

After learning that Senator bought the Riu and the staff were all losing their jobs it made sense of the lack of service....shame on Riu for allowing this to happen as it impacted many people's stay...they could have made the deal to include the staff would remain after the sale...

Occidental Caribe: Nice Resort

Clean grounds, lobby, restaurants and bars. Rooms were nice for a 4 star, everything worked well ! Maid service daily was great and most staff very friendly. No pushy time-share folks like Palladium and Hard Rock that we visited in 2017. As much as the dune buggy (Polaris Rzr's) look exciting, they are a bigger rip-off than previous times as you spend more time stopping at 'family vendors' than you actually do any driving. Overall, we would return to this resort someday and currently looking to [... read more] go to Cayo Largo, Cuba for Nov 2018 So if any of you reading this have suggestions for Cayo Largo, please let us know a decent place you have visited, thanks.

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Always a Pleasure to return to this resort

The resort is small, compact, easy to find all buildings and services, staff are so welcoming and make your stay enjoyable, everyone works so hard to make your vacation special, the food is amazing with lots of variety, al la cartes are wonderful, entertainment staff go out of their way to keep you entertained and encourage you to join in, Elvin Sanchez is a terrific bartender, we are friends with many of the staff and vendors on the beach, would not hesitate to return.

Ocean Blue and Sand: OK Resort

The rooms are very tired. Maintenance issues in the room are not addressed in a timely manner - i.e. no air conditioning for 3 days and no offer to move rooms. The front desk needs proper training upon check in as they did not tell you all the pertinent facts about your stay at the hotel - you had to go find out for yourself. The beach in front of the hotel is in trouble with the erosion although the full beach is beautiful. The animation teams are good and many people enjoyed their activiti [... read more]es. The pools are wonderful except for those parents who think floating their baby by the swim up bar with a dirty diaper is a good thing. The food was good and selection was great. You really feel the class difference with the Prestige staff and patrons even though they are not really segregated from the full resort as most other resorts are set-up. Overall was a nice vacation but would not recommend to people if they are looking for a relaxing resort without screaming kids. Will go back to the Punta Cana Princess next time.