Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Lots of fun

Had a fabulous week at this resort. Check-in was so quick and easy, the room was great, cleaned and restocked daily. The beach and pool areas were beautiful and spacious. The staff and entertainment team are what make this resort so great. They really go above and beyond. The only room for improvement would be in the food department. While variety was good, often it was repetitive and not hot. However, i would definitely recommend and return to this hotel. Another great stay at the Bahia princi [... read more]pe chain.

Paradise Playa Dorada: Not a very organized or clean resort

Overall, the resort was okay. The resort does not cater to anyone with a disability. I have a minor physical issue and found it very difficult to get in and out of the pool. The steps into the pool were not very standard steps. Also, the tile throughout the resort was extremely slippery when wet and after 3 days of rain, I was constantly watching my steps to stop from falling on the floors. The floors in the restaurant were extremely difficult to walk on. Plus to all this was our room was  [... read more]satisfactory and the maid service was very good. I have to mention that I did not appreciate arriving to the resort and having to wait for a room till after 6pm. (we arrived around 1pm). The checkout time was 3pm for the rooms and this does not seem to allow for the rooms to be ready for the next group. I have been to resorts that makes you leave at 11 and if you have a late flight, they will allow you to leave your bags with the head porter until you are ready to leave. You had to pay for the WIFI and it was limited to certain locations throughout the resort. Had to pay for the safe in the room. We have been to many of the Caribbean islands, many trips to Mexico and Central and South America and found the cleanliness at this resort was not optimum. Unfortunately, we both got sick. Our first encounter of sickness in 25+ years of travelling through the world. The food was acceptable but we did notice that a wait staff cough into his hand and continue to handle the clean dishes.

Hyatt Vivid Punta Cana: Nice Enough but on the Quiet Side

We vacationed at Dreams Palm Beach Feb 22-Mar 2. Myself, my husband, my mom, my cousin and her mom. I will review in sections. ROOMS – We had 3 rooms in total, Buildings 6 and 7. The rooms had nice decor, were clean and spacious, with sitting chair, table, marble floors, balcony with small table. Bathroom set up is strange, with a partially see through glass door on the way to the private toilet area and facing the front door so that you could not open front door if someone was taking a showe [... read more]r! Odd. It’s fine for a couple but may not work well for family members staying in same room. GROUNDS – The landscaping is well maintained throughout property. Unfortunately, in this area the beach has murky waters and lots of seaweed, no one really used it unless they walked left for 15 minutes or so. There is a small decent casino. The disco is not used much but can be fun if you get a group of people to go out and join you. The small gym is ok but is up 2 flights of stairs so my elderly mom could not use it. FOOD – Great but unfortunately if you are feeling sick, you don’t feel like eating much. In spite of taking Dukoral before the trip, 4 out of 5 of us were running to the bathroom far too often. Is it because of personal low immunity system or is the resort doing something wrong as far as food handling? I don’t know. Upon entering restaurants, they always enforced using hand sanitizer. Definitely bring imodium with you to the Dominican and it may help alleviate some symptoms should this happen to you. The buffet had plenty variety, with various stations, omelettes, pasta, soup, grill, pizza, fruit, Mexican, ice cream, etc. French restaurant was our least favorite, very long wait, forgot to take our order, they rushed around us, were abrupt to point of rudeness, very unlike the rest of resort. French onion soup was not the Canadian version – missing the toasted bread and cheese. The busboy did apologize at the end of the evening. After speaking with concierge, we were offered perks for my husband’s birthday. The Italian restaurant was by far our favorite (and we’re Italian!). The food was great, the service was amazing. On my husband’s birthday, they brought out additional dishes for us to sample, a birthday cake and champagne and sang happy birthday. It was awesome. We went to the Hibachi for the experience, however of the 3 tables offering the “cooking show” hope that you get the showman who can put on an exciting show for you. Ours was rather lackluster but the 2 tables on either side of us had a great show. With a 2/3 chance of getting the right one, give it a try! They offer you rice, chicken, beef and seafood. And sushi to start. Seaside Grill had great steaks, especially beef tenderloin. However, try to be there for 6:00 as the place fills up fast. SERVICE – The staff is very friendly and try hard to please you. From the hard working cleaning staff to the friendly hostesses like beautiful Perla at the buffet, adorable Stephanie at the restaurants and so many others. The receptionist staff and concierge will do all they can to make your stay enjoyable and resolve any issues you may have. Food & Beverage Manager resolved our restaurant issue quickly. ENTERTAINMENT – My favourite topic. Besides good food, if you haven’t got good entertainment, why bother going? My husband and I always make a friend or two on the entertainment team no matter which resort we go to. And this resort was no exception. Our favourite entertainment team staff member? Hands down, FELIX !!! What an awesome dude. My 83 year old mother and 75 year old aunt have never been to an all inclusive resort in their life, and Felix could not do enough for them to be sure that they felt welcome and that they were having a wonderful time. They cant stop talking about him. Just a wonderful, charming and infectious personality. Always ready to make them laugh or try to get them to dance and have some fun. He encouraged our group to play bocce, beach volleyball, pool volleyball, sing karaoke, Ironman competition, dance at the beach and mardi gras parties, try fruit carving and Spanish lessons. He was always trying to get us involved. If it wasn’t for Felix, I don’t think we would have had much fun. As far as the night shows, the Magic Show was awesome, the Circus Show very good, the Dominican Show also worth watching. Karaoke Night was fun, Mardi Gras party was fantastic. But please do not attend the Western Show, you will never get back those 2 hours of your life. Find something else to do, anything is better than the Western Show. The Cotton Eye Joe dance was good, the rest was painful. Entertainment Director Kobe is well aware of our opinion – we had a long discussion. Mr Dreams Palm Beach Owner – kindly revamp the Western Show – put in some good country music, lip syncing with country star impersonations, followed by some good line dancing with audience participation and get rid of the ridiculous skits. And if there is any way you can bring the Michael Jackson show to your hotel, I would highly recommend you do so as it is one of the best shows that circulated the Punta Cana resort zone. On another note, why no silly beach games? Why no foam party? Many of the Punta Cana resorts have them. They’re so much fun. Your resort attracts all age levels. There are guests who would participate in those activities. Just because you are called “Dreams” doesn’t mean you have to put people to sleep. Boring is not fun. For people who want the quiet areas, they can pay for preferred status and go to the quiet pools. The rest of the people can have fun. OVERALL – It’s a nice resort, rooms are nice, staff is great, food is good. It’s not a party, it’s on the quiet side. It could be improved with a few more daytime activities (Ironman was good.) Would I go again? Likely not, I don’t like to go to the same place twice, it’s a big world out there. Can I recommend it ? – Depends. If you are an active fun-loving couple, or with a group of energetic friends, I would say probably no. If you are taking your mother and aunt on their “dream” trip (no pun intended) – go for it !

Vista Sol Punta Cana: Vista Sol is Just So So

Cons- The beds are hard as rocks. The food is mediocre. No great drinks. The staff lacks english speaking. The trees at the beach are too tall so u chase the sun in the afternoons. Pros- The resort is clean. It is small enough to get around easily. The price is right. The birds and iguana pit add interest. The beer on tap is always cold.

Royalton Splash Punta Cana: Great for kids

On arrival to hotel we were told the room we had requested was not available and that for an upgrade of whatever charge we could pay we would get one. shower head had to be hand held or water would spill everywhere mini bar door did not close and the day before we left started spilling water. Room service is $10 but if u ordered more than 2 entres u had to pay $20. Restaurants were good. Buffet super busy and it seemed like staff never knew where things were. Coffee beans, bites and social bar w [... read more]ere my faves along with Bella cucina For the wait staff that spoke English it made our experience way better ie. Julio, Juan, they were the best. The girl at coffee beans was super nice as well but forget her name. Splash pad is great for the kids with the exception no alcohol or food or towels learned all this the hard way. The whole hotel had very lack of communication as to how things worked it literately took whole week to know the ins and outs of the place. Kids club great as well as teen lounge. Maid service was great.

Royalton Hideaway Punta Cana: Hideaway at Royalton Punta Cana

This a beautiful resort, all fresh and new. Fabulous food, great nightly entertainment and themes, exercise classes and games throughout the day,always something going on. Unfortunately, they didn't have any elevators at any of the buildings just stairs.If any of your clients need elevators, this is not for them. We finally got a room on the 1st floor but with some difficulty. The only elevator was in the main building from 1st floor to 2nd floor. Very good time anyways.

Punta Cana Princess: Amazing adult resort

We loved the grounds, the fact that it was not too big and adults only. The entertainment team was incredibly good, friendly and we felt like we were part of a big family. The only thing I would suggest would be to have a better variety of food as we felt it was always the same menu. It was a goid thing that we were only one week cause we were fed up eating the same things.

Grand Bavaro Princess: We had a good time

Visited with my girlfriend for a one week stay in a platinum bungalow February 2018. We are from Guelph, Ontario. Positives: Beach. Clean white sand. Large waves. Clear water. Most beautiful beach I've ever seen. Food. We eat at the Teppanyaki, Chinese, and Lobster restaurants and all three were very good. McPrincess was great at the beach and loved the burgers. The buffet was decent for dinner but was not very good for breakfast or lunch. Seafood was good. We didn't get sick at all and  [... read more]tried a lot of food, so that alone is a positive. Animals. Lots of wild birds and reptiles around. It was nice. Layout. Resort had a nice rainforest feel. It was very large. I could see this being a turn-off if you are older or have mobility issues or just don't simply like waking. We actually really liked the walks and layout. Neutral: Pools. They're OK at best. Very dated and clearly not well maintained. Rooms. We were in the platinum bungalow. The rooms are really dated, somewhat dirty, and had terrible plumbing. The bed was a negative. They need a big investment to renovate. Service. It varied greatly but averaged just "alright". A majority of the service staff are not fluent in English. Grounds. A lot of construction going on and overall not very well maintained. Negatives: Vendors. They're everywhere. You're being asked to buy something consistently. In the lobby, on the resort, by the pools and on the beach. I think I averaged 25-50 unwarranted selling interactions per day. It was bad. Resort really needs to investigate this. WiFi/Internet. What year is it? I bet some resorts had had better internet in the 90s. Totally unacceptable. This resort is NOT a five star resort. I would recommend this resort if you are looking for a great beach vacation with average food. Do not come here if you are looking for five star service and/or a five star hotel room. I also would not recommend the resort if you have mobility issues or don't really enjoy walking. Platinum: Worth it. Especially considering it was only a couple hundred bucks more for us. The biggest advantage is you get a LARGE closed off area of the beach away from vendors. You get access to the lounge chairs/beds, your own platinum bar and washrooms located right in the area. But along with other platinum perks we also liked our beach side bungalow location, premium alcohol, and the ability to make restaurant reservations.

Riu Palace Macao: Beautiful resort!

Very clean grounds, beach, pools, bars and all restrooms. Food was great with alot of variety. Had to get out early to get a decent spot by the pool. No shortage of drinks. Lots of daily poolside and beach games if you like.

Royalton CHIC Punta Cana: Great vacation!

Chic is a perfect mixture of quaint and busy. Plenty of food choices, lots of snack options. We stayed in room 1203 luxury junior Suite with ocean view. Amazing room. We upgraded to Diamond Club, and our butler Samuel made our vacation from good to amazing, he check in with us many times a day, knew what we liked and wanted and was upset if we didn’t get the best service some of his coworkers and made sure he could make things right. Beach was beautiful with plenty of seating in the sha [... read more]de and in the sun. A few negatives, not enough bartenders and wait staff, too many vendors on the beach, a little too much salt on the food, a few electrical issues around the resort. We would certainly recommend this resort.

Puerto Plata Village: Ok

Not to impressed,we changed rooms 3 times in 7 day all because water leaking in the first 2 rooms. And for Sunwing,don’t think would ever travel with them again, dirty planes and dirty tables.food was ok not a lot of variety,drinks sucked you couldn’t get 2 drinks the same in a row.

Riu Republica: Interesting resort!

We have been to the DR 11 times. The Riu Republica is a nice adults only resort. What we liked: The resort is new, very clean. Rooms very comfortable and when we had a small issue with the toilet the staff showed up immediately to fix it. All the staff were very helpful and quick to help. The beach was very clean as well as all the pool areas. No matter what time we went to the pool or beach we could always find a place in the shade. The beach bars were great and staff were very friendly. The [... read more] public washrooms were attended by staff all the time and spotless. If you wanted a lively pool experience you could find it as well as quiet pools to relax and read. There was no one trying to sell you a timeshare as they have a loyalty program. The ocean was a bit rough but fun, beautiful turquoise water with white beaches. We took many long walks. I participated in the yoga and stretching classes daily. Great instructors! We liked the Jerk Chicken shack on the beach. Geat chicken, ribs and burgers. Entertainment was very good. The food was very good n the main buffet and we could always find something interesting to eat. We liked the Chinese restaurant and enjoyed our dinner at the Indian restaurant as well. What we didn't enjoy. The Riu is a very large resort with over 1000 rooms. The dining experience was like a school cafeteria. Limited service, staff did their best, and crowded and extremely loud. Hard to hear your partner at the table. Trying to find a table was difficult. Had to get to the restaurants before opening time at 6:30 pm to get in at a reasonable time. The wait could be over 1 hour.

Casa Marina Sosua Trademark by Wyndham All Inclusive: Great time, great food.

Spent one week at the resort. our 3 partys were located in different blocks despite asking for them to be together but no big deal. Buffets in the main restaurant were excellent. We only dined once in A La Carte and the meal was poor. As I am vegetarian I ordered Fettuccini Alfredo but when it arrived it had ham in it which I consider to be Carbonara. After discussion the waiter offered to swap it for tomato. meanwhile my wife had to start hers without me. as it was our Anniversary we were not h [... read more]appy with the service and both left our meals. Apart from that the service was very good. It is a 3* resort and as such it was good. One word of warning, the beach is steep and the waves are very rough. I would not recommend swimming unless there is a green flag, even orange can be dangerous. Generally the staff were great and as far as the amateur entertainment is concerned it was definitely above average. We found the town of Sosua very friendly and felt safe when walking around. Overall an enjoyable experience.

Melia Caribe Beach Resort: Great Punta Cana Beach Location

This large resort complex does have a very good transportation system. Never was left stranded. We enjoy walking so the 25 minute walk from front lobby to beach is a non-issue. WE are on vacation. The recent fire at the front two restaurants and buffet was well transfomed and almost forgotten about. Grounds keeping was first rate with employees offering us fresh coconuts right from the trees. Bar, Restaurant staff alway ready to please.

Punta Cana Princess: Amazing People, Great Resort!

The Punta Cana Princess is a great place to do what we believe is necessary when it is midwinter in Canada; find some Sun, Sand Sea and Rum! And we found them all at Princess. Anyone who went thirsty or hungry chose to, as there was plenty of great food and drink everywhere and a friendly staff to cater to us wherever we were. Filex was always there to help people find lounge chairs on the beach or replace a wet towel. The lobby bar tender even created a special drink just for us! The locat [... read more]ion is without question very important, however there are many locations to choose from in the Caribbean, it is the people working at the resort, the ones who take care of you, they are so important to making a vacation great. The people at Princess did an excellent job. Thank you for a great vacation.

Sunscape Dominicus La Romana: Beautiful clean resort

Beautiful resort and amazingly clean. Staff was very friendly and very respectful. We did enjoy eating at three of the A La carte restaurants, ''Milos'' being the best. The food was good though there was no change of presentation or food offered in the buffet. From morning to evening it was always the same thing. We also enjoyed going on a few excursions. Though, I must add, the Sunwing Agent should make it a point in answering our questions truthfully. For one excursion, we asked four times  [... read more]if the excursion was overly extenuous, we were told all four times no. There should be no problems even if you have sore knees or asma. Only when we got on site were we given a pamphlet describing that excursion as being strenuous. We did have to take breaks and also my sister did need to pull out her breathing pump. There was a constant animation from exercising in the sea, to various activities. Animation in the evening as well. All in all I would easily give it a 8 out of 10. Thank you Tammy for your help in organising this trip.

Bahia Principe Escape Bouganville: Very Enjoyable Holiday!

My fiance and I traveled to the Luxury Bahia Principe Bouganville, La Romana from Feb 20-27, 2018. AIRPORT TRANSFER: Shuttle from Punta Cana airport was about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Check-in was quick and easy. POOLS: The pools were nice (a tad cold but tolerable). Lots of loungers were available at the pools and there was quite a bit of shade available as well. You had two options - the quieter pool or the main pool by the beach. If you like lots of activity, definitely go to the  [... read more]main pool as that is where all the fun is. The animation team is fantastic! One of the best I have seen and I have traveled extensively to all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean. Both pools have swim up bars. The washrooms by the pool were exceptionally clean! There was someone in there cleaning them every hour or so. BEACH: The beach is really beautiful, in my opinion. We enjoyed taking walks along the beach. They are in the process of developing the area with condos so right now the beach is nice and quiet - not a lot of people unless they are fellow walkers from the Bahia. Many people comment on the water and the fact that it is murky. I do not agree with this statement. No it is not crystal clear, however it is perfectly clean and swimmable. And you can see that aqua color in the distance so it still feels like you are in the Caribbean. The best way to describe the water is that it is more the color of a lake that you would find back home (we are from Ontario, Canada). Beach chairs were plentiful. The front row of chairs (closest to the waterline) were reserved quite early in the morning but there were still lots of chairs by about 9am. And there is a ton of shade between the palm trees and the huts. FOOD: Food was really good! The buffet had lots of options. Yes, it's somewhat repetitive but it always is. And the a la cartes were really, really good. We loved the Don Pablo restaurant the best. We also enjoyed Los Corales (Brazilian) and the Japanese restaurant. No shortage of good food here. My only issue is the reservation system. It seems reservations book up very fast so my recommendation is that you book asap. TIP: Load the Bahia app on your phone in advance and as soon as you are settled into your room, take 10 minutes to book your restaurants. Alternatively you can go to Guest Relations at reception and book. SERVICE/TIPPING: Service in the buffets was lacking at times. Sometimes you wouldn't be offered water/coffee for 5-10 minutes after arriving (or at all). This is an area they could improve upon. Service at the bars was good - didn't have any issues there. Tipping wasn't overly prevalent at the resort. It's nice to tip when the service warrants it, but it doesn't seem to be an expectation. This was a nice change from other resorts that I have been to. WI-FI: The free Wi-Fi was great. No issues at all. Great reception throughout the entire resort including pools and beach! I'm not sure why anyone would bother upgrading to their "premium Wi-Fi" which you have to pay for. ROOMS: The rooms were very spacious and clean. They have minor aesthetic issues (not really issues unless you are picky) - scuffs on walls, older looking tiles. Nothing major at all. They provide shampoo, conditioner, lotion, a dental kit, shaving kit, shower cap and robes. And they have a hair dryer in the room. And the outlets work with North American plugs. No adaptors or converters required. Beds were firm but comfortable and they have a menu of pillows to choose from which is nice. One issue that we found was that around 5pm there was limited water pressure and hot water. But it passed quickly so we just learned to wait it out and everything was fine. They offer room service but the menu looked limited and we never tried it. We had a room facing the quiet pool which was nice but really, you will have a decent view anywhere you are. The grounds are stunningly manicured with lots of greenery and flowers. The only issue here is with the TV. There are NO English channels. Well, one channel has sporadic English programming in the morning but otherwise nothing! I get that we are not on holidays to watch TV but it is nice to go back to your room before dinner or before bedtime and switch on the TV for a bit. We asked the front desk about this and apparently they recently switched TV providers so they are looking into the issue. So perhaps this will be rectified. TIP: bring your tablet and use Netflix. It streams really well in the room. You could also bring an HDMI cable or use Chromecast to cast to the TV if you want to watch it on the big screen. ENTERTAINMENT: There is a small casino onsite with slot machines and a few tables - blackjack and roulette. They do allow locals into the casino so sometimes the tables are occupied but if you wait, you can usually get in. Nighttime entertainment was enjoyable. You can either watch the big shows at the Bahia Principe or there is entertainment in the Luxury Bahia lobby. We didn't try the disco so not sure what that is like. We would definitely return to this resort in the future, and would recommend it to others.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: First Time and Not our last

We travelled here as a couple the last week of Feb. 2018. It was our first time in the D.R. and it will not be our last. San Juan resort was very good for being 23 - 24 years old. Friday to Wednesday: sun and rain 24 degrees. Thursday & Friday: hot and sunny 27 degrees. We flew into Puerto Plata via Air Transat with a three and three seating plan with only free water, pop, tea or coffee for a 4 hour flight. Food could be purchased at a bargain price of $25. It was an hour and 15 minute bus ride [... read more] to the resort. Do not watch out of the front of the bus if you want to keep your heart in your chest. Driving in the D.R. is a whole new ball game. Watch out the side windows and find out how blessed you are for what you have. We stayed in the D9 block. The resort is fenced in and security patrols the grounds 24 hours. Our outside stairs needed some work. Inside the room was clean and the fridge had beer, wine and pop. We had to ask for chips. The bathroom was aged and some of the grout needed work. If you're looking for the perfect accommodations you're out of luck. AC is new, no hot water issues and our room was cleaned every day. The mattress was good and there is an outside balcony with a table and chairs. Staff in every part of the resort were great with no issues at all. The grounds are friendly for all ages, nationalities and the LGTBQ family. We were pleased with all the facilities offered. There are kids programs, beach volleyball, darts, bocce ball, night programs, dances, scuba diving and spots to do nothing. You can go on excursions for a fee. Taxis are available. A cab ride to the Puerto Plata airport is $100 U.S. round trip. The beach is fine. No flee issues and we're not O positive blood types. It is west coast Florida sand and not white Caribbean sand. There was still some hurricane damage in one area which was not yet repaired for some reason. Those look alike rocks in the ocean are sand bags. You can swim out to them and the water is about 4 feet deep. The first 30 feet of the beach is murky because of the crashing wake and then it becomes clear. Like any resort there are people walking around who don't know how to clean up after themselves. Cups, straws and cigarette butts are left on the beach. Resort staff are out on the beach trying to keep it clean. The west snack bar is convenient during the day with your basic food, drinks and a sit down area but they have a bird problem here. Watch the back of the chairs for crap. The resort needs to better cover the nacho's and pizza in this snack bar. Worst is people are feeding the birds so some are pretty persistent. The west pool near the snack bar is a lot quieter (and smaller) then the main pool. The sign at the small pool reads that no seat saving is allowed with your towel and unattended ones will be taken away. The main pool does not have this rule yet. So if you want a pool side seat you need to place your towel on a chair at 7 am. Sorry folks you can't eat your breakfast and save your pool seat too! You better have someone sitting there because a growing number of people in all resorts aren't taking this anymore. It's called first come first serve and your towel maybe gone. We only ate at the buffet. The food was good. No, it's not all hot but everything that we came across was cooked and warm. You have to be careful if you have food allergies. We have a peanut allergy. Someone contaminated the vegetables beside the peanut chicken while the clean tongs sat in front of the veggies. The food is well labelled, it's those not paying attention you have to worry about. There was Chinese night, Mexican night and so on. Cats can be found under some of the buffet tables. Make sure you swat under the table before you sit if you don't like them. The issue would not be as noticeable but you have people feeding them so what can you expect. We booked through Tripcentral.ca and they advertise saving their customers money for over 20+ years. Well that was not the case for us. We booked this trip in mid 2017 with Victoria Sullivan from Tripcentral.ca. and made a deposit. We found the trip for a better price in January of 2018 with Tripcentral.ca. We booked for the new price. We contacted Victoria for a price match and was basically told we're out of luck because a) they don't price match and b) our original booking date was too far from our new booking date???? We lost our $200 dollar deposit. So heads up when you're working with these travel agencies. Thanks Bahia San Juan for an enjoyable vacation.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Very Good

The hotel was very good, nice clean and daily serviced room, grounds very nice, evening entertainment was excellent, staff very courteous and helpful, Oriental Rest. excellent, helpful for staff to know more English (service staff). Very large buffet that could be more organized, hot food not together so sometimes cold when sitting. In general very nice place with long and lovely beach and large beautiful pool1

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: February 2018

Lots of bees, lots of mosquitos, no drink service on the beach or around the pool. Entertainment crew kept to themselves unless needing the audience for something. Lots of seaweed on the beach and garbage along the shore line. Resort facilities were clean and maintained. Food was great!