The Eurostars Grand Cayacoa: Exceptional service.....fantastic vacation!

This was my 26th Carribean vacation, and I can say it was the best resort so far. ;-). I have a checklist of resort requirements that I've developed over the years, and this resort exceeded my expectation. There are large resorts (over 350 rooms) and small resorts (under 300 rooms.). Larger resorts are usually less personal and offer a tin of things to do on and off site. Smaller resorts have less "to do," but but are much more personal. You get to know the staff and other guests because instea [... read more]d of having 3 pools, there is one pool where you see the same people every day. This was a smaller resort.....adults only resort. The food was by FAR the best I've ever had. If you're insistent on a beach like Varadero or Punta Cana, this wouldn't be the place to go, but it has the BEST view ever! The beach is small and very calm...which was great for swimming. The town of Samana was a 5 minute walk from the hotel and a great place to visit. The local people are great. There are only 5 resorts in Samana and are spread apart, so the locals are bombarded with tourists. They love talking to you. So friendly. The room was super clean and very nice. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about this resort. I'm going back next month. ;-)

The Eurostars Grand Cayacoa: Beautiful CLIFF Resort

Like the other reviews, this Spectacular Resort has ALLOT of stairs and walking, and I should know as I walk for a living (15-20 km per day), but by the end of the week, even I was tired of the treks each day. The elevator to the beach is nice and fairly quick to get, but overall a nuisance. The beach is nice but short and sometimes hard to get a good spot, and the cabanas are very hard to secure, so get there early. (And try to use it the entire day as nothing is more aggravating than seeing on [... read more]e stay empty all day so the occupants can use it for an hour in the evening) We were disappointed in the beach bar, which didn't have a good selection nor seemed to be able to open with the food at the proper time, which meant a trip all the way back to your room to change then to the buffet. THE POSITIVES: The views are SPECTACULAR The grounds are IMPECCABLY kept and there is always a grounds crew manicuring the area. The Staff are very courteous and helpful (many only speak Spanish, but will get someone for you if you don't) The Rooms were clean and well maintained, however, the hotel rooms seemed small a little smelly, like mildew, hallways too, which you have to go through to get to the lobby, unless you take the shuttle. The Food was very good with a nice selection to chose from. Mosquitoes were present, but not terrible, bring repellant. Samana is within walking distance if you are up to it, or take a shuttle, and is quite a quaint little town with many things to see. For explorers...there is a beautiful walk with bridges made to the adjacent islands that is worth the trip. THE NEGATIVES: Bring walking shoes...there is A MILLION STAIRS, and the shuttles are fairly frequent but usually fills up quickly. The hours for the buffet were pretty good, but there wasn't a lot of options when they were closed. The bridges to the islands are falling apart, (50 or more years old) so while the views are worth the trip there is a little concern over safety and there is allot of garbage on the rocky beaches on each island (THIS IS NOT PART OF THE RESORT) We took one of the excursions to the jungle (AGAIN...NOT PART OF THE RESORT) that had a long, long, long boat ride there and back, which seemed to more about drinking rum on the boat than anything else, although the actual caves and flora were very enjoyable. Finally, we went into Samana for a day, and were sad that we had arrived late in the season and many of the shops had closed for the year, so keep that in mind, also I got a great hair cut for $7.00 US that took the guy 30 minutes to do and was well worth the time and experience. While this resort got a 4.5 star rating when we went, I think it is closer to a 3.5 star to perhaps a 4 star, but still we really enjoyed ourselves and I would recommend seeing it.

Wyndham Alltra Samana: Good value just not quite 4 stars.

This was my third trip to the Dominican Republic. Having said that, you can expect the people to be friendly and the country to be beautiful. This resort was a little older and in need of some updates. There were plenty of options for even the most finicky eaters. I would recommend the buffet over the ala carte for most nights, but lunch at the beach was always enjoyable. If you are looking for a smaller resort with good food and drinks this is your place. The wifi should have been included (all [... read more]-inclusive resort by definition), but that's pretty low on my list of must haves. Samana was everything we hoped but there are nicer resorts in the area if you can afford them.

The Eurostars Grand Cayacoa: wonderful vacation

We loved this spot! A group of 10 of us went and everyone had a great time. Unfortunately we didn't spend much time at the beach because we were travelling from pool to pool, which were all great. The sea lion excursion was fantastic! Wide variety of food to choose from, staff were all friendly, grounds beautiful and the stairs helped burn off the calories from over indulging! We would definitely go back.

The Eurostars Grand Cayacoa: Lovely resort!

The grand oasis was absolutely beautiful. The scenery was outstanding to see. The set up and style of the resort was very nice as Well! The overall atmostsphere was very pleasant to be in and was quite a lovely stay for all of us. The entertainment lacked a little bit but the cancun strip wasn't too far away which made up for it as we were able to leave the resort and find other forms of entertainment.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Totally enjoyable resort

We really enjoyed our stay at El Portillo We have travelled to many locations and this is one of the best. Beautiful rooms , very clean grounds and never long lines at the bars or at dinner. Food was above average and the entertainment staff were very friendly We told our family about it and my daughter has decided to have her wedding there next May. So we will be back and hope to enjoy it all over again. Snorkling off the beach was also amazing and the water is clear and warm. Looking forward t [... read more]o a 2nd trip.