Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: beautiful grounds but lots of walking and stairs

The resort is very large. 6 hotels combined lots of walking and stairs. The food was good. The staff in dinner areas are terrible just want to socialize with each other and make you feel like you bugging then when you ask for a napkin etc. They really only cater to the vip people everyone else are shit. Asked 5 times to have someone check the water leak in the bath room, the phone not working.and the tv not working. nothing was done. There are 5 or 6 guys there at each diner entrance what  [... read more]are trying to sell you time share and trick you into going in the carts to view the grounds then take you to the vip tower and leave you there and someone else tries to talk you into buying time share. They even bug you well your eating to go with them cause they get 50 bucks for each person they take there would never go back

Sunscape Coco Punta Cana: Resort was OKAY

The hotel overall was just okay. We were fortunate enough to have been upgraded to VIP which is the main reason that I would rate this as OK. The main/central pool is FILTHY, luckily we had the VIP pool to use aswell but our group is very social and enjoy the main pool to meet people. The VIP pool and beach areas are very quiet. Also, because we were VIP we thankfully were able to go to 6 a la carte restaurants and to the buffet once. The a la cartes were descent but the main buffet was your ty [... read more]pical rat race. The staff that look after the VIP personnel were FANTASTIC, we were whisked away as soon as we stepped foot on the resort. The resort was clean, staff were friendly. All in all the only way I would recommend this resort to anyone else would be if they upgraded to VIP. Main complaint was the dirty dirty pool and main buffet and the a la cartes were ok.

Sensatori Resort Punta Cana: Great, clean resort!

It was very clean and well maintained, only complaint was we had booked a room with two beds and only had one. Since I was going with a friend this was inconvenient but we managed with king bed. I would have booked elsewhere if this had been known before trip.

Riu Republica: Solid 4.5 star resort

The RIU is very large, I understand more than 1300 rooms. Pros -New resort - everything is fresh and new and works, Rooms are clean and bright -Food was very good -Gardens are well kept -Staff were friendly -Hotel manager was very helpful when we ran into problems - Resort and beach were kept clean and bright Cons -Hard to get away from the noise between 9 and 11 pm - we were originally at the back of the hotel (new section) by the sound stage. If you are not a late nighter you will not [... read more] be sleeping if anywhere near either of the resorts stages. Management changed our room and moved us nearer the front of the resort - much better. - The Beach is seriously crowded. I expect when they added the new section the overcrowding began. wall to wall chairs. If you walk down the beach the resort stands out because of the open expanses of beach at all the other resorts except at the RIU which is noticeably congested. - There does not seem to be a reef protecting the beach at the resort. It as very rough all week. We like wave hopping but this was extreme. First few days waves were at times in excess of 10 feet in waist deep water. We were tumbled repeatedly and quite violently. Also there is an undertow. We witnessed one rescue of a swimmer that was swept out to the buoy line. It was a close call. The rescue team and life guards did a good job bringing them back from the brink. The swimmer was on his back for about a half hour. - Very few bathrooms near the beach and pools. We did not go into the very, large, busy, and crowded swim up bar pools (3). Given the lack of bathrooms we ended up calling them the Pee Pools. They shock them at night and they turn a milky colour. Not nice. - Very slow service in the steak house - the only restaurant we tried. 2 hours for the meal with an hour between appetizers and main course. It is overcrowded and understaffed. - I like the architecture of many of the resorts we have visited over the years. Did not find it here. Everything is block concrete construction and identical throughout and all painted white. Very bright but drab. Has a bit of a soviet block mass housing look. - We would not go back because of the over crowding and noise. If those things don't bother you will like the resort - expect 4.5 star service. - -

Sunscape Bavaro Beach: Nice grounds and beautiful updated buildings.

Positive: Beautiful grounds and nice updated rooms. Lots of beach lounges, no wrist bands which is nice, entertainment was good, check in was fast and easy, Negative: High pressure sales tactics for this Endless Vacation crap which they claim is not a timeshare, but it is basically a timeshare. Food is not great, keeps you alive but it's not great, I expected better. Both my wife and myself got sick with a travelers diarrhea and ended up at the clinic, we spoke with lots of other gues [... read more]ts who had also gotten sick. One guest was so sick he went home 2 days early. You really have to watch what you eat at this resort.

Excellence El Carmen: Another Excellent Resort

The resort is newer and has fewer plantings and decorative features than other Excellnce properties, but the staff and food are at the same high quality. The seaweed on the beach can be a problem although the beach itself is long and wide,great for walking.

Bahia Principe Explore Legend: Amazing week

I think that Grand Bahia Principe Fantasia is a prefect hotel for a family food is excellent, water park is perfect for kid under 8 years old, close from the beach,really clean, the only small problem was that the cleaning room lady was only speaking in Spanish so we had a hard time communicate with her.

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: Fun, but a little too busy

Overall we enjoyed our stay at Confresi. We opted for a junior suite, which was pretty nice. The resort is one of several on the same vast Lifestyles property. It's a busy place and if that's your thing then this is the place for you. The food was pretty good (many restaurants to choose from), the grounds and pools were very well kept. Not the best beach as it's small and gets deep quick (plus, the water is choppy with undertow). We spent most of our time laying around one pool or another. The b [... read more]iggest negatives would be the people trying to get you to buy into their timeshare membership and because the place is so vast there is a lot of vehicle traffic (shuttle buses, golf carts, scooters, etc). Otherwise, good value and great fun.

Bahia Principe Escape Bouganville: Dream holiday

Baha’i Principe Bouganville is a lovely resort,not pretentious but still superb. Our too short time there was just what we needed to relax and enjoy the company of family.The pools were very nice,the hotel ..no complaints,,the grounds gorgeous and well maintained,the food enjoyed!

Be Live Experience Hamaca Beach: Busy lots of action !

This hotel is a 4 star. The hotel is very big (617 rooms) and sections were added over the years probably like 4 times since 1994. Rooms are renovated and very clean and there is a variety of different rooms at different prices. in general there is 3 sections, hamaca suite, hamaca beach and hamaca garden. if you take a suite you become a vip member and have access to vip beach section, vip building and exclusive swimming pool, if you take a room in hamaca beach you are in the building close to  [... read more]the beach and the big swimming pool, if you take hamaca garden you are in a bungalow complex across the street from the main hotel grounds and very far from the beach. Expect a lot of walking since the hotel grounds is very big and the buffet can be very far since its in the garden section. there is 4 restaurants a la carte and is unlimited as long as you make a reservation early. Staff are friendly, there is at least 500 beach chairs and you better get to the beach early still, very limited shade so bring lots of sun lotion. overall a good hotel with lots of activities. Hotel was booked solid so it can be hard to switch rooms once you get there .

Casa Marina Reef Resort: Comfortable small resort

This was a nice resort for the money. The grounds were well maintained and the rooms were clean. The food was as to be expected I liked the idea that in the buffet restaurant they had an enclosed area for the food so no problem with flies or birds. They do have a problem with washrooms in the grill area but there were others available and also not far to go to your room if necessary, The lobby is very small and they do not have a bar in that area so if you want a drink you had to go beyond th [... read more]e pool area. The staff at front desk area could use some training in customer service. We had to check out by one o'clock but were assured that we would be provided with a room to shower and dress before we were to leave resort at 8:25 p.m. so we arrived at front desk area at 5:00 p.m. and were offered a room on 3rd floor which was not doable because two of us were handicapped and could not do stairs. This was unacceptable and we waited for almost an hour for them to get another room that would be manageable. Apparently it must have been quitting time and the 3 young ladies left . A new bus load of people arrived and we were forgotten about. As a result we ended up having to change clothes in a washroom. Apparently after you have checked out they don't care anymore you just have to fend for yourself. It would have been nice if they had offered to let us have a later checkout.

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: First time in the Dominican Republic

The staff were always friendly, thoughtful and helpful. Everything was well organized. Poolside activities were engaging. The grounds were immaculate. There was a large selection of food at every meal. We didn't get everything we asked for in a room - got one king bed instead of two beds - but the room exceeded our expectations in every other way: ocean view, two bathrooms, two TVs, two balconies with Muskoka chairs......

Sunscape Puerto Plata: Great Vacation

Pros: Food was excellent, we ate at most of the restaurants and found the food to be very good, with a great selection at the buffet. Pool, beach all were wonderful, my wife enjoyed the nightly entertainment. We found the staff to be very friendly. Cons: Bathroom tap leaked, other then that the room was very nice and clean. Needed to purchase the meals in the airplane. Overall was an excellent trip, great hotel at a decent price

Sunscape Puerto Plata: Generally good value

Well laid out resort, nice long beach for walking, clean everywhere, friendly staff, the food is ok, not the place for a foodie but the restaurants had a variety, breakfast at Castaways by the beach was always tasty, fresh and fast, lots of action around the big pool and a variety of ages... We had some issues with the time that our flight arrived, we arrived after the Sunclub check in closed at 11 pm, so our priority check in didn't occur and we waited at the end of the non-Sunclub line, by th [... read more]e time we got to the check in, our rooms had been given away and we had to move two days later, not cool (we listened while other guests checked in and bragged about being upgraded without charge, upgraded to the rooms we paid for) For the rest of our stay the Sunclub Staff were fantastic to accommodate our upgrade, the Sunclub staff which included Johaira Jaquez and her colleagues made the Sunclub experience worthwhile after being so messed up, the Adult only lounge we enjoyed immensely, a little snack buffet and premium drinks including real Piña Coladas the root of the problem originated with AirTransat changing our flight time more than once from mid morning to late night, not the resort's fault but certainly changed the dynamic of our vacation week Lots of shade on the beach but not enough umbrellas on either the beach or poolside, entertainment was above average and we have visited many all-inclusive in many countries, lots of great features at this resort, coffee shop, ice cream, popcorn, many locations for drinks, snacks, washrooms, wood fired pizza shop was fantastic (calzones) We weren't fans of the Asian restaurant, Italian was the best for us Tamarindo buffet over the pool was convenient and fun, staff great Overall, this resort was good but could be great and probably could gain a star with improvement to cuisine and rooms and more staff Small attention to detail could elevate this resort Proximity to the airport is convenient and the airport itself was very efficient This is a family resort, very good for young children Beach vendors were plentiful which might bother some people but they were not invasive and when you said "no thank you", they were fine Public beaches so they have every right to be there The resort as a whole was good value for the money

Wyndham Alltra Punta Cana: Dreaming ....again !

We were on a 10th anniversary trip with 20 others who attended the wedding at Dreams 10 years ago. The grounds are even better than before with plenty of palapas on the beach. Food is excellent still and they have added a pizza oven, washroom and bar at the far end of the beach :) The waves and wind are consistent, but if you have small children, the Bavaro Beach is better. The pool though for kids is awesome, as it winds it's way through the resort with plenty of bays.

Weare Cadaques Bayahibe: Weare Bayhibe

Beach was nice a bit rocky Water park the kids loved it but only open 11-1 and 3-5 Pool was great shallow entry area for kids and deep end and swim up bar Rooms ok nothing great ac leaked a lot at one point we had a huge puddle on floor. Toilets didn’t flush properly and no hot water Food was not good at all only 1 buffet and no a la cartes There was no entertainment The kids club was non existent The game room had a couple games the only one that actually worked was the air hockey t [... read more]able Check in was absolutely horrible. Arrived before check in and told to come back at 3pm to get our room. Went back and still wasn’t ready so then waited till 4:30 and finally got our room after I lost my temper on the front desk staff. Overall was not impressed with any of the staff nor would I return to this resort

Sunscape Puerto Plata: Friendly resort

My spouse and I took a trip to this resort on the 19th to the 26th of Jan 2018 with a group of friends. Overall, it was a great place to stay. Clean, and friendly service. I don't really have anything bad to say about the place. Occasionally for showers, the hot water would either take forever or would only get slightly warm. I do recommend if youre a light sleeper to try to get a room not close to the gate as you will hear honks from vehicles throughout the night as well as the guards and gat [... read more]e opening and closing frequently. Snack bar open all night was super convenient. The foam party we saw advertised before our commute there, did not take place, however the swim up pool was always a blast! Would i recommend the resort? Absolutely! The nightly shows were enjoyable to watch as well.

Bahia Principe Explore Turquesa: no beach

Good: location is nice, beach is nice, grounds are beautiful. Room service and rooms were good. Bad:: lets break them up as list is extensive. 1) service at bars is very poor if you are not cute girl. many times noticed how bartenders were ignoring people to flirt with girl and serve them ahead of their turn. very poor selection of drinks, no milkshakes, limited number of juices, same boring coctails everywhere. 2) internet. free is only in the loby, and not just in the loby but  [... read more]in 5 meters around the front desk. its very hard to find spot to seat so its nearly ipossible to work. if you planning to work on your vacation, dont go there or pay 80 cad per week for "deluxe" version of internet that works all over the hotel and in your room. 3) food. boring, repetative, reused (same stuff from last day under different sause). probably worst food i ever had at Bahia Principe. 4) no beach. i mean, Bahia Principe has a nice beach, but Bahia Principe Turquesa does not. In fact trip to a beach means you need to go to the loby and wait for a car for 10 minutes then drive for another 10-15 minutes to the beach. For someone its ok, but i feel we were mislead and having 7!!! hotels on 1 beach is NOT OK. Needlessly to say beach is packed, people are next to each other, in multiple layers of chairs, and if you come late, might as well give up and go to the pool. 5) prices at the shops of the hotel. a dollar for a bandaid. i mean for 1 small strip.... and thats a price at their so-called pharmacy.

Catalonia Royal Bavaro: Good place to visit.

This was our second visit. The resort is very nice, and they had renovated Thalassa, added a Japanese restaurant and bar outside of the main building. Our room was in Villa 36, facing the pool, same as the previous trip, which I loved, as we had the morning sun, pool and had a partial ocean view...loved it!! All the staff were amazing! They were very friendly and accommodating. I want to extend a personal thank you to Dominiga (she actually came up to us and said welcome back) and Raylan in the [... read more] Thalassa restaurant, they were fabulous! Edward in the Piano Bar was amazing! Maria in the Beach Bar was wonderful. Overall, ALL the staff were fantastic and very helpful, they made our trip very pleasant. Breakfast selections at the buffet in Thalassa were good but not as extensive as on the family side, definitely worth going over to the other side. ;) We were disappointed this time around because on our last trip, on Thursday, there was a seafood buffet in Thalassa, which included lobster. When we checked in, we asked if that was still part of the menu and were told it was. When we went in for dinner, we were totally disappointed with the selections, no lobster and selections were dismal. Another disappointment was at the pool side bar restaurant, fresh garlic grouper was a choice, I ordered it and was excited as I love fresh grouper, it wasn't grouper, not sure what it was, my husband says bass or tilapia. :S BUT, if you're a lamb and/ or duck lover, OMG, in Thalassa, they have lamb shank and duck breast that is out of this world!!! Having the option of dining at the family side of this resort, we didn't utilize that option as we were very happy dining in Thalassa. These were our experiences and I know there were better and worse ones, everyone is different. Hope they are helpful, but you have to experience it yourself.

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Great Place!!

Our hotel was better than expected! It was very clean- and grounds kept tidy and neat. We enjoyed our stay, we Bought the premium package and we’re very happy we did. The regular beach area was very busy but on the upgraded side was amazing! We had awesome service on the beach- Amamble tended to our needs at the beach - very nice, professional and friendly to us and 2 teens. The premium lounge gave us a nice air conditioned area to have drinks (premium liquor) and the service there was great a [... read more]s well.. Jose and Eunice always greeted us with a smile and went over and beyond to make our stay great. The buffet was good but we’re glad to have the a la carte restaurants for our dinners. Our favourites were the Italian and Caribbean. All in all we would return to this resort - it wasn’t too small but definitely not too big- everything was only a few min walk anywhere.