Sunscape Bavaro Beach: Excellent resort

I loved it. It was very clean and maintained well. The food was Great, I'm a very picky eater and I ate everything there. The employees were very helpful and friendly. I would go back without a doubt.

Royalton CHIC Punta Cana: Small and Intimate

Nice intimate resort, great to bring your partner to. Food was good, rooms were clean, resort was run really well. Only thing I did not like was the amount of seaweed in the water that washes up on the beach. I like to spend a lot of time in the ocean so this affected me quite a bit. They did a good job cleaning it up every other day but there's nothing they could do about the weeds in the water. Other than that, great place to go.

Breathless Punta Cana Resort: PLEASE READ If anything other than partying is important to you...

Skip Breathless. For a country where over 50% of their GDP comes from tourism you would think that service, consistency and quality would be a priority for a "five star resort" however if you read the number of reviews I have about breathless you will quickly see all the faults of this resort downplayed by how amazing the e-team is (granted the e-team is the heart of this resort; without them this place would be nothing). Review after review you see mentions of terrible food or the food is ok [... read more] and that's the honest truth the food is just that, ok (at best). There is alot of bad and when you find something you like and think ok I'll stick with that because it's tolerable you will quickly find out hey this isn't what I got the last time I ordered it or ate it at the buffet. For anyone who has been to a real five star in their life and paid the amount this place charges your expectations should be higher than all the five star reviews here settle for. I wanted to believe that the critical reviews were just people who couldn't be pleased or who had unrealistic expectations and that's why I booked. My goal is to hopefully shed clarity to those who are on the fence and to tell those that saw what I saw in the reviews not to decide to give this place the benefit of the doubt. It took me coming here to find that out. This resort is a testament of the fatal flaw of aggregate review sites and that's the difference of everyone's priorities and experiences. For priorities if you go to a resort and skip breakfast and lunch, drink all day and party then this place is probably five star to you because that is what you came for. However if you want to eat food that is delicious, have consistency in service and food as well as have that great atmosphere as you should expect from a true five star resort this place won't be for you. Then comes experience, if you don't know anything else then you have nothing to compare Breathless to then it might be great to you, that is until you experience something better. I have paid less than half I did on this trip from a 3.5 star resort in Mexico and received better service and food. This resort throughout your time here will tell you to give shout outs in your reviews on trip advisor to show love to the e-team staff. That's why you see so many five star reviews as they imply that their employees performance is judged on these reviews. This pulls on guests heart strings as they are being asked to do this for the people that give them great service as a means to show their appreciation and it's implied that the employees will be given some sort of reward or as though their pay is somehow based on their shoutouts on these reviews. That's why the majority of the reviews for this hotel are of this nature; overly inflating the overall rating of this hotel. Now that I've at length addressed my perception of the faults of this resort I do want to say the great parts that made this place three stars to me. -the e-team is very engaging and makes sure everyone is always having a good time if they want to participate, if you don't they are quick to allow you your space -the beach is beautiful and well maintained, just the same as the resort which is beautifully manicured -the staff that work hard and take pride in their work are great the issue is its very hit or miss so when you find the good ones it makes you want to shout them out that much more! Christian at the Deep pool bar works tirelessly making drinks and putting on a show! He makes everyone feel like they're his best friend and he is the biggest asset this hotel has outside of the e-team -Rooms are spacious, jacuzzis on all the balconies are wonderful, size of the resort allows people to never feel crowded and if you want to find quiet there is places to avoid or engage the party based on your mood. Rooms are well kept by the maid service and mini bars are constantly stocked. All in all for a place that touts itself as unlimited luxury once you get here you will soon find the plethora of add on things and upsell of things that you can't do without paying extra. (multiple different lounge options, meal options to enhance your stay, exhale club, all wines outside of house, spa, and luxury branded liquor is only available at request from limited places) hopefully you've read all of this and this has helped you save some of your hard earned money or helped you decide that based on what matters to you that this is the right spot for you!

Breathless Punta Cana Resort: Magnificent resort

Great staff. From Check-in to the groundskeepers. Pools,grounds and rooms very immaculate. Rooms service very prompt. Abundant of food in restaurants. Lots of places to eat. Amazing night life for party goers. Access to nearby resort. Close to local transit.

Riu Republica: Beautiful Resort

It is our first time travelling as a couple and all I can is that I am very happy with the service that was provided to us. Our check in was a little rough because of the amount of people that were also checking in but we were taken care of pretty quickly. The room was modern and very comfortable. Everything was just as we expected and more. The resort was beautiful, had about 4 pools and staff always coming around to make sure your needs were attended too. The beach was beautiful, had a couple  [... read more]of vendors that were very kind and not too pushy when looking at things to buy. The staff were amazing as well, they were all so kind and I did not meet one person that worked at the resort that did not smile at you and greet you. The resort was not far from the airport which was a huge plus. Regarding food, we had no issues with food, we are limited when it comes to our diet but there was always something we could eat and left with full stomach. The buffet was amazing, and so was the Japanese restaurant they had on site. We also likes the Italian and the steak house they had! We only had non alcoholic drinks and there was a couple of mix-ups with the drinks that did occur due to the language barrier which was one negative that we had but other then that everything else was amazing. I was nervous when booking this resort at first due to the construction but I am so glad we went and intend to go back once they have finished all the new add ons!

Excellence El Carmen: Awesome Resort

Beautiful and quiet modern resort! If people want to have a quiet resort, this resort is the right place to be at. There were a lot of seaweed at the beach but the workers work hard to have it cleaned.

Riu Naiboa: A big disappointment

Hi was very shocked that the hotel staffing knows no English,at the front desk,it was very hard to communicate with the staff,also the foods suck we stayed 7 days. Hardly any food that makes sense,I was very disappointing with my stay.at this hotel never had a problem with any of the riu before.i would not go back there .

Paradisus Punta Cana: Awesome family vacation!

This resort is beautiful! The grounds are well maintained. The pool is awesome and the beach is beautiful. Service is awesome all around. People are very friendly and go the extra to make sure you have a good time. Food is delicious and so much variety (both buffet and a la carte).Rooms were awesome and cleaned daily! Air conditioning worked so good in rooms. Wifi worked awesome even out on the beach. Entertainment was great! Michael Jackson is alive at Paradisus...lol! Great nightly shows! Danc [... read more]ing at gabi beach so fun!! Awesome music! Great resort!

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Not the best service

The hotel itself was nice looking and kept clean but there were many challenges. 1. We had 4 rooms booked as a family and and total of 7 rooms with extended family. Even after phone calls and emails requesting at least 2 rooms close to each other on the same floor we were scattered across the resort. When asked to move the 2 rooms together Angelo was really rude and refused to even look to see if anything can be done. This individual gave all of a hard time and even refused to reactivate [... read more] a key that stopped working during the stay. We were a party of 23 people and many of us had the same issue with the same individual. We did finally get some of the rooms moved on the 3rd day of stay making it very difficult to watch 4 kids and an infant. 2. The rooms were not cleaned every day. The towels were always not put in the room during the cleaning. Sometimes we get a couple of towels but mostly would have to call and request to get them. It was hard to get a hold of someone on the phone as well. 3. We reserved dinner at the 3 restaurants and had issues with 2 of them. One (Italian) of them it took so long to bring out the food that the kids were hungry and sleepy. The Grill did not have a couple of the items on the menu available that night including the grilled fish which is what most of us wanted since we don't eat meat. They mixed up our reservation time and had to seat us outside and kept forgetting to check in on us. Overall we had a good time but the challenges caused a lot of frustration. The buffet had a good selection of food but the service is no where near expected. Will not be returning to this resort again.

Majestic Mirage Punta Cana All Suite Resort: Beautiful Resort

I thought the resort, rooms and amenities were beautifully done! However, the lack of attention to detail in service was very noticeable. It was difficult to get even a water in two of the specialty restaurants, we waited up to an hour to get served, even though the restaurants were virtually empty. We are not hard to please travellers by any means.The food in the buffet was good. We were in the club section and our Butler, Junior was amazing! All in all we did have a great holiday and given som [... read more]e time hope that the service issues will improve and we would consider returning to this resort!

Bahia Principe Explore Legend: Great family resort!!!

Great resort , kids had lots of fun. Bar Service little slow Room service very good , rooms cleaned twice a day.Grounds and hotel very well kept and clean. Overall hotel is brand new and well design with modern touch. Great shows at night and all lighting through out the resort is amazing!! Would recommend this hotel .Great vacation !!!!

Sunscape Coco Punta Cana: Lively resort

At first I was very worried when we got there. From the outside it looks less appealing like a compound with tall square white concrete, but once we got in it was more modern and less sketchy looking. The check in line was quiet long and our room wasn't ready, but we were able to walk around the resort and explore for a couple of hours before finally getting our room. The buffet Food was 50/50. Sometimes it came out hot and others it was lukewarm which was not the end of the world. The lunc [... read more]h burger place was not the best but their mozzarella sticks, fruit dish and ice cream were good. Avoid the burger and salads since they aren't so good. Then the restaurants were lovely - for sure go to Mylos and the Steak place. I recommend avoiding the Japanese place which was less than favourable and we think caused my boyfriend to get sick but we can't be sure. But the food at the Japanese place was not very good. The resort itself was nice and so were the staff, we noted need to brush up on our Spanish and French since this is quite the international resort with guests coming from all over the world. Lots and lots of opportunities to get involved with games. The beach was good, lots of shady spots if you happen to get too much sun on the first couple of days and need to hide your red skin. We went during seaweed season but we knew that going in and the staff tried hard to keep the shoreline clean. There's a gym which has the essential stuff and has a really fun vibe to it with flashy lights and fun music. Id give the resort a 3.5/5 stars. A downfall for us was the fact so many people are trying to sell you things. It's almost ever minute someone selling you things but that's since the resort is public access so they can set up shop throughout the whole resort. The vendors were active in approaching you on the beach but once you said no the same person didn't bother you but you had to say no a lot since there were so many others asking- but that's a good thing if you want to buy excursions or trinkets. If you go on an excursion we recommend the dune buggies (boogies as they call them) it is fantastic!!! And pay for the photographer to follow you it is worth it! For our room we were in block 3 on the first floor right closest to the main part of the whole resort which was fantastic for us. Found a couple cockroaches at night (2 on separate nights) but that is to be expected in tropical areas and was nothing we couldn't manage. Still a bit gross though. The room was a good size (we got the handicap room since it was available fastest). The cleaners were fabulous and so kind. Overall we really enjoyed our stay and it was a fun vacation!

Bahia Principe Grand Bavaro: Amazing Resort

We loved this resort, it was clean, well maintained, huge with lots of lovely grounds to walk around. The beach was kept clean, lots of beds available, the sea was actually warm ! the pools were lovely and warm too. The food was fantastic as were the staff all very friendly. We will definitely return :)

Riu Palace Bavaro: Great vacation in Dominican

Stayed at the RIU Palace Bavaro July 16-20th. Bus ride from the airport was only 30 minutes, and when we arrived we had a very easy check in process. We were upgraded to the VIP section. Our room was very spacious and clean. Walk to the pool, beach & restaurants was very short, as the resort is not large. Food was really good. Service was good. Only ate at the buffet restaurants as the other restaurants have a lot of fish & seafood on the menus (which didn't appeal to us). Bars were good [... read more], enjoyed the coffee bar in the lobby - they served good coffee and soft serve ice cream. We went to the shows each night and they were not the best shows we have seen but they were entertaining. Beach was nice, not overly crowed and could always find a beach chair (same for pool but it was a bit more crowded). Only complaint about the beach was all the seaweed. I did see them out clearing it one day but they could certainly do it more frequently. Overall really liked the resort.

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Old, but still nice

The place is better than in the past, but still needs to be renovated. The food is okay, but not great . The spa treatments are excellent but expensive. The beach was awful because of the incredible amount of seaweed. Could hardly swim with all the seaweed. Although they tried to clean up the beach, they could of cleaned it up much quicker if they used a boat with a fishing net and a tractor. Night shows were good. Room a/c wasn't working properly. Hasn't been working for the last 2 years. T [... read more]hey gave us a fan which helped a lot. A/C unit inadequate for room size from what I was told. Don't understand why they don't put one in for the room size, since they have the space for one. I know that it's strange to rent the same room (67301) but the location is to die for. Close to everything, especially to the beach. Place hard to beat quality vs price. Room service was good, food arrived hot. Maid service was okay but always short of something and to come back. Plenty of coffee and water. Bar refreshed daily Hope this review was helpful.

Bahia Principe Grand Bavaro: Disappointing Experience. Expected more from 5-star hotel.

We just got back form 7 days vacation at this resort. (Grand Bahia Principe Bavaro). We are family of four with two kinds (13 and 8) living in Canada. We have limited experience in Caribbean vacations: it is based on our visits to 4 Cuban 5-star resorts. We were told that 5-star resorts in DR are class above the 5 star resorts in Cuba (Melia Marina Varadero, and Ensenachos Iberostar where we stayed in the past). We went to DR for: i) the beach, ii) a bit of luxury ( food, drinks ) apparentl [... read more]y missing in Cuban 5 star hotels. We expected something a class better from this place, as everyone ( including travel agents) assured us that compared to Cuba the Grand Bahia in DR is a top notch place. We got none of the above so we were quite disappointed. Below are the details: 1) Beach is practically "un-swimmable" due to the seaweed. The thick layer of algae in the ocean makes it a very unpleasant experience -- my eight-year daughter and I, got some form of skin rash from this on a third day. It is true that the seaweed is "taken care of" -- there are workers with pitchforks working along the shore whole day. They rake the seaweed into the small piles ( 1 meter diameter and 1 meter high) with about 2 meters space between them. Then the tractors come to scoop them up and move away, and then the pitchfork guys start again. If you lounge on the beach you see and hear these tractors all the time, you also smell diesel. I would not be surprised if there is an accident with kid run over by one of these machines at some point. The other raters comments about " weeds being an issue that is quickly dealt with" do not reflect the sad reality that the whole beach is affected by this ( July 12 to July19). For me it was the source of greatest disappointment -- staying near the pool is an option, but I could rent a place with swimming pool closer to home, if all I cared for was the pool-- I wanted an ocean. 2) Food/Restaurants/Drinks None of the restaurants use their air-conditioning fully. I does not matter how good the food is if I am sweating while sitting there. I know we came there for the sun -- but the whole point is to be able to get out of the heat/humidity from time to time. ( Buffet and each a la carte restaurant we visited were about 27C.) Bars serve almost only local substitutes of quality alcohol-- did not see much difference from what I was offered at Cuban resorts. (To give you an example -- they consider Gordon Gin and Beefeater as upgrades for which you pay extra), so at no point I felt that this was 5-star establishment, I was expecting. 3) Rooms -- we had junior superior room booked for us. It was OK for size , but it had this aggressive chemical odour to it-- like bleach was used excessively to mask the smell of mould. We had to complain to get a room with properly working AC. After being transferred to the new room I discovered that the AC unit has a limiter on it. I had to complain three times to the resort management and finally the technician was sent to remove it ( he had to open the ceiling panel to change the electrical element in the circuit.) After that the cold air finally started blowing. Needless to say the AC was "working" before, (so they try to make you believe that what you get is a standard) just not the way it should have been: it was barely blowing a tepid air on max settings. It seems to be a typical approach-- many guests will not complain or will resign themselves to the fact that this is the way it is supposed to be, and live in this humid/hot environment. Rooms are very dark ( there are only wall side lights so at night it is quite dim.) 4) Resort is very busy, the beach and the main pool near the beach are overcrowded. Perhaps the other ( adults only) parts of this complex are less crowded, but I was told we are not allowed to use them. 5)Number of people/vendors trying to sell you something is unbelievable. One section of the beach had as many of them as guests. You can also be ambushed by friendly sales representatives who want to show you the new resort Fantasia or get you to join the Privilege club. 6) there are throngs of very loud guests waking you up at night (3AM) if you are near the main transfer route of the hotel. ( We were in Villa #30). 7) the mini-golf area is not very good ( no shade and very worn out) POSITIVES: 1)The food is of decent quality and fresh -- none of us had any stomach trouble despite eating risky food (we had beef carpaccio, seafood, mayo-based salads etc.) 2) Staff is very efficient and quick, there are many people working there. If you ask for something ( towels, busboy) the action will be taken within few minutes. 3) The resort is very clean. 4) It has good quality night entertainment -- I mean life music ( not the shows). 5) Very few mosquitos -- I got bitten once or twice for the entire stay. 6) Main bar in the lobby serves very good drinks -- look for what they call a "drink of the day." If you are Canadian do not bother to buy Dominican Pesos -- the whole resort operates based on US dollars. Room Tip: Check the AC in your room upon arrival.

Riu Republica: Spectacular experience

Riu Republica is a very modern looking hotel with extremely friendly and helpful staff. As soon as I arrived I was welcomed with a glass of juice as I waited for check-in, which gave me a good vibe. The resort is a good size, not too big, so the distance to walk from our room to the beach or restaurant wasnt too far. The only complaint I had was that while i was there the hotel had construction going on at early hours of the morning right outside of my hotel room. Otherwise i rate my stay a 10/1 [... read more]0 and want to go back as soon as possible!!

Wyndham Alltra Samana: amazing resort

excellent resort. the food was great at every meal, the select club option was amazing. food and drinks brought to you at the infinity pool by the beach. i had my daughter and 2 grand kids with me who are 3 and 5 years old. every day after breakfast we fed fish and turtles at the pond then chilled at the pools. a great kids club to paint and do crafts. the absolute best was the shows every night. the staff in the dance troop were so super friendly to my grandkids. they couldn,t wait to go every  [... read more]night and get hugs from all of them after the show. i was so impressed by their staff.

Grand Sirenis Punta Cana Resort: Awesome resort

Had an amazing time at this resort. We had no problems here. The staff are very nice and there are a lot of food options at the buffet. The location is very picturesque too. Only minor complaints are that there is quite a bit of seaweed at the beach and the resort is a little far from some of the excursions.

Bahia Principe Explore Esmeralda: Sliding Down a Slippery Slope

THE GOOD: Grounds: Exemplary Staff: Exceptional Housekeeping: Hit and Miss Butler Service: Amazing Animation Team/Activities/Shows: Awesome Conceirge: Bang On Check In: Friendly and Efficient Gym: Modern facility and equipment with helpful staff NEEDS IMPROVEMENT: Building/Rooms: Needs a face lift - beginning to show its age Pool: Algae evident - needs a thorough cleaning on the deck and water line Food: Quality has declined over the years with poorer cuts of meat and predictable  [... read more]menu items New Restaurant at ocean end of Villa 90 poorly located - every pre-lunch hour the smoke from the kitchen (bbq?) drifted over guests poolside