My wife and I have just returned from Riu Republica Punta Cana for a second time and the resort was beautiful. Although we were very impressed last June, the resort has made some significant improvements to the landscaping as well as service around the pool areas from providing drink service to your pool side chair to munchies and a variety of specialty snacks and drinks blitzes in the afternoon including a mobile ice cream cart which was a nice touch. From the room staff to servers both at the [... read more]bars and restaurants was exceptional and we waiting for nothing. The variety and quality of food has something for everyone's pallet including the hard to please.
Thank you Riu for a great experience and to Miranda our booking agent for going the extra mile.
Already looking forward to next year!
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Cindi w -
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Viva Heavens by Wyndham: this was an amazingly clean hotel.loved it
everything about it was spotless, unfortunately as my husband is in a wheelchair and was not able to go in the ocean. The animation team are a wonderful group of young people especially martin and Goofy.whrn my hubby wanted to go in the pool they were right there and literally picked him up out of his wheelchair and put him in the water and when he was ready to get out they seemed to appear out of nowhere to help him out.it was a great help for me as i am half his size although i do everything f[... read more]or him at home it was nice that someone took it out of my hands and he was very thankful.Myonly suggestion would to be to put a rail where you go into the pool which would have helped to make him more independant. And the bathrooms in the rooms could have grab rails by the toilet and in the shower.the food was not bad you could always find something you liked the staff were very friendly It is a small hotel which we liked we didn;t get lost trying to find things
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Private -
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Bahia Principe Explore Esmeralda: Bahia Resort
Very nice beach, ordinary food (bad at lunc&dinner),meiocre restaurants a la carte, bad quality alcohol,unequal service, noisy air conditioner, things to be fixed in room, mediocre performance for the show,
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Private -
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Riu Republica: Beautiful resort!
I was very impressed with the resort. It's absolutely stunning and my room was very clean. The 3 pools were gorgeous, it had a white sandy beach and the ocean was an aquamarine colour. I was also impressed how much shade the resort offered around the pools and at the beach. The food was phenomenal and there were lots of choices. I found most of the staff to be quite friendly and they were definitely on the ball- making sure to clear your plate, fill up your water glass,etc. I want to give a shou[... read more]t out to Roberto who works in the dining hall. Roberto is a fabulous server, so please watch for him (they wear name tags). He's very nice!
There were only two things I didn't like. The first thing is; we were only given two sheets to sleep with. There was no comforter so, I ended up sleeping with the terry cloth robe they provide you with in your closest, every night. Also, the pillows were small and uncomfortable. So, if you plan on going, bring your own pillow and wear warm pajamas. Other than that, I had an amazing time and would definitely go back!
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Heatherb54 -
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Riu Republica: Our Anniversary Week at the Riu Republica June 5 to June 12, 2017.
Good points...food in the main buffet was superior. We stayed away from the ala cart restaurants. when we discovered most were buffet style including the Japanese. The only one that we tried with a menu was the steak house and the steaks were GREY. They were edible but not steak house style at all. When we tried the so called cheese cake for dessert , we made a beeline for the main buffet for the fresh fruit they had there.
The beach was amazing, although the ocean was rough we had fun fi[... read more]ghting the waves with everyone in the ocean.
The hotel is very modern with clean rooms. The service was very good. Very clean, care takers always washing the tiles outside. Very big hotel, and getting bigger with new construction at the front of the hotel.
Wait staff cater more to Americans and Spanish speaking guests . (not unusual I guess :) )
Some guests looked like teens and acted like them too. (not sure if the age is checked for ADULT hotel)
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Private -
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Bahia Principe Escape Aquamarine: Awesome Hotel
This hotel exceeded our expectations.
It's beautiful and was one of the nicest all inclusive hotel we've stayed in.
The rooms were great, clean/attended to daily. The food selection was exceptional and the staff were always nice and helpful.
I definitely recommend this place. We stayed in the Ambar Green (the best one).
Cheers,
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Zoltan Kihut -
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Bahia Principe Explore Turquesa: Grand Bahia Principe Turquesa
One of The Best Hotel ,was Excellent great Clean we was so Happy !The pool was Great the Ocean was very Nice,the Staff was very Friendly ,the food great we going back again soon as possible ,the whether was nice No rain at all
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Stargurl101 -
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The Eurostars Grand Cayacoa: No Surprizes!
The resort was exactly what I expected. The scenery was spectacular, everything was very clean, pool and groubds were great. The beach was small but it had plenty of shade which os really important for me. The water was warm but a little murky. Its not the crystal clear pristine water but was fine for swimming. The food at the buffet was ok. I could find something I liked at every meal. The a la cartes were pretty good. My favorite was the Mediterranean. The rooms were nice although the bathroom[... read more] was small and the beds are very hard. The entertainment wasnt great - mostly audience participation shows. Overall for the price it was a great resort and I would recommend it.
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Shelby P -
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Grand Sirenis Punta Cana Resort: Amazing! Will absolutely come back!
The food was great, a different buffet theme every night. The water park was FANTASTIC! beach was always clean and beautiful. The grounds were always being maintained, and the staff always friendly. Pool is large and very kid friendly. Only complaint would be that the pool bar closes at 6 and pool itself closed at 630. We found this very disappointing, but overall would absolutely recommend this resort to families!
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Private -
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Grand Palladium Select Bavaro: Grand Palladium Bavaro
Hotel and rooms are tired, but were under renovations.
Staff was very good and friendly.
Beach was excellent, but too many vendors selling on it.
It will be very nice after reno.
Others in our party had some room issues.
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Private -
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Hyatt Vivid Punta Cana: Nice resort !
Overall the resort was good. The beach was well taken care of compared to other resorts. The only complaints I would have would be : getting bigger bills changed for smaller bills for tipping was difficult they would try to say that they didn't have change this was almost a daily battle.when upgrading to a VIP room was great only complaint there was that they say you get $200 resort credit when we went to use them it was not at all what we were told, they ended up being a gimmick to spend more m[... read more]oney. Overall the resort was well kept rooms were clean and mini bar was always stocked up.I would recommend this resort to others!
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Private -
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Paradisus Punta Cana: Amazing resort
It was fabulous! We truly enjoyed our vacation. Service was very good. The grounds are amazing. The rooms very clean. The food and drinks are really good with a wide selection. Thank you Miranda for booking this vacation for us.
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Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Good and bad....no ugly
Starting with the good....Hotel rooms are nice but you can tell a refresh will be needed soon. Resort is very close to the beach if you enjoy swimming in the ocean. Although, there was a lot of seaweed in our area of the beach which seemed to be difficult for the staff to control (although they didn't work too hard). The same seaweed pile was raked over and over LOL. Food was good. A lot of choices at the buffets and at the a la carte restaurants. I couldn't believe though that they didn'[... read more]t serve lobster on seafood night. The hotel said that lobster is not in season and too small. Although, the same hotel chain we went to last year in DR at the same time served lobster?? Now the bad...SERVICE was POOR to say the least. I have to say it was this hotel in general and not the hotel chain. We received great service last year at the same hotel chain but in another part of DR. The concierge were rude in all bookings. It wasn't just one person. They all seemed unhappy. They made you feel like you were a bother. The hotel front desk was a slightly better but still poor service. When we arrived, they put us in a room facing the construction of a new hotel. The workers seemed to work all night. The hotel did move us the next day but it begs the question why would they put you there in the first place. If a hotel wants you to come back, they should make a first good impression. We asked to replace an iron multiple times and asked for an ironing board (no board in 2nd room). After several attempts, we got the new iron but no ironing board. The first iron had some material stuck to the bottom of it and was ruining our clothes. One day, our room wasn't cleaned and the fridge wasn't restocked. Sorry, that should never happen. The hotel did send someone to clean it after. The front desk wasn't flexible with providing change for large bills. First time we went to change bills, they told us to come back because the person in charge of the money wasn't there (I found this odd). When we came back (much later in the day), they could only provide us change for $100 US. Restaurant service at the buffet was extremely poor. At morning buffet, no one would come and ask you if you wanted coffee. If you didn't ask, you didn't receive. The pool bar service was excellent if you were a young girl (I am not) :(
Not part of this assessment, but thought I would shout out anyway, Air Transit sucks. Both trips, this year and last, our plane was delayed 1 hr and I didn't get the seats that I paid for.
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Bahia Principe Grand Bavaro: Best experience ever
Cabt wait to go again. So much to do. Loved it. People friendly. Food okay. Only issue keycards continued to stop working. And food was cold. Specialty restaurants great. Loved the japenese restaurant. Boogies ride definately worth it. So much to do.
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Private -
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Paradisus Punta Cana: Beautiful Resort on a beautiful beach!
This was a beautiful lush well kept resort with amazing staff.
Louis the beach bar tender the best and always had a smile and a welcoming greeting. :)
There were two events that took place the week we were there that basically shut down the main buffet.
The employees were run off their feet trying to keep up with the back log, as this was definitely a poor management decision.
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Dlesp52 -
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Bahia Principe Explore Legend: This place was absolutely fantastic
I wrote a long review on trip advisor so i am just going to copy and paste it here.
In short, Fantasia exceeded the good things I had read about it, and the bad things I had read did not seem to exist for us there. We stayed a family of 3 adults, an 8 year old and a 2 year old, June 02-09/17. We are definitely going back as a family and just adults.
In long, I have to say this place has alot happening to only fit into one week. That is something that we are open to and is one reason among [... read more]many to return.
We arrived at around 9:45 pm, so unfortunately we missed the tail end of dinner buffet, however the check in was fast and room service came pretty quick compared to what i have read from others. Orlando at the front desk checked us in with adjoining rooms for my family and brother. We had requested ground floor poolview prior to arriving however they couldn't make it adjoining so we spent the first night on the opposite side upstairs but the next afternoon we were given the first room on the first floor, with pool view beside the kids club which was perfect. Bravo Orlando!
We got the kids to bed and my brother and I roamed up to the lobby bar which is gorgeous... And were surprised to see our selection of liquors, very nice selection. Draft beer wasn't bad at all either. The bartender Raime was awesome to us. I didn't see any rude bartenders but I always saw Raime there the entire trip. So he was the go to there.
The next morning we all woke up in paradise. Really hot paradise lol. We ate breakfast at the Larimar every day though we had the option to go to the circus aswell. The food at the Larimar we better then any buffet we have in Hamilton and surrounding. Breakfast was good everyday, nobody complained and we actually looked forward to those meals which is funny because I am not a scheduled breakfast eater at all. Lunch was great at both the lobby buffet (larimar) and the circus buffet. We booked a few a la carts starting with the circus (which is only open without reservation for breakfast and lunch, for dinner you need to reserve). I booked the a la cartes 3 weeks ahead and they had them all set up at guest services, however after having dinner at our buffet, we only committed to the circus reserve because the food was so good at the buffet that we didn't want to risk it lol. We had multiple different servers and some were pulling doubles and triples meaning we had them 3 meals in a row over 2 days. Every one of them was friendly to us and yes some had a language barrier but we always figured it out or they would grab someone who spoke it nearby so there was never ever an issue with our food or sevice. (I had google translator with me and maybe used it 5 times for detailed drinks over one week). Shout out to Mally, Louis, and Kelvin at the Larimar, Thanks for your Positivity!
The grounds were probably over well kept, Marble tile everywhere. I've never seen people working so frequently doing landscaping and maintenance. It is crazy hot and these guys are trimming bushes with scissors and smashing up dark interlok with railway pins and mini sledge hammers. Yes there were a few little things worn but its brand new, it needs to settle, if you could walk from the lobby to the castle without seeing people working out there I will pay you.
For the kids, this place had everything. Two waterparks (one at fantasia, one at turquesa) for them to use, the fantasia pool is huge and is shallow for a while so small kids have lots of space to play, same pool has the swim up bar at opposite end, at the base of the big castle. Parks, arcade, shows, facepainting, popsicles, freezies, jugglers, video games, pretty much enough to keep any kid busy. Free wifi for the lazy ones lol.
The beach was the nicest ive been on, few days of twigs washing up but never murky or that busy really. I could see it being busy in the winter seasons but fantasia has their own section on the beach with a bar, lunch buffet, and servers that leave you always finding a nice shady spot! The beach bar for the Fantasia was probably where I got the best service. I wont forget Juan Zarzuela, Kelvin, and David. They were just all sorts of happy. After our first visit to the beach we were calling each other family and I wish they worked everywhere. Davids english was a bit better however we had no problem working thru the language barrier with Juan and Kelvin. I see these guys pulling these hours in long sleeves and black pants hiking through the sand with 15 drinks on a tray just pouring sweat and some people complain. The world would be better if people like Kelvin had more opportunity.
The room was perfect, weather perfect, food perfect, service perfect, facilities perfect, service perfect, Vacation perfect. See yous in 2018-forever!
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Bahia Principe Explore Legend: Beautiful resort, bad service
We stayed for a week from June 2 to 9, the resort is beautiful, however is lacking good service.
The buffet has s variety to choose from from breakfast, however lunch and dinner not so great.. even the device while seated, we had to ask for cutlery for our table most of the time, they hardly come back and check if you need anything..
won't be going back nor would recommend to anyone else
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GoDiegoGo -
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VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Amazing experience
The hotel me and my friends stayed at was the VH gran ventana. This resort is visually appealing and provides all the resources to have a good time. The only negative aspect I can think of was the rocky beach. Besides that great resort, great experience
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Private -
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Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Great vacation
The resort was very beautiful and lush. Small but relaxing and quiet. My room was directly in front of the quiet pool area and was relaxing to not hear loud music and noise in the morning or while I slept. The front desk was terrible at accomadating anything you needed. Check in was very disorganized and complicated. They don't provide a hospitality room if you have a late check out. They advised some people I met there to shower at the pool area. I had to argue my way to get a hospitality room.[... read more] The guest services desk was very helpful and knowledable. The Animation team made my trip fun and exciting. I didn't like that they gave away certificates for all the game prizes instead of a bottle of alcohol or a souvenir. I'm not sure what I will do with a beer drinking competition certificate. I didn't like the beach at all. The sand is dark and dirty, the water wasn't clear at all unless you swam very far out and so many vendors selling anything bothering me every 5 minutes Also not alot of shades areas I say in the sun all day sometimes just to enjoy the beach.
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MTSkenter69 -
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Bahia Principe Explore Legend: Gorgeous resort
Fanastia was well kept grounds, they clean your room almost twice a day. Around 6pm there's maid service giving you more clean towels. Food was great but would be nice to know that the French restaurant had a very strict dress code but in that heat no one wore long pants. The entertainment was amazing. They did a tribute to Michael Jackson. The downfall is at the pool side the was sometimes no music to the same 4 songs that got a bit annoying. Loved the service at the pool and also the ladies wa[... read more]lking around with food for the kids. But the ocean was not close at all and they tried to keep it clean but to was to dirty and the kids got grossed out. Was hoping that the water park would be much bigger and also for the older kids. The teen club was never opened for my older son. But the travel agent went beyond just booked my flight. She kept me in touch quickly when I need answers.