Bahia Principe Explore Esmeralda: Huge resort, great beach,pool and food!

It was a great hotel, lots of staff, very friendly. The resort itself is huge, the food is great, especially the Brazilian restaurant. They have a great aquatic park for the kids. The service was good, the rooms are not really quiet, as we had a small child it was a bit noisy on the main floor some nights. There is a lot to do, but relaxing and comfortable and clean. My only peeve is having all the chairs "reserved" with beach towels by 7:30 and then no one being there most of the day..that's th [... read more]e same at most resorts I think.

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Luxury Bahia Principe Ambar Blue

We just returned from a 1 week stay at the Ambar Blue. This was our 4th week and 3rd stay here. Always love the Ambar Blue. Close to the beach, pool, restaurants and our room. The workers are exceptional and the property is truly Paradise!!!. A couple of items we noticed. Their entertainment has improved tremendously. There was honestly something going on each night and the quality of entertainment did improve. The food is always good but I must say repetitive, not as good as before. W [... read more]ould I go back again, yes! Would I recommend, yes! When booking my trips, I always book through TripCentral. You folks have the best website! The best agents! Always satisfied with the services and customer service that is provided!!!! Until next time!! Cheers Debbie

Grand Sirenis Tropical Suites: Resort needs a lot of work

Resort is very outdated and staff are very rude. Would not go back to this resort. Pool and grounds were beautiful though rooms and service were very poor. Beach was okay very murky waters and rough air transit rep at resort was terrible aswell.

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: Amazing Experience!!!!

Un resort maravilloso! Las locaciones siempre limpias, los restaurantes sencillamente espectaculares, pero nada comparado a la amabilidad de las personas que trabajan ahí! Falto un poco de entretenimiento para niños.

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Great Time!!

We found BlueBay Villas very easy to find your way around as it is a smaller resort. Great food. .. clean rooms and wonderful staff.. The buffet was fantastic with themed evening selections which were tasty! We would definitely recommend this resort!

Casa Marina Reef Resort: Great romantic resort

The place is verry clean. It surprised us how the place was perfect for a honeymoon. Its romantic, gentle music great beach and also the Jacuzzis are perfectly located at the top of the reef eith a great view of the beach. The only thing missing is the 24hour buffet/snacks.

Grand Sirenis Tropical Suites: Hotel Needs Improvements

First of all I will mention about the unnecessary stress that the was put upon my family before even left, we were going for our daughters wedding and had been planning this event for months. When it came to the actual time to receive our tickets, my son who just had a baby 3 months previous got his tickets with no mention of the baby. All the information was given to the agent but somehow she forgot to put the babies name in the documents before she left for her vacation....Hmmm in talking to  [... read more]her replacement it was said that she didn't require a ticket. After a lot of phone calls he dealt with an agent from Hamilton and she was able to straighten out the mess. Now to the hotel......we paid extra for a special suite and upon getting to our room, we were disappointed.....lights didn't work, tv picture was like watching a snow storm, when having a shower it took 20 minutes for the tub to empty. We went to switch room and the room the offered us was even worse. We thought that after explaining to the manager at front desk that we brought down 58 guest with us that we should have had better room. Some friends of us paid extra to be on the Tropical site but ended up with the Cocotal side which was supposed to be cheaper. Other guest got to the hotel and were not even registered there. Other than that we lived with what we had and had a good time with the friends we were with. This was our second time at the Sirenis and once the renovations are done I am sure it will be a great hotel again, but we will not be going back......as for Trip Central we will not be booking with them again as many of our friends

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Amazing resort!!

The hotel grounds are clean and well groomed, the pool needs a bit of work but I heard they were going to be doing that soon. The animation staff made our stay amazing, they were so good with our son and with us, and truly made you feel like family. The food was also excellent and we always found something good to eat. This was our second time at this resort and we will be going back for sure.

Grand Sirenis Tropical Suites: Would never go back

Cold food that should be hot, stale bread, onsite timeshare salespeople were irritating, dirty, out of date rooms, construction noise the whole time we were there, 1 towel in room when there should have been 3 (we didn't know this and a 20 minute fight on checkout was the result). Chicken on the beach was good. Also, if I win the $500 gift card, I will be donating it to a local charity to raffle off. I will never book with Tripcentral again and/or recommend a friend, family member or enemy book  [... read more]with TripCentral. The booking process to get on my vacation was more painful than having a baby in the 1700's.

Bahia Principe Explore Legend: Amazing Resort for Familys

very nice rooms, pools, 24 hr room service was amazing, entertainment was great, lion king show the best, michael jackson show awesome, beach very crowded, preferred the pools, castles were disney like

Occidental Punta Cana: Beautiful Place, Bad Service

This resort and it's beach were undeniably beautiful. If a nice beach is a top priority, this was a great beach in DR. TONS of people selling; it was not very peaceful as you were constantly interrupted by someone trying to sell something. The A La Carte food was fantastic; the rest of it was not good and actually made me feel quite sick. Half renovated, half not. The renovated parts were very nice. The service left a lot to be desired. Do not waste your money on upgrades to premium anyt [... read more]hing because you don't get any better treatment. When we arrived at the resort at 1 in the morning, myself and 13 others booked through Transat were told the resort was full and they shipped us to another resort at 3 in the morning. Finally got checked in and into bed by 5 in a dingy room in a dark corner of a 3000 room resort. No apologies from our provider (Transat) or the resort itself. Nothing was done to remedy the mistakes made. I hate when people leave reviews that are only negative because this is paradise, how could it really be that bad? We had a few nice days in the middle of the week where nothing went wrong, and the resort as I said was gorgeous. Overall, I would do anything to get my $1400 back because I work hard for my money and it was wasted on these businesses. They provided poor service with awful communication and did nothing to compensate us afterwards. I did not even receive a response about our complaint until 2 months after we had returned. I wanted one night's worth of my trip refunded to compensate for the full day we were exiled from our resort, and they refused. I will never book through any of these channels again and I recommend others heed my warning. If you really like the look of the resort, take a chance and go for it, but don't book through these providers.

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Awesome Place

Had a wonderful time at this resort. The food was excellent, service was great. Rooms were clean. Loved the trolley as we were in the middle & a bit of a walk to either the beach or lobby. Everyone was so friendly & even learned some Spanish! Definitely would go again.

Viva Heavens by Wyndham: Good experience

Really enjoyed our stay at Viva Wyndham Heavens. Pros: Room-We had the amnesia junior suit, It was beautiful! Big king size bed, couch, walk in glass shower and balcony. Worth the upgrade as I heard people complaining about smaller rooms. Didn't have any problems with the water temperature but at one point our taps didn't work for about an hour. It was fixed quickly. Same with the phone it didn't work one evening but was back to normal the next day. Room was in section 1 facing the parking l [... read more]ot but with trees to hide the room from view. also mostly quiet at night so went to sleep easily. Sometimes noise when people arrive to the resort but nothing that disturbed us. The room was always very clean. Left a 2$ American tip per day to keep the cleaning ladies pleased. They even folded some of our shirts one day which was shocking. Very good cleaning service. Tip your maids each day not at the end! Food- it was okay, not bad for the price. Did not like any of the restaurants except Rosamarino (Italian). Go to V Kitchens buffet. Surprisingly it had the best food on the resort. Do not order any beef fillet it is a disgusting watery folded piece of meat that has the texture of squishy, rubbery fat like substance. Never had a cut of meat like that in my life. Did not get any food poisoning at all so food is safe to eat in my opinion. Staff- most of the staff were nice to us, did not have any problems with the entertainment crew that other people mentioned. Some staff seemed unenthusiastic, but personally I didn't care about that. Most of them were nice and friendly. No problems with anyone. A little bit of language barrier with night staff at the front desk but should have learned more Spanish since we are visiting their country and it is their main language. Very pleased with the service. Beach- water was amazing! Perfect temperature and waves were small. Kept it clean by picking up seaweed every morning. Would be nice to be provided umbrellas since the palm trees don't offer full coverage. Even if you manage to find a shady spot the sun moves so you have to constantly change locations to stay in the shade. Not a huge deal just something that would be a nice addition. The snack bar is convenient when feeling a bit hungry or thirsty. 'Passion Di Amore' drink was delicious! Very nice bar tenders. Can also take kayaks, surfboards and other water sports for free which is a nice addition. Volleyball net and games were fun as well. Vendors on the beach come by often but if you say no thank you they usually move on. Also, buy any excursions from the beach vendors not the hotel packages because they are way cheaper and you can haggle! Learned the hard way when we overpaid for an excursion through sunwing instead of a vendor. Also can go topless on the beach if you want since it is adults only. Pool- didn't spend much time in the pool but it was nice, never crowded. The foam party was really fun! Recommend attending it. Entertainment- really fun music and dancing at night and at the disco tech. There was also a majic show and live performance on some nights so the evenings were fun. Bar located right next to the pool which is nice. The cigar lounge is also close buy and has a nice selection of Dominican cigars and a cozy seating area. Went there to smoke and drink cappuccinos on rainy days. Excursions- catamaran was amazing. The crew were super nice and the snorkelling was fun. Went to 2 different places to snorkel and were provided with lunch. Really nice boat with area to sit/lay down and also shade to hide from the sun. Recommend doing it! Buggies was also very fun but take the super buggy not the four wheeler. The four wheeler sucks! It has no power, stalls and isn't fast. The super buggy is was more fun. Recommend going on this as well if you don't mind getting a bit muddy. Cons: Rooms- when it rained the water leaked through the window creases and onto the floor. It was only a couple small puddles but it shouldn't leak in the first place. The bathroom was always wet. The floor was contantly wet from condensation or leaking. Don't know where the water kept coming from because we put a towel on the floor during showers so not from that. Had to put towels on the whole floor so as not to slip. Mattress was a bit too firm in my opinion but that's subjective. Also never know what time the maids are coming so have to keep an eye out for them which can be inconvenient when you want your room cleaned but are currently using it. Again not a big deal would just prefer a more set time not 9-3 gap. Food- hated most of the retardants. Food was not properly cooked or recycled. Felt like it was the same dish at every restaurant using the same sauces and dressings on everything. Buffet is the way to go. Tipped 2$ American at restaurants. Beach- some vendors are a bit too pushy and don't give up easily. Again didn't bother me that much because I know they are just trying to make a living. But it is a bit annoying after a while. Also lack of umbrellas a bit inconvenient even with the palm trees giving shade. Excursions- haggle haggle haggle ! We overpaid a few times because we didn't use vendors or we didn't haggle enough. One couple paid 50$ while we paid 70$ for buggies. Be persistent. Also we tipped at the end of each excursion because they were good but that's optional. Make sure to put on and re apply lots of sunscreen! Got very burnt on the catamaran even with sunscreen so hide in the shade a bit as well when you can. All in all we had a fantastic time at this resort. Loved the room, loved the beach and loved the excursions. Make sure to haggle when you can! For the price we paid this trip was definitely worth and and would do it again. The food could be better but you get what you pay for. Great trip!

Grand Sirenis Punta Cana Resort: So So

Much farther away than I was expecting, booked last minute without any research so that is on me. Don't expect to do anything off the resort unless you want to pay $$$. Rooms definitely are dated and need immediate attention do not expect luxury or anything remotely luxurious. AC worked perfect in both my rooms. I had to change rooms due to water leaking from the ceiling, down the wall over the electrical outlets. It took hours dealing with this trying to explain to the front reception that wate [... read more]r and electricity do not mix and I didn't feel safe in the room. One side of the resort is undergoing renovations so one buffet and swim up bar is closed resulting in very busy buffet and bars etc. The beach was Ok with lots of loungers but many were in bad shape. Most of the food was edible but way to repetitive, fruit and vegetables were lacking in variety and freshness at least for my liking. There were mostly Russians on the resort so if your english speaking and hoping to meet others good luck with that. The gym is decent I went twice a day due to boredom lol. All in all I would say that for the money I paid there are better options out there. I would have rather spent a few hundred dollars more for a better experience. Weather was fabulous despite a pretty scary looking forecast before heading down. One last point I booked with sunning and flew out of Toronto. The rep in the resort was almost never at his desk and extremely hard to track down. Flight home delayed one and a half hours with little to no explanation and on a late flight home this was not very nice. Also because flight was at 930 pm I was picked up at 530 pm from resort. I had to check out at noon and there are no shower facilities or late checkouts available so you have to pretty much sit around all day waiting for the bus. A place to change and shower would have been amazing as I would have been able to enjoy the pool or beach.

Casa Marina Sosua Trademark by Wyndham All Inclusive: Resort was ok, Food was terrible

The grounds were amazing, location was great being able to walk into town. The staff are definitely over worked but we still managed to find a few that were very nice and helpful. Drinks were better at some bars than others. The food was terrible, no selections, even the a la cartes were not very good at all. The beach was nice but water is very rough, saw many people hurt by the waves. Would definitely return to Sosua but not the Casa Marina

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: So so

The resort was beautiful, but the bed was damp for the entire week of our stay. Even after talking to the maid, nothing was done . one day we did not have a comforter for our bed, another day we did not get restocked on coffee. Lots of bug bites all over my body. The food was great beach was beautiful and entertainment was awesome.

Bahia Principe Escape Aquamarine: Luxury Bahia Ambar Green excellent resort

This is a fantastic resort. I stayed here last year at the sister resort Ambar Blue and it is a fantastic resort as well. The beach and beach bar staff are great. The staff were constantly walking around taking drink orders from the resort patrons. There were plenty of loungers/chairs on the beach even though we always arrived at around 10:00am every morning. The bar staff were very efficient looking after orders from patrons. The liquor is top shelf with national and international bra [... read more]nds. The beer consisted of 2 brands and was/is very good. The rooms with the exception of one day, were cleaned day very quickly and efficiently. There were plenty of face, hand and bath towels left in the bathrooms everyday. The mini bar was stocked every day with water, pop, beer and mini bottles of liquor. The beds were a little hard but did not prevent us from getting a good nights sleep. There was a minor issue with the safe which was taken care of very quickly after a call to the service desk. With this resort, you can have a different a la carte restaurant every night. All of the a la carte restaurants were very good. The food was excellent with many different dishes to choose from and the service was excellent as well. We had the Dominican, French, Mexican, Italian, Steak, Japanese, and the buffet for seafood on Tuesday nights. There was some construction ongoing next door but it only occurred during the day and early evening and did not prevent us from getting a good nights sleep. We usually tipped the room cleaning staff, bar staff and restaurant staff for the excellent service. I would highly recommend this resort to family, friends, acquaintances, and even strangers.

Bahia Principe Grand Bavaro: great family vacation

The hotel met with most of our expectations. The food was good with a wide selection for everyone's taste. The beach was amazing and always a place to sit and relax. There was a pool to match your mood for the day, quiet, kids activities, party, music...something for everyone. The grounds were immaculately maintained and the shuttles ran like clockwork. It was huge so that did take a little time to find your way around. There was a lot of misquotes so make sure you take a lot of bug spray [... read more] with you. The lobby is open and not great ventilation so it is quite warm in there all the time. The air conditioner wasn't working our last 2 days there so that made for a very uncomfortable sleep since you couldn't open the door due to the bugs. Not a lot of evening entertainment after the show but we were fine with that since the sun seemed to make everyone exhausted by 11 anyway.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Fantastic resort

Hotel is very clean and grounds are well maintained. The restaurants are great and the food at the buffet was awesome. Great beach for snorkelling as there are a lot of reefs and you can walk on the beach for miles. It is a small resort so everything is very close so doesn't matter which villa they put you in. We are definitely going back to this one and we travel a lot, rate it 9 out of 10. Thanks Bill at trip Central for the recommendation!

Bahia Principe Grand Bavaro: Had a wonderful time Pros and Cons

What we like. We liked that we could book a al cartes ahead of time. Sandy Nichols of Tripcentral made those for us ahead of time, and we got exactly what we asked for. The grounds were meticulously maintained. The staff was always working to keep things nice. Great Palm trees, excellent powered beaches which were racked continuously to make our stay nice. The food was above average with lots of choices. The rooms were spacious and cleaned with care daily. We made some additional requests, and [... read more] they gave us what we asked for. What we didn't like. Vendors on the beach hovering. Vendors on occasion blocking the main path, so as to steer you to their tables. Had no trouble getting beach towels, but each time, they tried to sell you an excursion.