Occidental Punta Cana: Newly renovated, beautiful resort.

The grounds were well kept and the beach was gorgeous. I loved that it was newly renovated. They had nightly entertainment and a Disco as well. I had a spa treatment which was excellent. In addition to the expansive buffet, they had a range of a la carte restaurants to choose from.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Great vacation!

For the most part, really enjoyed the food and service was exceptional! The showers however, aren't the greatest and the beach water is quite cloudy and lots of seaweed. Loved the long walks on the beach and availability of lawn chairs! Volleyball was very fun as well... great size of resort...would recommend!!

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Decent Resort with Great Beach

The resort was decent and clean and the staff were friendly. The bar staff were great. We really enjoyed the beach, it's a beautiful beach that they keep very clean. I loved the huts on the beach, they were great for shade. The beach is protected by a reef so there aren't many waves, making it great for snorkeling and for kids. The Italian a la carte was the biggest disappointment, the food and service there was subpar. And the desserts at all 3 restaurants were subpar. Loved the sea bass cev [... read more]iche at the Octopus restaurant though. Overall it's a decent 3 star with a nice beach.

Catalonia Bavaro Resort: Would I go back? YES!!

We really enjoyed our stay at the Catalonia resort. We were a group of 17 people. My husband and I thought that the resort was rated and priced accordingly. If you are easy to please and easy going you will not have any issues here. We have no complaints only a few “preferences”. GROUNDS: Size and layout were good, we could easily walk to and from the lobby/beach from our room. The staff kept the grounds clean and well maintained. Some center pathways are dim at night. ROOMS: We were in [... read more] building 23 the garden side. Nice, clean and a fair size room. Hammock on the balcony is awesome. The water closet and shower (very small shower) were separate from the sink area, bonus for me. Hot water setting is sensitive, we thought we were out of hot water because if you turned the knob too far either way the water got cold again, no issues once we found the sweet spot. Large Tub is nice feature however we did not have much luck finding it’s hot water sweet spot. There were also many people who spoke of 'drips from the ceiling' when the room above them would take a shower. Not sure if it was a plumbing or condensation issue. BEACH: Nice and clean. Clear water, some corrals so you needed to pick your section if you wanted to be in water above the waist. We were always able to find chairs and shade, I recommend going early to reserve them with your towel. POOL: Really neat layout; shallow, deep, whirlpool... however something that annoyed me was that children seemed to gravitate towards the pool bar section since there is a shallow ledge in that area of the pool. Would of been nice if parents would prevented their children from jumping and splashing in this area. (There was plenty of room at the further side of the same pool). FOOD: Good for DR, always something to choose at the buffet, they even had a little kids section at the lobby buffet. Most dessert were mediocre but the churros were yummy. We also tried the a la carts, Caribbean, Italian, Japanese (Great show) and Steakhouse (really great tenderloin and NY). PUBLIC WASHROOMS: Further than what I prefer from the pool/beach area. BARS: Beach and Pool I would suggest sticking to basic ingredient drinks like beer, mojitos, slush and rum. The lobby bar is better equipped to make martinis, fancy cocktail and Caesars (pleased that they had generic clamato). ENTERTAINMENT: Fernando and his team were great to chat with, but the scheduled entertainment could use some help. I preferred the day activities over the night time shows. The evening show “Circus” show was good. LANGUAGE: I would strongly suggest learning some Spanish. The little that I do speak came in handy. We also found that they often understood French better than English since it is similar to Spanish. RECEPTION: No issues with Check in or Check out. We were able to change bigger bills for smaller ones most days. TIPPING: I know Tipping is “Included” but we gave them basic tips (2$ a day for housekeeping and a few small items, 5$ a day at the bars, 6$ a day at restaurants...) and it went a long way, we never had any complaints about any of our services. STAFF: If you find a staff member very helpful, take note of their name. After they get 10 “positive mentions” on the comments cards they get a day off. (Comments cards were handed out at the buffet on Thursday night). OVERALL: May not of been the best resort that I have even been to, but for the price and location it was perfect. Would I recommend? Yes! Would I go back? Yes!

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Just okay

We went on vacation to relax. It was very difficult to relax at this resort. Each morning we had to dodge the "hotel representatives" who aggressively follow you around, trying to sell excursions. Then you get to the beach, and instead of relaxing there, you have to fend off people selling you junk all day. The food wasnt very good, either. The rooms were basic at best. Would not go back. Nor would anyone we talked to. Big disappointment for sure.

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: “Very nice and helpful staff & chefs were amazing with my special dietary needs”

We arrived to a nice clean oceanview room. The maid surprised us with a nice romantic turn down service when she noticed I had a nice piece of lingerie I had takin out for bed time... Nice touch, my boyfriend was impressed! Food was great & the serving staff do not push for tips which is a big plus for me. Having been to Cuba a couple of times & find they are a bit pushy for tips. The organize tons of events for adults & kids. The nightly entertainment is great & your never bored. The beach l [... read more]unches are a nice touch as well. The guys by the beach that promote a market up the way are a little annoying, but just talk friendly and laugh & tell them your not interested and they will leave you alone. Another BIG plus is that there are security everywhere! Had a great romantic get-away for sure.

Riu Merengue: Muy bueno!!!

Gateway to Atlantis!!! This PARADISE has been carved out of the cliffs of larimar! The beaches is absolutely perfect! Little to no vegetation in the water! If it rains during the day, it's only for 5min and then it's bright and sunny! The food!!! We got 4 places to choose from and then 2 more at the other resort we had access to! Never bored, always something to do ( massages, spa treatments, kayaking, paddle boarding, ping pong, beach volleyball, just to name a few) the staff was very friendly [... read more] and giving, same with the market vendors. I went as a celebration for my 40th birthday and I think I will make an effort to visit every year!

Melia Caribe Beach Resort: Great time, beautiful grounds, but a bit too big for my taste

I should start by saying I traveled with my family of 5; my husband, 4 year old, 2 year old and 9 month old, and I specifically picked this resort as it is one of the ONLY resorts in the Caribbean that INCLUDES kids club for kids starting at age 8 months. The kids club was terrific. We also paid for evening babysitters and we had Cynthia each night and she was terrific and we fully trusted her. The hotel itself was beautiful and the grounds were impeccably maintained, but just when I compare it  [... read more]to other resorts I've been to (without kids) some comments I have are as follows: the pool was too deep - had to walk on tip toe to get to the bar, and could hardly drink your drink while standing in the pool (i'm 5'8); the only restaurant by the pool/beach/family rooms closed at 6pm, and it only offered a 'snack bar' dinner. If you wanted a the full buffet dinner (ie. With vegetables, desserts, grilled meats, etc.) you had to take the trolley/golf cart up to the main lobby (about 3-5 minutes depending on how many times you stop) and the main buffet only opened at 6pm. In theory that might not sound bad, but with small children it made it difficult to get a good dinner meal in when bedtime routine starts at 630ish. I was disappointed with breakfast, but was quite happy with the lunch and dinner buffets, and the a la carte dinners. Rooms were great, family rooms were large with a second area for kids to sleep - this area was part of the main room, but separated by drapes (sheers, actually - I would recommend switching from sheers to drapes for more privacy for parents). The resort was just a bit too big for my liking, as it was about a 10-15 minute walk to the restaurants and bars, all of which were up at the main lobby. Even without kids it just wasn't convenient to say 'let's go eat', or grab a drink...and the trolley/train that loops through the grounds doesn't seem to be on any schedule...it might be a 5 minute wait, might be 15 - although there were often golf carts that would drive by and offer to pick you up. I was also surprised that the dance club didn't open until 12am. Where I've been previously, it would open after the entertainment, at 1030 or 11, so that was a bit later than expected. But, there were some good options throughout the lobbies for entertainment - djs, live music, karaoke (too much in my opinion), salsa dancing, etc., and the traditional shows/nightly entertainment in the theater was less of a focal point. Overall the staff were friendly, but I didn't find that tipping either helped or hurt the service. Language was a bit of a barrier, which was to be expected. The kids had a great time, we had a great time, but I personally would select a smaller resort the next time around (assuming they have a kids club that works for all of my kids by the time we travel again!) thanks Melia for a great week!!!

Melia Caribe Beach Resort: Great Resort

Very nice resort. Rooms clean and comfortable. AMAZING pool, great buffet at beach, enjoyed breakfast and lunch here with amazing beach/ocean views. Reliable Wi-Fi throughout the resort. Main pool was great for kids. Pool was large with lots of fun areas. Lots of activities at pool and bartenders at pool were very good to make the kids mocktails. Recommend families stay in family section near beach and pool as resort is very large and staying far away from pool with kids would be difficult [... read more].

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: .....Get what you pay for

I am the easiest going, patient traveller and have no problem accepting some bad with the good when doing the all inclusive thing. Stayed at bahia principe in punta cana before and LOVED IT. I was hoping for a similar experience here, but I Was very disappointed with this resort for a few reasons. It was an all around "classless" "cheap" and "basic" holiday (for lack of a better description). Upon arrival we were met with mass confusion and staff screaming instructions at us over the extremely l [... read more]oud band in the front lobby. My first view of the jam packed lobby and people packed like sardines at the pool right next to it, turned me off immediately. The resort is in dire need of an overhaul. Although it was clean, it is a little run down looking. Rooms looked old, very small bathroom sink counter area, beds like cement, no water pressure in shower with was luke warm all week. Water dripped from the "rain shower" head. Brutal to try to wash hair! Bar fridge never got cold. Ac stopped working and we were told we had to wait for the technician. 3 hours later, we had to argue that we wanted to leave to have dinner and were told "no, you have to wait" Two small bars are definitely not enough for a resort of this size! Alcohol was the cheapest you can get, which I was prepared for. The gym was brutal!!!! We were exited to get up early each morning to spend 30 mins in there before each day, but one visit and we never returned. No ac....sparse, OLD, unsafe, broken equipment. Entertainment (which was unavoidable anywhere as it was ridiculously loud) was embarrassingly awful. Very tacky. For those who enjoy loud, tacky music at the poolside, you'll love it! But anyone hoping for a peaceful, relaxing time by the pool or beach, will not. Good points: the staff was generally fantastic: polite, friendly and helpful. The food was FANTASTIC! (Not the a la carte restaurants.....although the effort was there I suppose), but the buffet was great. Something for everyone and massive selection of fresh, good food. The beach was lovely! We heard complaints about darker sand and sandy water that you couldn't see through.......really!?? It was long, for nice walks and had an abundance of mature palms and tiki huts. Never an issue finding a spot. Always a nice breeze which made it comfortable to sit for a while in the sun. Staff worked hard at keeping it seaweed free each morning at 7am, which was impressive. Shops/markets at one end of the beach, but other than the odd shop keeper walking the beach to ask people to come and look, we weren't bothered by sales people. They were genuinely friendly and respectful. We definitely will not return, as other than beach and food, this resort seemed to cater to Those looking for very basic with no bells or whistles. I give this a 5 out of 10. Should be rated 3 stars at best!

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Great food and staff, but hard bed and dirty beach

My Husband and I stayed at the Grand Bahia San Juan, Dominican Republic from April 10 - 17, 2017. This resort is very well maintained, and from what we hear it is one of the first Bahia's to be built, but, you wouldn't know it, as the grounds and buildings are very well taken care of, with nice manicured lawns, lobby, service, etc.. as well as the staff that work here are all Amazing!!! The food at the Buffet is very good as well, with a different theme everyday " American, French, etc", bu [... read more]t there is always something for everyone. It has one of the better choices of food for all inclusives that I've been to. They have three a la cartes as well. The Mediterranean (which requires men to wear long pants to access), and two others that have no dress code, the Italian (which is not that good- everything is a little too salty), and the Japanese (which is really not Japanese food at all, with the exception of few sushi rolls at the salad bar) - but, that one is a lot better, with a nice view of the ocean. The complimentary house wine that you get everywhere is disgusting, So, if you like a decent glass of wine, spend a little and get a bottle, and you can take it back to the room with you or the lobby if you wish. They also had a lot of fun free activities on the resort as well. Like the mini-put course (which usually I find to be boring, this was actually quite a fun set up), they had bikes, basketball and tennis court, soccer nets, archery and a bunch of other daily activities. Also, they put on shows with the kids at night, and had their own Michael Jackson, and acrobatic shows which were well done and entertaining), they also had kayaks (single and double), as well as ski doos (should you wish to pay for a ride). The only major cons, that I would say for this resort, which are also the main reasons that I wouldn't go back or recommend this place are for one: the beds. They were, even after a few drinks, the most uncomfortable pieces of furniture that I have every had to sleep on. Like sleeping on concrete for 7 days. Let me tell you I was soooo looking forward to coming back home and sleeping in a comfortable bed, I was counting the days, lol! Another reason, is the beach - its awful. One of the worst beaches I've been too (and I've been to Dominican several times, as well as Cuba, Mexico, and Jamaica). I liked that it was long, and you could go for a nice walk, but it was pebbly, even further out, and I had to wear water shoes the whole time. Also, they have these huge concrete boulders further out, that prevented the waves from getting to high - but, you couldn't swim or walk very deep, or ride the waves, so that's a bit of a disappointment. Also, the sand is dirty, with lots of sticks, and debris in it, so the beach volleyball court never got any use, which is too bad cause I love beach volleyball, but it was like a death trap, with sharp sticks and rocks.. Also, the ocean water is dark and murky, not really what you would expect at a resort. People also said that there were sand flees on the beach, but I didn't bother to sit around long enough to find out. At least the pools were nice - they have three of them - and it is where we spend the predominant amount of time. They have a big, centralized one, medium and smaller, rectangular more private adult one. All in all, it was nice vacation, and I enjoyed getting away. Though there were many pros to this resort, unfortunately, for me the cons were ultimately deal breakers, and I wouldn't return for a vacation here.

IFA Bavaro Village: Relaxing, great beach

The beach was beautiful with lots of loungers and natural palm trees for shade. The drinks were fantastic. The food was ok, we enjoyed the buffet more than the a la carte restaurants. The lunch buffet at the beach was fantastic. The staff was friendly and tried their very best to understand english and our very limited spanish. There were not very many other Canadians or americans at the resort during our stay. Our room was nice, great water pressure in the shower. The air conditioner kept the r [... read more]oom cold but it also leaked. You have to ask the staff for bottles of drinking water if you want some for your room. I highly recommend the couples massage at the spa!!! If you want to buy souvenirs go to the vendors down the beach to barter. Offer half of their first price or lower, walk away if you still don't like the price. They'll let you know if your price is still reasonable.

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: great resort

Everything about this resort was great, the rooms, the food, the pools, the beach, and the staff. There were allot of stairs but they also had lots of shuttles to take you anywhere on the resort. It is $40.00 us to go to town and back, the driver stays with you as long as you are there and brings you back. The only negative that was no big deal was the bus shuttles we very narrow and had to get to the back if it was full. Loved everything about the resort.

Casa Marina Reef Resort: not bad for a three and a half star

we were pleased with the resort for the most part . I will start with the good . the grounds and pool area were clean and nice the resort is unique with all the little paths . the food was good we always found something to eat . I would go back to this resort if the price was right . now for some bad . we were with another couple their room was not bad . all rooms def need to be updated . we on the other hand had some issue , it took me almost 3 days to have my tv working , one  [... read more]bed was moved we were not sure why but then we relized there was a leak and was leaking on the bed ,np we were sleeping in the other bed , then I came up to the room and it was leaking on the other bed I was upset then and called the front desk and said I wanted a new room , she hung up on me !!!! I went down to the desk and expressed how upset I was to be hung up on and insited we have a new room . she said the maintence man had to go and inspect , I told her i wnated to see him in 5 min which i did long story short we had a new room within 15 min . this all could of been avoided if they just listened to me . the staff is not frendly at all , I am a good tipper and did not give out one tip for the week I was there I tip for fast friendly service and certainly did not get that . if you go to resort do not expect a 5 star but for the budget kind of person go for it

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: Not what we're used to

My husband and I stayed at the Cofresi Palm April 3rd to the 17th, 2017. If you have difficulty with steps this is not the resort for you. From our unit which was in building 207 it was 82 steps each day to the lobby and about 58 steps to the buffet three times a day. On the way there you had to cross a road with a ditch which had a pipe that carried the waste. The smell of raw sewage on the way to breakfast, lunch and dinner was over whelming. The pipe carrying the waste was broken open in two [... read more] places and was not repaired for our entire 14 day vacation. Our room was a bit dated with no pictures hanging on the walls and furniture that was in petty bad shape. There are no chest of drawers in any of the rooms. This makes it difficult to manage your clothing for two weeks. When we complained they informed us we got what we booked meaning a Standard room and not a Junior Suite. This was deceiving as the only pictures on their site when booking is of a Junior Suite so we expected something similar. We had warm water for two days and hot water for two days and the other ten days we took cold showers. I called about this issue but it took two days before we had our first day with warm water. The beach is very small so no long walks to enjoy. There are no huts on the beach but just above the beach area there are approximately 10 king size huts but you needed to down pretty early in the morning to reserve one of those. On a positive note we enjoyed the a-la-cart restaurants, especially the Italian, Mexican, Brazilian and the Asia. The food was really quite delicious. We met a number of really nice guests. The entertainment staff were great especially Chi Gua Gua (Carlos). We would rate him a five star. Our Transat rep was Freddie and he was friendly and helpful and acted on our behalf to try to get us a better room. The pool at our building was very quiet for the most part and is was easy to get a hut each day. Unfortunately the room issue, sewage smells each day and lack of hot water will keep us from booking at this resort again.

Majestic Colonial Punta Cana Beach Resort: Amazing resort

All accommodation, dinning, entertaining very good. Nice room settings, good overall cleanliness, lots of activities, very friendly stuff, ready to help and please vacationers. Good sports activities on the beach.

Vista Sol Punta Cana: great resort for the price.

The best part of this resort is the beach. Lots of shade if you want it, or not and great for swimming. I would rate this resort just short of a 4. No premium liquor and the showers could use an upgrade and some of the beds are very hard are a few of the draw backs. The little things that they don't have are. Face cloths not uncommon for Caribbean and kleenex. The pros good size resort, no line ups for food or drinks and the cleanest washrooms i have ever seen in any resort. I would go back to t [... read more]his resort if the price is right.

Occidental Punta Cana: This was a great hotel and the food, room, beach and staff were so good.

the dining room were good, but was not so happy with the Chine's one, to dark in side and the food, so so, went to the main dining room to eat after this meal that night. The rest of the dining rooms and food were very good, and I loved the beach dining room a lot.

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: Good resort

We thought the resort was good for the money.At first we had no air condition ,so they fixed it as the best that they could and the ceiling fan wasn't working at all,so they replaced that with a new one,which made all the difference in the world.The food was great ,the resort was very clean,they were always cleaning the floors and washrooms everywhere.Our room was good the maids did a great job daily with them,and they were very friendly.The only thing we would like to mention is that they seeme [... read more]d to miss us on filling up the fridge.I think they could put a bit more effort on to the beach as to raking the garbage that comes ashore with the waves and tide.My husband and I and a friend was walking the beach and we came across a shringe with the needle still intact ,my husband almost stepped on this,thank god he looked down if not he would have drove it in his foot.I'm surprised that someone never stepped on it before we found it as there was a lot of people walking the beach daily.They kept the grounds raked daily and clean.

Catalonia Bavaro Resort: Pretty Good Resort Except for the BOOM, BOOM Tech noise from Pearl Beach Club

We had a good stay here. The grounds were beautiful, the food was good , the rooms were clean even if well worn and the staff were helpful. Front desk excellent. Problem: Techno "club noise" at Catalonia's new adjacent Pearl Beach Club. The BOOM-BOOM sound permiated the entire resort. We had to change rooms as we thought we had a quiet room, BUT not so. We were moved to the other side of the property away frm the noise, but could still hear the very loud boom-boom music even with doors close [... read more]d. We visited the club and it was very modern with six HUGE speakers pointed in the direction of the Catalonia Bavaro .