Occidental Punta Cana: Had a good time but would not return or recommend

The hotel is nice enough , pools great, beach beautiful. How ever it lacks decent staff. There were a few who were really good but not many. Our maid service was terrible, from not cleaning room one day , we had no towels or water one day. Had two beer in fridge day we arrived and never had more. Minor i know but little things like this is reasons we would not recommend . Bar at beach was always lined right up , took forever to get a drink. Buffet was typical , wouldnt go hungrey.

Grand Sirenis Tropical Suites: Nice Resort

I found the hotel management very poor Their like of interested in providing people with all the information when registering (IE beach towels internet access) was non existent. We were three days in before we saw any beer in our fridge and only got that after we went asking. We were also suppose to get 3 ala cart meals we didn't any. We were told upon arrival that all ala cart restaurants were booked. I believe that unless you sat through their sales pitches you were not getting them. These we [... read more]re common complaints from most people we talked to. We heard of a case of food poisoning that cost the patient over $1000.00. Another couple that were on the same flight the women twisted her ankle getting off the bus and they received little or not assistance from management. When they asked one of the cart drivers if they would give her ride back to their room they were told members only. We found restaurant and bar staff excellent and very friendly

Majestic Colonial Punta Cana Beach Resort: Rated properly at 4 1/2 stars

Grounds are beautiful as is most of the hotel, grounds and beach. Rooms are showing a bit of wear and tear. We had booked the Majestic Colonial Junior Suite with Jacuzzi. When we arrived we were told we were being upgraded because the resort thought we would like another room more than the one they had assigned us but we would not be in the Colonial section but would have use of all the benefits. We were also given a $200 credit. Actually the resort had over booked the Colonial Section we f [... read more]ound out later. The room we got was very noisy and not very nice. When we complained we were moved to a better room. Not at all impressed with the Le Gourmet restaurant. Buffet was the best we have seen and the Seafood and Steak restaurants were good. The Japanese restaurant requires you to scream and yell under the direction of the shelf. Patrons should be advised of this before they book. Activities on the beach and at the pool are very loud ..not sure why...people running them blast the sound beyond requirements even for us that like loud music. It was very difficult to find quiet. The Colonial pool were very noisy because of wedding parties. Staff were amazing and extremely helpful. Not sure I would return for the money paid.

Sunscape Bavaro Beach: A really nice resort

We travelled here on Feb.11-21st, 2017. There were some mixed reviews but you can't please everyone. This is a lovely resort that was re-opened by Sunscape in December 2016. Apparently this area was hit be a hurricane in October and the beach has definitely suffered. They have these huge geotobes, which are eyesores, to prevent further erosion but it is fine to swim just not pretty for pictures. However, if you walk either way 2 minutes and the beaches are stunning. They don't allow you t [... read more]o reserve chairs before 8:00 a.m. and if you do they take your things to lost and found - gotta love that. You really don't have to reserve chairs as there are plenty. The Sunscape Bavaro Beach and The Sunscape Dominican Beach are on the same property so there are chairs are all over the place. Rooms: We loved our room - king bed Housekeeping: Excellent Food: My husband really enjoyed the food but I actually became very ill 3 days in. I had some caesar salad at the steakhouse and I think that was the culprit. I never eat lettuce or uncooked veggies when in any of these countries but I made a mistake. So, most of my time was spent on the balcony. I had to make a trip to the medical clinic and unfortunately had to go to the hospital to get IV fluids and blood work and turned out to have a bacterial infection/travellers diarrhea. The hotel actually sent someone from the hotel with us and she waited till we were done and went back with us. Her name was Patricia and I have to give a shout out to her. So it was a very expensive day for us and made me sick to think we had spent good money and I couldn't enjoy anything but the last day. A word to anyone booking in these countries - brush your teeth with the bottled water even though they tell you it is okay to brush your teeth with the tap water. I was told by the physician at the hospital that you should always brush your teeth with the bottled water. I would also suggest that people come with antibiotics packed in there luggage as a preventative measure. I had a co-worker that also just came back from another spot in the Dominican and she took Dukarol and she still got sick on her last day but she started the antibiotics right away. I have to say the people at this resort really do care that there guests enjoy. i was even offered room service at no charge because I was so unwell. However, I was feeling 99.9 percent better so that I could enjoy my last day on the beach. Thank God it didn't rain that day as out of the 10 days we had four days of rain. We purchased the wifi for the week and then had to renew another three days. The prices change with whomever you speak with which I thought was kind of odd. My husband spoke to one guy and he gave a price so we waited till our regular guy was back on the desk and he gave us a better deal. I believe it was 80.00 for the week and it was really good. It even worked on the beach. Face Time was not that great but that takes up more bandwidth but speed wise for email it was great. Building 11 is the best. Anything for rooms 11211 and higher are the best as you are close enough to the lobby but not too close. If we went back there we would request this area for sure. They have a 24 hour coffee bar and that was a godsend for me. You can get get all kinds of specialty coffees, Twinning tea and some chocolates and sweet and the staff are super sweet. The only bad thing about this hotel was that in the lobby, they had these ridiculous bean bag chairs. Anyone 50 plus who got in one of those, never got out without making a total fool of themselves. They definitely need to get rid of those. Maybe they had them when it was another hotel. The beach towel service was fabulous. They were open at 8:00 and you didn't need a ticket. Before I forget, you also didn't need armbands - wonderful. A la carte restaurants - You didn't need reservations. However if you were not there by 6:15 p.m. you would have a two hour wait. Buffets - The Sunnyside Grill was by the beach and they would have a big paella going. It was smaller than the main buffet but outside they were grilling burgers and sausage. My husband had a burger almost every day and enjoyed it. They also had a pizza bar by the main pools and it was constantly busy. It looked good. I think this is it. I would go back here but a little scared at the moment to do that. Maybe next year.

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Great time at the Ventana

Nice hotel, nice beach, staff and food great. We were at the quiet pool building overlooking the pool. If you have a room on other sides it is close to roads so don't know if an issue or not. Getting a chair not that big a deal, we always got one on the beach, and pool later in the day. Only complaint I'd have is the entertainment. At night other than 2 (more professional shows) one on the beach the entertainment was the audience. Kareoke, Mr and Miss Ventana etc. It was fun but I'd [... read more] prefer "real" shows - heard that the Iberostar has great shows every night.

Grand Sirenis Tropical Suites: Such Great Service!

First time at this resort but it won't be the last. Every single employee at this resort was all about customer satisfaction and did it with a smile. The grounds were kept immaculately and were absolutely stunning. Our room was a little outdated but still it was clean, comfortable and spacious. The layout of the resort was great, it was a five minute walk to the beach/pools or a five minute walk to the main lobby/buffets. Speaking of food, I gained ten pounds that week and as a very picky ea [... read more]ter that is hard to do! There was was always something to eat and the quality was much better than most places I have been. Fresh fruits, meats, bread, and lots of delicious desserts made it hard to go hungry. I can't wait to go back soon! I almost stayed another week. Still dreaming of my return!

Bahia Principe Explore Turquesa: Huge resort but very clean

Great resort, very clean and tidy. No large crowds and we always managed to find pool/beach chairs. The Japanese ala carte is the best by far, make sure you don't miss that one. I would recommend!

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Beautiful place!

What can I say...great food, great service, beautiful beach and cold drinks! we really enjoyed our stay and did not want to come home. The staff was friendly, although they did not understand much English, but they got want we meant with a few hand gestures and pointing..

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Great vacation

Fabulous trip, just one complaint, I didn't go for 2 weeks. Food, beach and staff were amazing, absolutely no complaints. Easy check in and out. Pleasant trip from airport, check in on bus, so when you get there you are ready to go to your room. It is very relaxing, slow paced vacation. We did go whale watching through the hotel and it was great. Saw quite a few whales, amazing!

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: Room for improvement

Overall had a great time at this resort, but there were definitely a few things that could be improved (a vacation is what you make it after all)...we certainly wouldn't choose this one again. Not having 24 access to at least some light food snacks was difficult. Our arrival to the resort was 10 pm and by then, all the buffets and dining areas were closed. Luckily, and the ONLY time we were able, we got a shuttle to the VIP area called Blue Lagoon where they were still serving drinks and some [... read more] American food to grab before bed (at no other time were we permitted in the VIP for food or drinks). Upon getting up a little later the next day, we discovered we had missed breakfast. Again, having set meal times was a pain when we had no idea that's what we were expecting. The front desk did not convey the info upon arrival and we didn't read our pamphlets left in our rooms as soon as we got there to know about the scheduled eating times. This lack of communication brings me to the next disappointment regarding just that - lack of communication with the staff. Most of them had difficulty understanding our queries and just sent us on several wild goose chases just to get rid of us (as confirmed by our Air Transat rep "Freddy" - MUST SAY, FREDDY WAS VERY HELPFUL DURING OUR STAY). Next issue that was a bummer was the feeling that we got jipped on the "all-inclusive" aspect of our stay. Beer, rum and soda were not replenished and restocked in our fridge on a daily basis. A "gift" of a couple bottles of soda and 1 bottle of rum were in our rooms on arrival, but not after that. Trying to get around this by getting our Bubba thermos filled with rum to take back to our room on the days following also proved difficult. Bartenders weren't keen to give you too much booze to take back to your room and even if they did, you would also need to get your thermos of soda to take back too - very inconvenient. Water was also an issue in that you got your first 2 small bottles on arrival and were expected to fill them up yourself throughout that day at various bar and buffet locations. I feel that plentiful water bottles with unbroken seals should have been placed in the fridge daily. Filling them up on your own from various reservoirs sometimes left the drinking water with remnants of other juices in your refill...YUCK (I assume sometimes the staff were using pitchers that maybe had a wee bit of juice left in them). The last item of complaint would be the sewage smell. We had read quite a few reviews about it and David from Tripcentral advised there could be an odour, but it was not too likely as it wasn't the rainy season when we would be attending the resort. The smell was definitely there, everyday and was tolerable, but it was there. Other than those items the grounds were really well looked after as we saw gardening staff pruning everyday and there were lots of pools and chairs to choose from which was nice...the beach was also well kept and lovely. Attending the shows was sometimes a bit confusing due to the language barrier and so after seeing a couple we just did not attend any further. The resort was quite large and it took us a couple days to navigate (alot of stairs to contend with which wasn't an issue for us, but I hope elderly folks do their research before going to Cofresi). We weren't fans of having to be shuttled to other buffet areas so we just stuck to The Pearl and to Cofresi for the most part. Again, had a great time relaxing, but these are a few area that in our opinions could definitely be improved upon. :)

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Wouild go back!!!

Starting with Melanie from trip central she did everything she could to accommodate all 8 of us. This trip was the best ever. The hotel was absolutely beautiful and very clean The Food was amazing everything including steak! There was nothing missing even ketchup. All the staff were friendly and the beach was wonderful and warm, pool area was well looked after and they even had free sushi a the pool bar some days.

Sunscape Dominican Beach: Amazing Resort! Don't listen to the negative reviews ;)

We just returned from the Sunscape Dominican Beach Resort, Punta Cana. We stayed from February 14, 2017 to February 21, 2017. We have NO complaints about the resort. Check-in was a little slow, but other than that, the week was wonderful. The grounds are beautiful and kept immaculate. The rooms were spacious, modern and clean. The bathrooms were modern with big walk-in showers with rain shower faucets. We never seen one bug the entire week - no ants, no cockroaches, nothing. There were a [... read more] few mosquitos, but that's normal and bug spray kept them at bay. There was always a big variety at the buffet restaurant(s) and easy to get snacks or a quick lunch - the pizza shop and burgers and hotdogs on the beach were great. We also ate at the grill by the pool some days for lunch. The beach has eroded some from the storms. but nothing major to stop you from enjoying the water. The ocean was warm and if you walked a little to the left or to the right of the main area of the beach, the beach was flat and beautiful. The staff were friendly and service was great. We always enjoyed our cappuccino in the Coco Café after dinner that also offered some very yummy deserts. Our rooms were kept very clean and the bar fridge stocked daily. Would definitely recommend this resort and will definitely going back. No one had stomach issues. The hotel supplied plenty of bottled water for you to drink in your room and to brush your teeth. The restaurants and beach bars made drinks, ice, etc. from bottled water.

Grand Sirenis Tropical Suites: Sirenis Tropical Suites

Overall good hotel, dated a little,very spread out so lots of walking! Very large pool that mostly is 6.5' deep, in need of some repair came across multiple places that were missing tiles, lots of entertainment from the staff everyday,beach was good, no shells, good selection of a la carte, main buffet never let us down,

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: great family resort.

I stayed early February and it was pretty amazing. The staff were friendly and the food was great especially the Mediterranean restaurant above the pool bar. It was the best snack bar I've been to with crisp fries, wings and ribs with HEINZ ketchup. I was a bit disappointed that the room fridge was stocked with Coors light and not Presedente beer. Half cans at that. The only downside to the beach was that there were only cabana's for shade that housed 4 loungers and the tree line didn't go very [... read more] far out on the beach if you were looking for shade by yourself. They can be easily saved by 8am but if you are a couple or alone it seems unfair to do so. The pool shade is adequate but be early (6am) to get one. There was no swimup bar and that really fine with me. Service was quick. If you like to gamble the Kviar Casino/disco is right there. Not part of the resort so drinks $$$$. The dance bar is enclosed with AC and opens to the lobby or an outside terrace. Very nice. The nightly shows were a bit different from other resorts I stayed at in the area. It was a nice change. The entertainment team wasn't that great in getting ppl together during our rainy days. The bed was firm but comfortable and the pillows were a dream. Be careful of the shops on site. a bit pricey but go to the right on the beach for about 15 mins and you can get your stuff almost 1/2 price. Another thing is the vendors on the beach stayed at waters edge and there was maybe only 4-5. They weren't on the beach bothering you like horseflies.

Casa Marina Reef Resort: Nice resort.

The hotel was very nice. Room was ok, could use updating but was kept clean. I went this past week of Feb 14th and it was very very busy. People were saving lounge chairs and not using them. Had to lay on the ground a few times. The beach was also very wavy and red flags up all week. A little dangerous to swim. The entertainment was also very late we thought. Started at 9:45 at night and went until 11pm most nights. Food was good, a good selection. Mostly all staff members were very nice and fri [... read more]endly. A la carte restaurants were amazing. Only real issue was the late entertainment times and not having enough chairs at any pools or the beach.

Bahia Principe Explore Legend: Good Resort for Families

New resort with good rooms. Friendly staff. Good food and services. The only inconvenience is that is around of 5 to 10 min walk from the beach. Esmeralda should be opened back to families considering that on the site are other adults only resorts to provide an option for the families with kids to be closer to the beach.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Beautiful Resort

The staff was very friendly although there English was limited they were helpful and happy. The resort was clean and well kept and with beautiful surroundings very lush and tropical. There was lots to do with activities always on the go. The food was very good with lots of variety.

Royalton CHIC Punta Cana: Just a nice looking resort, not much else.

Well, we just got back from the Chic Punta Cana........ The review we read before booking the trip is way over the top of what we actually experienced. First disappointment was where were the waterslides I saw on the website! You need to be a Diamond Club member and the shuttle takes you there. That "perk" should never have been displayed. The same goes for the Mermaid pool! Need to be a DIAMOND CLUB MEMBER! Where are the fancy looking desserts? Probably at the other restaurant you need to pay [... read more] to get in. So much for ALL INCLUSIVE! Was there anything good? Not crowded, no KIDS, lots of loungers, activities put on by staff to engage vacationers. All staff members were super in looking after our needs. Noticed, I did not mention the food, I really don't want to talk about it, had way better for a lot less. The Luxury room is as pictured, very clean, bright and the bed was very comfortable for a good night sleep. Just a day before leaving, our butler told us we can get the Diamond Club next time we come for free. All we need to do is listen to the presentation. So, Ok we start walking towards the Travel Smart office, I said to the butler (suddenly he's a salesman) I've already been there, its a TIME SHARE. We sit down and the "Pit Bull" tries to get us to buy. He lost. Be careful, these type of people can cost you your life's savings. I'm surprised the Royalton name was associated with this "scam" Weather was good for most part, rain in the morning then HOT! The beach was clean, but the surf's to big for safe swimming. The pools were cleaned daily, but a bit chilly in the morning, until later the afternoon when the sun warmed the water then people ventured into the pool.

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Very good

Every think about this hotel was exelent thanks good food service was very good too nothing bad about this hotel just like home I will go there again and again and again and again very warm I'm winter too staff very good booking was very help full my needs were taken care off by the lady that booked my trip too

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Great resort

The Gran Ventana is a great 4 star hotel. I stayed a the catalina block . I reserved a superior room royal all inclusive that is worth it. Everything was near us. The beach was nice . Some weeds at some areas. Vip areas was great. Pool was ok but me an my wife prefer the beach . All 3 a la carte restaurants were nice. Preferred the Italian then octopus and last ocean grill. Cafeteria was very good. The chicken is really good. Did not see any shows we were in bed at 21:00 . Little shopping mall i [... read more]n walking distance. Took many walks on the beach up to 3 times a day. Over 1 kilometers each time. I would go back .