Riu Republica: Girls "retreat" RIU Republica

Not your typical RIU if you have stayed at others in the past. If you read up on the resort before booking there should be no surprises. Keep in mind if you are planning on hanging around the "party pool" with swim up bar, there usually is quite a few very drunk stragglers at the end of the day and very loud. Some people never leave the pool bar all day! Likely should be called the "bathroom pool"! At least it is not connected to the activity pool and the servers were actually very attentive in  [... read more]fetching our drinks( more so if tips are involved). Smokers are very inconsiderate of who is beside them and where they are blowing their smoke.(pool, buffet, entertainment plaza, lobby). But then, it is not unique to this resort. Our girls group had a great time. We did not starve, there was aboundant food at the buffets, my least favourite meal was the only a la carte-steakhouse. The servers were very attentive. We tended to sit in the same areas and once they received a tip after our first meal, service was excellent. The staff are great and friendly. The entertainment team always encouraging people to participate, but they are not insistent. They also get the ladies and gents up to dance in the evenings. Rooms: we upgraded to courtyard but we overlooked the entertainment plaza area and were placed on the second floor. Our patio came out into the roof of the walking area on the main floor. I would suggest a higher floor request towards the beach/ pool area. The rooms are large and kept very clean. Our rooms usually done first thing every morning. Would I return again? Not my first choice. Would I recommend? Yes, if you are going with partying in mind and know in advance what to expect. The only unpleasant experience was the length of time from touching down on arrival to check in-- 3hrs. Beware if you are travelling on a Saturday morning flight!!! There are quite a few that arrive at the same time and the line up through entry tax station, then immigration is lengthy-have your forms filed in and ready when arriving. Your luggage is usually off the belt and waiting for pick up when done with immigration. Then the wait for all passengers on the bus, then hotel shuttle stops along the way!! On the return we were picked up at 8:40 and arrived at 10:15 with another long wait for Sunwing check in, then security and immigration. Very little duty free shopping time! I would suggest taking a taxi to and back from the resort if I were to do it again.

Dreams Onyx Resort and Spa: Beautiful resort

The rooms were big and bright but I did not enjoy the sandle wood scent. Great amenities and entertainment. There was and an excellent choice of food. The deserts were excellent and the food did not stay out for long.

Catalonia Bayahibe: Small resort. Ground very clean and well kept.

Very little English spoken which made it very hard to communicate to staff. Most guests were from France and Italy so Spanish, French and Italian was spoke including entertainment. I would say it was more like a three star resort definitely not a four star. It was a small resort and there were beach areas and a restaurant near the beach that was for privileged guests only. That was a huge disappointment especially considering the size of the resort. The Italian and steakhouse restaurants were b [... read more]oth good and you didn't have to reserve which was nice. The main buffet was not good. We went to the small lunch buffet which was nice. Would not recommend to our friends.

TRS Turquesa: Great Holiday

Beautiful hotel and grounds with the nicest beach - lots of palm trees and palm umbrellas for shade if wanted - the room was beautiful and very well kept by housekeeping - and having the swim up pool was a great treat! Staff were for the most part very friendly and helpful Food was typical for the Caribbean - service in the restaurants was spotty - you could be waited on by the minute or wait a long time for your table to be cleaned from the previous occupants. The resort is very spread out b [... read more]ut the mini train was great fun - hard to get in the rain though.

Royalton Splash Punta Cana: Awesome family resort!

A really relaxed vibe on arrival! The staff are very friendly, always smiling. The rooms were generous with space and updated. Grounds are gorgeous and the beach is beautiful. Food is good, great selection. Many pools and water park for the kids. If you like a quiet pool area stick to the one close the main lobby. Would definitely visit again next year.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Great Resort

We had a wonderful time....very clean, rooms were always spotless and we had the best cheery maid....the food was amazing, especially the a la cart restaurants!!! The beach was not the best although they did rake it in the morning...

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Fantastic resort

The hotel was beautiful, the property was well taken care of . The staff was very helpful if needed anything. They had great choices of food ..the waiters were amazing very hospitable. The nightly entertainment had a great variety. Always keeping you entertained. The beach party cookout was a nice surprise. The rooms were kept cleaned and well stocked. We would definately return..also recommend this 5*resort.

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: Nice Resort

The resort was nice, but check in was somewhat disorganized. People had rooms booked that weren't available, requiring the guests to bunk with others in their group until rooms became available. One person in our group had booked a superior room with accessibility for people with disabilities. She had paid a significant amount for the upgrade, but was given a standard room with no accessibility (no grab bars in the bathroom, bathtub which she couldn't access due to mobility issues, etc.). Sh [... read more]e was finally moved on day four into the room she had booked and paid for...this for a seven day booking. The other person (40 years old) in our group ended up having to share a room with her parents due to the resort having overbooked. Another family of five (not part of our group) ended up sharing a room because of overbooking. We found the staff in general friendly, and we did enjoy the facility once we settled in. If they can sort out their overbooking of rooms, I would recommend this resort. Otherwise, no.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Only worth it if you get it cheap

The grounds were lovely. Rooms somewhat dated but comfortable. Staff very friendly and helpful. Insufficient beach chairs for such a large hotel. People constantly searching for a beach chair or stealing your chair if you get up for a drink. Food not so great. Too salty also. Beach horrible. Water brown and full of sea weed. Will not go back.

Bahia Principe Explore La Romana: Fantastic vacation!!!!

Very impressed with the size of the rooms, cleanliness of the site and the great service. Staff was very polite. Enjoyed the buffets and restaurants, especially La Corales (Brazilian steakhouse). Pool was warm and there were always lounge chairs available somewhere. The beach was clean and we took walks every day. Not the typical blue water like in Punta Cana, the water was murky but clean and warm. Would definitely recommend this resort and would return.

Viva Heavens by Wyndham: Viva Heavens, Puerto Plata

The hotel is small and quaint. We liked it better than some of the very large resorts we've been to. Our room was beautiful. There is a sewage lagoon along side the walkway to the beach. It always had a gross sewage smell. That was a real turn off. You could see grey water flowing into it from the hotel. Something needs to be done to correct that issue. Staff was fabulous. Food was good. Not great but good. Beach area needs to be cleaned regularly. Plastic bags, plastic bottles, [... read more] cigarette butts and other refuse littered the beach area. Daily clean up would solve that problem. Many beach loungers were broken. A pocket full of small bolts, washers and nuts would solve that problem.

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Great Vacation!

Let start by saying this is a BIG resort. Covers a lot of real estate with 4 different sections on the property. With that said getting around was not too difficult with trams running throughout the resort. The timings for these trams where not consistent in fact sometimes it was quicker to walk to the beach than wait for the tram. The food was very good at all the locations we visited however the a la carte's were a mix of buffet (salad and desert) and sit down dinners (main course) something [... read more] that we did not expect. The Ambar green area which we stayed in was very nice, ground well maintained and very clean. Big pool area with a good bar, they had entertainment most afternoons for this area. The beach area was very nice with lots of cots but you had to be early to get close to the beach. Located on the Bavaro beach, you can walk for KM in either direction which was very nice. The check in process was done very well however we did not get what we requested when we booked the vacation, 2nd floor looking over the pool. We got bottom floor at the end of the Ambar green. Although not happy with the location originally, it turned out to be central to the resort which made it easier to get around. The room was large and clean and certainly met our expectations. The only downside was that we arrived in La Romana vice Punta Cana. The upside no long lineups for customs, the downside was the extra 50 minute drive to the resort. Overall a great stay and we would return in the future.

Casa Marina Reef Resort: Animation staffs make the difference

Travelled with my husband and 2 daughters (4 and 2 years old). The staff from animation team are really awesome (specially Wilki). The girls from the Kids Club (Scarlett and the one giving bracelets to my daughters) were extremely great. All of them played, looked after and payed a lot of attention to us and to my kids. They make us feel really happy and relaxed. Bravo for the animation team!! The bartenders at the jacuzzi area are very rude and serve you with bad manners, also speak spanish a [... read more]t the customers back complaining all the time. Rooms are very clean and food is really good. My husbands cell phone was stolen at the bar by the disco and a towel at the pool. Umbrellas at the beach are not included. Have to pay cash to get one.

Grand Palladium Select Bavaro: Good Resort

Our room was excellent. The only problem we had was getting English channels on the TV. The food was good in all the places we went except for the Bavaro buffet and they weren't able to keep the food hot. Overall the resort was very good!

Casa Marina Reef Resort: Worth the money

Great beaches, great pools, but mediocre rooms. We switched to ocean view midway through our trip. View is the only difference between rooms. The great view comes at a cost though, as most of the resorts activities are located right outside your room, so unless you're a party animal dont expect a quiet nights rest. Phones were broken in both rooms we stayed in and were never fixed, so when our towels were taken we had to walk to the lobby and then wait twenty minutes for them. Air conditioner le [... read more]aked water on the floor in our ocean view room and was never fixed. Our ocean view smelled like cigarettes. Food wasn't terrible, but as a vegetarian, pasta comes a bit repetitive after the 3rd day. You can expect the same food every day at every meal time. Prepare yourself to be harassed by staff members to buy excursions, souvenirs, photos and hair braiding multiple times a day. They set up tables on vendor night right infront of the buffet hall so getting to dinner is an obstacle. Not enough umbrellas or beach chairs. Staff was friendly, property was clean, resort only a ten minute drive from airport.

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Loved it!

Beautiful, well kept hotel. Huge but easy to navigate with trolleys. Good food. Comfortable rooms. Friendly staff. Good entertainment. Crowded beach but nice area. Lovely pools. I would definately return to this property.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Beautiful resort!

We had a great time at Bahia Principe! The resort was clean and comfortable. The pools were amazing and the staff were extraordinary! I would recommend this beautiful place to anyone for their vacation.

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Excellent Resort

The Grand Bahia Principe Punta Cana Resort was excellent. The rooms were very nice, food at the main buffet was really good with lots of selections. The resort grounds were spectacular. The service was excellent. We were greeted with smiles from everyone every day. The beach was nice but was crowded. We will definitely go back and strongly recommend to all. A good value for the price.

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: very nice resort

very nice resort. don't worry about the size. the shuttle is amazing. food at the buffet was the best. ala cart was so so. rooms are clean and service cleaning rooms was always very well done a timely. The gold service was worth the money, but don't expect much from the gold service staff. always felt like i was an inconvinience. BIG BIG shout out Nicole Kirk our travel agent. we had a few issues and she was extremely helpful even though it was not her fault. i would highly recommend her as y [... read more]our agent.

Majestic Colonial Punta Cana Beach Resort: Nice Resort

The rooms are very nice, cleaned every day. Front desk was helpful and all staff were friendly. Only issue that we had was the loud noise above us sometimes during the day and all night. We had emailed six months earlier asking specifically for a room that we had before but there was no guarantee, with that much notice they should have been somewhat accommodating. The music in the evening was extremely loud. The entertainment at the pool was very loud as well. It seems like when they speak [... read more] into their microphones they are yelling, nothing can be understood.