Occidental Caribe: Good resort with some needed improvements

Overall, we had a great week celebrating a 60th birthday! Bad: The check-in. Even though we had an infant and a 9 yr old with us, it took over 5 hours to get our room: We arrived at 2PM and asked to have our room side-by-side as we had reserved 2 rooms. We were told our rooms would be ready by 3:30 PM and this seemed reasonable. However, after 5 hours of waiting, we got rooms in the same building but on 2 different floors and one of the rooms had not yet been cleaned. Let's say we lost our [... read more] first day of vacation and started it with a sour taste. Rooms. Rooms are in much need of love. We had two bathrooms; in one the shower did not work and in the other, the bathroom. The beds are old and not very comfortable. But we are not the type to spend much time in our room so we enjoyed the good weather and the beach. Good: Service is amazing! Beach is absolutely breathtaking Food is very good Grounds are beautiful and well kept At the price we paid for Punta Cana, we would go back to this hotel.

Riu Merengue: Enjoyable last minute vacation

Clean hotel with well maintained grounds. Friendly and helpful staff. We had a slight hiccup at check in, they couldn't find our reservation. Instead of making us wait the front desk suggested we go have lunch while they sorted it out. Even off the resort the friendly staff recognized us and gave us some helpful advice.

Bahia Principe Grand Bavaro: Great place to stay !!!

We were pretty pleased with everything. Excellent food at buffet. But only downfall with restaurants was they were too busy, and could get any reservations before 10pm. But really the buffet is all you really need. Staff is very friendly and always go out of their way for you ( tipping them well helps). Room was clean. Lots of hot water. Only downfall with the room was the bed was TERRIBLE. stiff as a board. Other than a few minor things, we will definitely be returning next year with [... read more] our kids. Tons of options for kids !!! We wish they were with us on this trip.

Riu Republica: fabulous beach

Loved the beach and waves lots of fun. Food good ,staff was friendly and accommodating Good selection of excursions .................................................................... .........m..

Royalton Punta Cana Resort: Perfect Place for a Destination Wedding

Food was delicious. Got married here and tge onsite coordinator Yenifer was amazing, my wedding day was absolutely beautiful and exceeded my expectations. Had a group of 40 friends and family travel with me, and they all loved the resort. Great for kids, singles and families. I would visit this resort again in a heart beat.

Occidental Punta Cana: Beautiful beach

We were disappointed in the service at this resort. We did not get our request for second or third floor with king size bed. We were given first floor and had ants! Took three days to get moved, and were given two double beds. The preferred club was not honoured. Constantly being bothered to buy something excursions etc. They try and trick you into buying time share. Service very slow.

Grand Palladium Palace: 2nd Time Around

This was our second visit to the Grand Palladium Palace Resort & Spa. They had made a few changes since our first visit 2 years ago. We really enjoyed the upgrades to the lobby area, the pool area, and the room was very nicely decorated. The only thing we didn't like about the changes was the setup of the room with the bathroom enclosure: we could see privacy being an issue for some people with the frosted glass partition and, as we'd read in many previous reviews, there was a lot of water t [... read more]hat leaked from the shower into the bed area. Aside from that, we have only positive things to say. The restaurants were consistently delicious and had great options, we found different things to eat at the buffet every breakfast/lunch/dinner that were equally delicious. Loved the easiness of grabbing a hotdog from the cart around the pool or grabbing some fries and fried chicken at the beach snack bar. Also loved the late-night snack offerings in the sports bar--perfect after a night of drinking and dancing in the disco or lobby. Staff are overall amazing, friendly and efficient, from the waitstaff and bartenders to the gardeners, maids, and entertainment team. They made our stay feel like home and like a lot of fun. We love the size of the Palladium complex. We like to stay on the resort for the entirety of our stay and the amount of available activities onsite really added to the fun of our week. Almost every day we took a break from the pool or beach and either participated in pool games or went to the sports center to play basketball or tennis. One of our favourite activities was renting bikes for $5USD each: because the complex is so huge with so many pathways, it was really fun to tour it that way. Another favourite activity was the spa... We spent $10USD each to use the spa facilities, which included cold and hot pools, a sauna, an ice room, steam room, relaxation areas, and an area to apply your own mud/clay bath. The overall resort is beautiful and Bavaro Beach can't be beat. Even though it might be busy, there are always loungers available and lots of shady spots under the beautiful palm trees. You could walk the beach for hours if you wanted to. We would definitely recommend the Grand Palladium Palace to people who enjoy a great, fun, relaxing vacation with good food and service.

Vista Sol Punta Cana: Great beach location.

This resort has lovely kept grounds, and very clean rooms. The food was mediocre,and the Gourmet restaurant had a very limited menu. The nightly entertainment could be improved. The beach was excellent and well kept.

Melia Caribe Beach Resort: Great resort

Had a great trip ,stayed for 9 days the food was great at the buffet and in the restaurants (gourmet was our favorite) ,no reservations required for dinner in the evening this was a added bonus ,the grounds were well manicured ,the staff were friendly and very helpful,no issues on this trip

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: Riu Bachata

grounds; well kept, clean and tidy public areas: washrooms clean. WI FI only available in lobby. smoking in lobby and entertainment area was overpowering for us non-smokers rooms; clean and tidy dining: except for first day raw hamburger and tough steak at the buffet, food was good. Unfortunately, fruit was tasteless unlike what one would find on a cruise or home for that matter. entertainment. good for the most part. the "Mister" program and "Married couples" program were both raunchy and i [... read more]n poor taste. Glad didn't have children there. No swearing just very suggestive actions.

Bahia Principe Explore Legend: Bahia Principe Fantasia review

Beautiful resort, well manicured grounds, very visually appealing. Awesome selection of pools and grounds to walk on. Beach is a too crowded. Service excellent. Food was great although some confusion over reservations.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Will not recommend this resort

The most disappointing trip I've ever had and I travel a lot. Beach is covered in seaweed, water is cloudy and murky, we were severely bitten by sand fleas in just 30 min that we spent walking on the beach. We look like we have chicken pox. Food is scarce and monotone, we ate pasta and French fries all week with occasional broccoli or cauliflower and it was a treat! Entertainment and night shows were ridiculously boring and amateur. Room was ok, few giant roaches, half of the lights were n [... read more]ot working. Water pressure is the worst I've ever experienced - it took me over 30 min just to wash my hair, and it's only shoulder length. Activities are horrible - we had 11 people signed up for archery and only 1 bow! Same with mini golf - only 2 clubs. And yes, one of the worst nightmares - no normal coffee. I'm not totally spoiled but when I have to wait 40 min in line for self served coffee from the machine and get hot water or warm milk instead of cappuccino or espresso, I'm really disappointed. Staff is not very helpful, we never got a blanket for my daughter that was not provided to start with, and I asked for it 4 times. Quite often at the buffet we were not even offered water or wine, nothing. And when it says that the drive from the airport to the resort is only 60 min - we were on the bus with no toilet facilities for almost 2 hours because they go to other resorts too. Overall, I would not recommend this place to anyone. Avoid at all

Royalton Punta Cana Resort: Beautiful resort

We enjoyed all of the facilities at the resort. The staff were all very friendly and helpful. The wedding was lovely and well organized. The beach party was one of my favourites. The beach was well looked after. We enjoyed the food. Our favourite was the Japanese restaurant.

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Dissapointed

The pools were great..a little cool but refreshing.The beach was over crowded...went one day early in the rain to get a chair.second time wasn't able to find chair.the beach is too small for that large resort..very disappointing. The grounds are beautiful ,very well maintained.Difficult to communicate as they are not fluent speaking in english.Buffet was small and poor section in food. Again over crowded...if you don't get there first thing it is cold and picked over.

Punta Cana Princess: perfect resort

As usual the resort was great, the service was excellent and the staff make you feel very welcomed.We have been at the resort for the past ten years and intend to go back next year. The food is very good especially the chicken and the pork chops, the beef as everywhere on the island is a bit tough. Fruit and vegetables are aplenty and very fresh.

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: good time!

Just got back from the Confresi Palm and had a great time! The resort is very large and a lot of steps! Good was quite good for Dominican standards and the ala carte restaurants were very good. The biggest downside in my opinion is the beach. It is very small and very crowded with no shade. Have been to much nicer beaches in the Dominican. Overall would rate this resort as good value for the money.

Catalonia Bavaro Resort: Excellant Resort

The Catalonia Bavaro Resort was beautiful. Very well kept grounds and the accommodation were lovely. The pool area is the fun zone and the staff keep you engaged. Weather in January was fabulous 27-30 Celsius every day. Well worth the money.

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Disappointed

I'm not one for complaining, but I was very disappointed. We had upgraded to the golden royal and the rooms were not what I expected. The rooms did not feel fresh and clean. There were items missing in our upgrade and if they are missing at the end of your trip you would be charged for them with them assuming that they were in the room at the start of your vacation. I called to get our house coats this service brought them and dump them on our bed like laundry just pulled out of the dryer [... read more] mixed in with other laundry. About 4 days later we finally got new ones. The food was not a five star by any means at some point it was actually not edible and cold. The grounds are beautiful the beaches are Lovely and the people are very friendly. The weather was great but I would not recommend this to my friends who would be expecting a five star resort this may have been a 3.

Bahia Principe Grand Bavaro: WHERE ARE...

This was our second visit to the resort and last time my daughter was married at the resort and we had 75 guests book. We returned as we enjoyed our first visit but below is why we can not see ourselves returning and we will not recommend this resort to any of other friends. The grounds are beautiful, the many labourers working so diligently. The beach area is overcrowded - is it the addition of the Fantasia Resort that makes the beach area seem like we are in a busy city park or festival. The [... read more]re isn't any room to even enjoy a relaxing walk as the many guests are also playing soccer, frisbee or football in the same area, so a person gets ran over. Definitely a place where injuries can occur as the players are not aware of anyone but those playing the game but they too should have the space to play...but they do not have anywhere. Buffet service at both the Bavaro and Punta Cana were non existent. There was no one to sit us and at one breakfast we were greeted and sat, we then went to get our food and hard to know why, but while at the buffet our table was given to a new couple which was only determined as I saw a hatin the table that was it ours. when they too arrived at the table and said it was there table, we were left in an awkward moment to explain we also had been sat there but since the waiter and other guests spoke Spanish to one another, we were told to move but had to wait for a table to become ready. I have never felt so embarrassed and when we were given our table our food was cold and it still took a long time to get service for coffee or water. In fact, we were almost done before anyone came to offer and by that time it was absolutely beyond reasonable. There are many other instances of terrible service in both of these buffet areas and I feel compassion to the staff working as they are working quickly but there is either a lack of staff or they just do not have a system. We were so fortunate to figure out we could eat at the Turguesa buffet and started to make the longer trip to that buffet. The food was better and the staff were there to offer water/beverages within the first five minutes of being seated.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Love Dominican!

I had only been to Varadero twice before going to Puerto Plata this month. Although Cuba has nice beaches, we found Dominican to be a much more enjoyable trip for several reasons. The most notable of which is the food and this may be partly due to the fact that we stayed at Grand Bahia Principe. This hotel had fantastic food that was available any time of the day or night. I think that this is partly due to the fact that the hotel is part of a chain and works hard to maintain the reputation  [... read more]of the chain as a whole which is clearly seen. If you are unsure about where to book, I would suggest a reputable chain like this. Although we tipped regularly, we also did not feel pressured for one. For example, on the excursion that we went on in Cuba, the guide made us put something in his hat based on how we liked the trip but in Dominican they didn't even mention a tip at all (most people gave one anyway). We also found that there was a great deal of family friendly activities and games during the day and night that often would result in a prize if you went to the evening show. One of the evening shows was a Michael Jackson tribute which was incredible especially for the acrobatic display of a couple of the dancers. There was a small group of the staff that was involved with entertainment and were there almost every day. They do a great job at connecting with the guests and encouraging them to get involved in the many activities (dancing, beach games, pool games, bingo, evening show, etc, etc, etc.). We usually wouldn't get involved in many of these activities as we have young children but because we were able to leave the kids with grandparents we got involved in most of them and had an awesome time. The only possible drawback would be that the beach on the east side of Dominican (Punta Cana) is nicer. That said, there was 4 great pools at this resort and the beach wasn't too bad. We will be going to Dominican again someday (hopefully)!