Senator puerto plata was just ok.

We spent one week there and that was enough. We upgraded to swim up pool. Room was nice but small, we had a/c but no hot water and shower had no water pressure had to use sink to rinse hair out fully. Food was ok it got better as week went on. No complaints about service but staff does look for tips. We saw a lot of over serving of alcohol, some other hotel guest getting sick in pool and on sidewalks. Definitely won’t return.

So Disappointing

Let me start by saying that the food was good and the bed was comfortable. Now let’s get into the reality… we arrived at 12:30 am and had to stand in line to check in, 1 person working the desk with 20 people incoming. Once that was done we were taken to our room, we requested a ground floor for health reasons and when we entered our building in the last row of buildings on the resort we were informed we were on the 4th floor with no elevator. We made the climb and we’re then greeted with  [... read more]a musty smelling room that had no air conditioning. Not at all what we wanted, back down to the desk as the phones did not work, after about an hour we were given a room in the building next door on the ground floor, after moving everything down to that room which also did not have air conditioning. The next morning we inquired about air conditioning and were told they were fixing it…. That never happened. We attempted to find chairs at both the beach and the pool but apparently people get up at 5am to put their towels on their loungers for the day so good luck finding a chair. Most of the workers spoke no English at all which made communication very difficult. When we approached our concierge about our issues she offered us VIP but we would have to pay extra and listen to the Timeshare opportunity… no thanks. The alacart meals are a joke, you have to make reservations which is fine but we arrived on a Tuesday and could not get a alacart until Friday night as they were all booked, however when you walked by those same restaurants at prime time they were 1/2 empty. In order to book meals you had to get in line at 8:30am-10:30am to book them and they tell you they are all booked. You are allowed 2 towels for pool/beach, if you misplace them or don’t return them be prepared to pay. The beach was red flag all except 1 day and very wavy and rocky. It is a very pretty resort with nice grounds that are well kept however they have serious issues in the back of house and need to think more about their guest then their pocketbook. Getting bottled water and pop in your room was difficult and limited 2 bottle of pop and 2 bottles of water per day ( if you’re lucky) The drinks were subpar and so full of sugar you felt sick. Juice at the buffet was available IF they had glasses. Breakfast at buffet was good but if you want bacon be there before 8am as they only make 1 tray and when it’s gone there is no more for the morning. The VIP golf carts are always forcing you off the walkways in order to get through. The friendliest people on the resort are the cleaning staff. Special thanks to Benjamin for hooking us up with excellent excursions! I will not go back to this resort, it should only be rated a 3 not a 4.5 star

As expected

Returned March 8th after 9 days. This resort is supposed to be a 5 star, but it struggles to get to 3 star. Food in the buffet was always a repeat, mostly cold even though thy had hot plates to set it on. Breakfast was fairly better with excellent omelettes. Do have to say all three restaurants were excellent. The pools at the Senator are in need of repairs or replacement, algae ring, uneven bottom due to sections broken or missing, and a weird swim up bar with a stepped up approach and few sto [... read more]ols. The four jacuzzi are a joke, not heated and only one working jet for all four jacuzzi’s LOL. I visited the sister resort, and all their pools were in much better shape and kept clean. None of the pools in either resort are heated The beach is not the best, lot of broken coral, uneven bottom and fairly strong undertow. I suspect this is because of the channel for the cruise ships to enter bay next to the resort. Which is interesting to see them come into dock in the morning. P.S. cruise passengers are not permitted on the resort. The room we stayed in was old style Rui with nice colony wood, clean and functional, no complaints and always had hot water. The check in was fine and the front desk was very accommodating if you needed anything looked after. The rest of the services seemingly appeared mismanaged, except for the bars, which were well run and accommodating. The grounds were very well kept and very clean This resort has what is known as a V I P section which once you pay up you get free rooms at other Senator resorts worldwide, but you still have to pay for your all inclusive and transportation to get there. No really a great deal. Not returning any time soon. Paul & Joy Roberts

Very nice resort

First time staying at the Senator in Puerto Plata. We checked in really early in the morning and we were given 4th floor - at 3:00am we schepped up 100lb suticases up all these stairs - NOT nice But we realized that I think we had one of the nicest rooms - overlooking the pool area and we had a fan in our room. Not all rooms have fans -important to ask for this - We did however run out of water a few times - in the shower with shampoo on your head and the water stops - OMG finally got it t [... read more]rickling out enough to finish the job. Hot water also disapeared - a few cold showers ! Food was fabulous - people really friendly - the pool area lovelly - NOT enough lounge chairs - if you did not get down by 8:00 am to reserve a chair with your towel you are out of luck for the day not enough chairs by the beach either - Entertainment was non existent at night we went next door to Playa Bachata - older resort but the bar night life was fantastic - we met the greatest people - With all that it was a really nice time - but glad to get home because on the last 2 days I got COVID Nobody's fault - Bahhhhhh

Great Resort - Bacon for breakfast!

Just got back from a week at the Senator Good: Service: Very good - bars, restaurants, front desk and Concierge. Shout out to Felicia and Ramon, our concierges. They did great! Cleanliness: Never seen a more cleaner place! From your room, to the grounds, to all of the common areas, including the restaurants/bars. Buffet: Bacon and eggs made to order, including omelets with all the ingredients, every morning at breakfast. Fresh juices too. Always had fresh salads, pizza, pasta, beef, chicken, [... read more] etc - all prepared well. For dinner, there will be a "theme" night usually - Mexican, Dominican, Italian, etc. You could always get some kind of lettuce salad - even for breakfast. Ala Cartes: Japanese and Steakhouse were good. We ordered the mixed grill at the Steakhouse and didn't leave hungry. Booze: Pool bar - hard to get a good slushy drink - just too hot for the machines to keep things slushy - we just drank beer and mixed drinks. The well dark rum was good. The drinks at the sports bar in the evening were great! Challenges: Lounge chairs around the pool are hard to get. Folks reserve them early. Lounge chairs on the beach are a little more plentiful, but we're not really beach people - too far away from the bar! You could find outdoor tables and chairs near the pool bar pretty easily. Shade hard to find, so be aware of that. Was very good for the price we paid through Sunwing - $1,500/person for a very well kept, clean resort - one king bed room.

Better than my first impression

The rooms were clean, the bed and pillows were comfortable - there was no top sheet on the bed, between the comforter and the bottom sheet, which was not fitted and too short. No face cloth and only one hand towel in the bathrooms were not convenient. The tubs porcelain was wearing off so it was stained. There was nothing impressive about the room and it needed attention to detail. The ala cater restaurants were quite good (I can’t say much about the Italian as I had the salmon and my husba [... read more]nd had pizza… But those 2 entrees were good). The hibachi restaurant, which you need a reservations, looked really good, but we decided to have sushi only (a a lot of sushi) you get this in the hibachi restaurant but you can go with no reservations, ie we went twice and both servers were great. The buffet was just OK there were two different nights the hotel did something outside but missed both (I didn’t know but if you check the board near the Sports bar you can find out when they are). Lunch snack bar took forever, after an hour I left without my meal. I do not recommend going there if you’re in a hurry. The grounds were fine, nothing extra. The beach was clean. The pool was cool - unheated but clean. All the bars needed their staff to be retrained or trained! The drinks were not very good and the staff was in no hurry to get drinks out to people. The main bar is the Sports bar, it had no atmosphere. Surprisingly, most of the entertainment was good. The bathrooms in the main hotel were always being cleaned, impressive. It was my anniversary & I asked the travel agent to send a message to the hotel. When we got there I went to the concierge to see what was happening for it (if anything. The concierge showed me her computer screen, where the note should have been, the box was empty. The concierge sent us a bottle of champagne and some fruit as a surprise, however - her name is Isuara and she will help you with all kinds of things!. I would recommend this resort for the price I paid.

Awesome Resort

Everything was excellent at this resort. The only complaint and the most important complaint was that there was never enough loungers and umbrellas at the pool area or the beach area. We had to sit on chairs with our feet in another chair at the pool bar area in order to lounge in the sun on two of our days there. Other people would lay on their towels on the cement around the pool or on the sand at the beach area.

Nice Resort

Great people, steps to the beach. Washrooms could use some work but very clean! Buffet had a great variety.not a lot for kids to do but staff were very friendly. Not much night life and would have to go the other side for the bar.

Excellent Resort

The whole experience was great from the beds to the pillows to the duvet. Very new and comfy. All the food was great too. The buffet was delicious with wonderful staff helping. We also went to the A La Carts and they were very good as well. The staff thru out the resort were very hardworking kind and helpful. We also found the Animation staff was very energetic but not pushy. It was a real joy to be here for the week. Thanks for a GREAT week!

Senator

First time at Senator! We read so many different reviews so we went open minded & having stayed there for 2 weeks, we have no complaints. Our room was in building 8 close to everything. It was a King junior suite. Although it’s considered to be an older room, we thought it was great. Yes, there are upgrades if you want to newer rooms, some with swim-up pools but we were happy with where we were. Cleanest resort we’ve ever been to thanks to the hardworking cleaning staff, grounds keepe [... read more]r, housekeepers, wait/dining/restaurant/kitchen staff (special thanks to Ana Maria, Julian, Gonzalez as well as to all the attendants who kept it so clean) - this place is immaculate!! Food offered at buffet was always great, & offered a variety of fish, seafood, pork, beef, pastas, vegetables, anti pasta, breads, desserts, etc. Reservations were required at the 3 a-la-carts including Japanese, Italian & steakhouse, however you could take a chance and just show up for the sushi (without reservations at the Japanese restaurant). The sushi was our favourite. Bbq on the beach was great. No entertainment after the nightly shows. A lot of guests would find a table out by the lobby or sports bar where they would play cards or board games they would bring from home. Mokka coffee bar (special thank you to Francis, our server & “It’s not unusual”… our singer) was our go to place after dinner as well as the ice cream shop. Beach is rocky getting in some spots but, in my opinion, you really don’t need water shoes unless your not careful where you walk or swim. There’s many areas that are beautiful & sandy to wade into. The current in the water, even close to shore, was very strong a few days & you really need to be careful. We could feed the fish close to shore. Unless you are a premier guest, alcohol is not top shelf but there was never any shortage of brugal rum or presidente cerveza. We found the tours offered by the hotel to be way overpriced so we booked our own tour outside hotel & we’re very pleased. Our group had a great time & would definitely recommend it.

Amazing Resort

We spent a lovely week here with our two teen sons. We absolutely loved the resort and everything about it. There are three a la carte options that you can go to more than once, you just need to book that morning. If you get there at the beginning of the week you can book a la cartes for Monday to Thursday. All three had excellent food options and the service was impeccable. There is also a buffet to go to for all meals, plus a snack bar open during the day, a pizza joint open at 11 am, a cafe w [... read more]ith specialty coffee and small pastries open, and a great sport bar with likeminded food. The pool area is great and has many seats, however you need to get up early and put a towel or such on the loungers as they fill up for the day. Plus they have a swim up bar with friendly hard working bartenders. The poolside entertainment is loads of fun with lots of varieties - aqua size, coconut party, kayak races, beer drinking contests, dancing, and always great music. The evening entertainment is the only place that I would say needs work. There is a new show each evening but the shows need work and likely more money invested. The rooms were average rooms, but who needs a big room when you can hang out by the pool or the beach? In all the resort is very very clean, the staff are friendly and very helpful, everyone has a good basis of English. We would definitely return to this resort.

Breathtaking Views that Don’t Make Up for Other Shortfalls

I just returned from an 8 day stay at Senator Puerto Plata Resort. The grounds and views of mountains and ocean are simply stunning. The landscaping around the property is meticulous and beautiful. Overall the food is fair- it lacks variety in the buffet. My main complaint is with lounge chairs and seating around the resort in general. There are too few spots for the number of guests. It takes away from your vacation when you need to get up at 7:30 am to place towels on a lounge chair. In the sp [... read more]orts bar (the only place for a night time drink) there are practically no tables. Just empty areas. Service was hit and miss. There are some amazing people on staff who go the extra mile. As someone who always tips- I did find that there was less overall friendliness than I have seen at other resorts. The alcohol is sub-par- watered down and disappointing. Pina coloda’s are like water. If you tip really well you can have a good drink made with a better quality alcohol. Room fridges do not have beer. Don’t bother trying to drink the wine. The system for booking reservations at the a la carte is flawed. They give out different information daily to different guests. You wait in long lines to be told they have no more room. Honestly once at the a la carte’s they lack ambiance- have too bright of lighting- and especially in the Italian disappointing food. I will say the sushi was a delight- and that did not require a reservation. From a location perspective this resort is a true gem- especially if you can afford to stay in the renovated section (I was in one of the older buildings near the back of the resort.) Everyone in my group suffered with terrible tummy problems our entire stay- and this is not something I have encountered in numerous trips over the years to other all inclusives. If you go out of high season I think the price would make up for the short falls. I booked at Christmas when prices are high and found myself expecting more which I guess is unrealistic. This resort should be a 3.5 rating- the views do not make up for poor food and low quality alcohol.

Clean & great A la Carte

The staff is what makes this resort great! Always pleasant and having fun. The poolside and beach are 2 minute walk and being a small resort, no shuttle required. The 3 A la Carte & Sports Bar were great & so was Gelato & pizza slice. The Buffet was ok.

Amazing staff & Nicely maintained

Here, 2 families w 4 older teens during Christmas for 7 days. The cleaning, poolside entertainment, bartenders and serving staff were all fantastic. A la Carte meals great, buffet was ok. 4 stars

Resort amazing

Rooms are not good not a good service the people who serve are not nice not a single smile on there face everything you have to ask them even when we went in the room was so hot I call them in the afternoons and guy came in the night but didn’t fix and then after two days they change the room

Great resort

Great resort for those looking to get away for some sun & relaxation. Hotel staff are rarer to please and ensure you have a pleasant experience. We’ve been here before and will definitely come again soon.

Great Resort

The hotel had very well maintained grounds. We loved that there was food available 24 hours. The pizza shop, ice cream, sports bar and coffee shop all great. Buffet food was plentiful and delicious and the entertainment was really good most nights. Hardly any mosquitos. The beach had strong waves and a lot of rocks do bring water shoes. Overall definitely recommend and would go there again.

Great value for $

Solid 4 star hotel. Restaurants were delicious especially steakhouse and Italian and so were dishes at 2 snack bars. Pizza Pup also yummy. Standard room dated but clean, lots of hot water and everything worked. Staff very hard working with much thanks to Felicia who booked all our dinners. Beach was windy with rocks so bring water shoes. No fish to see. Biggest complaint bars should have cocktail and drink menu. Overall very enjoyable vacation.

Clean resort

I found the Senator Resort very clean and staff very friendly. I did find though that the maintenance of issues in the hotel like toilet seat broke, tap not working some light issues and tub drain off tub broke to mention a few were never fixed during our stay. No key for the safe an extra charge. The air transat rep was very good spoke good english and very informative it was worth the welcome invitation visit. The food was ok but got boring after the 5th and 6th day so ate in the bar wa [... read more]s good food there. The beach was clean and the pool area kept very clean. I did wish however some english music would be played during the day. The entertainment at the pool area was good. I would go again if the price was right.

Resort needing work

Key to our room had to be reprogrammed every time we left the room Towels only replaced when requested Toiletries never replenished Door to balcony wouldn’t open Quality of food very poor Staff very pleasant