Be Live Experience Hamaca Beach: Busy lots of action !

This hotel is a 4 star. The hotel is very big (617 rooms) and sections were added over the years probably like 4 times since 1994. Rooms are renovated and very clean and there is a variety of different rooms at different prices. in general there is 3 sections, hamaca suite, hamaca beach and hamaca garden. if you take a suite you become a vip member and have access to vip beach section, vip building and exclusive swimming pool, if you take a room in hamaca beach you are in the building close to  [... read more]the beach and the big swimming pool, if you take hamaca garden you are in a bungalow complex across the street from the main hotel grounds and very far from the beach. Expect a lot of walking since the hotel grounds is very big and the buffet can be very far since its in the garden section. there is 4 restaurants a la carte and is unlimited as long as you make a reservation early. Staff are friendly, there is at least 500 beach chairs and you better get to the beach early still, very limited shade so bring lots of sun lotion. overall a good hotel with lots of activities. Hotel was booked solid so it can be hard to switch rooms once you get there .

Whala Boca Chica: Value for the money

The room was clean comfortable and the bathroom was adequate. Enjoyed the balcony, overlooking well maintained gardens. We think it was a cash grab to have to pay for the safety deposit box. Never had to do that before. TV was totally in adequate. The food was average. There was variety. The breakfasts were fat laden. Enjoyed the variety of fresh local fruit.

Emotions by Hodelpa Juan Dolio: a diamond in the rough

we loved the resort, its wasn't too big but overall we couldn't find anything to complain about. The only thing was we landed in punta cana and had a 90 minute ride to resort. If we go there again, (and we hope so) we will try and get it out of santo dimingo or La romanna. Beach was kept very clean all the time, food was good, a-la-cartes were excellent, especially the mexican and Italian, staff was perfect. I could go on and on but we fully recommend this resort to everyone.

Emotions by Hodelpa Juan Dolio: Awesome Resort

We had a great time at this resort. I would surely call this a 5 star resort. The food was excellent , the staff was super friendly and very courteous, the entertainment was great(goin all day...at the beach in the morning...pool in the afternoon...theatre in the evening) and they mixed in with the vacationers. The bathrooms were kept very clean, the rooms were beautiful, a la cartes every night if you wanted but the buffet was great, dining area very clean and tidy and the food area closed off  [... read more]from birds and insects, the beach was clean and awesome and it was only a 5 minute walk to anywhere!!! I would definitely go again. Just wish the bus trip from the airport was shorter. Maybe we could fly into La Romana or SantaDomingo instead of Punta Cana.

Be Live Experience Hamaca Beach: Hamaca Beach

Definitely no longer a 4Star Hotel. No upkeep. Rooms have no furniture. Everything falling apart. We had no maid service for 2 days and had to fight for it. Stealing towels, toilet paper and water from the carts. No housekeeping throughout either...the bathrooms were dirty and smelled liked urine all the time. Some staff great...bars and Buffet. Restaurant staff not so much and food was horrible. Food good at buffet. Pools nice. Beach nice but over crowded. Shows good. Furniture there falling ap [... read more]art as well. Been to Cuba several times...much better than this place. Would never go back.

Be Live Experience Hamaca Beach: No thank you

I want to start by saying that my family and I are not snobby about travel. We are very patient and very forgiving. We know that you get what you pay for and we try to remember that we are on vacation and together and that is all that should matter. I can honestly say that this is the first time that I found myself nervous about safety, uncomfortable in my room, unable to communicate and worried about my children (17, 15 and 13). I will break it down by areas. I can only speak of my exper [... read more]ience but if you are looking for family travel this may not be the spot. Flight-Sunwing and Arrival Times (6:15 am flight arrived hotel 3:45) Delayed 45 minutes (its Canada what can you do). We arrived in La Romana and spent 2.5 hours in the immigration line behind all of our fellow passengers because we had additional paperwork to fill out for our minors. People on our transfer had to wait in the bus for us to come through. They were not happy. We then had about 1 hour and 45 minute drive to the hotel with 4 to 5 stops. Once we arrived at the hotel (after the 3:00 pm check-in) we waited about 40 minutes in line. Our room was not ready. They asked us to come back in 45 minutes. We came back and got one of our two rooms. Two hours later we got the second room. *Tip* Do not let them pull you out of line to fill out extra paperwork if you have children with you. Either ask for it from Sunwing or stay in line to fill it out. Beach-Pool Beach-beautiful absolutely our favourite part. Pool at Hamaca Garden with swim up bar better than the one on the beach side. Mostly clean. Towels are $20 US but keep the receipt in your safe. They will not tell you but you get cards to turn into the towel guy. You only get your money back with the return of the cards and the receipt at the end of your trip. Lots of people out that money. Service No one spoke English at all. I have a seafood allergy and a child who is vegetarian. This made everything with food very difficult. Any questions or requests could not be responded to and the staff seemed rude and uninterested because of this. The only thing they could appropriately communicate was that they liked our daughters (super creepy). One bartender gave our 15 year old a “special” drink. They tried to offer both the girls alcohol. We were told untruths many times in order to get “rid” of us because they could not understand or accommodate us. Absolutely disappointing! We would have been more vocal but it hardly seemed worth it. Accommodations-Housekeeping Rooms were large in size. They were moldy and the doors were falling apart. My husband had to tighten the bathroom door handle with nail clippers. Toilet in our room ran and we had hot water but our friends (who upgraded for 350 US dollars) had no hot water and flooding in their room. They upgraded because their first room had a cracked toilet and blood stained walls. Elevator is old and there were several power outages every day so there were a few times people were stuck in them. Main bathrooms did not have flushing toilets and the hallways felt like an asylum. The resort is very old and smelly. Bring air freshener with you. I do have to say that Andrea our maid was sweet and did the best she could with what she had to work with. Food/Beverages It was okay. Kids liked the snack bar. Beer was fine but the wine was not very good and when I ordered white I always got red. Cats and Dogs do hang around the buffet so beware. Italian was fine as an a la carte but service was awful. Mexican was great food and awesome guacamole but service was blah. Bartenders at the Beach bars were not too bad. Mr. Rogers’s bartenders get thumbs down. The best one was definitely at the swim up bar. Entertainment Hearts in the right place for sure but all instruction in French or Spanish and even Russian but no English and the games were boring. There was only one girl that I liked and she always tried to be fun. WIFI is not clear on how to get it but it’s by the pool for one hour a day and super slow. Excursion to La Hacienda My boy who is very tall was not able to do the zip line which meant I didn’t either. He was super upset. I asked before we booked if there was a weight restriction and they said no. He was so disappointed and also missed out on the horseback riding. We were told it was 1 hour 20 minutes away. It took 3 hours after all of the pickups and 2 and half back to the hotel. I will be sending something to Sunwing about this. We also went down the beach a little ways and had a beer. The restaurant tried to charge us $50 US dollars for 4 drinks. We did go to Juan Dolio beach and that was okay but everyone everywhere wants money from you. Just say no thank you. they will usually go away. Overall, very disappointed! This was our first vacation in Dominican. Not sure we would ever go back. Sunwing should really think about their partnership with the Be Live Hamaca. Normally love and trust Sunwing did not love Be Live!

Emotions by Hodelpa Juan Dolio: The best way to ring in the new year!

My fiance and I travelled here for a week over the new year. Overall we were very impressed by this hotel and only had a few minor issues. Check In: Quick and easy. Received a welcome drink on arrival. Our room wasn't ready so we were shown where the buffets were and told to come back after lunch. When we returned we found our room was upgraded to a deluxe room in building 9 (farthest but quietest - only took us 5 min to walk anywhere on the resort so this building is recommended!). Staff is  [... read more]great overall. We didn't find tipping changed the service which is nice. Room: Deluxe rooms are large. Air conditioned well and shower & toilet are in separate rooms so good for families. Shower pressure was good as was temperature. Mini fridge stocked daily with pop, water, & coors light. Tons of pillows! Food: Buffets & snack bar are great. We are vegetarian and were impressed with the number of options available. Always accommodating - the pizza chef at the snack bar was happy to make us cheese pizza when there weren't any veggie options available. Loved the coffee shop (free) - always a busy place but the baristas are quick and make delicious drinks (highly recommend cappuccino with Bailey's). New years gala was very impressive (TONS of options - sushi, fried ice cream, cheese, lobster, etc. ... many of these things found at the buffet throughout the week!) very over the top! Always tons of fruit available which is nice. Bread was delicious too. Drinks: Lots of options - no top shelf liquor but everything was good. Blended drinks and mojitos always available. You can buy nicer wines (expensive but nice to have available) and bottles of beer if you like. Pool & Beach: The hotel was PACKED while we were there. There were not enough pool or beach chairs for everyone (probably 50 or so people forced to lay on the sand), which is the one thing I found ridiculous (after going to many all inclusive resorts I have never experienced this until now). Likely this is not usually the case but would be nice for the resort to buy more chairs for future! Pool is tiny (not tons of chairs/space around it) but nice. The beach is huge with lots of spots in the shade. Soft sand and ocean is nice once you pass a bit of seaweed. Entertainment: Lots of daily activities, shows at night are the same as you typically see. Lots for kids to do! Overall would recommend and we would return!

Emotions by Hodelpa Juan Dolio: The rooms are a little tired and need some updating.

We found that the resort was too far from the airport and took about two hours by bus to reach. Because of this, we lost the first day. When we arrived we were disappointed to find several things in the room that needed to be addressed: the safe did not work and they had replace it; the bar fridge did not work and had to be replaced, the handle was missing on one of the two drawers of the dresser and there was no hair dryer in the room. We spoke to the Transat representative the next morningt [... read more] and he had the issues addressed. Unfortunately we lost 1/2 day waiting for all of the items to be corrected. On the other hand, the food was very good and the staff were friendly and helpful.

Be Live Experience Hamaca Beach: Untrustworthy-sneaky business practices!

We were so excited about our vacation only to have our excitement quickly squashed. Upon arrival, it took 2 1/2 hours to receive attention at the front desk as there were a multitude of unsatisfied vacationers complaining in front of us. The problem? They overbooked their beach side (the 4 star) and were placing guests in their garden side (3 star cough cough) We too were told they would have to place us there. It was horrendous! The room was disgusting! Broken front door, no light bulbs in th [... read more]e light fixtures, broken toilet, crickets under our bed, the mini fridge was corroded and you could see through it to the inside. Cobwebs everywhere. The beds were broken and extremely outdated and uncomfortable. The pillows were shredded sheets shoved inside a pillow case. Dark, dingy, uninviting and just gross! Front desk personnel and "guest services were rude, unhelpful and simply chose to ignore the customers. Every person we met had the same problem. On a plus side for us, we did finally receive service (only after literally hunting down a manager) We were ready to return to airport and figure out a way home. Many people were forced to stay in the sub standard accommodations. The food was Good, however service was not. We were constantly being pushed to buy things, they don't take no for an answer. Snack bar was fries, burgers and hot dogs...everyday. Housekeeping was minimal, basic half assed. The same dirty drink glasses were put back on our bathroom counters. The lobby is uninviting and drab. You had to pay daily for use of your room safe and $20 deposit per person for use of towels! The resort is right beside the town and did not feel safe. You have to cross a road to get to the buffet. It was busy and scary. Constant road of motorcycles, cars beeping their horns and a bar adjacent to the resort that blasts music all day and into the night until 430 am. We were approached by security personnel for cigarettes. They did put on a nice new years eve. Because of their sketchy booking practices (read other reviews, it appears to happen consistently) I would not return to this property. I am grateful for the service received by the room manager but also believe it was only because of my persistence. Think twice before booking this resort.

Be Live Experience Hamaca Garden: regualer traveler to DR...better then expected

If u want a simple beach / pool relaxing vac with not much off the resort time..this area is not for you...go to punta cana :)..Was in upgraded suites...the section with a tower..great room..no balconey..1st time in a hot country with out balconey..clothing came home very smelly as i could not leave items out side to dry...just stay on the beach side of resort..bring your own towel so you dont need to leave deposit..food very good..quality is very high..best for this star range . i love this are [... read more]a it is not traveled by many canadians or americans..if u r an off the resort kind of person..this area is best 4 u....this resort is the most "western style" in this area...night life is very big in this area..bring $300 -$500 in spending if you can..some if the nice restaurant in area take visa..capital city only 30 min drive away..can take canadian$ to scotia bank in capital and exchange for Dom Pac..i perfer to use local currency as you spend less money..USD is perfered by locals..if going off resort..bring 1 nap sack..( not a purse) roll of TP and baby wipes ..purell and running shoes..leave your gold at home..dont look like $$..hotel staff speak english very well..installl google translate on phone..will make life easy.

Coral Costa Caribe: Great place

For a 3-star resort, we were comfy, well fed and had all we needed to make it an unforgettable vacation. If you go with an open mind and don't expect over the top luxury, you will be fine. The only thing I found a little annoying was making reservation for à la carte restaurants every morning for that evening. Fruit quantity/quality everyday was delicious. Staff was friendly although not always very bilingual.

Essentia by Emotions: Good Resort

I was staying on the VIP side with a swimout room. I loved the swimout room. Was very quiet and relaxing which is what I needed. The staff are awesome. I loved the essentia pool. The beach was also great but too many vendors. The food was just okay. Too repetitive. I did try the spa. Was so amazing.

Coral Costa Caribe: Unbelievable

We went in the second last week of April and it was amazing weather, warm with a nice breeze not humid at all, we had about one day where it rained the entire day , but the resort is full of friendly people and games to keep you entertained throughout the day and at night they brought in the "chocolate friends" who are a group of entertainers who dance and sing (they are amazing!). This showed us that they had good precautions in case of storm or whatever. We didn't bring any kinds but they have [... read more] many child friendly activities daily and nightly entertainment for children as well.amazing and clean pools, beautiful beach with lounge seating int he sun and shade,large towels , 24h snack bar and delicious buffet 👌🏽The food was amazing! And so much variety , several vegetarian dishes. We started our stay with a small tip to the servers and cooks etc and they made the stay so much more enjoyable . The resort is really safe and has some people selling things on the beach (note: be friendly they are just trying to make money politely decline if your not interested, and if they give you food don't eat it without asking how much! Because after a bite of a small plate of 3/4 clams they will try to charge you $10/$20 so always ask before you sample) the people selling things are very nice and friendly and are known to the staff of the resort. The staff are amazing! Overall we had an assuming time great place! The suite we had, had a beautiful view (garden view) it had a few palm trees and you could see the beach and water! We had the second floor which was nice I saw the higher floors and the trees kind of get in the way of the scenery. The rooms are relatively clean and the washrooms need abit of an updating (never put toilet paper inside the toilet) the hotel was very accommodating and met all of our requests. Only thing that was that when we were leaving we almost missed our bus to the airport because the staff didn't know that the bus was going to the airport and thought it was a tourist bus, so yeah... we only realized because a passanger got off to use the restroom and we recognized her because we came down on the same bus and flight. So we could have missed the last bus (which was 30mins off schedule) if we listened to the staff. That was a simple error so it didn't affect us. Also the resort has amazing restaurants that you can make reservations for (delicious!) and it's very safe neighbourhood, we walked around wearing normal clothes (nothing flashy no camer) and there's tourists police everywhere to keep everyone safe. Honestly this was an amazing resort beautiful scenery, friendly people , friendly staff, great entertainment and club, and delicious food!, I would definitely go again

Be Live Experience Hamaca Beach: Great beach

The grounds were well maintained and the staff very friendly. The beach was gorgeous and very busy. The room was well used so some updates would be nice. Overall a good vacation that I would recommend to my friends and family

Essentia by Emotions: Just ok.

This was a very small resort. We stayed at the Essentia side by the beach. There was a very small pool for this section of the resort but it was overrun by kids. We had a swim up room which was great as we were the only ones using it from Sunday to Thursday until all of the locals showed up for the Easter weekend. The beach was nice and were able to get the same chairs every day. There were a lot of pushy vendors trying to sell you crappy merchandise, tours and massages all day, every day. The [... read more] food was substandard. The only good meals we had all week was at the Mexican restaurant and the Dominican. The service was good through the entire resort for the most part with a few exceptions. The room was a fair size and kept very clean. The grounds are kept very nice. We have always stayed in resorts that were pretty isolated which makes for a very quiet and relaxing stay. This resort is close to the large city of Santo Domingo which makes it very accessible to the locals. There is also a fair bit of traffic noise. We would never return to this resort.

BelleVue Dominican Bay: Great resort great location!

Overall it was a fantastic vacation. Food and drinks were great, grounds are beautiful but rooms need updating. Beautiful beach! Locals regular the resort so you get a chance to experience the DR world!

Emotions by Hodelpa Juan Dolio: Amazing week!

Just got back from a 1 week vacation at the Emotions by Hodelpa and I had a great time! I love how the resort is smaller in size which allows you to get to where you want to be in 2 minutes or less. I have no complaints about the food at this resort but I would say to try to get into the a la cartes for dinner (we didn't go to the buffet for dinner but I did hear it was good). The Domincan restaurant was my favorite (I ate here 3 times). Be sure to try the coffee house. The frapps and cappu [... read more]ccinos are amazing! The beach was nice but other people are right in saying the vendors get annoying. I just ignored them after day 1 and they leave you alone. The road you have to cross to get to the beach buffet and beach is a non issue...don't listen to people saying its a huge deal because it isn't. Hardly any cars drive by it so I don't understand the complaints. We lucked out on the weather all week. Super sunny, hot with a nice breeze and no rain! We did a catamaran excursion to Saona Island which I definitely recommend. It was gorgeous and a high-light of the trip. Overall I loved this resort and would go back if the price was right. I have already recommended this place to people I know.

Whala Boca Chica: Priced right for the Resort and Services

We just returned from The Don Juan beach resort last weekend. The resort was good value for the money. The food, although repetitive, was tasty and abundant. Staff did their best to accommodate any of our requests/concerns. Accommodations were a little dated but fairly clean. Again on vacation how much time do you really spend in your room. We stayed on the Adult side (highly recommended), so their was very little disruptions at night etc. The bar staff was great however bring a Bubba  [... read more]Mug so you don't have to refill every 10 minutes. For Pina Coladas and the fruity drinks you have to specify with Rum / Vodka the first time. They catch on after that and know their audience. We liked the close proximity to the main drag. It looks a little seedy but during the day it is quite safe. Stay to the main drag and you will see a bit of the culture and some tasty restaurants along the way. The more of you in a group the better. All in all we were generally satisfied with the resort for the money we paid. A 3 star is a 3 star, But if you are looking for ,like us, A bed, Some Booze, and a beach this is the way to go, If you are looking for the ultimate romantic getaway and getting pampered... Spend some more money.

Whala Boca Chica: Awesome week:)

Such a great time, met a lot of great new friends and still keeping contact, love how boca chika is just outside the resort, good places to eat if your sick of the everyday buffets, want to return here for another great week in the future for sure:))

Emotions by Hodelpa Juan Dolio: Emotions by Hodelpa

Overall I would say this resort is a 3 star. We had to be moved to 3 different rooms before there was an acceptable one. First one, the room flooded. I had read about this problem on Tripadvisor, and they weren't kidding. After a 10 minute shower there was water on the floor 1/2 way into the room. We couldn't call the front desk, as the phone didn't work. They moved us to another room the next day. Standing in the bathroom we would feel drops on our head. Look up and there was water dripping fro [... read more]m 5 different spaces in the ceiling. Told the front desk in the morning on our way to an excursion. They said they would send someone. We arrived back later that day, nothing was done. Still dripping. Very frustrating. I put a review on TripAdvisor telling this story. Surprise, surprise, we had a call in our room, and a letter under our door. Guest Services Manager wanted to meet with us. The next day we were moved to the VIP building (#4). Much better. The last week of our 2 weeks was better than the first. The food is pretty good, no spices though, so bring your own if you want more flavor than salt and pepper. The entertainment is fantastic when the dancers were there to perform, and the Michael Jackson - best resort show I've ever seen. Some nights entertainment was lacking. Beach is pretty good, but there is some seaweed.