VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: March break 2016 at the Gran Ventana

We enjoyed the week at the Gran Ventana. It's close to the airport (15 min.), offers nice rooms, good food and a nice section of beach. The resort was full but did not seem crowded. There are sufficient activities to keep you interested. The staff was excellent. Many excursions to choose from and most of them are reasonably close to the hotel. The Ventana is not a 5 star resort (and doesn't claim to be) but offers extremely good value for the price.

Bahia Principe Explore Esmeralda: Fantastic Holiday!

Last year we were at the Bahia Principe Punta Cana and this year we got a good deal to try out the Esmerelda portion of the same hotel. We enjoyed the entire trip: Food, Beach, Pool, Room and most of all, the Staff were excellent to us and our 10 year old son. Lots of food choice at the buffets, so we didn't try any theme restaurants. We also had no problem transferring to/from the hotel. My only suggestion would be to make sure you grab the air transat app on your smart device before you leave  [... read more]so you can be entertained while on their plane. We would definitely return to the same place, but two caveats: 1) The Bahia Principe is trying to sell you on their Privilige Club. That's fine - But you should not be put in a position while on your vacation to outlay so much money immediately. The selling process combines all the bad aspects of boiler room selling. Not good. If its that good they could email me before or after so I can make an informed financially prudent decision. 2) There is another resort they are building behind the Esmerelda. Concerned that there will be too many people crowding the beach (and chairs) in upcoming years.

Occidental Caribe: Great resort

Not sure why people wrote bad reviews about this resort.We just returned March 25th from Barcelo Punta Cana.The resort was awesome food good and the beach was one of the best.We have traveled to Cuba and Mexico and the Dr many times.I would return here next year.The staff was great also.Some of the rooms need upgraded yes but they are working on this.It takes time to do all these rooms.Our room was cleaned each day and fridge filled.

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Great Resort - solid 41/2 star

The hotel was very clean, the grounds were very well kept. Great pool. The food was very good! surprisingly enough the meat was very good. Hotel room was a bit small and aged but clean. It is self serve at the pool, but the staff was very friendly. The entertainment left much to be desired.

Wyndham Alltra Samana: Beautiful beach. Terrible room.

I'll get the good stuff up front. The beach is beautiful. The food was excellent. The room left a lot to be desired. Outdated furniture lumpy mattresses and stains on the ceiling and walls. Patio door didn't lock. The air conditioning did not work. When I complained they said they would fix it. They didn't. When I went back to tell them it still didn't work I was told it was fixed. They weren't going to do anything more. The Samana area is beautiful. Well worth the visit but don't stay at the G [... read more]rand Paradise!!

Occidental Caribe: I would go back to this hotel.

The only issue we had on this trip was with the Air Transat rep Emmanuel. We also spoke to another couple who were not our resort and they had the same compliant about their rep. Very rude...I would have to question whether or not I would fly with Air Transat again for this reason. Maybe being a rep is the worst job in DR. Other then that I would recommend this resort, best beach front, food was great, rooms were clean and staff were very friendly. Thank you Tripcentral for recommending this res [... read more]ort.

Royalton Splash Punta Cana: Decent Resort

Memories Splash is a decent resort but I did have a feeling that it puts on more of an aura of luxury resort than it really is. It does have nice and above average standard amenities and services but it does not always deliver. Example, you have your own fridge in the room to be stocked with new beverages daily, but it is not consistently stocked. There is a free room service but the service may not be delivered without following up. The lobby could use a little dusting as cobwebs on the walls o [... read more]f the main reception are not very appealing. Memories does feel like a poor cousin of Royalton, a resort it is attached to and Memories guests are able to use some of the Royalton`s amenities , which really makes the difference. Both resorts are owned by the same management but it is obvious Royalton is a standard above Memories although both resorts have 4 plus rating. To sum up I enjoyed my stay at Memories as I did get a very competitive deal for my one week stay. I would definitively not pay top dollar to stay at Memories which you certainly can if you book at a peak time.

Bahia Principe Escape Samana: Amazing resort!

Very cozy and friendly! Definitely will come back again. Amazing ocean view. Great personal. Very clean beach. Quiet and feel like in paradise. A lot of trips. It is better as in Bahia Principe Lavandada!

Grand Palladium Select Bavaro: All around ~ Great Vacation!

My husband and I took a last-minute vacation. Our TripCentral agent, Miranda, was very helpful. She recommended some upgrades and patiently worked with us while we decided our location ~ Grand Palladium Bavaro. We ended up travelling with Air Transat which were happy with. We have never had an issue w/ them. We had a great time on our vacation. The resort was beautiful and very large. We received an upgrade to our room; the Romance w/ Outdoor Mayan shower. Very nice and clean. The staff was fri [... read more]endly. We left our safe open one evening and the maid service turned down our sheets. Nothing was touched ~ we were very impressed and left a letter of thanks with our concierge. The service was good as was the food. Oh my, the food. So much food! The beach was stunning. Windy, but stunning. We did the romantic dinner on the beach. Very nice as well. Our Air Transat representative was great as was the Palladium concierge. We liked that we could make reservations at the restaurants and order room service. We paid for the option plus and would definitely do it if going again. We will be back for sure and will bring our teens next time. It was a great last-minute vacation.

Occidental Punta Cana: resort rooms in serious need of repair.

Grounds and beach are great. Good selection of al a carte restaurants. Rooms are very dated and in need of repair immediately but renovations start in May and understandable why they wont repair yet. Food good. Very few staff speak English and this was frustrating sometimes.

Grand Bavaro Princess: Nice place

It is a nice place we were for the 5th time in this resort. Everything is good. the restaurants are a little less than the previous years but they send us to the resorts around We had 5 from 7 days red flag but this has nothing to do with the resort

Excellence Punta Cana: Good

This was the first time we go to a Excellence resort and was some what disappointing of the wow factor when we entered the lobby as well as the resort seemed dated it was okay but have been to better resorts and paid half the money, of course the staff are always great, the food was good.

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Good Value

This Grand Bahia Príncipe Punta Cana is good value for your money. The grounds were kept immaculate, the rooms were clean and comfortable, the beach was well maintained and beautiful, and there was a wide variety of food to satisfy you at all times of the day. The only downfall is the size of the resort - the beach was crowded with chairs and the food is made in the masses. With that being said, this is not a five star resort so if you are expecting gourmet, North American food, modern rooms an [... read more]d a tranquil beach, pay the extra $500-$1000 and travel to a true five-star resort. This resort however, fulfilled our standards for the price we paid for a mid winter getaway. It was very comfortable and safe, and the staff was extremely friendly. The resort is large, but it is made easy to find your way around with the trolley system running every 5 minutes. We stayed Royal Golden which I highly recommend as it was a minute walk to the beach and pool. I would recommend this resort to people of all ages who are looking for a weeks vacation in the sun to take a break from Canadian winters!

Occidental Caribe: Great resort but don't go in March!!

The hotel and beach was beautiful. DON'T GO IN MARCH. We just wanted a relaxing holiday, but got stuck with 1000 US college spring breakers. We needed a holiday from the holiday. We barely slept as the kept everyone up at night. Getting a drink was impossible, 1/2 hour line ups at the bars.

Vik Hotel Cayena Beach: Not worth upgrading

This hotel was disappointing, especially as we had upgraded at a considerable cost. Rooms are extremely dated, beds are hard no box spring, just a mattress on wooden slat frame. Restaurant right at the Cayena .beach is great, but only open for lunch and breakfast, and two nights a week for supper. Restaurants in the adjoining Arena Blanca are fair. Buffet looked as if it had been in the warmers for hours before opening, plus it was a serve yourself for wine, beer, coffee, water and soft drinks.  [... read more]The surrounding stations that cook to order were better. The a la cartes were fair only due to the tired furniture and chairs, plastic lawn chairs in the Italian. Only the Mexican a la carte had the option of being able to have a cocktail with supper, as it is the only one with a bar attached. Beach and lawn chairs were great. We would go back to the Domincan but not to this resort.

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: All-inclusive resort (construction in progress)

This hotel is part of a 5 hotels complex, with beautiful grounds and several pools. The beach is less than 30 mins walk away from the main lobby. All the hotels are within walking distance of each others or you can take the trolley which run constantly until 3 am on the main road. The building is 3 stories high, without elevators. The buffet restaurant is large enough, there is no waiting for a table. It opens for 3 meals/day with a hour or two closed during the day. If you missed the breakfast, [... read more] there is coffee/juice and pastry in the lobby bar or you can eat in the restaurant near the beach. There are activities only in the morning or after 4pm (darts tournament, zumba/stretch class, ping pong, aqua aerobic). Between 8-10pm, there are evening entertainments. We enjoyed the Michael Jackson shows while we visited. We find the activities are not well-organized or the location may change at the last minute without notice. The reception or guest services can not provide any help in this regard. Free 1 hour Wi-Fi (in the lobby) is included in the basic all-inclusive package. Unlimited wi-fi can be purchased for $59 USD/week. Safety deposit box ($4 USD/day) is not included in the basic all-inclusive package. There are several smaller souvenirs stores within the complex, and a good size one close to the lobby for purchase of items you forgot to bring (sunblock, sunglasses, snacks, bathing suits, hat, beach cover-up). The prices you need to pay is significant higher, all items are priced at USD. ($24 USD for small bottle of sun block) The a la carte restaurants are good. You can order from the menu and enjoy the salad buffet with a variety of hot/cold items. You can book your reservation before your arrival. If you try to walk in without reservation, you will be turned away. There is a orientation session (from your Air transat/air can local rep) the day after your arrival. Be sure to attend to get the most of your stay. Pool near our building is of a good size, but not enough lounge chairs if you arrive after 10am. Same thing for the beach. Many people come early to leave their towels on the chairs, you will see many empty chairs with towels on them. Guest services/front desk is mostly very helpful, with the exception of few staff who cannot answer our questions. This was not a language issue, but rather a lack of willingness to look into the matter. The food in the buffet has enough selections. There is usually a line-up for cook to order eggs.

Paradise Playa Dorada: Great resort!

My partner and I recently stayed at the Grand Paradise Playa Dorada for a week. We travelled with one other couple. We had the ocean front view rooms and they were great! Lovely view waking up to the beach every morning. Rooms were always kept nice and clean and staff were super friendly. The food was very good for buffet. Lots of different options each night. To be honest we enjoyed the buffet over the a la cart dinners. The beach was great! We always managed to get enough chairs and enjoy the  [... read more]beach the entire day. The only thing that was annoying were all the vendors who kept approaching asking us to purchase things. A polite no usually worked but it did become irritating having to repeat yourself over and over. We booked two excursions- atv and the waterfall excursion through Elvis. He was fantastic and very friendly so I definitely recommend booking any excursions through him. Overall we had a great trip and would recommend visiting.

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: awesome place

This resort has really well kept grounds and public areas. the food was good with a big selection. the rooms were always cleaned. you had a terrific view of the cruise ship terminal .we were there feb 28/16 to mar 06/16 and in that time frame 5 cruise ships docked there. amazing

Grand Palladium Punta Cana: Loved the resort

Resort is large but there is transportation to get around. Sports facility is large and always available. Staff are friendly but English is very limited. Rooms are fine sometimes musty. Pools are clean, beach is soft clean sand. Beach is deep after 40 feet, and waves can take you off your feet. Food is good, half the time not hot enough at the buffet. Restaurants are fun and tasty. All round, a good resort for couples or families.

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Nice resort.

Huge resort, clean with well kept grounds. Beach is fantastic. Any seaweed was raked up daily and taken away. There were plenty of huts on the beach that provided shade. Pool was very close to the water so you could easily take advantage of both. However, if you wanted an umbrella you would have to reserve your spot by 6 am! There were a variety of restaurants to choose from.