Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: Great time

Had a great time at the Senator Puerto Plata, rooms were squeeky clean and the maids left decorations daily, fridge was always restocked. Food was excellent at the buffet and the restaurants and the strip with pizza, ice cream and coffee shop was a nice touch. Enjoyed the entertainment staff, activities and especially the live music. Beach was amazing and great for a nice walk to burn off all the food. Staff everywhere was absolutely amazing and freindly. Miss it already.

Viva Tangerine by Wyndham: Smoothly Operated and Well Maintained

Loved staying at the Viva Tangerine in November. All of the staff spoke excellent English and responded to any incidents immediately. The resort prides itself on maintenance and was tidying up the results of slight cosmetic damage from hurricane season. All walls and pathways, grounds, etc were immaculate. This resort is flat, very level. The only time you go down stairs is to the beach, or if you are on the second or third floor. Amenities were all central, the pool was grand, clean, well maint [... read more]ained. The bar area was clean and upscale, the bar staff were clean, courteous/professional. The International buffet and snack area was very clean, it was spacious and top chef standard. The store and staff was great, the lobby staff were very helpful, all speak English and there is a $ exchange in the lobby as well. Exceeded expectations! 5 STARS!

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: Awesome Resort

The hotel was wonderful. It was in a really good location. The check in was too slow. The food was 5 star. The buffet was good if you are early. The beds to sleep on were awesome . The rooms were nice. The maids were really good. They need beer in the fridge.

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: Awesome

I thought this resort was great I really had no complaints. The staff were so friendly and the maids did a awesome job on our room. I would definitely go back. Lots of pools and restaurants to choose from. The only thing they can do is update there rooms.

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: Great resort in Dominican Republic

We thoroughly enjoyed the Senator resort in a minimalistic renovation which is very well done, very welcoming ( Eusebio was a great communicator) , very clean, excellent location on beach with view of in and outgoing cruise ships, fabulous variety of food, very helpful service professionals, kind and nice waiters and waitresses. Highly recommend it Air transit should have wider seats in their plane!

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: Disappointing

The rooms are old and the service was below par. Everyday had to call after room was cleaned because the staff forgot to leave things like towels,soap,shampoo, restock mini bar. I don’t mind things being overlooked one or two days but everyday for seven days was a bit much

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Really nice place

We had a great trip. The staff was very friendly, the food was consistently good with a decent selection at the buffet for each meal. The nightly entertainment never disappointed. The hotel grounds and amenities were always kept very clean. The swim up bar was a great place to socialize while the oxygen pool was a great place to chill out. Really nice beach although it was very difficult to get chairs - even as early as 8am. Overall, a great experience.

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: Health Risks - Not Worth It!

I usually don't pay too much attention to reviews, thinking that everyone has a different opinion based on their expectations, past experiences, etc. However I feel compelled to let people know about the lack of concern regarding food safety at this resort, which I believe caused both my husband and I to become ill. There is a snack bar down near the beach, at which they cook hamburgers. One day when we were in line, we noted the cook got out a tray of raw hamburger patties and, without glove [... read more]s, grabbed some and put them on the grill. He then wiped his hands on his apron and continued on getting the buns out with the same hands. Not washing at all. I was horrified and every who saw left the line. This made me question whether in fact they are as concerned about water safety as it was described they were - if they don't pay attention to washing their hands after handling raw beef, are they really concerned with rinsing their veggies and fruits with clean water? On a side note, it was also my observation that this resort is severely understaffed. There were mornings when we would make it through entire breakfasts without a coffee, despite asking multiple staff walking by if they could help us; there were only one or two staff covering large sections and I'm sure they were running ragged. Generally, it also seemed that staff were unhappy, or at least not as engaging as staff at other resorts, with very few smiles. You'll all make up your own minds, but please pay special attention to the lack of food hygiene - as I said, my husband and I were both sick through our last days and even after we returned (and no, we didn't drink any tap water!!).

Playabachata Hotel: Nice

Nice we had some issues regarding our rooms no towels no blanket we where 3 couples we had ask to be in the same building but was scattered all over the resorts I was Dissapointed the beach was nice lots of rocks the food was great I don’t think k I would go back too that resort

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Once upon a time a 4 star...

I did this trip solo, and the price was decent. Trip advisor gave it a 4.7 star with over 7000 reviews... it raves about its “recent Reno’s”...in 2006.... all the pics were dated that were resort pics, like 2009, 2010... nothing recent except for some traveler ones. This resort was probably once a solid four star but the lack of upkeep is showing. The tiles are breaking all over the pool to the point of where it could be hazardous, the rooms are stained and out dated with cheap painted fur [... read more]niture. But with all that being said, I still had an amazing time. The staff were tremendous, the housekeepers were wonderful, the location on the beach was spectacular. The walkway to the beach is over a bridge in a bird and fish lagoon type thing. Beautiful. The food was decent, the alcohol wasn’t horrible, and the beach vendors were polite enough to walk away when you said no thank you (though they did come back to you at least 3-4 times a day... they see a lot of ppl. I’m sure they forget) I just want to be honest so that people aren’t expecting close to perfection, because this resort is not. But it has potential and they make up for in other ways. Some of my favourite staff, were Elvin in the buffet area, Rio and Frank at the beach bar, Waldo and Julio in the animation area. Wonderful people. Very accommodating. Personally I was fine with my room but I could see others not being impressed. The shower area wouldn’t drain while showering, hard water stains under the sink, cheap painted side tables and awkward decor. But it was perfect for a lone traveller. I met amazing people and noticed there was a great balance of young and older. I’m sure there were times where the older didn’t appreciate the younger but it all seemed to blend just fine. I highly recommend checking out, just have reasonable expectations.

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: Self Serve

This resort was extremely clean and groomed. The rooms were small but adequate. The food was mediocre, lukewarm at best. Steak restaurant was amazing. Service in the buffet and around the pool was almost non existent. Sure saved on tips! Air Transat rep was more interested in selling the excursions than telling us about the resort.

Lifestyle Tropical Beach Resort: Excellent resort

Very clean grounds and all public areas. Staff and waiters all very accommodating, pleasant and helpful! Our room was a superior room and very private corner unit away from the noise of the pool area which is what we wanted. Great room! loved our balcony overlooking the gardens with no other building opposite us!! Food was mediocre at the buffet and perhaps a bit more variety could be offered. All very nicely displayed however and fresh. There was no concern about the drinking water or the veget [... read more]ables being washed in purified water, all was good here. The specialty restaurants were excellent! Our room service was also great! Coffee and bottled water brought daily to our rooms. The evening entertainment lacked however . Enjoyed the bingo and piano nights though. Can't express enough how wonderfully clean the entire resort was!! Excellent. Beach was also very clean and free from people trying to sell things. loved the tanning beds.

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: I loved it

I don’t have any thing bad to say about this resort everything was great I would definitely go back.The pools are amazing and they are mini pools to enjoy food was very good,The sports bar was very nice had a casino great drinks in there and free Wi-Fi I read a lot of reviews were people say to upgrade to the VIP we did not upgrade to the VIP and it was great we didn’t feel any different than others

Paradise Playa Dorada: Beautiful, friendly resort

Resort is beautiful, very clean, they are always cleaning. Rooms are spacious and bright. Super saver rooms are on the fourth floor, no elevator so it helps you work off the wonderful food. The beach is spectacular....no garbage, you are safe walking barefoot as again, they are always cleaning the beach. Safe to swim in the ocean...so much fun The food was very good, the buffet has lots of selection so you don't need to eat the same things every day. Spaghetti bar was fantastic! Staff are ver [... read more]y friendly, they talk and interact with every one....no one is left out. They go out o their way to make you happy. The only complaint I have is the cigarette smoke.....you can't escape it. People smoke where ever they want. We were chased out of the bars on many occasions due to the cigarette smoke. Theyreallyneed an area where smoking is allowed, and only there. It's very hard on the non smokers......I took a star off because of the cigarette smoke

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Awesome Vacation & Resort

The VH Gran Ventana is a beautiful resort. We stayed there from Jan 27 to Feb 2 and have not one negative thing to say about our stay. From the moment we arrived and checked in to the moment we left our stay was filled with delicious food, friendly staff and lively entertainment. The hotel lobby is fresh, airy and elegantly decorated. Our room was on the 2nd floor of the Soana building. Ours was an inner room facing the wedding gazebo and a small ocean view. The palm trees and dune obscure  [... read more]the ocean view somewhat but you can hear it and we were treated to a couple of wedding events so that was cool. The room was quiet - far enough away from the entertainment area but close to the pool and a short walk to the beach. The room was well appointed with a king bed, a flat screen, chair and private balcony facing the wedding gazebo. The bathroom was quite big and had a full tub/shower - a nice size sink to put your stuff on and plenty of room to move around. The AC was cold and everything was clean and tidy. There was a small water line break that happened while we were there but the staff managed it well I thought. I heard lots of moaning and groaning over it but that sort of thing could happen anywhere and the staff got things sorted and up and running as quickly as they could. That did not at all damper my experience at the VH and I am only adding it here because undoubtedly someone will base their review on that one thing - and a person needs to get the whole picture...so read on.... 😉 The food was DELICIOUS! I honestly was worried because I had read reviews of other places in the DR where the food was not so great, but I am happy to say that is not the case at the VH! We ate mostly at the Buffet for our meals simply out of convenience, but the food was always really good and there was lots of variety. We ate at 2 a la carts: the Italian and the ocean grill - both were fantastic! The beach and pool are really nice. There are 2 pools - one is the quiet pool and if you go there, the bar is great - Juan will hook you up with something yummy! We mostly stayed at the main pool though because it was close to our room. It’s big and with a swim up bar, why leave? LOL The staff at all the bars were excellent and I have to say they have fantastic memories because they just knew what we wanted. The beach is so nice and so clean. There are many coral reefs on the Playa Dorada stretch and snorkelling is a must. The fish are a delight to see and the swimming is spectacular! There was something to do EVERYDAY! From the fun stuff the staff did at the pool to Zumba at the pool and at the beach, to the evening entertainment of dancers and the human dragon (peaked your interest there didn’t I?) I feel like I have left something out but this review is probably long enough already, so I will sum it up by simply saying that I absolutely LOVED my experience at the VH Gran Ventana and I cannot wait to go again next year!

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: Really great resort

Could not say enough nice things about staff. Friendly, obliging and always courteous. Very clean, washrooms, restaurant and especially rooms. Resort was just lovely, pool areas and beaches. Only 2 things a bit of a nuisance, towels were unavailable by 10.30 in am, and has to wait a few hours to get any, also areas surrounding accommodations were very dimly lit and you had to be cautious when following the lanes. However I would certainly recommend this resort to friends etc. And would consid [... read more]er returning in the future.

Casa Marina Sosua Trademark by Wyndham All Inclusive: Beautiful resort, but needs tweaking

This isn a beautiful resort with all of the cool pools overlook the water,all the mature plants etc. The food was good, nothing great, but you always find something to eat. Loved to go to Eddy ‘s section in buffet, he was always smiling and ready to serve us. Actually all the people who work there were always smiling. They were overbooked, so we were put in the “Select” section, which is newly opened. We were not allowed to use any of the services in this section, like the pool( just o [... read more]utside our room along with the hot up). Thrift bar or restaurant, or coffee shop. Up until the last day we were at least allowed to walk through the section, until a security guard, who didn’t know the rules. Stopped us from passing through. Said that we had to walk around and up the stairs and down again to get to buffet. They need to figure out exactly what it means to have the yellow wrist band and what it i titles you to. Of course we could have paid $700 USD to use these facilities and walk through the area to get to our room. Apparently the Russians have bought out part of the resort, therefore they were arriving by the bus,aid. By the time we left I’d say that over half of the people on resort were Russians. It was our experience plus from talking to others on the resort, that most of these people were very pushy and arrogant people. Certainly changed the atmosphere. The location of the resort is great 15 minutes from airport, and right I. The town of Sosua, which is a safe little town with lots of shops and bars and grocery stores. Even though it was a beautiful resort, I would never go back there. But I would return to the area.

Playabachata Hotel: Outstanding Location and hotel infrastructure.

We had a great holiday. In fact we discussed the resort with one of the managers while sipping our 'presidentes'. I guess 'Rio' sold it two years ago and the new management kept the same staff. There were teething problems but the new owners must be reluctant to invest and maybe feel stuck with the old staff. Nothing that a good overall staff manager couldn't fix. We had a great holiday - I do not want to focus on minor hotel management issues - but It was a major omission that the front  [... read more]desk staff did not always have change for 100 usd. (it had change once) I arrived with 6 100 usd bills and not even the 'adjacent' playabachata could change 100. A front desk at a hotel should always be able to do this. Some of the broken up money goes to staff tips! Some of it on the hotel gift shop! not even the gift shop could oblige. The #1 outstanding item I discovered while at the hotel? The quality of the ground beef! All the restaurant food I believe is grown on the island. Here the beef is even grazing in an adjacent field. You can see the grass probably grows all year round so feeding a beef calf is easy. They probably do not use much fertilizer so the beef would be 'orgainc'. Organic grass fed beef from single suckler herds! - my what a great taste. The animals spend their whole life in a field under the sun. Much better than the barley fed feedlot beef we probably eat at home. There are 13 million Dominicans, so probably no excess production for export - but they should think about export! #1 outstanding staff member - the beach guy who handed out the canoes.

Viva Heavens by Wyndham: Beautiful friendly resort!

Grounds are immaculate, rooms are spotless. Staff are so friendly and helpful. Nice small resort. Loved that you don't have to make reservations for the restaurants. The room safe is included and they even include room service but I didn't try it. Fabulous resort!

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Construction!

This hotel is right beside a huge, multi year construction project. So if you find jackhammers in concrete relaxing, please stay here. Resort was clean, but seemed understaffed. Our first room didn’t have linens. Towels were changed twice in the week, but once was just by leaving a bag of towels outside everyone’s door. I didn’t hang them up since it was very late, and the next day they had rehung my obviously dirty towels and taken the bag of clean ones. Bar service by the pool was terr [... read more]ible, beach was better. Speaking of the beach, the 7 cabanas with beds were always gone by 6:30am, and the cabanas with chairs gone by 7:30, so get up early if you want shade at the beach. The only espresso machine is at the cash bar, and isn’t available til 3pm. Some days there was a server with a coffee pot at breakfast, but generally it’s an instant vending type machine like at gas stations. Other than the pool bar, all the staff seemed very friendly.