Bahia Principe Explore Esmeralda: Simply excellent vacation at the Bahia Principe!

Myself and my family (wife and two kids, 12 and 17) stayed at the Bahia Principe Esmeralda at Punta Cana, DR. We were incredibly impressed about all aspects of our stay there. We have only been to the Caribbean once before (a small resort in Negril, Jamaica) so we were comparing to that. The transfer to and from the airport was very good, relaxed and on time. The airport very nice indeed. Wasn't very clear when we got there that we didn't need to queue to pay the 'tourist tax' so we queued for  [... read more]a while until someone from Air Transat pulled us out the line and directed us through customs. The resort was just fantastic, huge and impressive. We had a couple of adjoining rooms in block 90 near the beach, exactly what we requested, and really nice rooms, however probably any one of the blocks in the Esmeralda would have been fine. The only very slight issue was the bed was a bit hard, but really this is very minor, not really a problem at all. The choice and quality of food was amazing from the 'snack bar' by the beach to the Don Pablo gourmet restaurant. I was very impressed observing the staff just how professional and courteous they all were, at all levels from the desk staff to the serving staff, room maids and pool cleaners. Serving staff very attentive and at just the right level. Could not quite believe just how much food and imported alcohol was available, very nice indeed not to have to think if you can afford a better meal or fancy drink. I had a chat with the restaurant manager Eugenia (I think her name), very hard working and personable lady. She runs a very tight ship indeed and it really shows. The cleanliness was very impressive, everywhere was spotless, especially all the washrooms, they were always kept super clean. Hand sanitizer always offered walking into the restaurants. I noticed someone wiping down the stair railings with isopropyl alcohol. Really this impressed me a lot just how thoughtful they were about hygiene. I fail to see how they could have done a better job. The beach had quite bit of seaweed but that's no fault of the resort, and anyway they raked it away every day so wasn't really an issue. I left my sandals on the beach when sailing and forgot about them. Went back later and they were gone. Checked at the sailing counter the next morning and they had seen they were left and took them in. Wouldn't have been a big issue to lose them but nevertheless I appreciated them doing this. Although resort entertainment isn't really our thing we really enjoyed it especially the daytime pool exercise sessions, really good fun. Nighttime entertainment a bit cheesy but still good fun and entertaining. The Animation Team (entertainment staff) are really good and put a lot of effort in. Didn't do any excursions, we were going to but it was hot and humid and just wanted to enjoy being at the resort more. The Hobie catamarans were super good fun and probably my highlight; flying over clear waters to the reef and shipwreck was just great, and it was free. So, we would go back there in a heartbeat! I guess from the number of superlatives I have used you can tell we really enjoyed it! The Esmeralda was definitely for us the better part of the resort to stay in and would recommend this. The Punta Cana and Bavaro part of the resort were busier. August a good time to go, I'm sure nice in the winter but possibly a few more people staying there at that time.

VIK Hotel Arena Blanca: Expected more

Great service but hotel needs upgrade of facilities. Rooms are really old and stuff broken. Doors don't work. Shower broke etc... Sheets are hard and uncomfortable. Food is excellent. Service and staff excellent. Lobby needs to upgrade and modernize.

Bahia Principe Grand Bavaro: Trip Central Vacations

We booked with Trip Central to Grand Bahia Principe Bavaro Punta Cana It was excellent. Great food variety, room close to all amenities. Get sport activity variety. Beach is sensational. Dining room service excellent I would return. Trip Central was an excellent travel agent

Iberostar Selection Bavaro Suites: Great Resort

We had a great time, the resort was beautiful and the grounds are very well kept. They food at the buffet was good, they had a lot of variety so we didn't have to eat the same things over and over. We only made it to one of our a la carte bookings, the Steak House. I had the salmon and my boyfriend had the steak we were both very happy with our meals and the service. The resort & bar staff were very friendly, you got the same pleasant service whether you tipped or not. The pool and beach were ni [... read more]ce, there was a bit seaweed in the ocean but nothing to keep you from going in. They kept the beach clean and seaweed issue was maintained daily. Only negative would be about the night entertainment , it was bit lack luster we've seen better at other resorts. However the Dominican and Ibero -Stars shows were the best by far. We really enjoyed those. Oh Yes! our room was really nice, cleaned daily and no towel issues or bugs. I swear the bed was on of the most comfortable we've slept on out of all the resorts we've stayed at. All and all it was a great vacation.

Wyndham Alltra Punta Cana: Outstanding resort!!

Me and my girlfriend travelled to the Dreams Punta Cana Resort for 1 week from August 15th to August 22nd. This was our first time travelling to the Dominican Republic and it exceeded our expectations! The resort itself is phenomenal! It had the most amazing service and entertainment team, the drinks and food were delicious and the shows were great! I would highly reccommend this resort to anyone travelling to Punta Cana!

Occidental Punta Cana: Beware of bed bugs!

This hotel is in serious need of renovations, the common areas are decent however the rooms are really run down. The tubs in the bathrooms are cracked and in very bad conditions. The beds are the worst part of all, Bed Bugs! Got bitten several times and still have close to a hundred bites in arms and body. The AirConditioning unit stopped working and was fixed until 2 days after we reported. The food is acceptable for the most part. The buffet is the best without a doubt, don't even bother goin [... read more]g to the A-La Carte restaurants, there is no AC in there and the food is not worth it (except for the Mexican and the Pizza place). The buffet had a good selection and if we knew better we would had eat dinner there every day. Bartenders where friendly around the resort and drink tolerable. The entertainment at the beach is boring, but the one at night can be fun some nights. For water activities, it is a disappointment, they try to sell you paid activities (banana, parasailing, etc...) and then when you want to do the free kayaks or small catamarans they say the water is too rough (when obviously is not). Lots of sea weed after a storm and staff took 3 days to clean it, in Cancun they clean up in 1 day. Not enough loungers at the beach so you got to be there a 7AM if you want to get a decent spot. As they always say you get what you paid for. If you do not mind getting eaten buy bed bugs then go to this hotel. The price is cheap but so are the installations. Food was probably the only thing positive about the trip; it wasn't the greatest but we didn't got sick at least and was sufficient.

Iberostar Waves Punta Cana: good value

Excellent nice beach good food friendly staff Only issue beach had to get up at 5 am to put your towel and reserve a chair under umberella Pool area excellent very nice friendly clean property Friendly staff entertainment at night lacking

Grand Sirenis Punta Cana Resort: Great resort with some caveats

The Good: Food was good, the grounds and beach is lovely, service is excellent. Room was very nice. Loved that you get unlimited of the water park. Shows were fantastic - the circus show and Michael Jackson are not to be missed. I like that the pool is at least nine feet deep in places. The Bad: Drinks aren't great. Beer, rum and coke and gin and tonic are good, but forget margaritas or daiquiris and mojitos are terrible. Beach isn't good for snorkeling due to the fine sand that gets churned up  [... read more]and means poor visibility. Restaurants not as clean as I would have like, but I could live with it. Buffets were extremely loud. WiFi only in the main lobby, which is a pain.

Cayo Levantado Resort: perfect trip!

Our trip to this resort was perfect in all respects. Wonderful resort located on a little piece of heaven. Highly recommend. The food is excellent. Service warm and friendly. Beaches are gorgeous and pools warm and clean. We will return to this location again. The fact that it is an island only adds to the beauty of this resort.

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Amazing resort

Fantastic , hotel was well kept very clean great entertainment friendly staff and great food. Amber 1 was more entertainment throughout the day. All the ala cart restaurants were amazing staff were very outgoing. I can't wait to go back!

Hyatt Vivid Punta Cana: Good Resort

The grounds are beautiful the hotel rooms are nice the bathrooms could use some updating, but the suites are amazing. They did a great job dealing with the sea weed compared to the other resorts along Bavaro Beach.

Sunscape Coco Punta Cana: Nice and walkable

The resort we liked, clean grounds, easy to get from one area to another, plenty of pool choices. Large clean rooms,and bathrooms, = but wish the bathrooms had a DOOR. Only problem was , all three of us got sick, had only eaten in the buffet at that point, =SO . Ruined it for me, as could not eat for three day's.

Wyndham Alltra Samana: Beautiful beach!

This resort is a 2 hour bus ride from the airport. We had no problems with the food and my teenage son loved the selection. The resort is kept clean but very basic. There is NO wifi at all. Was not working when we were there. A major complaint with our teenagers. Horseback riding is nearby and would definitely recommend. We were 4 people in a room and the whole week we did not get 4 towels. Either there were not enough or they did not bother checking (even though we tipped the maids daily). Ther [... read more]e is a small town within walking distance. Not much to see but it was nice to see the supermarkets and local life. The beach is beautiful, shallow and sandy. Not much to see when snorkelling though. Lots of palm trees for shade. Would recommend for relaxation and a quiet getaway!

TRS Turquesa: Palladium Hotels and resorts-Royal suites turquesa

Resort was great. Flight home was terrible. Trip central can't be faulted for,that Air transit is now at the bottom of our list. It was our 30th anniversary. Flying home was almost 8 hours instead of 4

Bahia Principe Explore La Romana: Great resort and the adults only area was lovely.

Only real disappoinment was the ocean-while clean it wasn't that beautiful clear carribean sea that you come to expect due to the massive amounts of dredging of sand for surrounding residential development. But food, service, accommodations and people were lovely and there were amazing caves less than 10 minutes by taxi that are like a hidden treasure.

The Eurostars Grand Cayacoa: Loved it here!

We loved our vacation here. It was the overall experience that made me give it 5 stars. In spite of reviews of the not the best beach, which is true, I still have to say the overall experience is 5 stars. The room we had was huge and had a view of the water. The beach does get muddy from the current kicking up sand, that's the only negative, but the great food and atmosphere of the entire resort itself made up for it in my opinion. Lots of stairs to climb but we didn't mind, kept the weight off  [... read more]from eating so much.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Good, family fun!

-Grounds were very clean -Food was great -Service was good (although not a huge emphasis on English -- it would be an asset if you were able to speak Spanish) -Room was spacious -Beach was gorgeous -Pools were beautiful, although no swim up bar -I would recommend this resort to families with children, as there were a lot of kids when we were there. Wish we'd have known this ahead of time! -the city, Las Terrenas, had a lot of nice restaurants if you'd like to go into town for a date night

Wyndham Alltra Samana: the GOOD and the BAD

GOOD - food was delicious! everyday they had a different theme night and food was sooo tasty. It's nothing like Cuba! - shades in the beach. there are a lot of shaded area on the beach so no need to wake up early and get a beach chair because there are plenty and many areas with lots of shade - Archery, sports bar had foozball table, billiards etc. - Kids club BAD - ran out running water for 6 hours! Couldnt shower, wash your face or brush your teeth! It was terrible - no electricity! for 3 nig [... read more]hts out of 7. This means no light, no A/C no electricy at all all night. I was sooo angry and complained so much because the whole resort would shut down. I had a baby iwth me and we were sweating like crazy the whole night. It was so upsetting that this hotel could not even maintain electricity! One of the most basic things. We had a great vacation but this ruined it for us. - sand on the beach. There is very little sand area on the beach, unlike Cuba or Bahamas where there are a lot of sand. Mostly grass - terrible sutomer service at the front desk. When power was down I complained several times. they didnt even provide candles or try to fix the situation. All I got was blank stare from the reception workers

Grand Bavaro Princess: Definitely a 3 star resort

Our family travelled to the Dominican Republic in late July. Our stay at the Bavaro Princess was, just as we'd feared it would be based on some of the less stellar reviews, average at best. Rooms - spacious; very comfortable beds (a bit on the firm side but that's our preference); we weren't able to get the A/C to make to room any colder but luckily it was able to keep the room at a reasonable temperature; mosquitoes were definitely a nuisance as the housekeepers tend to leave the doors open wh [... read more]ile they are working but if you request the room to be sprayed daily with bug killer it helped drastically. Beach - The first couple of the days the beach was good with little to moderate seaweed. Water temperatures were very warm but that's to be expected for the time of year. The last half of the trip, the seaweed was significant and unmanageable despite the high volume or workers on the beach trying to clean it up, even with earth-moving equipment. The beach itself has beautiful soft white sand. Food - The food was typically cold, mushy and bland. The buffets are open air which meant there were often flies on the food and it was stifling hot in the dining areas, even early in the mornings at breakfast. The juice in the machines was lukewarm. The seafood and Chinese food restaurant were very enjoyable and climate-controlled (as are the teppanyaki and Italian). Great meals and service. The steakhouse was a big disappointment as the steaks are all pan fried, not grilled like a good steak should be. One place to avoid at all costs is the McPrincess snack bar on the beach. Most food is barely edible and the burgers (we tried twice) were always under-cooked to a point of being dangerous. On the plus side the fries were always good. Service - the staff were for the most part friendly and attentive but it can be a LONG wait at the swim-up bar to get a drink. I did not have any money to offer a tip which may have been the reason I was ignored for 20+ minutes despite waiting the longest for service. One person did stand out to us and his name was Claudio. He was always super friendly and took great care of us when we were seated near the pool. The vendors on the beach and around the pool are extremely annoying and some are more aggressive than others for sure - fair warning. Some fun animals and photo ops (available later that night for purchase) around the pool daily with monkeys and parrots. The trams often were full and guests are pushy and aggressive and getting a seat. If you have any manners at all you will probably need to wait for the next one. Better still if you're in no particular rush and have the energy take the ecological path and check out the iguanas, turtles, peacocks, bunnies, ducks and other wildlife along the way. The nighttime entertainment was horrendous! Below amateur - lip syncing, poor preparation, etc. If you want a laugh then by all means check it out but be prepared to be bored quickly. We read all the reviews ahead of time so we were well aware of the poor Wi-Fi in the lobby. We chose to rent a modem for $40 for the week. It was well worth the money. You don't get blazing fast speeds from it but it works for simple things like web browsing and email. Overall we'd have to say that this resort was a three star at best. I don't believe getting the platinum upgrade would have improved things enough to give the Bavaro Princess a higher rating. Room Tip: Request close to the pool/beach if you want to be where the action is during the day. See more room tips

Hyatt Vivid Punta Cana: Relaxing Resort

Service was good. Accommodation was good. Food in the main dining room was excellent. Ambience in the speciality restuarant was excellent. Food was fair. There should be more activities in the evening and communication was poor.