Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Beyond expectations

I enjoyed every minute of it. Great food, awesome people and never a dull moment. A bit of algaes at the beach but the workers worked to remove it. Animation team were always fun. The staff always went the extra mile to make us comfortable. Going back in a few years!!

Zel Punta Cana - All Suites: Heaven on Earth

This resort is over top only if you book your stay at the Reserve section. From start to finish the staff at this resort don't leave you wanting for anything. From 24 hour room service. Top shelf brands of liquor. Champagne & Lobster all you want. Food is better then most restaurants in major cities. Room's at the reserve are min 807 sq feet suites. The beach area and lounges are amazing with service on the beach all day long. Complimentary Catamaran, Snorkeling on resort. The Grounds are the go [... read more]rgeous and well maintained. Luis at the Main lobby and Ronnie Gomez at the Reserve lobby are amazing bartenders.

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: Amazing resort

The grounds of the hotel beautiful and clean, the public areas enough for every body, the staff are professional, dining areas nicely decorated and comfortable, meal is very good, features attractive and interesting.

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Incredible resort

All areas were clean and welcoming. The ocean and sand were beautiful and the beach was quiet. The pool area was crowded and noisy however we remained on the beach. The food was delicious. That alone would make us return. We did the xtreme excursion and that was so much fun! We will certainly be returning.

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: No more than a 3 star

Everything was alright until the locals were let on the resort for the weekend, it made it much more difficult to get a drink, get food, go in the pool; one girl even threw her bag and towel on the chair I was laying on. A quiet and very small resort, book your excursions for the weekend to avoid the absolute craziness of the weekend.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Enjoyed our stay - would go back again

We stayed at the El Portillo in early March. This was the second time that we stayed there, and we would go back again. The hotel itself is very family oriented. Clean rooms. If there is a problem, the staff is more than happy to try to accommodate your needs. The grounds are immaculate. The beach was long so that you could walk for quite a ways. If you enjoy snorkelling, this is a great beach for that as there are lots of fish just steps away from your lounge chair! There are vendors that come  [... read more]on the beach, but if you tell them "No thank you", they will leave you alone. The staff couldn't do enough for you. We enjoyed our time with David "Spaghetty" from the entertainment team. He was awesome! Eucliddes from the beach bar was a lot of fun as well......."Excellente!" There were so many staff members that made our stay memorable from the beach entertainment to the restaurants to the bar area to the nightly entertainment. All is all, we had an excellent experience and we look forward to going back again next year!

Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: Fantastic Trip

I deal wit Tammy Beamish and after being disappointed with the accommodations I arrange without her input last year , this year it was fabulous. I had requested an oceanview for our romm and boy did she come through with flying colours We looked out over the point for a majestic view of the ocean and with wide panoramic view of the beach and the ocean and the beautiful sunsets The Riu Bachata was as anticipated for the chain with first class accommodations and service for the entire stay. I woul [... read more]d recommend the resort to any one wishing to go to Puerta Plata.

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Friendly staff

The resort itself was awesome, but the way you are treated is incredible. The staff are so friendly and so helpful when it comes to anything, making the trip that much better. The beach is beautiful and the pools are just perfect

Sunscape Puerto Plata: Great vacation!

Great hotel, nice beach, confortable room, good location, friendly service, very large pool (with swim up bar) and animation all day long! Main buffet offert a large sélection of choices and it changes every day

Royalton Splash Punta Cana: Very clean and spacious, would definately return.

The beds were only doubles, so we upgraded. Staff always friendly. Food was very good, the Under the Sea restaurant was the best. The waterpark was a blast, we have kids. For kids I say between 7-11 years old, the waterpark would only work for the wave pool. Slides had a height restriction. Access to Roylaton was a great bonus, bar there and pool to swim in. Beach was amazing, clean and water warm

Majestic Elegance Punta Cana: The best experience ever

Immaculate !! Paradise!!! I was in Punta Cana one other time And thought I loved the resort I was at! Disappointed I couldn't arrange the hotel I wanted for the time I needed.. I researched the Majestic elegance To our amazement it exceeded expectations.. We both agreed while floating in the pool if we ever come south again the only place we will ever go is the Dominican republic to the Majestic elegance Why fix what's not broken?? even the food was bursting with flavour!!! I had fallen a little [... read more] bit ill back in 2011 not even a stomach pain this trip!!! You will not regret it at all!!! my recommendation is to make sure you save enough to book the club side!! :-)

Majestic Colonial Punta Cana Beach Resort: very disappointed return customer

ground are lovely/pool wonderful/club lounge worth extra $/room nice HOWEVER, the food was way below standard for this resort- stayed 1 year ago at the Majestic Elegance next door and we loved everything about it- very DISAPPOINTED- our butler service was non existent(met him when arrived)- we are frequent visitors to Punta Cana and have stayed at several hotels here

Royalton Splash Punta Cana: Amazing just Amazing

This hotel is incredible, when we walked into our room, the first thing i did was take a picture. Out of 12 vacations in the last 3 years i have never done that. The grounds are wonderful, the pools are clean. The staff go beyond to help serve you. The A La Cartes yummmm is all i can say. The Belimi bar wow, amazing drinks. Once we tried one, we went back each night before supper. Refreshments, being restocked daily, the maids doing as clean as it was when you came into the room. I loved this re [... read more]sort and it will now be my go to Resort in Dominican.

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Great Resort

Would highly recommend the Adults-only Ambar for couples. It's a resort within a resort at the expansive Bahia property. Rooms are spacious, clean and comfortable and have large bathrooms (although a little dark). The Ambar is located closest to the beautiful golden sand beach. The beach is clean and we never had any issues getting a beach chair, though I'd recommend getting down there before 7:30 a.m if you want a spot up front. If the pool is your thing, the Ambar has a nice sized pool with l [... read more]ots of chairs available. Usually have music playing and a swim up bar. It can get a little loud at times so if you're looking for a quiet, relaxing alternative, I'd recommend going over to the Ambar II. It's a very large, winding, beautiful pool, with a swim up bar and a sushi bar. The grounds of the Bahia are absolutely gorgeous and well mained by the hard working grounds staff. The Ambar's walkways are really pretty. If you're looking for nice spots for pictures, this is the place and I'd also get over to the Esmerelda section for more of the same. Food: If you are looking for gourmet food, you might be disappointed, but for a carribean resort, it's pretty good. There are countless restaurants on the Bahia property, including 7 or 8 at the Ambar alone. Although you have access to all the Buffets on the property, the Ambar is the best...its the largest, has the best selection (something for everyone) and the food is good and plentiful for breakfast lunch and dinner. A la Carte restaurants are really good. We went to Portofino (Italian), Maiko (Japanese), Rodizio (Brazilian), Don Pablo (Gourmet), the outdoor BBQ (Grill) and El Olivio (Meditaranian). All were excellent, especially the Japanese show cooking dinner. Book your a la carte restaurants as soon as you get there! Or, better yet, you can e-mail or call ahead of your trip and make requests. If you hesitate, you may be disappointed as they get booked up quickly and are some are closed on certain nights. We found the staff extremely friendly and polite and provided great service. These people work extremely hard, and are always smiling but do not make a lot of money. So even though your package might say "Tips included," be sure to tip these people, even a couple of bucks here and there. It not only is appreciated by them, it makes a big difference in their lives and they will give you even better service than normal. Overall, this is a very nice resort and I would highly recommend it. Esmerelda is also great part of this resort if you are travelling with kids or don't mind the added commotion that kids will naturally create.

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Potential Balance Unparalleled Beauty

My husband and I vacationed at Iberostar Costa Dorada April 22-29, 2015. We booked a regular room through Tripcentral and travelled via Air Transat Vacations, and we received first rate service. We base this review on the experience gained form 15 all-inclusive vacations at three repeat 5-star resorts in Varadero Cuba, Punta Cana DR, and Puerto Plata DR. Upon our arrival at Costa Dorada we were overwhelmed by the vast numbers of guests checking in along with us. We quickly discovered this would [... read more] not be a problem. We were efficiently greeted, offered a cold beverage, then assisted by a professional clerk, given our room assignment, key cards, instructions on beach towel card usage, a map of the resort and a meeting appointment with our Air Transat Rep. We were given a King room on the first level of building 6 with a partial ocean/beach view. While our luggage followed timely in the capable hands of a smiling porter we headed eagerly to check out our accommodations. We discovered our entrance was off a beautiful garden courtyard. The room itself spacious, a large bathroom to the right, with in tub shower, single sink marble vanity and hairdryer. Then past that to the right a huge King size bed with double night stands along the wall, then a high round table with two chairs. Upon entering to the left was a luggage bench next to a large seated desk area, offering a coffee maker with essentials and an ice bucket (ice machines located throughout each double building block) with glasses. Next to this a flat screen TV sat on a cabinet containing a mini fridge. The fridge held beer, soda pop and water, this was replenished daily. Our quiet and very private patio sat outside a large sliding door. It offered two comfy chairs with a table with a view onto a private, quiet, green area near the child daycare facility. There was never noise from outside, night or day. A partial view offered of both beach and ocean gave us reason to unpack our swim suits and head out to explore. We were very happy to call this room home base for the next week. We discovered the beach just a few steps away. We walked around the corner, from our room, along a flagstone pathway in front of building 5, past a foot wash/shower station onto golden sand. The beach is wide, with plenty of natural shade close to the Beachbar and beach BBQ/Grill area. There are palapas offering shaded areas and plenty of beach beds. Daily removal of washed up seaweed leaves the beach clean. The water depth drops quickly in some areas but this changes day to day depending on wind/sea conditions. The 'yellow' slightly saggy beach beds were a problem for us, they do not fully recline and prove to be very uncomfortable when laying on ones belly. We have been to 4* resorts with fully reclining 'blue' chairs that offer much more support. You are thinking we have a dislike for yellow but I assure you the comfort level and style was also pale in comparison to the sturdy blue recliners of other resorts. During our stay we had 7 days with no high wind and a gentle surf. The ocean temperature was very warm, sea bottom mostly sand with occasional areas of seaweed. We noticed that schools of fish were abundant. The buffet is a very large circular restaurant, divided seating areas, high palapa center ceiling, open along the exterior half wall to the outside, with option to lower curtains during wind or rain. The buffet is located close to the Spa/Gym and not far from the main lobby. From our first evening onward we chose to sit near the garden and, on occasion, we would see several of the resort's resident peacocks strut along displaying their colourful plumage. Our waiter Domingo was there at breakfast and dinner every day during our stay. He would greet us with warmth, offer a few mini Spanish lessons and always remembered our drink preferences. Following breakfast we went to either the pool or the beach. The first two days we choose the beach, the same palapa, daily became our private little retreat. As I mentioned earlier, I found the beach beds uncomfortable and by morning of the third day decided to book a therapuedic massage at the Spa. Poolside days that followed, allowed me to rest in comfort on a thick mattress of a fully reclining sunbed. During the mornings that followed I enjoyed few delicious mimosas, followed by short naps in the shade and a short walk to the beach for a relaxing ocean dip before lunchtime, oh the fun! We always lunched at the poolside buffet. The food here was excellent. Succulent rotisserie chicken, yum! Selections of fish, beef burgers, pork chops, steak, a variety of cooked vegetables, French fries, fresh lettuce and various vegetables, nachos, salsa, chili, cheese, breads, rolls, fruit, and deserts. Both poolside and beach activities were non-stop. Morning pool aerobics, beach yoga, Latin dance lessons, Spanish lessons. Silly poolside games, bingo, darts, washer toss, archery, shooting, zumba, tennis, on and on. If you want a busy fun filled day you will be kept entertained. If you want to relax, these games will not be a distraction, the music or noise level was never intrusive at either poolside or beach. We enjoyed both the games and the relaxation at our leisure. Aside from morning mimosas I suggest the pool swim up bar between 4-6pm. It is lively, a time for those who are young or young at heart, not for those who are prickly about a few adult jokes and conversation. It's a time for sharing a shooter or two, poured with finesse and expertise. Many thanks to pool bartenders including Angel, Yara, Juan Lewis and Emmanuel. The staff at Costa Dorada are 'mi familia'. You will be adding to your face book friends list after a week at Iberostar Costa Dorada. After our first dinner experience at the main buffet we didn't restrict ourselves to bookings and chose instead to dine where we knew the food and service to be excellent. During our stay we heard positive things concerning all of the a la cartes, especially the Japanese, however can offer no personal opinion. Following dinner we either walked the manicured grounds or along the serene glowing poolside, visited the exquisite orchid garden, browsed the market area, took in vendor displays, or headed to the lobby bar for an after dinner drink. During early evening there is a children’s time in the theater, followed by an occasional mid evening interlude of musical entertainment, then the evening theater show, ending with nightly disco time starting at 11:30pm. During our stay there was very little mid evening entertainment. This was disappointing. One evening a local band played both a variety of slow to fast paced latin and international music in the courtyard. We enjoyed this romantic time, dancing under the moon in paradise. This one evening gave us a teasing taste of what should have been a nightly feast. On another occasion, a one man piano/guitar entertainer, not so tasteful, played/sang his rendition of Elvis and Beatles songs/music. He was annoying, his performance unprofessional. He would start the song, laugh, then stop, restart, so on, if this was meant as humor, it was not perceived by the audience as being funny. The courtyard area is open, spacious and offers a venue in which nightly mid-evening activity could be offered, I hope this situation improves. How to be polite yet remain brutally honest. The animation staff work hard-check, they give 110%-check, therefore, the following opinion is not a reflection on the “entertainment team”. They work all day, then they are expected to work all evening as performers, this is not good management! A resort that booms during the day has to fall apart at night when working the same staff! Outside shows, troops, groups, need to be brought in at least 4 out 7 evenings. This would give the Iberostar staff time to recharge and an opportunity to mingle with the guests. They deserve100% review feedback. We strongly feel the evening/nightlife is sadly lacking, at least it was during our one week stay. We feel our week should be the reflection of any average week as most all vacations are either, 7, 10 or 14 days. A resort of this rating and potential should offer more “spirit” after dark, instead it is tired, slow, and, at times, boring. We went to the disco only one night, simply because the early evening boredom set a mood of tired eyedrooping. Located behind the main lobby bar area, past the lobby washrooms, this space is air conditioned and offers modern trendy decor and design. You have to take a look inside, even if you don't plan on indulging in a late evening of dance and/or drink. The music started out as true 70's early 80's disco, this was actually amusing and offered moments of nostalgia to a few exuberant couples. We enjoyed non-stop dancing to a good selection of top 40's modern dance mix music. All age groups were on the floor, everyone seemed to be having fun. Then things went to latin, loud and booming. The dance floor emptied and everyone had a look of puzzlement. Even with the lacking evening entertainment, we still feel this resort is a well deserving 4.5 star. It has a warm, welcoming atmosphere, it quickly becomes your resort, your place, your personal paradise. Resort staff are omnipresent, pleasant, helpful and gracious. Would we go back? Yes, without question, in a heartbeat. The critiques we've given offer suggestions with a positive, hopeful attitude. We hope the balance of night and day entertainment will be realized. Thank-you Tripcentral. Thank you Iberostar. We had an amazing experience at Costa Dorada, where azure ocean meets luscious land, truly a place of balance and beauty. Pauline and Don Spurrell

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Great resort!

The resort was beautiful! Weather couldn't have been any better. Food excellent, service was great, all the employees at the resort were so pleasant and cheerful; always smiling. The evening shows were a lot of fun and so were the beach activities.

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Outstanding Resort!

There is not one thing I would change about this resort. The food was great, the rooms were nice with a beautiful view, the beach was beautiful, the pool was clean, and there was always various entertainment.

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: Nice resort, but definitely not a 5 star

Nice resort, could use alot of updating, especially in the standard rooms. No swim-up bar. Proximity to beach, pool, buffet, a la cartes and the pool bar are all very close. Staff were very efficient and friendly, no complaints. Food was good and lots to choose from. Location from airport is excellent, only a 20 min drive.

Bahia Principe Explore Esmeralda: Awesome Resort for families and couples

Grounds keeping was top notch. the gardens are always spectacular and always being worked on. Pool - we spent our time at the Ambar Pool - part of the Don Paublo Collection adults only section. the Esmerelda pool is clean and large but we wanted to be away from all the children. A La Cartes - excellent, plentiful with attentive staff Buffet - Esmerelda has 2 to choose from both were great with lots of choices for any palet. Bars - plentiful, friendly, entertaining

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Amazing resort and for sure one I would recommend

The grounds, hotel, rooms and dining areas were all top rated and I would for sure go back to the Ambar. The food at all the buffets are top quality but some of the a la carte restaurants are surprising questionable and would not go back. We did however cannot get into the the Don Pablo restuarant and did not understand how we cannot get any reservations for the duration of our stay.