Great time if you're not too picky

I was a bit concerned with lots of negative reviews, but we were very happy with our stay. Things I was most worried about were good air conditioning and no bugs in the beds, and I'm happy to say there were no problems there. The staff was very friendly, and we tipped often, so the staff kept the same table for us most times and remembered our drink preferences. The pool was fresh water and very clean and temperature was great (around 75 I would guess). However, despite signs forbidding rese [... read more]rving lounge chairs, almost all shaded chairs will be reserved by 8-9AM each day and staff won't enforce the rule. While we didn't want to, we had to join the strange practice of getting up extremely early to put towels and personal items on some chairs in the shade in order to have shade while at the pool. I think it would be a better experience for the average patron if the staff removed towels if left longer than 30 minutes. We got up at 5am every day to put towels/books out to save chairs and that worked pretty well. Keep in mind the resort will charge 20 dollars for a lost towel, though. We paid 60 dollars for unlimited internet throughout the resort and in the rooms, and we had good connectivity in the room. However, during busy days (mainly weekends where there are a lot of locals), the Internet bandwidth was pretty saturated and refused to work at all. This was usually during lunch/dinner times where everyone in the main restaurant is using wifi. The food was great with lots of choices, and we attended all three specialty restaurants. We waited in line about 30 minutes prior to reservations opening (for us Monday at 8am), and I would recommend you do the same. My complaints about the food were that I didn't enjoy breakfast most times due to the rarity of bacon, and fried hash browns. I suspect other resorts in Puerto Plata will have similar scarcity, though. The Greek restaurant is very cold, and I enjoyed the food there the least of the three specialty restaurants, but that's mainly due to personal taste. My favourite food was the pineapple at the Brazilian restaurant. Overall, very happy with our stay even though we have a few gripes here and there. I suspect most of the negative reviews here are due to people letting one or two details ruin their trip. Also, I think, while not mandatory, tipping will result in a slightly better experience.

Good resort

Went there as a group of 6 people and had a nice time there. We got awesome weather was there for 10 days and had 29 to 32 degree with beautiful sunshine all through our holiday. We had a couple of minor issues when we got there but nothing big. When we got to resort we had to wait 2 hours for our rooms because it wasn't ready for us yet. One of the couple their room key didn't work when they got to there room but got easily fixed & quickly :). Also one of the couple had requested a main floor [... read more] room due to difficulty walking but didn't get it, they go a second floor room. All 3 couples had requested to be in same building (block 4 which is quieter) but one of the couple got a room in block 5 which is VERY near the pool and very noisy (they didn't get many quiet nights sleep). We all got very comfortable king size beds in all our rooms. Refrigerator in room was nice and cold, we had 2 beers (Coors light) 1 Pepsi, 1 7up in it upon arrival and 1 big bottle water which they were good at replacing it when empty, if not replaced we just had to go to front desk and they got them to replace it asap or we could get it refilled ourselves at any of the bars. Just a heads up you have to pay for your in room safe if you want one (3 dollars a day). Also another heads up is that when you go to buffet for super men cannot go in with a sleeveless shirt, or swimsuit which we only found out once we got there. BUT they can wear a sleeveless shirt for breakfast & lunch time which made it a bit confusing. The resort was clean with spacious rooms & great friendly staff (two thumbs up on staff). The AC in rooms worked really well. One of the thing we didn't like about the resort was the washrooms on throughout the resorts didn't have paper towels to dry our hands and there hand dryer was really not very efficient ( VERY LOW BLOWING POWER) took what seemed forever to get our hands dried . Food was good but only got bacon every second day, they had a fair amount of choices for food at every meals. We didn't try the "A la carte" restaurants so can't say much about that. Our biggest issue was the sand blowing on the beach in afternoon :( it got really bad and we kept getting sandblasted when laying on the beach. I was ok in morning but around noon the wind always seem to pickup and we got sanded. The water temperature was great throughout our stay there. In some section of the beach there was weeds in water but in morning it was pretty good but by afternoon it got bad because of the wind I guess sending the weeds towards the shore line, by 2 pm the water really got dirty with weeds and such so not as pleasant. Most people went in the pool instead in afternoon because of this issue, which of course was not the resorts fault or employee in anyways as the can't control the wind or weather. As for the entertainment there in evening we only went to one of there shows there as it would start way to late for us. The shows always started at 9:45 pm which after spending the whole day outside enjoying the weather & fresh air that by that time we were all in bed asleep lol. The show we did see was not worth staying up late for. We enjoyed our stay there but would not go back due to mostly the issues at the beach and the evening entertainment. I'm giving this resort a overall 4 star because of the service and decent food.

When we got there, we had some issues with the room but it was rectified in a couple of hours. The food was good & the dining tables was well set & the staff at the resort was excellent. The grounds was OK but there was a lot of leaves on the ground in the hotel area. I would go back again.

First when we got there we had some issues with the room. We called the reception desk and they sent someone to our room to fix the problems. After about 2 hours all the trouble was rectified. We found the staff there to be friendly & helpful. The grounds needed some cleaning up in some areas of the hotel where there a lot of leaves on the ground. I really enjoyed the pool it was a large pool & not too crowded. The drinks at the bar was good but my favorite was beer. The food was good 3 good mea [... read more]ls a day plus you can get a snack at the snack bar after 11 AM. The beach was pretty good & they had workers there every morning cleaning up the seaweed & there was security there keeping the vendors away from harassing you.I certainly would go back there, for the price I paid for 7 days it was well worth it

The resort was beautiful.

The pool was fabulous. The grounds were well maintained and beautiful. The rooms were your standard hotel rooms but the bathrooms were recently renovated. There was an initial mix up on our rooms and the hotel was quick to fix the issue and moved us to an upgraded room. The buffet was good, but breakfast was definitely our favourite and the Brazilian a la carte was so good.

Great Resort and good time

My husband and I travelled here from March 14-March 21. Weather was excellent. Cons: wifi was not good and barely any staff knows english. The staff mainly knows spanish. There should be refreshments provided in lobby area 24/7. Pros: rooms were clean, service was excellent. We needed towels and they were brought to our room immediately. Food was excellent. Daily activities in pool. Staff very friendly. Overall, great trip and I would recommend.

Great resort

Great value resort, no complaints, had a room with great view of the ocean, good food, awesome service, mature well manicured grounds,second visit at this resort. Went in March and experienced perfect weather, hot and sunny every day. Went on the cable car up the mountain and experienced a wonderful aerial view of Puerto Plata. You don't need a guide for this.

March break holiday

My friend and I stayed at this resort during March break 2019. We upgraded to adult deluxe vip and were very happy with the upgrades. Although there were a few issues with little things like the hair dryer not working and a problem with the shower they were taken care of right away. Grounds and pool were kept beautifully and the beach area was very nice. Food was good although I would have liked to have seen more seafood and fish at the buffet. All restaurant staff were amazing. VIP lounge was f [... read more]antastic. Would like to see more pool side activity such as bingo dance lessons etc. Felt very safe while walking around on beach and in resort.

Wonderful resort

Perfect size hotel with everything within walking distance. Friendly and very helpful staff. A la carte restaurants were wonderful. Didn’t like the shows at night. Need to have more variety. I would definitely return to this resort

Impressive Resort but a Few Glitches. TripCentral excellent. Sunwing very good

Our "direct" flight with Sunwing and bus transfer to the resort were very good. Nexus, I believe, were very efficient, organized and had a very nice bus and system. Our agent with Tripcentral, Wendy, was just great. The extra coupons from Sunwing for valet airport parking were ideal and offered us a very reasonable price to experience something new, rather than taxi. Also excursions booked during the flight were cheaper through Sunwing than at the resort itself. Paperwork arrived without a glitc [... read more]h! To start a review with a negative is not how I planned this because I was so impressed with this resort, the travel agent, the airline, the male staffing, and the price! BUT... Reception at BeLive Marien on February 28, 2019 was a bit confusing. We had booked an oceanfront room and did not realize the extent of the package 2 of us had, offering VIP service. We were a group of 5 adults - my family. After standing in line to check-in at the main lobby desk for over 20 minutes, we were then redirected to the VIP lounge which was in a totally different area and this delayed the process. Our room in Unit 9 was allotted to us and the other 3 companions were already settled in a different building. IMMEDIATELY after being driven by cart to our room, I phoned to say the room was unacceptable due to a high level of mildew which I am very allergic to. I also did not like the fact that we were at ground level and there was no barrier from the grassed area to the patio entrance of the room. I was concerned about security with that lay out, as well as privacy. The lock on the patio door was merely a thin metal peg which you inserted into the centre beam and it didn't even fit securely in the hole. The light in the hallway was burnt out too, making it very difficult to insert the room key due to the darkness and we were right at the walkway to an empty lot, away from the main resort so I worried about my safety. The reaction to my complaints and request for a healthier unit almost went on deaf ears with the person on duty at VIP. It was later in the day and my patience was getting low. I was already having difficulty breathing in the room, needing my inhaler, and was told there was nothing available until March 3 but I could call in the morning to talk to a manager if I wished. My companions offered their room to me but I didn't want to rock the boat on Day 1 so to speak. I called early the following morning to be told that they would have to wait for a manager to arrive at 9:00 a.m. to deal with the problem. I did not go on a vacation to play phone tag or waste my time waiting around for what I paid for. My husband does not like confrontation so I hesitated to ask the Sunwing reps or our agent to handle this on my behalf because then there would have been more tension within our family unit. The distance to the VIP area was considerable for me as I was struggling with my breathing due to the mildew, and I just decided to turn off the air conditioning which seemed to be one of the culprits. When we were in the room we kept the ceiling fan as well as the bathroom fan on to circulate fresh air from the outside. Needless to say the room got quite warm. I asked the housekeeping attendants at our room to disinfect the room with bleach and wipe things down like below the cupboard units which wreaked mildew, but they kept claiming they didn't understand me. After that they hardly even cleaned our room or left supplies such as hand soap, matches, and when they knocked to come in we would immediately leave only to return perhaps 3 hours later to an unserviced room. One girl kept saying "later" when I requested it be done as soon as she knocked and we left. Yes, it was later...much later. The floors were very sandy requiring shoes on at all times. BUT on a POSITIVE note, THIS RESORT HAD THE BEST PLUMBING, the tub and sinks drained perfectly, water pressure was amazing, and there was an abundance of hot water. One of us had numerous bites and we had separate beds so we questioned if it was bedbugs. The beds and pillows were very comfortable. Our other companions in Unit 3 were told their rooms would be fumigated within days but we didn't know the reason. They also had bites but perhaps it was mosquito or sand fly bites. Mosquitoes were high on certain days even though the staff was spraying all the time outside. Our remaining party of 3 were VERY impressed with their cleaning staff and rooms. During our stay we witnessed staff upgrading beds, shelves, etc in many areas of the room units so they appear to maintain the resort well. In the end we just remained in this room. My husband went on the 3rd March to the VIP and told them we would just deal with it our own way, and we made the best of it. Previously I applauded the efforts of the male staff. They were exceptional with helping me no matter what my request. From the waiters, the towel hut (Maharoney), the bartenders, the security, promotions people and others, the men were so much more attentive and personable than the women. I do have to make an exception because one of the girls from the entrance to the buffet restaurant who got us our table, went above and beyond welcoming us and asking about our stay and personal lives. Otherwise, the women seemed to have attitude, putting forth minimal effort to make our stay enjoyable, and seemed to use the excuse of not understanding our English language every time we asked for something. One night, my daughter suddenly felt ill and we headed to my room. I was also struggling with stomach, breathing and other issues. The key would not work. My son and I headed to the VIP area to get a key leaving her behind knowing he would not be able to get one by himself. I wished the hallways had lobby phones. I was having a terrible time and was sweating profusely struggling to catch my breath. The VIP office was closed and as a cart drove by with maintenance men my son hailed them for a ride for me. They slowed but did not stop even though he said I needed help. We arrived at the front lobby desk. I requested a key and told the woman that there was no way I could make it back to the room without assistance. She told me to go talk to security and pointed to the entrance of the resort, not concerned at all. I hailed a young security man who immediately told me to sit and he would get me help. There was a bit of a scene because the carts were already locked up, and people were taking notice which embarrassed me. But the young man got the help I needed and I was carted back to our unit. The wrong end of the unit requiring more walking, but there. They left with their cart, and then the NEW KEY did not work! Thankfully my husband showed up with his. My daughter was feeling better but I was more than ill. I was totally stressed, crying and took some medication and went to bed. This sounds very dramatic, and it was, but usually I give the benefit of the doubt to hotel people because I once worked cleaning rooms and dealing with clients. It's not an easy job, and at times it's very unrewarding and frustrating. I apologize for even writing about this, but I was very polite with everyone, and just wanted to feel well again. I understand that my health issues are not their problem, but I did have the necessary items with me to eradicate most complications. It was inexcusable that the women employed here, totally ignored my requests with issues that could have been very serious. Now to the highlights...and there were many. Much more than I expected for such a great price. The resort was beautiful. The view of the mountain, the landscaping of lush tropical foliage, flowers, trees and eye catching architecture definitely appealed to us. The pool was gorgeous, large, well maintained, impeccably clean and perfectly treated with chemicals. The sound of the fountains, waterfalls, and the ambiance of the night lighting in the water added a special dimension to the hot tropical nights. Daytime loungers were plentiful and the "toys" available and activities were fun. I would have to rate this as the best pool we have ever had. Sitting by the poolside bar, day or night, offered a wonderful environment to chat, drink, soak up the sun, or watch the nightly stage and dancing in that area. Washrooms were conveniently close and very clean. The shaded area under the Mediterranean Restaurant allowed us to play cards without having to go far for refreshments. And the internet stations were all around for our daily limit of free time. Mind you we also had free wifi from our VIP package which was more than enough at 15 hours each.Every area of the resort from lobby, to dining areas, to grounds etc was absolutely stunning with the crowning glory being the view of the mountain from the pool area. The beach was delightful, too. It was much cooler on the beach than at the pool. The sand on the beach was fairly clean. We had a few very windy days so seaweed washed in but nothing excessive. Walking into the water was great - no sharp shells or stones. The loungers were plentiful all the time. We had use of the VIP beds and Adirondack chairs which were a lovely bonus feature. The swing in the VIP area was delightful. And the VIP bar hut was awesome. One of the bartenders, Jeffrey, was just so good and very very personable and friendly. It was awesome that vendors were minimal, and never bothered us once we nodded our heads that we weren't interested. Even when they would be allowed in the evening onto the resort walkways, they were not a problem at all. Security on the beach was excellent. One late afternoon my husband ventured out with his binoculars beyond the resort's edge. Immediately a security guard told him it might not be safe due to locals coming to the empty lot beside us. He said there had been isolated incidents we should be aware of. He befriended my husband and for the remaining stay they would converse regularly. While photographing the sunrises, there were always guards walking with their batons all around the beach and resort area. Very reassuring, as I was usually alone. Speaking of the empty lot beside our unit, it was such a joy to watch the farm animals coming down to the water's edge daily. I think this was the highlight of my afternoons and early evenings. The 2 mother sows and her piglets seemed like we were on a free excursion! I marveled at the variety of birds there, too which was perfect for my photography obsession. My companions laughed when a cow looked in the window to the Sunwing's room for our welcoming meeting. Some people were not impressed but I thought it just connected us more to the country we were visiting. The staff sprayed back there regularly too which I assume was for mosquitoes. The meals were good. One of our priorities was food because we have a person who doesn't like a lot of items. From internet reviews I figured this resort would be the best choice from what I read. We found the buffet offered a good selection of basic food like breads, cereals, bacon, fruit, cheeses, desserts and standard meat and vegetable choices. All 5 of us ate at the buffet daily at some point, and were satisfied. The a la carte restaurants were very good. We chose the Mediterranean, Brazilian and Mexican also ordering the extra lobster for a fee. Once again the waiters were very attentive to our needs. The Mexican was definitely the best however two of us had cramping issues afterwards which may or may not have had anything to do with the meal. We loved the beach snack bar and restaurant too. The burgers, hot dogs, and other foods plus the fantastic assortment of condiments went over really well with all of us! Each restaurant offered unique ambiances which complimented our overall impression of the resort. We found them very clean, and the food cooked properly all the time. We certainly enjoyed the entertainment, some nights more than others. The Beach Party was fantastic and lots of fun. The skits at the theatre and games before the dance troupe came on, were very entertaining and humourous. Many laughs. We were not impressed with the dancers' skills because we have seen much better and longer shows elsewhere, but it allowed us to mingle with other hotel guests and form conversations with them. The dance choreography was a bit off most of the time. The bar staff were excellent. Although I never proceeded to the dance bar after the shows, my 3 adult kids did and they put in quite a few very late nights always having a super great time. The beach bar and restaurant kept the party going even later, lol. Good memories were created for sure. Even the Kviar casino provided some fun even though their casino women were just as rude in my opinion. The female cashier made me feel like an idiot when I asked questions about their ticket redemption and currency exchange. Otherwise I will add some recommendations to finalize my review. Rooms: -Larger countertops in our bathroom and towel bars further away from wall and longer would have been perfect.Because nothing dries well, hooks to hang clothes would be ideal. -A system where the key card also allowed the ceiling fan and bathroom fan to remain on for those people who don't like airconditioning, or have faulty units. Screen to the patio door would help with mosquitoes and avoid having cats or birds walk in. -Our bathroom door stuck badly and I had difficulty opening it if it did close, due to not having the height to operate the lever handle. A regular doorknob would be better. -Hallway phones when keys don't work because it's quite a walk back to lobby. It was very hard for us to leave. Everyone of us had a different experience here, but all of us were very happy with our vacation once we accepted the fact that the room I got was just something we had to deal with or let ruin our limited time at BeLive Marien. Sometimes these things happen, although I wish it hadn't because I know this would have been the best family vacation we had ever taken due to the wonderful facilities and bonuses available. This resort offers so much for any age. Children, young adults, partiers, older retired people, rich or poor can all find something here. The clientele were such a great group and we formed many friendships in such a short time. I would return in a heartbeat and I think all 3 of my adult children are already making plans.

Good resort

Although an older resort the upkeep seemed really good could stand to do more events for the guests wasn't much to see after 11 o'clock grounds were keep good and workers seemed friendly and wanted to help you

Great resort and right price

This is the third time for me coming to this resort, always have had a good stay here, rooms are clean, always can find something to eat(it’s no steak house) but it will do. Resort staff is mostly very nice always, great location and close to the airport. Won’t beat the value for what you get, only downside is the resort is a little rundown as it is older

Be Live Marien

Beautiful! Very friendly and hard working staff! Amazing food! The only complaints is the bathrooms needs to be updated and the wifi isn’t the best! But your on vacation so unplug and enjoy! Do the city tour excursion!

A beautiful resort to escape the cold winters.

We had a wonderful week roaming the beautiful grounds of the resort, swimming in the amazing pool and walking the beach. Whatever you want, stay quiet or join in the fun, it's all there for you. The staff are friendly and eager to please. Whatever foods you like, it's all there in abundance. For me I enjoyed the fresh fish every day. Tropical fruits and fantastic deserts to spoil you. This was our third stay at this resort.

Excellent Resport

I would give this place a 10 out of 10. The rooms were fine, clean. The grounds were well kept, no litter laying around. The food was excellent in the buffet and the snack bar. The three al carts restaurants served excellent food. All the waiters and servers were very pleasant and were always there to help you. Activities were great. The pool was always clean and lots of lounge chairs to sit on. I will be going back and would recommend this resort to anyone looking

Fabulous Resort

The hotel property was huge, colourful and cozy; it was overall a great property I enjoy the wonderful landscape and the unique building layout very nice grounds. The food was always fresh, tasty and plenty. Nightly entertainment was amazing.

Holiday 2019

Everything was excellent. Weather,beach , pool,food,room, staff. We will return. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Great Resort

Had a great time.Good entertainment.Very friendly.Staff was very helpful.The pools were awesome and so were the bars.Many excursions are available for a good price.Awesome view of the mountains nearby.

Great hotel with beautiful views

This hotel is wonderfully situated in between the mountains and the ocean leading to beautiful views at all times of the day. Food is ok, typical Dominican food-you can always find something to eat. The buffet has little or no lineups, however the other restaurants are very hard to book- my suggestion is book all three of your nights right away when you get there as they seem to be very helpful in booking these the first day. The Mexican restaurant was fantastic! Rooms are spacious and th [... read more]e oceanview is well worth the extra money. Entertainment was ok, not as good as some of the other hotels in the area- however towards the end of our trip it did get better so it might have been out of season. The guest services was not very helpful at all. Excursions were great, although a little disorganized getting you on the bus. Once you were on the bus, they were awesome excursions and well worth the money. I suggest taking some cash as there are a lot of shops even on the hotel property that do not take credit card at all- we were told it is because of the hydro, not sure though. Over all this was well worth the money and we would go back again!

Was not happy with everything

The food was ok Some people at front desk were not pleasant we were short a beach towel in the vip room and took a day and half to get one we tried to exchange Canadian money at front desk were told 4 different times to come back later they never had turn down service and we had to book À la cart when it said we didn’t need reservations and we had a hard time getting an umbrella was not totally satisfied with the experience

Very nice resort!

The resort very compact .Everithyng steps away. I recently was staying at ocean view superior room.Room spacious and clean.I would recommend Adult packedge ,absolutely worth the money.You got a better service with this upgrade that includes VIP launch and VIP beach .I liked Mexican and Rodizio restorants that if You Adult club You do not need reservation.The stuff very nice ,they try to make Your vacation more pleasant.