VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Great little resort!

Good and clean, friendly staff and animation team. Some rooms could use a little updating, but otherwise fine. Unfortunately they were unable to accommodate us with a room in a quieter area, so the noise by the pool at night was a little loud.

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: amazing resort

We stayed the week of Jan 29 to Feb 5, 2015. This is a wonderful adults only resort , extremely clean, fantastic food and well looked after rooms. Our only concern is the dinner reservation practice. This should be eliminated as it takes a great deal of time to complete. Guest services blamed the lack of availability for location and time slots on guests completing this on line prior to arrival, however when visiting the restaurants at preferred times, they were half empty and people were still  [... read more]being turned away. I would suggest no reservations and availability be left to first come first serve. Our only other issue was the towel game which seems to be a practice at most resorts. People should not be allowed to leave a towel on a chair at 6:00 am and not show up at the pool until 3:00 pm. This is a very irritating practice for those wishing to enjoy the pool facility. Other than these issues we were extremely pleased with our stay and would come back again

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: Nice resort

I Thought the resort was really nice and things were easy to find. The service was great and specially at the bars. George at the pool bar was amazing! Always took time to come and talk and get to know his customers. Really nice man! Other then the 3 days of rain we had a fantastic time. Our trip to country world (zip lining, horse back riding and animals) was amazing everyone so nice and helpful. Great trip all around! Would go back to Be Live report

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: loved it!

Very clean resort. People were super friendly! We had been there before and would definitely go there again. Had recommend this resort to a coworker and he had his wedding there. On our way home my daughter asked if we could go there again next year!

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Great service, good food, so-so beach

Beautifully landscaped grounds are kept constantly manicured. Food is varied and for the most part tasty. Concern was that invariably it wasn't hot unless you got it right off the grill. Hot coffee in the morning was unattainable. Don't bother asking for DECAF. You'll get instant!! Surprised there were no "munchies" at the bar. We had peanuts for 2 days and only OLIVES for the rest of the time.! Service staff for the most part were great! Disappointed in the excursion we went on. The Nolitours r [... read more]ep. promoted the Jeep safari. It was good to a point but it became clear pretty quickly that we were being driven to various places where we would be enticed to spend $$ ...ex. the vanilla factory...charged us $5 for a bottle that we could have obtained for $1 - 2 back on the beach at one of the stalls. They get your heartstrings to buy stuff for the kids at the school you stop at....but they charge you prices for stuff that are 5X what you'd pay for at the Dollar STORE back home. Our "guide" didn't provide a whole lot of info. in comparison to some other people we heard about.. He seemed intent on stoppoing frequently so that we could get "liquored up". It's a long way from anything and taxi rides cost huge amounts of American dollars. Right now it's important for Canadians to realize that a $30 cab ride to San Juan is actually $36 Canadian dollars....a local bus is 100 pesos or about $3....but the hotel people don;t want you to use that....support the taxi lobby I guess

Majestic Elegance Punta Cana: Paid for Elegance got Downgraded to Colonial

Overall the resort was very nice. However, lost the first hour and a half trying to get the room we paid for at the Majestic Elegance. At first all seemed normal, they made us register and once we signed everything they told us although it was not our fault, they overbooked therefore had to move us over to their lower class resort next door at the Majestic Colonial. They kept telling us it was not our fault that it was theirs but that there was nothing they could do. As we did not have another o [... read more]ption, we took the other room at the Colonial and made the best of it. In talking to others, this seems to be a frequent practice of theirs. The food was very good, lots of choices of A la carte restaurants but rooms need a little work. Staff very pleasant and hard working to keep the place neat and tidy. Therefore this rating is for the Majestic Colonial and not the Majestic Elegance.

Wyndham Alltra Samana: Not the best resort

The hotel wasn't great, I requested to be close to my sis and family and the room we initially got were the furthest possibly away from my sisters. I then asked to move, they kept telling me to come back at certain time and each time they said they couldn't yep anything. They finally switched me on day 3. The people working at the hotel were not friendly at all, the night show was not that amazing. Our stay did get better by the end of the week but I did not feel comfortable like home and the st [... read more]aff did not feel like family to me where other resorts I've been to felt so warm and king like family. A lot of people got sick from the food but my son and it were ok.

Dreams Royal Beach Punta Cana: Amazing resort!

For our first trip ever, this resort was the trip to remember. Staff, service, food and cleanliness were all amazing. 2 issues though. We were with 40 people, most of them got sick. Staff re time shares very annoying and pushy.

Bahia Principe Explore Esmeralda: Excellent resort

Huge resort that is well maintained. Excellent service from very friendly staff. Many a la cartes to choose from. The buffets had lots of different choices and the food was OK. No problem getting a lounge at the pool or beach. Beach had a lot of seaweed wash up this week which isn't normal.

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: Great times at the Marien

From start to finish a great vacation-in spite of the weather. Sunwing was the only flight leaving Halifax that day due to the weather but was on time. Flight was good- food, wine & movie free. Arrival in DR smooth & efficient at the airport as well as checkin at the Marien. Norvin our Sunwing rep gave a great intro to the hotel & DR the first morning. FOOD-We ate breakfast & some dinners at buffet. Thanks to Patric our "omelet guy". Buffet food good quality & good variety-their evening menu cha [... read more]nges each day. The 3 a la cartes were amazing Our faves were the Mexican (beef fajitas & Chicken in poblano sauce) & Gourmet (fillet mignon that melts in your mouth). A friend we met at the resort recommends the Chateaubriand. Brazilian was a great experience with good food as well. We had lunch daily at the beach snack bar where they have a small but yummy buffet (esp chicken wings) or you can get hamburgers or hotdogs grilled for you. BEACH/POOL-Nice long beach for walking, you can walk right to the Orange market & Playa Dorada complex if you want ~30 min each way). Since we had some stormy days,the beach was full of debris that washed in. This was cleaned up in front each of the resorts but the vacant beachfront areas were quite dirty in places. Beach vendors were abundant but left you alone with a polite "no gracias". Fun swimming & jumping the waves but no water sports due to rough waters. POOL was always clean with activities going on if you wanted to join in. ROOM-We had a basic room which was cleaned to perfection daily by Rosa Maria. Our fridge wasn't working but was replaced very quickly once we notified the front desk. ENTERTAINMENT-This was where we felt improvements could be made by having more dancing/singing type shows by the talented Marien entertainment team. Another suggestion would be to have Dominican musicians (piano, guitar, violin) playing in the beautiful lobby for an hour or 2 each evening. Overall the resort was great with amazing, friendly staff.

Catalonia Bavaro Resort: Super Resort

Resort was great, weather was perfect and unlike some resorts we have been to the guests were super friendly and staff as well! What was really impressive was the need to tip everytime you turned around WASNT there! We tipped anyways, but not under pressure :) The short drive to airport was great

Wyndham Alltra Samana: Good Times

A decent place, the Villa we stayed in was very roomy, and the bed was comfortable, however the room was a little run down. The hand held shower did not have a wall bracket to hold the shower head, the TV had a large blue strip running though the screen and there wasn't a remote. Our last day there the key card for our room stopped working, and it took many trips to the front desk and half a day to repair the problem (which turned out to be a dead battery in the door lock). The beach area was be [... read more]autiful, but not enough lounge chairs for everyone. The staff were friendly. Over all depending on your expectations, a very nice cheap vacation.

Melia Caribe Beach Resort: Needs Attention

Staff---excellent Grounds----absolutely beautiful Room----ok except it didn,t get made up until 5 pm. each day Adult Area(The Level)-----very quiet and plenty of lounges. Three restaurants and a buffet area----very good. Pool was a way too cold----not heated and neither was the hot tub----the ocean was warmer. Other Restaurants: French/Mediteranean/Italian----all very good Japanese----why they bother giving you menus is beyound me as the waiter went around convincing everyone to have the same th [... read more]ings which just so happens what the cook had on cart! Food ----except for the rice, it was ll over cooked as the cook spent far too much time talking and flipping his utensils around and not enough time watching what was on the grill. A ham sandwich could have beat what was put in front of me. The best meal was at the American Grill----you could pick out what meat/fish and the chefcooked right there to your specification-----my filet mignon was outstanding----MEDIUM RARE! If I could speak to one manager at this place, it would be the head chef----everything that was prepared and presented was well done except for the meat and fish. The cooks only know ONE WAY-----well done(they remind me too much of Scottish mother). I am a very good cook and just about everyone that I have ever cooked for prefer their main rare to medium. No matter how much you try to explain this to the waiters, it draws a blank.

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: amazing trip

Hotel was super clean! Well kept, we stayed in the renovated building and our room was gorgeous! Food was delicious and staff were very accommodating! For the most part this experience was quite enjoyable I would recommend It to all couples looking to have fun and enjoy each others company.. If your looking to party like crazy I would suggest somewhere else, it quiets down quite a bit around 12 and there is no disco. :) loved it!

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Wonderful resort grounds are beautiful

Beautiful resort.The rooms need a up date.The food was good and very relaxing vacation.We would go back to this resort.The grounds are well kept.The maid who clean our room was great and helpful.The pool open until 9:00p.m. for a night swim.

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Wonderful time at the Ambar!

From arrival to checkout ,all went smoothly at the Ambar. My friend and I both 60 have travelled before ,so we know that there can be problems big and little at these resorts. Happy to say we loved it. Great food , beautiful beach to walk on,helpful service,lovely pools and entertainment and nice rooms. The Bahia Principe is a huge complex but once you are at the Ambar you can orient yourself quickly. We stayed at the Ambar 2 which is the newest section and it was beautiful . I really enjoyed th [... read more]e al fresco dining . It is a quiet adults only resort so the party people might not like it.We would definitely return !

Sunscape Dominican Beach: Nice vacation at Barcelo Dominican Beach

Hi to every one! My wife and I just returned from Barceló Dominican Beach, Punta Cana D.R. It’s a nice resort. Thanks to the management. Apparently they hire good people and train them well. First of all we really appreciate the security – no intruders on the property. No beggars, no beach vendors, more over – even no Vacation Club agents. Thank you gentlemen again. That was a nice stay. Our room was Honey Moon Ocean Front suite – no comments. Just a few things: clean, the beach and the [... read more] beach bar just under our balcony, Jacuzzi with the ocean view indeed and a nice maid service. Dominga Brito was one of them. She was and I believe still is very good. The garden crew is good. The beach and swimming pool are nice and carefully groomed. Even though a night storm once left the garden crew a lot of work to remove the sea weeds washed up on the beach that night. But the guys did it. The bar crew is amazing and very friendly. Santa, Claudio, Brilon, Enso Luis are very good and apparently the youngest of them Alexander is a really hard working boy probably he will become a manager at some time in the future ‘cause as his colleges he knows already how to work properly. There is another guy and a very good one but unfortunately I can’t tell his name. Sorry. Speaking about the bars we’ll never forget Ricardo from the Lobby bar. He is a professional. But Ricardo please tell your co-worker (don’t know his name) when one asks for a glass of Napoleon the bartender should not offer any ice. Now a few words about Barle Café that my wife and I highly recommend. To our eyes we used to get there the best dessert after our dinners. Ask Anibelis and Bethania for Carribiano coffee it is not only tasty but the way they cook it is a little and exciting entertainment! Food in general is very good to our eyes. The only remark in our opinion deserves perhaps only the egg station. For example my breakfast consists only from eggs, some cheese and a bit of cooked ham nothing else. That’s why I am especially anxious to the way my eggs cooked. If I ask for three eggs sunny side up the egg specialist may not piled them onto my plate anyhow as the yolks must not be ruined this way by his negligence. If it easy over the yolks must not be tremendously overcooked! It is important! A real professional (and a consumer) may cry seeing that. Though it’s a trifle the rest is perfect. The staff is very friendly. Our special thanks to Anna Maria – main buffet, to senior Daniel Barga from the grill bar at the beach that gentleman perfectly took care of us even late after the midnight. There are some a la carte restaurants. We regret not visiting a Spanish one that was our own fault. But we enjoyed Mexican and Brazilian a lot. The snack bar at the beach completely satisfied our lunch needs. What not to like? The night’s entertainment are beautiful. The animation crew are hardworking guys even though we didn’t take part in it but yet it is always fun to watch other people dancing on the beach or doing some other activities. We had a nice socializing with many people from the States, Canada, Switzerland, France, Germany and some East European countries (my wife and I we do speak languages). That was a pleasure as well. It was a nice stay (our fourth time in D.R. and number 11 on Caribbean in total) my wife and I will recommend this resort to our friends and our fellow tourist in general. Thank you ladies and gentlemen.

Grand Palladium Palace: Great break to the winter

Beautiful grounds, beach, food and drinks. Rooms were a little dated and public bathrooms on the resorts were not kept clean. The beaches did have excess seaweed on them but they tried their best to clean it up daily. Never had trouble getting 6 chairs on the beach in the afternoon, but more difficult around the pools in the afternoon. We didn't care though because the beach was much cooler and beautiful. Staff doesn't speak the best English but they can figure out what you want. Tried almost al [... read more]l the a la carte restaurants except the steakhouse and all but the Bamboo one was GREAT! The buffets were also good especially in the evening. Also had great service! Sometimes there will be a long wait to get in since you can't make reservations unless you are in the luxury section.

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: vacation

This hotel is very clean, grounds are pretty lush and resort is resort. The room in Ambar 1 are older but still in good condition. The food and service is excellent. The beach is amazing. The lobbies are very welcoming and relaxing.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Wow!!! We found our little bit of Heaven!

From gourmet dinning at specialty restaurants to the well manicured grounds this resort continues too awes us in paradise! Cleanliness of public areas and rooms (with spectacular views) were appreciated. Service was 5 star and genuine!!