Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Perfect holiday

Everything was great from the buffets to the well maintained grounds. We were in a recently renovated room which was nice. Very friendly and helpful staff. They even have a dive shop on site with an excellent divemaster to run it. The resort is fairly isolated but there is plenty to keep busy with for a week and never have to leave. We did a jeep safari for a day to see the island, which was very worthwhile. Great value all around.

Zel Punta Cana - All Suites: The best resort I have been yet ! The staff the

Best food And best staff The very best resort ! Love everything about this resort will recommend this resort to all my friends Will go back next year for sure I have been to many resorts and this is by far the best yet

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: Can be easily fixed

My wife and I were there for two weeks, to the end of January 2015. The beach had lots of seaweed to be found down the whole length of the beach, but the area just in front of the hotel is better than most areas. There is a sewage outlet area about a kilometer down from the hotel, when the tide is just right the water at the beach gets filled with anything that floats. My wife refuse to go in it after the first couple of days, we started calling it The Ganges after that. The hotel itself was nic [... read more]e… Clean, well maintained… rooms were fine. The Old Tube TV should have been replaced , bad reception, few English channels, but who cares. (F.Y.I.) The food was just down my isle., Sufficient variety, tasty and lots of fish, the table service was fine, for a hotel of this caliber. They did have a few issues with respect to the food preparation though… Overcooking and under-cooking seemed to be a big challenge for some reason. I turned down a slice of whole roast Pig, it was bloody! No one should ever-ever under-cook pork. Fleshy Salmon in one restaurant , Pork and beef cooked to leather like tenderness and juiciness in another. By a meat thermometer why don’t ya! Now my wife and I have been taking two to four week annual vacations in the sun for about 14 years. This is the first hotel where we got diarrhea. Both of us… for days…, and yes we only drank bottled water. Which leads me to the first on the list of complaints about the hotel, which could easily be addressed with little or no cost, (like buying that meat thermometer ;-) and would have greatly improved our stay: 1. Don't be so cheap: Buy some more water glasses. They were always running out, the result was they were never properly cleaned, to be fair, the ones on the table were always clean but the ones by the soda fountain were disgustingly dirty. I’m sure they were not washed but just rinsed and then put back out to meet demand, they were almost always wet when you picked them up. I assume that is where my wife and I picked up the diarrhea thingy, (Or it could have been off the lipstick and mouth marks that are found on every third cup). FIX: buy more cups to give the dish washer the TIME to wash with hot soapy, water, rinse with HOT CLEAN water and let dry. (My mommy taught me this stuff when I was nine.) COST: Minimal. 2. Open the internet, stop being greedy. The BEST deal they offer is 25 hrs for 25$(US) that must be used in 6 days (who stays for six days?), and can only be used on one computer. What is this… 1992? Clothing is more optional than the internet these days. I not asking for a Manicure-Pedicure or a body message here, where some may want it and some may not. Let me spell it out for you, every single customer wants the (bleeping) internet… Figure it out!! FIX: open it up. It’s already there. COST: If you must be so greedy as to demand a separate payment; make it for the entire duration of our stay, and with as many Internet connected appliances as we may drag over the ocean with us. You would not even have to pay the wages of the guy who sits in that silly little internet room. 3. The Music sucks. I never heard a song that was not at least 20 years old during the 14 days I was there. At the “disco” (disco died 20 years ago, remember) you can watch as people who are paid to entertain us dance to male Spanish tenors that all sound the same. We can appreciate Dominican Music, but let’s be real, the sun, the beach, the food and the drinks and to have fun is the reason we spend thousands of dollars to visit you. The bad music is getting in the way of us having fun. FIX: Let’s say 90% of the music played be of a popular variety from THIS millennium. COST: Zero. If you want. just supply the computer interface, the customers can supply the music.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: definatley going back!!

I will give the bad first. The bus ride from the airport was long and crowded, but interesting to see the little towns. Check in was slow, didnt get a king bed like we asked for, but thats ok, at least we had a bed! Toilets didnt flush well, but eventually it cleaned up!! Showers we very low pressure, but we got clean!! Now for the good... We loved this resort so much, that we will go back. The beach was beautiful, faced north so we had to walk quit far down to the end of the beach to see the su [... read more]nset, but not a big deal. Sand was more granular with some gravel in places, but beach was so long you could avoid it. We never had to look hard for beach loungers,and there was lots of room everywhere, however the resort was only half full so this may be different if its maxed out. Sand fleas were not an issue. I wouldnt even bother dragging along repellent again. There were very few locals on the beach, and the few that were there were very respectable.They got a little pushy at the local market at the end of the beach, but we just stayed away from there. The food was top notch!! We never went hungry and there was always something new on the buffet.The meat was always tasty and cooked to perfection.There was always good salad ingredients , but only one salad dressing all week, so I made myown. A la cartes were very good, service and wait staff was great. They love tips!! Our maid did an excellent job, we never had to ask her for anything. We never had sand on the floors or in the bed!! Air conditoner blew overtop of the bed, so we could have used another blanket. There was lots of places to sit under a roof, if it rained. Entertainment was good for the most part. Its always a bit perverted, but thats just normal. Drinks were good, they even had bailys at the one bar!! The staff was great for the most part. There were a few grumpy ones, but there were also a few grumpy tourists too!! We all have bad days!! There was lots of pool activities and free beach activities. This resort was sooo beautiful, that we want to go back there again!! Highly recommended!!

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: Simple Amazing resort

I can't give this resort enough stars. From the staff to the entertainment to the breathtaking view of the ocean from our suite. Simple put I'll be back again and again. Thank you for a wonderful time

VIK Hotel Arena Blanca: Dissapointing Trip

This was our first trip to the Dominican Rep. We started our stay by approaching the We arrived at the front desk at around noon. The guy at the desk told us that we could not check in until 3pm. We were pretty tired from traveling (since 3am) and really just wanted to get to a room, but we left our bags in the lobby (they didn't have a secure storage room for bags) and went for lunch. At around 2:45 we left the snack bar and headed for the lobby. We sat down for a few mins and then I approache [... read more]d the front desk. The guy at the desk looked at me like I had 3 heads and asked "What do you want?". I replied that I was there for my room key. He shook his head and told me "I told you that check-in isn't until 3 o'clock". I told him that yes, it is 3. He had the gall to tell me that is was not 3. I looked at my watch and saw 2:58, he actually said "see, not 3". At this point I got a bit steamed and went back to tell my wife what the guy said. Suffice to say that by the time I told her, it was now 3:02. So I turned around and went back to the desk. I told the guy that it is now 3 and I would like my room key. At this point he told me that I would have to wait 45 more minutes. When I called him out for telling me 3-4 mins ago that I had to wait until 3, he stated that check in STARTS at 3 and that my room was not ready. So that was the first 3 hours of our stay at this resort. Not stellar. We finally checked in at around 4pm. I'll lay out the rest of my impressions below; The rooms were nice. I would say equivalent to many Cuban rooms at 4 star resorts. The grounds were well taken care of and the place looked beautiful. The gardeners would hardly acknowledge a "Hola!" and seemed to give dirty looks if you looked at them. The pools were nice, a little on the cool side but refreshing and clean which is important to us. There were plenty of loungers, tables and chairs on the beach as well as by the pool. The palapas were great. Nice size and provided all day shade for those of us who burn easy. The food was quite very good with plenty of variety and always hot. Food handling could be improved a bit, but no serious concerns. All but a few of the wait staff were unfriendly. Most of them walk around with a very stern look on their face and not talking to customers. The internet service (3rd Party) is available in the lobby only, is very slow and I feel that the code they sold me was sold to more than just me as I was constantly getting messages saying I was already connected and getting kicked off. There are staff who walk around the resort constantly asking if you want to go to a time share presentation by telling you they have a free gift. We spent the majority of the week politely saying "No thanks, we just want to enjoy the beach, eat dinner, etc". At one point one of them said to us "I know you don't like me, but I want to give you a gift". I told him that I liked him just fine, I just wasn't interested. Two items that aren't really the resort's fault but perhaps this is the clientele they cater to? The resort was full of French Canadians who would not or could not speak english. This was somewhat disappointing as we usually like to chat with fellow tourists. The aforementioned French Canadians seemed to all be chain smoking all day and night. We found it very difficult to find an area where we were not inundated with smoke. This includes the pool, lobby, beach, outside the dining rooms, etc.

Occidental Punta Cana: Great place.

Only problem was our toilet didn't flush and was a problem. That and there were a lot of French speaking people who seem to think they own the place. Other then that it was great. I really liked Punta Cana.

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: Really nice trip !

This is a really big complex that offer a lot of services, restaurant choices and lot more. The beach a little small but the water is clean and sand confortable. Meal are well prepared, taste so good and present a lot of variety. For the "à la carte" restaurant all was perfect, never eat so well in south on those restaurants. the staff was kind and always ready and happy to help. Wa have a wonderful trip. Thanks to tripcentral for their service, very satisfied.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Treated like Kings & Queens!

Absoluetly loved this resort, friendly staff always with a smile on their faces. Food amazing beach amazing drinks amazing!. Watch out for the beach vendors!! I had the best birthday ever will def go back!!! I wish i was there now :(

Marien Puerto Plata Hotel: Disappointing

The maid was great, everything else is disappointing. Buffet is brutal, a la carte poor, beach was a mess, hotel is outdated and never had routine maintenance, constantly hassled by timeshare salesppl

The Eurostars Grand Cayacoa: Great resort

Was our second time here and enjoyed it once again. Great staff. Maybe not the best resort for someone with mobility issues because there are lots of stairs, but there are shuttles and the exercise works off the buffet calories! Well maintained resort and a great place for a winter holiday.

Riu Palace Punta Cana: A very beautiful resort

Anywhere along the Punta Cana beach is outstanding. The rooms are very clean, modern, colourful, made of local stone material and show very little wear. The maids were very hard working. Mosquitos seemed to like the bathrooms. Plumbing in the bathroom tubs and showers is poorly done. The grounds and gardens are picturesque. The building itself - bars, restaurants, patios and walk ways are very well cared for and impressive. The pool is very large and made of very colourful mosaic tiles, but some [... read more] tiles have come off creating a sharp edges that could cut your feet. The workers are very friendly and become even more friendly with a $1 tip. The buffet is very standard with other Riu hotels. There is tremendous variety but there is the constant problem of keeping things warm yet not dry the food out ie fish, beef, pork, shrimp. Careful of the sushi as a number of people were sick after eating this. The a la carte restaurants are good but seem to be more concerned with the presentation. The quality of the a la carte food is good but the quantity is lacking a bit if you are hungry. The steak house steak was very large but sadly very under cooked. Although not the hotel's problem or doing, transfer to and from the hotel to the airport was very frustrating and time consuming far beyond what it needs to be. A $40 taxi ride is well worth the price. The transfer agents certainly run on Dominican time. The Riu Bambu next door is a better bang for your buck. The rooms are not as nicely appointed, but how long are you in your room?

Bahia Principe Grand Bavaro: The hotel is very nice if you like big resotrs

The service was great. The only complaint there was no wash towels. The reastaurants have great food. The lobby has coffee and tea and great entertainment. I will go back this was my second time at this resort.

The Eurostars Grand Cayacoa: Beautiful location great food

This hotel is perched on a cliff with a great view of the water. The food at the Buffet was very good ( no mimosa at breakfast however) The seafood restaurant wasn't very good but the gourmet one was so special. Thankyou to Claudio for making that night so much fun.We had no problems with reservations. The beach is lovely the water temperature was 31' lovely. Snorkeling under the bridge was best. The towel game is in fact only done for shade there are lots of chairs. Rooms was great but bed was  [... read more]really hard and the pillows ridiculously small for a king size bed.

Excellence Punta Cana: Excellent Service

The service at this resort was some of the best we have ever had.The entertainment staff was terrific.The beach was not the best, but the pool area was great. The room was clean and anytime you needed something it was there within a short period of time.

Dreams Royal Beach Punta Cana: Good and not so good

The good: Excellent food and restaurant choices. Grounds and rooms are very clean. Close to the airport. The not so good: No bureau, clock, bathrobes or slippers in room. Too many facilities for Preferred guests, e.g. 2 pools, beach restaurant. Beach restaurant for regular customers is a small take-out facility with 4 picnic tables.

Casa Marina Sosua Trademark by Wyndham All Inclusive: Good value

You get what you pay for. Beach was beautiful. View 5/5. Lots of seniors. Close to the airport but not annoying. Safe cost $20 (never heard of that). They don't provide blankets - only sheets. Don't lose your remote for the tv or two towels they provide you. Food is not good, but restaurants nearby are great. Booze was awesome. Long lineups at bars. I wouldn't tip much - service doesn't improve. The entertainers and service staff weren't that great. Male staff are nice to women, and rude to men. [... read more] They try to be demeaning to be funny. The boats rides offered on the beach are cheaper and offer the same as your tour advisor. Bring Dominican pesos. American money is widely accepted but pesos are better. The local vendors are annoying. Don't engage at all or you'll be sorry. Tell them where to go! Overal if you pay $600-700 per person and don't lose your towels it should be a good trip. Police are corrupt, if you get in trouble make sure you have $20-40 on you to get them to go away - they will.

IFA Bavaro Village: You get what you pay for

Overall a good experience...stayed from January 19th to the 26th. Grounds of the resort are well kept and enjoyable for walking which you have to do a little bit of to get to the pool, beach, restaurants, etc... Stayed in the village rooms closest to the beach and theater. Our room was always cleaned and stocked with no issues. Food not the greatest but what do you expect for the price you pay. Tried every A la carte...Enjoyed the Caribe and Mexican the best. People have complained in reviews ab [... read more]out getting sick...That's what happens when you aren't cautious with what you eat in a different country. Stick to all general food that are cooked and religiously wash your hands...I had no issues. Staff are friendly, accommodating and work their butts off to make nothing compared to what we all do back home. Be gracious with tips when good service is provided! Disco was not the busiest but still fun and open till 4:00 am with hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, etc... available till 7:00 am at the pizza bar for the walk back to the room. Had a couples massage on the beach and went tubing in the ocean. Enjoyed both experiences. To sum it up...paid 1023.00 a person and got what I paid for...would prefer to always try new places in the future but would recommend the resort to someone looking for a fun, laid back week for sun, drinks and great weather.

Excellence Punta Cana: Punta Cana Excellence

Unbelievable resort and location. The service was beyond excellent and the staff were friendly, courteous and extremely helpful. Best vacation we have ever had. We are already going to book to go back next year. We are going to bring a few of our friends along too.

VIK Hotel Arena Blanca: Good time

We enjoyed our stay. Our room was vey clean, bed a little hard. The pools were enjoyable and clean it was nice to see areas for the kids to play in. The food wasn't canadian but we still had plenty to chose from and never went hungry. Staff were helpful and kind and would consider going back.