VH Gran Ventana

The hotel had a nice entrance when arriving. The staff at the lobby were nice and polite to me. Now the room we’re in were cleaned when we arrived. But the 2 days we were there had no hot water in the bathroom. After having the hot water, cannot control it properly and sometimes it can get really scalding at times. And sometimes no water coming from the faucet during the early morning. The tub had a cracked in the middle. The cleaning people were very good and helpful to us when it comes with [... read more] towels and other stuff we needed. The Octopus buffet and Ocean Grill buffet were outstanding. We really enjoyed it very much. The staffs were great. The Sapore di Mare and the main buffet where everyone else eats, the staffs were no joy at all. Totally lacking in service. The food at the main buffet was good though. Different dishes every day but they tend to bring back some dishes after 2 days. The amenities of the resort was good. There was 1 day that had power outage for few hours. The wifi only works best if we’re in the lobby. Some areas were spotty and some no wifi at all. The main pool was nice. We could get drinks without leaving the pool. But I enjoyed the quiet pool near our building. The beach was great! Enjoyed walking around. The water was amazing too love every day that we were there. I personally enjoyed the city tour. All in all I had a positive experience compared to the negative experience we had.

Good resort

Hotel was good food was great very enjoyable grounds were nice pool was good but needs more music around it staff was very nice Service in the morning for coffee could use improvement Overall we had a great time and trip.

Average place

The hotel is in the good stretch of the beach. The room was spacious and AC worked really well. The internet was non existent and only working sporadically in the lobby. The bathrooms are old and need major overhaul. Our bathtub cracked while my son was showering. I had informed them on day two but nobody showed up until the day we were checking out.

Gran Ventana

We went as a group of 6 and were very pleased. Staff were great, grounds were great, food was great, easy access to the beach, it was all good. Would happily go again. My only criticism is the outdoor evening shows that were much too loud and went late. I think they should finish at 10 p.m. out of respect for babies and seniors.

Great stay

Hotel was wonderful. Small easy to get around. Food was good, need more staff at buffet serving drinks. The rooms were dated but clean. The beach was absolutely beautiful. Not crowded, lots of trees and very peaceful. Waves were not too big even on windy days. Entertainment was minimal, shows in the evening were not too great. But we’re early risers so that was fine. Staff were friendlier the longer we were there. Our only complaints would be the smoking. So many people smoke and we’re not cons [... read more]iderate of others. My other complaint was with trip central. They were not organized at all with sending me trip information ect. I had made room requests which were not relayed to the hotel so they were not able to honour any of them because they were full. I had asked 3X for the room requests to be made but our agent did not follow through. It took multiple emails and calls to get all our travel information. I’ve never had this experience before booking with an agent. I would not book through them again.

Great staff

Staff are all very happy. Great resort snd food was very good. I would suggest changing your a la crate booking system. Have people book online before they arrive to the resort. Automation as opposed to having people stand in line would be more progressive and convenient. Rooms need some updating particularly in Building 3 but rooms were clean and spacious. Beach is great fir long walks and in my opinion is the best beach fir swimming in the playa dorado complex. All in all we were pleased with [... read more] the resort

MIXED FEELINGS

Just returned from our week at the Gran Ventana. The PRO's: property is beautiful and well maintained. Food in buffet is good, nice variety. Lunch at the Ocean Grill is a must - chicken wings are delicious! Rooms are dated, but clean and comfortable. Octopus al la carte is great. Was not able to book a second al la carte as resort was at capacity and very busy. The CON's: customer service at front desk - staff are miserable! We had requested ground floor room but were given a room on the third  [... read more]floor! After 2 visits to the front desk to request a room change, we gave up. They clearly couldn't have cared less. No smiles, nothing. We left feeling we were bothering them. Dress code for buffet: there is a sign posted at the entrance (no bathing suits, shoes required). My husband was turned away on day one as he was wearing a tank top. Yet during the week we saw several guests allowed in wearing bathing suits. Which is it? Vendors on beach are relentless - they don't give up! Several are all offering the same service. One lady approached me, started rubbing my shoulder, and told me I needed a massage. They get right in your face. Not enjoyable. Finally, the lobby is underwhelming. There is nowhere to sit. While we had a great time with our friends, not sure I would return to this property.

Beautiful location

We loved how clean it was. The grounds were spectacular. We had cold water in our shower 6 of the 14 days. The temperature control valve needs to be changed. The maintenance man would come in the afternoon and there was hot water. In the morning there was warm water coming out of the tub tap but cold water in the shower. They sent us champagne and fruit and an apology note. We would have preferred a warm shower instead. The food was fine and the service was excellent. Would I go back?? [... read more]? Maybe Other people had warm water.

Awesome trip

Highly recommend this place as food was awesome. Beach was great. Staff were great and very friendly. Bartenders were awesome with very little wait times for drinks. Entertainment staff worked very hard and kept the party going. Also I suggest go VIP as the perks were well worth it. The lounge is a great place to hang out after dinner before the show. Entertainment was very good especially with two nights of rain and they quickly pushed all outdoor festivities to the stage and kept in going. O [... read more]nly thing I would have changed was our room as we were close to the stage and music was quite loud. If you are not a night person get rooms further away. Place was also very clean with staff working non stop to do so.

Lovely vacation spot!

We finally had an opportunity to return to the VH Gran Ventana! We love the fact that this is a relatively small family run hotel. I was surprised to see the same friendly faces as I did from pre Covid times! That’s incredible! The staff, pool area, buffet area were well kept and appreciated! The 3 a-la-cartes were fabulous! The beach was very well kept and the ocean water was warm and inviting! The rooms were very clean, although basic. The bed was very comfortable. My main suggestion would b [... read more]e to update the rooms with a bit more decor/furniture. Although the bathrooms are functional, they desperately need an update. It would be lovely to have a common shower area for guests who travel to the airport for late flights. Overall, I love this resort and will definitely be returning! Thank you to all staff for making our vacation special!

Amazing resort

This is our fourth time at this resort and we will definitely be back. The staff are very warm and always happy to help. Grounds are kept very clean. Food is ok but need more variety. Entertainment is lacking . Beach is beautiful.

Great Resort!

Hotel grounds & public areas are welcoming. Bathroom in main lobby is problematic as it seems to get clogged daily. Rooms are in serious need of renovations. For the most part, food was excellent at buffet & à la carte restaurants. Soups are delicious! Service at à la carte restaurants are either excruciating slow or super fast. At one restaurant, we waited over an hour to receive the main course while at another restaurant, the appetizers, soup, salad etc all came at the same tim [... read more]e quickly followed by the main course. Staff is very friendly & seem to really enjoy what they do. Lots of events at resort show their pride in their hotel. They also have a special supper for returning guests. Overall, an amazing resort!

A lovely compact resort

Hotel is nicely appointed with clean grounds and public areas. Rooms are very well maintained and housekeeping is excellent! Wifi is terrible and very unreliable but we managed. Food is great especially at a la carte restaurants A few extra chairs and seating areas for evening entertainment and relaxing would be nice as it was a scramble but I would still recommend

Gran Ventana Beach Resort Puerta Plata

This was our 3rd time here , I’d give this resort a 5 * , we were a group of 8 all seniors ? .Rooms cleaned and roomy , meals were delicious , loved the Ocean beach bar , Nachos , chicken wings, Burgers , hotdogs and fries . Drinks were all good , we did a la carte once that we booked it was delicious, we were late booking 8:30 so the rest we did buffet . Lots of choices no complaints . Since 4 of us were returning guest , so the Manager had 6:30 pm a cocktail hr.with drinks and hors d’oeuvre [... read more]. Followed by a beautiful meal at the Italian restaurant. He spoke to us all and welcomed any suggestions, he has an open door policy . All employees welcomed us and were friendly , visit Jackie at the bar by the Adult pool her drink is amazing ask for a “Jackie Special “ delicious. Also a big shout out to William Pichardo (security at entrance) he was kind to give us a lift to the shopping centre . We’ll definitely be back ????

Good overall

The service here is a hit and miss. There are some that just don't give the best vibe. Also the food is becoming a bit repetitive and it wasn't as good as it was last year. Shout out to the friendliest waiter, Felix. Anthony running the front desk was understandable and helped make our vacation what we expected. Thank you.

Great resort

We were there for two weeks. This resort is truly amazing. It is very clean, the food at the buffet is very good and varied. The a la carte restaurants are the best and the beef steaks very tender which is unusual for the islands. Our room was very nice, a bit far from the beach but overlooking the quiet pool and bar. We loved it and the maid service was excellent. The beach is lovely and very long for walking. We were able to snorkel off the beach as there is a very long reef in front of [... read more] the resort. The only negative is the entertainment. We would prefer dancing every night to these games on stage - keep those for the daytime.

Awesome place!

Had a great time at this resort! The place is very clean and the food is really good.i like how it's not massive so it's not a long walk to the beach no matter where your room is. The paper cups at the bars are a bit disappointing, but we had travel mugs anyway. 5 min walk to the golf course is nice and if you're into golf it's worth playing. Will definitely go back to this resort.

Amazing resort

I really loved this resort, with spacious lobby, restaurant, theatre, swimming pools, kids special play room and swimming pool, fitness room. Public amenities nicely decorated, lobby and restaurant have huge chandeliers, one of the kind pieces of art. Nice lighting touches too. Three residential buildings are nicely designed, with the inside tropical gardens, lovely. Food very good, service friendly but not sufficient at certain hours. Entertainment mostly very good, especially 6 member Latin mu [... read more]sic band, Silent and Beach Party, Fire show at the beach, show at the swimming pool areas. The most amazing of all was the nature and beautiful, long, golden Playa Dorada, no seaweeds, very well maintained

VH Grand Ventana Beach resort

This was the 11th time we visited this hotel. We noticed some changes that were obviously to keep down the overhead in order to stay competitive. For example the table cloths on the tables in both the Ocean Grill and the cafeteria were no longer. The food was very good but again with a few changes. As well, it looked like lower status managers were expected to do more. The senior manager, from food and drink services as per usual, was very gracious and kind...a true gentleman who knows the  [... read more]value of a customer. Raul in the cafeteria went over and above. He works very hard. Felix, is one of the servers, is quite good. I see a big improvement with Adrian since last year. The only problem we encountered was at the reception. The junior employee barked at me because I had the audacity to enquire if my room was ready. She needs to spend some time learning customer service from some of the senior managers because they really know what is customer retention and customer service. As well during the week, we encountered a small issue where the maid forgot to leave us some towels. This could have been dealt with very quickly. However, it took four hours and finally needed to be escalated to the night manager, Dominique. The reception showed a real lack of urgency in that situation.

Great resort

Clean spacious room with good view. Staff pleasant and accommodating. Nice beach with lots of walking room and lounging area at beach. Plenty of delicious food with a great assortment. Very user friendly resort and well maintained.