Senator Puerto Plata Hotel: Wonderful trip!

We had a great time at this resort. I will try to touch on everything I can.... Food: I am a picky eater....and I left the buffet each night with my belly full! Were things repeated each night...yes. Were they good each...yes! But there were also new items each night too. I dont eat seafood at all and it was abundant here. My husband tried every kind of fish offered and never had a complaint. Legends is a great place to eat also. Small made to order menu. Highly recommend the brownie! [... read more] it was delicious. There is also a snack bar open across the pool during the afternoon...has small but slightly different menu than legends. We went to 2 a la cartes. Japanese was ok. I wasn't a fan but my group thought it was fantastic. The steakhouse was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! The steak was cooked to perfection. The mash potatoes were delicious. Everyone in our group ordered slight different things and no one was disappointed! Beach: beach at Senator is a bit smaller and has some rocks. I do recommend shoes but i didnt wear any and i made out just fine. As a very pale person I enjoyed alot of shade....this was no an issue at the beach. Lots of trees to park my chair under. It is pretty quiet except for the waves crashing....very peaceful. Many a naps were had! LOL Pool: the pool is great. pool bar was well stocked. lots of brand new chairs and umbrellas arnd the pool. Only spent 1 day there myself but my group spent all their time there. No complaints. Staff: ALL staff here were super friendly and helpful. I dont ask too many questions but when I did they were always helpful and courteous. Cleanliness: Public bathrooms here were the best ive ever seen!! always clean and tp was fully stocked. Grounds arnd pool and beach were also top notch. They people here work very hard and one of the cleanest resorts ive been to. We spent some time at Playabachata also. Their pool was a bit more lively. But also very hot in late afternoon. Not many umbrellas and chairs are older. You have full access to the resort when staying at Senator. Their beach is much bigger and also has lots of shade if needed. All in all I give this resort 5*s. Might not be the fanciest but it was very clean and we had a great time.

Vista Sol Punta Cana: Disappointment

My partner and I have travelled to many different all-inclusive resorts and I can honestly say that this was our worst experience. The service at this resort is terrible. We were never asked if we wanted drinks and when we did ask a server once, it took over 45 mins to get 4 drinks. There is only one bar that is open late which is located in the main lobby and there was always a line for drinks that was no less than 25 people. Every other resort that we have gone to, our glasses never went e [... read more]mpty and we were always asked if we wanted or needed anything. Sadly the food was no better. Our worst experience was at the Mexican a la carte and we ended up walking out of the restaurant. The service was absolutely terrible. Everyone in the restaurant was getting served their desserts and we still had not received our dinner and every time we asked, we were told a few more mins. This went on for 20 more mins before we finally gave up and just left. The Italian a la carte was a huge disappointment as nothing tasted good at all. It really isn't hard to prepare pasta and since the pasta at the buffet wasn't bad, we assumed that this would be a hit...it was a complete miss! With the reviews we read online, we were excited to try the food truck down at the beach. The burgers were disgusting, they were a strange texture and had chunks in them. The hot dogs were very mushy in texture and were not served hot. The pools at this resort were dirty, there was always a ton of debris and bugs floating in them. The only pool that offered any shade was the pool near the main lobby and it was disgusting. The pool itself, was like a wading pool and too shallow to even enjoy. We had a swim up room so we ended up just going to that pool every day but the only problem was that there was shade on half of the pool until about noon and then you were in full sun with no shade at all. I will say that the bartenders at that pool bar (near swim up rooms) were absolutely fantastic. Another major issue we had, which we had never experienced before was that we had to get out of the pool to get our drinks and walk about 50 feet on extremely hot concrete to go to the bar. Usually they have people coming around the pool asking if people want a drink but at this resort they did not. The alcohol at this resort was not great. We understand that it is a family resort but there should be a pool with a pool bar in it dedicated to adults only. There should be adult only sections and then sections that are kid friendly. If you were not into drinks filled with sugar there wasn't really any options. The beer that was on tap had a very strange sour taste to it which turned us off completely. We tried the beer at every bar and it was all the same. The room was not clean, the bathroom was so dirty, the tub/shower had grime and the sink still had tooth paste in it from what I assume was from previous guests. The bed was like sleeping on a rock and we had to ask for extra blankets to put on the bed to try to make it more comfortable. This was also the first resort that we have gone to that in room coffee was not replenished. You had it upon arrival and then after that you had to purchase it from the store on resort if you wanted to make yourself a coffee in the morning. We will not be returning to this resort and we will not be recommending this resort to any of our family and friends. For the money we paid, it was not worth it at all and we have never had such a bad experience.

Paradisus Palma Real Golf and Spa Resort: Very nice resort

Very nice resort very clean. The food was excellent. The service was good overall was very good. We enjoyed yourself. We will be back. I would recommend to my friend to go visit this resort it was a very good experience À la carts were very good we enjoyed every single one of them

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Very Nice Resort

This was my second visit within 4 months, 7 days both visits. A wonderful greeting from Carlos as we arrived. He took care of our luggage and saw us to our room. He is so helpful and informative, very friendly and makes you feel like you’re a special guest. He is a real gem. The hotel is lucky to have him. The rooms are small and could use an update, lighting in the bathroom is horrible, needs updating, the bathroom especially is very dated and tired. Rooms are very clean and fresh towels  [... read more]always available. Our mini fridge was nicely stocked. The balcony is nice and big, the highlight of the room. All the employees are wonderful and welcoming. Always accommodating. The staff in the buffet are very very busy in the mornings at breakfast, it was sometimes quite a wait to get a coffee. They could certainly use more servers in the buffet. The a la cartes were overall quite nice. The food throughout the resort is amazing. The main buffet was fully stocked with loads of choices . The beach grill has the best chicken wings I’ve ever eaten. Pizza is fabulous as well. You certainly do not ever leave hungry. The bars are okay, nothing fancy, they do accommodate you with any drinks choices you might ask for if they have the ingredients. I’d love to have had mimosas though. A beautiful lobby bar would be a lovely addition. Beach was beautiful, good for swimming and snorkeling. Lifeguard always on duty. The pool is nice, however I did not spend a lot of time in or around the pool. Towels were always available and lots of loungers to choose from. The evening entertainment was generally good. We did take in a few of the evening events. Overall I’d rate the resort a 4 out of 5.

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: VH Grand did not disappoint

This was my 2nd trip to the Grand this winter and both trips were amazing. The resort is just the right size, it’s so clean and well cared for. Always enough chairs, towels and the food is some of the best I’ve had. The buffet was as good as the a la cartes. The staff are amazing Carlos met us at the bus and remembered we had been there 2 months before. He is very professional, punctual, and efficient. All the staff appear to love their jobs and bring much joy and smiles to all. The beach is o [... read more]ne of the nicest I’ve visited, because of this not a lot of time was spent at the pool but that was lovely as well, very busy so not a lot of relaxing to be had ? A 5 star in my book! Thank you for 2 wonderful vacations.

Ocean Blue and Sand: Great Family Resort

Just returned from 1 week at Ocean Blue and Sand and we enjoyed our vacation. The resort was very clean and the landscaping was very well kept. The beach was a bit smaller than some others in the area, but it was kept nicely cleaned up daily. You can walk almost endlessly in either direction along the beach. The water was warm and relatively free of weeds, and you can't beat the blue color! We chose to book a Privilege room and were in building 10 nearest to the beach and beside the pool. T [... read more]he room was very clean and quite spacious. Daily cleaning was thoroughly done and the fridge was usually kept well stocked. The wristbands here are also your door key which saves searching all the time for misplaced key cards. Our butler Thomas was very pleasant and helpful. We were celebrating our anniversary during our stay and Thomas went out of his way to surprise us with a romantic decorated room to come back to after our anniversary dinner! Very much appreciated! He booked all our restaurants on day 1 and we never had to worry about that again. We especially enjoyed the Japanese Sensai restaurant, the Bodegon Steak restaurant and the Blue Moon French restaurant. The Italian Restaurant was a big disappointment though with mediocre food and very poor service. We had access to the Villa Marina for breakfast which is served a la carte, but after giving it a try we preferred to go to the buffet for breakfast where there was a larger selection of options, less busy, and the food was hotter to eat. Don't miss coffee at Mike's Coffee Shop...great coffee and snacks are available here. We had read from previous reviews that beach and pool seats were "reserved" by guests at very early morning hours so we were prepared for this. It is a frustrating situation that is unfortunately the norm at most resorts these days. It would be nice if there was a way resorts could get on top of this somehow. We did find there was less drink service at the beach and pool than other resorts we have stayed at, the lunch dining at Villa Marina was very chaotic with too many guests for the staff available leading to slow table turnover and slow water rounds, and the Italian restaurant had poor service thus the 3* rating for service (although there was some very pleasant service from other staff) Overall the resort is a solid 4*

El Beso Adults Only at Ocean El Faro: worth passing

I stayed at the Ocean El Faro Adults Only from March 24th to 31st. While the resort itself is quite nice, with more than ample pool space and about 10 restaurants, I was disappointed with some things. The condition of the shower was poor... cement was bubbling and peeling and unattractive. The toilet area was ok, just not very appealing. Maid service was inconsistent regarding what time they would come. Some days around 9:00 AM, some days around 11:00. On the day that I had placed my sign on  [... read more]the door at 9:30 to make up the room, she did not come until 2:00 PM. As well, the coffee station in the room was usually neglected. After I had used the only coffee-mate and only stir-stick in the room, they were never refilled. In fact, on my last morning there, I did not even have coffee available. There was also a shortage of facecloths. On the day I arrived, there were none. Three days later, I was given 2. The next day, the maid took one and did not replace it. Same thing the next day. There was not a clock in the room, nor was there an iron and ironing board, which were listed as included on the resort's website. I often found service in the El Mercado buffet lacking. When you entered, a server would usually come to your table to provide water and take your drink order. One day, I sat in a highly visible area for 10 minutes without any service. Finally, a waiter was approaching with a water pitcher but decided instead to stop at the table in front of me, where 2 women were enjoying their meal, already fully supplied with water and drinks. I'll never be back...

Sunscape Coco Punta Cana: It's a 3* not a 4*

Food and drinks-I would give it a solid 3* and no more. Good variety but food was only warm at the buffet unless it was made at the custom stations or you caught a new batch being put out. At the sit down restaurants it was better but it was VERY hard to get a reservation. You advertise unlimited a la carte dinners but you don't fulfill that. Its all done on the app on your phone so better bring a tech-savy person with you and lots of patience. The buffet takes forever to get a table. (lik [... read more]e 20 minutes standing in line) I don't know why. One attendant would issue hand sanitizer, another would usher you to the door, (10 feet) another attendant would walkie-talkie to someone else in the diningroom for a table with # of guests, and yet another would usher you or wave you over to the table. Many days in the week we were there, they ran out of coffee at breakfast. SUGGESTION.... let guests find their own table and put all those attendants to work clearing and re-setting the tables. That would speed the process up. Some a-la-carte reservations are being booked and guests are not showing up. We ate in the Japanese restaurant and there is only 14x2 seats. We were the only 4 at our hibachi. Perhaps 10-15 minutes after the reservation time, you could allow another guests to fill in, and block the no-shows on the app. There isn't enough room in the restaurants for this to continue. With over 1000 rooms and 2 guests per room, thats 2000guests/meal. Thats a lot going to the buffet! SUGGESTION.... allow guests to show up, first come first serve at these restaurants. or use the red light vibrating puck system used at the Tierra restaurant. The bar drinks were made differently by different bartenders. No consistency and no measuring of alcohol/drink. Some were weak and some were almost undrinkable. Some of the bartenders would avoid serving you if you didn't tip them. They would serve everyone else and leave you til last. TIPS are for over and above service, not every time, even in the SunClub. I did tip but not every drink every day. Bartenders should have a basic knowledge in english of types/names of alcohol, little/more(quantity), mixed/blended, what the available mixes are. The slushy drinks need to be frozen, not just cold juice rolling around in the machine. Maybe mix in the blender with ice until its frozen, like early in the day. SUGGESTION.... turn the beer taps around, at all bars, so that the guests can pour their own beer, we already have our own cups! There is only one brand of beer, Presidentè. This would free up the bartenders time (although they could still keep an eye on guests getting beer) so getting mixed drinks wouldn't take so long. They move so slowly. We are the ones on vacation, not them. And have enough alcohol for all bars for ALL DAY. Everyday ALL bars ran out of alcohol about 4PM. You advertise unlimited drinks, but you couldn't fulfil that, and I'm NOT a heavy drinker. We booked in advance and paid too, so you knew we were coming! I understand this can sometimes happen, because you don't know what people will drink, but not EVERYDAY/EVERY BAR. We were there Mar 24-31/25. Not even peak season and judging by what we seen, (empty rooms). They were not at full capacity, so no excuse. Pools were pretty clean and warm. Lounge chairs/umberellas/palapas were hard to get. Had to put your towels on at about 5:30-6AM to get a couple loungers togther . Not enough chairs for the number of rooms/guests. You may want to give wrist bands to guests. Different colour for regular vs SunClub. This would define who is SunClub and who isn't. Why pay more if you don't have to. Seems to be a theme at this resort, running out of everything daily. Even drinking water at the bars. And the mini bar in the room is NOT restocked daily. We had to ask for more bottled water, beer and towels.

Bahia Principe Escape Aquamarine: AQUAMARINE NOT A 5*

Our two-week stay was marred by the buffet's lack of variety, with identical offerings throughout. In contrast, Turquoisa and Grand Bahia had theme nights, outstanding buffet cuisine, and a wide selection. The a la carte restaurants were truly exceptional, warranting their 5-star rating, while room service was impressive. Miss Yaneiri maintained our room's cleanliness to a high standard. Regrettably, the room itself fell short of 5-star expectations, more closely aligning with 3.5-star accommoda [... read more]tions, due to a broken door latch and recurring toilet issues. We experienced service desk issues, including a two missed water delivery. The resort's grounds were beautifully maintained, and entertainment options were enjoyable. Notably, we discovered transportation to the a la carte restaurants was available during our second week. Given our nine previous visits, we expected Aquamarine to surpass Turquoisa and Grand Bahia, considering the price paid.

Secrets Tides Punta Cana: Paradise

There does seem to be some Mixed reviews on this resort, but we had nothing to complain about. This resort is absolutely stunning. Beautiful rooms, amazing food similar to what we have had at secrets Akumal in Mexico, attentive staff, great shows, lovely beach lots of chairs and great drinks, and an amazing little cafe with snacks, ice cream, coffee and lattes. We had a very relaxing time and would highly recommend the resort.

Grand Bavaro Princess: Mostly "grand" vacation

Bus transport from the airport: I would NOT recommend - pay for the taxi. Our driver was reckless & aggressive which made for a very scary drive to the resort. Check in/out: Quick & easy, we asked for a room close to the beach and Christopher did a wonderful job making that happen. Grounds: The grounds are gorgeous and very well maintained, the gardeners and staff are doing an amazing job! Transporation on the resort: The trolleys are an incredible way to get from one end of this res [... read more]ort to another and are frequent. I don't think we waited past 5-10 minutes ever. Room: We were in the main section of the resort; we did not upgrade. We were in building number 32. Our room was beautiful, and the maid service was impeccable. Our fridge was also stocked daily. One complaint is there is no way to latch the door in your room from the inside - no chain slide etc. (we had a friend travelling alone and she placed the Do No Disturb sign up and was taking a shower, the man restocking her fridge ignored the sign and entered - she had to holler at him asking him to come back later - this is why an interior latch is very much appreciated) On one of the days, we had already received both maid service and our fridge restock, we had been back to our room and upon leaving we put the do not disturb sign on our door. We headed back to the beach and realized we had forgotten something, when we returned there was someone banging on our door, when we asked what he was looking for and explained it was our room, he ignored us and walked away talking on his radio. It was very odd & suspicious. The beach: GORGEOUS!! The beach is beyond beautiful, and staff work hard making sure sargassum/seaweed is cleaned every morning. The only negative about the beach are the amount of cigarette buts people are leaving there - they were everywhere around the chairs & palapas. Pool: We did not utilize the pool. Food: The food was really good, the small buffet close to the beach had a more limited selection but was super convenient for both breakfast & lunch. The larger buffet did have a larger selection. a la carte: We booked 3 a la carte's during our 7 days, the first was El Gaucho, the steakhouse which is a buffet during the day. We are steak lovers. It was ok. Our order was partially cold, and the meat overcooked, even after asking for medium-rare. Our second was Focaccia - pizza/italian. It was good, but not great. Our third was Il Tartufo - this is HIGHLY recommended! It was amazing. We sat on the deck overlooking the water display. The food was so good, for our main dish we ordered the beef tenderloin, and it was amazing and full of flavor! You could cut it with a butter knife (which is all they have throughout the resort) OH and the tiramisu is absolutely divine!! Service was mostly excellent throughout the resort. Maytte in the main buffet was our most memorable, she was amazing and always greeted me with a smile & a hug. She was very attentive and refilled our water and wine glasses regularly. Milagros was also very attentive. Cappuccino coffee shop: Amazing! Be sure to visit! The coffee and treats are absolutely wonderful. They also have a beautiful white, long-legged bird that frequents the cafe and is apparently not opposed to a croissant treat. Cafe del mar: This is an amazing quieter area on the beach away from the main section. They also have amazing coffee, drinks and sheltered seating on the beach. Peacocks: Be prepared and maybe bring ear plugs. There are peacocks everywhere. The last few days of our trip we had one outside our room and the provided a few unwanted very early (5-5:30 AM) wake up calls. They are beautiful, but very noisy. On our second last day, my partner became ill with a gastro issue and spent the last full day stuck in our room. (The evening before, wait staff were seen pouring wine from glasses back into a bottle - went looking when they hadn't returned to provide drinks and were found drinking at a table themselves.) We also discovered that the "single use" plastic drinking glasses are also being taken from tables, the beach and garbage cans and being rinsed in water and reused. This is likely contributing to the number of people who are getting gastrointestinal issues. We also had a leak in our ceiling in the toilet room. Staff were quick to come stop the leak but also left a big mess of drywall type dust everywhere. I also became ill almost immediately after returning home. We heard others on the resort stating they had the same issue, but we also spoke with other travelers at the airport who stayed at different resorts, and they had the same issue.

VH Gran Ventana Beach Resort: Loved it

My husband and I just got back from this resort and are already planning on going back, Yes the rooms are a bit dated, yes there isn’t a disco but the food is GOOD, the beach is gorgeous and everyone is very nice and kind. Felt very safe here and did some amazing excursions. A great place for a relaxing holiday.

Bahia Principe Explore Esmeralda: Amazing service and amazing beach!

The service at Esmeralda was the best I’ve seen at any all inclusive - top notch! The beach was also amazing, beautiful sand and comfortable ocean floor (no rocks everywhere where you had to wear sandals).

Serenade All Suites Adults Only Resort: Nice resort

We recently spent a week at this resort and had a relaxing time. The resort was very clean and not overly crowded. It is not a “party” type of place. We enjoyed the entertainment crew, lovely people who were always available to make our stay more enjoyable. We would have liked a bit more evening entertainment… this was limited and not overly exciting. If you are looking for drink service by the pool or on the beach, this was hit and miss… we just went to bar ourselves to get drinks. If you [... read more] are looking for amazing food, you’ll be disappointed. The food was edible but nothing to talk about. The beach was nice but the water was shallow …. Not a great swimming experience. The staff were not overly friendly and I felt like I was bothering them at times. We will not be returning to DR….. there are much better places to visit .

Cofresi Palm Beach and Spa Resort: Gone downhill

We visited this hotel 10’yeats ago and had a great experience. This yea we tried it again and it was not the same experience. The grounds were dirty, pools all needed repainted lawn chairs broken everywhere. Garbage laying around all over. The staff was more interested in telling you what they would charge you with than helping. We all had food poisoning out last night and were sick for 10 hours. Entertainment was lacking and there was no Sunday vip party as advertised. Would never visit again.

Grand Sirenis Punta Cana Resort: Great Resort

This resort was excellent. I would highly recommend it. The staff was friendly and the grounds were clean and well maintained. The food was top notch, lots of variety. There was lots of entertainment. My only complaint is the plumbing system needs to be fixed. We were instructed by our travel rep on our first day not to flush our toilet paper. We were told to wrap and put in the garbage can and then flush for fear of a backup problem due to the plumbing system not being adequate That should n [... read more]ever be a problem if a hotel is rated 5 stars.

Royalton Hideaway Punta Cana: Had an amazing time at this resort

Newly renovated rooms are very nicely designed, functional and super clean. The grounds are very well maintained. The restaurants serve a wide variety of tasty food and the bars are really fun. In the Hideaway area, we had a truly fantastic experience with our attendant who took amazing care of our group of friends.

Riu Palace Macao: Excellent resort

This was our second time staying at this resort.We loved it enough to come back.It was even better this time.The menus at the a la cartes changed since last year so we thoroughly enjoyed some new dishes.Buffet is always good.The staff is superb.Any issues were dealt with quickly and pleasantly.The beach has many lounges with beautiful palm trees for shade.

Bahia Principe Escape Samana: we loved it

Nicely laid out grounds, lots of stairs climbing practice - we did not mind - for good exercise. The resort has some style - hopefully Bahia will keep it up if renovations are being planned. Good room service and good food. We will likely come again to this location.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: very good family resort, not good for parties lovers

Resort is not very big but very well organized. One huge restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Food selection is amazing - fish , meats, fruits. Everything is fresh and tasty. There is also snack bar on a beach which is OK. A la carte restaurants I would not recommend, food is OK but in general it is just a waste of time. Beach is amazing. Nice sandy beach with lots of chairs and shady spots. Beach is quite long for this size of resort, never looks crowded. You can do snorkelling right on [... read more] the beach. For kids they have kids club and nice waterpark Night entertainment is pretty limited but generally it is OK . As a negative, I can admit only poor internet connection in rooms. Weak signal on a beach. For good connection you should stay in a lobby or in restaurant.