Dominican Republic Hotels

Dreams Resort Punta Cana: Not Bad, Not Great

by KristianW

The hotel "Dreams Punta Cana" is where we stayed for the week in the Dominican Republic. The purpose for the trip was to be a part of a family friends tropical wedding.
The hotel is nice enough, with the main entrance being partially outdoors as many of the tropical hotels are. We arrived late enough at night, about an hour or more drive from Punta Cana airport it felt as though we were driving to the very end of the earth, even past Bavaro. The Hotel is located in the middle of nowhere, with a random market directed specifically to tourists about one KM down the road.
Dreams Punta Cana had lot's of day time opportunities for entertainment with several restaurants and activities to be found throughout the resort. Constant drink service and a bubbly staff base welcomed us, as did the availability of beach chairs. The Resort was about 3.5 stars, It did have a few different options for food ranging from French, to Mexican/ Caribbean and Asian inspired in addition to a seafood restaurant. Rooms were very cozy, and spacious. Really liked the availability of room service and separated buildings.
The Negatives....
All was not perfect for the trip, but it was still a fabulous trip.
- Air Con broken, and the hotel staff could not fix it for a few days. (Not so pleasant in 30 degree heat for Canadians who the day before were amidst late fall)
- The distance from basically everything, Horse riding excursion was 20 minutes, Bavaro about 30 minutes drive away.
-Not a lot of activities off the resort to do, such as the "Shopping" excursion which took us to a golf course with hotel regulated shopping.
- Lack of Activities at night, Either choose between the nightly show or to go to the one and only disco.

There is a Spa, there is a Gym, A buffet, and 3 others restaurants, Multiple bars, Beach, Activities, River Pool etc. The rooms are large, but in need of updates (1990's feeling)

I would recommend this hotel, however if you can get something better for your money take it over this Resort!

The Resort is split up into 10 different buildings to stay in, all centrally located around the grounds containing gardens, bridges and pools surrounded by bars. The resort opens up onto a large white sand beach which is often packed. The beach continues past the resort and takes you through to a market area where you can shop or eat.

Very pretty views, over the flat land and palm trees. You can either see a lovely garden jungle setting or the ocean from any part of the hotel.
Resort hosts multiple nights where local artists and craftsmen set up their booths and sell very similar local crafts to the guests.

Lascanas hotel Sosua: Lascanas hotel Sosua

by rerebubu

Up the mountain about one mile from sosua is a 90+ unit condo standing 3 stories around the biggest pool give ever seen and i have been going there for 5 yrs.
Each unit has kitchen living room and br and balcony.they are very clean w,cable tv maid service and on premises laundry people 2 restaurants convenience store masseusee and beauty salon.
These amenities are always changing.
I have sayed there on 4 occasions and the place has never been more than 1/3 full.
There are permenant or semipermanent mostly europeans and americans and some guests like me.the rates are phenom.in the high season 250 a week and for a month 500 dollars.
If you dont have a car there is also shuttle service to various places at various times.kind of like a hotel that is a community.
Natalie the manager speaks perfect english and will help you in any way she can

the price is less expensive than average
the hotel is very clean
the apartments are very confortable
The pool is very huge

Gran Bahia Principe Punta Cana: Dominincan Paradies

by florry

I stayed in the Hotel for 3 weeks with my parents. The way from the airport late in the evening was very bad because of the roads. this would be one reason for me not to go there again.When we got to to Hotel we had to wait for ages until somebody showed us where the rooms where. I had a single room on the topfloor of one building and my parents had one in the next building. The walls where very thin and you could everything from next door.In my room was a door going into next room, i guess its for familys, but my parents didnt stay there just two men. Anyways when i was a sleep i heard a noise and the door opend and a men looked into my room and i screamed and he closed the door. I put a chair in front of it and next morning reported it.Late in the evening when i was in bed the was a knock and a guy from the hotel wanted to fix the door.It was very late but as i wanted the door closed i let him in. He hammered the door close. The guys next door had some local girls sneaking in the room all the time and i just didnt feel very save there, but the manager didnt do nothing.
Otherwise my room was clean, while it was leaking water in my parents room.
The food was okay, we did find something to eat, only it was cold most times.
In the evening the waiters just could not mix the right drinks and service wasnt good.

The best was the beaches, you could walk for ages to the left side.
But on the other side there where allways people sitting, hiding in the bushes.Stories i heard people got robbed there but i never had anything on me to what anybody wanted.

hotel occidental allegro playa dorada: hotel occidental allegro playa dorada

by raycane

Superclubs Breezes: Fun!

by Sassafrasskass

Check in was great! Not too busy!
We ended up staying in a villa near the beach - fantastic!
Very spacious & clean!
Maids were outstanding :)
The beach was nice - kept it clean!
Lots of paths / walkways around the resort.
Trapeze, dancing and most of all... POOLS!
There was a lagoon / lazy river type of pool - AMAZING!
Best part of the resort by far!
Swim up bar & even pool in the pool ;)
Staff was very friendly - entertainment staff was fabulous!
Bartenders & waitstaff eager & always helpful!
:)
Great place & would stay again!!

Barcelo Punta Cana: Beauty!

by Sassafrasskass

Welcome to Paradise!

Beautiful!

It was my first time iin Dominican & I was curious to see why Punta Cana was all the talk. As soon as we drove up to the Barcelo Punta Cana resort, I knew we were in for a spectacular time!

The front desk staff was amazing! Helpful in everyway possible! Very friendly & easy to talk to with any concerns!!

Our rooms were great! Spacious! Stocked mini fridges - beers, water & coke! Bathrooms were very clean (a biggie for me!) & the air conditioning worked fabulous! Our maids everyday were wonderful & their towel art was so unique!

The grounds of the entire resort were spotless!

BEACH = AMAZING! The sand was like clouds... seriously. It was beautiful - even walking down the beach past others resorts, it was great! Perfect white sand to go hand & hand with the crystal clear ocean!

The nightclub was quiet some nights but other nights booming! The entertainment crew made each & every night memorable! Very friendly & cute!

The bars were always stocked & ready to make your Bahama Mama! Sweet deals :).

Every restaurant - buffet & a la cartes - served fresh hot foods as well as yummy desserts & fruits. No matter what time it was, there was always something to munch on! And Heinz ketchup ;)!

The pool was to die for - I spent a lot of time in it! Swim up bar baby!!

At night you could stand on the beach & turnaround to see the resort - simply breathtaking. This is a beautiful resort & I can't wait to return!

(They were doing renovations after we left - adding another pool & indoor entertainment hall - can't wait to experience it!!! :)!)

Secrets Sanctuary: Beautiful Location with Horrible Management

by krismsong

Supposedly this is a 5 star hotel and I will say that the location is beautiful, but the service and maintenance is more like a 2-3 star hotel. They have sand fleas on the beach, termites in the closets, and furniture that is so worn that they put 2 twins together for a make-shift king sized bed and only 1 nightstand in our room. And the pool is riddled with algae and what could be a scenic view is obstructed by a huge inflatable, in-pool volleyball net.

The main manager quit during the week of our stay (no notice and without a replacement), and the staff that ran the activities and the poolside bar only paid attention if you learned their "cool" handshake and tipped them (at a no-tip, all inclusive resort) for drinks all day. They blasted the music and we actually had to argue with them to turn it down for the majority of the clients to be able to read and relax by the pool!

The food is generally ok, and the wait staff is very congenial, but how can an all inclusive resort like this run out of vanilla ice cream for a week? I would recommend dining early (or be ready for an hour plus wait to be seated, never mind the 20-30 minutes between courses).

How can this be called "Sanctuary" and be advertised as a romantic 5 star hotel? Avoid this resort unless you want a spring break kind of vacation.

Walking around the surrounding beaches is the one redeeming feature. They are beautiful, pristine, and not crowded (other neighboring resorts have failed to break ground due to the economic downturn).

Barely acceptable: Luperon Beach Resort

by donpaul77

The Luperon Beach Resort is all inclusive and located 1 hour and fifteen minutes from Puerto Plata airport. While the surrounding countryside is beautiful, the resort suffers from deficiencies that become even more glaring due to the lack of nearby options for food and entertainment. It is truly for the budget minded, due to the low cost.

The greatest problem is that the rooms are almost in a state of disrepair. Leaking ceilings, broken televisions, and trickling showers are common. Most of the phones in the rooms do not work. After changing rooms twice, we settled for a non-locking sliding door to the balcony as the least of the evils of the other rooms.

The buffet was okay, yet tiring. There is one a la carte restaurant.

The beach is dangerous due to rock shelf. There are only a couple of "sweet spots" where it is safe.

The grounds are very nice and well maintained.

The adventurous could go off the resort to the Yacht Club and Marina restaurant/bars for better food and ambiance.

Barcelo Capella Beach: Not near, but not far in the D.R.

by travelintraina

Adequate rooms. Most of them were decent size with tile floors and great A/C. A few of them had a little bit of mildew in the A/C vent and were really humid. It's an all-inclusive resort and really has just about everything you want onsite unless you want a casino. And even then that's a short shuttle bus away. It's not a 5 star kind of place, but more like 3 1/2 or 4. It's got everything you need and is a good place to get away from every day life.

That being said, I was here on a business trip and wasn't able to take advantage of everything they had to offer.

2 buffet restaurants, 1 french restaurant, and 1 grill. 3 bars, a late night disco, and shows every night in a large amphitheater. Plenty of choices. 2 pools, right on the beach with plenty of shady palm trees.

Dominican Bay: Dominican Bay (Boca Chica Resort)

by Valeggua

Nice all inclusive resort for a reasonable price, good pool, nice buffet, own private section beach.
It's like a fortress where you can spent your whole holiday eating, swimming, sunbathing, and doing aqua fitness with the animators.

We were very happy with the buffet, 3 times a day exellent food. Every night entertainment, but every week the same was getting boring..