Cuba
Cayo Coco
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from Sophie
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Club Tryp
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We went to the Tryp from March 17th-25th, 2006. We were two couples in our early 30's. We flew from Quebec City via Air Transat. Flight + food (Subway) +service were OK. We booked thru TMR and everything went smoothly. We have always been satisfied with them over the past few years. Me & my husband had been to Cuba (Holguin) once before. We knew a bit what to expect.
On the first evening of our arrival, we noticed many young, plus very drunk Canadian spring breakers all around the place. They actually ran out of beer, rum, cola during that evening and on the following day. They also closed some bars because it had gone out of hand. We were quite deceived to see and hear this as we were expecting a nice, quiet vacation. We found out the next day that they were leaving the following day (Sunday) and we were very glad. We talked to some people and heard it was a very hectic and long week with loud parties at night and lots of drunken teenagers. On arrival (11pm), I actually saw one young man yelling and screaming in the lobby, he had a large bottle of wine and he was drinking it with a straw...!!!!
Enough of that, let's start with the positive which they're lots of.
I definitely agree with previous reviews, that your attitude has a lot do do with your trip. Always remember that these are poor countries and you will certainly not have what you usually have in North America.
Food: We were quite satisfied and very surprised with the food, knowing that Cuba is not known for its food. The International Restaurant was for us the best A la Carte restaurant. We also went to the BBQ/Grill and Italian, the food was also good. The buffet had lots of variety for buffet, lunch and diner. The pizza place at lunch (on the beach) has very good thin pizza. The pork burgers at the Grill and Pool bar were also our favorites. You will also see lots of french fries. Desserts and ice cream were also delicious. Do not forget to try to donuts next to the stairs going to the lobby. We did not encounter any major stomach problems.
Bars: Try the banana mama's....they're a big favorite. Tom Collins, 3 color drinks (??), Spanish coffee are also good. Crystal and Mayabe are the local beers, they are both good. The bar at the small pool is not busy at all; the best and quickest service was there.
Beach: WOW......just WOW...!!!! It will definitely blow you away!! The sand is nice and soft from the Tryp to the NH Krystal (El Senador) (right side of the beach)....not as nice towards the BLAU Hotel (left side of the beach). The water is clear and warm. The beach is perfect for long walks. We saw a few jellyfish but nothing to worry about.
Excursions: We chose not to do any this time. We found them a bit expensive. Our friends went to Moron and Jeep Safari. They enjoyed both.
Rooms: We paid extra $$ for ocean view room and did we have ''the view''. We were in Block 10, second flour and a few yards from the beach/ocean. We could not have asked for better. The rooms are basic and very clean. A small fridge, TV (satellite) and hair dryer are in the rooms. The maids appreciate gifts and tips, like the other employees. I always left her makeup, hair products, pens. Our friend took the VIP package and they we very satisfied, they also has ocean view room, coffee machine, bottle of rum, beer, cola, water daily in fridge, pool towels in their rooms, bath robe+slippers, and 6 already reserved A la carte restaurants. The big extra was a late check out of 5pm included in the price (we were flying out late in the evening)
Entertainment: We went every night and we enjoyed all the shows. The Cuban people have a way with humor and they will definitely make you laugh. I also agree with the previous review, the lounge singer (Tom Jone's voice) was excellent.
Service+ people: Cuban people are by far the best people. They will definitely mark you in a way either with they're sweet sense of humor, positive attitude, charm, warmth and/or friendliness. We met awesome people all week, both vacationers and local people.
Sol Melia Resort: You also have access to this resort, which is the same owner (Sol Melia) as the TRYP. It is situated at the far right from the TRYP. It is about a 25-30 min walk (one way) or you can take a taxi. We decided to walk and spent half a day on the beach. You need to go to thru front desk at the TRYP and ask for a day pass, it is FOC. You have access to all the services at this resorts (beach, pool, restaurants..) We did not visit or have food at the resort; we were quite satisfied with our own resort.
Weather: We had 30+++ weather all week, not complaints. It was also quite humid. Never saw any rain and barely a few clouds all week.
Tips:
- The best and closest ocean view room would be in Block # 5 (for requests), Block 10 is also nice.
- Bring isolated mugs for drinks
- Bring extra $$$ for tips, employees only average salaries of 35 pesos per month. They basically only live on tips.
- Bring small gifts: pens, personal care products, hats, clothing, and school products
- Male employees have asked for shaving cream and baseball caps...
- Bring adaptor for 220 volts conversion to 110 volts for electrical items
- We always bring a few tubs of Pringles in our luggage; they are very expensive at the resorts. They come in handy when having a drink before diner.
- Do not forget suntan lotion....(30, 40, 50)
* Check in was very long. Two buses arrived at the same time and we waited at least an hour... plus, we were one of the firsts in line. I must admit that they're lots of demanding Canadians in line. They only had two receptionists. The management should temporarily plan more staff when knowing many vacationers will arrive at the same time.
* Main pool: They had major problems with the water and its color most of the week. They even closed it for a few hours. It did looked better by the end of the week.
* Lagoon smell: You will smell a strong "lagoon" smell around the lower flour of the lobby.
Previous resorts visited:
- Barcelo Bavaro Caribe Resort - Punta Cana, D.R.
- Playa Pesquero, Holguin, Cuba
- Gran Ventana, Puerto Plata, D.R.
- Sunset Lagoon Resort, Cancun, Mexico
Enjoy, be positive and have an open spirit!!
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from Judith
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NH Krystal Villas & Resort (El Senador)
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In January 2006 I visited the El Senador in Cayo Coco, Cuba with my boyfriend from Dec 25, 2005- Jan 1, 2006. This was my first time at an all-inclusive resort, however, I should add that I travel often and generally stay in superior accomodations. This was part of my reason for choosing the El Senador, because it was listed as one of the very few 4.5 star resorts in the area. I think after spending the week there I would give it 4 stars. We were in block 14, on the Laguna Azul side, facing the kids pool and with a view of the ocean.
Prior to leaving for Cuba, I became very concerned reading some of the old reviews that had been posted. Some mentioned no hot water, no air conditioning, dirty pools etc. I did not have ANY of these problems. There was always hot water at any time of day (we showered morning and night). the air conditioning worked great! (I made my boyfriend turn it off at night because our room would get too cold). The grounds on this resort were spectacular. Everything was very well kept. Grass was green and cut, flowers gorgeous and lots of variety. There were 4 pools, all of which were crystal clear and clean. As soon as night fell you would see the cleaning staff out washing the decks, cleaning the tables etc.
Other positives include:
Negatives:
Cayo Santa Maria
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from Ruth
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Melia Cayo Sta Maria
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I just wanted to let you all know we went to the Melia for 2 weeks over Christmas and New Year (2004/2005) and had a fantastic time. This was our second year celebrating Christmas and New Year at this location and this year we took our best friends and their three kids ( 14,11, 9) our daughter (16) and her friend (16) and a great time was had by all.
We started off slow as we had a bag gone missing. It was one of the kids and we had it two days later.
On the bus we were given our keys to our room and were happy to have three rooms side by side. We were welcomed by the dancers and animation staff upon arrival and we wisked into the buffet for a cold chicken plate. It was about 11:30 when we arrived. We went to the bar to see our old friends and Ernesto and Orlando welcomed us back. Gary and Bev were anxious to see the rooms so they took the kids to the rooms and were impressed. Our daughter went directly to the pool table where friends from last Christmas had been awaiting her arrival. It was a great welcome.
We ate at the Mediteranian Restaurant on Christmas eve. It was a six or severn course meal, something for everyone, although I can't remember it all. We had salad, soup, Pate Fois, smoked salmon , lobster desert. There were some things each of us did not like and other things we all loved. We were all well fed and had a lovely meal for Christmas eve. The service was fantastic and there was a duet playing. We truly enjoyed it.
The first week the weather was great temperature wise the first couple of days. Christmas eve and day were perfect and the beach was calm. We then had a few days overcast but still in the 75 range. When it was overcast we still sat by the pool and enjoyed some protection from the wind. Sol is more protected than Melia because the buildings are closer together and there is more vegetation. We participated in things in both hotels. We went to spanish lessons and dance lessons at both hotels. The dance lessons had more participation at sol. We also attended the Cuban party at sol at 4:30 some afternoons. It was a nice break. There was dancing, we saw the fashion show and had a great time especially for the younger girls.
The teenage girls loved the disco. There is a disco at both Sol and Melia at 11:30 every evening. I think that they should only have one becuase sometimes it split the crowd. The kids loved it. All of the animation staff really look after the teenagers and make there holiday. Our daughters all enjoyed there company and enjoyed the freedom they had at the resort. Our daughters friend came the second week and she enjoyed it as well.
The resort is safe and you can feel secure in letting the kids do there own thing. It is not a large resort and you get to know most of the people that are around the pool and at the bar in the evening and everyone knows who the kids belong to.
The shows are really good. And the audience participation shows are fun for the kids. Each week our group participated in the shows and had fun. The staff also worked with the kids on New Years Eve and put on a show with the kids. It was a variation of the nutcracker and the kids really had fun. We enjoyed watching it as well.
New Years was great. We had dinner at the buffet. There was shrimp, lobster and mussels. As well as the pork, fish, chicken and beef that were offered on the buffet daily. We had Champagne with dinner and our regular wine. The show was great and then we had dancing until 11:50. Then we all paid our respects to the Cuban Revolution by standing for the national anthem. ( It is the anniversary of the Revolution) and then we had a count down to midnight. There was dancing for another hour or so with lots of champange, then back to the lobby bar or the disco. We had dinner here 3 times. We had dinner twice at the Italian and would have had it more if there had been space. The meals are varied enough to suit everyone and the service is great.
The second week the weather was great but it was windy on the beach and the red flag was up so we could not take out the water equipment. Still we all enjoyed every minute.
I would certainly recommend this location for families. We (all nine of us) had an excellent vacation. Two weeks was over too fast. Now our only problem is saving for next Christmas and New Year.
Varadero
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from Kevin & Sylvie
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Sandals Royal Hicacos
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My wife and I just returned from a week's vacation at Sandals Royal Hicacos in Varadero, Cuba on January 17, 2005. This was our first trip to Cuba and first time at a Sandals after vacationing in many other Caribbean destinations. We read many reviews after we booked the trip and became a little concerned at some of the negative reviews, but at the same time also realize some people are never happy.
Saying that, as a whole we very much enjoyed our stay......we are people that have high standards from everything including food, drink, service, room comfort, friendliness, beach, resort cleaniness, landscaping. Overall the Royal Hicacos fairs quite well, after all can anyone really expect any one place to excel in every and all these things. Keep in mind Cuba as a country does have some limitations. The employees in general are quite pleasant and try to be helpfull, that said tipping definitely improves the attention to detail you might otherwise expect.
If we had to pick one negative thing it would be the sulphur odor that is present in many areas of the resort. The odor even managed to find its way into our room the first night of our stay waking us from a sound sleep at 2 a.m., no easy task after more than 20 hours of no sleep because of our flight time. The next morning we asked to switch rooms which was quickly accommodated for us and without fanfare. The remainder of our week we slept very well, the rooms by the way are awesome. Comfortable King size bed, double tub, seperate toilet area, hbo in room, good air conditioning, ceiling fan over the bed, large balcony with comfortable chairs ....by the way the pads on the chairs from the seperate living area fit&! nbsp; perfectly on the outside chairs.
Sandals has signs scattered about the resort attempting to explain the sulphur odor naturally occurs and that they are attempting to save the planet.....but please we don't buy it, there is no way this sulphur smell naturally exists...it comes from the waterways about the resort. We noticed some chlorine dispensers in the waterways in one of the out of the way sections but there was no chlorine in them and looked like there hadn't been in some-time. About half way through the week of our stay they emptied part of the waterway up near the hotel entrance and were doing some type of work on it, a day or two later they finished and the smell of sulphur seemed to go away except on the pathway to the beach and beach grill..which thankfully wasn't present in the beach bar or grill.
The mixed drinks were a little dissapointing as they didn't use fresh fruit but I believe this is due to a lack of available fresh fruit in Cuba not a resort issue, other 5 star resorts in Cuba also don't use fresh fruit in the drinks.
The buffet syle restaurant was quite good....we really are not sure what others are complaining about. The selection was great. The grill area off to the side always had something good for example: turkey, rib eye steaks, lamb, calamari, salmon, other fish. The bread station was great, a seperate salad area....and no shortage of sea food. We all know quantity isn't everything but the quality was also quite good. The best restaurant by far was El Caribe, The least favourable Don Pasquale (Italian)...we are sure the tomato sauce pasta was tomato soup.
The beach was awesome.....the water very clear.....no problem like many other resorts of people stealing your towels or chairs and/or having to get up at the crack of dawn for a spot.
The pool many people complain of being cold....we thought is was refreshing after all it is to cool off isn't it ? Or and the foam pads which are fairly plentifull make for great extra padding on your chair when your not using it to float around in the pool. The hot-tubs were always the same temperature as the pool except for the one near the towel hut for the last two days before we left.
All in all Sandals Royal Hicacos is a great resort...we highly recommend it !
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from Nicole & Oscar
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Tryp Peninsula
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My husband and I, our 3 year old daughter and two of our friends spent a week at the Tryp Peninsula from December 6 - 13 2004. We are all in the 30's age range.
Tour Company: We flew from Edmonton with Air Transat Holidays. They are an excellent vacation company, we have travelled with them three times now and all three times they have provided excellent service. The plane was an airbus A-330 which is quite roomy and has the middle row of seats. If you fly with them spend the $20 to preselect your seats it saves a lot of hassle getting seats together etc. This company does their best to ensure the comfort of their guests, they are on time, they have special lunches for the kids. Head sets are $1 and the movie for December is Shrek going out and Shrek 2 coming back. I highly recommend them.
Arrival: Varadero airport has not changed much since we were there three years ago. Getting through customs went quickly. Getting your luggage takes a while, but I went and exchanged some Cdn currency into Convertible pesos while we waited. The exchange rate being given was 1.2446 in their favor so for $200 Cdn you received $160.70 Convertible pesos. The Air Transat rep was easy to find outside the doors of the terminal and gave us our packages and directed us to our bus. On the bus they serve cocktails for $2.50(convert.pesos) which is a great way to start your holiday! The bus ride to the Tryp is about 45 minutes as you stop along the way to let others off at the other hotels. The Tryp is right at the end of the peninsula, one of the last resorts.
Check in: What can I say, the resort takes your breath away when you drive in. It is beautiful! Check in took all of 10 minutes and we were on our way to our room. The resort is big so they have golf carts to drive you to your rooms. We were in building 27 which backed on to the beach but I don't think there is a room on the resort that does not have a beautiful view! If you have kids you can request to stay in the castle area, which is four buildings surrounding the kids pool, but it was no big deal walking even with a three year old from one end of the resort to the other.
Accommodations: each room is a junior suite with bath with full shower and tub, a living area and large closet. We were on the second floor so we had a balcony. The buildings are three storey walk ups. They look just like the photos on the hotel website. We always had lots of towels and they give you shampoo, body wash and soap. There is a coffee maker and blow dryer in each room and a/c. One measure to save on electricity is that you have to plug your room key in by the door for anything electrical to work. They also have their lights on timer for the stairways going up.
Food: I have read some reviews where people complained about the food here. They must be the world's finickiest people because the food is excellent. There is always enough variety that even a picky three year old can find something they like. We especially liked the grill by the pool, and the sit down dinners at La Laguna, La Gondola and The Tocororo were fabulous. One thing to remember, book your a la carte dinners the day after you arrive, first thing in the morning or you will not get a reservation as seating is limited. The resort was full while we were there and we managed to get two seatings for dinner at La Laguna and one at each of La Gondola and The Tocororo. Of course the drinks are awesome and unlimited and they serve cappucinos at the lobby bar which is also open 24 hours. This is the best bar to get your pina coladas!
Beach: One word: SPECTACULAR. The water is blue green in color, warm and shallow, you can walk out quite a ways and only be up to your chest. The sand is fine white powder, there are lots of umbrellas, be sure to tip Jose Ramon at the beach bar well, he is a fabulous bartender!
Adult pool: Beautiful but cold! They don't heat the pools here. Had a drink at the swim up bar, but spent more time at the beach as we went there for the ocean.
Entertainment: There is a nightly show at 10pm that is very good. You will see people complain about the shows, that they are amateurish, well, these people must have been expecting Vegas quality. The shows are professional and interesting, especially the Cuban night and the Fantasia night. At 8:30 there is a kids show that is lots of fun and the kids get to be in it. Our daughter loved the shows and stayed up for the adult shows as well! There is usually a live cuban band playing at the bar up by the lobby, we really enjoyed them.
As far as water sports pick your sport, they have it, but book the hobie cats, banana boats and such by 10 am as they only take so many bookings per day. They also have beach volleyball, aerobics etc. The night club is small but we had a blast and they now have good current music because my husband gave them 12 home made cds!
Kids: This is a fabulous resort for families. The kids pool is just the right depth and there is a baby pool for small kids. There are two slides and a slushie bar, and although we did not make use of the kids club the kids that were there seemed quite content. The only minor negative is that the baby club for kids 0-4 is indoors and it is quite hot.
Excursions: we went on the Seafari catamaran trip to Cayo Blanco, if you are going to Cuba you have to do this trip. It is $75 convert. pesos per person and is well worth it. Also, if you go bring an extra $10 pesos per person and they will cook you up a huge lobster right on the boat. Trust me it will be the best lobster you have ever tasted. Then you also get a free lunch on the island. We took the day trip to Havana but a day is not really enough to see what is a very interesting and beautiful city. The day trip is $65 if you don't do the cigar factory and $85 with the cigar factory.
All in all I rate this hotel a 10. We had a specatular week, this was our second trip to Cuba and it won't be our last.
Dominican Republic
Bayahibe
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from Diane
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Iberostar Hacienda Dominicus
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December 2004
We decided to try the Caribbean side of the Dominican and chose this resort because of the great reviews. I have to say that I have travelled throughout Mexico, and the Caribbean extensively, and this was by far the nicest resort/beach I have ever been to. They are awarded the top beach in the area, truly a 5*
ARRIVAL
We flew into La Romana, quickly passed through, short ride of 20 minutes to the hotel, had our room info handed out to us on the bus to avoid line-ups at the reservation desk. Upon arrival we were given a cold drink and brought immediately to our room. I had e-mailed the manager ahead of time requesting a room in block 4, closest to the beach. We had a beautiful oceanfront room, which are only in block 4. The room was huge and we were pleasantly surprised with the King bed and 2 twins, and the bathroom was huge/tub, marbled, very clean.
BEACH
White sand, large/wide, treelined with palapas for people who want shade and full sun for worshippers, perfect! Water was warmer than Punta Cana, sandy bottom for quite a ways out, clean, no rocks or seaweed, turquoise and wavy. What I liked was it was so much quieter than Punta Cana, most activities took place around the resort, no many motor boats and no fuel fumes in the air, much calmer atmosphere. There was also no topless allowed at the pools or around the resort, only at the beach. They had a manmade coral reef where the kids could bring bread and feed fish, they enjoyed that, don't forget to pack snorkels! Contrary to the malaria advisory, for Punta Cana, I didn't see one mosquito, and in the evening everything is pretty much enclosed. We were advised to take anti-malaria meds though, but not necessary, my son had an allergic reaction and is now full of hives, luckily it occured upon arriving home.
RESTAURANTS
The buffet changed nightly and had something to please everyone, breakfast were excellent, served in the main diningroom first and from 10 on near the beach at another snack bar. Lunch in the main diningroom, or more casual in the snack bar, where sandals shirts are a must. and on some days outdoor BBQ's where you could eat in your bathing suit, these were great lunches, quite a varity.
A la cartes :
French - was very good
Mexican - great starter buffet, real authentic mexican but wasn't fussy for the main course
Steakhouse- Didn't think I would be having a great steak, but I was pleasantly surprised, it was fabulous! My favorite
Japanese- Another great choice, chef cooks in front of you, plenty of food, start with sushi platter
Every restaurant was very nicely decorated the the theme in great colors, ceramics, marble. Bathrooms were gorgeous and very clean !
ENTERTAINMENT
We had 2 children 9 & 11, and we hardly saw them. There was a kids club where they had planned activities for them, they could participate or not. Mine chose to stay most of the day with them, they ate lunch togehter, played water-polo, had races where they won prized, caps medals, and they had an evening kids show where they danced , or put on performances, and were included in some of the adult shows in full make-up, costumes! They had a ball and we also had some alone time. As for the adult shows, they weren't Broadway productions, some cute, some boring, but this wasn't important for me. There was a very nice main bar lounge with a singer where you could sit and relax, a casino room with slots. My husband brought his laptop which wasn't necessary because there was internet access for only $2 per 1/2 hour. Many nice shops within the building but we didn't any shopping besides buy rum for $7 for 40 ounce bottle in the hotel.
We have already decided to go back again next year because we found it to meet all of our needs, perfect beach which is key, clean accomodations, and great food ! I highly recommend this resort to anyone, its sure to please! The pictures on the site do not do it any justice, the grounds and decor is stunning!
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from Mike & Cyndie
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Sunscape Casa del Mar
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Oct 31 - Nov. 13 2004
My girlfriend, Cyndie and I, (The Maineacs), just returned from another super fantastic vacation to the Dominican Republic, this time at the Sunscape Casa del Mar. This was our fifth trip to the DR. First year at the Iberostar Costa Dorado in Puerta Plata, second year at Bavarro Princess in Punta Cana, third year at the Iberostar Hacienda Dominicus in Bayahibe, fourth year at the Iberostar Punta Cana. Read on to get some pointers on the resort.
Flight/Airport We are from Maine, and our trip departed from Boston on American Airlines. Note: If you fly American, bring your own headset with small plug, and you can watch the movie for free!! Harry Potter going down, and Walking Tall (a stinker) flying home. Our vacation was booked through Vacation Travel Mart, and Beth Miller again found us the best deal anywhere, for the fifth straight year. No one has come close to their prices, plus you accumulate mileage, which we used this year, which is the reason we were able to go for 2 weeks! We drove down to Boston the night before, and then left at 7:00 AM for San Juan, and then on to La Romana. Only took 45 minutes to check in and go through security. Flight was great and on time.
Arrival in DR
Arrived in La Romana and we were met by our tour representative from Turinter. Loaded up into a van and off the the Casa del Mar. About a 15 minute drive. New temporary bridge over Chavon River, and it looks like the repaired old bridge should be up and running in a month or so. Always an exciting car ride. One night we had heavy rains, and the “new” temporary bridge was closed for a few hours due to water flowing over it.
Check-in
No wait whatsoever. We were the only ones in the van, plus no large tour (Apple, etc.) was checking in. Were given the normal stuff - towel cards, and key, and signed up for the room safe, and the charge was $3.00/day - most expensive to date. Had emailed hotel and requested 3rd floor, building 7, facing the ocean and west side of building. We got exactly what we requested!!!!! The most fantastic sunsets from our balcony, ever. Luggage was whisked away to our room.
Room
Room was fantastic. Fruit and a bottle of wine greeted us in the room. Classified as a VIP because this was our 5th trip to the DR. AC worked great, you slide key fob into switch when you enter. Room would cool off very fast, so no need to stick something in AC switch when you were not in the room. High cathedral ceilings. 3rd floor Plenty of hot water and water pressure. Coffee pot in room. Everything was perfect. A nice toiletry set with lotions, sunblock, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, etc. Nice touch. No bugs. I still haven’t seen a bug problem for the five years I have gone to the DR.
Beach
What can we say. UNBELIEVABLE!!! I said last year that Bavaro Beach was the best, well, I take that back. Bavaro is the biggest/longest, and has nice sand, but Casa del Mar is the a typical Caribbean beach. Soft white sand, crystal blue water, and water as calm/smooth as a pool or lake. Always kept clean. No major problems getting a palapa. They have 4 or 5 HUGE palapas that can accommodate 4 or 5 or more couples. Plus they have many palm and sea-grape trees that you can find shade under. Always stayed at the palapa closest to the dive shop. Got to sail a bunch of times.
SNORKELING!!!!! The best snorkeling we have ever done, right off the beach about 100 yards. Made daily excursions to the reef. Easy to do, just put on some flippers, and off you go.Also took a trip to Catalina Island to snorkel. It was good, but not as good as right off the resort. Brought our own floats. We left them with some nice British ladies when we left.
Pool
It was nice and large with a Jacuzzi, but we are beach rats. Never jumped in the pool. No swim-up bar. Water was coolish. Had a few floats at the beginning, but I think they got a bunch more the second week. We brought our own.
Food
This time around, dinner buffet’s were good, but our least favorite. Lunch buffet was much better than dinner buffet - fajitas (chicken and beef) almost daily, and plenty of great fish. Always a variety and mix of food.
The a la carte restaurants!!!! Since you didn’t have to sign up to eat there, and you could eat there as many times as you like, this made for great dining.
DaMarios - the best - ate there 5 times - would go late and be put on the waiting list, then we would go to the bar and have a couple of Manhattans, and then go eat. Large variety. Desserts were sinful, especially the coffee cream filled Cannoli!!!!!
Asian - great - good selection - ate there 3 times - you can get Saki - costs extra ($3.00) Tempura for appetizer and fried ice cream for dessert
Saona grill(Steakhouse) - also fantastic - you have to get the Sirloin - as good as it gets - ate there 3 times and had sirloin all 3 times. Desserts were the weakest point at the Saona.
Saona Grill - lunch - ate there 4 or 5 times until we found the buffet lunch fajitas - had good sandwiches, fish, fish & chips along with salad bar.
Beach Bar had fruit and sandwiches around lunch time BPool bar - starting at noon, had pizzas, hot dogs, nachos, all the way till 11:00. Also great place in the evening to sit and drink.
Beach party on Mondays and pool dinner on Thurs.. Manager’s cocktail party on Wed. Get to drink champagne and snacks and meet the staff. Nice touch.
Drink
What can I say. Anything and everything you want - just ask. Caiprinha’s.(best at the Saona bar); Daiquiri’s; and a lot of Manhattan’s ;-) Bar in the Internet Lounge was great. Had any drink or liquor that you could think of. If you thought the drinks were too weak, just ask for more “ron”. They will give it to you with a smile.
Staff
Everyone was wonderful, friendly, and always going out of their way to make your stay enjoyable.
Construction
Building 2 was being remodeled and updated. They were also building a jewelry store (but I think it is another lobby bar) near the lobby. I think it just opened (12/18/2004).
Flight back
No problem at the airport. Didn’t have to pay any money to leave like others have had to do. So sad to leave.
Overall it was another fantastic trip to the DR. The two weeks spoiled us. Also the dilemma of deciding whether to go back to the Casa del Mar or back to an Iberostar. As it stands now, I think we will go back to the Casa del Mar. It was so nice and the snorkeling was THE BEST!!!
Punta Cana
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from Annette
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Barcelo Bavaro Palace
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I returned a few weeks ago from a one week trip to the Barcelo Bavaro Palace. I went with a large group for my sister's wedding the last week of November 2004. We booked our trip with Air Canada Vacations, which went as smooth as one could expect. The lady from Air Canada Vacations who met us in Punta Cana was born in Canada and therefore there wasn't a language barrier. She is a good resource to use if you have any burning questions.
Check-in at the hotel
Depending on what time you arrive at the hotel, you may have a bit of a wait before you check in. Check-in is between 3-4pm, however, most of the rooms will be ready before then. Our luggage was watched by the bellmen in the front entrance to the hotel, which gave us plenty of freedom to roam around the resort. You will get your bracelet as soon as you get to the hotel, so you are free to go anywhere on the resort that you want. We chose to have a drink and get some lunch as we arrived shortly after 1:00pm. There are bathrooms in the lobby so you can change into your swimwear and enjoy the beach activities immediately if you want.
My advice would be "be patient". If your room is not ready when you arrive, the standard answer is "it will be ready in one hour", which actually means, "we have no idea when it will be ready, stop asking". I would suggest counting on not getting your room until 4:00pm and start your vacation the second you get there. Air Canada Vacations had a "welcome to the resort" meeting the next morning. If your agent provides this, I would strongly recommend going. The information provided was excellent and it allowed us an opportunity to plan out our week.
Rooms
The rooms were quite large and open. We had a king size bed, which was comfortable to sleep on. We found the hotel to be very quiet and met all of our needs. The mini bar is filled daily. We left tips a few days and found that our fridge was left overflowing with chocolate bars and coke. Otherwise, they provide a few bottles of soda, two large bottles of water and a chocolate treat every day. If you run out of an item, a phone call to the front desk will replenish any item you need.
Tips
We were told that most of the hotel staff only make a few dollars per day for their salary (plus tips), and that $1US was an acceptable tip. Anything above $5US was not appropriate as that is a considerable amount of money. We tipped our maid $1US per day. When you eat at the buffet, there is no one serving you, so tips are not necessary. If you do go to one of the restaurants, we usually tipped $1US per couple.
Evening Entertainment
Most of the entertainment got going after 8:00pm. Each of the hotels had their own shows in the evening and they often get the audience involved, especially with the dancing parts of the show. You can participate if you want, but there is no pressure to do some. Some evenings there are shows such as Cats and Grease, which is put on by the staff at the resort. Great quality of entertainment and you don't need to book your seat in advance.
The Tropicallisimo show at the Casino hotel was wonderful. It is a true Vegas style show with wonderful costumes and dancing. You need to reserve your seats for the show through your hotel. No cost for the show. Rum and coke was provided at your table, but nothing non-alcoholic. I would suggest bringing something from your room if you're not a rum drinker.
Excursions
We did the jungle safari and the trip to Santo Domingo.
The Jungle Safari was absolutely amazing. You get to drive your own Tracker and you follow a guide through the country side. It is a real taste of what it is like on the island. We toured a sugar cane plantation and learned a lot about the difference between the Dominican and Hatian people. We then tracked through the mountains; the sights were breathtaking. We went through several small villages and spent some time with a family in the mountains where we learned how to make hot chocolate from a cocoa plant. We toured their home and saw how they live and cook and how they work their land. The most amazing part of this entire journey was the 2 hours spent at Playa de Cocoa (Coconut point). It was paradise. The beach was more beautiful than anything we had ever seem. We had a great meal, swam in the ocean, and slept in the hamocks. There was also horseback riding available, however, we opted out for a nap.
This trip is a full day. We returned to the resort around 6:00. We found it very tiring, but worth every minute of it. I would recommend this trip to everyone who goes and will likely do it again. The only thing that I have to warn you about, is the driving. It turns out that road rules (such as stoppin at red lights, driving on your side of the road, etc.) are mearly suggestions. It took a while to get used to the way they drive; lukily, my husband slipped into it quite easily as I would probably have been to nervous to drive there.
The trip to Santo Domingo was an interesting experience. It is a 12-14 hr day, and it takes 3-4 hours to get to Santo Domingo (depending on the traffic). We stopped in La Romana, which was a very beuatiful town, but we didn't do any sightseeing hear. In Santo Domingo, the main focus was Christopher Columbus (the Dominican people love three things: baseball, women with large backsides, and Christopher Columbus!!!) We visited the light house monument to him and his home, an enormous cave, as well as the Cathedral. We ate lunch at a very modern restaurant and had approximately one hour to shop. The city is amazing; over 4 million people and a lot of hustle and bustle. It reminded me very much of Rome.
We found the trip to be very long and drawn out, with very little excitement (remember that 2/3 of your day is on a bus). At the end, I was glad that I went, but I was even happier that the excursion was finally over. In hindishgt, I would have preferred to go and stay overnight so that there wasn't so much driving in one day.
Shopping
There is a plaza on the resort (at the caribe, I believe). It has great items, but it is quite pricy. There is a small shop in the same plaza as the internet cafe that seemed to have fairly reasonably priced items such as t-shirts, hats, sarongs, etc.
The best deal, is the public plaza, which is just off the resort boundary, on the other side of the Palacve hotel block 6. It is divided into different sections. Up front are the tobacco products, alcohol and jewellry. These men are very pushy and can make you feel quite uncomfortable with the amount of pressure they put on you. We found that, saying no, dropping your head and keep walking was the best way to get through. The jewellry dealers will give you a free gift, if you get close enough to them; a small beaded necklace for the women and a tiki pendent for the men.
The next row of shops has your typical souvenirs; t-shirts, drums, painted objects, carving, etc. The back row has tons of paintings. They are all done on canvas, but they are not original works. You may be able to get a better deal if you go from one shop to the other, but the men who work there do keep a close eye on what is going on around them, so they are hard to fool. We bought a painting for $152US, that they initially were asking $850US for.
When shopping at these markets, you should be able to get an item for 1/3 the price that they initially ask. It all depends on how badly you want the item and how good your negotiating skills are. The only other thing is that they will tell you that you can have the item "on credit", meaning you will pay for it another day, or in some cases, the next time you come back to the island. I don't know anyone who took the vendors up on this, but it doesn't sound like a good idea to me.
Overall, there are not a lot of different shops available, but there wasn't anything in Santo Domingo that I couldn't find within walking distance of our hotel. If you are looking at getting your hair beaded, I would recommend going to the little shop in front of the public market. You will be able to negotiate a good price. The ladies at the hotel that do this, charge $1US per braid. I had the top of my head done for a whopping $40 US, while a friend had hers done off the reosrt for $55US for her entire head.
Food
It's nearly impossible to rate the food, as it really depends on what you like. We had some individuals in our group that couldn't find anything, and other people thought the food was great.
The breakfast at the buffets were very good. They had eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, pancakes, french toast and an omlete station, as well as many other items. There really wasn't much missing and it tasted just like the food you would get a Denny's.
Lunch and supper at the buffets were not bad either. I found that the seasoning they used got a little sickening after a while and I got sick of the food. We did not eat any fruits or vegetables that were not cooked, or if fresh, they had to be something you could peel. As a result, I found myself craving apples and carrots which were not available.
The restaurants were very good. Pretty much what you would expect from a Steak House or Mexican place. There is a pizza/hot dog/fries shack at the Beach hotel. The pizza was good, but I don't think it was made with cow milk cheese. There is another take out pizza place attached to the Italian restaurant and that pizza tasted just like the ones you get at home. A definite must if you get sick of the food. I guess that the most important thing to remember is that you are in another country and they are trying to prepare American food, with the ingredients and cooking styles that they have available to them. I'll sum it up by saying Chinese food bought in a restaurant in Canada, doesn't even come close to the food they eat in China, and the same applies here!
I didn't eat in the gourmet restaruants, however, some of our group did and said it was delicious. You have to make reservations ahead of time, so I would suggest doing that as soon as you get there.
Extra Info
The language is spanish and although most of the staff that you will need to communicate with do speak some english, don't expect them to understand every word you say. The cleaning staff and grounds crew do not speak much english at all. I would recommend bringing a spanish/english dictionary with you, in case you are stuck for words.
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from Kim & Jerry
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Sunscape The Beach
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January 2005. We arrived at Sunscape Beach on December 25th.
Wow... what a beautiful resort!! Much to our surprise after the poor reviews we read. We actually booked this trip on the Web by accident, after being somewhat stressed from attending a family funeral. We thought we were booking Sunscape Grand.... but I'm glad we made the error and got to experience Sunscape Beach instead.
This was our fourth time visiting the Dominican Republic. We have been to Punta Cana three times (this being our third), and Puerto Plato once. Each time has been a different and most wonderful experience that we wouldn't change a bit. The people in the Dominican are one of the most friendly people I have ever met on my travels. Sure there's a language barrier, which a lot of the guests heavily complained about at times... but I myself speak only English which is my native tongue, so why should I lose my temper with them for only speaking their native tongue? Besides plenty of staff did speak English, therefore someone was always able to translate if need be.
The rooms were spacious, modern, clean and decorated quite nicely. We got a great deal on a VIP Club Room in Bldg. 6 top floor, with a gorgeous ocean view that had a walk out balcony with a hot-tub.... That's what I enjoyed most at the end of each the day! The room had a sitting area with couch, chair, coffee table, end table, T.V. armoire, and small vanity with mirror. We had a separate bedroom with a king 4-poster bed, beautiful marble bench, separate closet, full length wall mirror, T.V. armoire, and a big window with ocean view that was soooo nice to wake up to in the morning!!
The bathroom was spacious with toilet and large shower with glass door... There was always plenty of hot water for both the shower and hot-tub. We also had a double sink area just outside the bathroom with a large wall to wall mirror, hair dryer, and make-up mirror. All toiletries were provided as well (real handy if you forget your toothbrush or something). We also had a mini-bar/fridge that was stocked with beer, pop, water.
The room also had a coffee maker, iron and ironing board. The safe was "free" (we have always paid for this everywhere else) and was digital/electronic... all you had to do was punch in your own 4-digit code to activate it.
The food at the buffets and all of the restaurants was excellent!! And I am an extremely picky person who needs to enjoy what I'm putting into my mouth!! Although I must admit service was a little slow at times (especially in the Mexican restaurant - but they were extremely short staffed). Anyway if you were absolutely famished all you needed to do was get an appetizer at the buffet first. I honestly don't understand how anyone could criticize the food when there were so many different varieties to choose from.
The Christmas and New Year's Speciality Dinners added such a nice touch to the whole affair. It's the first time I've been away during the Christmas season, and I thought I'd really regret being away during all of our traditional festivities, but the staff along with all of their hard efforts made it such a nice experience for me and my husband. The drinks were great, and all premium brands were available.
Ahhhhh, the beach (the best thing) was definitely a 10 out of 10, and there were always plenty of chairs, shade and of course, the big wonderful sun!! The sand was so soft and nice to walk on (not too hot), and the water temperature in the ocean was perfect. The pool was amazing as well and you were able to lounge in a chair on the ledge in the pool... quite nice to dip your feet in while sunbathing.
In closing, I would not hesitate to recommend this resort to anyone who is looking forward to having a nice holiday at a brand new facility, and can go with the flow, as there still are a few glitches:
Caution: Marble floors are slippery when wet. (So are my ceramic floors at home.... go figure???)
Room mix-up's do occur, but be patient. (No-one had to sleep in the huts by the pool as far as I know.)
Also, little things in your room may need fixing.... but the staff and the room's manager are very accommodating and will try their hardest to resolve all issues to your satisfaction.
If you choose Sunscape Beach I hope you have a wonderful time and will cherish your memory of it as I do.
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from Bob
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Sirenis Cocotal Beach
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THE SHORTEST STORY
Did we have a good time? YES
Was everything perfect? NO (but there were no show-stoppers!)
Was the food good? YES
Did we ever leave the table hungry? NO
Is it a nice place? YES
Would we return? IN A HEARTBEAT
THE SHORT STORY:
Trip date - 2004/12/07 to 2004/12/21.
This was our third trip to the Sirenis Tropical/Cocotal resort complex. On the first trip we stayed on the Tropical side, last year we stayed on the Cocotal side and this year we repeated the Cocotal side. The only real difference is the accomodations. Sirenis Cocotal consists of hotel rooms (large) in two and three story blocks containing about 16 - 24 rooms in each block. Sirenis Tropical is similar except that the units are suites with an additional sitting area, and a correspondingly smaller bedroom area. The two resorts are arranged in a mirror image with a long central pathway dividing the two. Guests are free to use the facilities at either resort.
There was very little evidence of hurricane damage, at least on the hotel property. They have done an exceptional job at repairs. If you know what to look for, minor evidence of damage could still be seen and they were busily carrying on repairs without interfering with guests and services. When you left the property, there was evidence of severe damage to properties adjacent to the hotel, especially along the beach. The hotel trees, landscaping and shrubbery appeared to have survived with little damage, perhaps because they keep the palm trees well trimmed and they didn't present as much of a wind load as untrimmed ones.
OK, there is an advantage to being a repeat guest. First, there are no big surprises and you know where everything is. Amazingly, a lot of the staff also remember you from previous visits, and we were very well taken care of. Yes, you do get what you pay for, but you also have to be careful not to pay for more than what you need or want. In our case, we were more than satisfied. Presidente beer and Brugal (or Barcello) rum do the trick.
Of interest to the handicapped, wheelchair access seemed pretty good and there were substantial grab bars in the tub. There was no elevator in our building, but other buildings did. I heard stories that some were not functional, so that might limit you to a ground floor room. I discreetly asked two people in wheelchairs and neither indicated that they were having any access issues.
This is a nice property and I would have to look pretty hard to find any show-stoppers. It's not perfect, but it suited our needs. If you want the gory details, read the long description. From what we saw, the rooms seemed to be well maintained, the food was quite good (I gained a "few" lbs. in two weeks), the beach is nice and the service is acceptable. It's sometimes a little slow, but I'm on vacation and not in a hurry. As I said, the food is good, maybe different from what you are used to, but good. Some kind of food is available almost 24 hours a day, but there are a few gaps, say between 4am and 7am for example. The grounds are lovely and both the pool and beach areas are well maintained. The ocean has been a little rough, so the sand has been stirred up and snorkeling was poor to say the least!
Over the two week period we had mostly green flag days on the beach, two yellow flag days and one red flag day. We walked up to Secrets at least seven times; each time they were displaying a red flag. The waves at Secrets are pretty huge and it would be easy to get into trouble. One of our friends referred to it as 'death beach' and I have dared her to use that in her review! At Sirenis, the beach is behind the reef and so it's relatively protected. There is a moderate rip current when the tide is changing, but it parallels the beach and doesn't present any problems. For example, I stood in place and my wife floated; within a minute she was 30 ft away.
Sirenis is literally in the middle of nowhere. It's about an hour and 15 minutes from the airport. The road seemed vastly improved over the 'very' pot-holey road from last year. There is nothing much else around. Secrets is about a 20 minute walk in one direction and the new Sunscape Beach resort is about a 35 minute (brisk) walk in the other direction. This isolation may or may not be an issue for you. Personally, we liked walking the pristine beach near the hotel.
Photos: http://home.cogeco.ca/~dungan/DominicanRepublic/
Sirenis photos - http://www.worldisround.com/articles/106711/index.html
Sunscape Beach photos - http://www.worldisround.com/articles/106706/index.html
Secrets photos - http://www.worldisround.com/articles/106709/index.html
THE LONG STORY:
FLIGHT: Skyservice. No complaints this time. They were on time with pretty good service in both directions (surprise). We were allowed an extra 20 kgs baggage (school supplies) by prior arrangement. This confused the check in agent who read and reread the authorization letter four times and then had to go get a supervisor! Interestingly enough, in Toronto, they also weighed EACH bag individually, including the carry-on bags. In Punta Cana, they just weighed the bags, several times I might add (hoping that once would indicate overweight!)
CHECK-IN: Check in was a quick and efficient. A waitress delivered welcome drinks while we were in line; my wife beat her to it by getting our 'first' Presidente before we were even checked in and banded. It was pretty early in the day, and surprisingly, our room was ready. So, once we had our bracelets on, our luggage tagged with our room number and delivered to the room, we took off to the beach bar for some more cerveza(s) and lunch. Since this was a repeat visit and we had joined their VIP club, a lovely fruit basket was delivered to the room.
GENERAL: Sirenis is a beautiful resort. We were quite happy with what we received. Since it was our third trip, we were not expecting any surprises. They are still busily changing things, but for the most part, they are improvements. You would have to dig pretty deep to find much wrong here, but if you look for it hard enough, you'll find it. There were a few warts, but nothing serious. The food, facilities and public areas were all good. There is a lot of use of marble and ceramic tile. For example, our bathroom was marble and tile from floor to ceiling.
The restaurants and bars are all concentrated at each end of the central walkway with the accomodations in between. The walkway used to be wood, but has been recently replaced with ceramic tile. With the exception of the white and blue trim tiles, the tiles used are NOT slippery when wet. The trim tile is another story. There are some rooms in the main building, but most are in the residence buildings between the lobby and the beach. At the lobby end of the walkway, there are two bars, two buffet restaurants and three of the specialty restaurants (the Mediterranean, Chinese and Vegetarian on the Tropical side, and the gourmet restaurant on the Cocotal side). The gourmet restaurant is the only one not included in the AI package. It's an additional $25US per person, but is without question the best place to eat. They were having a "lobster fest" at the time we were there. The service and ambience was excellent. At the beach/pool end of the walkway, there are two more bars and snack/beach club restaurants (one each on the Cocotal and Tropical sides). The beach clubs become specialty restaurants in the evening (Mexican, Steak House, Italian, Creperie). The ambience in these in the evening is quite nice.
So, you end up with lots of choices. Personally, we preferred the buffet because it was good and you could try a little of things you weren't sure of and lots of the others. We ate mostly at the buffet or the gourmet restaurant (three times). Our friends ate at the specialty restaurants and reported that they were good. The beach BBQ (lunch time) has been eliminated. They are quite pround of their Cristal food preparation award and rating, and that feature was going to cost them points because the refrigeration and food storage temperature could not be controlled to Cristal's standards. So, the beach BBQ is history!
The hotel was about 70% full this year and not all of the public areas were open. In rain, there is no "totally" covered walkway to the restaurants. By taking the back way, you can reach the main lobby via a dry path, with the exception of the last 100 ft or so. This is possible from all the buildings except those closest to the beach. Add another 100 ft. for these buildings.
Even though it is a large resort, it is very easy to find your way around. Each building (two or three stories) is clearly marked with an identifying letter (note that some of these were blown off by the hurricane winds and have not been replaced yet), but you do have to know which side since the letters are duplicated. As mentioned, all the public areas were concentrated at either end of the main walkway. Public washrooms are also located here. Warning: In the public washrooms, on the beach, on the Cocotal side, the lights are on timers, which start from the last time they were turned on, so things might get dark in the middle of.... You might know where your parts are, but the restroom parts.... In the lady's side, there is a reset switch in each stall (assuming you can find it in the dark). In the men's, you are out of luck.
The central portion is nicely landscaped between the residential buildings. There are fishponds, fountains, a few bridges and meticulously groomed specimens of exotic plants. Note that I said fishponds. They are not fountains or decorated ponds. There's algae on the bottom of these and I noticed some complaints in previous reviews. I didn't notice any smells. Anything they would add to kill the algae would probably kill the fish too. There are pink flamingos, geese and ducks. At night, the lighting is well done. The pool lighting was very subdued. It was so dark, I couldn't take any decent night photos.
The beach and pool are terrific. The pool meanders free form for a long distance. There are two swim up bars in the pool. There are lots of palm trees and powder sand (darker, not pure white, but nice) at the beach. With the exception of the banana boat (sometimes called a torpedo) there are no motorized watersports due to the reef a short distance off-shore, but windsurfers, hobie cats and ocean kayaks were readily available. There was a lot of beach lounge / umbrella "reserving" early in the morning. We don't want to play that game, so we had some minor problems finding some ourselves later in the day. One couple (we won't mention any nationalities) had the gall to stake out two lounges, a palapa with integrated table, two more chairs and another table. Just for the two of them!
By the end of the trip, we were sorely tempted to join in this "game". It's annoying to be looking at a chair you would like, you see it but it has been reserved with a towel on it, and nobody has been near it for hours. However, there was both sun and shade available all day. The palm trees provided some sun protection, but they are well trimmed, so there isn't much. There are a lot of thatched umbrellas providing the sun protection required. They seem to be busily adding more. You just had to move your chaise around a little to determine the degree of doneness (white to red).
There are also miles of undeveloped beach to each side of the property. To the north, the next resort was Secrets Excellence, about a 15 minute walk. Great for early morning or afternoon walks. To the south, the next resort is Sunscape Beach which just opened about 2 weeks before our trip. It's about a 35 minute brisk walk.
Last year, the nearest casino was at Secrets. Sirenis has now opened their own. We declined to make any donations. I hear that the slot machines are hungry!
The activities at the pool and beach are terrific. They have a great activity staff -- lots of fun every day for those who want to partake. For the time we were there, the clientele mix was mostly Canadian, British, French and a scattering of Americans, Germans and Italians. There were a lot of "rug rats", but the kid's club was in full action and kept them busy and out of the way. When they were around, most seemed very well behaved.
We had no language problems with the front desk, waiters or bartenders. Their English is basic and they seemed keen to practice. The grounds keepers and maids didn't speak much English, but we had no real problems communicating with them either. Between their English, my pidgeon Spanish and hand signals we got by.
I noticed that Debbie's web site lists the hotel as wheel chair accessible. I would have to agree. Everywhere there were steps, there also seemed to be a ramp, so with the exception of the beach, there shouldn't be any problem. There was a conveniently located grab bar in the tub as well. I specifically asked two people that required wheelchairs and they were not having any problems at all. You might be limited to a ground floor room, but other than that...
ROOM: This year, we were in the Cocotal section. The room was large, clean and well maintained. The maid service was excellent. The only problems were that the air-conditioning intermittently made a thumping noise, the balcony light didn't function and the toilet seemed to run a little. No show-stoppers here; we didn't even report these until the day before we left. We must have been close to the hot water tank since we had hot water almost immediately after turning on the tap. The room included two queen beds, two night tables, a desk, a table and two chairs, satellite TV, and a mini bar restocked daily with pop and water (no liquor). There was a large storage area that consisted of a full-length closet that covered an entire wall and an in-room safe. The closet was interesting. Three doors on two tracks, so you had to be careful to avoid collisions. Sheets and towels were changed daily. The sheets were the best quality we have seen at any of the hotels we have stayed in the DR up to now.
The door lock is now electronic and controlled by a card that looks like a credit card with a magnetic strip. The other advantage here is that two cards were issued, so we both had room keys. The hotel is very conscious of energy use. To get the power and air conditioning to work, you have to insert your room key card into a slot in the wall. It is keyed to the mag strip as well, so any old card won't do. When you leave the room and remove the card, there is a timed delay before the power goes off. With the power off, the only things that functioned were the hall light and the ceiling fan.
FOOD: Some form of food was available 'almost' 24 hours a day, but there were a few gaps (for example between 4am and 7am). After a full breakfast, heavy lunch and a heavy dinner, this wasn't an issue for us. In terms of the food, we found the variety and quality pretty good. This hotel was rated four stars by our tour operator (5 stars by the hotel, but that's stretching it). The buffet restaurant was easily the equivalent of a good buffet restaurant at home. As usual, the beef was 'chewey', but the pork and chicken were excellent. The beef usually was edible though, and a few nights we got some that was amazingly tender.
The buffet was simply great for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There was bacon and sausage every day and the made to order omelets were excellent. We went there for lunch only once or twice because down at the beach bar they also served great food. There was chicken, burgers, hot dogs, fries, pizza, fish (usually a different kind each day), salads, pasta and fresh fruit. Oh, and the fresh cooked crepes with the chocolate sauce were to die for!
We didn't eat at the a la carte restaurants with the exception of the gourmet restaurant. We ate there three times and the food and service were excellent. Our friends ate at the a la carte restaurants a lot and reported that they were good. We can't comment. Reservations are required for all of the specialty restaurants. You were allowed one guaranteed reservation per week, made in advance, and you were free to try for as many 'same day' reservations as you wanted, so long as it was available. For the buffet restaurants, you normally just walked in. This year, occasionally there was a short a line-up at the door. As they explained it, the reason for this is that they wanted to ensure that your table was cleaned and made up before you got to it.
We ate it all (meat, eggs, salads, mayonnaise, potato salad, pasta, ice cream, etc , etc, etc) and never had any serious tummy problems at all. My wife had the runs (minor) one day. There was lots of choice! As normal for the DR, the beef was a little chewey, but with good flavour. This year they did away with the bottled water at the table and brought a pitcher of purified water for each meal.
The bar and bar staff were excellent. A simple "gracias", a smile and the appropriate lubricant assured us of pretty good service most of the time.
I also noticed that they had a food safety award (Cristal) displayed in the lobby. They are quite proud of this award and their rating with Cristal.
ENTERTAINMENT: We can't really comment on the nightly entertainment this year. We heard mixed reviews but never made it to the shows ourselves. The sports bar now has only one pool table (there used to be three), ping pong, foosball etc.
TIPPING: In previous years we have held back tipping until near the end of the trip and then tipped the people who gave us good service. We always tipped early enough to ensure that we didn't miss their day off. This year, we tipped daily to ensure that the person providing the service got taken care of. Since this hotel is out of the way, the staff work 11 days, then get 3 days off. During the 11 days, most live on site, then they go home. If you are going to hold off your tipping until the end of your trip, you have to account for this schedule. Note that there is NO tipping pool. The money goes to whoever picks it up and it is not shared. Also you should note that if you are going to donate anything to your maid or a waiter (shoes, hats, whatever), it should be accompanied by a signed note stating that you are giving the item(s) to them. Otherwise, they can't take it off the property.
NEW THIS YEAR:
- new spa facility
- heliport landing pad
- one new additional a la carte restaurant
WHAT WE LIKED:
- Virtually everything (food, room, facilities).
- There are no time share / vacation club salesmen.
- There are no vendors on the beach (at least not until you leave the hotel property).
WHAT WE DIDN'T LIKE:
- Coming home.
- The prices in the on-site shops are very high.
- The price for a bottle of local rum is about twice what it should be. The price at the airport was even worse!
- The bars closed a little too early. Midnight! We heard a lot of complaints about this. After midnight, the only bar open is in the disco and the drinks are not included.
- At dinner, the only seating was inside. We would have preferred an outside option but this area was not open in the evening.
- There was a lot of demand for the outside seating at breakfast as well. It was sometimes difficult to get an outside table. Note that the size of this area has been increased.
- The beach vendors are now more aggressive and now leave their stalls and approach you on the beach (only AFTER you leave the hotel property).
- There are too many tour helicopters buzzing the beach. It's a novelty for the first few days, then it starts to get annoying.
- It would be nice to have candles on the tables at night in the buffet.
CAVEATS (minor):
- The patio doors are self locking. There is no outside handle. If you aren't careful you could lock yourself out of the room. This didn't happen to us, but I can see the possibilities.
- Watch out for the timers on the lights in the public area washrooms.
- There is some coral in the swimming area (north end of the beach). You might stub your toe.
- The lids on the salt and pepper shakers don't stay on well. The salt and pepper clump up pretty well due to the humidity. If you are not careful, you may end up with way more salt or pepper than you desire.
SUMMARY:
Great place. Nice property. Good food, service and accommodations. A few warts, but nothing is perfect. We would go back without hesitation. Not a great place for singles, at least not during the weeks we were there. Overall, we liked it. We recommend it.
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from Becky
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LTI Beach Resort
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January 2005, the LTI Beach Resort
First off let me say that we are not new to travel in the Dominican Republic. We have been coming here for the last 25 years and have visited at least 19 resorts. I do not have high expectations and want North American service, accomodations or food. What I do want is a decent bed, food that does not make me sick and surroundings that live up to the description in the brochure.
We booked with Air Transat holidays in October. Also booked and paid for Club class. Check in was wonderful, thats where the club class happiness ended. The seats were uncomfortable and the food was the pits. Our luggage which was supposed to come off the plane priority came off with everyone elses. Not that I want to be a snob or anything it is just when you pay $600.00 more for a service you should receive it. It will be interesting to see what happens on our return flight.
The resort itself sucks, the food sucks, everyone has been sick and no one seems to care. I wish I had the the reports on this site before I booked. I am now warning everyone who comes to this place come prepared with heavy duty medicine not Immodium, that is not strong enough, go and get a script for Lomotil a lot of it.
Don't worry about the mosquitoes, the wind is so strong here they can't fly around it is at a steady 20- 25 km an hr with gusts stronger. And the rain let me tell you that my husband and I timed it , there was a rain shower every 30 min or so ALL DAY LONG. I realize that the wind and the rain is not the resorts fault. but that adds to the lack of enthusiam I have for this holiday. The bed is like lying on a slab of concrete, the pillows are a mini slab.
Both my husband and I got sick the second day here and it is now day 7 of a 14 day holiday. I think I am starting to feel human again. The first two nights I felt as if I was giving birth to an elephant. I have never had such abdominal pain, after the third day of eating dry toast and pasta i decided to try my luck with real food and that is when the rest of the wonderful montazuma visited me and remains to this day. There are many many many people here that are very sick and I can only wonder as to the reason. This has never ever happened to us before in our 25 years of travel to our beloved DR.
The food, all i can say it is a minus 1 on the 1 - 10 scale; The dining room is so dark I think that they do not want you to see the same thing day after day, after day, after day.
The surrounding; again a 1 on the 1 -10 scale. I realize that a hurricane came thru here last year but the only evidence of it was a few of the tops being off the coconut palms. If you want wonderful surroundings go to the Bavaro Princess, Catalonia, Carabella Bavaro or Venta Club. I am stunned at the resort being called stunning. What is that all about.. We went to the Princess yesterday and it is as beautiful as ever and it is right next door to us. So hurricane be damned.
The reception staff have generally been great, the barmen so-so, the wait staff in both restaurants are great.
After this experience I think that I am too old for this crap any more (pardon the pun) and I will go to Florida from now on. You can be deceived by glossy photos in the brochure, and on the internet.
Please, please heed my advice about the medication required if you journey to this resort, also please be sure to take out, out of country health insurance, and bring along a credit card because the hospitals and or doctors will not accept anything but cash or credit card.
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from Jen & Brandon
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Punta Cana Princess
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For our fifth trip to Punta Cana, we decided to try the Punta Cana Princess resort. We were there from December 10-17, 2004 and loved every minute of it!
Getting There: Our Skyservice flight departed on time from Pearson Airport in Toronto. We lucked out and were assigned seats in the emergency exit row (rows 12 & 13 on the airbus 320) which made the flight much more comfortable! A boxed breakfast was served, consisting of fruit salad, juice, banana bread, and scrambled eggs on hash browns. We also purchased a small bottle of sparkling wine for $5 CDN - orange juice was provided as a mixer at no charge. Despite a rather turbulent flight, we arrived in Punta Cana on time and were at our resort within an hour of landing.
Check-In & VIP Package: Check in was very efficient. Once they realized we had the VIP package, our personal concierge had us on our way in no time. We received our VIP bracelets, a booklet detailing everything we needed to know about the hotel (bar times, restaurant locations, etc), and our room and towel cards. Within a half hour of arriving at the resort, we were on the beach, soaking up some Dominican rays!
The VIP package included: beach towels in room, nightly turn down service, concierge service, 1 gourmet dinner at La Cava or El Pescador (guests without the VIP package would pay $25 US each to dine at either of these restaurants), 3 cigars in room, 1 bottle of rum in room, use of bathrobes, a 20 minute Swedish massage per person, room service, premium brand drinks (we had our choice of Budweiser, Heineken, Johnny Walker, Jack Daniels, even Perrier water, among other brands), 1 hour internet access per person (you each receive a ticket when you check in that you can present for free internet time), 1 open water dive per person (for certified divers only), and 1 hour per person motorized watersports per week. As VIPs we were also able to book all of our a la carte reservations at once - non-VIP guests had to make their reservations one at a time.
The Room: We were in room 5206, on the third floor of the building closest to the beach and pool. The room was very comfortable with a king sized bed and couch/trundle bed in the sunken living room. A programmable safe is located in the closet and is included with the room at no extra charge. The closet also held an iron, ironing board, 2 bathrobes, umbrella, and beach towels. The bathroom was equipped with a 1600-watt hairdryer, wall mounted magnifying mirror, telephone and a basket full of lotions, soaps and shampoo. Dental and shaving kits were also provided in the bathroom. The mini-fridge containing soft drinks, water and beer (Bohemia Especial) was in the armoire in the living room, and was refilled daily. We also had a coffee maker in the room, which was very handy for early morning and late afternoon pick-me-ups! The tv had enough English channels to keep us amused when necessary - HBO, Showtime, CNN, MTV, etc.
The Beach & Pool: Typical of Bavaro beach…powdery white sand that just goes on and on. Stunning! Half of the beach is lined with palapas while the other side has loungers scattered about. The ocean water was quite chilly but you warmed up to it after a few minutes. We had several days of strong waves, which were a blast to play in! Boogie boards were available from the aquatics centre on the right side of the beach. The animation team always had music playing and usually organized a game of volleyball or beach aerobics.
The pool water was also on the cool side, but it warmed up as the day progressed. The pool stayed pretty quiet until about 3 pm, when the animation staff would come up to lead water aerobics or start a game of water polo. We never had a problem finding a seat at the pool or beach, regardless of time of day. The pool bar was open from 9:30 am until the pool closed at 7 pm. For those of you who plan to spend a lot of time at the pool bar, please note that washrooms are located behind Mare Nostrum, right next to the pool.
Food/Restaurants: There are 5 restaurants to choose from at the PCP (2 buffet & 3 a la carte) as well as 6 restaurants at the Caribe/Tropical Princess next door. Food is available 24 hours a day, and room service is also available for $20 US per order (no charge for VIP). Breakfast in the buffet restaurant (Casabe) was my favourite meal of the day. All the typical breakfast foods were available - pancakes, bacon & eggs, etc, boxed cereal, fruit. We preferred the omelette station where we could have eggs or omelettes made to our liking - filling & yummy! Each night the buffet had a different theme going on, including Dominican, Mexican (really good!), Italian and Asian nights. Overall, the selection was good and everything we tried was well prepared.
We usually had lunch at Mare Nostrum on the beach. It was more of a snack bar set up (a full buffet lunch was available up at main restaurant…we just couldn't be bothered to walk up there). Usually we would have a few slices of pizza, or a chicken or hamburger. They served really good chicken off the grill, and had a nice selection of pastas and other side dishes too.
The only a la carte restaurant we tried was at Mare Nostrum, which is the beach bar/24 hour snack bar. From 6:30-10 pm each night, it becomes the Mediterranean restaurant. The ambiance and food were awesome, and we had a great breeze coming in off the ocean. Brandon had squid cocktail in lime juice, beef tournedos with crab for his entrée, and caramel flan for dessert. I had seafood crepes with cream sauce, shrimp and sea bass brochettes, and chocolate cake. Both of our meals were incredible - we were really pleased with this restaurant.
There did not appear to be a dress code in the main buffet, as we saw men wearing shorts, tank tops and flip-flops coming in for dinner. Men are required to wear long pants and shirts with sleeves to the a la carte restaurants; women can wear whatever they want to any of the restaurants!
Service: The service was great. Everyone from the managers down to the groundskeepers always greeted us with a friendly smile. Most of the staff spoke passable English, and those who didn't made a good attempt to play Spanglish charades with us! The language barrier really wasn't an issue for us. Service in the restaurants and bars was always fast and friendly. Maid service was good, although they tended to leave the balcony doors wide open when they were finished cleaning. Wasn't a big deal for us since we were on the third floor, but it did pose a bit of a security issue for people staying on the ground floor.
Shopping: Vendors are located on the beach, about a 10-minute walk to the left of the resort. We walked past but didn't go in to shop since we've been to the area so many times before. There are a few shops in the resort, but prices are quite high and the price is set at whatever's on the tag. I bought 2 cans of coffee in the resort's mini market for 175 pesos (about $8 US); the exact same thing was selling for 300 pesos next door at the Caribe Princess, so definitely do some comparison shopping before you buy!
Weather: For the most part we had wonderful weather. Daytime temperatures were in the mid-to-high 80s, and it was sunny and hot with hardly any humidity. Evenings remained warm and we usually had a light rain shower at some point after sundown. The ocean water was quite cool and much rougher than what we are used to (we usually visit the DR in September when the ocean temps are much warmer) On our second-to-last day, the skies opened up and it rained almost non-stop from 10-am to well past midnight! In five trips to the DR, we have never seen rain like that…this is where the all-inclusive bar comes in handy!
Caribe/Tropical Princess: We ventured over to the buffet restaurant at the Caribe one night and found that while it was about twice the size of the one at the PCP, it pretty much had the same foods. We were told by the manager of guest services that the PCP is on a 1 week rotation for it's buffet selections, while the Caribe is on a two week rotation. If you are spending 2 weeks at the PCP, I would definitely suggest dining at the Caribe a few nights just to mix things up. We didn't take advantage of any of the facilities at the Caribe resort, other than to wander around to check things out. The resort is huge! There is an internal tram system that goes all over the resort and over to the PCP - you will certainly do your share of walking if you stay on the Caribe/Tropical side. Maps of the resort are available at the front desk of the PCP for guests who want to pay a visit - also, the gourmet restaurants included in the VIP package (La Cava and El Pescador) are located at this resort. Keep in mind that the "big" shows in the evenings are held at this resort around 9:30 pm. The PCP usually had some music playing at the lobby bar in the evenings, but that was about it for entertainment. Photos of the resort can be viewed at the link below.
Overall, we really enjoyed this resort and would consider returning…there are just so many other resorts we want to visit in Punta Cana!
My trip pictures are available on Webshots (http://community.webshots.com/user/mytrippics) Happy travels!
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from Nicolas & Karine
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Melia Caribe Tropical
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December 2004
Intro : This is our 4th stay in Punta Cana, following Catalonia Bavaro (Jan-02) and twice Flamenco Bavaro (Mar-03 and Mar-04). This time we used my AirFrance miles, so did not buy a package from a travel agent. We booked the rooms directly from solmelia.com website and paid 200$/night (well, be careful : this is the webprice, in fact they bill you in Pesos, which exchange rate often changes : when we arrived 1USD = 30DOP but when we left 1 USD = 27DOP, =10% fluctuation
Summary : (+) The hotel is really a 5* if you consider the confort of rooms, the superb gardens, the fantastic pool, the good and well presented buffets, the number and quality of a la carte restaurants, the great beach, the incredible volume of marble used in all places !
(-) Dark side is the service, in our mind not at all 5* level.
Special warning : The hotel is currently building a new wing, which causes a lot of noise and nuisance from 7:00AM to 10:00PM in all the Caribe part, gardens, pool and even beach : trucks, smoke, horns, workers yelling... etc From your room/balcony, you may have a disastrous view of destroyed palm trees, concrete piles... The Tropical part is farther so less affected. Of course, neither the SolMelia hotline, nor your travel agent will tell you that in advance, so better to know it, before risking a terrible week => as a result, we'd recommend this resort only if you can manage to avoid certain buildings/rooms and be far enough from those works
Flight : This time we flew Air France from Paris CDG2A. Very good flight in B747, confortable seats, fair meal. Current AF schedule is ideal : we left Paris at 2:30PM and landed in PC at 6:00PM local time. Arrival in the hotel at 6:45PM since we only had cabin luggage (max 10kg).
Flight back is even better : takes off at 9:00PM, which leaves you a full last day. Lands next day in Paris at 10:30AM. Think about it, when hesitating between AF, Corsair and StarAirlines, who may not offer such convenient (and on-time) flights.
Transfer : If you only stay 1 week, the best suggestion is to take only a cabin luggage : you'll save a very long luggage waiting in the arrival hall ! If, like us, you make your own package, you'll then need a taxi : don't worry, all prices are presented on a board, pre-defined for each hotel depending on the distance. For the Melia it is 22 USD for a 30mn journey.
Hotel : As said above in the summary, it is really a huge resort (1044 suites !) However never crowded, although Reception told us several times it was fully booked (download map from : http://community.webshots.com/photo/35960617/37447388MEZnEt)
The resort is composed of 2 twin-hotels : Caribe and Tropical, with exactly the same layout. Distances between restaurants/reception and pool/beach are big. If you cannot walk, there's a little train touring the resort every 15mn (but don't breathe the diesel smoke ;-) We loved the architecture of all the buildings, which are never too big (no skyscrapers like in Cancun or Varadero;-) and well integrated in the huge park. You cannot imagine the tons of marble used for this resort ! Decoration is wonderful. The gardens are simply incredible with a lot of different palm, trees and plants, flamingos, etc... Even better than the Catalonia Bavaro that had already impressed us
=> Conclusion : no problem, you are effectively in a 5*
Rooms : Spacious, confortable (even if our kingsize bed was a bit "tired"), well equipped, satellite TV, minibar, etc.. Phonic isolation not very good, so do ask for a first floor so that you won't hear the neighbors above you ;-) Based on what we said before (look at the map to better visualize), we strongly recommend you avoid :
- bungalows 37 to 45 (Caribe) and 17 to 23 (Tropical), too far from the beach+pools. The 1 to 6 (Tropical) neighbor the Barcelo hotel complex, so depending on wind you may also have difficulties sleeping because of the music (Barcelo Palace theater with night animations, is situated the other side of the "wall" !)
- in the next 6 months (probably the time it will take them to finish the new hotel wing currently being built), ABSOLUTELY run away from bungalows 41 to 45 and 31 to 36, or you'll spend a terrible week !!!
=> Conclusion : we thus recommend you put pressure on Reception or your Travel Agent to be in bungalows 24 to 30 or 7 to 16
Restaurants/food : Very good buffets, a lot of variety between low and more fat food, salad, meet, seafood, very well presented as well : - for breakfast (real fruit juices, not fluorescent drinks as in other resorts) and lunch, the Turey/Agora on the beach with sea view (number 30 on the map) were perfect - for dinner, the international Atabales and Spanish Alhambra were good. And situated in the reception area, meaning a good digestive walk back to your room ! To be noted : a new Chef just arrived last week at Alhambra from Spain to improve the cuisine and give it an even better Spanish taste, with regional recipes, etc..
As for previous trips in PC, we did not try the A la Carte restaurants. We very often go to restaurants in Paris (and you know how good French cuisine is !) so the "seated restaurant" format was for us less appealing than buffets. Well to be honest, we just tried the SteakHouse as we expected to find an Argentinian-style charcoal-grilled meat restaurant : what a disappointment ! The Steakhouse is just the morning's Agora "rebranded" SteakHouse at night, but neither specific decoration nor menu. Meat is far better at lunch in the same restaurants when they are called Agora/Turey buffets ! Melia could offer far better : they urgently need to hire a chef from "meat countries" (Argentina, Brazil), as something nice could be done.
The Mexican (nice deco) and Japanese are OK (Asian chef preparing your meal in front of you on a big, square, group table) according to other guests. The Spanish "consultant" chef mentioned above, having worked previously in a Michelin-stared restaurant in Spain, will also use his experience to improve the "Ma Maison" and "Le Gourmet" French-style restaurants (more refined presentation of dishes, more European-style...)
=> Conclusion : globally very good : you really see why you pay more here, you are really in a 5* who still wants to improve quality
Beach : Great, a lot of palmtree, far enough sunchairs for everybody : guests more or less accepted the rule that you cannot reserve one with your towel, and anyway, we had the impression that there were 2 sunchairs per guest. Also easy to find a shady place on the beach.
The pool is only a few meters from the beach. All kinds of non-motorized watersport equipments included in a-i package. On your right (facing the sea), you have the Barcelo resort beach (far less beautiful), and on the left nothing, for the moment. Unfortunately from the beach, you still see (and hear) the above mentioned building works : trucks, concrete piles, slashed palmtrees... Yes, maybe in 6-months time, when they have finished, planted new trees and seeded grass, washed the sand, etc... it may be as beautiful as Melia Caribe/Tropical ? After that still on the left, you have to walk at least 1km to arrive at the next "official" resort (Ocean Beach, former H10). In between, smaller non-branded resorts/houses, small shops. Of course the sand is not as clean as on the daily-cleaned Melia beach : seaweeds, rubbish rejected by the sea... The sea... (small) waves and wind, as usual (?) in Punta Cana : if you want crystal clear water, rather go to the Maldives
=> Conclusion : stay right in the middle = far from building works and Barcelo's beach, and you'll spend a fantastic time
Pool : 2 twin-pools, claimed as "the biggest in the Carribean" : probably true, FANTASTIC ! Very clean water. Sunchairs all around with a lot of shade. Bar in the pool : after the drive-in restaurants invented in the US, now the "swim-in" bar !
Bars : Nice cocktails : we only attended (steadily!) the pool bar and its nice rhum-based cocktails.
Animations : Makes me think that Melia Caribe/Tropical is rather a hotel, and not a "club" : some animations (pool fitness, beach volley for the most courageous) but much more "quiet" than in other hotels. Shows at night ? Well we only saw 1, a quite good Flamenco evening, with good dancers. Perfect for us : it is what we wanted, a quiet week to reload our batteries before French winter !
Guests profile : Maybe the key to all my questions : why isn't it crowded at the pool, beach, restaurant, though we are told the resort is full ? Why so quiet animations ? Because the typical guest profile is "$$ wealthy, above 60-years old" (maybe 60%), maybe dining early and going early to bed ? (restaurants open from 6:00PM). Also a lot of golfers who during the day make more space for you, while they are sweating on the golf courses. In terms of nationalities : many US, Canadians, Spaniards (all 3 say : >70%), then French, then a melting pot with quite many Russians (imagine the trip!), some Brits, Italians and Latin Americans (Colombia, Puerto Rico)
Service : Maybe the bad part, the section for which my conclusion will be : "not at 5* standard". For service, you check the number of stars against capacity to react quickly, find quickly a solution to a problem, simplify your guest' life instead of complicating it : definitely MELIA can improve here :
- Reception welcome and service was bad : 20mn waiting before someone appears, and again not the "5* standard"
- then arriving in our room (in terrible bungalow 35 facing the building works !!), it had not been cleaned. This was done in the following 30mn. Of course we immediately called Reception to change room, which only happened the next day following a strong negotiation, despite my fluent English and Spanish. I will write to MELIA to get a compensation for this first, chaotic night and "concrete" seaview in the morning
- more generally, the staff appeared less friendly and smiling than in other resorts : "distance" imposed by Management to respect the 5* standing ? due to a certain management style ? Or due to guest profile, too used to distribute 1$ notes tips for anything ?
=> Conclusion : efforts to be made to improve this aspect as it is nothing of 5* here
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from Lillian
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Bavaro Palladium Grand Resort & Spa
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Just returned early this morning (Dec. 17, 2004). Had a wonderful time. To summarize:
Flew Air Transat. Arrived PC airport and all went quickly there. Caught the bus to the Palladium and were lucky enough to have dinner reserved for us with the Warden and Wud at an a la carte restaurant.
Our room: We had a romance suite. Loved it! The other rooms were nice but ours was spacious and as close as you can get to the beach. Marble floors, canopy bed, double sinks, jacuzzi, indoor and outdoor showers. The maid was wonderful with the fresh flowers and towel creations each day.
Food: We ate at 2 a la carte restaurants - Arrecife and Mare Nostrum. Excellent service, excellent food. The rest of our meals were buffet. I'm not sure how anyone could complain about the buffets. They are huge! With so much to offer that there is something for everyone. Breakfast was my favorite with fruit smoothies and fresh made omelettes.
Shows - we saw 4 shows. Some were professional Vegas shows, the rest were fun with audience participation. We enjoyed them. It is something to do at 10pm at night. You have to admire that these people are working all day then you see them dancing in the show in the evening.
Beach - could not have been better. Powder sand and turquoise water. The beach was windy for us so we stayed by the pool a lot.
Bars - many bars to choose from - pool bar, lobby bars, beach bars.
The service - we were happily surprised at how wonderful and happy these people are. Your water glass is filled before you even are done. We obviously couldnt tip all but we did tip the people that stood out from the rest. We felt that everyone from the grounds, to the restaurants to the bars wanted you to have a great time.
Tours - we did 2 tours, the first the Jurassic Park tour. It was a day tour and you visited a typical Dominican farm, cigar factory, had a Dominican meal, and went horseback riding. We had a great time and a fun guide.
We werent so lucky with our second tour to Catalina Island. Bought it from one of the reps at the resort and it was bad from the beginning. We were promised an air conditioned "bus" with max 10 people and got a normal van and met up with about 30 more people. The boat we all got in started to sink so we had to move to another which turned out to be too small, then we eventually got sent in speedboats. If this all would have happened quickly, thats ok, but 1/2 our day was gone by the time we got to the Island. The BBQ at the island was excellent and so was the beach and snorkelling.
The weather - was perfect until the day we left when there was a torrential downpour which lasted off and on all day. But we were leaving! So that's ok!
The shops - we did try the market but we arent great barterers so we left. I ended up going on my last day to the hotel souvenir shop and got stuff cheaper than what the shops wanted. He even discounted it (I thought the shop was set price)
Overall Summary - I highly recommend this resort. I've been to Varadero and 2 parts of Mexico and the resort and beach surprass both. The DR people really made this vacation for us and ensured that we will return and tell everyone to go.
Puerto Plata
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from Harry
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Iberostar Playa Dorada
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We stayed at the Iberostar Costa Dorada from Dec 11 to 25th 2004. It’s our second consecutive visit in 2 years to this hotel. Our overall impressions are very good. It’s a very well run and managed operation. Employees are very hardworking and competent at the jobs they do. Most understand English but knowing some Spanish helps a lot. As other reviewers had already indicated the property is very green and impeccably landscaped.
It’s probably the best hotel in Puerto Plata. Hotel is a true 5 star, for some reasons brochures rate it as 4.5 stars. Hotel has nine 3-story buildings with 60 rooms in each. Facilities include small gym, spa (extra charges), pool tables, table tennis, tennis and basketball courts and dive center. All the non-motorized water sports equipment such as kayaks, catamarans, boogie boards and snorkeling masks/fins can be signed out for 1 hr. (but no one really keeps track of time). There is $49 charge if one gets stuck on the catamaran and needs towing. Banana boat is $7pp. There is a doctor in the hotel during day time. There is an option to stay pass the 1 pm checkout, we took it at 840 pesos. Safe was 725 pesos for 14 days. Phone calls to North America are 32 pesos per minute.
We were in the hotel within 1 hr upon arrival to POP airport. Luggage was unloaded within 15 min from landing (unlike Toronto on the way back where Skyservice ground crew took 90 min to unload). Room was good and we never had any issues with housekeeping or mini bar refilling. Towels were always changed daily. We left 30-40 pesos daily tip. Once we had a water leak after 3 days or raining, it was fixed within 1 hr after I wrote a note (in Spanish) on the card and hanged it outside. We left small tips to waiters and bartenders.
Food was very good and consistent with a good choice of items in each category from salads to main courses to desserts; always a good selection of fruits and cheeses. Fruits in DR are very good especially pineapples, papayas, melons and grapefruits. There are three specialty restaurants; they need to be booked from 9 to noon for 6:30 and 9:30 sittings. We ate at the Hacienda (Mexican) that was good. There are also Brazilian (BBQ) and Tropical (in the outdoor buffet). The hotel prepared an amazing Christmas Eve meal with all sorts of delicacies such as grilled lobster, jumbo shrimp, pheasant, avocado pistachio soup, etc. The main buffet had been beautifully decorated for this occasion. Bar drinks are very good, imported spirits are available if asked for. We generally drank sparkling wine (quite good, imported from Italy) and local aged rum (ron anejo).
Activities were of the usual variety mostly concentrated around pool. Kids club is more suitable for younger kids. Kids are given a chance to participate in evening children shows (Show White, Grease, Lion King) if they want to. Evening entertainment followed a similar format with mini-disco for kids, ice breaker (audience participation contest), some slow dancing and then shows. Some shows were contests, some staged by the Star Fiends animation team and dancers.
Other non-hotel specific observations are:
Weather wasn’t good; it rained solid for 4 days the first week but was clear the second week.
Beach at Iberostar is wide and there are enough beach chairs even with full occupancy. Ocean gets rough during the storm and takes some time to settle and clear. There are weedy sections but most of the weed that washes ashore is cleared by maintenance. They are up at 6 am. There are not enough chairs by the pool when the hotel is full. People put towels on them and leave. Guests are told not to do that but no one is enforcing the rule.
The closest shopping is in Playa Dorada, 20 min walk on the beach or outside, $6 cab ride. You can bargain a cheaper ride outside from private cars (80 to 100 pesos). Besides shopping Playa Dorada mall offers a wide variety of cheaper tour options (Marysol Tours, etc), cheaper internet access and better exchange rate (I got 29 pesos to $1 at BanReservas vs. 26 at the hotel). For cheap t-shirts turn right from the hotel and walk for 10 min to Dinorah factory. T-shirts are 100 pesos with a choice of logos. The liquidation store in front is also cheap. Average T-shirt prices in Playa Dorada are 200 pesos.
Bus trip to Puerto Plata (mini buses A,B,C) are 10 pesos but they may get overcrowded. Ride is about 10-15 min. They go to Parco Central. In Puerto Plata you will get pestered to buy souvenirs, etc, just say NO. Taxi is $11 one way. Things are somewhat cheaper in Puerto Plata. It’s possible to flag down a mini bus to Sosua/Cabarete outside of Iberostar but they tend to be full. Price 20-30 pesos.
Tours booked thru hotel reps tend to be more expensive than booked thru through Martin Espinal (website: www.isairatours.com) or others. Martin’s office is in the plaza opposite from Coral Hilton (turn right from Iberostar, cross the road and walk for 1 min). Reps tell customers that outside suppliers (like Martin) are not insured. This is not true; they are as insured as companies they are trying to push.
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from Jeanette
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SuperClub Breezes
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January 2005
My husband 5 teens and my son's girlfriend just returned from a week at Superclubs Breezes and we had a great time. I find it so hard to believe that there are so many mixed reviews about his resort that I hope I can put some peoples minds at ease about there stay here.
Rooms
We were in #6002, a superior room close to the beach, it was dated there was a musty smell but a few fabric sheets around the room and a few scented candles cleared that up very quickly. We didn't need air conditioning often but when we did it worked. we had hot water every time we showered. The bed was hard but it was the best sleep I ever had, I still miss the bed. Haven't slept well since our return. Didn't like having patio door without screen though. No ants in rooms, unless someone left half empty glasses around.
Our teens were in rooms 11005 and 11006 double beds not as musty garden view and very close to the lobby and front entrance. The 2 oldest had a villa # 2063 high beamed ceilings nice but also dated. But we didn't go there for the rooms. Our maid in 6002 her name is Fauesta she was amazing she hugged and kissed all of us the day we left.
Food
Jimmy's was great always plenty to chose from, not as much as other resorts I have been to but we never went hungry. The desserts were to die for (started a diet the day we returned) the ice cream is amazing! It's like icemilk or something... sooo good. CoCo the beach bar was the same food most of the time, burgers,wings and fries, kids loved it. The food was great and they now have a reservation system for the A La Carte restaurants , but you should get there as soon as you can to book so you have more dining options and times since they book very fast so book all your al a carte's on your first day. Jimmy’s buffet has a large selection of food, even my vegetarian son found lots to eat.. We found theTexMex and Japanese to be our favorite. The service in all the restaurants was great.
Pool/Beach
The pool is just awesome. Waterslides, scuba diving, waterfalls, jacuzzis, and our favourite the pool bar! We brought our own tubes and air matresses from home, very expensive in the shops. We left them with others on our last day. The beach was good but the water was terrific fun was had in the waves, we only had 2 redflag days all week. Be very careful there is a slight dropoff that put me on my butt the first time in.
Staff
All of the staff at the hotel were extremely friendly. They have work crews continually cleaning the grounds from dawn to dusk.The beach area was nice with people continually cleaning the seaweed off. We had no problem finding beach lounges to use. The wind and the waves are a little bit stronger on the Atlantic side of the island and the water is not as clear as the Caribbean side.The bar by the beach was the best. The friendliest and they would make the drink the way you wanted it. Having an insulated travel mug saved trips back and forth the the bar. It seems that you just click with certain staff and everyone has their certain favorites like Flor at the beach bar and Orlando at the lobby bar. Alberto or (choco lait ) one of the activities guys took to my son and they became great friends. We went to a few of the after dinner shows. Not great but something different. Some shows are better than others. We had fun watching our kids go up on stage.
Other
We did have lots of rain while we were there. On-site bathrooms were always clean. The dining areas were clean. Pool was clean. Beach towels were always running out but that was because it rained so much.... I've read all the reviews for Breezes, and I was ready for anything and everything. All in all, my vacation was excellent and not even close to as bad as some of the reviews suggest. My family had an enjoyable vacation.
Trips into towns via the free shuttle are a must and do not forget your donations for the dream project in Cabarette. If it rains the front desk has umbrella's and we took advantage of them many times.
Wristbands, I must mention this no matter how hard my 16 and 17 year olds tried to get a drink they were shot down, the staff always checked the wristband.
No one from our family got sick at all, we drank plenty of water did not overeat or drink too much alcohol.
This might not be a four star by North American standards but it is still very nice. Would I go back yes and no.. Yes if we were taking the kids again, no for just me an the hubby.
I feel like I am missing something but can't seem to think of anymore at this point.
Overall we had a great and relaxing time. Go with an open mind, you make your own fun and no one can make you have fun if you do not want to.
Mexico
Riviera maya
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from Patricia
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Xpu Ha Palace
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Our Honeymoon in Xpu-Ha Palace what a great time we had... Between the beach and the jungle, our hotel was actually an "eco-friendly" natural park.
About an hour from Cancun, we were far from the mad tourist life-style. Surrounded by wild animals and the mangrove jungle we were also very near the Mayan Temples. Our "cottage" was designed as a typical mexican hut but with double jacuzzi and a terrace - 5 stars hotel service with the smile. We went diving, snorkelling, swimming with the dolphins and geant turtles. It was amasing and we would definitly recommend it to anyone who wants a quiet, stress-free holiday with good food, sun and non-stop tequila !! The all-inclusive is great with all drinks free anytime.
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from Jim
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Club Maeva Tulum
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Because we have debbiescaribbean.com and tripadvisor.com (and quicomulysse.com !), we vacationers will get the trip we want and put the bad operators out of business.
My family (3 in early 20’s and mom and dad) thought Maeva was fantabulous. We have been at these types of resorts before and Maeva ranks the best. A 4 star low rise hotel. All reviews you have read are correct but some people value some things differently than others! We were not bothered by the hardness of the beds, or very very rare septic smell, the minor musty bedroom smell, the disco did not go till morning and the few minutes of diazanon bug spray smell one night.
The best beach and location by far of hotels in the area, white sand, turquoise water, theme nights (Mex, Asian, Spanish, Italian) with perfect food prepared in front of you, jungle setting even while walking to beach, best tennis courts and setting, scuba company and amigo staff, activities, pizza made as you watch on the beach, never feeling crowded even at Christmas, attention to detail of the hotel grounds, architecture and decor, the pleasant addition of cats, coutamondis (raccoons) and fish ….. ad infinitum….. more than made up for the minor negatives!!
Mix was about 25% Mexican, 25% American, 25% Canadian and 25% European. No ATM in hotel but desk changes CDN and US dollars at a rate very similar to Playa (2% less) This hotel is unbelievably better compared to the Copacabana just up the beach, that is also a four star and charges much more. Hard to believe they are rated the same.
Tank-Ha is a very professional scuba operation. They’re flexible, safety conscious and went over and above for us. Best in the Playa area! Reserving on-line is secure. Sasha (UK) is a wonderful “discover or refresher course” leader. Froy (MX) does reef dives and even had dinner with us. Thomas (Austrian) did the cenotes. Highly recommended! http://www.tankha.com
Book for La Palapa restaurant at 7 the morning BEFORE you plan to eat there (only Mon. Tues. and Wed. seatings). But be there by 6:30 if you want to be sure of a place. I took a book and sat on the steps of the restaurant and read. Perfecto!.. but their method of reserving is dumb. We went Wed. night and had a spectacular beach BBQ. It was worth the effort but then I like getting up early even though we were in bed after 1 a.m. every night.
Photos are taken on beach daily with a monkey one day, iguana the next, and parrots but the best were the two guys dressed as authentic Aztecs. Get your pictures that night 5-9 at the entrance to dinner. Great composition and colour for $USD 8.
Nightly shows were good (Riverdance, local entertainment, Broadway etc.) particularly considering Amigo staff (mainly Canadian and Mexican) worked 10-12 hour days minimum always with a smile on their faces. Bad news ladies, Caesar is leaving to return to dance school in Milan. I saw the tennis the pro at 6:30 a.m. while I waited to reserve for La Palapa. He was still working,….. serving dinner at 9:00 p.m.. A Mexican girl working at reception was pulled to be part of the entertainment shows. The “imported” entertainers worked so hard, 6 days a week and were clearing about $200/mth. I can’t imagine what the local staff make. The maids, bartenders, waiters all appreciate a small tip or bring some small gifts.
We were in BonamPak 135.Rooms were bigger than I expected from reviews, had lots hot water, TV(too busy to even turn on), fridge restocked daily, free safe for valuables, very clean, Febreeze good idea till musty smell is out. Staff attentive when required. All rooms backed onto canal and have a hammock, lots of bird sounds, Blue Heron on doorstep. The ten pictures on the web site that follows are EXACTLY what we saw http://www.sunquest.ca/destinations/hotel.asp?svid=310 Apple, Sunquest, Maeva Tour Co. etc. seem to use the same local tour operators (example : http://alltournative.com/content/) and have the same prices. They work out of an alcove off the reception and leave their binders there 24/7 that you can look through for tours, departure etc. info if you miss the briefing session of your rep. Taxis regulated $USD 14 to Playa (4 people max) or $1.50 (15 pesos and 15 min ride) via collectivo. Get collectivo with easy walk to highway and wave at white vans. They leave you at 15th and 2nd in Playa, a very short walk to shopping on 5th, a pedestrian mall. An even easier pick up at the same place to return to Maeva by collectivo. However, everything is at Maeva; convenience store, jewelry, clothing, artisania and a local artists show before dinner each evening.
As others have said, “We’d go back in a heart beat!”
Puerto vallarta
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from Tom
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Fiesta Americana
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We just spent 2 weeks at the Fiesta Americana with an all-inclusive package out of Canada, from 29 July to 12 August 2005. It is a very nice, upscale Mexican hotel great for couples and families, located in the Hotel Zone (decent beaches and just north of the town – easy access via bus (45 pesos) or taxi – 5-8 $CA).
Rooms are very nice, with marble floors. All rooms look out directly over the beach and have balconies (great sunset views). Rooms are adjoining, and if your neighbor is noisy, you may be bothered (this happened to us only one evening). The AC works too well – we tended to leave it on high when we went to eat downstairs and then turned it off for the night to avoid being cold, and to hear the waves at night. If your bed is still made up in the early evening, they turn it down and put out chocolates when you leave to eat – a nice touch. Beds are quite comfortable and the sheets and pillows really nice. If possible, get a room at floor 4 or above, otherwise your view of the ocean/sunsets will be blocked by the trees. Rooms with numbers above ?22 (e.g., 822-830) will give you a better view of the town and a poorer view of the sunset (at least in the summer). Probably the best rooms are ?01 (e.g., 801) – they look north, but apparently have an extra window looking directly over the town, although I heard that this may come at the cost of no minibar (not included anyway in the AI deal). The 9th floor is a higher class (and price) – apparently slightly better rooms (or apartments), and an opulent breakfast and everything else included, including I think internet, personal concierge, etc.
The swimming pool is nice but never deeper than about 4 feet. Kids’ activities are good (FiestaKids). Food is more variable: there are buffets outside – the breakfast buffet is real good, although the evening one with theme nights (Italian, Mexican…) is less so. Or, with the AI plan you can eat in the inside restaurant in the evenings – linen table cloths, candles and the works. The waiters (and indeed the entire staff) are attentive and friendly. Note, however, that only a subset of people at this hotel are on an AI plan, meaning that the selection is somewhat limited. We are vegetarian and the hotel told us to order what we wanted (whether on the menu or not) and they would try to accommodate. They were very good at this but our food options were nonetheless pretty limited (a lot of pasta over a 2-week period; sopes and tacos were made with lard, etc.). An annoying aspect of the hotel is their administration of the AI plan, given that most guests have only breakfast plans or no food. Every time you order something (food, drinks), you need to ask for the bill, wait for it to arrive, and then sign it – a waste of time for their accounting needs. Too, water, coffee and the mini-bar in the room is not included – but you can order water bottles or drinks downstairs for free and carry them up. Given the choice of restaurants in PV, unless you get a super package deal at the Fiesta, I’d strongly suggest getting a breakfast only plan and then eat mostly elsewhere. (If you get a no food included plan, apparently the French restaurant right outside has a good continental breakfast). Too, the check-in staff, while friendly, are very slow, as their procedures are complicated. We had to wait over an hour in line (there were maybe 8 people in front of us when we arrived at 2 PM), and another 2 to 3 hours before we could get into our room.
The hotel is probably by far the best in the hotel zone, with an alright and not crowded beach, and it is nicely located – easy to hop on a public bus just to the north (left) of the hotel and head downtown (take the “centro” bus, or the “tunnel” bus if you only want the romantic zone) – 45 pesos only. The Gigante shopping center across the street and a half block south (to the right) has food, a large choice of tequila at least as cheap as the duty free at the airport, a cyber café and phone cards to allow you to call home. (Though, from the hotel you’ll need to make a local (800) call to use them and the hotel charges about 2 $CA for each call).
Finally, July and August is the national (Mexican) holiday season. In the hotel, the large majority of guests during our stay were Mexicans – often families – when we were there. (However, the only noisy people we saw was one small group of Americans – everyone else were very respectful of others.) This was a drawback for my 9-yr old daughter who doesn’t speak Spanish – she felt pretty isolated some days, having no one to play with. I think that there are a lot of North Americans the rest of the year there, meaning that this is probably only an issue in the summer and early fall. The hotel staff generally speaks quite good English, although they do appreciate it when you try to speak in Spanish. I didn’t hear one word of French our whole time there (again, we were there in August which is Mexican and not Quebec tourist season), so I can’t say if anyone there speaks French.
Tom (Montreal, Canada)
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from Thomas
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Marival (Nuevo Vallarta)
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We spent a week at the Marival in early February 2006, and here's a quick review.
Overall it is an excellent resort - maybe a 4 ½ star level.
Plusses:
It is right on the nice part of the Nuevo Vallarta beach - you can walk maybe a kilometer to the south (to the Paradise Village area) or for miles to the north (all the way up to Bucerias - a good hour's walk). The resort, while large, has a large beach front and so it doesn't feel overcrowded (like the RIU does, a half hour hike up north on the beach).
There are two pool areas with 2 pools each - the noisier activities pool and children's pool area in front of the Grand, and the quieter pools in the Club section.
Rooms are nice and we liked the beds. The AC worked well and the TV had about 25 channels of which 2/3rds are in Spanish and 1/3rd in English.
There is a big buffet restaurant with nightly themes (e.g., oriental) and 4 a la carte restaurants (Italian, Mexican, International and a steakhouse outside), with no restrictions. Food was quite good (but the free wine was mediocre as is often the case in AIs; many costly bottled wines available too). We especially enjoyed the breakfast buffet - lots of choices - although it was noisy and the buffet room wasn't all that attractive. However, they aren't all that great at handling special diets - we are vegetarian and had abit of trouble finding food in the specialty restaurants even when they said that they could handle this. But they always made a real effort to work things out (except for the Mexican restaurant) and everyone was always extremely friendly and helpful - no serious complaints here.
Drinks were good - too good even, for our health. They use good ingredients (including Jose Cuervo Traditional, Johnny Walker, Gordons gin...) - much better choices and cocktails than we had at the Fiesta Americana last summer, a higher rated resort.
There were shows every evening at 9PM (and sometimes earlier shows for younger kids at 8PM) - these were lots of fun. During the week we saw a local Mexican music and dance show with a mariachi band, 5 different, good but abit amateurish shows put on by their activities/entertainment staff, and a dance competition (well done) with hotel guests. In addition, in one of their bar areas with a small dance floor, there is a live music almost every evening at about 10PM (two musicians), and they have a discotheque (it was completely empty the one evening I dropped by at about 10:30 PM).
The place is very good for kids - there are kiddy and teen clubs (we didn't check them out), water slides in the kiddie pool area, boogie boards that you can check out, etc. I'd say that the place caters especially to families with kids and too somewhat to older couples - relatively few older teens and young adults, although there were several groups of couples/singles in their twenties.
I walked up to the RIU Jalisco and looked around, and I preferred the somewhat lower rated Marival. The RIU was much more dense (higher buildings, much smaller beach area) and, while the grounds are beautiful, they seemed more artificial and pretentious to my eye. The Marival struck me as being more laid back - quality R&R - and had a better (larger) beach area.
While they do sell timeshares there, the timeshare people are discrete and not pushy at all.
Minuses:
While the rooms are fine, the hallways can be noisy - noise echoes down the cement and tile hallways easily, and sometimes into your bedroom.
On the north side of the grand they are building a huge condo complex - for the next couple months you should try to avoid being placed there. We spent the first night there and were woken up at 8 AM by construction noise. (You rarely hear any construction noise anywhere else.)
While there are loads of good rooms at the Marival (including some suites and 1-2 BR apartments), there are also a fair number of more lousy rooms - ones looking to the north on the Grand side (construction and thereafter a huge building across the way), some that overlook the restaurant areas (probably pretty noisy until midnight), etc.
This is a great hotel for R&R, not a great hotel for visiting Puerto Vallarta. You are way up in Nuevo Vallarta, far from the interesting parts of downtown (but on a very nice beach), and not all that close to Bucerias either. If you want to lie on the beach, drink great drinks and eat good food, surrounded mostly by other foreign tourists, then this is the place; if you want to spend alot of time exploring Puerto Vallarta, shopping, meeting the locals, then you should opt for a place closer to downtown and not all-inclusive (e.g., the Fiesta Americana or Tropicana).
Other things:
The hotel is Canadian owned (by an Italian immigrant family to Montreal) and not surprisingly probably over half the guests were Canadian. There were also a good number of Americans, a few French and other Europeans (UK, German) and a sprinkling of Mexicans (maybe 10%, but certainly more during Mexican tourist season in July-August).
There is a small mall across from the Paradise Village resort. You can walk down the beach to the Paradise Village resort (15-20 minutes) and the guards will generally let you pass through to get to the commercial center; however the guards on the other side won't let you back through, meaning that you will have to walk back along the road (or take a taxi - $3 US I think).
Getting to downtown PV
Bus: Walk out to the road and turn right for maybe 50 meters - you will see a bus stop at the traffic circle. Take a bus (a silver-grey bus listed as, I think, ATM) marked in the direction to Puerto Vallarta and get off across from the Sheraton. From there you can walk (still pretty far), take a local bus (marked centro - cheap) or take a taxi (equivalent of about $3US) down to the Malecon or further. By bus & taxi, it will take you about 45 minutes (not during rush hour) to get down town.
Taxi: From the Marival to the Malecon: about 180 pesos (about $18 US) and it will take about a half hour (not rush hour) or more.
Water taxi: From the Paradise Village marina you can take a water taxi downtown (PV Marina or the Playa los Muertos pier) - it runs every couple hours or so during the day (regular hours) and costs I think $10US per person each direction. During rush hour it is probably faster than by cab. This is a great way to get down to the board happy hour Fridays for Brenda's (Bzy1's) board and Saturdays for JR & co.'s (JRinPV) board), as the pier is right in front of the C&C bar area.
Getting to Bucerias
Bucerias is a small beachfront town (some shops, B&Bs, waterfront restaurants, etc.) located a good hour walk up the beach (north) from the Marival - perhaps farther (we didn't do it and I think you might have trouble making it all the way on the beach during rainy season (mid-summer to mid-fall), when the small rivers would start flowing again).
Bus: we were told that this is complicated - there are two buses to take to make it there.
Taxi: $11 US each way but it is quick - maybe a 10-12 minute ride.
