TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

After coming home yesterday, I wanted to share my trip for anyone thinking about booking. Having never been to the Dominican before, I only had Cuba and Mexico to compare this trip to. At first we were a bit worried the resort was small, but that quickly became one of the biggest pros. It was so easy to get anywhere you wanted whenever you felt like it. The beach is steps from the pool, and the bars are scattered throughout the resort so you’re never far from a quick beverage. The drinks were great, with Jackie’s Special becoming our go-to all week. I heard about the Ernesto Special on our last day and apparently it’s amazing, but unfortunately I never caught him to try one! The staff generally seemed friendly and always smiled or said good morning/hello, although there can definitely be a bit of a language barrier if you don’t speak Spanish. A few times we would ask for something and they just didn’t understand us (or vice versa). The resort itself was very clean though, with staff constantly around picking up cups and cleaning. Food was great overall and we never had any issues finding something to eat. Worst case scenario, the pasta station at the buffet always saved the day ?? We tried the Italian à la carte and it was okay, but we absolutely loved the Ocean Grill. Both the food and the service were incredible and it was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. The “chair wars” around the pool were basically non-existent while we were there. We’re early risers, so we’d grab a coffee and sit by the pool around 7am with almost every chair still empty. One thing to note though: security does come around, so if you leave anything unattended, be prepared to lose it. We didn’t spend much time sitting at the beach because the chairs are pretty close together and while there are some shady spots, they go quickly. One of the nicest parts of the trip was how friendly the other guests were. It was really easy to make friends and chat with people throughout the week. Depending on what you’re looking for, this isn’t really a big nighttime party resort — at least not during our stay. The first couple nights were busier, but by the third night the music was ending early because hardly anyone was there. Honestly, we go to bed early anyway, so it was perfectly fine with us! We didn’t upgrade to premium, so our room was a little outdated, but the air conditioning worked great. We were on the first floor right in front of the pool and loved the location — honestly wouldn’t change it. My biggest complaint would probably be that the buffet (or resort in general) doesn’t really have any common air-conditioned areas. Eating in the hot, humid air was tough sometimes, and our room was really the only place to fully cool off from the heat. The weather last week was unbeatable, although VERY hot for this time of year. At the end of the day, the most important question: would we return?Absolutely.

We purchased the premium package online when we booked thru ESCAPES.CA, We found out at check-in that gave us a separate check-in area away from the long lines. We weren't told this upon our afternoon arrival, so after standing in sweltering heat for a half hour then getting to the counter, we were told to go to the premium check in area. Geesh, put up a sign! Or have a rep there to notify newcomers. Our room in Saona building was ok, ground floor, away from pool. AC was noisy and only 1 speed, high. Beach is wide, with soft light brown sand. Ocean is very rocky interspersed with sandy spots. Water was not clear the 7 days we were there. Snorkeling was poor. Along with some sargassum and garbage that washed ashore, the rakers kept it clean. No palapas, they had umbrellas. You needed to move your lounger every hr. or so to be in shade. Beach service in the VIP section was great the first 2 days; an older man made the rounds often, tending to every guest. He was replaced by younger guys who were lazy, rarely made the rounds, and when they did they had their "preferred" people, particularly the couples on each side of us! So I would just go to the bar myself. That ended their tips. The food is good, many choices in the buffet, a la cartes, especially the Ocean and Octopus. Liquor at the Puerto Plata airport is ridiculously high. Cheaper to buy at home. A small bottle of Sprite pop was $6.50 Canadian. Gimmee CUBA baacck please!

The resort is a great place to relax. I have been here now 4 times and it never disappoints. Small resort with excellent food. From the Al a Carte's to the buffet the food was amazing. The 2 rooms we had were clean and spacious.

Just returned from a 10 days vacation. it was our replacement resort from Cuba it is nice resort and a good place, food was very good and lots of choice. Room were nice and personnel very nice. the resort get filled up very quickly then ends up full very fast, the beach is nice but to many day bed close to each other which is the same for the pool. The reason is that most people I talked to, were travelers of Cuba, and it was the next best resort to go to. For the morning coffee you have to wait till 6;30hrs and for cappuccino 9;00o'clock and the bars don't open till 10;00. At a 5 minutes walk there is a mini outlet two stories which is really worth it. There is a restaurant owned and operated by a Quebecois {le Le Petit Saint Francois| for the first time in around 50 trip with Air Transat I've disappointed my husband in row 46 me in row 45 and my niece in row 47 even when they had the passport in their hand when they delivered the boarding pass. By the time the breakfast cart got to us there was nothing left. I'll keep travelling with Air Transat anyways, only 2% fail it's ok in my book.

Excellent! We have been here for two weeks and have no complaints! The staff at the resort were all very friendly and accommodating. The pool bartender Andrea made the best drinks!! Our cleaning lady Ana Liza was great, very thorough cleaning and very kind. The food was delicious. We will definitely be coming back.