Ocean El Faro reviews
9288 TripAdvisor reviews
Great time!
Erika K (Manahawkin, New Jersey) on Jul 12, 2025
Emmanuel is the best! I really had a great time with him at the bar and the pool! He was so endearing and wonderful he made our trip! Zoraida at the beach bar was the bomb! She gave us the best drinks and the best time! If they should give both of them a promotion, it was the best with these two! We had a great trip! Thank you Emanuel and Zoraida! You gave us the best time!
Nice resort and excellent concierge
An D on Jul 12, 2025
Every year, our family of 22 always take summer vacation together and this year we chose to go to Ocean El Faro in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic via our H10 membership . When we got there we were so confused with what we could do and what we couldn't with our premium (H10) membership. Alexander Taverez, our concierge, was extremely helpful, he guided us, responded promptly with all of our questions, requests. He even went above and beyond to help our friends, (4 people) who didn't come as the H10 members, to answer any questions or requests because their concierge, Jose didn't do anything or checking on them after Jose tried to get them to join the membership( same for Gabriella, the manager who tried to hook us to upgrade to Platinum but we denied. After that she didn't even care to say hi to us when she saw us.) Big thanks to Alexander for helping us so we could have a seemless vacation and allowed us to enjoy all we could. Without Alexander, we would not get what we need while we were here. My husband did try to call the front desk multiple times (so we don't bother Alexander all the times), they picked up the phone and said they will do it, but .... we never saw them showed up until I reached out to Alexander. Regarding the food, the privilege restaurant and the reserved restaurants, blue moon (adult only) were good and clean, up to our standards. Buffet is ok, many selections, part that we like the most at the buffet was seafood and tropical fruits (papaya, guava). One thing that can't be denied is the people, the workers, in general are very nice across all restaurants and throughout the resort. Last, the resort is nice, everyone loves it, lots of beach lawn chairs, the only drawback was the beach was full of seaweed and so we couldn't swim. We were told end of June and early July is the worse months for seaweed.
Looks can be deceiving
Ric W (Georgia) on Jul 10, 2025
promises; however, please don't be fooled by the outer beauty like we were. Where do I start with this review? From the lobby, the service was as expected. The front desk personnel were very informal about what to expect, and the baggage handlers performed their duties as expected. However, things got weird when the concierge service drove us to our room. Nothing was wrong here, except for the complimentary beachside bungalow offer or two spa massage offers. Let's just say nothing is free here, as the offer came with a free continental breakfast the next morning. What's the catch, you may ask? Well, let's just say a sales presentation to become a "Privilege member." Yeah, no, I'll skip that, thank you. Many resorts offer this however its usually before you get to experience the resort itself. To me it's very distasteful. So, let's chat about the room. First impressions? I'd give it a three. The mold smell smacked you in the face, and the humidity, which was nice outside, wasn't so hot inside. But, it looked alright. The beds? Definitely not 4.7 stars, more like a two at best. Plus, there were stains on the sheets. The bathroom was okay, but you could tell the humidity was messing with the walls and door frames. It wasn't well-ventilated either. The first night, the AC couldn't handle a 70° demand, and we had to call for help. The guy came in, opened the AC unit, and gave it a few taps. He said it should cool now. Seriously, the side-eye I gave him was epic. He called the front desk and said it was fixed. The front desk said someone would bring a dehumidifier. My wife asked about the mold smell, and all I heard was "perfume." Seriously, dude, just go away, and we'll handle the front desk. The food was alright, not good, not bad, just meh. But the Steak House and Mike's Cafe were awesome. The burger was pretty good since it had hot dogs and burgers with stuff to put on them. If you want a good drink, go to the front lobby. The bar there has the best ones. The ones by the pool were super weak. The pools were alright, but the water wasn't super clear, you know? It was kinda murky, and the kids' area was even green. Plus, don't count on cooling off in the middle of the day because the water got pretty warm. But the pool staff seemed to be having a blast, especially the ones serving drinks and singing! The music was mostly upbeat Spanish stuff, with some other genres mixed in. The lazy river was the best part, with a poolside bar for the adults and fun for the kids. The only bummer was how quickly they took your tube away. Like, after a few laps, it was gone. Night life, there was much to offer bowling, a sub-par game room, a family Lounge, Sports bar, and shows. The shows were not that great and lacked variety. Though they were called different things it seemed as though you were getting the same type of show. Women in minimal clothing shaking their hind side, just didnt seem so family friendly. The magic show was okay and the D.R. culture show was okay. However, it lacked any creativeness. Much was to be had for the night life. It was something for everyone. If I were running this place, there's a ton of stuff I'd change. I'd get new beds and better AC in the rooms. I'd hire people who speak different languages to help out all the international guests. The pools would get a proper cleaning every night, and the staff would have to give amazing service or they're out. Each restaurant would have a top-notch chef, and the entertainment would be awesome and varied. Doing all that would make El Faro the best resort in Punta Cana, hands down.
Brilliant
Tracy C on Jul 08, 2025
Best jelly’s playhouse. They are the lovely ladies, Susana, Eimy, Cristal ,and look after your children very well. They are very creative and provide great holiday.
Lovely hotel
Mazde75 (Bromley, United Kingdom) on Jul 08, 2025
Fab hotel, good food, lovely staff, only disappointing thing is the seaweed on the beach - Susana really fab member of staff