TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

My wife and I just returned from a 10 day 22nd anniversary vacation at Ocean El Faro/ El beso. we had a wonderful time however we ran into some issues upon arrival. When we booked the trip in February, it did not give us theoption to do privilege on the El Beso side. We booked privilege el faro side thinking that we would just have a room on the El faro side, but would be able to spend our days at the pool on the El Beso side. At reception,They said no, and we had to upgrade at a cost of $15 a day for both of us and we are certainly glad that we did. Another issue we had was since we upgraded to El Beso. We were forced to spend our first night in a room with twin queen beds which between these two issues we were starting to have low expectations however, when we got our new room, everything changed for the best. Our butler Juan was outstanding ,touched base with us throughout our days set, up our reservations and accommodated us in every way. He is truly a great asset and made us feel so welcome and will remember him always. He made our anniversary night very special thank you Juan from the bottom of our hearts.We spent all of our days at the privilege section of the El Beso party pool with Victor being the attendant there and we couldn’t have felt more welcome. We never had to ask for anything and he would go to whatever restaurant and get us whatever we wanted for lunch so we never even had to leave our chairs that in it of itself is worth the privilege perk. Victor made us the very best spicy bloody Mary’s we’ve ever had ever morning and was there for anything we needed. He works very hard at pleasing everyone and deserved every single tip. We’re not much in nightlife, but we spent our evenings down at the El Beso Beach bar and honestly the silent disco and the karaoke was very entertaining, and we’ve had some of the best fun in years. Shout out to Hector down at the beach bar for keeping the drinks flowing. I’m serious about this silent disco thing. It was so so much fun. You will laugh all evening. Emmanuel from the entertainment team is another asset to this resort. He never hesitated to see how we were and kept us laughing for for 10 straight days. The food wasn’t bad except for a few issues which is to be expected, but having been to every other Ocean hotel exclusively multiple times throughout the Caribbean ,the food was consistent and we knew what to expect. I want to thank our friends and the highest recommendations to Juan, Victor, Emmanuel, Hector, and every other employee that we came in contact with, they made our time here very special. I only wish that I had paid attention to their names a little better. Don’t think twice about the privilege. It’s well worth it and our friends there have given us memories we will cherish forever thank you so much and we can’t wait to return. This is about as honest as I can get about this review and highly recommend

Room was dirty, moldy, smelled like urine, stained couch, broken furniture, damp bed. Completely unacceptable.

Location is ok. There is nothing around so you are limited to whatever is offered at the hotel. Good vibe as long as you don't need to interact with the workers. Many have attitude, barely speak basic English and obviously not paid enough to give a damn. Rooms are old but overall ok. AC is very loud. Room service is probably the only really good thing. Beach is clean but fairly small. It doesn't really offer a "walking on the beach" experience. Resturants operate at perhaps 10 or 20% capacity and for most you have to reserve the same day. I don't know why they leave 80 to 90 percent vacant. The cafe is unbelievably slow. There are a few people there but only one person work and that person is always extremely slow as if it's a labor camp and they are forced to do something. The food is average at best

We’ve just returned from Ocean El Faro (El Beso adults only side) and overall had a very enjoyable stay. There are some clear strengths here, particularly with service in certain areas, but also a few inconsistencies that stop it short of being excellent. What’s done well The highlight of the trip was our concierge José, who was consistently superb. He arranged restaurant bookings, organised a birthday cake, helped with transport and checked in daily without being intrusive. Exactly what you want from this level of resort. Rooms are spacious and well laid out, with two beds, a seating area and a balcony (nice touch with the hanging chair). Beds were very comfortable and we slept well throughout, with minimal noise from neighbouring rooms. The air conditioning worked properly, no dampness or musty smells, which isn’t always a given in this climate. Pool areas are a strong point. There’s good variety, all with bars, and the lazy river is genuinely fun with a decent current. Tip: bring your own float, the hotel has some, but availability is limited. They will inflate floats for you at the towel station. There was no issue getting sunbeds if you go early (we went around 8am). Restaurant-wise, we tried several (Route 66, Sakura, Dolce Vita, Margarita, Ocean Burger), but the steakhouse was comfortably the best. Service around the pool was generally good, Chrisel deserves a mention for being particularly friendly and attentive. A positive note on standards: one pool was closed after a child was sick, remained shut for the rest of the day for cleaning/chemicals, and only reopened after checks the following morning. That’s exactly how it should be handled. Where it falls short The rooms, while comfortable, are starting to feel a little tired, and there were some practical annoyances: • USB sockets didn’t work at all • Plug sockets are US-style (fine if you’re prepared, but worth knowing) • Shower pressure was poor, with temperature fluctuating and at times stopping completely mid-shower Wi Fi is available throughout but unreliable, dropping out regularly. Fine for light use, but nothing more. Around the pool, there is no food/snack service, only drinks. At comparable resorts, things like fruit or ice cream are often offered, so this felt like a miss. Mike’s Coffee serves good drinks, but queues build up because service is slow and appears understaffed. Drinks often take a while, which explains the constant backlog, and staff didn’t always appear particularly motivated. More broadly, while many staff were excellent, some did come across disengaged, which impacts the overall feel. Entertainment is another weak area. It’s below par, and more importantly, the app isn’t reliable. On two separate occasions, beach parties were advertised but didn’t happen. Maintenance also needs attention, there are a noticeable number of missing tiles in pool areas, which is both untidy and a potential safety issue. Other observations The buffet was generally well managed: • Breakfast (around 8am) was quiet and easy • Lunch was busier but manageable • Evenings were busy without being overcrowded Overall This is a good resort with some very good elements, particularly concierge service, pool areas and parts of the food offering. However, it’s held back by inconsistency in service, weaker entertainment, and some avoidable maintenance and practical issues. Set expectations accordingly and you’ll likely have a very enjoyable stay, just don’t expect everything to match the brochure.

We went for the first time to Ocean El Faro & we loved it so much! Alexander was our butler & I can not express how amazing he was. He always made sure to take care of us and that we were having an amazing experience. He was very attentive, personable & very hard working. When we visit again I want to have him as our Butler. Also I wanted to give a shout out to Jonathan & Jhon who were the bartenders at the privilege pool bar. They were incredible & made sure we had a great drink in hand & they made the best drinks! Overall our experience was amazing & would love to come back.