TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Thank you to Victor Lake and Alain del Rosario for the very good service at the Rancho restaurant, at the Grand Serenis Punta Cana.

The word that comes to mind with our stay here was "fine". It was not great, not horrible, but just fine. This is the first trip we've taken to a resort with our kids. PROS: - I felt the staff was very nice and friendly. If you're friendly, they were friendly. The wait staff at restaurants were great. - There was plenty of room between the pools and beach. Even getting out there later in the morning, we found chairs and were able to find a place to hang out. - We booked snorkeling at the resort and the process to do that, plus the place we went to snorkel, was great. - We spent a day at the waterpark and we enjoyed that. It was less busy there than the pools, had decent food options and gave our teens something to do. If we had one more day, we woulda gone back there. CONS: - We arrived on NYE which was sorta a mess. They were planning a big party but it was down pouring, so that got canceled. Because of the party, the buffet was the only thing open and you had to have a reservation. We arrived at 5:30 pm with no reservation and we couldn't get in until 9pm. After traveling all day...we were HUNGRY. And room service was also closed. - The rooms are very dated. Things were touched up with paint, but you could see where it was touched up vs painting the entire thing (just paint the entire door!). Curtains were hard to open, the bathroom was very small and crusty. Things kinda smelled funky and our kids' room smelled like smoke bc the room next to them had smokers. Waterpark slides also need updating. - I felt food was always gone. We arrived at the buffet for dinner one night, thinking it opened at 6 (bc that's what it said) but when we got there, food was already gone and picked over. And once it's gone, it's not restocked (unless its like french fries). Want the brownies? Good luck. They're gone. The buffet on NYE was literally trying to find SOMETHING amongst the final leftovers. We enjoyed our time there. We were in a beautiful country, the rain stopped and we had fun. Would I book here again or recommend it? Probably not.

Good hotel with great staff, but not ideal for families and doesn’t feel truly 4–5 star Overall, this is a nice hotel and we had a good holiday. It’s well maintained and recently refurbished, but for us it didn’t quite live up to a true four- or five-star experience, especially for families with young children. Positives • Staff are excellent — friendly, helpful, and very accommodating • Housekeeping was consistently great • Rooms are comfortable and refurbished to a good standard • Food is good with plenty of choice, including options for those avoiding processed wheat • Gardens and landscaping are beautiful (10/10) • Many repeat guests, which says a lot about the hotel Things that let it down • Strong focus on selling the “VIP / exclusive club” and timeshare • Staff regularly approach you around the resort asking for your room number • Invitations to “breakfast” or “lunch” are sales pitches • VIP golf carts constantly drive up and down the main guest footpaths • There is a perimeter road they could use instead • With young children, this doesn’t feel safe or relaxing • The hotel doesn’t really cater well for children: • No heated pool • No large shaded pool areas • Toilets, sinks, and urinals are all very high and not child-friendly • When asking for a step for children, staff said they couldn’t help • Beach food is left open to the elements and birds can access it • Entertainment is spread across multiple locations with limited seating — much harder than having it all in one theatre • Very few toilets around the resort, and some are often closed during the day • Decorative bed cushions and runners serve no purpose and often go from floor to bed, which isn’t ideal Bar service can also be slow due to limited bar areas. My average wait time for a drink was between 5 and 15 minutes. Sunbed availability can also be an issue. People often reserve loungers early by placing towels across them — sometimes two towels on one sunbed — both by the pool and on the beach. Be nice if the Hotel address sun lounges not sat in all day. Final thoughts This is a good hotel with excellent staff, but it doesn’t feel like a true four- or five-star resort — particularly for families with young children. With fewer sales tactics, better child-friendly facilities, and improved pool and entertainment layout, it could be much better.

Tex mex: Amazing service , amazing food very tasty, very attentive, amazing staff: Anderson, anais, Luis Antonio, Gabriel, Alain

We were very apprehensive before travelling, due to some of the negative reviews however, our fears were put to bed straight away. Stunning hotel with fantastic, clean grounds. Our room was great, clean, nice size, well stocked fridge, and set up ready for our arrival. Room was cleaned, tidied and restocked every day. Staff were incredible for our entire stay. We were regularly asked if everything was OK with our room and nothing seemed too much trouble. The only time I had an issue was when they didn't restock the water in the fridge one day, however this was sorted quickly with extra bottles supplied. Special thanks to Paulima, our concierge. Food was average but always something there for all of my family and we are 3 fussy eaters who all ate different meals. No sickness for anyone. We only tried Route 66 specialty restaurant which was OK but chose to eat in the buffet most of the time. Drinks were AMAZING! the staff at most bars were excellent, making our drinks to perfection virtually every time. I think we tried every one of the cocktails and didn't find one we didn't like. Never had to wait long and at times, we were on the beach and the bar staff would come round offering us cocktails. Really could not fault them in any way. Special thanks to Daniel and Ramon for their outstanding service our entire holiday. You guys were amazing! The pool area got quite busy at times with loud music but was a good atmosphere and the foam party was a nice touch if you have children. Swim up bar was useful. Beach was absolutely stunning, lots of sunbeds available. Great for an early morning stroll. No seaweed for most of the holiday, only a couple of days towards the end but staff out clearing it when required. Staff did a great job of keeping everywhere clean. Only went to one of the shows. Michael Jackson, which was brilliant and good entertainment for the evening. Booked a couple of trips, Catalina Island snorkeling and Monkey Land. Both were fantastic. Catalina Island was a bit of a bus journey but well worth it. I would highly recommend this hotel and would gladly return in the future.