TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

We spent at week at this resort, from December 25 - January 2. Pros: - lovely beach and pools - lots of planned activities + equipment you could borrow (volleyball, tennis equipment, kayaks, etc) - games area with pool tables, ping pong, foosball, and tables to play cards - nightly entertainment - small ish resort so easy to get around - lots of beach chairs/loungers - there was always food available, at either the restaurants, or the snack bars - food was good - always lots of selection. Some of the meat was overcooked but I always found lots of food I wanted to eat. - 3 restaurants - the buffet, a place that alternates between seafood and Italian and a Mexican restaurant. Cons - there was a general lack of communication + willingness to help by the staff. No one seemed to know what was happening or where to go (ex like what days certain restaurants were open). - it was “seaweed” season, so there was seaweed in the water and on the beach. It didn’t really bother me, but it’s worth knowing - our room was a bit outdated, but still clean and well kept.

I don't normally leave negative reviews and because of all the negative reviews I read before going, I was eager to leave a glowing review upon my return. HOWEVER, this is by far the worst all inclusive I have ever been to. I'll start at the beginning. Upon arrival, no welcoming to the resort of any kind. Because we had travelled all day, we were starving. There was no food available - everything was closed. The rooms were ok to start with, they're old so, it shows but, that's not a big deal and doesn't take away from the vacation at all. HOWEVER, I lost count over the week of how many times I had to trek to the lobby to have my card rekeyed so I could get into my room. On night 3 of my stay, the whole room lost power. After sending 3 "repair" men to fix it, they simply said, it's broken, go to lobby now and get new room. Which I did, no offer to help move us, no offer of a flashlight so we could pack, nothing. We had a VERY hard time getting water to drink at this resort. The housekeeping personnel didn't restock our fridge with water even ONE time during our 1 week stay and when we asked for it to be restocked, they would say "ok, in five minutes" and then never show up. They did have water refill stations at the lobby and all the restaurants but, not throughout the night, even the lobby one was emptied and covered up. One of our family members was sick and we needed water on hand so I ended up buying 4 bottles and 2 gatorades in their mini market for around $70 CAD so be aware and stock up when you can! They advertise 3 a la cartes here but, there are only 2 and they alternate the menus so you don't know what a la carte is happening when, they don't advertise anywhere about it, with the exception of friday nights, which is a paid a la carte of steak and lobster (not included in your stay) and is advertised everywhere. The buffet for lunch and dinner is almost identical and included a lot of beef and chicken (which I was nervous to eat). Mostly I ate cucumbers with dressing & rice for the week from the buffet. The staff were not friendly, with the exception of the concierge at the lobby (both that we met were very friendly). The entertainment was very lackluster compared to any other I've seen at resorts. Laughable at best. The snack bar by the pool had pizza and fries, which we loved and tried to fill up on during the day. The good parts, the beach was beautiful! The pool was beautiful! Again, the rooms were not anything to write home about but, they were def comfortable (when we had hydro). Yes, it's a BUDGET vacation, we paid $1350 CAD but, for even this budget, you can do much better. I was nervous about going here when I started reading the reviews but, chalked it up to most people don't write reviews unless they had a negative experience but, these negative reviews are worth listening to. Would I go back to this particular resort? Sadly, a resounding NO. Spend more, do better.

You said: I am writing this review as a sincere warning, not out of anger, but out of genuine concern for others. I can’t say much about the resort itself, because I made a life-altering mistake during my stay: I visited the doctor at the medical clinic affiliated with and located at the VIK Arena Blanca. That decision resulted in me spending the remainder of my vacation in a predatory hospital called Hospiten Bávaro. I am a healthy 40-year-old woman with no prior neurological conditions. I went to the clinic on the "resort" for what was diagnosed as an infected bug bite. What followed was shocking... The doctor sent me to a hospital where he promised I would get "prompt treatment"....I was subjected to three days of IV antibiotics for a condition that did not warrant such aggressive treatment. They are masters at tricking tourists....During this first admission, I was continuously attached to an IV pump and repeatedly told that if I left against medical advice, my insurance would not cover the treatment and I would personally owe thousands of dollars.... I spent three days begging to be discharged. I felt completely trapped traveling alone with my 4-year old son. After three days, I was finally allowed to return to the resort... After they manipulatively extracted thousands of dollars from my insurance.... Shortly afterward, as a direct result of being severely overmedicated, I began feeling extremely ill.... I stayed for about 24 hours in the hotel room, feeling really ill but I knew it was a bad idea to return to the hospital.... I was desperate not to return to the same hospital, but my condition rapidly worsened. I began seizing and was taken back to Hospiten by ambulance. During my second admission, following the seizure, I was again continuously chained to an IV pump. I was told I had “late-onset epilepsy.” I have never had epilepsy, nor had I ever experienced a seizure prior to this incident. My doctors in Canada were appalled by both the medications I was prescribed and the volume of drugs administered. They confirmed that the treatment I received was excessive and inappropriate for my condition. Despite this, Hospiten billed my insurance thousands of dollars for medications and care that were ultimately deemed unnecessary. They tried to hold me for several more days which would have meant I missed my flight home however; as crazy as it sounds, I held a karaoke vigil where I sang in the hallway, a rewritten rendition of Elton John's: "Can you feel the love tonight?" Except I reworded it " Can you feel the insurance fraud" A lot of other patients came out of their rooms and some started recording me. I could see in their eyes they felt what I was singing because they were experiencing it too..... After a few minutes of me singing the doctors and admin staff rushed my room and said I could be discharged that day. It became very clear that this is a system designed to extract as much money as possible from travelers’ insurance. When resorts offer unlimited food and drinks, all it takes is one medical visit to an affiliated clinic to trigger a chain of events that can result in tens of thousands of dollars in insurance billing. If you are considering this resort—or any resort in the Dominican Republic—ask in advance who the resort doctor is affiliated with. If the answer is Hospiten, proceed with extreme caution. Visiting the VIK clinic or any hospital affiliated with Hospiten could literally cost you your life due to overtreatment tied directly to aggressive overbilling. During my stay I observed at least three other "patients" who had been tricked there from a resort called Dreams.... If you do survive the experience, you had better hope you have excellent insurance. If not, you may be held in the hospital until payment is made for treatment you did not need. My advice is simple: do not visit Hospiten in Punta Cana or any of its affiliated providers. Your insurance company will thank you. Your body—and your long-term health—will thank you. Please don’t take my word for it alone. Research online. I deeply wish I had done so before my trip. If you look at my other reviews, you will see they are overwhelmingly positive. I do not enjoy writing negative reviews, as most people are genuinely trying their best. This situation is different. What I experienced was predatory, dangerous, and deeply alarming. Additionally, the Government of Canada advises travelers to exercise a high degree of caution when visiting the Dominican Republic. After my experience, I would honestly advise against traveling here at all. I will be writing a book about this experience. Until then, I hope this review prevents someone else from making Can you rewrite this to be short enough for a Google review post and make it a bit more concise the same mistake I did. ChatGPT said: Here’s a concise, Google-review-length rewrite that keeps the core warning and seriousness while tightening the language: I’m writing this as a sincere warning, not out of anger. During my stay at VIK Arena Blanca, I visited the on-site medical clinic for what was diagnosed as an infected bug bite. That decision led to a nightmare. I was sent to Hospiten Bávaro, where I was subjected to aggressive and unnecessary treatment, including days of IV antibiotics, despite being a healthy 40-year-old with no neurological history. I was repeatedly told I could not leave or my insurance wouldn’t pay, leaving me feeling trapped—alone with my 4-year-old child. After thousands were billed to my insurance, I was discharged, only to become severely ill from overmedication. I later suffered a seizure and was taken back to the same hospital, where I was told I had “late-onset epilepsy.” My doctors in Canada later confirmed the treatment and medications were excessive and inappropriate. It became clear this system is designed to extract as much money as possible from travelers’ insurance through resort-affiliated clinics and hospitals. I witnessed other resort guests experiencing the same thing. If you’re considering this resort—or any in the Dominican Republic—ask who the resort doctor is affiliated with. If it’s Hospiten, proceed with extreme caution. Visiting these clinics can lead to overtreatment, massive insurance bills, and serious risk to your health. Please research before you travel. I deeply wish I had. Hopefully more will come to light about this and WestJet will sever their relationship with this resort.

One of the WORST places I have ever stayed. Too many issues to list. If you can't go somewhere else, DON'T stay here. Room had no lighting in sitting area, there is only a small fixture next to the bed. Pillows awful, shower runs hot and cold, hard to get shampooed and rinsed. Everything worn and keeps lots of upkeep.

Family vacation from December 15 to 22, 2025 with Air Transat. We travelled with two 14 years old and one 6 yo for 5800$. Weather was nice, which is the only thing we are looking for. I had not travelled in the the DR for the past few years as I had found then sellers annoying back in the days. - 2 big clean pools - 1 big buffet, never had to wait for a table, plenty of space but I’m unaware if the hotel was full or not - I don’t know if the it was the high tide or what but the beach in front of the hotel is almost not existant. You can walk a little bit further and it becomes larger. - Swimming is great although we had the yellow flag all week - Food was mostly ok. After a week you miss home cook food otherwise everybody can find something that suits them. Enough for everyone, you don’t have to go crazy when the doors open. - Room was clean, beds confortable considering, not the worst I have through the years - A little disappointed with the staff at the buffet. They are roaming around, not really looking or talking to you, not smiling even if you try to engage with them… Front desk staff, most of the bar tenders and room keepers were awesome. - There is a little bit of activities on the resort but if it’s not your thing like me they are not trying to get you to go anyway - There are sellers on the beach and around the pool but they are not all over you, they respect banderies and do not disturb you I would go again and recommend to my friends that are not looking for an upper 5 stars. We knew what we were getting ourselves into and were happy about our choice overall.