TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

In the 32 years we’re been travelling, this is the first time we have experienced so many peoples getting sick from food poisoning at a resort, including 7 persons of our group of 8. The representative of our travel agency stated the sickness were due to a virus but symtoms are clearly food poisoning or water. The cooks were mixing up ustensiles used for raw and cooked sea foods. The clean dishes are stained with food, we need to choose so many before getting a clean one. Stray cats were climbing everywhere on the tables at the buffet to eat leftovers. Bottled water are not supplied, you need to fill at the water station location. Room is out of date however the maid that we had on some days made the difference. Resort layout is beautiful and so is the beach but the fear for our heath prevented us from fully enjoying our holidays. We suspected the water, the food preparation and conservation were the root causes of vomitting and diarrhea. This is not the virus this is E.Coli and Salmonella problems. Compared to other resorts within the same price bracket this resort fails to provide the expectations in terms of quality and services. The overall experience did not meet our expectations set by the high cost of the stay. Canadian travel agencies please audit this resort before sending Canadian travellers. Samaná is very beautiful but we will not be coming back to this resort. Until the issue is completely resolved, we advise fellow travellers considering this resort to be careful.

Honest review It is a small resort with a lovely design We had a lovely time in the ocean with lots of waves Pool is really nice. It was a little chilly but that was due to weather Our room was small but very nice with a nice view from the balcony Food is ok but that is a matter of opinion. My husband really enjoyed it , I am a little fussier. Definitely not a 5 star in mexico though. Everything is outdoors, even the buffet which we loved. Negative: We had a party of 4 of which 3 got ill. many people we talked to got sick some even on intravenous for a few days. It was blamed on a virus from Canada. We read the reviews after we booked as it was done in such a hurry and this has been going on for a while We dont really know what or where it came from BUT beware. There are no water bottles on this resort. You are given a glass water bottle in your room and you fill it from a fountain in the hallway that is supposed to be drinking water. I didnt drink it and I didnt get sick Its a nice idea to save on plastic BUT..........................................................

Completed the required 90-minute presentation expecting a day pass, but they found a reason not to provide it at the end. Wasted time. Getting hustled reminds you: Nothing is free.

Very disappointed with how our situation was handled at Viva V Samana. My partner and I were peacefully enjoying the beach with music at a reasonable volume when a couple (from Canada or France) approached us aggressively and made racist and insulting comments. They never spoke to us respectfully or tried to resolve anything calmly. The situation escalated when the woman grabbed my partner’s backpack, threw it away, and broke his phone. Despite this, we chose to avoid further conflict, and I personally stopped my partner from involving the police. What truly disappointed us was what happened the next day: instead of protecting us, security approached us in a harassing manner and threatened to remove us from the resort simply because we wanted to voice-record the situation for our own protection. This felt extremely unfair and unsafe, especially since we were the victims and tried our best to de-escalate the issue. As guests, we expected professionalism, neutrality, and protection—none of which we received. This experience left us feeling disrespected and very disappointed. I hope management takes situations like this seriously in the future and ensures all guests are treated with fairness and dignity.

I stayed at Wyndham Viva V Samana from December 7–17, and while the property and beach are undeniably beautiful, the experience behind the scenes was deeply disappointing. Despite paying extra for an upgraded Vibe room, I was required to change rooms three times due to unacceptable conditions. The first room had a strong moldy smell, a broken screen door, and curtains hanging by exposed metal. The second room had extreme humidity — nothing would dry, and items began to smell. While staying in this room, I became very ill with a high fever and was confined to my room for two days. During that time, the room phone did not work, meaning I couldn’t call for help or room service. I had to use my own cell phone to call reservations just to request fruit and tea. Housekeeping did not come, and the sheets and towels were not clean, which is unacceptable. I also experienced a cockroach jumping out of the shower, which I reported to the front desk but which was not taken seriously. In the third room, there was no hot water, even after staff assisted me in raising the issue again. Even in the upgraded room category, basic standards were not met. The pool was not clean, and the patio furniture in two of the three rooms was dirty and unusable, with cushions either unclean or poorly maintained. I want to stress that this review is not about individual staff members. Many frontline employees — including the bell staff, animation team, and several bartenders and servers — were kind, supportive, and did their best within their roles. The issue was with the front desk and overall management response. While my concerns were acknowledged and some follow-through occurred, there was no real sense of urgency, accountability, or service recovery. Given the number and severity of issues experienced, the response never felt focused on making things right for the guest, which added to the frustration and stress of the stay. This resort has incredible potential because of its location, but based on my experience, it did not meet basic expectations for cleanliness, safety, or value.