TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Terrible, the site is great but need some love, the food ok not more, was sick for 1 day, really intense, will never go back

The resort was fantastic for the budget price we paid. The pools were all wonderful and kept exceptionally clean and were seen being checked regularly for good water chemistry. The beach was very nice, lots of space with sun and shade and more than enough lounge chairs during our stay. Worst part about the beach were all the inconsiderate people littering and especially cigarette butts everywhere. Workers raked and sifted sand for litter nightly but still, people suck! The room we stayed in, 3500 block, was freshly painted and we saw painters out every day going to various rooms to paint. The AC worked and there was hot water (not the greatest pressure but enough) and the cleaners were excellent all week with a small tip daily. The bars closer to the main beachfront area are busiest but keep up. The bar near our room and pool was the best with the A-team of Daniel and Yonita! Very quick courteous and professional! Food was average to below average but edible. Lots of things that should have been hot were cold, but there was good variety most days.

We purchased a Day Pass at this resort to explore the beaches in Bayahibe which is where this property is located. Bad idea. Checking in had to be accomplished by 2 staff members because one of them insisted that we had to show our passports to be able to access the hotel. The other staff member with common sense realized that we were not about to return to collect them and allowed us to check in. The property is massive with a beautiful beach however, it was also overwhelmingly overcrowded with people!!. Chaise lounges everywhere on the beach!. The pool area not so crowded but, way too small for such a large resort. Don’t expect bar service on the beach, it’s just not offered. You have to walk to the bar to get a drink which is prepared by very pleasant waiters but, they use brands of alcohol we had never seen before. Lunch time was a mission because the amount of people wanting to get a bite was just too much. The food itself was mediocre. I couldn’t find anything worth eating. Definitely not worth the $65.00 we paid. The only thing worth the trip was the actual beach. That’s it!.

Purchased a day pass to this resort. The friendliest experience was check in and check out. Service was non existent. We ended up going to an area we weren’t supposed to go just to find a place to sit my 87 year old dad in a chair. Security let us stay because they felt sorry for us. We had all you can eat and drink package and didn’t even stay to eat. One sweet cocktail waitress brought us a drink, but got the order wrong. I have to assume no one tips there due to the general disregard for the customer we found. A lot of staff in uniforms roaming around, but no one being helpful or offering to be of more help. Very frustrating.

I had visited this resort twice before using a day pass, so when I planned my trip to Dominican Republic this year, I decided to stay here for 3 nights. I had booked a Garden view bungalow and upon arrival was very excited to see how aesthetically pleasing the bungalow was. My room number was 1321 which was very centrally located. One one hand it was great to be so close to the center of the resort because it was easy to access most restaurants, spa ,reception and shops. At night was a different story. The majority of the evening entertainment could be heard from the bungalow, which was not that bad but when the main stage was used for theme nights, the sound was unbearable and made it very difficult to sleep. Everything felt like it was vibrating in my room from the extremely loud bass. Had my stay been longer than 3 nights, after the first night I would have demanded a room change to the furthest area possible from the center. The walls are very thin in the bungalows. I could hear everything from my neighbor blowing his nose to his alarm clock going off at 6:10am each morning. The food was subpar. I honestly didn't expect 5 star dining. Everything was mass produced cafeteria style food. I only was able to book one specialty restaurant due to my length of stay. The only one that was available was the Atlantic restaurant which had an additional $20 charge. Again, food was ok. Nothing to write home about. On my last night while laying in bed praying the music would end so I could sleep, I began to feel ill. I spent the next 4 hours with vomiting and diarrhea add no sleep to that, my journey to the airport a few hours later for my flight home was not a pleasant experience. I will say, the beach and pools are fantastic. I was always able to find a great spot on the beach and enjoy the warm crystal clear water. One morning, there were no beach towels available which was absurd but thankfully I had brought my own that I had used previous to my stay at Viva. If you're thinking of getting a massage, do it on the beach. I had one in the spa and while the massage itself was very good, the room I was in for the treatment was freezing cold. The vent for the aircon was directly over the massage table. The room had no lights so when I was preparing to get on the table the massuse closed the door and used her cell phone light so I could see where I was going. As the treatment started, the door was kept open so there would be some light in the room, which is at the same end of the table so the light from the hallway is right in your face and every conversation could be heard from the lobby. Definitely not a relaxing time. The only way, if ever I was to return would be to have a room as far as possible from the nightly theme parties.