| Pretty good for the money |
| Hotel Gran Ventana Beach Resort |
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Justin >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Aug, 2010 | Leisure | With Group
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The rooms were a bit outdated, but the problems encountered were fixed almost right away. one problem never fixed was with the plumbing in two of the three rooms we had, we put towels pon the floor, that was never fixed.
The maids were really nice, gave you double of everything if you asked.
The pools were great, we found out right away to put your towel in a shady spot early on, its mostly taken by 10 am. The floor gets really hot, i saw a child burned with blisters in his feet due to the hot floor by the pool.
The restaurants are better than the buffet for dinner, so make those reservations.
the beach was nice, if you find a gazebo, the sun is really a killer.
The staff was amazing, everyone from the entertaining staff to the workers, always greeted you with a smile. No attitudes.
I don't think i would go back to any Playa Dorada resort but if you want to try something different (from punta Cana0 which is what we did, you'll soon realize that there is nothing better that those resorts there.
All and all we had a good time. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| good |
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| Arrival |
| quick and painless |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| pools and beach are good |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| pretty good |
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| Rooms |
| average-could get remodeled, outdated. |
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| My home away from home |
| Hotel Cubanacan Club Amigo Marea del Portillo |
| User Rating:
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lois >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Aug, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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Just returned to Marea del Portillo after an absence of 20 years. There were still friends there who recognized me. THe arrival at the airport is well organized. The ride to hotel gives you an amazing insight into the way of life of Cuban people. THere is help at the hotel for your luggage. The rooms are adequate and have hairdryers and towels provided. Beach towels are provided as well. THe hotel is located in a rural setting which makes it a very relaxing quiet place for all ages to enjoy a safe and fun filled vacation. The hotel is clean, the food is plain but tasty. Lunch can be served at the beach bar. The staff are very friendly and helpful. There is a money exchange and internet access in the lobby. The beach is just delightful and uncrowed. Enjoy the excellent snorkeling in the lagoon. Take every opportunity to explore the surrounding country side, the locals are delighted to meet you. Take the planned excursions available, the horse riding is great. The evening entertainment is a colourful and musical introduction to the Cuban culture. Feel safe to explore the beach and surrounding area. Enjoy this very special place.
Chow |
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| A relaxing vacation at a beautiful resort. |
| Hotel Be Live Canoa |
| User Rating:
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Jeffrey >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Aug, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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Prior to our trip I was concerned about Oasis Canoa because of negative reviews I read. Maybe my expectations were less than those who wrote negative reviews or perhaps they are people who expect too much.
For the price we paid for 8 nights, roughly $900 for two people, I feel we more than obtained our money's worth.
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| Didn't attend many of the activities but there were numerous available. |
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| Arrival |
Check in/out staff: Checked us in quickly and directed us to our room. Our luggage was delivered to our room within 20 minutes.
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
Grounds: Well maintained and kept in immaculate condition. What you might expect of a tropical paradise.
Pool: Large with ample room for guests. Cleaned every morning. Good supply of lounge chairs. Could use more cabanas to escape the sun and ocassional rain.
Beach: Nice, kept clean by staff. Again an ample supply of lounge chairs. More cabanas would have been nice but there were numerous palm trees that shade could be found in.
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| Restaurants and Bars |
Drinks: We enjoy the forzen drinks and that is one area that was a problem. I suppose it is due to the tropical heat and perhaps the turn over rate of these drinks, but the frozen drinks never seemed to have time to get frozen. Rather than using ice and a blender the resort usese machines that keep turning and I suppose should have been freezing the mixture. Many of our pina colada's were nothing more than syrup, rum, and water. Beer and wine, the few times that I had any, were good.
Food:
Breakfast- Great buffet selection of typical western breakfast foods and foods not so typical of western breakfasts. Good made to order omlets and eggs. Wide variety of juice and pastries.
Lunch- Main buffet had a good daily selection that varied each day. The snack bar, with the exception of a few items, had the same offering daily, hamburges, hotdogs, french fries, salad, and either chicken or fish.
Dinner- The main buffet has a theme each evening which included, Mexican, Oriental, and Caribbean. As with breakfast and lunch there was a great variety of items to choose from.
Japanese Restaurant- I was hoping this was like a true Japanese restaurant that offer traditional Japanese food. It was more like a westernized chop and dice place in which you sit around the cooking surface and watch the chef prepair the food, entertaining yes, but the food was nothing more than grilled chicken, steak, fish, and shrimp. The miso soup and mock sushi were OK.
Italian Restaurant (VeraClub)- The night we made a reservation was Mexican night. I was hoping for a wide variety of Italian food but saw little more than a few pasta offerings. The Mexican food offered was very good it just wasn't what I was anticipating from an Italian restaurant.
Food Service: The bussing service was typcially very prompt and dirty plates didn't stay on the table long. Beverage service was a little less than ideal. We often had to flag someone down to obtain beverages or refills. I found this to be annoying.
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| Rooms |
| Room: Clean and spacious. My wife would have liked a dresser to put clothes in but this was not a big inconvenience. I missed not having a clock in our room so I didn't need to find my watch to tell the time and to set for wake up rather than using a wake up call service, which did work very well. |
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| de sonhar voltar um dia |
| Hotel Catalonia Riviera Maya |
| User Rating:
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todinho_20056@hotmail.com >
1 contribution(s) PORTUGAL |
| Aug, 2010 | Leisure | With Group
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| este hotel e de 5 estrelas somos bem tratados sao amigaveis e tem uma ekipa de animacao espetacular com pessoal da pesada pra nos rirmos e divertirmos vale a pena irmos pra este hotel k e de 5 estrelas. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| ekipa de animacao espetacular paola jimenez 5 estrelas e a ekipa tbm.noite de tekila...futbol,danca,ping pong,byke.....etc nao paramos e nao percam nada com eles k sao demais |
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| Arrival |
| fomos bem recebidos com um coktail e foram rapidos a acomodarnos pk eramos muitos mesmo e no estante o pessoal desapareceu da recepcao sao muito amaveis com os portugeses venham aeste hotel k e um espetaculo |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| espetaculo de corais e peixes de todas as cores mergulhem com a mascara de mergulho e desfrutem da beleza k eles teem a frente do hotel nao percam esta oportunidade. |
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| Other Comments |
hei-de voltar a este hotel k vale a pena ir
voces sao 5ESTRELAS
ABRACOS ....SAUDADES |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| comer ate fartar tudo de varios gostos nem sabes onde comecar ou acabar e graca e os passaros k tem a voar la dentro mesmo a moda tropical k ate da gosto de tar ali dentro |
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| Rooms |
| sempre arrumados frescos e ainda por cima com enfeites k eles deixavam em cima da noxas camas muito bem feitos tudo a maneira |
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| One very hot week (sometimes too hot actually!) |
| Hotel Sirenis Playa Turquesa (formerly Occidental Grand Playa Turquesa) |
| User Rating:
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Pierre >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Aug, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
We went to swim with the dolphins; well, actually, our 2 daughters went. My wife and I didn't have any interest in doing the swimming part so our daughters took our "20 minutes swim" coupons and went again for a total of 40 minutes. They had a blast. One of our daughter was selected to be thrown out of the water by 2 dolphins which made unbelievable memories. Glossy picture from the so-called "expert photograph" (a regular guy with a above average camera) is 10 pesos but not really worth it. We were right next to him while he was taking pictures and we barely see any difference when we compare our pictures with his. But even if we didn't swim with the dolphins, my wife and I were still allowed to go on the platform to have our picture taken with a dolphin between us.
There is a different show every evening at the theater. On our second evening, we sat behind two guys who had too much to drink and they really ruined it for everyone around them. Remember that seeing a live show is no different than seeing a movie: Shut up! It's even worse as the performers are there to see the lack of respect compared to a movie. One guy stood up and asked them to shut up to which the other reply "We have the right to speak". When the pissed spectator loudly yelled "You're a f-----g idiot", we thought "Ding! Round one", but no, he just left now that his show was completely ruined. The two drunk idiots kept taking. Please, people, if you're not there to see the show, just leave.
They cancel katamaran and pedalos reservations as soon as it's too windy, so better go make your reservations very early in the morning. Katamaran was quite boring anyway as they just go straight toward the ocean for 10 minutes then just come straight back. Pedalos were most pleasant for that.
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| Arrival |
| We were greeted at 20h30 with a cold towel and a drink they simply call the "Welcome Drink". My wife got hooked on these and didn't drink much else during out 7 days stay! |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| The pool with bar is the most popular but also has the most kids who play more with the plastic glasses than anything else (like others have said, where are the parents?!). The barman at pool is called Ivan and he's impossible to hate. Like I told him the last day I saw him, he's part of our best memories.
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| Other Comments |
General rules: You can tip everything, you can bargain any homemade stuff (my 16 years old single-handedly bargained a 30 pesos item for 22 pesos!) and there's rum in everything. Everybody expects a tip although they will not frown if you don't give any. The only "I really don't wanna work" face I've seen was from the cook on the beach.
Some people told us it was the raining period, some others said it wasn't so. Verdict: We had rain for a total of about 3 hours during our 7 days stay.
When it came time to leave, I found out the cashier had no canadian coins meaning no less that $5 bills. When I went to exchange my pesos for canadian money, I was offered $35 for my 37 pesos, which didn't make any sense. The cashier told me that if I could manage to find 1 more peso, he could give me $40 instead. This means the initial amount was somewhere in $39 but he had to round it down to $35. That's so bad!
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| Restaurants and Bars |
Buffet is the same everyday although slightly different between lunch and supper. It's not fine cuisine, but hey, you're in Cuba; you have to expect the food to be different.
Restaurants à-la-carte are not on the map provided by the reception and it wasn't obvious to find them on our own, so we had to call reception who did their best to explain it in this huge resort. By the way, the stuffed chicken at the Italian restaurant is just awesome!
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| Rooms |
Rooms are grouped in individual blocks of rooms making it harder to have connecting rooms. We were 3 groups of 2 people and our daughters had to stay in a separate block (at least close) which didn't make us a bit worried. We had room 504 which was better than the other 2 rooms (506 and 512) because it had an additional sofa, table, bar stand and 3 stools. The rooms wasn't physically bigger, but more places to sit which was useful for the 6 of us when we wanted to relax in an air conditioned room. The resort is huge, but it doesn't take long to learn its layout.
Beds are a bit too hard for me but still acceptable. The pillow is thin but wide (like 1'x3'), so you can easily fold it to make it the thickness you want. The fridge is filled daily with at least two 1500ml water bottles and 2 pops (flavor randomly vary). It seems we had a small problem with our shower as the water was only warm, but my brother-in-law said he had plenty. We didn't complain because it was enough to make it refreshing anyway.
I had to kill only 2 bugs in my room during my stay. You might want to bring tape to block the gap under the room door because it's quite big allowing most bugs to easily get it. My daughter (who's terrified of bugs) used a little flashlight we initially bought as a gift for room service. She couldn't leave without it in the evening because this is when crabs come out.
The curtains are not thick enough and light brightens the room at 7am.
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| Amazing |
| Hotel Coconut Palms Resort |
| User Rating:
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S >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Aug, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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| I loved this place!! Stayed there for 7 days and was thoroughly sad upon leaving. This place truly captures the warmth and comfort of the island while still providing an escape from the ordinary with just the right amount of luxury. My family and I stayed there and we all enjoyed the warmth of the entire staff and the authenticity of the entire resort. Smiling faces all around, eager to help truly goes a long way in having a great vacation stay. |
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| A week of relaxation |
| Hotel Sandals Royal Hicacos |
| User Rating:
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Tanya >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Aug, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
It was great to have scuba diving included. Highly recommended for beginner divers. This is not a place for snorkelling off of the beach. Nothing to see as there is no reef.
Water sports - operated by Marlin not by Sandals. If you are an avid windsurfer, bring your own equipment. Sports centre will shut down if winds are greater than 25 km per hour. Winds pick up late afternoon once the centre is shut down. Lots of beach space for kiting.
Waterskiing, banana boat were included though runs were very short in length.
Tennis courts were in good condition. |
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| Arrival |
| Easy...picked up at Varadero airport by private taxi. Half hour ride to the resort. Though no welcoming drinks, check in was simple. Bags were delivered to the rooms by the bell boy. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
Beautiful beach at this resort. Other adjacent resorts were not so lucky with their span of beach. Restoration work was being done on the shoreline at other resorts. Beats the beach at Santa Maria and Holguin.
Main pool was nice.
Grounds were well maintained and pretty though not spectacular. Insects keep to a minimum due to overhead ariel spraying twice per day. Bring bug repellent anyways. |
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| Other Comments |
A very enjoyable vacation. Do not buy alcohol or cigars at the resort as souvenirs. Much cheaper at Varadero airport.
If you are a beach loving person, this is the resort for you. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
The biggest surprise was the breads and pastries - they rivaled what we haven eaten in Paris...fresh & tasty. Crepes at the buffet were masterpiece. Osvany was extremely talented in making these tasty treats.
Buffet - okay...it's Cuba!
A la cartes - very good Chilean house wines. No need to buy other brands. Food was good. Big improvements on quality of beef over previous visits to Cuba. Vegetable selection was limited...canned or pickled vegetables for the most part.
Coffee quality was inconsistent depending on the bartender and the espresso machine. Beach and pool bars were good. No lack of drink variety. |
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| Rooms |
| Premium gardenview room. Very nice and comfortable to stay in. Bar fridge was topped up daily with pop, water, beer. Large bathroom. Air conditioning worked well. Bed comfort was okay. |
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| Great Honeymoon |
| Hotel NH Real Arena |
| User Rating:
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Kyle >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Jul, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| Ill try and write a short and to the point review. We both were very satisfied with the resort it was great and we had a lot of fun. It was also our first carribean vacation. There were some things we could critique about the hotel but nothing to complain about. They did an outstanding job. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| We went to the marinarium and the dolphin explorer. We had a great experience with the marinareum and a bad one with the dolphin explorer. The dolphin explorer was over priced, we missed a lot of the event because our driver kept us in the van for an hour while trying to find another couple at another resort. Then they wouldnt allow us to take pictures and charged an arm and a leg for thier own pictures. I implore you to not go on the dolphin explorer. The marinarium however was great. It was priced very well. We swam with sharks stingrays and in the coral with the fish and it was great. The people were extremely nice as well, we had a great time in this excursion. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| The grounds were very nice and there was an army on people keeping them clean. Id just look at pictures. What I liked was you could windsurf kayak and katamaran all for free. The people who rent them out are quite rude though. The only people in the hotel I thought were. Beach chairs were quite packed, but beach wasnt. they had security guards keeping away the local peddlers so that was very nice to not be bothered by them. The water was nice. Prabably not the best ive seen in the whole of the carribean but just as good as any other in punta cana. |
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| Other Comments |
| We had a great time and would go back again. All the staff were extremely courteous and they went out of thier way for you. I could critique some things, but nothing bothered me and we are both fairly picky customers. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| The bars were great. Never had to walk more than 100 feet to have a drink put in your hand. My wife thought Roberto at the beach bar was amazing. If you didnt get the paradise club you might have to wait for drinks at some bars. They didnt have a good top shelf selection though....just some nice gin, disarrono and nice vodka. No high end tequila and only dominican rum. I Read a lot of reviews saying the food was bad. I think this was prolly a little black and white. There was food that was very very good and there was also food that wasnt very good. |
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| Rooms |
| The rooms have marble like floors and are very fancy with nice showers. The beds prabably wernt the comfiest but they wernt terrible either. Ours was near the beach, but i was noticing some of the rooms were near the dance club and if you go to bed before 2 those rooms would be awful. |
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| Your Arrival |
| We arrived at the airport. The airport is very hot and busy. The apple vacation people were nice, they took us to the hotel. I was a bit apprehensive before we actually got into the lobby because of the area. You could see like poor carribean villagers and some piles of rubble and garbage piles then every so often you will pass some nicer resorts but can only see the gates. Once you get through the gates and get into the lobby, the lobby is very nice with fountains and....just nice. We booked the paradise club and for the little bit extra its really worth it....atleast to us. They seem to go out of thier way for you more and theres some extra amenities that are nice. |
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| had the best time |
| Hotel Sandos Caracol Eco Resort & Spa |
| User Rating:
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karen >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jul, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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I hear all the bad things about royal elite but in really life. My husband and myself went they in early 2009, after a 6 week trip to jamaica that end witha friend getting hurt. We had a great time and did buy a one bedroom, since then we have had a couple hickups but all has been worked out. We returned to sandos caracol in december and had no problems. no problems booking or with are stay. the have changed thing and are working hard to make it all right. we love the staff and the staff loves us no are money. like we found in jamaica they love your money not you.
cant wait to get back there |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| lots |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| clean and nice |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| fast, good and clean |
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| Rooms |
| nice clean and cleaned everyday with towel animals on the bed |
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| Wonderful....Once again. |
| Hotel Riu Palace Aruba |
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Emily09 >
2 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Jul, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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| This was our second time ot this resort. We had such a good time the first time, we decided to take our 8 year old this time. He really liked it and had a blast. We had no issues or complaints. The staff is wonderful. We received 3 phone calls through-out the week from the director of the resort to make sure our stay was good and we had everything we needed, Very nice!! |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| We booked all of our excursions with DePalm tours, they have a rep in the lobby. We went on the baby beach tour, which I would highly recommend especially if you have young kids, our 8 yr old loved it. We went on a 4 hour snorkle trip which was great, food, drink and fun! We also went to DePalm Island which was a blast, we went on the half day, which was perfect, pay the admission and everything is included: drinks, food, water park, snorkle, basketball, volley ball. Very very nice for the price and everything that comes with it. |
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| Arrival |
| Upon arrival we were welcomed by the staff with a welcom drink. Quick check in, but the room was not ready, she told us to go eat and then come back and the room should be ready, which it was. The lobby was clean and smoking in NOT allowed, outside only, which was great. The front staff was very friendly and effecient. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| The beach is pefect, white sand, clear water and hardly any waves, what more would you want. Shade is hard to come by, as people do wake up at 5am to grab a spot under the shadey area, but grab a spot under a palm tree its nice, provides protection from the sun and plus you didn't have to get up at 5 to get it. Pool chairs are the same, but you wait till 1:30 the chairs are easier to come by. Pool area very clean, and nice. |
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| Other Comments |
| We went to dinner one night off the resort, We ate at Moby Dick. Which was very very good. The atmosphere was very nice and elegant. Pricey but worth it. The staff was excellent!!! |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| We tried 3 out of the 4 reservation restaurants, The Italian, The steakhouse and The Gourmet. The steakhouse and the gourmet were excellent, very very good. The Italian was good also, I just liked the other 2 a little better. Reservationa are required at the 4 Ala carte restaurants, you need to make these between 9-12 every day for that night's seating, 6:30 or 9:00. Its not hard to make reservations, we always got our first choice, one morning we forgot to make reservations and went to the lobby at 1145 and we were given a reservation for the gourmet. The buffet was very good for breakfast every day, we ate dinner a few times also, which was once again very good, something for everyone!! Miss the food already. The pool bar was quick and entertaining, staff wonderful. We went to the outside bar everynight, very nice and laid back, perfect way to end the day. The lobby bar has nightly shows, which were either good or comical, but still stayed to watch. |
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| Rooms |
| Our room was in building A, right in the center of the resort, great view of the pool and beach, wonderful sun sets from the balcony. Of course our room had the double beds pushed together, which did not bother us, it was ok for a vacation, they are not that hard and we slept fine every night. The bathroom was big with a stand up shower and tub combo, 2 double sinks. The balcony was average size, enough for 2 chairs and a small table, very private. Yes, the TV is outdated, but who comes to a place like this to watch TV???? No musty smell or smoke smell in the rooms. AC was good, kept the room nice and cold. Never heard our neighbors next door or loud noise in the hallway. |
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| Loving Cayena Beach Club! |
| Hotel VIK hotel Arena Blanca (LTI Beach Resort Punta Cana) |
| User Rating:
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Skye >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Jul, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| We went to visit the kids at an orphanage with Melanie from the office. She was a great guide. We learned more about the island and saw things that many tourists do not see. Definitely worth learning about. |
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| Arrival |
| Very quick through the airport since they are looking for tips. Check-in at Cayena Beach was very smooth and bags were delivered to our room in a timely manner. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| Beach was cleaned daily by a cleaning crew who cleaned up the seaweed early each morning. The beaches were beautiful white sand with palm trees. There were plenty of watersports and activities daily. The pools were very clean and I saw a man putting chemicals in at least twice that week. The grounds were taken care of well and were always clean. We saw a guy with a machete knife trimmming the bushes. That was kind of fun. |
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| Other Comments |
| If DR was closer, we would make this an every 2 year event, but we're on the west coast and it's much too long to make this trip too often. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| Buffet was okay. The food at all restaurants doesn't have a lot of flavor, but it was still good. El Cano lunch specials were really good, especially the crab stuffed chicken. Look for Pazqual when you go there. He's a character and will make sure your meal is good. He's the restaurant manager, I believe. |
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| Rooms |
| The rooms were in good condition and we had no problem with them. Staff was very helpful if we had issues. The cleaning people decorated our room with flowers one day and put our bedspread into neatly decorated ways each day as well. There were small fruitflies that are all over the Caribbean that were sprayed for at least once during the week, but they didn't bother us. |
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| iberostar bavaro...3rd time |
| Hotel Iberostar Bavaro |
| User Rating:
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rich >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Jul, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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just back from iberostar bavaro for our third time....place hasn't changed. thats a good thing! we arrived from chicago, as usaul getting thru customs smooth. off to hotel, quick! check in a bit shaky this time as there was confusion on our room. while we waoited, off to lunch and some grilled lobster in the buffet. all in all everything went smooth. only one problem the whole time...arriving in our room the tv remote was broke. notified the front desk that day and the next. was never fixed....totaly not like the the usual iberostar way of doing things.
last day there we got to relax on the beach and enjoy tropocal storm bonnie roll by. was pretty cool.
this was the the first time we had to contend with rain. duhhh it's the tropics.....
took a tour of the new grand hotel...wasn't impressed.
will probably go back a forth time.
feel free tocontact with questions
rich and gayle |
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| A trip to remember |
| Hotel Barcelo Maya Beach |
| User Rating:
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Cathi >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Jul, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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| We arrived later than we wanted to due to airline problems. The first room we had was hot we went to the desk and went to dinner. When we returned to our room the problem was not fixed. They moved us to a temporary room for the night. The next day we were moved to a cool and comfortable room. We went to the pool which is very nice. I got out of the pool to go to the restroom and fell on the slick tile around the bathroom area. I broke my left arm and dislocated my shoulder. I had surgery and spent 2 nights in the hospital. The hotal I believe did not show any compassion, concern or care that I had fallen at their hotel. The manager told my husband they were not responsible because I did not have shoes on. Be very very careful around the pool we saw people fall with and without shoes. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| many things to do without leaving the hotel |
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| Arrival |
| 1 hour 25minutes from the Airport!!!! |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| Be very very careful There is SLICK tile in some areas!!!! |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| The was very good!! |
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| Rooms |
| cool and comfortable |
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| NO, DO NOT GO!!! THEY DO NOT CARE, THEY GIVE YOU PAID ROOM AWAY, THEY HAVE MOSQUITOS!!!!! |
| Hotel Barcelo Bavaro Palace |
| User Rating:
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Belkys >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Jul, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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| 11 persons in my vacation, all but one adults, one age 3. my parents 72, and 71, everyone else from age 25 to age 52, all professionals, non-drinking 9 persons, only 2 drinks if any for the two persons that do drink. They do not care, who visits the hotel. They do not Care!! that is the conclusion we have ended with. They do not want to speak to you if you are not Happy or having a problem. They just have to give you a room, and check the room when you check-out to make sure you did not take anything!!!! even if it was not there when you checked in. MAKE SURE YOU REPORT IN WRITING!!!! ANYTHING MISSING AT CHECK-IN. MUST DO SO, DO NOT FORGET. The missing plastic ice holder, which was not in the room since it was cleaned the 2nd day, was the hold up for 2 1/2 hours at check - Out, We did not ever use it so, so we did not report it missing. I'll be more than happy to open my bags and have them checked in the lobby, infront of everyone, I have nothing to hide. They never gave us an answer, I waited hours for them to find the plastic ice holder, Did they find it??? I still do not know. What kind of people visit this Hotel? they have to check the rooms at your departure. WOW. they will not be visited by my friends and Family, that is for sure. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
9. Unless you go to ALL the area Hotels and see the calenders you have no idea if there are shows? or parties? or what ever, no itinerary or calender to help plan your days, and activities, WHY they are a Big Well known hotel??? NO organization for the programs offered, not good with the amount of persons checking in daily. They have to get organized and have an organized schedule for persons wanting to do things.
12. They need more help in the Casino, you wait for over 5 minutes for someone to help if a machine is not working. Not GOOD...
13. Stores in the Barcelo Barvaro inside shops, they need to be organized and updated, too much stuff, but nothing to really buy, you can not find anything nice at any price. they are old things and dusty, not clean, Gum is $4.50 and up??? why??? If they do not have good sales, there is a reason why. they need uptodate stores, since you really can not go outside without a taxi and allot of planning. They need a good BUYER!!!
They should organize going to the nice outside stores, a bus tour, you could sign-up for, a trip once per week or twice, morning or afternoon. they may get people to put money into the area this way.
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| Arrival |
1. Arrived on 7/30/10 around 9 PM, Barcelo Bavaro Palace, they say this is not the hotel take your things and you will be transported to the next hotel Palace Deluxe, they have your rooms, ok,
2. Arrived at 2nd Hotel Palace Deluxe, they are asking me why we are there? Because I was send by the 1st. hotel here to check in, we do not have your rooms. you have to go to the 3rd hotel Palace Family (the new one) they have your rooms. What are you saying? This is crazy we have confirmed and paid reservations. Why do you not have our rooms? "I can not help you, I do not have the rooms, you will be at Family one tonight and then tomorrow you will move to the other correct hotel." NO WAY, I will not be moved any more, You have the rooms and the guy at that desk is shaking his head, because of what you are saying. what game is it you play? I have elderly travelers and a small child, what is wrong with you? do you really think we are going to send our vacation moving hotel rooms? NO NO, I will sit here until you get this matter and our rooms solved here, not moving. I will be here, and we will all sit here, until you can get this mess together. I do speak Spanish, so do not get nasty, in Spanish, I do understand.
4. Called our travel agent.
5. Called lady at 1st., hotel. she gave us an apology for the mistakes, and said you will be taken care of. ok, I said. thank you.
6. We finally had rooms (5) rooms, 2 persons per room, as reserved. they were two rooms next to each other on 1st floor of building 4, one in the 2nd floor, one in the 4th floor and in building 3, one in the 3rd floor. But why say anything, we had rooms!! Happy. The rooms are beautiful, the mosquitos NOT!!!! everyday all day, Mosquitos!!!! and more Mosquitos. WHY???
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
10. Truly, the beach temperature was great!!!, Love it, but the beach was not clean, they need to clean and take care of the Mosquitos,
Never visited the pool too far from my hotel, they are building a new one infront of the room I was staying in, wanderful, for the next person to visit, not for me.
Distance is too much for elderly my parents, they walk, but this was too much for them, because of the temp. weather also affected the situation. |
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| Other Comments |
14. I requested to speak to the person in charge on the last day at the facilities and no one ever came. why? No one ever spoke to us.
15. Wheel chairs look like I just got them from the 2nd hand store, WHY??
16. They need to be supervised by a general manager that cares, seems as if no one cared, what you had to say, good or bad. no reactions, no one is in charge of anything, or gives an answer to anything.
17. Owner and investors of this Barcelo Bavaro need to wake up, and look around, they are building more, without fixing big problems.
I would love to speak to the investors and ask them why? are they so big that they do not care if a few customers are not happy? Paradise or Mosquito infested dream. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
everyday all day, Mosquitos!!!! and more Mosquitos. Chicken Soup was GOOD, Great, Bread was good, Desserts fantastic.
8. the other, Food was not too tasty?? all the same in every restaurant. well, that's life. The workers (cooks, maids and helpers, bag boys, bell boys, VERY VERY NICE!!!!!! love them all. they work hard.
11. The restaurants at the Casino, Hotel, smells BAD, BAD water smell!!!!! you can not eat, at this restaurant because you can smell is so bad, so this restaurant is always with less visitors, wander why???...
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| Rooms |
| NICE CLEAN and Great.....!!! Really Great. Take inventory of all things every thing, make a list and take to them at chekin. DO SO. They think you take things, even if you do not. |
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| Splendid resort.... |
| Hotel Iberostar Paraiso Beach |
| User Rating:
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Yvan >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jul, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| What a delightfull pleasure to have chosen this resort. We have travelled to many Iberostar resorts, this one being one of the best we stayed at. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
We went shopping to Playa del Carmen with the shuttle from the plaza of the hotel, 4$ each way for a 20Km trip very reasonable I would say, found the presents we needed on 5th avenue.
We took the visit to the ruins of Tulum, I was impressed with the place, ruins and by the knowledge of the guide we had for our trip. you must remember that it is very hot there, dont forget to bring water. They also gave us about 1hr to enjoy ourselves on the beach at the bottom of the hill.
Since there are no secure place to leave your things, keep an eye open, I noticed many.... people looking for an occasion to pilfer.
All and all a very pleasant and instructive excursion. |
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| Arrival |
We arrived via Westjet airlines from Toronto, my spouse being somewhat apprehensive about flying, this trip was superb, smooth all the way, nice updated aircraft, exit row seating with tons of leg room, video display in every seat which gave us a choice of various tv or movies to choose from.
We arrived Cancun ahead of schedule, after baggage reception and clearance through customs, we proceeded to the chaos outside the terminal, IMHO, very poor service from Best Day travel as far as arrangement of transportation, we had to wait outside in suffocating heat, for our transport to be ready, even though the bus was in place and air conditioned, they made the group wait until complete before boarding. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
The beach is very nice, lots of huts and chairs for one and all, a few large rocks near the entrance of the beach, however, the water being so clear, it was easy to navigate around them and never did we have any problem with them. Unfortunately the first two days of our stay, the beach had a red flag waving, the water was quite agitated and not recommended, we still had the choice and I realy enjoyed the large waves/breakers comming to shore. Did not do the pool, as a general rule, since it is secluded and protected from the ocean by vegetation, way too hot for my liking and during the late afternoon much too noisy for us, the animation crew and pool bar were the culprits.
As all the IB resorts we have visited, the grounds were impeccable, an army of groundskeepers were at work everyday it seems everywhere to make the looks of this place so great. |
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| Other Comments |
I would greatly recommend this resort to anyone that wants a clean, well maintained and pretty quiet place to relax and enjoy a vacation.
I would certainly return in a heartbeat.
We hope everyone enjoy the place as much as we did. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
We were given 4 restaurant choices, we made the gourmet, japanese, italian and steak. All were excellent, the food always hot and cooked to order, if a complaint was to be made, the Italian restaurant is situated in one of the pool snacks, not air conditioned so a little uncomfortable but nevertheless, the food was very very good.
The Buffet breakfasts were what we are accustomed to having in all the resorts, excellent choices of fruits, pastries and the omelet bar was manned by a lovely lady for our entire week, she made it a pleasure to see her smile every morning.
Suppers at the buffet was always thematic, changed every night and the food was always good, the catch all was always there, if you did not appreciate anything being served, the pasta bar was excellent.
This was our 6th visit to an IB resort, we have never been let down anywhere by the food. |
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| Rooms |
| We arrived the resort 20 mins later, to the friendly Iberostar reception, well organized, the check in took no more than 5 minutes, since we are many times guests of an Iberostar resort, they even gave us a free upgrade to a junior suite, the staff being polite, friendly and spoke english and french quite well. We even took time to go to the concierge desk to make our restaurant reservations for the week all in less that 15 minutes we were taken by cart to our room, building 31, very near the beach to a wonderfull room with good a/c, clean and well prepared, everything we have been accustomed to by the Iberostar chain. The maid service for the week was of all thing done by a male worker, what a pleasant surprise, superb service, the fridge always stocked full, and room decorations, figurines and flowers galore. My wife was in awe for the entire week. Of course, daily gifts and a couple dollars must surely have helped. Clean, well air conditioned, no bugs. |
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| Your holiday is what you make of it!! |
| Hotel Be Live Playa Coco |
| User Rating:
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Danny >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jul, 2010 | Leisure | With Group
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| Cuba will always be a favourite. Whoever has visited more than once, will understand what I mean!! |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| We didn't do much. We just rented a car one day ($80 CUC) - I prefer doing my own excursions in Cuba since I know the place and trust the people - We drove to Moron (the Cayo Coco highway over the ocean is a wonderful experience by itself - they charge 2 pesos each way to use the Autopista, and bring your passport) then we came back and drove to Playa Pilar in Cayo Guillermo then went to an old resort we had stayed at back in January to visit some friends |
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| Arrival |
| Sunwing, as usual, always a great flight with all the extra inclusions that other airlines have decided not to offer anymore. Once at the Cayo Coco airport, it was a breeze...we were the only landing flight, immigration and luggage within 25-30 minutes and then on the bus... One mishap though is that a family had a person without a Canadian passport so we unfortunatly got delayed for an hour and a hald almost..which was unfortunate, but hey we were 10 minutes away from the hotel and we all survived!! |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
Beach - I mean it's Cuba...do you really need me to say anything...It's Cuba people, the pearl of the caribbean..I've been to many beaches, Cuba does have the best sand and water on this planet
Grounds - Kinda lush, but beautifully kept. The hotel layout is very nice
Pool - Very nice freestyle pool. Nice for the afternoons because of the activities (if you wanna have some fun) but not too busy while we were there, it was low-season |
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| Other Comments |
If I have anything negative to say about this resort it is the buffet food, then again we were there off-season and I do not know how it is during high-season. But still you will find something to eat, and you will not die of hinger.
Great vacation, great people....and remember, you and your crew make up your holiday. We've been to a 5 star Bahia Principe in the Dominican and had the worst time of our life (even though the food was great), because we had people that "suck" with us on holiday, so we're never taking them again...lol!!! |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
Bars are great, the beach one had lemon juice that tasted great. My favourite though was the 24 hour snack bar by the Teatro, Pedro and Angel (the chef) are the best staff boys I've ever met on holiday (and I go to Cuba twice a year)...Angel makes the best Tuna sandwich you can ever have and is the nicest man you can ever meet.
Buffet - mehhhhhhhh is all I have to say. the pasta bar and the grill had always something good. But the rest of the stuff that you choose from didn't have much choice, but, do not worry, you are still eating better than the rest of Cuba, so do not take this for granted.
Japanese - A MUSTTTT...simply amazing
Italian - Excellent
Seafood - DIdi not try it, our reservation was too early so we decided not to go. |
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| Rooms |
| All our group had Oceanview rooms in block 4 (the pink one on your left). They were spacious nice and very clean. Beach towels were there and none of us mentioned any kind of bad smell in the rooms. The women with us loved the rooms, and that tells that they were nice...us men just wanna shower and sleep!!! |
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| Pleasantly Surprised! |
| Hotel Blau Costa Verde |
| User Rating:
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Amy >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jul, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
We didn't do anything outside of the resort (we've already been there, done that) but on the resort we did participate in the beach volleyball every morning as well as bocciball shortly after. The entertainment staff had activities throughout the day but that's all we chose to participate in because it was located conveniently on the beach.
At night, there were different shows every night. We never really saw a show because it started late (9:30pm) and by then we were already asleep.
They also have a games place where there is a pingpong table and a pool table. For pingpong, it's best to bring your own ball and paddles as I've noticed the ball went missing at one point. The pool table has its own equipment always there. |
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| Arrival |
We travelled as a family which included my parents, myself(20) and my brother(14).
Arrival was very speedy. The front desk had everything ready for us. We asked for 2 rooms and they had put them next to each other.
We were also pleasantly surprised to find that our beach towels were also waiting for us in our rooms. We did arrive after midnight, so it wasn't really necessary to have them but it was nice not to have to find the club house the next morning while we still had no idea where everything was. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
The grounds were meticulously kept. The beach was always clean. The palm umbrellas (that's not their correct name, but it doesn't come to mind right now...) were maintained and plentiful.
The staff that dealt with the beach chairs were sometimes hard to take. This one guy in particular was incredibly lazy and would often attempt to ignore my request for chairs. I would've preferred a lack of staff for that on the beach. I'm quite capable of getting my own chair, but we had to put up with them for 2 weeks. They also collect the chairs at 5ish and if you want to stay longer they give you looks. Their shift ends officially at 5:30-6:00 I believe and they always want to be done earlier. I just ignored them when I wanted to stay longer which was just once or twice during my stay anyways. |
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| Other Comments |
The hotel's gym/spa also offers manicures, pedicures, haircuts, etc.
For the most part these are generally less expensive than at home. However, don't expect the kind of manicure you get here. It's very basic there: cut the nails, file, do the cuticles, put on the polish.
The manicure and pedicures were each 5 CUC. The haircut was also 5 or 10 CUC (I can't remember exactly at the moment).
They also offered massages. Ranging from just foot massages to full body, whole hour massages. We didn't try as we found these to be expensive in comparison to other resorts. The foot massage was 10 CUC and it went up from there to 25 CUC for a full body massage for half an hour I believe.
Overall, we really enjoyed our stay. We would definitely recommend this resort and would go again if we didn't want to try a new resort each year.
The manager of this resort (tall, young and bald) is always walking around. He's glad to talk to tourists and often comes up to people randomly and asks them how they're enjoying their stay and if there's anything that needs changing. Feel free to introduce yourself to him, he looks scary but he's very friendly. If you have any kind of problem that you can't resolve in other ways, he's always happy to help.
Also, keep in mind that this is a very small and very, very quiet resort. I would definitely not choose it for a spring break vacation with my friends. But it's perfect for R&R and families with small children (which by the way, they do have a daycare for). |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
The main buffet restaurant was where everyone ate generally. Since the resort was not even half-full, all the seating was outside though they also have inside tables which they set up if there are a lot of people.
The food was good. Every night they had a different theme such as Asian night, Italian night, etc. The food was very varied from day to day. Breakfast was generally always the same thing, but lunch and dinner were always different from the day before and from each other (this is something that at other hotels bugged me because they used to have the same food 2 or even 3 days in a row at times).
The waiters were all amazing. If you stayed long enough like we did (2 weeks) they had memorized our drink orders. They were always smiley and eager to get you whatever you needed.
We didn't try the pool bar, as we spent all our time at the beach but I'm sure the service there is exactly the same as on the beach. The beach bar was actually being extended while we were there. The service was good. The bartender was always at his post and made whatever drink you wanted. The only thing I personally disliked was the lack of martini just at the beach bar. It's pretty much the only alcohol I drink and I had to find something else to enjoy while on the beach. In the end it wasn't a huge deal but it would've been nice. I assume with the new, larger bar they'll have all the drinks they have everywhere else in the resort.
There are cats in this resort and they enjoy strolling by while people eat as some insisted on feeding them. And yes, they're fuzzy and adorable but they have fleas so I recommend you stay far away from them. |
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| Rooms |
The rooms were very nice. They appeared to have been renovated recently.
Contrary to some of the reviews I read before we went, the safe in the room was free.
There was plenty of room for clothes and the such. The closet was roomy (and the top shelf has blankets in case you need them) and there were drawers in and out of the closet.
Each room also has a minifridge which is stocked daily with beer, soft drinks and water.
The AC in all the rooms was centrally controlled which we have never encountered at another hotel (this was our 8th year in Cuba). This bothered me slightly because if you turn it off, you fry overnight but if you leave it on, it tends to get very chilly some nights, which is when I was very glad for the blankets. Also, contrary to many hotels, the card slot only controls the electricity and not the AC. The AC runs all day unless you turn it off.
The maid came by everyday. We found that there was a different maid almost every day. Which didn't concern us in the least. However, I noticed that some of them cleaned more thoroughly than others. Sometimes our floor was swept, other times it wasn't. Some would wash the bathtub and others would not. Just little things. The room was by no means ever dirty, just not always as clean.
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| dining out in Mazatlan |
| Hotel El Cid Castilla Beach |
| User Rating:
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Gary >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jun, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| Don't carry a tab outside the resort pay as you go, we went to Joe's oyster bar after carrying a tab for drinks for a party of 4 from about 7.30 to 10 15 pm the bill was just under $200 US. We were being charged $15 US for a rum and coke in contrast we payed $20 US at senor frogs for all you can drink from 9.00 to closing and its right next to the El Cid |
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| Fabulous Family Resort |
| Hotel Iberostar Cozumel |
| User Rating:
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Shannon >
2 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Jun, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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Our family enjoyed our stay here at Iberostar! We especially enjoyed he staffs friendliness and willing to help. The resort is a beautiful paradise with beautiful flamingos, peacocks & big iguanas!
The swim up bar was a plus with our son as well as his father :)
We enjoyed most of our time in Cozumel at the resort, the daily games, shows and other activities were fun & entertaining!
Thanks for a memorable vacation! |
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| Wyndham big Mistake |
| Hotel Wyndham Cozumel Resort & Spa (formerly Reef Club) |
| User Rating:
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Shannon >
2 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Jun, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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We purchased a 'vacation club' in 2003 and traveled to Cozumel almost every year and enjoyed our stay here UNTIL we arrived this year with our son (8 years old) and are told we are limited access to the resort bc the hotel has gone 'ALL ADULT'!!!!! We were NOT notified of these changes and were told 'sorry' upon our arrival & that we could leave our kid in 'kids club' in order to enjoy the 'all adult' area of the resort. Yeah right, who is going to leave their kid in a foreign country with complete strangers for hours on end to enjoy other areas of the resort!!??? We were limited to less that half of the resort and there were big signs posting 'No one Under 18 Beyond this point'...needless to say we caught a cab to find another resort to spend the week!!! We lost our maintenance fees and are currently trying to receive our all inclusive money back...we didn't stay/eat/drink there so it's only fair for a refund, right? Waiting for my apology that has yet to come!!!
It's not Mexico's fault that some owners at a resort are scumbags with no customer service skills!!! We love Cozumel...Wyndham Reef Club not so much! I believe Wyndham has made a big mistake in going All Adult!!!! And we will never stay there again as long as it's all adult! |
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| Other Comments |
| Wanted to leave a ZERO flower rating but required something which explains my ONE flower rating. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| Restaurants and Bars in the 'family' area close and you will not have access to drinks or food after dinner time...where the all adult area is open later in the evenings. No late night snacks or drinks by the pool!! |
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| Your Arrival |
| No customer service skills whatsoever!! |
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| BEYOND OUR EXPECTATIONS! |
| Hotel Ocean Blue Golf & Beach Resort |
| User Rating:
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ivelisse >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Jun, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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| I have traveled many times to Dominican Republic, i was born there ;) This was my first time in Punta Cana. I was very pleased with this resort, mostly with the service. WOW i have never seen so many people smile and look like they enjoy what they do everyday. Most important to me is cleanliness, we were part of the hotel that has privilige attention through their vacation club and I have to tell you my suite was cleaned TWICE a day, just like the cruise ships, they had a turn down service. AWSOME. I had to tell her not to keep replenishing all the alcohol in my room, the outside bars were enough for us. Our bldg was #10 and right next to it we had a separate area for VIP breakfast which turned into the beach restaurant for @ lunchtime for the rest of the guests. We also have a roped off area at the beach. I have to tell you that even the places that were not for VIP guests were also clean, we had some friends in other bldgs yes there is a difference in the liquor in the room, the ammeneties in the bathroom and the outside furniture is wicker not plastic BUT THE SERVICE is the same for everyone regardless your status. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
we did a catamaran excursion with VIVA COLONIA TROPICAL its right at the hotel, ask for valentinno..check them at vivacoloniatropical.com
we also did dune buggy through dirt & beach...great! |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| The pool is very active with music and dancing & some contests BUT thats only at one end, the other end is a little quieter for those who want to rela & read a book.... |
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| Other Comments |
| I am very nervous & anxious when i go somewhere unknown to me, even though this is my homeland, punta cana was new to me and this resort was the best pick. We never saw anyone harrasing us for the time share but then again my daughter bought one the last time she was there :) thats why we are now PRIVILIGE GUESTS...so you never now, if you have the time give them a try |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| we had dinner at all the restaurants, the mexican was our favorite because JONATHAN (our waiter) was the best. also the food was very very good and the mamajuana shots are the best. Tequila shots do not compare to this. |
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| Rooms |
| amazing! is the only word to describe it...clean, beautiful,coMfortable...I DIDNT SEE ONE SINGLE BUG!!! BUT then again it may not be the season for them ...i think is more into the july/aug months |
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| Your Arrival |
| Check in was very quick but then again we also have a private check in lounge. |
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| Photos: http://bahiaprincipecayacoa.com |
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| I was not pleased |
| Hotel Gran Bahía Príncipe Cayacoa |
| User Rating:
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gisela >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Jun, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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| The hotel scenery was great, the room was very roomy poor lighting, the toilets kept backing up for 3 days. upon our arrival of 7 family members we all had to carry our luggage to the room. The food was not very pleasing in the Dalia buffet, everything was repetitive, the food was just missing taste and texture. Two of our servers Luis and Edwin were really rude to us seems that if we don't tip they didn't like to serve us and we didn't even get a chance to tip he catered with much better attitude to the Europeans.I complaint to Marcos the Front Desk Manager and expressed his staff rudeness including the lady in the pool bar she was very rude and spoke very nasty of her customers and proceeded to tell my father we were a bunch of animals drinking. I also asked that he speaks to the chef in regards to placing some type of Dominican food since I am Dominican and there was not one thing Dominican on the menu and it was cold also. The next day i saw one new item added. They also have A La Carte restaurants however you cannot enjoy all of the three restaurants unless you stay more than five days and they do not tell you this information until you go ask not when you pay for the hotel, i don't agree with this i think they should let their guess know or when they sell the package is very deceiving. The guys that do the entertainment Jhonatan,Leiny,Johan,Yubi,Araceli and Bernanrdo they were great they did a great job and also Emmanuel @ El Pescador restaurant. I wouldn't go back the hotel is extremely quite and entertainment is limited @ night. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| activities were good. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| beach staff was really nice, not enough activities for the beach and guest |
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| Other Comments |
| Entertainment staff was great really pleasant and friendly jhonatan, leiny, Johan, yubi, Araceli, Bernardo. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| El pescador, Dalia buffet. We actually took the ride down to the town to eat because the food at the buffet was aweful. |
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| Rooms |
| 3 rooms were rented and we were separated we asked that we were kept together and I booked the hotel with 4 weeks out. |
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| Great beaches and dive shop and boats on site!!! |
| Hotel Wyndham Cozumel Resort & Spa (formerly Reef Club) |
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peter >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Jun, 2010 | Leisure | Solo
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| I went to this resort right after being seperated and went with the purpose of diving and putting my past behind me. It was a great place with a dive shop and dock right on property . The drinks were always cold and the food hot and good. what else could someone ask for while on vacation. Staff were accommadating and the rooms were nice(not amazing ,but not just clean) |
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| I Love the workers at this resort, second time there and would defiently stay again. |
| Hotel NH Krystal Laguna Villas & Resort |
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Shannon >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jun, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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| My sister and I have just gotten back from a week at the N.H. Krystal Lagoon, this is our second time here at this resort and can't wait to go back. From the Bartenders to the Gardeners to the entertaiment staff and the maids it was a wonderful stay, the only complaint that I would have is the bathrooms on the pool side had very limited of toilet paper and wern't very clean, but over the week it had gotten better, we had just gotten back so it is very slow this time of year so there was not much to choose from at the buffet, but always somthing to eat. Alexander the bartender at the main pool we meet our last stay there two years ago and soon as he saw us remenbered us right away he is a amazing guy, very friendly and prompt at trying to help with anything you need, there was always a drink in our hands. The garderners also great and friendly people, would do anything to assist you, weather it was to give you a coconut or make you something handmade they would do it tip or not they were just happy to give you something.the weather was amazing, very warm this time of year, alittle to warm, but the pool was there to cool of anytime you got hot, which was often. you had no problems to find a lawn bed due to low season, out of 690 room there might have been 200 guests, which was great for service if you wanted a drink or anything for that matter. Check in when we arrived was very slow due to low staff this time of year, it was a hour wait to check in, they served coctails while waiting in line which was very nice. The room were very clean and spacious, the maids kept it very clean and if you run out of something she will always go out of her way to try to assist you. There was 3 out of the 7 la carts open for service, the Steakhouse, seafood and Italian, you book them the next day apon arrival, from 9am to 5pm, they take ahour for luch.there is a bank on site and you can also get cash at the front desk but better to change at the bank, there is also a gift shop and hair salon open daily. During the day for luch you can visit the buffet resturant or snack bar which is located by the main pool, which serves from 10am in the morning sanwiches and fries and 12 noon pizza, chicken, pork, salads this is open until 5pm. the buffet resurant opens for supper at 630 and is open until 10. So if you are looking for a great place to visit for the price I would recommed this to you. If you are looking for a 5star resort this is not the place to go, but like I said this is cuba and for the price I would stay a month or longer if I had to, I hope my review was a help to you, CHEERS and have a great stay if you deside to make this your destination,I would call the people here my family and my home. |
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| Cheap but not too bad |
| Hotel Playa Sanssouci |
| User Rating:
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Rich >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Jun, 2010 | Leisure | Solo
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| I love Cabrette because its not too crowded during the day. Its a little bit touristy but not so much as to not exspose you to some of the real culture of DR. This hotel was a good choice for me because I was traveling alone and wanted fewer distractions. I wouldn't take a family here because there there's not much more to do than sleep, eat and lay on the beach. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| There's not a whole lot to do at the hotel itself. Its basically a place to rest after running around all day. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| This area of the beach is frequented by locals, mainly because there is a small apartment building you pass on the way into the hotel. Everyone that I met was frendly and helpful but they essentially keep to themselves and their families. The beach itself was clean albeit unkept. The hotel didn't provide beach chairs. At night there is and armed guard who stops and identifies EVERYONE coming near the hotel. |
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| Other Comments |
| I went here to get some R+R and study for an exam in relative quite . The rooms are a little old and run down, but they're clean. All in all, this place doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles but it covers the basics and it is cheap (~$55 US per day) You get what you pay for. I'd actually give it a 3.5 if I could. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| This hotel is at the east end of Kite Beach. Its a 10 minute walk on the beach to get to the bars and restaurants. Although I never had any problems, it gets pretty dark and deserted on this end of the beach so you should travel with a group. (I didn't travel east on the main street but I hear tell of a bakery that serves a good breakfast Anot too far in that direction) |
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| Rooms |
| The first room I had was on the first floor and had a patio right on the beach. Unfortunately, it was on the corner of the building that got a lot of foot traffic so it was fairly noisy late into the evening. The air conditioner wasn't working in that room either so I moved to a slightly smaller room on the top floor with a balcony overlooking the beach. Both rooms had kitchenettes, minifridge and 13 inch cable televisions. |
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| Your Arrival |
| The entrance is off the main street, down an alley of sorts. The taxi pulled up right in front of the glass sliding doors of the office. The manager was helpful but not particularly friendly. |
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| Warm and friendly staff with delightful gourmet offerings |
| Hotel Iberostar Bavaro |
| User Rating:
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wellington >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jun, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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| Traveled with West Jet from Toronto because of their humane departure time. Accompanied by my wife and 3 year old son. In spite of the chaotic check in process, we departed smoothly and arrived uneventfully. Baggage clearance and bus ride to Iberostar Bavaro was comfortable in an air conditioned bus. We were the only arrivals for that resort. The resort was very busy. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| On the resort, lots of activities. Pool exercises, Latino dancing lessons, Spanish classes and endless activity. A small Casino next door and a small commercial center with Disco. We did not partake in any off resort activities. |
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| Arrival |
| Check in was smooth and quick. The weather was very humid and hot. No wet towels or cold drinks greeted us. But on request, the drinks came. The staff spoke comprehensible English and answered all our questions. Room Safety boxes were available at $2 US/dy. We were given a map and directions to our Suite (#1248). It was a bit of a walk but the room was ready and very very cool to our delight. Eight suites were housed in a two level structure. Very few had an ocean view. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| Bavaro beach need no description. Nice sand and water. No Sea weed was noted and the beach was clean. There is one large pool on site and a smaller adjacent kiddie's pool. Beach towels here required a ticket provided on arrival and requested on departure. The resort is mature and has lots of shade. Beach chairs were abundant and thankfully there is no need to grab and secure a chair early before sunrise. The grounds were well kept as with other Iberostar properties. The only set back is mosquitoes. After a rainfall, they are out. Repellant is advised. |
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| Other Comments |
| In total, Iberostar Bavaro was a great choice for a vacation. Unfortunately humidity is a factor. Our only misgiving was the Airport. It is not Air Conditioned and HOT..hot. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
Let me preface by indicating that we select resorts by choice of dining facilities. Iberostar Bavaro succeeded to our delight. On site there are 5 alacarte restaurants requiring reservations. For a one week stay you are allowed 3 bookings. They were nice and gave us six. Four were air conditioned. We ate at the Japanese,Cajun and Mediterranean. The Gourmet was for couples only and the Steak House was open air (BeachSide) as was the Buffet. The menus were very interesting and food, good as was service. The Japanese was a set back when compared to that in Toronto, but still interesting. What was outstanding was the Buffet. Dinner was great. The menu changed a bit each evening. On Fridays it's Lobster night..delightful fresh grilled lobsters. There was a fresh coconut stall with staff opening up the nuts. There was also a fruit stall.
Lunch was available at the Buffet site and also at the Beach Site(At nights this became the Steak House). Lunch at the Beach Site...excellent. On Thursdays there is a seafood lobster Jambalaya..huge pots with rice topped with half lobsters. A must for pics and dining. There is also an all day ice cream hut near by. At the Italian food station on alternating days roasted suckling pig was served. At the grill station some traditional Dominican food was available as were grilled chicken, steaks and other meats. Lots of vegetables and deserts. There was also a health juice station available all day serving fresh melon and papaya juices next to the towel exchange station.
Food was delightful and remarkable. As usual, dining choices were also available with the adjacent Iberostar Punta Cana and Dominican Resorts. |
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| Rooms |
| We requested an upper floor and this was provided. The rooms were very comfortable and clean. The Air Condition was central and with out noise. We had a walk out balcony with an area to hand wet clothes provided. All electrical outlets did not need adapters. A few minutes after arrival, a phone call came advising our baggages were on the way. Subsequently a baby crib arrived also, which we had not even requested. Unfortunately we did not need it, but it was very thoughtful. |
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| Great place to stay surounding area excelent and the people frendly |
| Hotel Las Brisas Huatulco |
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dave >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| May, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| No problems with this resort at all lots of walking and stairs but not a problem actualy me and my wife lost weight even though the food was good lots to do in the area and the tours to the remote bays should be experianced we will be going back in 2011. |
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| A Beautiful Golf Resort with there own Private Beach Club! |
| Hotel Embassy Suites |
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Isabel >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| May, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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We stayed here in March of 2010 with some family members.
I have been throughout the D.Rep and have never stayed at such a clean,safe and friendly resort! If your looking for 24 entertainment this is not your place. They are in a gated community with huge homes surrounded by an 18 hole golf course. They have a huge outdoor pool and can always find lounge chairs!
A kids pool, 2 tennis courts, mini golf, putting green and driving range.
The hotel is very clean and the staff are so friendly. They have a private beach about 5 mins from the golf course and offer free transportation. There is a restaurant there with hammacks and chairs right on the water. Great food!
There is a Spa adjacent to the Hotel and they have many types of massages and a salon for guests. There are many good restaurants in the area and taxis are cheap to go to and from They offer various types of excursions.We went on a day tour of Santo Domingo and Catalina Island. There is something for everyone and its close to everything! I give it a 5 star rating for families,business travelers and golfers.. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| Golf ,Tennis, mini golf , kids playground , kids pool , mini golf , scuba diving and excursions available off the grounds |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
Big lagoon shaped pool Private Beach club and restaurant
18 hole golf course |
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| Other Comments |
| They also have an all inclusive plan for those wanting to stay at the Hotel. We went to several restaurants in the town of Juan Dolio and were very pleased |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| 2 restaurants and 2 bars The bar in there Atrium is like being in a jungle but air conditioned! |
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| Rooms |
| Huge! They are all suites with a separate living room, bedroom, bathroom, microwave, refidgerator coffee maker iron blow dryer and balcony |
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| Your Arrival |
| Very friendly welcome and quick check in |
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| Elegant, serene, classy place. plus world class snorkeling right off the beach |
| Hotel Akumal Beach Resort |
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Carolyn >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| May, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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A lush tropical oasis-like having your own private resort. High staff to guest ratio. Quiet, elegant & very classy. But, the best-not pricey! This sleeper dream of a place is in the middle of world class snorkeling in calm lagoon-like Akumal Bay- fantastic colorful coral groupings, loads of fish & huge tortugas.
Superb night snorkeling-bring your light. Food is pure and fresh. Not big on things like cream sauces, but rather the likes of perfect roast prime rib, carved turkey, mexican specialties, fresh grilled fish. Excellent salad bar. No pretension here- just perfection. Can't wait to return! Just loved it. |
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| Exceedingly Abundantly above ALL I could ever have Hoped for... AWESOME- WOW - FABULOUS |
| Hotel Be Live Grand Marien |
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Mary Anne >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| May, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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This resort was More than I could dreamed it would be even after seeing photos on line, it was Beyond... our dreams... all the way,.,,,,, 4+ star
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
There is always something to see & do, the Pool games were lots of fun for us for an afternoon laugh... dancing lessons everyday at 5 pm, spanish also is taught pool side.
there is a nice pool bar & a resteraunt above it is airconditioned Italian cusine |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
lovey, soft light gold/ beige sand... easy to walk on, and CLEAN beach
water was warm & lovely, lots of places to sun & also hide in the shade... mango trees all around provided a wonderful canopy over us on a day we so needed to rest & enjoy the breezes |
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| Other Comments |
I'd HIGHLY reccomend this resort , I cant say anything bad about it at all
the only thing we found hard to deal with was the number of peddlers, selling their wares, and they hound you on the beach, or while on tour/ excursion in Puerto Plata, the people there need to make a living & so many are selling art, jewllery, carved wooden boxes, or in town square, a lilttle boy came and gave me a yellow flower
tip tip tip - they ask if you dont...
that was the only part of hte trip which made us feel like they could ruin a lovely time.
yet knwoing they need so much.. be careful, and go with your gutt instink when you talk with them... I bouight some nice jewllery from a boy at the beach, and he was very easy to talk with... no pressure; then there are some who will tell you $250 US... for items we canget here at home at dollar store.. and pay a total of $10
they insist you wear this or that & they fill a bowl with things they want you to buy,... i certainly learned much and how to say NO.. and walk away.. strong & OK with not being taken. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
WE loved the SANTA Fe- (mexican bar& grill) - had the Chicken Fahita's and the portions were large, enjoyed also the 3 mix plate with shrimp and steak and chicken breast. this was our favoritw resteraurt a la carte; next ws the BUFFET, always good & more than plentiful, with fruits, and salads, and choice from the grill. such as porkloin, chicken breasts, fish, shrimp, pork roast, salmon, huge beef roasts, the display & garnishses were amazing... the staff -excellent & polite & always wanting to serve you more
lots of servers, friendly warm, and obliging
There is a Great resteraunt overlooking the, and it is air conditioned- serves Italian cusine, dress is nice shirts, shorts, but ladies take a sweater, or shawl... it teends to be tooo cool up there.
we had pork tenderloin, and beef tenderloin... was very good, as was the desserts....we were WOW'd again |
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| Rooms |
WE were surprized when we got an OCEAN VIEW ROOM, in Bldg 3
Kingsize bed... and warobe with lots of rooom to put away clohes, larege closet, and safe, bathroom was also a good size & the maids kept our rooom clean & adorned with fresh flowers & towel art each day; we made sure to tip here veryday & Ileft gifts for her ( perfume, soaps, candies, etc.) |
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| Your Arrival |
we arrived early in the morning around 10:30 am, such a warm wlecome & very efficient, our bags were kept secure by the front lobby watchman, and we could used the hotels resteraunts& bars, and pool while we waited for our rooms to be fully ready.
WE were greated with pineapple & Coconut drinks, and BIG WARM friendly smiles
and HOLA's....
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| Totally Awesome, Well worth every cent |
| Hotel Iberostar Dominicana |
| User Rating:
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Mike >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| May, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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The Iberostar Dominicana exceeded both mine and my wifes expectations. We traveled there for our five year anniversary, and were completely blown away at everything, especially the staff. The people work from sun up to early morning hours, and all day long are singing and dancing, while smiling the entire time.
They make you feel like there is no communication or cultural barrier. They make you feel like you are at home. From the time that we showed up, to the time we left, we were joking around and laughing with the staff and other visitors.
Jonny P. and his fellow staff members at the bar are probably the best in the world. He was awesome, and weather you leave a tip or not, you will get the royal treatment. I have read many reviews before we went that said you get better service if you tip. I would say that you get the same whether you do or not. These people treat everyone the same, and I just cant say enough good things about them. Don't get me wrong, we left tips because they definetly deserve them, but I don't want people to miss out on this experience because they think they will get poor service without tipping, you won't.
Overall, this will be the only place I ever travel in the Dominican Republic. The only problem that we had was with our local travel agent, which was our fault for booking through cheapcarribean.com. This guy was a real ass! He scheduled an appointment for our first full day there, to go over what was available to us, and offer the excursions, and stood us up, and then did it again the next day. But that has nothing to do with the hotel.
All in all, I was very impressed, and am usually not with anything.
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| Excellent all the Way , this Resort exceeded our expectations, we had a marvelous time |
| Hotel Be Live Grand Marien |
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Barrie >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| May, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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The Resort was not only clean, and grounds well kept it was beautiful beyond description. Behind the resort is Mt Issobel Torres, which overlooks Puerto Plata. The days temperatures were around 30- 40 degrees incl. humidity sunny days for teh most part of our stay- we had a few rain showers, and one evening of "torrential" downpour" unlike anything I had ever experienced, the staff took it all in stride, and provided umbrella's , and an extra glass of wine & beer while we waited for the rains to cease.
The view is breath taking, and the lay out of the resort is very walkalbe, and makes the most of all its ammenities. We always had fine service, and great food at all the resteruants. The staff was very gracious, and polite, alwasy keeping things in order. They were friendly & plesant, our room was well maintained, and each day we where graced with towel art, swans& hearts with flwoers. We left a ti0p and gifts for our maid each day ( fellow travelers had told us to bring small perfumes, and lipstick, and pantyhose, childrens vitamins, toothpaste, soaps, things that she might not be able to afford on her her meager wages.) Our miad was delighted to recieve the gifts we had brough _ i was also prpared with gits for children, toys & blow up balls... with smilie faces, and little girls jewllery, and things for their hair,.. Next time we will bring more school supplies, and ask the airline about bringing items down to give as gifts & to help families there |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
We were only there 7 days. and we had 5 day trips
1) OUTBACK SAFARI - was most excellent, intersting, informative & fun- our guide KENNY ( ask for Him) was a fountain of knowledge- and also great fun.
we toured sugard cane feilds, saw farms, visited a small school (where we took school supplies) & tasted fresh ground and brewed domincan coffee, we also visited the rural community that this OUTBACK supports, 1/2 of your fare goes to the school !
we had a great lunch at the outback headquateres, and then off to do some BOGGIE Boarding, body surfing on a very secluded beach; we also went to a mountain stream, and found a fresh water pool to swim in. that was perfect to get off the salt water. drinsk flowed freely all day & they took great care to see we were all happy & having a good time..... 5 stars!!!!!! ya
ps- your travel group wont give you this partifular tour option...
I booked all mine here online... from HOME and saved $$ and loved the freedom to choose OUR OWN TOURS
2) FREE STYLE Catamaran - what a glorious Day of Sailing and SNorkleing in Sosua Bay.. it cost us about $84 US each but well worth it for the experince of seeing thsoe incredible coloured fish.. amd corals. under the sea.again... go to the REAL DR online and book this EXCURSION. ( link provided below) you will NOT regret it
3) Puerto Plata Tours with HOLA - WE had GERMAN for our guide- excellent very knowledgeable about the history and area..... what an excellent value $37US each, the tour included:
Brugal Rum Facotry, Jewllery Factory & Store ( Bring money), then a Cigar Factory & Store; next stop Fort San Filpe, then AMber Museum, then off to the Cable Car & UP Mt Isbobel Torres. to see a great view of Puerto Plata.
there was cloud up there when we arrived at the top 300 feet up, but it did clear & I got some fabulous photos.
http://www.therealdr.com/store/puerto-plata-excursions-80/
4) DEEP Sea FSIHING --- STAY AWAY FROM **GONE FISHING** NOT a good value & no fish or service....
5) We made our own Tour on Sunday- as we hired a taxi & went to church, and sight seeing. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
Clean and lovely, very nice layout. always kept, each day grounds men were working, mowing lawns, weeding,.. keeping things beautiful.
Beach sand was a light golden brown, soft, and free from stones, or cutting shells. it was nice to walk on. the ocean was also clean & warm nice to swim in.
We enjoyed the pool, after our excursion days, to cool off & get refreshed. We also joined in some of those 4:00 O'clock pool side games.. was fun, the staff really get you to join and feel a part of a fun holiday comminity,..sometimes they dress up like caats, sharks, palm trees... and otehr tribal get ups... supperman also plays volleyball!
was fun, youthfull, and refreshing. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
There are 4 a la cartes & 1 buffet which helps to keep variety the spice of life
THe display of choices is beautiful, and a wonderful and tastey selection greeets you each day.
Sunday there is a GALA Buffet dinner, all other reseraunts are closed,
one night a week tehre is also a BBQ and Beach Party for all to enjoy.
( Unfortunately we missed that- as we were so tired from a days excursion we went to bed very early; but heard this LLUD party.. for hours...
the next day I found out just who was making that racket outside OUR bedroom balcony
it was the entire resort, all guests partied on the beach...
oh well we still had a good nights rest, next time we will join them!
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| Rooms |
The Room was spacious, and overlooked teh ocean, which was lovely, we could here the birds in the mornings, and thought the open air concept of the hallways was quite unique.
The furniture was all wood & spanish with the Oasis, palms with the theme.
clean rooms, with orange/ rust coloured cermanic tiled floors, bright yellow walls, and nice linens, and curtains.
We also appreciated teh safe provided, (you have to pay extra to get the lock & key)- but peace of mind is worth it- to keep vauables safe. |
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| Your Arrival |
Our arrival was smooth- we noticed jsut how small the airport was, it can recieve only one plane at a time, however the staff are helpful, and going through customs was noneventful, we all boarded small buses to take us to our hotels (quaint, small, bumpy little buses, with some airconditioning) and a very friendly & welcoming guide- takes you to your hotel. We enjoyed his descriptive tguided tour to our hotel which was only 20 minutes away.
Upon arrival at our hotel, the porters greeted us & helped us with our bags, which nede to stay in a secure area until our offical check in time. WE had about 5 hours to enjoy the the resort, before our rooms were ready for occupancy. We learned alter from others to give a tip $10-$20 US and presto you WILL have a room... ( so we will keep that in mind for next time)
the POOL was lovely as was the beach, clean and free from litter.
WE were also greeted by a young gentleman in WHITE- we learned alter on that these "folks" are hired to bring you to the VIP area, where you are given the opportunity to sign and pay into a resort vacation program, and get better room rates & deals.
Our friendly "pal" met us almost daily.... and called us his borhter & sista from a differnt mother - how cute!... he made us feel warmly welcomed, and he wanted us to have a plesant stay. |
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| Amazing vacation, can't wait to go back! |
| Hotel Majestic Elegance Punta Cana |
| User Rating:
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Jen >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| May, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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Group
My husband and myself (mid – late 20s), my parents and my aunt & uncle (late 50s)
We had a great time and would go back in a heartbeat. My husband and I are already talking about next year’s trip!! I would recommend the ME to anyone looking for a nice, relaxing vacation with a little sun and a little fun.
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| The Michael Jackson show was awesome, it really is an amazing show and I highly recommend it. We also saw the circus act too, it wasn’t bad, something to kill the time. We would usually hang out at the lobby bar or over at the sports bar at the MC. The bartender at the sports bar was obsessed with the Red Sox so it was funny to watch her reaction to the games. We did have some issues with one of the bartenders at the lobby bar, he would continually ignore us, didn’t matter what night it was or who in the group went up to order. We have no idea what his issue was. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| The place is gorgeous, I was absolutely amazed when I walked in to the lobby and saw everything. The place blew me away. It was exactly what I expected and more; marble floors, huge chandeliers, nice comfy chairs in the lobby. The grounds were just as beautiful. The pool and beach were fantastic, no problems getting chairs at either. I noticed a lot of people from the Club at the regular pool though, not sure why they wouldn’t use their own pool. The pool and beach bars were great. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| The food is what I expected for an all-inclusive. The buffet for breakfast and lunch was good, by the end of the week I was a little sick of it but there was nothing to complain about. We absolutely loved Asadito, 9 Doors and the See and Sea, good food, good service. The Gourmand was rather mediocre, food bland and service not so good. We wanted to order a bottle of wine so the waitress said the Sommelier would come over. He finally came over to take our order when our second course came out. The Italian was pretty good, nothing fantastic but nothing bad either. Overall we liked the food and really had no complaints. |
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| Rooms |
| We stayed in the standard room not in the Club section. The room was great, marble floors, king size four post bed, Jacuzzi in the room, the square toilette was a little strange as was it being separated from the rest of the room by a glass door. I do wish there was a dresser of some sort and not just shelves in the closet but it wasn’t a big deal. |
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| Your Arrival |
| We had no issues getting the hotel, were greeted with a cold face cloth and a drink. We were there 2 hours before check in so we knew the rooms wouldn’t be ready but we were able to check in and get our bracelets, had some issues with the room though. When we booked with a travel agent we requested that our rooms be together and we also sent an email 2 weeks before left asking again to have rooms together. They give us our rooms and my parents are no where near the rest of us, so they ask for a closer room and are given one down the hall from my husband and me. We all go to our rooms after killing time at lunch and having a drink in the lobby. My parents go into their room and there are twin beds! Needless to say they were not happy. The front desk tells them there aren’t any rooms left, my dad finally talks to a manager later that night and she gets them a room the next day with a king bed and close to the rest of us. Luckily everything else for the week went smoothly. |
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| Don't expect too much. |
| Hotel Tryp Cayo Coco |
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Sandra >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| May, 2010 | Leisure | With friend
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4 stars to all staff. Always smiling doing their best to keep clients happy.
It's obvious the Melia chain is neglectful during the low season.
For instance the quiet bar is closed leaving adults no area to spend a quiet evening and no drinks nor coffee offered at the Italian and Oriental restaurants. No music. We sit, eat and leave. And we don't eat that well.
The water below the main lobby bar should be cleaned and covered. It's ugly and it stinks. I don't understand, as it cannot be a main attraction but repulsive.
The waiters, with embarassement, had a shortage of juice, straws, drinking glasses, coffee, milk, amaretto, etc..
What could they do? It's not their fault, but some folks don't understand that the Hotel management is to blame.
No fumigation, lots of mosquitoes. Cutting down some more..
The food, everywhere was awful and we know that no matter how much we complain it will never change.
Generally the bars and tables were always dirty.
Would not recommend this hotel. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
Okay.
Beach not clean. Water amazing. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
Dirty.
Food, Cuban standard: Bad |
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| Rooms |
| Clean. |
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| Your Arrival |
| Quick check-in. |
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| Best holiday i hav eva bin on in mi life !!! :) |
| Hotel Celuisma Tropical Playa Dorada |
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Danielle >
1 contribution(s) United Kingdom |
| May, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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it was brilliant, i neva wanted 2 leave, the staff were the funniest people i hav eva met and the kindedest. the food was exceptional every nite and there is a wide variety too. the swimming pool was really refreshin n clear !! sensational !! it is gorgous weather every day, the beach was the whitest, softest, best sand you had ever walked along. the sea was as clear as glass and stretched as far as the eye can see.The rooms were cleaned thurally every day and were spotless, the beds where the comfiest i had ever slept on, the flour was clean and crisp. the tv was quite large, lots of wardrobe space and the bathrooms were spotless.the entertainment was excellent and every nite was different shows and performances and the last nite show was exceptional.
i would recoment this hotel to everyone and i would go again in a minute.
the only thing i would say is that dont go there just for a week because it is 2 far to travel for just 7 days so i recomend goin for 2 weeks insted, but overall it is the BEST EVA !!!!!!!!!! |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| the day trips were exceptional and i would advise you to go on them all, also there is a wide range of acitvities to do in the grounds including a spa, golf, tinnis, gym and many more. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| the pool was cleaned every nite and was cool and calm, they hav a seprate bit in the pool incase you want to have a game of vollyball and the staff regualy hosted games during the day. there is also a mini pool where your youngsters can go and make friends. also round the bak of the tennis courts there is a jaquzzi where you can chill. the beache was raked every morning so it looked clean and inviting every day, the sea was as clear as glass and relaxing. the grounds were simple to find your way around and spacious. |
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| Other Comments |
| all i can say is that i would recomend this hotel to everyone and i would deffintly go bak there agen !!!x big thumbs up :) xx |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| food was exceptional every nite and there was a choice of quite alot of bars to attend, otherwise go to the buffay witch was top standed every nite. the bar staff and waiters are very friendly and helpfull and the drinks were chilled and refreshing. |
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| Rooms |
| everything about the rooms were top class !! do i need 2 say any more ?!!! x |
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| Your Arrival |
| arrival was teriffic, you get the blast from the heat as soon as you get off the plane but you soon get used to it. the baggs came quite quick and the trollies were free so that was good. it is very easy to find your was around and the staff tell exactally were 2 go and reach your coach, it is very straight forward. |
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| Loved our stay at the Natura Park Resort. |
| Hotel Blau Natura Park Eco-Resort |
| User Rating:
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Gary >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| May, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| My husband and I stayed at Natura Park Resort for 7 nights. We have nothing bad to say about this resort. Everyone was very helpful and attended to our every need. Even though we speak or understand very little spanish we had no problem with a language barrier. We will go back to this resort in the future. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
We went on the Marinarium reef tour where we snorkled an swam with the stingrays and nurse sharks. We were able to hold and have a picture taken with a very large stingray. The entertainment crew on the boat were great.
It was well worth the money and time, very entertaining.
We would and did recommend this tour to other people.
There was always something to do day or night. The hotel entertainers were great and worked very hard to keep every age group busy. The best show at night in the resort was the Michael Jackson show. Karoke night was a lot of fun for all ages. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| The pool and the area around the pool was very clean and beautiful. We never had a problem getting chairs at the beach or pool. The beach was just beautiful and pick up and very clean every morning. Plenty of towels available. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| There was plenty of food to choose from for every meal at the buffet. The specialy restaurant was great (seafood). Everyone was always smiling and trying to help you if you needed it. Plenty of bars never had to wait very long to get a drink. We got to know about three bar tenders and one very specail waitress that just kept the drinks coming. |
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| Rooms |
| Our room was great very clean, the air conditioning worked great and the room was very spacus. The maids very polite and did a beautiful job of cleaning the room. |
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| Your Arrival |
| We flew in from Ohio on USA 3000 and had no problem with the flight. They only problem was the airline should have had the forms to fill out on the plane for getting into the country. It was very crowded at the counters with everyone trying to fill out the forms at one time. |
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| beautiful swimming beach/well maintained restaurants/lovely staff |
| Hotel Gaviota Playa Pesquero |
| User Rating:
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kenneth >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| May, 2010 | Business | Solo
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| I have been returning to this hotel every year since it opened in 2004,it is almost my home away from home, the staff are lovely people, respectful and pleasant, always willing to satisfy. Especially beautiful is the swimming beach with almost no wave action, almost a lagoon with transparent water 100 ft off the surf line 10 to 15 ft deep. (There is also a small sheltered bay near the river, but sand flies can sometimes be a problem there.Don't lie on bare sand!!!!).
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| Arrival |
| There is usually a cocktail reception on arrival, but as the bar is also in the very large and beautiful reception area, there are many varieties of cocktail that the barmen will be happy to make for you!!!! |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
beatiful large pool with swim-up bar, comfortable lounge chairs and sun shelters. An exercise gym also contains a jacouzi pool.Lots of pool activities.
The vegetation is beautiful once again,(3 yrs after the hurricane Ike passed through),many palms have been replanted. |
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| Other Comments |
| The hotel is especially popular for marriage ceremonys, and welcoming parents with small children with open arms.There are organised baby-sitting/playing to give the parents a rest!!!!, and private baby sitting can be obtaines too I believe. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| Very good variety in the restaurants, for the ladies who like to dress-up at least once for a special night the Romantica restaurant is a favourite. The buffet resto is very good too, as is also the pool resto for lunch which is very clean.Five "a la carte" restos are on the grounds with wine service. |
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| Rooms |
| The rooms are large and spacious with a well equipped bathroom, (bidet and hair dryer and 110v plug-in). Repeat clients also receive an upgrade from a standard to a superior room. There is a TV, a dial-in security box and a small refrigerator in the room, plus coffee machine and ironing board with iron. The bar is refreshed every day with bottled water, beer and soft drinks at no charge. |
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| Terrific Vacation By Far |
| Hotel Melia Caribe Tropical |
| User Rating:
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RICK AND LINDA >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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My wife and I departed from Ottawa,Canada on March 20th,2010 and stayed at the Melia Caribe for 2 weeks.
Our flight was very good with Canjet and we arrived at the resort at 11:30 in the morning.
No problems checking in as everone was very friendly and very helpful.Our room was indeed ready by 3 p.m. and our luggage was brought to the room before we could get in.We ended up at the Market Place restaurant for lunch and they had a very good assortment of food for everyone's taste.Food was excellent,well cooked and presented in a very distinctive fashion.
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
Golf course near by was very good.I was picked up every morning at 6:35 for my 7:00 tee-off time.
Worth the 37 dollars american for the power cart,very nice and challenging 27 hole course. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| Pool was cleaned daily,grounds are very nice and tidy.beach was cleaned every morning from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. |
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| Other Comments |
This resort is definitely a 4 and 3 quarter star in our books.
We will more than likely go back in the near future. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
Restaurants are very nice and have a good assortment for everyone including families with young children.
We met Julio and Johnny at the Avenue bar and they treated us like royalty. of the best bartenders that I have encountered on all of our trips.They both make GREAT mohitos.
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| Rooms |
Rooms were very clean with lots of hot running water for the shower.
Safe in the room is a nice added touch But should be included in the price.It was worth the 28 dollar charge though for the 2 weeks. |
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| Your Arrival |
Well greeted at the airport,no problems finding our transportation to the hotel.
Check in was a breeze,people were very helpful and friendly |
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| Complain |
| Hotel Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya Resort |
| User Rating:
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Mark >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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| Just came from Sirenis.Nice resort.Good food and beach,only problem Premium Travelers club.Stay away from this people. |
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| Wanna Bang for the Peso ! ( Kinda Short but Sweet ) -- > SuperClubs-Breezes-Jibacoa CUBA |
| Hotel Breezes Jibacoa |
| User Rating:
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The Derry's >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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Travelled from Gander, NL., Canada on the 31st of March 2010 and flew out of Cuba on the 7th of April 2010.
I used a very good agent at a.buckle@tpi.ca who was patient and found us a very good deal & resort combination.
Sunwing was beyond our expectations. Flights ahead of schedule both south and northbound, great onboard staff, meals, ammenities and on the ground resort personel available 6 days a week to address any concerns. Takes a private airline to set the benchmark eh?
Super resort 4.5 / 5 and very good value for the $$ money. No kids under 14 years of age permitted. It only has 250 rooms thus no line ups or crush of people for a beach chair, meals, drink, etc.
This resort is not on the Varadaro peninsula. In fact, it is west of Varadaro in "Jibacoa Bay" (on north side of Cuba aprox 80 miles south of Miami. Also known for some of the best coral reef snokeling)about 1 hr by comfortable air conditioned full size charter bus from the airport. That suited us just fine, a resort ~ with privacy. The captial of Cuba - Havana - is only 1 hr away, again west, from this resort which we found convenient for excursions. One gets to see the country side enroute to exploring Cuba!
* If you want to party like stray dog or cat ~ this place is not for you *
Relax to the max or pedal to your own speed ~ and hit the bunk by 11PM or 2 AM (if you enjoy the disco)then you've found it ~
Good food, clean rooms, beverages of ones' choice, safe enviroment, and varied clientele. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
We, as a family or four with two teenage boys 18&16, had a grand time at this resort. They boys bumped into some Albertan male buddies, were maintenance free and us secure in them being safe / well-behaved for our stay. They attended the nightly outdoors theatre shows with us that were put off by the resort @ 9:10 PM to 10:30 PM, and then slinked into the disco to socialize, sans parents,afterward.
As parent were never concerned about thier safety on the resort or swimming. Most here are Canucks and look out for each other I must say!
#1 two boys did resort scuba diving x2 $30 each for 1.5 hours , #2 my wife and I had a massage $20 each for 1/2 hour each, and #3 did a hike up a mountain (free by from resort), the base of which the resort is situated upon.
#4 We all did an excursion to Havana by taxi vs a bus and the driver walked us around old/new Havana/huge flea market, spoke good English and had an exceptional knowledge of his countries history. Regretably, I've got my doubts most Canadians could recite a similar history lesson. He could also press the flesh to get us bumped up in a lineup in this busy city. It cost 4 of us $70 peso's total or about $100 bucks CDN - we left at 8:30 AM and home at 5:30 PM ~ awesome. Just enquire around.
#5 I rented one 2-seater scooter on the resort for about $15 for three hours and booted around at my own speed. Went to St. Cruz nearby and took photo's of that small town about 20 km west of the resort. A photographers ~ mecca.
#6 We did the Costa Blanca catamaran excursion, the only excursion we went through the Sunwing representative to book. We did the $69 dollar tour to just "watch a dolphin show" (don't pay double to swim with dolphin's unless you choose) At 7:45 AM the bus departed from our resort to the Varadaro peninsula, a nice air conditioned drive to get there, only 1 hr, but scenic . At 9:00 AM we left Varadero peninsula on the catarman and steamed to set anchor at 10:45 AM and did some group snorkeling. All equipment provided but if you have your snorkeling gear bring it will save you "water time" ! Lots of room for gear/kit bags on board. How big ? we are talking a 64' boat here folks ~ no slouch of a craft. All drinks, free. At about 1:30 PM we arrived at Waterworld, an island, where we docked and swam in the whitest, warmest of beaches, shopped at a market set up for the day and had lunch; lobster, crab, chicken, favorite beverage, ~ again fill your boots.
A very good tour and good value.
Again, you could do all of the above, some of it or, none of it ~ tasters choice :) |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
Clean, large pool and two jacuzzi tubs on the same deck.
Grounds are tended to daily by ground personnel so no coconuts fall on YOUR 'coconut'. No issues. |
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| Other Comments |
Bring stuff for the kids and adults........
Cubans love baseball hats, esp., the one with the ProFit head band. These folks (from walking to the gereatric ward) practice baseball with everything from a junk of palm tree and a rock, to a bat and ball, if fortunate enough.
Also medicine (and oddly disposable diapers) are very expensive or not attainable. I regret not bringing more "stuff", giving money is one thing but despite that Cubans often cannot attain what they "need"
My suggestion, when you have your next visit with your family physician, ask for few/bag full of the sample pharmacutical products that medical pracitioners get from drug representatives and take them to Cuba. Check the visitor site, one is only allowed 10, get this, "kilograms" per person.
Since our stay was over the Easter break, and Cubans are Catholic, my wife brought down Easter Bunnies and on the moped tour we went to the hardest spots (not crime ridden - very little crime/drugs in Cuba)stopped and gave out items to the kids. Not one melted !
The DERRY's - NFLD
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| Restaurants and Bars |
Buffet - great.
Most evening there is musical entertainment. These groups could easliy be cover bands in Canada and amass a small fortune. The breakfast egg omelettes are remarkable (with or without the yolk). Full variety of hot/cold food, soup, fruit, if you can't get it here ~ stay home and eat TV dinners.
Beach bar - wicked fries (I like them crispy, cheese burgers x2 or x3 patties, chicken & pizza - fill your boots - justifies the selection of no egg yolk at breakfast, see ? )
Both the Italian and Cuban restaurants are good and formal in the sense of a dining experience. With two teenage boys, or big eaters, don't expect to "dine and dash" You are entitled to visit each only once in your 7 day stay.
If I had to pay out of pocket what my two 'seagull' sons ate during the week at this resort ~ I would be a pauper. |
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| Rooms |
Cleaned daily.
Again are clean, modern, comforable (for the time spent in them) and a good night sleep after a day in the hot Cuban sun. Rooms have a key locking safe, small fridge 2'x2'x2', a hairdryer, and a converter from 220Volts to CDN voltage, all provided free. TV's are on satelitte 20+ channels.
NFLD'ers even get NTV news on channel #36 ~ daily. |
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| Your Arrival |
I made 2 boo boo's ... #1 I failed to heed the previous posts and did not bring a thermal mug for beverages. A MUST have, for both hot and esp., cold beverages. Saves repeated trips back and forth to the bar. Beer / hard drinks come in a 6 oz plastic cup on each endless serving. Oh, and for smokers (I am not) cigarettes are .60 cents a pack. No tax on anything, the sticker is what you pay.
#2 Take a hoodie/fleece or 3 season jacket and long pants/sweats for the nightly outdoor stage performances on the resort. You won't want to miss them ! Evenings, despite being a low of 18C, with the wind and your sun burn can feel cool. Ironically enough ~ have a fall outfit at the ready and in your suitcase if you want to be comfortable and enjoy a cold beverage at the same time.
Nice to know :
If you are a 'face cloth' person (we were not) you will need to bring your own, only towels of the standard size (ample) are provided. |
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| Great as usual |
| Hotel Gran Ventana Beach Resort |
| User Rating:
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Alec >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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| Booked through itravel2000, price was fair to good. Flight was with Nolitour / Skyservice. They changed our flight from Fri 06:20 AM to Sat 3:40 PM, I was given the option to cancel with refund, I did and a good thing as Skyservice went under. I had re booked with Air Canada, flight was good, however, nothing free on the flight except a glass of juice. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
Night Entertainment is good, however, I've seen better.
Snorkeling very good in front of the resort.
Lots of Tour's and plenty to choose from. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| Great |
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| Other Comments |
| Great all around resort. Very good experince and will recommend to others and will return. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
Food has to be the best I've tasted in 8 trips to the D.R. All the A la Carte's are good;
Octopus - Caribbean
Ocean Grill - Everything on the grill
Sapore di mare - Italian |
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| Rooms |
| No problem with rooms. Maid service was good and room cleaned daily. Everything in the room worked. Water is in large bottles so bring a smaller one to top as required. |
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| Your Arrival |
| Arrived at 8:30 PM, check in was fast and rooms were ready. |
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| We loved this resort!!! |
| Hotel Barcelo Punta Cana |
| User Rating:
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Kirinda >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| We loved this resort. Just big enough, not too big. Loved that it was right on the beach (BEAUTIFUL beach). The food was great. Didn't really get to know the staff, not like in Cuba. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| Did the sharks & rays snorkling tour-absolutely fantastic!!! |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| Fantastic beach-very big and clean! Lots of chairs and shade if you wanted it. Pools were great, big, clean and not too crowded. Loved the lounge chairs that were built right in the pool. Grounds were clean and well kept. |
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| Other Comments |
| This was the first time in Punta Cana for us. We are going back next year!!! |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
Great food at all restaurants. Bars were plentiful! The bars were busy- it was spring break for college students too-aughhhhh!
We were very pleased to discover that our a-la-carte restaurants were already booked for us-very convenient! |
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| Rooms |
| We were told that most people choose to upgrade to the prestige class rooms for an additional fee-we didn't feel the need to. Our room was great. We had a 4th floor room which had a vaulted ceiling-nice and roomy feeling. |
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| Your Arrival |
| We arrived late-after midnight. Check in was quick and easy. We were happy to find that snacks and drinks were still available-fried chicken and chips!YUMMY! |
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| Cheaper than hotels, but a fairly poor location and so-so maintenance and quality. |
| Hotel Villa Tropical |
| User Rating:
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Maurice >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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First off some facts:
1) This is a place you go to with a family or larger group.
2) One needs to rent a car for your stay, or this location is totally useless.
It is several blocks to the closest grocery store, and a few kilometers to any beaches.
Punta (Downtown Willemstad tourist area) is over 5km away.
There are few or no cabs, and bus transit is fairly minimal.
The closest beaches are at the Sea Aquarium and Jan Thiel, both of which are about 4km away.
3) This is not so good for larger group of adults, as 4 of the 5 bedrooms are very small. Only the master bedroom is an "adult" bedroom.
If you are traveling as 2 adults with 2 to 4 children or teens this could be a good choice.
I suppose if the group was all adults who are into partying it might be a pretty good place, as one basically never sees the neighbours.
4) The electrical power usage allowance and damage deposit ( as has been reported by others) WILL be a problem. Being aware in advance we watched this closely. There is no way one may stay within the allocation if you use ANY air conditioning. More detail on this follows.
5) For those who are trying to find this place on a map, it is the Salina district, on a corner lot, on the intersection of Anasaweg and Carawaraweg, 3 blocks south of Caracasbaaiweg.
The address is 14 Anasaweg.
6) Privacy is better than hotels or other more commercial accomodation.
Yard maintenance:
Almost non-existent. There are fallen branches and foliage everywhere, and it is very messy. As the island is quite dry, watering is needed to maintain a garden, and as that costs money, one may easily surmise that is not happening!
The garden here is dying. It's a pity, as it must have been very nice at one time.
Towards the end of our stay it rained for a couple of days, and one could then begin to see what it might look like if properly watered, as we finally saw some flowers on the plants. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
There is one supermarket a few blocks away, and it is fairly good.
There are pharmacies, gasoline/petrol stations and other similar amenities stores within a few blocks.
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
Swimming Pool
This is one bright spot in the picture. Clean, well maintained and very kid-friendly.
Just out the gate from the converted car park.
There are several lounge chairs, a picnic table, and a Weber charcoal barbeque.
There is also a big comfy hammock, but as birds perch and nest in the tree over it, this is covered in bird droppings.. Pity.
The car parking area is accessed through powered double gates. There is a remote control provided for this. Unfortunately, while we were there one of the 2 gates broke down, so we had to manually get out and push it each time we came and went.
Privacy:
The neighbours are very unobtrusive. We did not see or hear them during our stay. The yard is fenced and quite private.
Noise:
The property is on a fairly busy street and there is quite a bit of traffic noise.
The neighbours have dogs, and these tend to bark frequently and loudly. They are big dogs.
Insects and pests:
When we first arrived we were greeted by many singing birds, and in the yard friendly geckos and lizards.
We also had many very large cockroaches in the house. Over a couple of days I was able to hunt them all down. However, within those couple of days the children were a bit scared to use a bathroom!
The one thing that was sorely missed is screens on the windows.
Curacao is blessed with some really nice steady breezes, and it should have been really a pleasure to open all the windows and let the wind cool the house.
Unfortunately you will see I said "should have".
In reality the mosquitos are quite aggressive, and if one is to pass a night without waking up covered in bites and welts, it pays to keep the windows and doors all closed and make sure the mosquitos do not enter. So much for the breezes.
You see, there are no screens anywhere on windows and doors.
And there are no mosquito nets in the bedrooms.
Bed bugs - One of the smaller bedrooms had the beds infested with bed bugs.
When our 9 year old woke one morning, she was covered in itchy, red, swollen bites.
I inspected her bedding and found bed bugs on the folds of the mattress seams.
I went to a local pet store, and purchased some pet insect spray, and stripped the beds and everything else in that room. After that, and freshly washed bedding, the bugs no longer bit our little girl.
When I brought it up with the property manager, he informed me he had never heard of bedbugs (and you could tell he thought I was making this up!).
♠
Water supply
There is very little water pressure. As a result things like washing dishes, for example, is a bit tricky.
Hot water only worked sporadically.
The water supply failed for most of a day. The maintenance trucks were to be seen fixing this.
When the water worked again it was rusty and dirty for a day. |
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| Other Comments |
In summary:
This is a reasonably comfortable house, in a decent, but not luxurious neighbourhood.
Noise is an issue, due to it being on a fairly busy street.
The management do a fairly good job, but tend to respond more to complaints than to pro-actively deal
with problems.
If one is travelling with 4 to 8 people, it may be a better or more economical solution that resort hotel rooms. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
There are very few restaurants or bars close by.
Those that are around are mostly local Papiementu places, and not so "family friendly".
The closest thing to a family restaurant we found was a bar and grill called Larrys Place.
It is about 2 km from the house.
While it looks much like the typical American restaurant, we went there for lunch once, and the staff were totally clueless.
One meal was supposed to come with corn on the cob: No corn.
One diner asked for a side salad. When the meal was served there was no salad, and when we inquired we were told they had no salad.
One meal was a pasta and shrimp dish. It was ordered by our young teenage girl. She complained, and, at first, my wife and I thought she was just being fussy, which is not terribly unusual.
When my wife looked at it, she noticed a smell: The shrimp were completely bad, and smelled rotten!
We left rather immediately, and after my family was out of the door,
I brought this to the attention of the staff, who basically did not really care about it.
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| Rooms |
Amenities:
The kitchen and rooms are reasonably well equipped.
While there is a decent set of cookware, and items for eating, one must also be prepared to buy any and all consumables. That means toilet paper, food, cooking staples, cleaning substances, etc.
The kitchen has a fairly good gas top and a 2 element electric top.
There is a dishwasher that is broken down, a microwave and coffee maker that works, and the usual things such as a toaster, etc.
There is a clothes washer and dryer, and they are fairy decent quality.
However we did not use the dryer as that would certainly have driven our electricity bill out of sight.
Luckily there is a great clothesline tree in the back yard, so drying was no problem, except for when it rains, of course.
If one wants to lounge in the evenings, there is very limited furniture, nothing in the way of comfortable couches or recliners. However there are 3 separate dining tables! One that is in a converted car parking space, that seats 10!
But no couches or comfortable chairs..
Basically it looks like they furnished this place with the remnants of a couple of auctions.
Internet: There is a DSL connection and modem provided. No WIFI.
I brought my own WIFI router as I had heard this in advance.
The DSL modem died 4 times. They were quite good about replacing it, generally within a day.
The speed of the service is VERY slow.
Do not plan on watching your favorite TV shows from the internet!
Even Skype calls were noticeably choppy.
Speaking of TV, there is a satellite receiver and a 29" tube TV and a DVD player.
the channels available are mostly US and S.American networks for the central and S. american market. Many are in English, with Spanish subtitles.
Some of the more common channels are available, such as CNN, Fox, etc.
No BBC, US networks, European, or other stations.
Several specialty cable/satellite channels such as Cartoon Network are there.
It is a bit of a mixed bag, but overall not too bad.
Do not expect to keep up with your favorite series and you should likely be fine.
It is suitable for keeping some kids entertained in the evenings when there is little else to do. |
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| Your Arrival |
When we arrived it was quite clean, except for some cockraches , which were easy to catch and remove.
Cleaning and maintenance was Minimal.
We stayed for 2 weeks. They came and cleaned once, after were there for 4 days.
Over the next 10 days there was no cleaning and no change of sheets , towels, or bedding.
We asked them to pick us up a few groceries for our arrival, which they did. |
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| awakening |
| Hotel Brisas Guardalavaca |
| User Rating:
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joe >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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| This place was truly heaven for my familt and me the people are amazing that was most important. As well i found that the people visiting this resort were amazing i look forward to seeing my friends there again soon VIVA Cuba lol |
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| better than expected |
| Hotel Sunset Beach Resort & Spa |
| User Rating:
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alain >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| Second time in Jamaica, first time at Sunset Beach Resort. Will definitely come hear again. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
We walked a couple of times off the resort and down the road. About a twenty minutes walk you will see a shopping centre to your left hand side of the road. Souvenir shops with good prices. Cruise ships disembark nearby. Taxis come by steady to see if you need a ride.
We also went into Montego Bay(Hip Strip). With AirCanada we booked a tour into the city for 10$ U.S. each. there was four of us. Our driver was very friendly gentleman. He drove us to three different areas. One was up on the hill overlooking the bay, the other was at the Hip Strip(shops and restaurants also the Margaritaville.) There is a free shuttle from the resort to Margaritaville, but it is in the evening. Good for the Bar seen and late shopping. And the last spot was like a small village of shops. Our drive was in no rush and let us make the schedule.
All four of us just wanted to do a little shopping and then back to the Beach. Our driver was very informative and a Joy to talk with. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
Lets start with the Beaches; The beach was very good for snorkelling, lots to see, specially in the morning. The sea was very calm. Make sure to see the sun set and get your pictures taken. If you like long walks on the beach, not the place for it, limited. We walked also off the resort and down the road, past some good shopping near the port for cruise ships.
Now the pools: Lots of room at the different pools. We spent a lot of time at the 'themed water park' that features water slides and lazy river. (be prepared for lots of Sun)
The Grounds; very nice with many plants and different trees, Banana trees and see if you can find the Ackee Tree but do not touch its fruit, could make you sick. Lots of free space on this resort, nice. Grounds are very well keep, and a joy to the eye. |
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| Other Comments |
We have traveled much over the years and try to enjoy the differences a Country has to offer. Jamaica has a very calming effect for us. The Sunset Beach Resort is an all around excellent place for a vacation, couples, families, singles, Young and old will all find a special spot to enjoy at this resort. Take the time to talk with the Jamaicans you meet, they will bless you. Oh yes, on your walks near the shops in the city they will ask you to "take a look in my shop", if you have the time take a fast look and say Thanks, they will be blest. And if you don't have the time a simple "not today" works.
If you like a little Jamaican History and information go to tea time. The piano player will bless you. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
Main buffet; excellent choice of food and lots of tables(resort was full capacity). Friendly servers, always willing to help and chit-chat.
Italian restaurant; Very good, again the servers went out of there way to see that we were having a good vacation.
Asian restaurant: very good
Sunset Grill; Snacks, Chicken, burgers... Very good
All Bars easy to get yourself served. |
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| Rooms |
| We were to have a lagoon view room in one of the towers, at the check in we were told that we have a guest room suit. I did not know of the two guest room areas(Beach Inn) near the water park and Italian restaurant. Nice surprise. Room was very comfortable. Staff excellent. |
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| Your Arrival |
Modern Airport.
Arrival to the resort was very fast, only two other couples in the shuttle bus.
Check in and out very simple.
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| First visit, but not the last. |
| Hotel Occidental Royal Hideaway Ensenachos |
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D >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| My wife and another couple visited this resort recently and it met all our expectations. The resort was beautiful and very friendly. We are going to book again for next year. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| The spa was great too. My wife has a massage and pedicure and said it was the best she had had. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| There are two beach areas that were amazing and both were great for snokeling. One has a sunken barge to explore and the other has a reef to explore. we spent several hours at both seeing many species of beautiful fish. |
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| Other Comments |
| Believe it or not, we had no complaints at all about the resort. It was everything we were looking for. On a side note the only complaint was the French-Canadians that were there. Everyone there was so friendly and would say hi except them unless you spoke french to them. It wasn't just us, others made this observation too. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| There are 4 restaurants and we tried three of them. We very quickly made friends with several waiters/waitresses and had excellant service. They couldn't do enough for you. I been to Cuba in the past and I wasn't expecting much in the way of food, however the food was excellant. And the bars were fully stocked. |
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| Rooms |
| The rooms were very spacious and clean. Maids visited twice a day and even left poems and notes. |
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| Most Beautiful Resort ...What More Can I Say !!! |
| Hotel Gran Bahía Príncipe Cayo Levantado |
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Sharon >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2010 | Leisure | With Group
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| My Husband & I along with two other Couples spent a week at the Gran Bahia Principe Cayo Levantado. It is one of the most Beautiful Resorts we have been to. A 5* for sure. No complaints!! Great Food ..Great Service and a beautiful Island. I read all of the reviews before leaving and have no idea where some of the complaints came from . We couldn't have been treated better.Would love to return again soon |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| The Best !!! |
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| Other Comments |
| Overall Very Satisfactory!!! |
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