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| NH Real Arena |
NH Real Arena: NH Real Arena Reviews |
| Total User's Score 4.4
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By Occasion... |
By Traveller Type... |
| Based on 60 reviews |
| Excellent |
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23 |
| Very good |
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32 |
| Average |
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4 |
| Poor |
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0 |
| Terrible |
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2 |
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| Family |
1 |
| With Group |
4 |
| With Spouse/Partner |
9 |
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| Great Honeymoon |
| 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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| 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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| 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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| 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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| 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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| 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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| 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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| NH Real Arena...NH Really Amazing |
| NH Real Arena |
User Rating:
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Diane >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| Overall for the price we paid we were very pleased with NH Real. We booked "Le Mirage" through transat holidays with our Travel Agent at tripcentral in Bedford, NS. Didn't see the need to upgrade to "Conceirge". Although we would upgrade to the NH Royal (adults only) if we return here. We are a married couple, aged 50 & 55. This trip was all about rest & relaxation. I booked NH Real because the beach and rooms sounded great (and they were). Here is our detailed review of the NH Real Arena: |
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| Your Arrival |
We departed Halifax on Friday April 2 at 6:45am on Canjet. Flight uneventful and arrived at PUJ airport on time. Passed in our Immigration cards and got our passports stamped at the airport counter, through security...then unto pick up our luggage. Wait wasn't very long. Boarded the bus and enjoyed the short daytime ride to resort (only 20 minutes).
The entrance to the resort is very plain and minimalistic. The inside lobby is quite dark with all of the dark colours and wood. Very Zen looking with incense burning most of the time. We rather liked it....the clean, open, spacious feel. If you like a rustic, jungle-type property....this isn't it.
Having booked "Le Mirage" we were able to access the private Paradise Club Lounge. We checked in there actually. They offer a small bar, coffee, water, soft drinks, fruit, sandwiches, snacks, a nice seating area, internet access and always had staff on hand to assist. We arrived around noon and our room wasn't ready, so we changed and headed to the beach...Wow! After a look around and a cold drink we checked on our room status again and it was ready at 1:00 for us...so off we went with the porter and our luggage.
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| Rooms |
I had emailed the NH Real one week before we arrived requesting a poolview room. I never received a response back from them but we did get our poolview room. We were Room # 2143. The Punta Cana building, ground floor, Rm. 43. Very well appointed rooms with a nice big shower, separate toilet area with a frosted glass door, large whirlpool tub and the "infamous" hole-in-the-wall....it was a non-issue for us. I enjoyed soaking in the tub and watching TV at the same time. Adequate drawer & closet space. The safe is free. Iron came in handy twice. We did bring along extra hangers since you don't get many. We packed facecloths but they do have them....the maid finally gave us some after a few days.
Room had a king bed (very firm), 3 pillows, a small sofa, coffee table, armchair, bureau with 4 drawers, desk & chair, 2 nightstands with drawers.
We thought the rooms were spacious. There is a terrace outside. Rooms do have coffee makers. Mini fridge stocked daily with beer, Coke, Coke Lite, Sprite & water.
The only issue we had with our room was mosquitos coming in when housekeeping was cleaning. The slippers provided made a good flyswatter....lol! No big deal but I think an upper floor would be better! |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
We mostly used the Festival Buffet for our meals. Selection was quite good. Yummy omelets for breakfast. Lots of fresh fruit available at all mealtimes. I was pleased to see plenty of salad veggies. Usually had 2 types of lettuce, arugula, ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded carrtots & beets, onions etc.
Carving stations had turkey, fish, ham etc. Had grilled shrimp a few times. They had nice stuffed baked potatoes one night. Lots of hot vegetables.
We thought the bread was very good. Nice dessert selection and ice cream. The service in the buffet was very good. But we found the staff very friendly and helpful.
We usually lunched at the Beach Restaurant. They have a large BBQ grill set up everyday outside offering chicken, beef, fish, fried rice etc. Inside they have hamburgers, hot dogs, assorted meats, veggies, salad & desserts. It is best to go early when they open at noon...it is hard to find a table at around 2 when it is busiest. Somedays I just made up hamburgers and wrapped them in napkins to take back to our beach chairs.
We only booked 2 a la carte restaurants. The Shore Grill - fair-good. We had the shrimp wrapped in bacon and the ribeye. The meal starts with an appetizer of nachos & a few chicken wings. Tasted ok but never warmer than room temperature. Other folks we talked to said the same. I think they must prepare them ahead of time and just serve them 'as is'. Then came a ceasar salad...good but had at least qtr. cup of dressing poured on top of it. Even asked for dressing 'on the side' but still received the salad the same way.
The shrimps were good but the ribeye was quite fatty. It tasted good...you just had to cut off all the fat first. It came with a baked potatoe.
Dessert was a small cheesecake topped with a brownie & white chocolate decoration....very good. There is definate room for improvement at the Shore Grill Restaurant.
Our second restaurant choice was the Asian-Tapanki - Good. We were seated at the cooking station and enjoyed the sushi, fried crispy onions & soup as an appetizer. The busboy was over-enthusiastic and absconded with my husbands soup and onions....we light-heartedly teased him when he returned and laughed it off. The main course was fried rice with egg & veggies, shrimp, chicken & beef...all good. We then were ushered to a large table for a dessert of fried ice cream. Overall we enjoyed this meal but felt a bit rushed. Although we understand the need to have the next seating on time...we felt that an offer of coffee with dessert would have been nice.
After speaking to a few of the staff...they suggested that the French restaurant, Senses offers the best meal of all, they recommend the beef tenderloin......have to remember if we go here again. Anyone should be able to find a decent meal at this buffet unless they are super-picky.
NH Real also has a sports bar that opens at 5pm (I think). It has a couple pool tables, popcorn machine & a bowling alley ($10 per game to bowl) And a few TV's. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
The beach...the reason we chose this resort...and it is gorgeous. We love to take long walks and this fit the bill perfectly. Waves not too big, soft white sand, no rocks. I love this beach.
Yes...the towel game is in 'full-force' here. There were a couple mornings that you still could get chairs at around 8:30-9:00 but most mornings we had to get up around 6 and claim our palapa. Then back to the room for an early coffee on the patio...breakfast at 7:00...then hit the beach for the day. There are not as many palm trees on this area of beach so the palapas provide the most shade. We only encountered a problem on one day when a family of 5 parked themselves under our palapa. They never moved or touched our chairs..they just decided to squeeze under with us....we said "Hello" but got absolutely no response from either him or her. They just turned their heads away from us and kept talking in French. I thought "Hello" was a fairly universal word! We have galdly shared our shade before but were asked first. To be totally ignored I thought was a deliberate insult to my husband and myself. Yes...we ended up moving. It was just too darned uncomfortable and weird to stay there with them.
The pool wasn't used much by us since we're beach people. I found it a bit too noisy and too many kids. Very hard to get a chair with shade at the pool. I didn't even try.
The grounds are very nice. A few more years will see the plants and shrubs mature and more flowering vines. Overall very tidy, clean grounds. One suggestion would be for the resort to provide a few benches or seating areas around the grounds. We enjoyed a stroll every evening but found nowhere to sit and jusy enjoy the atmosphere. We didn't like sitting in the central courtyard because it smells of smoke from cigarettes eventhough it is open air, it is enclosed on all four sides by the buildings.
One afternoon we watched a maintenance worker scrub the beach rocks around the base of the palm trees by hand. He had a wheelbarrow with soapy water in it and a scrub brush...we went to the bar and got him two cold drinks. Smiles & handshakes were exchanged and we wondered what he'd make of our 'gas powered high-pressure washer' at home! |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
We didn't take any tours this trip. We only went for rest & relaxation this time. Shopping is an adventure in itself here. The prices at the hotel gift shop are very expensive. One small tube of sunscreen = $26 us. Thankfully, we bought plenty from home.
We did want to purchase coffee and rum to take home and I found directions on the internet (can't remember where from originally) to the Supermarcado behind Captian Cook's restaurant in Cortecito. Overall their prices were about half of what the hotel gift shop wanted. We bought 6 large bags of Santo Domingo coffe @ 105 pesos each (hotel price 300) The best Dominican Rum 368 pesos (hotel price 575) Pringles 86 pesos (hotel price 150) Overall our shopping cost us $55.00 us for everything. Hotel shop would have charged us over $100 us for the same purchases.
To find the supermarket....looking out at the ocean, turn left. The walk is about 25-35 minutes down the beach. Go past the restaurant that sticks out in the water about another 5 minutes...watch for Captain Cook sign. Turn in right beside Captain Cooks and walk through the alley. Be careful crossing a small paved road, as there are lots of motorbikes. The doors to the supermarket are right there. You should see a few metal carts outside the door. It is a real grocery store with set prices.
The vendors along the way are very persistant! Be firm but polite. Don't believe what they tell you! We mistakenly told them we were looking for the Supermarcado....and twice we were told that they was no supermarcado up there and we could buy from them...ha ha ha!
As for the entertainment....we have no comment on this aspect of the trip. We never saw one show. We were usually in our room by 9:30-10:00. The shows didn't start until 9:45. Didn't use the Tantrah Bar upstairs either.
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| Other Comments |
I must mention the service at this hotel...we were very impressed with the level of service we received. We thought it was the best we have ever had at any resort we've been to.
We never felt any pressure to tip however we did when we felt it was appropriate.
Being a 'curious' person I wandered over to the NH Royal one day and had a walk around their pool area. I didn't know that I wasn't allowed. I just wandered by and entered the property. The swimming pool is fantastic! It is a lazy river type. The lower level rooms all have sun lougers outside their patio doors right on the edge of the pool. It's almost like having a swim-out room. It's nice & quite, adults only and you have access to all the NH Real facilities & restaurants. And no kids allowed the Royal beach.
If we go back to this resort it would be to the Royal section for sure. |
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| Excellent!!! |
| NH Real Arena |
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Margaret >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2010 | Leisure | With Group
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| My Boyfriend and I, with a couple of friends just arrived back from the NH Real Arena lastnight and I would go back tomorrow. We loved it, the Service, food, rooms, everything was wonderful. I would definitly suggust it to anybody! Go stay there, you will LOVE IT!! |
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| Your Arrival |
| We arrived around 12:30 pm at the hotel, got our room at 2:30. We booked the Le Mirage Deluxe and the room was excellent! The check-in was fast and the had drinks and snacks, a big screen TV and couches to lounge on to wait in the Le Mirage section of the checkout. The lobby was very nice! |
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| Rooms |
| We got to our room and it was a garden view near the midpoint between the lobby and beach but a gourgeous view of a fountain and palm trees and gardens. There was a giant hole in the wall, which was interesting and not a big deal to us but might be to other people if they are travelling with friends, not much privacy!! The other couple with us got the Le Mirage Concerige rooms, which are closer to the beach but don't have holes in the walls, They had to switch rooms to an upstairs floor because the room was very musty and damp. Upstairs is definitly better in that section, their second room was better. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| We didn't get to experience the A La carts, we had friends arriving 4 days after we did and we wanted to wait to book then. Well waiting was the wrong thing to do...BOOK YOUR A LA CARTS ASAP!! when you arrive at this hotel, they book up fast and they're not open all nights. Not a huge deal for us, but I wish I would have asked eariler, that was my fault. They have signs everywhere, at the entrance to the buffett and the lobby telling us what days they are open or closed. The Buffett was amazing tho, the had Oriental, Italian, dominican, international, mexican, and american nights. The food was always fresh and very tasty. Breakfast was to die for, Ommlettes, bacon, boiled eggs, lots of breads..everything. No shortage of great food! |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| Beach was perfect! as it always is. the best and widest! Pools were awesome! pool bar seperate (which is wonderful cause im not a big drinker all day) Big pool and a seperate quiet pool behind that. Also, two pools on each side close to the beach with there own pool bars for the Le Mirage Conceriage. The grounds were very well taken care off. Flawless! |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
They had dancing, yoga and water arobics at the beach everymorning, but don't worry there was a quiet side too go if you just wanted to relax. There was also great fun at the pool everyday. The activities workers always were around having fun and getting people to join in on the fun. They were very good at their jobs.
The International entertainment was UNBELIEVABLE!!! AMAZING!! I've been to the DR from a 3+star to a 5 star and this, by far was the BEST ever!
Pre shows, beautiful singers. They had fire dancers, acrobats, dancers. Special people in the shows including, a Argentinan male dancer. Mexican Fire throwers. Cirque de Solie. And the disco tech was very fun and always full after the shows. |
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| Other Comments |
| This place was perfect and I would highly suggust it to anyone and I would go back myself in a heartbeat! |
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| Beautiful Resort and Beach, Excellent Food and Great Service |
| NH Real Arena |
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Peter >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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This was our eighth trip to the Caribbean and first time in Punta Cana. We are experienced travelers and put a lot of thought into our choice of resort. We were looking for a nicely designed, quiet resort, not too large, with good food and service. This is the nicest resort we have found to suit our requirements.
NH Real Arena is a very well planned resort, with everything in close walking distance. It is also very stylish and sophisticated, with quality materials, contemporary furnishings and beautiful colour accents. Nothing is over decorated or quaint. The quality of the design contributes to the calm and restful character of the resort.
Ideal weather with not a drop of rain and temperatures up to 33 degrees C made our week perfect. |
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| Your Arrival |
Travel Agent: Yourtraveltickets.com
Tour Company: Transat Holidays
Airline: Canjet
We arrived very late at night. Punta Cana airport customs was very quick and easy to get through. The hotel reception was very efficient. A bellboy took us to our room in an electric cart. Our bags were delivered minutes later.
The welcome meeting the next morning was quick and efficient, no long sales pitch for out-trips. The Transat reps were great, always available and very helpful. |
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| Rooms |
| Our Deluxe room was beautifully decorated in a minimalist spa style. There was a comfortable king size bed, flat screen TV, stocked mini bar, ironing board and iron and room safe at no extra charge. The bathroom had a whirlpool tub, with window looking into the room, large separate tiled shower and separate toilet stall. The balcony was spacious and had quality rattan-type chairs and a table. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
The Festival Buffet has the best buffet food we have had. The selection changes somewhat everyday, even at breakfast. Dinner is a different theme every night. We really never felt like it was the same old thing. On the Asian night there was sushi and very good California rolls, complete with soya sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger. Desserts were fabulous. There is a Cappuccino machine, always fresh juices and yogurt smoothies for breakfast. You can even have champagne and mimosas for breakfast if you want. We have been to resorts where people had to line up to get into the buffet house and then line up to be served. We never experienced that here, even though the resort was full booked for March break.
We ate most of our lunches at Los Alos, the beach grille. Here there is a large outdoor grille, where they make excellent paella one day, fajitas the next, delicious grilled chicken and pork. Los Alos has a large covered area and an outdoor deck with umbrellas. It is busy at lunch time, but we always found a table and had good service.
There are four specialty restaurants and three reservations were included with our package. We chose Senses: French/Gourmet, Cinque Terra: Italian, and the Shore Grill: Steak House. We thought they were very good by Caribbean standards. Senses is certainly the best, with a very contemporary Philippe Stark inspired interior.
There are two main bars, Alisio's - off the front lobby, and the pool/beach bar. Alisio's has a bar menu, and a special drink of the day every night. Try the NH Special or the Bougainvillea. Service was very good and much quicker than at large resorts. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
Bavaro beach is the reason you go to Punta Cana, and the NH Real Arena has a very nice deep section of beach with white sand, turquoise water and coconut palms swaying in the breeze. Add a nice shady palapa and a drink and it's pretty close to paradise! There are lots of palapas, but those closest to the water are reserved very early in the morning. By about 9:30am they're all taken.
The pools are beautiful. There are plenty of dark rattan style lounge chairs and tiled loungers built right into the water. With +30 degree weather, lounge chairs in the shade are reserved very early in the morning.
The grounds are also beautifully maintained with an in ground sprinkler system keeping the lawns green. The rooms are in four storey buildings with elevators, arranged on either side of a central garden. This means that everything is very close and all buildings are linked by covered walkways. At one end of the garden is the beach and at the other end is the lobby, buffet, restaurants and a palm filled courtyard, which serves as an outdoor lounge before dinner and as an outdoor theatre in the evening.
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| Other Comments |
Staff were very friendly and helpful. There are beach aerobics in the morning and pool aerobics in the afternoon, but the animation was very discreet and never noisy.
We would definitely go back to NH Real Arena and would recommend this resort to anyone who is looking for a calm and relaxing spa-like holiday. |
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| Absolutely magnificent two week stay. |
| NH Real Arena |
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Eunice >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Mar, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| My husband and I stayed here for two weeks and could not have been treated better. We have travelled to a lot of different islands and resorts and this is the best we have been treated. The room was beautiful, clean and great view of the pool and ocean. My husband celebrated his birthday there and we were presented with a lobster dinner, balloons, cake and wine. The staff at his resort is extremely friendly and helpful. They were so greatful when you tipped them, even if it was only a dollar, you would have thought they had received a hundred dollars. This is the second time we have been to this resort and are planning on returning in the fall again. The tours we went on were exciting and went very smooth. The staff at the towel/excursion hut at the beach are the greatest, they do as much as possible for you to make your stay as pleasurable as possible. The conceirce staff are fabulous and extremely busy all the time. My only comment is that some people who stay here think they are better than the staff who work there and as far as I am concerned we are all the same and should be treated equally. During our stay we observed a lot of rude people who were constantly complaining about trivial and stupid things and being disrespectful to the staff. The resort was full and the staff were constantly on the go, some even working their days off and 15 hours or more. I would like travellers to take the time and think about what they are complaining about the next time they go on a trip and ask themselves if their complaint is really worth complaining about. |
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| DO NOT FLY WITH TRANSAT HOLIDAYS OR STAY AT NH REAL ARENA (formerly EdenH) |
| NH Real Arena |
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K & J >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Mar, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| HORRIBLE TERRIFYING HOTEL EXPERIENCE BLATANT MISREPRESENTATION BY TRANSAT HOLIDAYS! From time we boarded plane sat in our pre-paid seats including entire week stay at this hotel-hell to when plane left runway to come home it was like very bad nightmare!You know the stories you hear that happened to other people & you find them a little hard to believe? Believe them because they happened to us. To start: pre-booked/paid for seats with transat rep guaranteeing quick access/use of washrooms in front of plane(medical reasons)-was forced to use rear plane bathrooms. 5 pieces of wilted, stale fruit on plate and pee-warm bottle of rot-gut champagne was our 25th anniversary welcome gift. On first day was served one drink from private pool bar and was totally incapacitated within 30 minutes displaying ALL symptoms which indicated having been roofied-this was at 4 in the afternoon and was the first drink at this bar! After becoming violently ill,losing bodily control & collapsing in room someone attempted to enter our room while I was propped over a wastebasket on the bed and husband was in shower washing off my vomit from his body. Trip continued downhill from there! Being charged extra $ for already paid for "upgraded inclusions", bars running out of glasses, straws, ice, mix, alcohol and all but two closing by 10 pm! No water in our mini-bar even when we replaced it ourselves-it would vanish! So-called staff coming into our room numerous times per day.We were walked in on at least 4-5 times! Arranged tour from hotel concierge-after waiting two hours to be picked up we were then dropped off and left with no ride back and no info as to when driver would be back! Took a cab back with 3 other couples. Had dope smokers on either side of our balcony so unable to use our jacuzzi-told to call security and they would be taken to jail! We were not there to send anyone to jail! Told we could move to another room-with no guarantee where it would be located. Once neighbors checked out discovered our jacuzzi drain wouldnt keep water in! Refused use of kayaks because I was carrying snorkel gear and underwater camera! Numerous phone calls and room visits in middle of night. Hotel tried to charge us for our complimentary late check out which was arranged by transat reps due to the horrible experiences we had there-verbal battle ensued with concierge-key card was disabled. On way home, Transat airport personnel first tried to confiscate our souvenirs stating we weren't allowed to take wood products-all painted/finished pieces, then charged us for extra weight-had our own scale and we WERE NOT over limit, they mixed up our bag tags and interrogated a poor young woman while ripping bags open and cutting open all our packages of coffee. Then security came on board the plane wanting our passports for no reason other than we had coffee in our bags! |
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| Your Arrival |
| Were made to feel as though we were inconveniencing the concierge with our check in! He was not friendly or welcoming at all in fact quite cool and abrupt. |
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| Rooms |
| Room was OK-Not able to use the balcony due to "neighbors" on their balcony smoking dope at all hours(morning, noon, evening, middle of night). Waste of money for an upgraded package as most of the "extra perks" were never received or they tried to charge us extra for them! |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| A la Cartes were nothing special. Serving staff seldom would speak to you or even make an attempt to talk to you. Sit-eat-leave was the atmosphere. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| Beach was beautiful as was the weather. Witnessed a child vomiting profusely in the children's pool while the mother watched and other children splashed about! She then patted him on the back and they walked away-she didn't notify any staff to clean it up. It was disgusting!! |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THE MARINARIUM! If you do go, take a big knife to cut through the rope cages and free these poor creatures! We really weren't prepared for the conditions these poor creatures are subjected to!
DO NOT BOOK SHOPPING TRIP TO MUNDE AUTENTICO through concierge--they promise to take you there and bring you back...they do not tell you that you are dropped off and left there for more than two++ hours-for a shopping trip that is done in 15-20 minutes!
DO BOOK WITH PUNTA CANA MIKE AND BE SURE TO TAKE SCHOOL SUPPLIES! THIS WAS THE ONLY POSITIVE HIGHLIGHT OF OUR TRIP!! |
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| Other Comments |
The few incidents described are only a few highlights from our hotel-hell NH Real Arena experience! We also heard experiences of ER visits from families with children who became very ill at this hotel. In fact we heard several very negative experiences from those staying at this hotel--tourists FROM CANADA, USA, BRAZIL, etc!
NH REAL ARENA IS NOT A 4-1/2 STAR LUXURY RESORT AS PROMOTED BY TRANSAT HOLIDAYS! The all inclusive is NOT all-inclusive.
Transat flight director filed a verbal and written complaint and insisted we do same. WE SUBMITTED A 5 PAGE HAND WRITTEN (done on plane)COMPLAINT FOR THE FLIGHT DIRECTOR AS WELL AS A 7 PAGE TYPED COMPLETE REPORT FAXED TO TRANSAT HOLIDAYS AND OUR TRAVEL COMPANY. WE HAVE WAITED FOR > 2 MONTHS FOR A REPLY AND JUST TODAY TRANSAT REFUSES TO ACCEPT ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY OF OUR HORRIBLE EXPERIENCES WHICH OCCURRED AT THE NH REAL ARENA! I QUOTE: "AS A TOUR OPERATOR WE MUST CONSIDER THAT YOU RECEIVED AND BENEFITED FROM THE COMPONENTS OF YOUR PACKAGE." When booking the trip the brochures and fine print didn't mention being drugged and set up for a possible robbery as part of our trip component!
IF YOU ARE FROM THE CANADIAN PRAIRIES P-L-E-A-S-E DO NOT BOOK/FLY with TRANSAT HOLIDAYS- they have proved to us they do not take care of their customers during or after their vacation! |
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| If you want a vacation in paradise, book the NH Real Arena! |
| NH Real Arena |
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Kim >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Mar, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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Just came back from a heavenly week with my husband, and 15 and 13 yr. old daughters. Regarding the many bad reviews we read prior to leaving for our trip, we just kept shaking our heads, throughout the week, because we couldn’t figure out what people had to complain about. We heard a few people complaining, about minor things, and can only say that they sounded like the type of people who wouldn’t be happy with anything.
Tips that we appreciated:
taking “Bubbas” for our drinks!
a couple of candles for the room works wonders for any musty smells. The must is NOT a reflection of a bad resort but the humid reality of the tropics.
While gratuities are included in the package price, as mentioned above, these people work incredibly hard to achieve a standard of living far lower than we take for granted. We tipped the housekeeping and bar restocking staff a dollar each a day in addition to leaving a few small trinkets we picked up at the dollar store before we left home - jewelry, stationery, hair stuff, etc. - and they treated us like royalty.
Take LOTS of sunscreen! Our family of 4 went through 3 spray cans and 3/4 of a bottle of cream in one week. If we would have had to buy a bottle at the hotel, it was $30.00US.
We booked our a la carte dinners immediately after we checked in and had no problems booking what we wanted and when.
Make the effort to learn a little bit of basic Spanish before you go. While most of the staff speak English quite competently, they appreciate the effort and will go out of their way to make communication easy.
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| Rooms |
The rooms are nicely laid out and we had a beautiful view of the resort and the ocean.
One really nice surprise, for those of you with concerns about the “open concept” window in the bathroom, they obviously got the message that this is not a welcome thing for families or non-couples sharing a room. The window now has a pane of glass in it with a painted floral mural on it. This still allows light to filter in but provides complete privacy. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| With regard to the food, there’s something for everyone. I highly recommend the beef sirloin at Senses, the ribeye steak at the Shore Grill, and the Asian a la carte is a fabulous experience - we’re glad we saved it for our last night. The daily buffets have dishes to suit appetites from the bland to the adventurous. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
The resort grounds and facilities are absolutely immaculate. I never figured out how they kept the pools so spotless as we never saw staff actually cleaning them but you couldn’t find so much as a grain of sand in them - they must clean them at night! The staff are some of the friendliest people in the world and boy do they work hard.
The beach is absolutely heavenly! The sand is like flour and they keep it so clean and well-tended. In addition, there’s an absolute sense of security there with security guards patrolling 24/7. The palapas (reed-covered huts on the beach) do get claimed quickly - many people put towels on them by 7:30am but we found that there were some still available at 8-8:30. Even when they had all been claimed, we could always find enough lounge chairs by the pool and would just hang out there until a palapa became available, often by mid-afternoon.
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
The Explorer dolphin excursion was an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience!
The excursion to Saona Island is absolutely beautiful - this is where they filmed the Brooke Shields movie “Blue Lagoon” and I cannot imagine a more perfect place on earth.
The beachside flea markets can be a fun bit of Dominican culture or a nuisance, depending on your personality. Most vendors are respectful of a polite but firm, “No, gracias” but some can be quite pushy. Negotiating prices is an expectation and we were advised by our Turinter rep. that you can usually take off 30-50% for the first offer and then inch up from there. We would just decide before starting, what we were willing to pay, offer it as a final, and prepare to walk away. This worked well but I think most important is to aim for what’s fair to you as a tourist and to the vendor who is trying to make a living. |
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| Other Comments |
| Long review, I know, but I so appreciated all of the many reviews I pored over that helped us plan what turned out to be the perfect vacation! If you are planning a trip to this resort, are respectful of the people whose country you are visiting, and accept that you are going, in part, to experience a different culture and not duplicate the one you live within, then I have no doubt that you will have an incredible vacation. Enjoy!! We are already planning our next trip back and will be returning to this resort. |
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| Great Time this time around |
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Margaret >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Mar, 2010 | Leisure | With Group
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I will not say much about the flight except that it went smooth and Air Transat gave us champage and a hot meal.
Check in was quick and having been there before we knew where we were going. We wanted to give this resort another try and I am glad we did. We are a group of 4 couples that travel together. The rooms were still the same big, clean and still had that opening in the bathroom looking into the bedroom. I still do not like it but this time I expected it, so it was no big deal. The food at the buffet restaurant was really good. We always sat in the same section and Juan our waiter, who worked all the three shifts during our week there, had a table ready and champagne on ice for us. On the days that we went to the A la Carte we would always go back and have the champagne with dessert. We tried the Asian, good. The steak - good. Italian - good. We met one of the chefs an avid Soccer fan - as was our group - and one night he surprised us with a Lobster feast. They also had a fire grill by the beach restaurant and the food was very good.
There were the usual games in the pool, beach games, aerobics. As far as entertainment goes it is still very low keyed good for relaxing. In 2008 there was a keyboard player in the lobby bar and people danced. This time around there was not. The shows were basically the same as last time and some were very good. There was a bit more interaction between the animation staff. They would be at the Tahntra Disco Bar until about 1 am and dance with the guests. The disco would switch up between American disco and Latin music. The Sports bar would close at midnight. There was a bowling lane but you had to pay $10.00 per game. We had a great time this time because we knew what to expect. It is still not the type of Resort that one is used to in Punta Cana and therefore I will wait a few more years before I would return.
We spent our second week at the Iberostar Punta Cana - I will also write a review. |
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| Don't do it |
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william >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Mar, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| My wife and I just returned from this resort on March 8th. We arrived on March 1st and were scheduled to stay until the 10th. We daparted 2 days early!!! |
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| Your Arrival |
We were greeted, checked in and brought to our room. Originally, we were to have a Deluxe Garden Room view.
I asked about an upgrade to Priemere Room which was given to us at an additionla cost of $25.00 per night. Don't waste your money! |
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| Rooms |
The room smelled of mildew. The mini bar, that was in each room according to the website, consisted of an empty refrigerator.
Phoned down to room service have beverages sent up. a half hour later the so called mini bar was stocked with 4 sodas, 3 beers and 2 bottles of water. If we wanted additional items, there would be an addtional charge. What happened to ALL INCLUSIVE!!
My sister arrived this past Saturday as a surprise. She took a Garden Roon which was much nicer that the one my wife and I were in. The bathroom was actually inclosed. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
The buffet had plenty of offerings and overall wasn't bad. The grill at pool side was also good.
There so called specialty resturants, if you could even get a reservation because they are alwyas supossidly booked, is a waste of time.
My wife and I had dinner the second night there at the Italian Restaurant. We were given a small porion of anti-paste and a small seansoned strip steak. On to the buffet to completed the meal. If your looking for italian foof in thier italian restaurant, forget it.
Third night we had dinner at their steak house. I had a rib eye that wan't even edible. Tough and had a tail of pure fat on it. Back to the buffet.
My wife had baby back ribs that were under cooked which led to an illness the next day.
The bar service was poor no matter where you went in the resort. We upgraded so we would have access to the private pool and bar. Robert at the private bar had 0 customer service skills and was slow. Service was much better at the regular pool bar. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| Ig the only good thing about this resort. Beach, pools and grounds were very well kept. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| Poor |
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| Other Comments |
I have traveled throughout the carribean and this resort is far from being a 5 star resort.
I found the staff very rude an uncarring after learning that my wife had fallen ill. It took hour for room service to bring up a simple bowl of steamed rice, for which they were looking to charge me extra for.
The Doctor was very caring and showed a lot of human compassion. Of course she was not an employee of the resort.
Although we wiould probably travel back to the Domincan, it would not be at this resort.
I would strongly reccommend that anyone that is looking to stay here, find another reort, you'll be much happier. |
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| Fantastic week! |
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Patrick >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Feb, 2010 | Leisure | With Group
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Just got back last night from EdenH and had a fantastic week.
This is our third trip to Punta Cana and we liked alot about this resort better then the others. This is resort is a great size. Big enough for some variety yet you don't need a train to get you around the place.
upgraded to paradise club. big room, huge bathroom ( 3 people) and great view. worth it!
the Beach is beyond compare! perfectly clean, load of palapas and chairs and definitely the best part of Bavaro we have seen yet. HUGE beach. Never had to fight for a chair on beach or by the pool.
the grounds are immaculate and very beautiful.
the food was on par with most AI's we have been to. probably would have liked more variety but the quality was no disappointment.
we received fantastic service in the buffet. in fact- it was better than in the a-la- carte we went to. ( probably wouldn't recommend the steak house)
As for the bad reviews- people need to remember where they are going. This is not New York, Montreal or even Cancun. these servers are drawn from some of the poorest people in the world who grew up not knowing the meaning of rush, or being hurried. They are very happy, try hard and respond as well as we treat them. ( concept some people seem to have a tough time with).
we had great service 90% of the time, and a great time with the servers and bartenders.
had room service 5 times- never waited more than 15 minutes.
The scuba and activity staff onsite are great too. not too pushy and you can book just about anything you want to do right there. ( Hut right on the beach).
Overall this is a great resort ( probably not quite luxury, or 5 star yet) and for the price is a fantastic value.
If you go expecting to find things that don't measure up to home- don't go to the DR. if you go expecting to have fun and enjoy a great time- go, and stay at the EDENH.
( and yes, there are some mosquitos. DUH!!- you're on a tropical island where's it's 85 degrees and 90% humidity- use your head people)
would definitely recommend this hotel
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| Fantastic |
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Susan >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Feb, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| This is the first time my husband and I have stayed at this resort. It will not be the last. The resort itself is not overly big which in my opinion is a plus. All of the people their were great they always had a smile and were very helpful. We were their for two weeks which normally my husband after 10 days says he wants to go home. Not this time. We are already anxious to book for next year. We did upgrade to Le Mirage it did give us a few extras and I found it was worth it. |
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| Your Arrival |
The airport is a little hectic. Hold onto your luggage. I know they mean well but they pick up your luggage even if you only have to go a few feet and then the want a tip.
When we arrived at the resort we were plesantly surprised. They took us into a bar area had us fill out some forms got our bracelets and told us our room was not quite ready but did point us to the direction of the buffet area. Once finished off to the room we went. |
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| Rooms |
| The room was superior. Very clean, lots of towels and facecloths. The bed was very comfortable. We have stayed at other resort in Punta Cana and had the worst sleeping accommodations. Shower was out of this world, plenty of hot water and pressure to. The balcony overlooked both the pool and the ocean. It was very nice to sit outside and just relax. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| Our favorite was the Asian however they were all very good. We never went hungry. They have a buffet by the pool, their is a women their that makes cesar salad it was great. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| We changed from day to day beach one day pool the next. We never had a problem with chairs, however we are both early risers. They have several pools. I believe the one we went to was the main one. It was big and never seemed to be crowded. It was cleaned constantly. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| We went for pure relaxation so did not participate in any activities. |
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| Other Comments |
I would recommend this resort (which I already have) to anyone. Service, room food I felt everything was excellent.
It was one of the best holidays ever. |
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Ashton >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Jan, 2010 | Leisure | With Group
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I, my cousin, and a few friends traveled to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic January 10-17, 2010. Our ages ranged from 33-55. We were looking for a warm escape from the frigid Michigan winter and a chance to let our hair down and party a little. This was my fourth trip to Punta Cana, whereas my traveling companions were traveling there for the first time.
TRANSFER
Our bus ride from the airport to the resort was less that 30 minutes. The DR has really improved their infrastructure in terms of their roadways. This is a HUGE departure from just a few years ago when I was there. The large majority of the roads we traveled on were brand new asphalt and I often joked that their roads are now better than those in the State of Michigan.
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| Your Arrival |
We booked our trip through Apple Vacations and flew USA 3000 Airlines out of Detroit. This airline allowed one FREE checked bag for international destinations during the time of our trip, so for that, I was grateful. The flight was non-stop and although I could have wished for just a little bit more leg room, the flight was a breeze. Our Naturalization forms were given to us on the plane to complete which made getting through Dominican Customs and Immigrations a breeze. It's really more or less a stress-free cattle herd process. For Apple Vacation travelers, you pay the $10 tourist fee to enter, but the $20 exit tax is included in your reservation (you paid when you booked). Therefore, they should NOT try and charge you again.
CHECK-IN
Check in at the NH Real Arena was a breeze. Our bags were taken off of the bus and we were ushered inside to check in. During check in we were served mango flavored welcome drinks. Fortunately for us, our room was ready, whereas some folks we met on our bus also traveling through Apple out of Detroit were still waiting for their rooms. We are truly laid back people so it didn't make us a difference one way or another...we would have just gone to grab a drink from the lobby bar and taken a tour of the resort. The gentleman who helped us at the front desk spoke excellent English, although I've been working on my Spanish for a while. This is NOT an English speaking country. English is NOT their 2nd or even 3rd language. You will find many English speakers there, however, don't EXPECT it. Come prepared...learn some Spanish vocabulary. It goes a long way! You speak broken Spanish. They'll try and speak broken English, and somewhere in the middle, communication happens.
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| Rooms |
Our room was AMAZING! We were in the 3000 block, on the 3rd floor of a 4 story building. It was the last room just before the Paradise Club rooms, so our balcony was in a little tower that faced at an angle and gave us an AWESOME oceanview. I think we got this room because of traveling with Apple. Apple usually gets some of the best rooms in many resorts. Each time I've traveled with them, I've NEVER been disappointed.
The rooms are very contemporary in terms of decor....flat screen TVs, digital in-room safes (included...no charge...USE IT for peace of mind. None of our things came up missing, but we didn't give anyone opportunity either), a decent amount of closet space. There is a large window in the bathroom that allows natural light from the room to flow in. However, there was an opague flower mural in the window that provided plenty of privacy. Also, the toilet and shower have smoky privacy glass. Our room was clean and we never saw any bugs, although I think a mosquito or two got into our room because I was eaten alive the first few days there. Now the funny thing is that I've never seen a Dominican swat at a mosquito or being bitten by a mosquito. Toward the middle of the week, we noticed that we hadn't acquired any more bites. I'm not sure if there is something in the food seasonings or what, but it was almost as if we were immune by the end of the week. This resort does offer some small wash clothes, unlike most of the others in your Latin American resorts. The maid with the towels usually came by in the evening time while we were showering and dressing for dinner. If you say "toallas pequenas, por favor" (small towels please), if she has some, she will give them to you. One night she only had one clean one, but we took it.
The only real difference we saw in the Paradise Club rooms and our 'regular deluxe' room was that the hot tubs were on the balcony. I preferred mine in the bathroom. Having your hottub on the balcony is SO impersonal. And the 1st floor Paradise Club rooms had the patios where other folks could just walk up to your hot tub. Our room was actually bigger than the Paradise Club rooms and had a better oceanview. I'm glad I chose not to upgrade. The resort is a non-smoking resort so no smoking is allowed indoors...only outdoors (well, I have to be excited about one small victory. At least the chimneys could only get to me outdoors).
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| Restaurants and Bars |
The food at this resort was actually very healthy. There was lots of baked and grilled chicken on the buffet and at the poolside grill. A word of caution about the poolside grill...just because something is on the buffet there does not mean that it will be there all day. Items often change and quickly. There were these chinese eggrolls my friend loved. I brought her a couple when I went for pizza. I returned to get her a couple more and they were gone...replaced by these nasty little fried crab claws (and I LIKE seafood).
Breakfast in the buffet was pretty good. I usually stuck to the eggs, fruit, and potatoes, as I don't eat beef or pork (lots of sausage and bacon for those who do). I had the opportunity to meet Felix who was cooking up the world's greatest omlets. He's SO humble. I told him he might very well be the most popular person at the resort per Trip Advisor Reviews. He just smiled and blushed and said, "No. Not me." He speaks a gazillion different languages, remembers everyone's names and will address you by name and according to your language each morning. I'm not a coffee drinker, but Dominican Coffee is amazing! I drank some each morning. My cousin who is a coffee drinker vowed that each cup was better than the last. It's very strong. I think they'd call their regular coffee an espresso here in the states! Yo gusto mi cafe con leche y azucar and the serving staff knew it each morning.
Lunch, in my opinion was much better in the buffet than at the poolside grill...more selection. But the drink service was better at the poolside gril. Dinner at the buffet was actually pretty good. Lots of selection...and I'm a pretty picky eater. Watch out for the fried calamari. It was Oh SO Tasty...but I had an allergic reaction to it. Nothing serious, just a large rash (I'm allergic to nearly everything, though). For the record I am NOT allergic to shellfish or other 'bottom feeders'.
The drinks for the most part were pretty weak. I solved that problem by ordering them "mas fuerte" (more strong). The bartenders easily obliged, many of them laughing at how I miraculously could speak Spanish for the purpose of ordering a stronger drink!
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| Beach=Amazing! Powdery white sand, plenty of lounge chair and palapas, turquoise waters. Need I say more??? It did rain quite a bit when we were there. I think it may have rained 3 of our 8 days there. This is by far the most rain I've seen in the DR and I've been once in February and twice in August. It was still warm, however and I did get a decent tan. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
EXCURSIONS
I've been on quite a few of the more popular excursions in Punta Cana so I'm usually pretty hard-pressed to do something I haven't done before. This time around I did the Tropical Storm Catamaran Cruise and the Country Adventure Safari. Tropical Storm was a lot of fun. Our guide was Olga and she promised to remain positive even though it was cool, cloudy and threatening rain. We went snorkeling and amazingly the water temp was warmer than the air. However, the currents were SO strong that it was was hard to keep up with the guide in the water. We didn't see many great coral and rock formations, but we did see some awesome schools of colorful fish. The lunch they provided was great and were the drinks. They had their own brew of rum that was vanilla flavored--great in coke and the fruit punch. We played some fun line dance games onboard and did some dancing. We were supposed to be able to use the giant blow-up slide, but the weather conditions were too windy and it was deemed unsafe. We were given a music CD as compensation. Be sure to bring spending money, as they offer pics of you on small pint sized bottles of mamajuana (DR national drink...be sure to become well-acquainted with it). They also offer videos and music CDs (different from the free ones we received). It was a fun time!
The Country Adventure Safari was a nice day-long excursion. Johnny Be Good was our tour guide (and he referred to his son as Johnny Be Good Jr...ahahahahah!) The weather was rainy literally all day, but we are the type of people who don't let anything ruin our fun (not even the overly rude French family that was on our tour...they were countered by the lovely French Canadian couples across from them!). Our first stop was in a Haitian village where we visited the colmado (small store) to buy candy and treats for the kids and then on to a school in the village where the children sang songs for us and we were able to give them candy. We got to sample fresh sugar cane, and eat authentic Domincan cuisine (excellent chicken, and beans and rice...I only like Dominican beans and rice!). We sampled Dominican coffee (yum!) and caocao (double yum!). We rode though villages such as Huiguey, La Otra Banda, Bavaro, and Veron. Bring spending money because you are able to purchase candy for the kids (I had a ball throwing candy to kids as we passed by on the open-air bus), coffee, fresh caocao (coco/hot chocolate), white and dark vanilla extract (natural and organic; not the mess you get in the grocery store), and coconut oil (great for moisturizing skin). Most if not all Dominican products are organic. |
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| Other Comments |
DEPARTURE
We were traveling on the heels of the bombing attempt in Detroit, so at PC International, they had security officers searching each and every person's carryon bags. Everyone got the metal detector wand. I was actually quite pleased with this, as I like my life...and living. They'd made provisions for this by starting the security checks long before the flight was ever scheduled to board. Therefore, we got out on time and on back to frigid Detroit.
SUMMARY
The grounds of this resort are breathtaking, simply beautiful in it's own contemporary style and grace. We didn't get involved much in the resort 'activities' as we were content just lounging around the pool, or at the beach with a drink in our hands, or playing cards. I'm on vacation as I'm not really keen on water aerobics...that's too much like work. I always meet some amazing folks when I visit the DR (both Dominican and from other countries), many of which I end up keeping in touch with and hanging out with when I return.
I see many reviews where people talk about how rude the hotel employees are. I'm starting to believe that some of the kindest, gentlest people in the world live in the DR. Just a rule of thumb...if you walk into my office and DEMAND that I serve you, give me attitude and complain about my service when I do my best to please you and make a mess that you expect that I will clean up after you, you can expect that I WILL give you attitude back, a piece of my mind, and a few choice expletives. The same goes for these folks. As long as you are courteous, cordial, and smiling, you will receive the same. Don't come at them with attitude and expect to get 'courteous, cordial and smiling.' The simple rule of "Do onto others as you'd like to have done onto you" should definitely be put into action. Every one of the people who has ever served me in ALL of my travels to DR resorts has deserved my utmost respect. These folks work 22 days on and one week off away from their homes and families, children, parents, and friends. They earn $200-250USD and are some of the happiest, fun-loving people I've EVER met.
Would I return to the NH Real Arena??? In a heartbeat!!! But honestly, probably not. And that's just because I like to try out different resorts whenever I visit Punta Cana. NH Real Arena definitely shoots to the top of my favs list above the others I've been to, with the Barcelo PC at a very very close second.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at ashton_morgan2002@yahoo.com. I'd be more than happy to answer your questions!
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| Nightlife |
The disco on the resort was pretty good. The DJ got the club hyped! The only problem is that it doesn't open until 11 or 11:30, so seeing as how I'm not so much into the 'shows' there was always a lull in activity after dinner and after drinks in the lobby bar...and as I'm getting older, it gets easier to just go to bed. It's on the 2nd floor above the plaza and open air. It was never stifling hot, as cool evening breezes did blow through. They could use a few more bathroom stalls though, two is just not enough on the women's side once folks start drinking heavily and having to use the restroom. The DJ spun the most popular Dominican Merengue (Omega!), as well as Top 40 hits (Lady Gaga and Beyonce), hiphop (Jay-Z, Kanye) and some disco oldies but goodies. The pace never really slowed and it was GREAT! It always seems to me that the bartenders in the all-inclusive discos are the worst. You might want to stick to the beer while up there, or you'll most likely get an off kilter drink (A 'Sex on the Beach' becomes a 'sloppy-faced drunk on the beach' or a 'fruit-juice abstinence.') The lines got pretty long too.
We also went to Imagine Disco--this club is actually down inside of a cave...and an amazing experience within itself. This was about my 4th time there. You can usually book it through one of the tour reps. For $55-65 per person (some will allow you to negotiate a little with the more people you bring with you to go), you get bus transpo there and back, cover (admission), and an open bar. You can also go back as many times as you like during your week's stay (I'm not sure if that includes the open bar). You can tell the economy is bad everywhere. There used to be 3 difference dance floors. Now there is only two dance floors. And they initially had only the main one open at first, forcing what seemed like a million folks to crowd into the main dance floor area until they decided to open up the second one. And plan to be on your feet from 11:30 until 4am because they told us the couches (and there were only a few of them) were for VIP only. Main dance floor USED TO light up (back in its hayday). The played popular Merengue, Bachata, and Reggeaton (Omega, Adventura, Daddy Yankee), as well as Top 40 dance music and Hiphop. The 2nd dancefloor played Rave music. They take your picture when you come in and you can buy it for $8. You used to just get the picture in a folder. Now you get it on a disk, with pics of the club (and what the dance floor used to look like when it all lit up), and about 80+ songs in MP3 Format that are popular in the DR--many of them were played in the club. It's an EXCELLENT value because of the music on the disc (As a musician, I collect music from everyplace I travel...LOVED IT!!!).
We wanted to go to Mangu Disco, but were just too exhausted, so we spent most of our other evenings at the disco on the NH Real Arena. I've been to Mangu twice before.
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| A la carte Restaurants |
| We ate at all four a la carte restaurants (Apple Vacations allowed us 4 reservations, rather than the 3 that we read about in the hotel description for our 7 night stay). Our favorite by far was the Asian Tepanyaki cooking. Food was GREAT and the show was pretty good too (I'm a HUGE fan of Benihana here in the States, so this was right up my alley). I (world's pickiest eater) ate sushi and LIKED it!!! Our second favorite was French. One of my friends is NOT a fan of French food and even she applauded the cuisine. We actually had lobster tail there. The American restaurant was just ok. And the Italian...HORRIBLE! We tried to leave before the main course came out, but our server and the host convinced us to stay. I got my fish...it was underdone...we left, but still tipped our server because his service was excellent and the bad food wasn't his fault. |
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| Wonderful |
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Susan >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| Your Arrival |
| We upgraded to the Le Mirage.Very fast, very helpful.Great. |
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| Rooms |
| I give the rooms a 5 plus.We have been away 10 times this is the first time we had such a beautiful room.We had a ocean view, king size bed it was just great. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| Very good.Excellent selection |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| The beach was amazing,lots of comfortable chairs , the pools were great to. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| This was good to, did the salsa dance ,but most of the time just relaxed. |
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| Other Comments |
| I wound highly recommend this hotel and go back again. |
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| Fabulous resort! |
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Alysia & Mike >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Dec, 2009 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| Your Arrival |
My husband and I went to NH Real Arena from December 18-25, 2009. Yes, we saw all the negative reviews but it did not stop us from booking this resort. Prior to us leaving Toronto, we emailed Roberto and asked him for a top floor, ocean view room with a king size bed. We flew with Air Transat (happy that they now serve hot meals) and arrived on time to a beautiful sunny Punta Cana. A good thing about this resort is that it's only a 20 minute ride from the airport.
CHECK IN
Because we had booked a Mirage Deluxe room with Transat Holidays, we were check in privately. Surprisingly at 12:30 pm, our room was ready. We were given amap, keys and coupons, and were told to see the bell boy to bring us to our room. We had asked about a la carte reservations, they showed us where the desk was and since there wasn't a line up, we booked two of our five a la cartes. We were then brought by a golf cart to our building which was a 60 seconds away from the lobby. |
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| Rooms |
ROOM
Our room (#2441) was in building 2 (I think it's the Punta Cana building) on the top (4th) floor. To figure out where your room is located, follow this: 1st number represents which building you are in, 2nd number represents what floor you are on and the last two numbers is which room you are in. The rooms are very spacious. You have a closet with bathrobes, slippers, iron & board and a safe (you program the code yourself). There is a bathroom with a toilet and shower, the doors are made of frosted glass, some toiletries and a jacuzzi tub. There is a big hole in the wall but that didn't bother us. It's where my husband put his luggage. We had a king size bed. The sheets and duvet are comfy, the bed is on the hard side and the pillows were nice and fluffy but we could have used more than three. There is a fridge (stocked with coke, sprite, water and beer), coffee maker and ice bucket. Also in the room is a flat screen TV, a desk (but no paper or pen to be found), a chair, table and a pull out sofa. The balcony is great. If you are in building 2 and the last digit of your room number is an odd number, then you will have a great view of the pool. If you are on the 4th floor, you will also have a view of the ocean. The rooms are immaculately clean. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
ROOM
Our room (#2441) was in building 2 (I think it's the Punta Cana building) on the top (4th) floor. To figure out where your room is located, follow this: 1st number represents which building you are in, 2nd number represents what floor you are on and the last two numbers is which room you are in. The rooms are very spacious. You have a closet with bathrobes, slippers, iron & board and a safe (you program the code yourself). There is a bathroom with a toilet and shower, the doors are made of frosted glass, some toiletries and a jacuzzi tub. There is a big hole in the wall but that didn't bother us. It's where my husband put his luggage. We had a king size bed. The sheets and duvet are comfy, the bed is on the hard side and the pillows were nice and fluffy but we could have used more than three. There is a fridge (stocked with coke, sprite, water and beer), coffee maker and ice bucket. Also in the room is a flat screen TV, a desk (but no paper or pen to be found), a chair, table and a pull out sofa. The balcony is great. If you are in building 2 and the last digit of your room number is an odd number, then you will have a great view of the pool. If you are on the 4th floor, you will also have a view of the ocean. The rooms are immaculately clean. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
BEACH
The beach is gorgeous and no seaweed to be found on the shoreline. The beach chairs are quite different from the usual ones you see at the resort. They are plastic wicker-looking chairs. It makes the resort look modern and classy. They are not that comfortable but I am not going to complain about it. There are plenty of palapas with chairs and tables but you will find that the one closer to the water are taken early in the morning. Don't worry, all those taken spots will be evacuated by 2 pm when everyone leaves for lunch. The activites that I have seen are volleyball and aerobics. When you are facing the water, towel and water activites hut is to your right and to the left is the massge hut. Past the massage hut is a quieter area but you do get the yelling from the vendors asking you to come see what they are selling. But don't worry, there is a security guard there and an invisible line they can not cross.
POOL
There is a large pool where all the activities take place and the pool bar, and a smaller pool where most people go to relax and read. The water in the pool looks green because the tiles are green, not the usual blue. We like this look of the pool, it makes for a unique quality that the other resorts don't have. The same type of wicker furniture surrounds the pool. I must say that this is the first resort that provides tables beside every two chairs.
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
NIGHT ENTERTAINMENT
Most shows take place at NH Plaza or in Tanhtra Bar. Both the circus show and the white party are fantastic. Be sure to catch these when they are on. You can check the activities board by the main buffet to see what the nightly entertainment is. Before the main show in the plaza square, there will be some musical act or a giant inflatable screen playing a music concert. On the 24th, a booklet describing their Christmas program was left in our room (along with a little Christmas gift). They had a great program for the holidays (Dec 24-Jan 5) but unfortunately it started on our last day at the resort. |
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| Staff |
STAFF
The staff are great and very hard working especially when on our last day there was a torrential downpour. All hotel staff were either mopping up water, towelling down the 1st floor rooms, evaluating the pool, etc. Yes, many of them only speak Spanish, but I find that if you try to speak Spanish, they will try and speak English. Please be respectful and learn a few key phrases before you head down. It will impress them. Some of our favorite staff are Ronaldo at the Mirage Concierge, Mirabel at Shore Grill, Henry at Shore Grill/main buffet and Ronald from Senses/Shore Grill. Another person who was extremely helpful was Roberto, who fulfilled our room request. Danny, our rep from Air Transat doesn't work for the resort but he lives there, has to be hands-down the best rep we have ever had. |
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| Check out |
CHECK OUT
Check out was simple as ever. We checked out at the front desk and then hung out at Mirage Concierge to enjoy the TV and free wifi, along with those delicious mini donuts and Dasani water. |
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| Overall |
OVERALL
I would definitely recommend this resort to others. don't know why people complain about this resort. There is honestly nothing to complain about. I love the modern look of the entire resort and the staff are fantastic. You won't be disappointed.
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| Photos: http://travel.webshots.com/album/576501466liCUHV?vhost=travel&vhost=travel |
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| I was pleasantly surprised after reading all the bad reviews. |
| NH Real Arena |
| User Rating:
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Andrew from Owen Sound, Ontario >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Nov, 2009
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Arrival: Nov. 14-21
Review EdenH Real Arena
We just returned from the EdeNH Real Arena. We travelled Nov. 14-21st 2009, with a group of 40 for a beautiful destination wedding. We flew with Skyservice out of Toronto, Ontario. We went with the Paradise Club upgrade, which was well worth it in our opinion. Either a lot of past reviewers are used to staying at 5+* resorts, or the hotel has really done a great job at fixing some of the problems experienced in the past. This was my third time in Punta Cana(prior vacations at Bavaro Princess and Barcelo Bavaro Beach), and the EdenH is equal to or better than the others.
Check-In
Check in was very smooth, even with a group of 40. We were able to have a drink in the main lobby bar while they handed out the bracelets, and answered everybody's questions. We spent most of our time with another couple, so we talked to Ronald in the Paradise Club, and were able to switch rooms so that we were closer to them. Our room wasn't immediately available, but we were able to get changed and enjoy our afternoon in the resort.
Rooms
We stayed in room 1381, which is in the paradise club section, closest to the beach. Our room was fantastic, with a great ocean view and a Jacuzzi tub on the balcony. Our room had a completely private bathroom, but we did see some rooms that had a window into the bathroom. Hot water was almost never an issue. Our air conditioning stopped working, but we talked to Ronald in the Paradise Club, and it was taken care of by the end of the day.
Entertainment I really don't go on vacation for the entertainment, but the nightly shows were as entertaining as any other resort I have been to. The Circus night was the highlight, though the Karaoke night was fun as well.
Grounds
The grounds were very well kept, and quite beautiful. They had workers out daily, keeping everything neat and tidy. We even enjoyed watching them one day as they groomed some of the tallest palm trees around the pool. |
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| Restaurants |
We ate at 3 out of the 4 a la cartes(we didn't go to the French). The Asian was the best. The meal was great and the Tepanyaki cooking was fun to watch. The American Shore Gril was also good very good Beef Tenderloin steak. The Italian restaurant Cinque Terre was OK. Not a whole lot of choice, and the service was slow, though the Pesto Ravioli was fantastic. Maybe having actually been to the Cinque Terre in Italy has left me jaded when it comes to Italian food. The buffet had enough choice that you could always find something to eat. They always had the pasta station, and most nights had a grill where you could get fresh steak, chicken or fish. Breakfast was always in the main buffet. Felix was the main omelette station cook, and was amazing. We looked forward to seeing him every morning. He amazingly could remember everybody's name all week. Lunch was down by the beach/pool, and was OK. They do have rotisserie chicken available ever!
y day, and it was quite good. Room service is available 24 hours a day, and is included. We ordered late night cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets, and both were great, and were delivered within 15-20 minutes of ordering.
Bars
All the bars were great. The main lobby bar Aliosos as well as the 2 Paradise Club bars by the beach even had Espresso machines, which I am a big fan of. As we were part of Paradise Club, we were able to request premium booze(Absolut, Jim Beam, Johnny Walker, etc). Oscar in the main lobby bar was great. As with most bartenders, they all respond well to tips, so if you plan on sitting down for a few drinks, give the bartender a couple of bucks, and he'll make sure you and your group are taken care of.
Disco
The disco was actually one of the best that I have been to. It is a rooftop bar, and it looks like they are working on putting in a small pool up there. The music was great, and we spent many a nights dancing until it closed at 2am.
Paradise Club
With paradise club, you get a room closer to the beach than the standard room. You also get access to a separate paradise club lounge, which is where the paradise club concierge is, so if you have any issues or questions, Ronald or one of his team will take care of you. There are always snacks, coffee, pop and bottled Dasani water in the lounge as well. You also get access to the 2 Paradise club pools and the bars attached to those pools, which have the espresso makers and premium liquor. They have the premium liquor at the Main lobby bar as well, but you only get it if you have the Paradise Club bracelet.
Beach
The beach is amazing. It's cleaned daily. They have plenty of lounge chairs, and shaded palapas. They have snorkels, windsurfing, catamarans, etc that are included in the All Inclusive. |
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| Wedding |
The wedding was beautiful. It's hard to take a bad picture with the beach and ocean in the background. The wedding dinner was held at the beach restaurant where lunch normally is. The only complaint we had was that they had to shut down the party at 11pm. We were ready to party well into the wee hours, but it is close to the paradise club rooms, so I can understand why they needed to shut down.
Pools
The pools were numerous and large. There was never an issue finding sun or shade. There was volleyball, water polo and basketball for those that wanted to partake.
Off-Resort Activities
We went on a catamaran cruise, which included snorkelling, booze, lunch, waterslide and a stop at the Natural swimming pool, which is a sandbar about a kilometre out from shore. It was fun.
Spa
They have an on site spa, with which we booked an 80 minute massage. They were great, but the 80 minutes just flew by.
Special Thanks
Felix at the Omelette Station very personable, and always a smile on his face. Ronald in the paradise club accommodated every one of our requests. Jesus who is at the Sea Pro Divers team, which is in charge of the watersports. If you have any requests for things the resort can't provide, he'll take care of you(excursions, cigars, etc(nuff said))
In summary, I was pleasantly surprised after reading all the bad reviews. I think I've travelled enough to realize that this resort was fairly rated as a 4-4.5 * resort. If you are planning on travelling to DR to enjoy gourmet food, then you really haven't thought this through, and you should probably go to Italy or France. I generally don't like to go back to the same resort twice, as part of the travelling experience is exploring new locales/resorts, but I was not disappointed at all with this resort, and I would feel comfortable recommending it to others that are planning on going to Punta Cana.
Email Andrew: andrew_given@hotmail.com |
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| Really nice, new, well maintained resort with friendly staff. |
| NH Real Arena |
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Tom >
3 contribution(s) Canada |
| Oct, 2009
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Arrival: October 2009
This place is great I would reccommend it to anybody. Really nice, new, well maintained resort with friendly staff. Great beach, pools, bars, cool casino, everything was good and i would go back to that same resort in an instant.
Rooms:
Big, clean, can't complain.
Restaurants and Bars:
Really good food, great drinks. The lobster dinner was really good.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Great
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
No
Other Comments:
Ronald, the manager for the concierge section, is super nice and goes out of his way to make your stay as good as possible. The bartenders (Carlos, Manuel and Santos in particular) are friendly and accommodating and everybody had a positive disposition. You should stay here, you will love it. |
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| The food was not very good. |
| NH Real Arena |
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Sharon from New Jersey >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Aug, 2009
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Arrival: August 10 2009
We arrived around 10pm. We did not receive drinks or any kind of welcoming reception. (we noticed that with others during the day). Our bags were left outside and we were told a shuttle would be coming. It never did. Another man approached us, took our bags as we followed him to our room.
Rooms:
The rooms are pretty, up to date and modern HOWEVER, like all hotel rooms they have kinks. Kinks are easy to fix if the service was fast and efficient but at the EdenH service was slow and non existent. The flusher to our toilet bowl was hanging out of the tank the entire time. We told the maid and she said she'd get it fixed but it remained hanging out of the tank our entire stay. We needed to play with it to get it to flush and the bowl would run at times. My boyfriend took the top off the tank several times to stop it from running. YES the rooms have a jacuzzis. It didn't look as if my jacuzzi had been wiped out in a couple of days yet I did it and ran a bath. However when I turned on the jets the water sprayed all over the room and made a big grumbling noises. I didn't bother to get it looked at being that we had 3 days left on vacation and it took a half hour to fill the entire bath anyway. Our jacuzzi did not work. Our room did not come with a remote control. We called down for one and it took 2 HOURS and several phone calls for them to bring one. A day later the batteries died and when I called for that they did not send anyone. I flagged down one of the maintenance workers and he did it for me. |
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| Restaurants and Bars: |
IF YOU GO TO ALL INCLUSIVES FOR GREAT FOOD DO NOT GO TO EDENH. The food was not very good. There are 4 "gourmet" restaurants you are allowed to make reservations at. However, according to the length of time you stay at the hotel you are not allowed to make reservations for all of them. A couple we spoke to were there for 5 days and were allowed to go to 2 restaurants. THIS RULE IS NOT STATED ANYWHERE on the website and I have never experienced that in any other the all inclusives I have stayed. It didn't matter because the restaurants were not good anyway. There were NEVER more than 6-8 tables full at these places (yet they claim there are no reservations). You are not allowed to order more than one thing on the menu (1 app, 1 entree...etc.) This is another rule I have never encountered in all inclusives. All inclusive means unlimited, all you can eat...etc. Not the case at Eden H.
The Buffet: I'll just leave you with this...when a hotel cannot even get the salad bar right....there really is not hope. There were no tomatoes, no salad dressing choices, hot wilted lettuce.... The buffet changes its theme each night and we were there 8 days. The mexican night was the most tolerable.
The Pool Snack Bar: offers stuff like pizza and nachoes. All week we were making nacho and cheese plates and bringing them down to the bar to eat them. I saw people eating with their plates on their lounge chairs...etc. yet the last day we were there I was approached by two workers telling me I couldn't bring food outside the seating area. Are they kidding me? 7 days later they decide to come up with a rule? And again, if I felt like carrying the food to my room....what was the reason why I couldn't. They DO NOT HAVE THEIR STUFF TOGETHER.
The sports bar: DO NOT LISTEN TO THE WEBSITE when they tell you the sports bar has food at those times. They had burnt popcorn all the time. Sometimes I saw nachoes and once, only once, there was mystery meat burgers. It is not a resource to eat.
Room Service: When we arrived at 10pm they suggested we order room service since we missed dinner service and that was the only place we could get food. We ordered at 10 and received our food at 11:45..and at that point we were starving only to find that the food leaves nothing to be desired. From chicken wraps (that are frozen fried wraps) to again, mystery meat cheese burgers.....it was not tempting.
BARS: we did not upgrade to paradise club. Paradise Club tells you you can drink "top shelf" liquors. Their idea of top shelf was absolute and malibu. Do NOT waste your time. We experimented with a bevy of drinks and they were fine. But do not bother with the paradise club. Pack a bottle of Grey Goose in your suitcase.
MANUEL at the pool bar was the nicest bartender we encountered. THE NICEST. The rest of the bartenders appeared slightly lazy and inexperienced. They do not make eye contact, let you wait extremely long to order your drink and they all look like they are confused. Thank goodness my other half spoke spanish otherwise they would not have understood my order. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds: |
Beautiful though because of the color of the tile at the bottom of the pools the water appears this tingey green. It took us an hour the first day to decide where or not we could go in. Yet there were many pools and the beach access was fine. The grounds always had workers taking care of it. Yet 6 days into our vacation they finally turned on all the waterfalls around the grounds. Before that, it appeared very dry and dull. Maybe they fountains weren't working when we got there....who knows?
What I did notice was that Thurs-Sat got so crowded at the pool because it looked as if all the local dominicans came to stay for the weekend. At that point there were tons of unsupervised children running around and it appeared a bit chaotic and well...sort of dirty. People did not pick up after themselves, bars were hard to get to, it was loud and quite obnoxious. It did not promote a relaxing joyful atmosphere. On Sunday, all the visitors went home and it went back to normal but what is going on here?
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We took the sequey tour--it was fun. $50 per person was a lot. Nothing was included except an hour long tour. No drinks, no food.
We went parasailing. 15 mins for $55. We were in the air 8 mins. It was bit chaotic.
We went to the club "Imagine" in the underground caves. You pay $29 per person to be transported and left in a club. You get two drink tokens which DO NOT INCLUDE MOST LIQUOR. Very limited. They offer the package for 3 nights and all you can drink but who is really going to go to the club 3 nights in a row. Its from 11-4am. We didn't really get there until 12 and got bored of the place and paid for a cab ride around 2am. It was very smokey at this place....they allow smoking everywhere. It didn't make me feel very safe.
Other Comments:
I would not stay at the EdenH Area Resort again. The food, in itself, is enough of a factor for me not to go. I feel as if it is not a tightly run ship. |
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| Dirty,Dirty,Dirty. |
| NH Real Arena |
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Cory & Paula from Alberta >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jun, 2009
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Arrival: Apr 9- Apr 16
We flew Air Transit, arrival went very smooth.
Rooms:
Dirty,Dirty,Dirty. We arrived in hotel room and was greeted by many mosquito's. Dead black flies in the bathroom. We had alot of problems with our room... 2 day's in a row without any towels or face clothes put back in the room, and we had to wait 1 1/2 hrs to get them brought to our room. There was a dead fly that was o the kleenex box when we arrived and was never cleaned and was still there when we left. House keeping was terrible.
Restaurants and Bars:
Restaurants were great, excellent food. Very good service in the Al a Cartes, not so good in the Buffet.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Beach was excellent, pools great. The swim up bar was fun.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Bavaro Runners.... Very nice, travel guide was awesome. Had day snorkel with the sharks... fun afternoon.
Other Comments:
THIS IS NOT A 5 STAR HOTEL....SHOULD BE A 3 1/2. We are not fussy travellers, we had a great time at this hotel but the problems with our hotel room did not make our stay very pleseant. Do not stay on the ground floor, way to many bugs. We paid to upgrade to a second floor before going, but did not receive it when we arrived. They need to fix these room problems, then they would have a 5 star. I would not recommend this hotel to anyone, we will not be back.
cory@hyduke.com |
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| VERY nice place but not friendly |
| NH Real Arena |
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Ginette from Ottawa >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jun, 2009
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Arrival: May 8th - May 16
Hahhahahahah BOB from Oshawa .You were there at same week my husband and I were there..... Our room was 2105 and YES there was noise till lateeeeee night or early mornings.
Rooms:
I agree this is NOT a 4 1/2 Star hotel.... Ppl @ bar by beach and restaurant by beach were VERY nice and friendly BUT *some* ppl @ Buffet were NOT smiley ppl at all and 1 in particular was even RUDE.......
Restaurants and Bars:
I also was told I couldn't reserve a la carte !!!! Sooo I showed up @ Steak house and told gal I woulda loved to try her Steaks but was told no room.........she let us right in.... I have a feeling that GUY @ desk was the problem !!!! He wants to let ppl know He's the BOSS but NOT doing a good job @ it...
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Loved the Beach
Other Comments:
Not sure I'd go back to this resort... VERY nice place but not friendly |
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| We enjoyed our vacation but not enough to go back. |
| NH Real Arena |
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Monik from Quebec >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jun, 2009
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Arrival: May 2009
Fine. Very nice airport. Don't let anyone take your suitcase! There is no need...the bus is just around the corner!
Rooms:
We booked mirage le concierge. Very nice rooms, clean, great view of the pool and the ocean from the second floor. We had rooms 1270-1274 with 2 queen beds as requested. Marcelino was very helpful during our stay as well as Eddy...good tips goes a long way! The bathrooms do have a different set up.... not very private,but it is nice and very clean!
Restaurants and Bars:
The food was O.K. The buffet is mostly the same daily! The restaurants were good except for the american one.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The beach is very nice. Plenty of palapas (but the hotel was only at 50% capacity). The pools are nice and clean as well. It is not a very big resort so it is easy to get around.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Animation on the beach was fun and enjoyable. Akon was especialy nice and freindly. We went jewlery shoping chez Nicole, since our transat rep recommended it. Yes, it is a tourist trap and you can buy some of the same jewlery at the hotel for a much lower price (so check there first) but we found interesting stuff anyhow!
Other Comments:
We enjoyed our vacation but not enough to go back. If I return to Punta Cana, I would go back to the Bahia principe(AMBAR section) instead!
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| The beach was amazing! |
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Saunvah from Maryland >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Jun, 2009
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Arrival: June 19-June 26
The one thing that stood out the most in regards to our arrival, as well as our stay there, was the staff. Everyone was so nice and genuinely happy and sweet.
Rooms:
The rooms were very clean, and had a great view. The only complaint I have would be in regards to the bathrooms. The bathroom isn't really separate from the room; the bathtub/jacuzzi is separated from the room by a huge open window. The shower/ toilet do have a cloudy glass separating them from the jacuzzi. When you close the door to the bathroom- which is kind of pointless you cant really re-open it from the inside so you have to climb out of the bathroom from the jacuzzi. I dont know what the thought process behind that was...but besides that there was no other problems with the rooms.
Restaurants and Bars:
There are 2 buffets at the resort; one is located near the rooms, and the other is located on the beach by the pool. This makes it very convenient. The buffets offer a wide variety of food and desserts. My favorite was the fruit and variety of fruit juices/ smoothies they offered. Aside from the buffet there are a few restaurants one can make reservations for dinner; these include seafood, asian, steakhouse, and french cuisine. My family and I went to the french and the steakhouse and both were great. There are also a few bars located conveniently throughout the resort (in the plaza near the rooms and by the beach and in the pool). 2 or 3(maybe more) of the bars are open all day/night, and one of them (in the disco) is open at night.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The beach was amazing! The water was so pretty and warm. The pool was nice as well. In the beach they have a water trampoline for kids and in the pool they have basketball/volleyball/ water polo nets. The area around the pool and the beach and the resort was also very well maintained; the trees there are absolutely beautiful. For thos people who have kids, there is also a kids center. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel: |
There are many activities offered at the resort. Their daily activities included yoga in the morning on the beach followed by dance lessons on the beach, followed by water aerobics on the beach. They then encouraged everyone to play some kind of sport with them such as volleyball. Later in the day they offered another type of aerobics class either in or around the pool followed by some volleyball or water polo. Later at night they offered some type of live music or music videos in the plaza followed by live shows which include dancing or majic or comedy. They then opened up the resorts club or disco as they called it. The entertainment crew who organizes and instructs/ leads/ partakes in these events were amazing.
Other activities one could partake in for a small fee include snorkeling, parasailing, banana boating, scuba diving, swimming with dolphins and many other excursions on a segway or fourwheeler of some sort. There are also other night clubs one can go to that are not at the resort; I myself went to imagine which is about 10 minutes from the resort. Imagine is a nightclub built inside of an actual cave; it was amazing.
Other Comments:
The staff there was wonderful. Akon, who is one of the fitness instructors/ entertainers is very helpful and knowledgeable. Geronimo who is another member of the entertainment crew is the best dance instructor! Rosa who runs the kids center is great with kids. Danny who works in customer service is also very helpful with any questions one has. Overall the stay was great!
Sauny240@yahoo.com |
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| Not sure if this is a 4 1/2 star resort. |
| NH Real Arena |
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Bob from Oshawa, Ontario >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| May, 2009
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Arrival: May 01st-15th
Flew Air Transat from Toronto, typical flight no problems at customs or transfer to resort.
Rooms:
The rooms had a much different design than any other resort I have stayed at there is a large opening in the wall between the bathroom and the rest of the room. The bathroom has a door which serves no purpose because the wall is open. While you are laying in bed you can look right into the bathroom, the toilet and a large walk in shower are in frosted stalls. The bathroom did have a large whirlpool tub in the bathroom which does look out into the rest of the room. The only draw back with the room would be if you were traveling with someone you were not totally comfortable with because there is no privacy. We had to change rooms after our first two days as the air conditioning was not working in the first room we were given and we could not sleep as it was on the ground floor and people were running all night in the halls and yelling. Another problem with the first room was that it had double wooden doors between the two rooms which lock on each side but offer no sound barrier as even simple talking or a TV can be heard like it is in your room. We had requested through the travel agent prior to going to be on an upper floor and had e-mailed the resort several months before with our request. We were moved to an upper floor and had no problems after that and it also did not have the door to open between rooms so it was very quiet.
Restaurants and Bars:
Ok we stayed for two weeks we were not told but the first week was winter months May 01st-08th where they offered a formal lunch buffet and the second week May 08th-15th was summer months where they only offered select food at the pool resturant which is very informal. Had difficulty booking the A la carte dining tried to do this the first day and we were told they were full for the first week so we had to book for our second week. Had we only been there for one week we would have been unable.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Not sure why but pools were cool during our stay. Beach was good but the whole area has a good beach.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
The nightly entertainment was fair at the resort not up to other resorts I have stayed at but still offered something to do.
Other Comments:
Had some problem getting our room changed and front desk staff kept telling us to come back this took two days to resolve claimed resort was overbooked but it did not appear that way. Only other issue we had was that only three times in two weeks did maids change bath towels even though each day we left them tips. Not sure if this is 4 1/2 star resort we did not set high expectations and had a nice vacation. |
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| The food was very adequate. |
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Francine from New Brunswick >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| May, 2009
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Arrival: April 12 - April 26
Flew with Air Transat plane was 30min late departing (due to passengers being late) Arrived to nice warm sunny weather. Had been given all the necessary papers on plane so entery was fast bageges arrived shortly. Ride to hotel was good and very short.
Rooms:
We had not booked the concierge rooms (did not care for the tub on the balcony) to my point of view we had one of the best regular rooms 2449 . Very nice balcony with pool and ocean view. Nice clean good size room. Very nice bath room with large shower hot water as much as you want all the time and verry good preasure. The same bath tub as in the concierge rooms but inside. Could not have asked for a better room. Modern Safe Flat T.V. Couch, mini frige with soda water and beer. Welcome plate of fruit with small bottle of rum. Room service, nice menue, breakfast and supper.
Restaurants and Bars:
The food was very adequate . We went to every A La Carte and were satisfided. The stakes were the best, the ribs sometimes were very tender then others were so tough you could ne get the meat of the bones. All the food in general was good, breakfast, noon and evening. The Buffet was also verry good it had theam nights, with a small Island where you could get a drink going with the theme of the evening. I am a big seafood eater and I found that that was the thing that was lacking.(Might have been due to the time of the season) There was plenty of other good food to eat, I did not go hungry. The bread and pastry were very above standerd. There was also a nice pasta bar, good but not so good for the diet.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The beach is very nice plenty of Palapas and you will not run out of chairs on the beach unless you get there very late. It is a very nice part of the beach for those whe like to take long walks. We are not pool people so we only went ounce and enjoyed it very much nice clean pool.The grounds are also very mature for the time the resort has been open. There is also a few whirl pool around the pool area. Plenty of shade there also. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel: |
Since we have often gone to Punta Cana we did not go on meny tours, we did the snorkling, and natural swimming pool . Which we booked at the water sports hut directly on the beach ,was not expensive and very enjoyable. Some of our friends went to the Zip Line and the said it was well worth it, and would recomend it. Para-sailing was also ver popular in our group, every one enjoyed it but found that often they bring you infront of other resorts, not the one where your friends are waiting to take pictures of you. Some went to the sundet cruise and lobster meal, most said it was not worth what they paid, and would not do it again. The free shuttle to the shopping center was also a hit.Shopping along the beach is very interesting and they seem to be getting more orgenise and most of the places are cleaner than when I first started going. The merchants are not to pushy and very polite, if treated also with respect.
Other Comments:
I would recomend that you take the Concierge package, you don't only get a tub outside it is mostly for the other benefits: Private bars near the beach with better beer and alcohol. You also get unlimited private places for the internet. Your private place where there is always some fresh sandwiches and fruits cold bottled water beer soda. Better brand Rum Gin Vodka.... You also get a lobster supper served in your room with a bottle of Champagne. We did not really mind not having all that, but if it were to do over we would take the concierge package and maybe ask for the regular room. We would defenitly recommend it to others. |
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| The whole group would return in a hearbeat. |
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Gisele from New Brunswick >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| May, 2009
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Arrival: April 12 - 26
Arrival at airport was good, passed customs fairly quick and go to the resort within 30 minutes.
Rooms:
All in all, the staff was great if you smiled at them they would always smile back at you, the language barrier was never a problem and I would like to thank Isabelle, Marcelino, Marianna and Henry who did a great job for my group. I had asked that all of our rooms face the inside of the resort which faces the pool and everyone with no exception was granted that. Some of us had Concierge rooms and the others the Mirage package and service was never an issue. All the rooms were very clean and housekeeping usually made them up in the morning.
Restaurants and Bars:
The restaurants were all very good but my personal favourite was the Italian which we did twice. We also did the Oriental both A la Carte & at the grill, the American twice and the Senses twice also. We were never disappointed and ate very well at all 4 restaurants. We also went to the buffet and the Italian for breakfast which was nice to be served at your table but the buffet was excellent and had lots of fruits and different items to please everybody. We also ate at the buffet a couple of times at lunch and supper but we usually had lunch at the snack bar near the pool which had the best chicken and ceasar salad.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The beach was perfect, the staff cleaned it every day but I do wish tourists especially would pick up their glasses and cigartte butts when they leave, it would make things a lot easier for these people, after all this is not a dump and if you want to keep it clean, please stop trashing it. Only went once in the pool so can't say much about it.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We did 2 excursions : the sunset catamaran with the lobster supper which was just great. We ate at the Jellyfish Restaurant and everything was very good and after supper they brought us back in a bus to our resort. My husband and some of the group did the Zipline and they really had fun and would love to do it again. The TV Screen in the courtyard was nice for our group, we always, met there before & after supper.
Other Comments:
I am a travel agent and brought a group of 44 including myself who come from a town in New Brunwick Canada (which is right next to the US border) to the NH and the whole group would return in a hearbeat.
All in all, I would recommend this resort to anyone I know and would really love to go back.
Thanks NH Real Arena and your staff for great two weeks..see you again I hope !
gizmotibo@hotmail.com |
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| An absolutely wonderful vacation. |
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Janice from Luisiana >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| May, 2009
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Arrival: April 21 - 30
We just returned on April 29th from a 9 day stay at the NH Real Punta Cana. My husband and I are no strangers to all inclusive Caribbean resorts having spent dozens of weeks at them over the years. We had an absolutely wonderful vacation, one of our best ever. The staff was very friendly and helpful and all were interested in helping to improve your vacation experience. However, they cannot make you have a good time and part of that is up to you. If you have a little problem, don't let that spoil your entire week. If you go to the grocery store and they are out of the bread do you let that ruin your entire day? On any vacation the most important thing is knowing what to expect and then you will not be disappointed.
When we arrived, we were greeted by Henry who took good care of our luggage and had it delivered to our room as soon as we checked in. The large modern lobby is very sleek and is enclosed and air conditioned. It is not the open air, grass roof structure that you will find most places. Check in was a breeze and we were in our room shortly. The rooms are large and well appointed. Each has a balcony with a table and chairs. We opted to pay ten dollars a night for an ocean view room with Cheap Caribbean and I would recommend it for such a small amount. The standard rooms have a 2 person Jacuzzi tub between the bedroom and bath room and is open to both. The toilet and shower are both enclosed behind frosted glass doors. This arrangement was no problem for us and most other couples. If you have teenage children staying in the room with you, more privacy maybe needed and you may want to inquire about a room with the Jacuzzi on the balcony and more bathroom privacy. We also purchased 24 hours of wireless internet service which was enough to last us the entire week. I think cell phone charges are about $2.00 a minute in the DR so if you want to bring a laptop this is an economical way to stay in touch. We had read about problems with mosquitoes so we brought OFF but never needed it. We didn' t hear anyone complain about mosquitoes the entire time we were there.
The grounds were very well maintained and beautiful. The beach was absolutely gorgeous, with plenty of grass cabanas and beach chairs. More than we have seen anywhere else. There was always a breeze so you can tan and never break a sweat, but be careful because you will get burned before you know it. As for as communication you must realize you are in a Spanish speaking country. There is no problem communicating with the employees you normally come in contact with but you may have a problem communicating with some of the housekeepers. Some of them can speak a little English but if they don't understand give them a break. |
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There are 4 special reservation restaurants. You can make reservation by going to the lobby between 10-4 and talk to Dani. He really tries his best to accommodate you. One suggestion is to look at the menus if you are in line to make sure which ones you want. After looking at the menus we chose not to go to the Italian because my father-in-law doesn't eat Italian. At the American Grill and Senses we both had tenderloin steaks and they were great. The Asian has two different reservations-one for tables and the other for show cooking. We went to the show cooking at the beginning of our trip and it was so good we booked it again. The waiters work so many different areas. One night we had Julio and the next morning he was at the buffet. The buffet dining is air conditioned which is rare in the Caribbean. If you chose you can go outside and sit at table. The breakfast buffet was always good. Felix makes omelets with just what you choice in them. Plenty of fresh fruit, assortments of rolls and bread, cereals and much more. Many items on both sides. For lunch you have 2 choices- the buffet where breakfast is served or the pool grill. At the buffet there is a wide selection to choose from. There is a pasta station where you choice you sauce, noodles and toppings then it is cooked together in front of you. Next is a station you pick your meat from fish, chicken, pork or beef and it is cooked then. Also a pizza oven. Many other items to pick from potatoes, rice, beans, meat in gravy, fresh salads, fruit, deserts and much, much more and some of the best rum raisin ice cream. At night they also added a carving station, hot deserts and I could go on and on. Now to the pool grill- rotisserie chicken- they cut off what you want, hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, the best baked potatoes, vegetables, fried chicken, salads and desserts. What more could you ask for?
There are many bars but I recommend you bring an insulated mug. Service was good and it didn' t matter what band you had on as others have suggested you were waited on in order like it should be. As we talked to others at the bars everyone was very pleased with the service. Each bar had a frozen Pina Colada and Margarita machine which were always good. At the Paradise Club bars Rafael, Robert and Carlos took great care of us. At night Mercedes at the Sports bar was very friendly.
We read complaints about the construction noise. This was never a problem for us and most of the time we were at the bar and pool next to the construction. In fact, it was interesting to watch. We enjoyed every minute of it and for the price you should consider stay an extra night or two. I cannot say enough good about this resort . We are already looking at when we can go back. |
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| What a wonderful resort!! |
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Leanna >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2009
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Arrival: March 28 - April 4
We had 50 guests in our group, arriving from Canada and the U.S., to attend our daughter's beachside wedding. The first 18 guests arrived at 06:50, the second 25 arrived at 10:25, and the remaining 7 came throughout the rest of the day. The transfer from the airport was well organized and we were all on site within the hour. Of course, rooms were not ready that early (and we didn't expect them to be), but checkin went smoothly and everyone was poolside, with a drink in hand, in no time. We had asked for a courtesy room for a couple travelling with an infant, but the resort was unable to provide that at the last minute. Oh well.
Rooms
What a wonderful resort!! It's not so big that you have to shuttle everywhere - everything is easily accessible. The rooms are spacious, clean and nicely decorated, and we all had rooms facing the beach and pool. The hotel upgraded the bride and groom to a beautiful beach front suite, and as the parents of the bride we had a lovely corner room with a gorgeous view. Request room 1374 and you won't be disappointed.
Restaurants and Bars
The buffet is plentiful, well laid out and most appealing. We tried all the a la carte restaurants, and although all were delicious, our favorite was Cinq Terre (Italian).
Beach/Pools/Grounds
The beach is very large, with plenty of lounge chairs and palapas. Whatever time of day we went to either the pool or the beach, there was always chairs available in both the sun and shade. And, even better, they were all in good repair
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
Most of our group signed up for some off site activity through the tour operator desk. Unfortunately, none of these excursions could be considered good value for the money. Deep sea fishing was supposed to provide a snack and unlimited beer, but they had to buy both. Dune buggy adventure was terrible - they were taken onto the highways, weren't allowed to go fast or through puddles, and the machines broke down continuously. Every single person on that excursion (all 18 of them) complained.We booked the LaBarcaza Restaurant boat for an after party for 44 people and were very happy with their service. I'd highly recommend it to anyone - open bar, unlimited food, swimming, dancing, music. Huge fun. |
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| Other Comments |
The highlight of the week for us was the wedding of our daughter. The wedding coordinators(Mariana & Ana) did a marvellous job! The whole day went without a hitch and far surpassed my expectations. The hotel photographer is excellent and the pictures turned out beautifully. I found him a little expensive, but the wedding party said that his prices were on par with any professional. I had worked very closely with Mariana for a good 4 months prior to arrival, but I think that even without my requests and requirements she'd have put together a truly memorable day. Anyone with questions or in need of support on wedding issues just email me and I should be able to address them pretty easily.
All in all, I would highly recommend this resort to anyone. My husband and I have travelled extensively over the years, and have been pretty much everywhere. As far as a sun and sea holiday goes, you'd have to go pretty far to beat the EdenH. As a matter of fact, my husband and I own a travel agency in Canada and we wil be actively steering our clients to the Eden H.
leannawaite52@hotmail.com |
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| This was our first trip south, we loved the experience and would go back. |
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Janice & Keith from Sydney, Nova Scotia >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2009
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Arrival: March 20 - 27
Our arrival was late, due to late departure from Halifax. The airport is really neat, hut like with an open concept. All was good. We tried to say NO to the guys wanting to carry your bags, good luck!! The guy was just doing his job. After all I read, I was worried about the luggage going on the wrong bus, but there were no problems.
Rooms
There were "issues" the first night, but we were moved the next morning and everything was "Excellent" after that. The bed and pillows were wonderful!! Glad our second room had a "wall" between the room and the washroom. Loved the shower, although we didn't always have hot water. Our room was 2265 in the Prestige Club section, very nice......To have a better view of the ocean and see the sun rise, I would request the 4th floor, in the other building the next time. The turn down service was nice, lots of towels and face cloths, and two towel art creations made by Sugey. The refidge was stocked each day with pop, bottled water and delicious beer. We also enjoyed the robes, slippers, and bottle of rum.
Restaurants and Bars
The Festival Buffett was great. Breakfast with Felix was certainly the highlight of each day. The omlette line is well worth the wait. Get your table and "stuff" lined up first, then have your Felix do his magic!! He and Henry were wonderful. Loved eating outside on the terrace at breakfast time. Lots of choices. The house wine was good. Enjoyed the beach bar and snack area very much!! Alex, Ramon, and Raul, along with the others were wonderful!! We tried the French, Italian and Asian restaurants. Enjoyed all of them. The staff were very willing to serve and look after your needs.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
The beach is fantastic. Each day the beach is cleaned by a large crew of men. The sand is feels like flour and is a beautiful colour. It really felt like paradise. The grounds are very well kept. We didn't swim in the pool, but it looked well cared for. Did try the swim up bar the last day, but it was hard to get a drink down there.....The beach huts were wonderful, and yes, we did reserve one, but didn't hold the spot if we were not going to be using it. We would relax, walk, swim, relax, go for breakfast and return to our chairs/huts to do the same!! Great place for lots of R&R. It was really nice when the fountains were working, they were doing work on them, so they were not always on. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
There were lots of things going on if you wanted to participate. The entertainment crew were pretty funny and worked really hard to get people involved. No excursions taken, although we did go in a van, arranged by Airtransat, to a small shopping area. It was fun and we were glad we went.
Other Comments
We were issued yellow bracelts, mirage deluxe. The service in the vip lounge we very good. The staff (Maria Kaz and Indria especially) worked really hard to make sure we were comfortable. This was our first trip south, we loved the experience and would go back. |
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| We'd go back to this hotel in a flash. |
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Laura from Toronto >
4 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2009
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Arrival: April 9 - April 16
We flew Air Transat, pretty uneventful really. A few minutes late in leaving, due to the incoming flight being a few minutes late. Nothing special, food was typical airline food, surprised that its supplied by Presidents Choice now..
Upon arrival, there was our flight and a Sunquest flight that arrived at the same time.. there's a delay actually getting into the arrivals area because they (Airport / Tourism staff) take pictures of EVERY single person or couple as they enter the airport. This REALLY slows down getting in, going through customs / immigration, and getting your luggage. The luggage carousels were not numbered or labeled, so you were unsure as to which one was for your flight. After getting our bags, it was a pretty smooth transition to finding out what bus you're to get on, lots of people around to direct you to the right spots.
Bus ride to the hotel was about a half hour, as we were the last resort on the drop off list.
Check-in was done at the VIP Paradise Club lounge, as we had purchased the Conceirge package, very quick and informative. Bell Boys take you and your luggage via golf cart to your room. They also point out key areas on the way to your room.. buffet etc.
Rooms
Rooms were very nice. Clean, although we had 3 cockroach incidents, which kept me skittish for every nights sleep.. I had mentioned it to someone, another guest, but they had thought it was rather odd, that a door had been left open probably, not a usual thing there... fine. Rooms were cleaned every day around 10am, we were in room 2463, Paradise Club. Towels were refreshed when we required them, but most days we preferred to reuse them, for the sake of the environment. Mini-Bar was stocked and restocked daily (with the help of $1) and we left little gifts and a couple of US $$ for the housekeeper daily. Upon arrival, we had a fresh fruit plate and a bottle of rum, and a free gift of a keychain, which is a nice keepsake.
One odd thing about the room was the bathroom, and the lack of privacy. We do understand its mainly for ventilation for steam etc, but there was a 2 foot gap between the wall and the ceiling, which didn't allow for complete privacy in the bathroom area.. We just had a routine, one on the balcony, one in the lou!! Shower was wonderful, and in a separate enclosure. Toilet was in a separate enclosure, with a glass door.. all in all, nice bathroom.
There are jacuzzi tubs on the balconies in the Paradise Club rooms, but we never used ours. Only cold water flows from the taps, and it never got THAT hot to have to have a cool jacuzzi, and secondly, when we first arrived, there was a broken lightbulb which was later cleaned up, but I could still see shards of glass, so I didn't bother using it. |
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Turn-down service was nice at night, but they didn't come at the same time each night.. we're not real night owls, so most of the time we just said no thanks, we were fine, but this is where they do turn down the beds and replace your towels etc...
Our room was an inside pool view / partial ocean view. As a note for anyone that's doing research and booking through Air Transat, the rooms totally facing the ocean and the private pools ARE NOT available to book through Air Transat, you have to book those directly with the hotel according to our tour rep Anne-Lise... it's an extra $200USD per person, per night!
Restaurants and Bars
First off, you don't go to the Dominican or anywhere Carribean, for the food! You go for the beaches etc... so my comments on the food and restaurants are what everyone else is probably thinking.
You can find something to eat at the buffets, but you have to remember, they're trying to make something available for everyone there, if they're picky or not, they try to make sure theres something for everyone... for example, seems that once the new lot of people came in from the UK, Blood Pudding was at the buffet each breakfast.. that sort of thing..
We ate only 1 night at the buffet, as we had ala cartes booked and our in-room lobster dinner (that comes with the Conceirge package), as well as a night of room service.
The buffet breakfast was hit and miss for food and service.. some days we'd sit for 15-20 mins until a server came around to acknowledge or offer you coffee... alot of times they had run out of coffee cups and utensils... From our previous experiences in Cuba, we found the service to be less than desirable every breakfast at this hotel... they look completely unorganized most times...
The Ala Cartes were good, unfortunately we had only booked 2 when we first arrived.. the Asian Grill (hibachi) which was good, and the Gourmet / French Restaurant (Senses), which wasn't bad... We tried booking towards the end of our trip for a couple more ala cartes, but could only get the Asain table ordering, which wasn't good at all.. for either one of us... they're version of Sweet and Sour sauce was bbq sauce.. rather revolting, but I wasn't going away completely hungry.
The bars at the VIP Paradise Club pools were good, and had premium alcohol, including Corona, but again, you're paying for it... might as well drink it, right? We found the bartender Jorge at the Kiddie pool a little more approachable and friendly than the others... our opinion.
Our lunches were spent at the Beach Grill, which always had a pretty good assortment, and also had salads and desserts in plastic take away containers so you could finish at the beach or pool if you liked.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
We spent the first couple of days at the Paradise Club Adults only pool / bar area, then spent a day at the beach, then ended up at the Kiddie / Family pool in the Paradise Club area... and funny enough, we're newlyweds, no kids.. but preferred to be at the family pool area... just seemed more relaxed and a little more friendly is this area.
The main pool area always had something going on, whether it was volley ball, aquafit or just a group of people having fun.... but always something happening.
You never had to reserve your chairs around the Paradise Club pool areas.. but I'd look out from our balcony in the morning around 6am, and I'd see people reserving their chairs around the main pool, or heading down to the beach to do the same thing.... frustrating only when they left it like that all day, and never showed up.... oh well, you'll get those people everywhere... |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
Lots of stuff happening daily, hourly I'd say, but we didn't get involved in any activities.
We did go to the local shopping centre, where they drop you off for 2 hours. It's a pretty high end shopping area... brand name places mainly.. and expensive.
We had wanted to go Zipline Adventure , but I required a pair of close-toed shoes for that, and neglected to pack any... so off to the plaza to drop over $50 for shoes.... yes, they're nice and I'll wear them again.... but a little pricey...
So we went Ziplining!!! What a blast! Our drivers name was Manuel, and man, can he drive and navigate those bumpy, windy roads!! Kudos to him! Our tour rep was Pedro..he was great! He told us information on the area and the people on our drive to the mountains for Ziplining! He was very friendly and full of knowledge!
They take great care in doing the ziplining as far as safety and procedures are concerned... You really should check out the website for it to see the video and pictures, but it's a lot of fun, and really safe!.. try to go in the morning though, as the afternoon would get pretty hot out there..
The drive through the country side and the small towns was interesting as well.. and Pedro would tell us about all the different vegetation, and we even tried unripened, or not dried, coacoa beans!... All Hail chocolate!!
All in all it was a nice break, good to get away from the resort for a bit. we hear the Bavaro Runners Safari Adventure is a good tour as well... maybe next time!??!
Other Comments
All in all, we'd go back to this hotel in a flash.. we really enjoyed our stay!! Although, only if the price were right, and if we got the same package, Mirage Concierge.. we figured its really worth it for the extras you get... ie: free internet in the VIP Lounge.. Premium Liquor and Beers, all ala carte dinners booked as soon as you get there if you want, private lounge to chill out in with snacks and bottled water and pop any time of day...
As much as we've been liking Cuba, we'll be back to the Dominican and the NH Real Arena.
Oh, before I forget.. the construction that I was concerned about before we got there was pretty much non-existant.. they were working, yes.. and it's located on the adult pool side or building 2.. unless you had an outside room and were there during the day, it wouldn't have bothered you one bit!
Anna-Lise the Air Transat Rep was wonderful to deal with, and make sure you go to her orientation meeting, very informative!
Indira at the VIP lounge was great as well!
Not sure what else I can say, but really a 9 out of 10! |
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| I would recommend this resort 100%. |
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Bonnie from Halifax, NS >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Mar, 2009
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Arrival: February 22 - March 8
We flew via Air Transat -Club Class. This was worth every penny and I would recommend it for the service, extra baggage allowance, etc. Arrived in Punta Cana at 1130AM and quickly received our luggage and then off to our bus & the resort. Only 15 from the airport to the resort. After reading the many reviews, we knew to go to the right (Paradise Club) for our check in. CHeck in was quick and painless. Our room wasn't ready -no biggie. We were directed to the hospitality area, where we changed and headed to the beach. We checked back in 1 hour and our room was ready-out front to the golf cart for a speedy ride to our room. The staff expalined everything about our room and we were set to go.
Rooms
We were in romm 2465- fantastic view!We had a king size bed with a couch (hide a bed), desk, flat screen TV, jacuzzi & bistro set on the deck. The room was always clean and well tended with fresh towels / facecloths provided everyday. Bed is a little harder than we are used to but it didn't keep us from getting our zzz's.
Restaurants and Bars
We ate at all of the restaurants including the buffet. The Asian is really good especially at the grill -ordering from the menu is also good. The "romantic" Senses served the best Beef Tenderloin -so good. We ate here 3 times and only had 1 time where the service was somewhat lacking -slow. The American Shore Grill provided a relaxed atmosphere and a good variety of main courses to choose from. The food here was served promptly, was hot and tasty and the staff were attentive. The Italian was our least favorite -the food was okay but the night we were there the service was not up to the standard of the other a la cartes. The buffet always offered a good variety -there was always fish, chicken, beef or pork to choose from. Pasta was available with a selection of vegetables and rice and also salad fixings. There was always fresh bread to go with every meal and the hot croissants in the mornign were awesome. Overall, there is no reason for anyone to go hungry as there is something for everyone.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
There are oodles of palapas for everyone at the beach and plenty of chairs to go around. This did not stop people from "reserving" them for as much as 4-5 hours before coming to use them. Every morning, you could watch people going to reserve their spots. We spent the majority of time at the Adults only pool -Paradise Club - and it was NEVER necessary to save a chair. The grounds, pool and beach were kept impressively clean with the hotell running at about 99% capacity. Each morning the staff could be seen on the beach picking up cups, garbage and cigarette butts. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
We did not go any excursions this trip.
Other Comments
The staff at the NH were always smiling and quick to offer an Hola. If something needed tending to -it was addressed quickly and efficiently. There is construction next to the NH that is supposed to be an Adults only addition to the NH opening in November and there was no noticeable noise at the beach or Adults pool from the construction . This was a great vacation and I would recommend this resort 100%. |
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| 1 week is too short. |
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Bryan from Saskatchewan >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Mar, 2009
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Arrival
flew skyservice which was good there and back. try not to sit in row 28.seats don,t recline. and with 1 potty out of service, not a good place to sit for 6 plus hours
Rooms
stayed in rooom 1419 no complaints.would take same room on next visit
Restaurants and Bars
lots to eat and lots to drink, (if your fussy stay home) staff was real good
Beach/Pools/Grounds
beach was good,pools good,grounds looking good, and a big thumbs down to the ones that put towels on "their" chairs and didn't show up for the hole day
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
tours next year
Other Comments
1 week is to short...going back for 2 next year |
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| It was imperative to speak Spanish in order to take full advantage of the facilities. |
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Joe and Cece from New York >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Mar, 2009
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Arrival: March 2 - 9
Easy check-in thanks to Hector at reception.
Rooms
Room with no wall in the bathroom was no good. Hector at reception upgraded us to a better room which had lots of mosquitos unfortunately. Plenty of closet space and other amenities. Nice TV.
Restaurants and Bars
Loved the fish and lots of green fresh veggies at Festival Buffet. Senses was nice Shore Grill wasn't up there at all.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
Felippa at the beach area was extremely helpful. Towels and lounge chairs were usurped when we were at lunch.
Other Comments
It was imperative to speak Spanish in order to take full advantage of the facilities as the proficiency of English of staff was limited. Thank goodness again for Hector at reception.
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| Room trouble. |
| NH Real Arena |
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Melanie from Ottawa >
3 contribution(s) Canada |
| Mar, 2009
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| Arrival: March 6th - 13th |
We flew WestJet, the plane was comfortable, more seat/leg room than a regular charter plane (ie skyservice). Disappointing that there was no movie included, you had to pay $6 pp if you wanted to watch a movie. Satellite TV worked for about the first 1.5 hour of the flight, after that, there was no signal.
Punta Cana airport super busy, but fairly organized, we had no issues getting our luggage quickly and finding our bus to the resort. It was a short ride, no more than 20 minutes to the hotel which was nice.
We paid extra for the Mirage Package, meaning we had seperate check in at the VIP lounge at the resort. Check in there was fast and we then got on the golf cart with our luggage along with the bellboy and got dropped off at our room. |
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| Rooms |
The room was 1157. We had requested an upper floor, a king size bed with some sort of view. Of those three things, this room had none. Ground floor, 2 double beds (they call them queens, but there's no way they were bigger than a double).
Our view was a utility hut in front of a fence that seperated the hotel from the next property which i'm not sure what it was... lots of garbage, clothes lines, dogs running around... etc. not the most pleasant view. oh, and i forgot to mention the smell. It wasn't just a little musty, because that is understandable in a tropical climate. It smelled like CRAP.
My heart sank as we tried to settle into the room. It was really bad. Oh, and there was no power to the thermostat which controls the A/C, so the room was extremely hot and muggy. So we went right back to the VIP lounge to try and switch rooms. We were told it was impossible at this time (11pm), the manager was not in, and they staff had no access to the computer to be able to change rooms. The hotel was at full capacity, and we were told there was no possibility to get a different room. I was super upset, and couldn't imagine staying 6 more nights there. We were promised someone would come to fix up the 2 beds into one large bed, that never happened.
The next day, we went to our tour operator rep with our complaints. They were helpful in acting as a liason between us and the hotel staff. It was confirmed that a room switch was impossible, so they offered to move us to the Majestic Elegance hotel. I was overjoyed. All i wanted to do was get out of there. The details needed to be confirmed the next morning, when we would be moving. So we made the best of the situation and tried to enjoy the day at the NH. The next day, we were getting prepared to move, and then were informed that, no, they don't have space for us at the Majestic either.
That afternoon we were offered a room on the fourth floor, with the same view and a king bed, so we took it. The room was miles better, no smell, and at least a balcony we could enjoy. There glass door for the toilet area was missing, so there was NO privacy whatsoever, so that might be an issue for some. I was just happy to be in a room that didn't smell like sewage. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
The food was very good. The A la cartes that we tried were great, Italian, Grill, and Romantic (best steak ever!!). The service seemed to be very hot and cold. Sometimes it was excellent, and other times aweful/non-existant.
My husband has a severe nut allergy, which proved to be a challenge with many of the desserts, and especially at the Asian restaurant. But there was chicken curry on the menu, which would have been fine. After explaining the situation with the greeter (who spoke perfect english), she said she'd inform our waitress so that we could make sure his dish didn't come into contact with nuts.
Anyways, long story short, seems that our waitress didn't speak english or spanish,( not sure why she would be employed at the resort??) and didn't understand what we were trying explain ( and I do speak fluent spanish). Our salads were served, and after taking one bite, my husband instantly reacted, and had to spit it out (the dressing must have had some nut oil or something). I just said, better to be safe than sorry, so we left and went to the buffet. The best was the snack buffet by the pool, lots bbq stuff... burgers, chicken, hot dogs, thin crust pizza, and the best fresh guacamole ever. So yes, the food was great.
Beach- Amazing, lots of loungers and palapas, it was very windy a few days, so sitting at the beach wasn't the best. You can walk for hours in either direction, and it was nice that the section of beach in front of NH wasn't too crowded or packed full of ppl/loungers like in front of some other resort. The water was fairly rough due to the wind, there was a red flag up for the whole week except for 2 days, then it was yellow.
Pools- very nice, but of course, lots of ppl reserving chairs with towels, books, etc. We were at the pool on day, beside 4 reserved loungers... and no one showed up ALL DAY!!! I wish the staff would enforce a 'no reserving' rule, to make the situation more enjoyable for everyone. Grounds - very nice, well laid out, not too far to walk everywhere... some resorts are so huge you have to take a trolley, so that was a nice treat.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
We did the Saona Island excursion ($104pp), and would highly recommend it. The bus ride wasn't too bad, about an hour and a half, with a rest stop halfway. We did speed boats to the natural swimming pool with starfish, then lunch and relaxing time on Saona Island, and then a Catamaran cruise back. What a fun day, the weather was perfect, and the sea was an unreal colour of turquoise you can't even imagine something nicer.
We also went snorkeling one day for $20 each, they take you a short boat ride out infront of the resort to the reef. There was quite a current, and it was hard to see much... some scuba divers got into trouble and one guy got thrown up against the reef, and our boat had to go get them... he had a ton of scrapes a cuts on his legs. Needless to say, i didn't feel too safe, and there wasn't many fish to see, so i wouldn't recommend it. |
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| Other Comments |
We are a couple in our mid 20s, and don't have super high expectations, so we ended up having a good week, after the frustration of the first 2 days. Would we go back? Maybe if we could be guaranteed a room that faces the interior of the resort.
We were not the only ones who were complaining about the rooms, as there seemed to be always someone trying to deal with the staff on this issue. On the other exterior side of the building 2, is construction, and one lady was furious that she was getting woken up at 6am due to that noise.
There also seemed to be a fair bit of work going on at the NH, which seems strange since it's a fairly new resort. But lots of tile repair, there was someone cutting wood with an electric saw in the hallway of the rooms, painting, drywall patching, etc.
We were also delayed on our return flight because the departure gate was changed, but there was never an announcement, so one couple was sitting at the wrong gate. So just make sure to check the screens for that information, as the announcements that are being made are sometimes hard to understand. If you have any questions, I'd be more than happy to help.
melanie.aumont@gmail.com
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| This trip was perhaps the best we ever had. |
| NH Real Arena |
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Terry (waldo) & Marcia from Guelph >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Mar, 2009
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Arrival:Feb 13th - 27th
Hard to believe that we've been traveling to the Dominican Republic since 1988, 21 years. We've just completed trip #38 to this GREAT country, and it just keeps getting better.
This trip was perhaps the best we ever had thanks to the Dominican people and the great staff and management of NH Resorts (EdenH).
Flight
We left on time Friday, February the 13th, and actually arrived a bit early at Punta Cana. The crew of Air Transat was very helpful and we thoroughly enjoyed our Club Class Seating. As well as priority boarding, complimentary drinks and an enhanced meal, Club Class allowed us to bring 50 lbs of sports equipment for the kids that Punta Cana Mike tries to help.
The return trip 2 weeks later was just as rewarding.
Arrival
The ground trip to the resort was quick and painless. The baggage was unloaded promptly by Ramon, who recognized us from our February 2008 trip; he led us to the check-in for the Paradise Club. All was done quickly and the a la carte restaurant reservations were made for two weeks as well as the booking for our in-room lobster dinner. All checked in but the room was not ready. Staff gave us a beeper and notified us when the room was ready. In the meantime, we had a great lunch in the buffet. We were in the room and unpacked by 4 and at the pool shortly after. During our wait, we had the privilege of meeting Mike Bryant again and renewed our friendship from the year before.
Room
Our room was breath-taking! Fourth floor, corner location, at the front of the resort. The room was very spacious and had an L shaped balcony facing the pool on one side and the ocean on the other. There was a whirlpool tub, two padded loungers and outdoor table and chairs. The layout of the balcony offered a lot of privacy.
The king size bed was perfect, flat screen TV and sofa all made the accommodations seem like home.
The housekeeping staff kept the room spotless and very well stocked with towels (and facecloths) and mini bar essentials.
Restaurants and Bars
We ate at every restaurant, the main buffet and the beach restaurant. The food was good and most times was very very good.
Serving staff was always friendly and smiling and very prompt.
Food was always hot and there was plenty of it.
Most of our days were spent around the Adults only Paradise pool. The bar at this location was superb. Francisco was the Concierge and kept everyone happy and their every need met. Francisco is a genuine gentleman - none finer could be found in any country; he works very hard and seems to truly enjoy his job.
The bartenders here were Robert and Dariana - both went above and beyond to help the guests. They were very pleasant and always beaming a brilliant smile. |
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| Pools & Grounds |
The pool areas were very well maintained and were always spotless and the water clear.
There appeared to be more than enough chairs for all this year. The towel game/reserving multiple chairs was only played by a few childish, selfish people.
Palapas could be attained at any point during the day as well as seats at any pool. Gone were the days of last year of getting up at 6 am to make sure you got a seat.
The grounds are beautiful and are getting better as this resort matures into a real jewel of the Caribbean. Gardeners are always maintaining and planting but are so inconspicuous; you don't even know they are there.
While hanging around the pool, we met a lot of very nice people from all across our country from Halifax, NS; Moncton, NB; Hagersville, Ont., Calgary, Alberta; Texas; Wisconsin; North Carolina; Virginia; even Switzerland. It's always a pleasure to meet people from all over the world when we travel, as we have maintained some of these friendships over the years.
Activities
There are lots of organized games and activities to do. As well, the tour desk can provide you with almost anything you want to do.
Staff
Any staff we met during our stay was very pleasant and helpful, there was nothing but smiling faces and every one could speak varying amounts of English. They also appreciated any attempt at trying a few words in their language Spanish
A big thanks to Sr. Eduardo Marron, General Manager and genuine nice guy, to Clara Escribano, Manager of Paradise Club and last but certainly not least Mr. Mike Bryant -soon to be daddy, and a heck of a nice guy.
Comments
After 38 trips to this country, I know what the Dominican has to offer this is a very nice, pleasant resort with lots to offer. The staff and management are great and will try to make your stay perfect.
Hope to return for a 3rd time maybe even February 2010.
I would recommend this hotel 100 % |
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| For a couple hundred dollars extra see what else is out there. |
| NH Real Arena |
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Tracy from Sherwood Park >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Mar, 2009
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Arrival
Arrival was great....flew Air transat....of course your little sardines in a can but were on the way to a great place so...it ok. Once we got to the resort there really was no one else waiting so it was very quick and efficient. Quickly took our luggage and us to our room.
Rooms
Our room was a regular deluxe room. It was a nice room , great size. Great king size bed( 2 beds together) but nice, plat screen tv....etc .
The down fall is the washroom like many say. The open washroom. The toilet is simply behind a frosted glass door....you can hear everything and really have no privacy that way. Something some would not like....but we dealt with it...I new what the washrooms were going to be like..
Also in the fridges in the rooms you only get coke, sprite and water..and beer....no liquors or snacks for people who want that
Restaurants and Bars
Bars...?? ok....really no consistent making of drinks. The main loubge bar really took forever for a drink and many guests felt that way and commented on it. As well, if you asked for a certain drink , some new what it was some didn't...
The restaurants...well buffet was good. Always had a good meal there. As for A la cartes....THIS IS WHERE WE WERE DISSAPOINTED.. WE NEVER HAD ANY A LA CARTES......
We arrived on Thursday and went Sat to book suppers and were told there was nothhing available...check back....well we tried sunday, monday and tuesday....FIRST TIME EVER.....I WAS UNABLE TO HAVE AN A LA CARTE meal at a resort. We were told, well some people book 2 or 3 weeks and they call and book their suppers before they arrive.....I for one have never been told that and well...was not happy As for service....bad service...staff we hardly saw smile...and last 3 days....at supper we never had drinks except for what we went and got because the servers never came around???
Beach/Pools/Grounds
The most beautiful beach around.....fantastic water , sun and sand!!!!
This is why we came.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
Didn't do any tours
Other Comments
The resort was ok....we have travelled to the dominican about 11 times and for a cheap cheap price I would go back to this resort.
Other wise...we last year went to the melia caribe...2 resorts down...and would consider that a 5 star compared to this one as a 3 maybe....
As for the others who said the staff was amazing... also 1st time ever we were at at place with workers who didn't smile...no fun in their step at all....every place we have gone in Punta cana the service is fantastic....
So all in all if cheap...eally cheap...go here.... other wise, for a couple hundred dollars extra see what else is out there... |
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| We had a “beautiful” view of a run down resort |
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Bill and Bobbi from Wisconsin >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Feb, 2009
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Our anniversary is January 25th and we have been traveling to the Dominican Republic for ten years (nine to Punta Cana). We always book through Apple Vacations and have never had any bad experiences. For the past few years, we have paid for the additional room upgrades, which we have been very happy with. As this would be our 40th wedding anniversary, I contacted the travel agent well in advance to request a pool view or ocean view room as part of our upgrade to the Paradise Club.
Our arrival at the resort gave us an indication of the type of indifference we were to experience throughout our stay. When we arrived at the Paradise Club check in, we were never offered a glass of punch, which we have come to expect. The room was quite crowded so we were patient, but when we finally were able to check in, we were treated as if they were too busy to point out whether we needed towel cards (towels were furnished without cards); that we could make reservations with the Paradise Club for the ala carte restaurants; or that they were there to help us with any of our needs. We actually had to coach them and ask about various amenities we could access. We definitely got the “bum’s rush” from the Paradise Club. Unfortunately, we met several other couples who had upgraded and had experienced the same attitude.
We were taken to our room, which had a “beautiful” view of a run down resort, next door. My husband went back to the Paradise Club and asked to be moved to a nicer room and was informed that none would be available until that Monday. He was also informed that someone from the Paradise Club would contact us on Monday to discuss the move. Come Monday, we realized that this was not going to happen so we decided not to “uproot” ourselves and stay in the room.
Our experiences during our previous stays at other resorts were very positive. The servers, bartenders, maids, etc., have always gone out of their way to please the visitors, and always with a smile and a friendly “hola”. No so with this resort. Indifference is the best word to describe the attitude of the people working at the resort. In the buffet restaurant the staff seemed very determined to avoid eye contact with the diners. If coffee and juice or water were ordered, you might get just coffee or just water…..never both. And to try to catch the attention of the servers again was difficult, at best. I saw many, many people just get up and grab silverware and napkins from the serving station and grab their own coffee. No smiles. We generally tip the locals very well, but there were only a few times we considered any of the servers worthy of a tip. One morning my husband tried reversing the procedure. He got the attention of one of the servers and asked for water, giving her a tip at that time. She then disappeared and we never received the water.
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We did manage to finally make reservations at some of the ala carte restaurants. We were quite disappointed in the Asian restaurant where we experienced the typical indifference by our server. While removing a salad plate from my husband’s side of the table, the server spilled dressing on his shirt and pants. He never apologized and for the rest of the meal he served other diners…..suddenly we had a new server. We were disappointed with the food after reading all the positive reviews of the Asian restaurant. After our meal we decided to go to the Paradise Club and make reservations for dinner for the following evening. We sat down and were told that the gentleman was busy and then he proceeded to carry on a conversation with his fellow employee for over five minutes while we just sat there and cooled our heels. I was so incensed that I demanded to speak to the general manager. We were handed off to three different people in the process, but finally after remaining firm, we were taken to the general manager’s office. We explained that if the resort were ours, we would want to know that service was not up to par. We explained our disappointment and we felt he handled the situation well. He upgraded us to the presidential suite at no charge and told us we would be contacted by 10:00 a.m. the next morning to move. We received a call at 8:30 from the bell captain, who had us moved into the suite within 10 minutes.
Restaurants were a great disappointment, especially the buffet. Our favorite was the shore grill, not just because the food was great, but the servers we had there were fantastic. Bars were great, especially the main pool bar. Two years ago we stayed at Ocean Blue, where “Ramon” worked the pool bar. Before we booked at this resort, I was online viewing some pictures and discovered Ramon now works at EdenH Real. In fact, he was one of the main reasons we booked at this resort. Alexis at the main pool bar was also a great guy…..very entertaining! After we moved into the new suite, we met Philippe at the Paradise Club south pool. What a truly attentive person he is who obviously loves his job and loves doing all he can to please people. When Philippe was on duly, we, and everyone else were treated like royalty. He just couldn’t do enough to make us comfortable and happy. He is truly an asset at this resort.
We did not venture off the grounds, nor did we go on any tours. We did all those during our early years of vacationing in Punta Cana.
The grounds are beautiful and we were surprised at how full and lush the plantings and palm trees are considering it’s a fairly new resort. The beach is fantastic with plenty of palapas. We never had a problem securing a chaise lounge.
We love going to the Dominican Republic because the people are so warm and friendly and seem so genuinely happy with what they have. We have been reluctant to go elsewhere like the Bahamas, Jamaica, Aruba and Mexico because of comments other people have made about the locals not being as friendly. We have never written a review for any of the other resorts we have stayed at in the D.R., and perhaps we should have. But with the bad experiences we had in general with the employees at this resort, we felt compelled to write a review. Perhaps someone at the resort will read this and maybe make some changes. We would definitely not stay at this resort again. We will continue to vacation in Punta Cana and hope that we don’t ever experience the indifference we experienced at EdenH Real. |
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| The best vacation we have ever had despite 4 days of on and off rain. |
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Danielle & Shawn from Oshawa, ON >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Feb, 2009
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| Arrival: February 6th to 13th |
| We arrive from TO airport (where our 600.00USD=750.00CDN was inadvertently left in bathroom stall, 15 min. later, no sign of it). PC Airport allowed us to go in without paying our $10.00 Tourist cards and wished us great vacations. What a relief. We were able to use the ATM at the airport. We used IBK Transportation for transfer to hotel. On-time, safe vehicle and very friendly driver. This was our 2nd time at NH and when we arrived at the resort at approx. 1PM, we were greeted by Felix, our friendly bell boy whom we had met last year and it was like returning home. Hugs and kisses and hand shake reminded us immediately why we returned to Edenh?NH. So refreshing to receive such greeting, although it was raining. We were then introduced to Clara, Manager of Paradise Club. Very efficient check-in, all info provided. We expected to wait until 3pm for check-in but our room was ready. Wow, what service. |
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| Rooms |
| Our Paradise Club # 1246) room was beautifully located, closest to the beach, nice Garden & partial Oceanview. Perfect for the morning coffee on the balcony. Very clean with King-size Bed. Rum and Fruit basket awaited. Bathroom with Jacuzzi plenty big enough for 2 (with view of TV through wall opening, if needed. Private toilet stall with frosted glass door, same for beautifully tiled rain shower stall (approx. 4x5ft).Plenty of hot water at all time (AM & PM). Towels, face cloth, soaps and all necessities including bath salts and bubble bath. Everything was re-stocked daily. On our 2nd day, we requested 1 extra pillow. Within 5 min. 2 pillows were brought to our room. We received nightly turn down service. Fridge was also re-stocked daily. We left a little note, in Spanish every morning, requesting 3 water bottles, along with our daily tip to the water/bar person as well as $$ tip for maid+small gift. Beach towels were also in the room. Spacious closet and dresser space. We brought extra hangers as we both like to hang just about everything. There is an iron and ironing board in the closet as well as shelf which we used for small items rather than the dresser drawers. Upgrade to Paradise is well worth it, especially for the view which is very important to me. We ran into our maid and water/bar person every morning on our way to breakfast and their smile and friendliness is ever so refreshing. A simple Hola automatically brings a beautiful smile and a Hola in return. We used room service every morning for some hot milk mixture to accompany our morning Santo Domingo coffee. The coffee was re-stocked everyday; however the sugars was hit and miss. We simply ordered it with our hot milk. Room service is very prompt and efficient. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| Wow, we thought last year was great. This year, the food was outstanding. Shawn even requested to see the chef to comment on the food. Plenty of variety for breakfast, form fresh fruits to probiotic yogurt, large variety of breads, muffins, cheeses to Spanish omelettes (my personal favourites) to tender/well prepared scrambled eggs, roasted tomatoes with basil, baked beans, bacon and so much more. Let's not forget the beautiful fruit shakes/smoothy prepared to your specifications, again presented with a smile. Service for coffee was prompt; however we found that the coffee was not as good as last year. It appears to be watered down. Evening buffet was equally as impressive. Ossobouco, pastas, roast beef/pork, lots of coleslaw, salads and condiments, good variety of salad dressing or simple oil and vinegar dressing, flavourful pizza, specially the olive pizza, cappers pizza, pepperoni etc. Maui-Maui was absolutely delightful as the calamari and much more. One evening we cancelled our A la Carte as it was Seafood night at the buffet restaurant. They have also adjusted the AC in the Buffet section. Last year, it was so cold that even the plates were cold and your food never stayed hot. This year, this issue had been resolved. Our A La Carte were all booked on our 2nd day, through Paradise Club. We visited the American Grill, good food, great service, although I found last year's food much tastier. The Japanese Hibachi was better than last year as our "chef" was very entertaining. The shrimps were absolutely fantastic. Cooked to absolute perfection as was the beef and the chicken. We had a great time with new our new Friends, Daisy and Mike. The chef invited anyone to have their picture taken with him. Our friends had a chance to enjoy the Sushi bar with which they were most impressed. The Romantic//French restaurant was good and again the service was most impressive. We arrive a few minutes late and our friends were already seated. The waiter, with a big smile was most courteous in accommodating our lateness and brought us our appetizers promptly while holding our friends main course so we could all eat together. My appetizer of escargots/mushrooms/sausage with a beautiful sauce topped with a butter pastry crust was amazing. The highlight for us was the Italian, my favourite food. Both Shawn and I absolutely enjoyed the food, well prepared and seasoned. I had the Veal Marsalis done to my liking (medium rare).Again, very prompt, courteous and efficient service. The wine however was a big disappointment this year. It appeared watered down at every restaurants and bars of the resort. I considered purchasing good wine bottle from the gift shop and bringing it with me to the restaurant but never did. I will stock up at the duty free next year and bring my own. The beach/pool restaurant, The Olas was also much improved over last year in terms of variety. The BBQ chicken was very tender and juicy, cooked to perfection. Lots of fries, onion rings, vegetables (carrots, leaks, potatoes, corn). |
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| Salad/condiment bar was also very impressive as were the pizzas. Ask with a smile and you shall receive is the motto for the pizzas. If they notice that only a few slices remained in the warmer, the pizza guys would immediately ask you the wait for 1 more minute as fresh pizzas were coming momentarily. Shawn requested a pizza with specific ingredients and they are more than prepared to accommodate any requests. What service we received from Daniel, our favourite waiter at the Ola. He always made a point of coming to say hi, if we missed him and always ensured that we had plenty to drink. More often than not, he noticed us and would bring us our drinks before we could even ask. Then there's Danny and Rafael of the Paradise Club bar. Danny is always having a great day. He is most entertaining, always signing, encouraging everyone to join him in singing songs. Rafael would always come to see if we needed anything to drink. He knew that in the morning, we both preferred water bottles which he brought to us before we could even ask. He would also suggest a new drink and ensured that there was plenty of spirit content in all drinks. One morning, we forgot our towels and he noticed that Shawn was going to run back and get them. He would have none of that. He brought us towels. For us it's not the actual service that we receive that makes the difference, it's the genuine desire to please, their professionalism, the humility but most of all their smile and genuine happiness that turns a good trip into a wonderful and rewarding trip despite the 1st 4 day of on and off rain |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| The beach was as I remembered from last year so wonderful, white sand and beautiful views. We were informed early on that there's no chair games ad the resort added an additional 250 chairs & 100 palapas this year. The beach was cleaned early every morning and free of debris/seaweed etc. I only wish that smokers (and I am a smoker) would use a container/empty glass with sand in it or the ashtrays randomly placed for their cigarette butts. Although we sat at the Paradise Club pool occasionally (as we both much prefer to hear the sound of the waves etc), we never swam in the pools nor use the swim-up bars. I have some concerns with people sitting at the swim-up bars for hours on end and never leaving to go to the bathroom......there was absolutely no issues with misbehaved/loud/crying children neither at the Paradise Club pool or the beach. In fact, watching these children play brings a smile to your face. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
Activities are plenty, if you need it. Aerobics in the beach shore, volleyball nets, trampoline, coconut tree climbing, complimentary kayaking and catamaran etc. The Sports Bar became a favourite due to the rain. We are both much better pool players now than we were when we left. We were a bit disappointed one evening when the Sports bar was closed for a private function without any notice. We then proceeded to the Aliza bar (lobby bar). All was great with background music until the loud thump thump 20 something music started. We left as we could not carryon a conversation. Based on the average age group of the guest, I would suggest more mainstream tunes such as rock & roll. Hip Hop is only attractive to very small group. We attended the Romantic night in the Auditorium however, this was not our beat so we let and called an early night.
We had the opportunity to meet and befriend a resort employee last year, better known as Punta Cana Mike. His dedication to support many impoverished area schools and orphanages is so very hearth warming. We had brought a few bags of school and other necessities with us. Mike Offered to take us to the school and meet the children. Wow, what an experience. To watch the smile on their faces when they saw Mike brought tears to me our eyes. After chatting with Madeleine and some of the locals, we were asked to distribute the donation which is such a rewarding and humbling experience. I was amazed that between colourful pens/pencils/makers/paint brushes and colouring books and hair barrettes/elastics/clips the kids were treasuring their new children's tooth brushes. All are so forthcoming with hugs and kisses, I was sad to not have brought more. I wish I could go everyday. It really reminds you of how fortunate we really are.
After a few hours with the kids and tears when we left, we proceeded to Steve's corner bar. Another most excellent adventure. Some of the Tropical Storm staff joined us and a large group from Wisconsin. Again, more donations.
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| It was nice to see the Tropical Storm group when we boarded for our Tropical Sunset & Lobster Catamaran cruise. We had only met a few of them and hung out for a few Presidente and we were greeted with hugs and kisses for me and genuine warm hand shake for Shawn. As safety is first and foremost, Olga, the leader of the pack instructed everyone with the happenings to come and also reminded everyone that if we were smoking (cigarettes only) we were to ask the bartender/staff member for an ashtray in order to protect the water. She then also advised that no cubalibre or Cervesa were to be served until AFTER the snorkelling was done. As only 60% of the passengers were enjoying their snorkelling excursion, the cubralibre started flowing. With everyone back on board with drinks in hands, we proceeded to our next destination, the Natural Pool, complete with floating bar. For me, this was the best part. To be in the middle of the ocean in only 3 to 4 ft. of warm, warm water surrounding you is amazing. Last year, we encountered many star fish but not this year. Back on board to a snack and mamajuana. After the snacks were devoured, we were prompted to join Andy, the entertainer into a dance, which Shawn referred to as the 6/49 dance. We had some much fun and met so many nice people from every corner of the world. We also had a chance to purchase our own bottle of mamawana roots, complete with our photos (couples and/or entire families) at the low cost of $10.00USD. We were also advised that the on-board paparazzi/videographer would produce a DVD of our day and the cost is 35.00USD (I have watched this DVD everyday since our return). On our way to the most beautiful lobster dinner ever. The garlic butter served was almost like an emulsion with butter, garlic and a hint of lemon. I am definitely going to try to replicate this one. As the sun was now down and our dinner was complete, we proceeded to our bus for drop off at the hotel. BTW, the same staff we shared Presidente's with the previous day, invited Shawn and Ito join later that evening at Steve's Corner Bar. Unfortunately, we were tired and did not quite make it. We walked over the launch point the following day to apologize for not going and again were met with hugs, kisses and hand shakes. |
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Eden/HN Real Arena has worked very hard to work to achieve the second to none status some of the small concerns present last year had been totally resolved. I would highly recommend this resort to anyone. The quality of the staff and management, the food, the beach etc. make this resort the best vacation we have ever had, again despite 4 days of on and off rain.
Special thanks to Mike B. Clara, Felix, Daniel, Rafael and Danny. To the bellboy who I forget the name, hope your little girl is healthy again and back home from her 9hrs away stay in the hospital. The all the maids and water/bar people, thank you for accommodating our every requests. to the gardeners, thank you for working so hard to make this place like haven on hurt and to all the behind the scene staff from the kitchen, to laundry and any other necessary support, Shawn and I say THANK YOU, UNTIL NEXT YEAR.
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| I loved the food everywhere! |
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John from Nova Scotia >
2 contribution(s) Canada |
| Feb, 2009
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Arrival
We arrived around midnight, with an easy check-in. We got to our room: perhaps the previous guest was a smoker, and the room attendant was trying to purge the smell of tobacco by using way too much disinfectant, but the odour when the door opened was overpowering. Coupled with non functioning air conditioning, we should have gone straight back to the lobby to ask for a new room. Plus there were two small beds instead of one big one (which , you know, couples might prefer...).Thus, we spent a terrible first night. When morning broke, we saw our room overlooked the construction of a new hotel next door. Great! We took it up with the manager, and although there were no rooms available looking into the centre garden and pool area, we were moved upstairs to a room with a view of the beach AND the construction, but with functioning air and a king size bed. When this hotel expansion is completed, the view of the ocean from this room will be mostly blocked. If booking, INSIST on room looking inward, over the hotel grounds.
Rooms
Rooms are fine. Nice flat screen TV's. Mattress was very firm. Air conditioning was quiet and efficient. The toilet is in its own, um, acoustic chamber. With only partial walls separating the bathroom, noise can be difficult to hide. The balconies have jacuzzies, although we didn't bother. And when that new hotel is built 50 metres away, who wants to be cuddling in a tub with people staring at you?
Restaurants and Bars
Why do they chill the vino tinto (red wine)? Perhaps to mask its mediocrity. We stayed in Puerto Plata five years ago, our only other trip to the DR, and I remember the wine then being consistently good; nothing spectacular, but fair to the palate. Some of the wines at this resort were coming from bottles that had obviously been refilled many times. Good wine shouldn't have a ring of suds around the surface of the liquid. I have been making wine for a decade, and the white wine I manufacture in my kitchen is vastly superior to MOST of what we were served. We had upgraded to Mirage class, which enabled us to go the room off the lobby reserved for us and Paradise Club members, and help ourselves to top notch brands when the stiff is laid out daily around 4:30. The restaurants have wine lists of course, and if you don't mind paying extra, you can select from a good list of quality wines. We splurged for a good bottle of red for our meal at the French a la carte, and it was worth it. Now, I loved the food everywhere! The only problem (which everyone talks about) is keeping the stuff at the buffet warm. The omelettes in the morning are wonderful; the fresh pasta in the evening at the buffet is incredibly good; the coffee is rich. The beach grill is great, although not a lot of variety. Wonderful pork chops for lunch, or fried chicken, chicken in sauce, hamburgers, hot dogs, and delicious fries! There is even a salad bar. |
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Beach/Pools/Grounds
The grounds are, in a word, spectacular. The beach is wonderful as well, but you have to get there fairly early on to get the shade and two chairs together. Some people go down really early to reserve their space by draping towels on the chairs; to me that's not good enough. You want the space, you claim it by showing up and staying. But that's what you can expect in a lot of places today. The swim up bar is a lot of fun, with a very talented and funny bartender who is often run off his feet to serve the customers. Tip: offer a buck when you arrive and you will always get served prompltly. If you're adventurous, ask him to "surprise" you when he asks you what you want to drink.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
We went to the Marinarium. Have you ever seen a depressed shark? Coming into the enclosure, I saw this 5 foot long nurse shark swimming toward me, hugging the bottom as nurse sharks do. Pretty cool. But then I snorkel along, come over the top of the reef that's inside the (I'd guess) 4500 suare metre enclosure, and there are 3 more nurse sharks lying on the bottom,together, their snouts pressed up against the mesh, seeminly gazing at the ocean beyond their reach. I didn't bother getting my photo taken with a sting ray either. But, the excursion was a lot of fun anyway, with a stop to have drinks later in an area of unspoiled coast, in 4 feet of warm Caribbean ocean. Lots of reggae music playing, and lots of fun chatting with the other 40 or so on the catamaran with us.
Other Comments
The weather was beautiful the entire week. We saw via the Internet that there was rain the week before we arrived, so we lucked out. I would come back to this resort if I was sure the "cheapy cheapy" things (like asking for Kahlua and getting from an unmarked bottle what tastes like coffe flavoured rum) had been addressed. The staff was wonderful, and we really felt that they were always doing their best for us. There is still a learning curve; I understand that competition for experienced staff is stiff among resorts, and some resorts, if not full when the summer months come, are forced to lay staff off. This, of course, means hiring and learning anew. |
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| We loved this resort and would go back in a heart beat. |
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Paula from Whitby, Ontario >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Feb, 2009
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Arrival: Jan 17 - 24
We arrived at Punta Cana Airport on time and wisked through customs. Lined up for the Air Transat rep to find out which bus. Loaded and ready to go. Smooth ride no on board narrative which i missed. We booked the Mirage option so we checked in through the VIP lounge. Quick and effortless. Our room was ready which was a pleasant unexpected change.
Rooms:
We had emailed ahead to mention that we were belated honeymooners. We arrived at our door and found a "Honeymooners" banner on the door.(Nice touch). THe room was beautiful. Located on the second floor overlooking the gardens in the center about halfway between the buffet and the pool. Lovely swan towel decoration sitting on the coffee table. The room had a nice king size bed, a jucuzzi tub in the bathroom. It was a nice size. The rooms were cleaned everyday along with clean towels. Most of the days i had facecloths but no biggie as i had brought some from home just in case. After we got back from the beach that afternoon we were greeting with a lovely fruit plate and a bottle of rum.
Restaurants and Bars:
We only ever serviced the beach bar and the bar at the plaza. Always taken care of with a smile and great service. The buffet was great. Food was always hot and lots of variety. I am a picky eater and don't like to venture too much and i always found something to eat. We tried 4 of the A La Carte restaurants. THey were wonderful. Great service, good food. I liked the Italian the best if i had to choose one. We did not try the Asian restaurant.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
THe beach was great. No matter what time of day we went down we were always able to find chairs and shade. Beach vendors are not permitted on the grounds which was different for me. I always get a kick out of them. But the minute you hit the boundary line they were waiting for you to come and visit their store for the best price.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We did not do any activities except a couple of hours snorkelling trip off the reefs. It was very nice and my husband enjoyed feeding the fish and taking pictures.
Other Comments:
We loved this resort and would go back in a heart beat. Already looking forward to our trip next year. |
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| Great wedding holiday for all of us. |
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Sandra from Toronto >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Feb, 2009
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Arrival: Jan 10-17
We were a large group from Ottawa and Toronto and arrival was very efficient and the staff were helpful and cheerful. They managed to get us all rooms quite close to each other.
Rooms:
Rooms were spacious, clean and beds were comfortable. The bathrooms are large and lots of hot water for showers
Restaurants and Bars:
All the restaurants are in close proximity to the lobby. The Asian and the Romantic French restaurants were exceptional. I was told the Italian was also very good but the night that we were booked there, we waited one and a half hours and still didn't get our dinner. We left and went to the buffet, which was wonderful and very friendly. The buffets for lunch/breakfast are great. We also had dinner there a couple of times and found plenty of choices and helpful service.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The beach is the best ever! The pools are also very good and all close to the beach which makes it easy to go back and forth. Lots of lounge chairs and shade under palapas and umbrellas. The grounds are lovely and well tended. The staff is friendly and always smiling.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We did not go on tours as we were there for a wedding. The wedding celebrations were great and the wedding planners, wedding dinner, etc. were perfect. Lots of things to do in the vicinity for those who wanted, but we like to relax in the sun and enjoy the beautifuly weather.
Other Comments: Mike Bryant, who works at the resort but hails from Belleville, Ontario was a wonderful help to us all and a super resource for any questions people might have about this resort and Punta Cana in general.
The resort is new, very easy to get around and clean. My only downside to this hotel, is that all buildings are closed in. No open restaurants or bars, except the pool bar (which has great servers, who are lots of fun). It would be nice to have some windows that open so guests could feel the wonderful breezes of the tropics. Great wedding holiday for all of us. |
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| The staff here do a wonderful job. |
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Steve >
13 contribution(s) Canada |
| Feb, 2009
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Beach – this was the best beach I have seen in the Dominican. Truly white sand that was soft and easy to walk on. I enjoyed my daily walks on this beach. There appeared to be plenty of chairs and palapas to suit everyone.
Grounds & Amenities – the grounds are beautiful and very well kept. I personally would like to see some more colourful flowers added but that’s just me.
The resort has nice places to spend time including the lounge bar, the sports bar which has a four-lane bowling alley in it, a large indoor theatre with nightly shows. I saw a couple of them. The usual fare but very energetic and colourful. The Tahntra Bar is a rooftop bar that has a very cool vibe to it with canopy beds and a chill pool up there as well. Great spot for a night cap.
Excursions – I finally went on the Saona Island tour that I had been thinking about for a few years. It was a great trip. It takes about two hours by bus to get there but there is lots to see along the way so it’s not too bad. The catamaran ride is lots of fun with music and dancing and lots to drink. The island itself is more beautiful white sand and we stopped for a very good BBQ lunch and more drinks and dancing before boarding a speedboat for the return trip which included a stop at the natural pool for a swim and then back to the dock. A fun trip and well worth it.
Overall – Once again I would like to tell the naysayers that continue to put up negative reviews of this hotel to please do us all a favour and stay home or at least don’t come to the Dominican because obviously you are too hard to please. Is everything perfect here? Of course not, but there are no deal breakers and the staff here do a wonderful job and are truly concerned with ensuring that everyone has a great vacation. I hope to be back soon. |
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| I was a little worried about this resort as it was new, but I shouldn't have been. |
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Tina from Ontario >
2 contribution(s) Canada |
| Feb, 2009
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Arrival: Feb 9-14
Our second time to Punta Cana and arrival at airport, waiting for shuttle and arrival at hotel was fine. The shuttle ride was short. Check-in was easy and we were happy to find we had rooms next to each other (group of 5). Any questions we had were answered sufficiently at time of check-in and any other time during week.
Rooms
The room is big and lovely. As we had rain for the first few days, it was hard to dry any clothing or towels, but our towels were changed every day and our room was cleaned everyday.
Restaurants and Bars
The buffet is smaller than we had expected, but still plenty to choose from. The ala carte restaurants were amazing - we tried all 4 - and service was excellent in each one. Our tepanyaki chef (in Asian restaurant) was a lot less entertaining than the chef at the next table, but the food he served was excellent. The restaurant at the beach wasn't my favorite, but I'm not an adventurous eater - my husband on the other hand enjoyed everything. Service in both buffet and at the beach bar was fine. Probably could have used more servers in buffet, but we lacked for nothing.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
Beach is beautiful and pools are great too. Alexis at the swim-up bar is great fun. There are some pergolas around the pools, but should probably work on more umbrellas near the pool. Lots of seating though in both beach and pool.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
We didn't do any tours this time around, but the selection seemed to have doubled in choice from our first visit two years ago.
Other Comments
I was a little worried about this resort as it was new, but I shouldn't have been. The employees are friendly and helpful and the grounds and rooms are beautiful. I would definitely recommend this resort.
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| I don't feel like you get what you pay for. |
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Tont from Cleveland, Ohio >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Feb, 2009
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Arrival
Arrival went well no problems. We knew the what to do since this was our sixth trip to Punta Cana
Rooms
Rooms were ok, big enough. They could have been cleaned better before we checked in and also during the week. The towels where more like sand paper, maybe you had to take the $250 a person upgrade to get a better towel.
Restaurants and Bars
The main dining was the worst. It was small and it had the same food every day. It only had one omlet station which also was for any kind of freshly cooked eggs. The line was always very long. There were problems at most of the bars,firts there not enough of them, at least not as meny as other resorts have. There was no service on the beach. When you went to get a beer after 2pm they would be out and send for it from the VIP pool bar. They would then bring it back in a plastic gallon bottle. If you did not want the pre mixed fruity drinks you where out of luck most of the time ,unless you wanted rum. Most of the bartenders were very poor. I only found two that could mix most drinks well.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
The beach was very nice as well as the pool. I can only compare these grounds to the other resorts I have been too. These were not very well taken care of
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
Activities were pretty much the same as most resorts. We did not take any tours.
Other Comments
This resort seems as it is trying to cut corners and save money. I don't feel like you get what you pay for, like I did at other resorts. I would never go back to this resort. It should not be a five star. |
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| Absolutely no complaints. |
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Barbara from Edmonton, Alberta >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2009
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Arrival: December 18-January 1, 2009
Great - airport was wonderful - looked like a grass hut - no outside walls - what a difference from our international airport in Edmonton. We cleared the airport quickly. Bus was waiting to transport to the hotel/resort.
Rooms:
Room was great. Cleaned regularly, towels replenished always, fridge stocked with soft drinks, water, beer daily. Everything was clean and done efficiently. Great job!
Restaurants and Bars:
Visited all of the a la carte restaurants (twice) in two weeks. No waiting - good service (except for Christmas day - a little slow - but short of staff). No problem. Food was plentiful and great in all restaurants and the Festival Buffet. Bars were great - especially the sports bar - quick and efficient and make excellent drinks. The omelette guy (Felix) was great to talk to and remembered who you were and where you were from. Plenty of choices and fruit and fish were provided daily (many different types/varieties).
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Beaches are excellent, cleaned daily. Sand is fine as silt and wonderful. Pools were clean and cared for (many of them - lots of choices). Grounds were cleaned on a regular basis. No complaints.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We went on the Bavaro Runners tour - informational and good. Also did the Tropical Storm tour - swimming was available in the coral reef - equipment and instructions provided. Great fun! Also went to the Adventure Park where grandson swam with the sea lions. Only complaint on this one was that they sell CD's of all your experiences for a mere? $75 US. Wow! Hardly worth that considering that you could get the same service from Tropical Storm for $35US.
Other Comments:
We thoroughly enjoyed this resort, the staff were friendly and helpful. We have absolutely no complaints and would recommend this resort to anyone (except that there wasn't a lot to do for teens - bowling, pool table, etc. were provided - but not a lot of activities for this age group). I would visit this resort again in a heartbeat.
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| I would definitely return to this resort. |
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Beverly >
3 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2009
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Arrival: Dec 18-Jan 1
After arriving at the open airport and receiving our luggage we were a little confused as to where you were suppose to get your bus. We missed the Air Transat counter which was to your right when you exit the luggage area.
Rooms:
Excellent clean rooms. The only complaint would be the turn down service you are suppose to receive with Air Transat le mirage package. We only received it twice in the 14 days that we were there. We did put an extra key card in the light switch which we left in all the time to keep the air conditioner running but as soon as you open the sliding door it shut off. We were in block 2 with the odd numbers as the even numbers had the view of the construction site. My brother had the paradius club room the only different is the that you are closer to the beach and the bathroom is an inclosed area with the tub outside on the balcony.
Restaurants and Bars:
We did do all the a la carte restaurants. When you book the Japanese restaurant asked to sit at the grill as this was entertaining. All the restaurants were excellent my least favorite was the American Grill.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Well kept grounds, beaches and the pools. No problem with people bothering you on the beach as security was at each end of the resort. Once you leave the resort you will be bothered especially to the north. We would show up around 8-9 in the morning and there was still chairs to be found. After 9 it was getting impossible to find one.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We did do the Bavaro Runners Safari Adventure. It was ok. When they say you go to a sugar plantation you really just pull off to the side of the road and they cut down a sugar cane to share with you. The last stop was to a beach but the waves here were a little to rough to swim in. I also did the Tropical Storm tour this was excellent. You got to up and down the coast line and also see the shipwreck. They did have nightly activities in the courtyard were the restaurants are.
Other Comments:
The only complaint is with Air Transat as they did downgraded us on the back to Edmonton. We are still waiting for our money back for this and also my kids seats which I paid for they never got they put them farther behind us. The hotel was great but Air Transat we still have issues with.
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I also meet up with Mike at the resort to hand over some school supplies which he was greatful for. If you decide to go shopping there is a market south of the resort by the big slide go inside to do your shopping as it is cheaper then the outside market. To the north there is one close by and there is one farther around the inlet which is also an outside market they had good deals there. It is cheaper to by your gifts at the market or even at the WBA shop at the resort then it is at duty free in the airport. When you buy your liquor pack it in your suitcase and not your carry on as my husband found out they kept his.
Overall I would definitely return to this resort.
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| We made the best of our time. |
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CaraSue from Missouri >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Jan, 2009
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Arrival: January 15-22
We vacationed at Eden H (NH Real Arena) in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic from January 15-22, 2009. We also vacationed at this resort last year during the last week of January/first week of February. I felt that due to problems that we had last year I would be fair and give this resort another chance before giving a full review.
I will start with last year's portion. We booked our vacation through a travel agent. He actually was advising us to not go to this resort as it was new. We liked the price and it looked great so we went knowing that there could be little things because of the recent opening. He was not able to get much information for us at all regarding the Paradise Club, etc. as it was all called different names. Even when he called he was not given a definite answer. We arrived at the resort and nobody told us to check in through the Paradise Club..not even the gentleman at the front desk. We were taken to our room, which was the last room on the front corner of building #2. This is the side that faces all of the construction. We had nothing in our room waiting for us other than a lot of mosquitoes,no drinks in the refrigerator, no rum, no robes, etc. Our power was out off and on. Our bellboy said that he would take care of all of this. He is the one, who in fact, brought it all to our attention. We called down and ultimately went down to the lobby after nothing had been done. We then went back to our room and that night a gentleman from the Paradise Club called our room and asked if we were going to come to our meeting. We went down and told him that we knew nothing about coming there. So he took care of getting drinks to our room and rum,.it was all the next day,but at least we did get the stuff.
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| We woke up each of the next few mornings with a construction truck on our patio, supplies in our Jacuzzi tub and still tons of mosquitoes, likely due to the huge puddle of water outside of our room. We called numerous times about all of this and nothing could be done. Finally our room was changed to a 4th level room facing the pool/ocean. Much better. Unfortunately, half of our vacation was overtaken by workers at our doors and mosquitoes. In this room we arrived to half full bottles of pop in our fridge and no towels. Called down to get robes and towels. They arrived. The robes were made for a toddler, I believe. I then decided to contact *****, who frequents the TA message boards. ***** lets everyone know that you should come to him with any problems or concerns so I decided to do just that. When I contacted ***** I started going over the problems and told him that I just wanted to make him aware of things that were going on. He was quite short with me on things and then told me that he would take care of things but that he had to go and pick up his girlfriend so he didn't have time to do anything now. I was a bit stunned by this. We later received a call from Clara, the manager of the Paradise Club, asking us to come down and speak with her. We explained all of our problems to her and told her that we understood that we were going to a new resort but that these little things were problems and had ruined much of our time on vacation. We also explained how we were never able to get into an a la carte restaurant as they were always full. One of the days, after waiting in line for quite awhile, they told us that they were full, we were the next in line. We didn't understand why we couldn't have been told before we got up there. Clara gave us a voucher to return before 11/2009. We told her at that time that we were not trying to get anything..we just wanted these little things fixed vs. cutting into our time. We definitely didn't decline the voucher though. The lobster dinner in our room was the best meal that we had that visit. We didn't receive that this time, unfortunately. We booked our 2009 vacation and kept in constant contact via phone and email to confirm the reservation. We had no problems with this. There definitely is a language barrier when calling in though. We were excited for this vacation and looked forward to it being so much better. We knew that we had to arrange our own airfare. We did not realize that we had to arrange our airport transfer. Not a big deal at all but definitely would have been nice to know instead of being screwed by the v.i.p. guys at the airport/resort. To elaborate,we had no clue where to go for transportation. We went to the v.i.p. guys (that is who we had last year) and they asked if we had a voucher to get to resort. We told them that we did not. They take us outside to one of their buses. They tell the guys there and we also tell them that we have no voucher. They say no problem as they load our suitcases into their van. We get onto the bus and take the last 2 seats remaining. They then come back to us and ask again for our voucher. We let them know that we have already told them that we don't have a voucher. They tell us it will be $40. So this is just an FYI for those who do not have transportation arranged from the airport to the hotel.
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| When we arrived we knew to immediately go to the Paradise Club check in. Everything went smoothly there for the most part. The gentleman was new (1 month) and was training another gentleman. You will definitely find that there is a very high turnover at this resort. We only recognized a couple of people from last year but none in the check in or guest services. We were taken to our room 2465. We could tell that the resort had done a lot of work to make things nicer and complete. It had really improved. There was a nice sidewalk on the side that was once swamps and gravel and the lobby in building #2 looked pretty complete. We went into the room and the refrigerator was stocked, we had rum and fruit, towels, robes (adult size) and slippers. The room has a great view and is a nice room. It is the closest to the suites and faces the pool side/ocean. We were very pleased with the room. We chuckled and kind of rolled our eyes about the outlets falling out of the wall as you plugged in something, the chipped wood on the headboard and dressers and the beat up lamp shade. We weren't going to let those things bother us and felt that since this was technically a free stay, that we weren't going to complain about anything at all,and we didn't. The resort did not seem full at all. In fact, guests were sent over from Dreams as it was not complete yet. |
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| There was a foul odor almost every time that you went in here. Very much a sewer smell. If you want to get onto a computer here you will have to wait awhile. We had brought a laptop with us as last year we were able to have internet access (free) anywhere in the lobby area. Not this year. Now you must purchase a password if you want to use your internet, unless you want to wait for the ones in the Paradise Club. We purchased 24 hours for $25 (I believe). We could use our laptop anywhere this way (using their password..make sure that you disconnect each time you are done). Our last day we had 14 hours left. We always disconnected. We then all of the sudden had 15 minutes left and then 2 minutes! It was ridiculous and obviously just another way for the resort to get money. The drinks are not cold out of the refrigerator in the Paradise Club. |
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| Rooms: |
| Everything was great. As I stated before, we laughed about the little beat up things. Housekeeping comes later in the day, which we liked actually. They are quick to come in though if you don't have a Do Not Disturb sign out (which we had to go down and ask for after being walked in on). So make sure that you get a Do Not Disturb sign. We love the closet space in the rooms. Your clothes will stink if you put them in the drawers,so avoid that. It's a musty, sweaty smell. Bring additional hangers with you as you will not have a lot in your room. We did not have problems getting towels. We did not have the soap bottles, etc. replaced ever. We would have loved to have had the soap replaced after we ran out but none was ever left. We rarely had hot water. This was a huge problem. No hot water at certain times of day,especially late night and early morning. A cold shower at 5:30AM is not pleasant. We never were able to use the Jacuzzi as you could not get any more than lukewarm water to come out. We called for a wake up call for 5AM. At 4:45 our phone rang for a wake up and also at 5:15. Lots of TV channels. If you leave your card in the power thing on the wall (you have to if you want power in your room) make sure that you remove it when you leave as the maid will take it if you don't. Just an FYI that you can stick anything in that..paper or whatever to make it work. We found that out when the maid had left it that way. We walked in when our room was being cleaned at one time and found that they do not replace your glasses that you drink out of in the rooms. They rinse,yes rinse,them out in the sink and not with hot water. That is a HUGE health issue. When you walk by their carts you will notice that they don't even have glasses on their carts. Also getting your refrigerator stocked is hit and miss. We always drank the water and pop and sometimes it would get refilled,sometimes not. It was never filled with more than 1 of each kind of pop..Sprite, Coke and Coke Light. They would not give you more than 1 bottle of each of those 3. You also had Presidente' beer (2 cans) which we never drank. |
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| Restaurants and Bars: |
| Food: We made reservations for all of the a la carte restaurants. The waiters at all of the restaurants do not speak English well at all. The first one that we had was the Italian restaurant. Not very good. We did go there for a la carte breakfast one day and that wasn't too bad. It was really hot in there though. We went to the American restaurant next and it was not very good at all either. We didn't even stay for dessert. We decided that we would cancel all of the others except for the Japanese grill. We had breakfast and dinner at the buffet all of the other times. The buffet restaurant is ridiculously hot. Last year it was cool. It seemed as if they were trying to make it an open air restaurant,but it's not and they can't without construction. Service in there was very sporadic. You might get it and you might not. You might get it once and then never again. The food was very mediocre. Last year seemed better. I ended up sticking to the pasta each night after that. I knew that it would be good and it would be hot. All of the food at the resort has an odd taste to it, really can't say what the taste is. You notice it the most in the desserts. We ate at the beach grill a couple of times. The best was the chili. It was very good actually. We went to the Japanese grill the final night and we are so glad that we did and wish that we could have had it every night. Not your typical Hibachi show but the food is very good here. Just make sure to watch out for egg shells. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds: |
| Pools: Everything was always kept clean and the pools are really nice. We always swam in the Paradise Club Pool on the #2 building side. The unfortunate thing is that even though signs have been put up this year (last year it was ridiculous) there are still parents bringing their kids to that pool and nobody enforces the adults only rule. Many guests were grumbling about this. It is unfortunate that people don't follow the rules but more unfortunate when the resort does not enforce it. They do enforce the no green bands on that side though. The pool service was wonderful. We always had chairs (no matter what time of day) and would be brought a table if we couldn't find one. We were brought cool washcloths one day, which was nice. We had no problems getting drinks. Beer in a bottle is not typically kept very cold. The fruit kabobs are nice too. It was nice to have an additional towel waiting for us in our chairs. |
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| Beach: |
| The beach is beautiful. They do have security on both sides this year but we did notice that occasionally someone without a bracelet of any kind would come and swim on our resort side and nothing was said. This was kind of surprising. They do a great job at keeping the seaweed cleaned and picked up along the beach. We always were able to get a chair (no matter what time of day) where last year we played the chair game. Palapas were always readily available. Vendors do not bother you much at all. It is mainly the photo guys and spa people. Gift Shop: Very pricey. Make sure that you remember everything that you need. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel: |
Activities on resort: We bowled one night. It was really hot in here also. The lanes are set up really nicely. It would be nice if you could pay in the sports bar but you have to go to the front desk and pay for your shoes and your bowling there. $10 for one hour and $2 per person for shoes. While we paid this,it's kind of ridiculous to make you pay for an activity like this at an all-inclusive resort. We enjoyed the casino as well. Very small but nice. Does not open until 4PM.
Excursions: We went to guest services and spoke to Danny (we really appreciated him during our stay) about excursions since we would be setting up our own this year. Last year we did Saona Island and absolutely loved it!! Danny had a guy come over from Barcelo who helped us with our excursions. We chose to do the Reef Explorer (owned by same people as the Marinarium). We absolutely loved this excursion! We were bussed out (maybe a 15-20 minute bus ride) to the Marinarium beach. There were tons of people doing Marinarium and maybe 20 doing the Reef Explorer. It was so nice to not be crammed onto a boat with 50 people at a time. It boils down to do you want to party or do you want to enjoy and relax? The Marinarium serves alcohol and the Reef Explorer serves fresh fruit, sandwiches, and juice. This was $89 per person (I believe). We were taken out in a small motor boat in groups of 6-8 to their island type platform. There were beach chairs, 2 chair massage stools, kayaks and snorkeling equipment. We were able to do all of those activities as well as swim with the sharks (nurse sharks which are docile) and stingrays (stingers removed). We also had our picture taken with the stingray. You can take pictures yourself and you can buy theirs as well ($10 each). We truly loved this trip and recommend going in the afternoon when we did. We also did the Santo Domingo day excursion. $75 per person. We enjoyed this but the bus ride is really really long. We left our resort at 6:30AM and returned at 8:30PM. We had to detour out of Higuey on the return home due to the religious holiday taking place the next day. We went to all of the Christopher Columbus castle, church, etc. and then did shopping. We then went to a Barcelo resort there for lunch (fantastic lunch). Drove by the Presidential Palace, the lighthouse and then to a cave (totally could have skipped the cave) which was so hot and a lot of rough stairs. Overall great excursions.
Renova Spa: I do not recommend this at all. We did the Moonlight Massage for couples on the beach. This was $300. We so looked forward to this and it came with champagne and chocolate covered fruit. We set it up for 10PM and arrived shortly before. Definitely a beautiful night for a massage and the beach part was great hearing the waves. Not a good massage at all. Way too much oil used and overall not a good massage. They told us that we could do our champagne there or in our room. We chose to take it back to our room. They would not allow us to take the champagne glasses to our room,so we drank from the bottle since we were not using a rinsed out glass. When we returned to our room it was 10:40. The massage was to have lasted 1 hour. Also keep in mind time for dressing/undressing; gathering the champagne and fruit and walking back to our room. Meaning we had less than 30 minutes of massage. Our complaint about this was not heard and it's very disappointing to have paid so much money and not receive what we were to have received. |
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| Other Comments: |
Overall Resort: When we set out at 6:15AM for our excursion there were no lights on in the hallway by our room. NONE. We decided that it was probably safer to walk on the outside. Wrong, no lights on throughout the entire resort other than people's patio lights or small buffet lights in the buffet restaurant. That is very unsafe. Lights go off outside fairly early at night (considering Casino and bars are open until 2 and 3AM. This is a huge safety concern. Pool lights go off at 11PM,another safety concern. It's very obvious that this resort really tries to conserve energy but there are safety issues that need to be taken into consideration. Pools close at 8PM. Too early, in my opinion. Tips are really expected here. An******* being this great, wonderful person who helps everyone with everything I would have to disagree. I contacted ******* before we went and let him know that we were using comp. tickets and wondered what it would cost to upgrade to a Presidential Suite as well as telling him that we would like to meet him this time. He did not give me a price. He asked me for my last name. I provided him with my last name and never heard back from him. I messaged him again letting him know that I had not heard from him. He messaged me again that he needed my last name. I told him that I had sent it to him when he first asked and was giving it to him again. I still never heard back from him. That was a disappointment. One would also think that when you are a coming on a comp. ticket that they would try to speak to you to make sure that all was going as planned. I think that they could avoid some problems.
Transportation: You read above about our transportation to the hotel. When leaving we asked for requests from staff on who to use and were told a Taxi. We started researching and found on the Punta Cana airport site www.dominicanairporttransfers.com. We used them and it was hassle free and great! It was $45 from our resort to the airport but it was only us riding. We did not have to pick up any guests from other resorts. We also paid online via paypal. The driver was there early to pick us up and got us to the airport safely and was very nice. Definitely recommend this company for transfers.
To sum it up. We had a wonderful time because we made the best of our time. Would we return to this resort. No. The biggest disappointment is that the resort truly is beautiful. It's a shame that they cannot get it together to truly make it a 5 star resort. We heard complaints from other guests and when we were checking out a guest who was also leaving was in a bit of an uproar over his unhappiness. So obviously there are a lot of problems still. |
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| A jewel of a resort. |
| NH Real Arena |
| User Rating:
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Dave from Sudbury, Ontario >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2009
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Arrival: January 3rd, 2009 to January 10th, 2009
My wife Kate and I along with our two boys 3 yrs and 5 yrs and 20 yr old daughter with her boyfriend arrived January 3rd, 2009. The host centre was well organized and had us checked in and packaged up and into our room pronto. Check in was congenial complete with liquid libations and interesting eats.
Rooms:
The design of the room is fabulous and state of the art with the open concept including partial partition between bath and bedroom. Risky design leaves one feeling airy and relaxed. Excellente! Bravo!
Restaurants and Bars:
There were 7 fabulous restaurants with the casual atmosphere of the beach and buffet restaurant to the semi-formal atmosphere of the other adventurous dining rooms. The bars were fun, energetic and great service. The staff are what makes the EdenH Real Arena sing. They are all so welcoming, friendly, quick to serve and interested in you as a customer. The staff enjoy children. I made friends with about 20 staff and knew them all on a first name basis. It was great to share stories and feel the passion of the people.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The landscape architect created an environment which is so pleasing to the eye and to all the senses. There is a myriad of vistas constantly popping up no matter where you walk in the resort. The wide open spaces with the greens and neutral colours create a soothing relaxing environment. It is typical to find a huge open window framing a palm. The grounds are award winning. There is ample choice between the many pools. The beach is supreme with plenty of palapas for everyone. The volley ball court attracts some serious contenders and fosters an open welcoming agenda for everyone. The pool staff and beach staff are engaging. It is such fun to join in an impromptu dance class on the beach or an aerobics class in the pool. There is so much beach activity going on with the complimentary catamarans, kayaks and the many other activities from flying boats, to para sailing to helicopter rides and more.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We always get adventuresome to see some local attraction when at a resort. We took advantage of the trip to M. Beach where the boogie boarding is world class with continuous six ft waves. Gives you a chance to mix with the locals and buy some fresh coconuts to drink. |
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| Other Comments: |
| This is a jewel of a resort tucked on the turquoise waters of the Caribbean. It is an award winning resort for its grounds, rooms and buildings.The management team has managed to assemble a great service team of unique individuals with plenty of personality who make you feel part of the family. Give them your name once and they never forget it. This is the perfect holiday place for both families and couples. Lots of room so you are not stumbling over one another. Lots of diversity between the beach and pool areas. The food is fun, creative and so tasty whether in the buffet or a specialty restaurant. Mike Bryant, manager of Public Relations is an interesting person with a great story of how he ended up there from his hometown of Belleville Ontario. When you arrive look Mike up sometime during your stay and hear his story. His office is to the right of the registration desk and down the hall. This is a no holds barred winning resort which will meet your every need. The EdenH REal Arena has it all! Treat yourself! You deserve to be spoiled. |
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| I would recommend this resort, but would not go back. |
| NH Real Arena |
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Judy & Steve from Ottawa, Ontario >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2009
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We flew WestJet, through Nolitours. Gotta love WestJet! We had a bit of a hard landing in Punta Cana, but the rest of the flight was quite smooth. We were served a Breakfast wrap and granola bars for breakfast, and had a yummy Turkey & Swiss Cheese sandwich, with granola bars, on the way back. Service was excellent.
It is only a 20 min. drive to the resort from the airport. We arrived at 12:30 and waited until 3:30 pm for our rooms – no problem, as we were aware check-in was at 3:00 pm. Front Desk staff was very friendly and spoke perfect English, so we had no language barriers. I immediately saw PCMike (Mike Bryant) and told him how much we appreciated all his posts. We tagged our luggage with our assigned room number and went off to explore.
We were in Room 1414 and had a wonderful view of the pool and the ocean. We did not have the upgrade, but we were very pleased with the view. The rooms are very spacious and there was plenty of closet space and drawer space. The safe combination was easy to set, as well. We had the opening between the bathroom and bedroom, but were aware of this before we left, so it presented no problem for us. The mini fridge was stocked on a regular basis and the room was cleaned in the morning. The air conditioning worked great and we had hot water every day – morning and night!
The main buffet, Festival Buffet, had one wing off the food area for smokers and two wings for non-smokers. We never had a problem finding a table. There is also an outdoor eating area off the wings and we ate breakfast out there most days. Table service for coffee and cleaning off dirty plates was hit or miss, but when we caught the eye of one of the servers, it was cleared immediately. The food there was okay… Met Felix, the Omelette guy! Very nice person…
We went to the Asian Restaurant and sat at the grill. It was a lot of fun and our group of 8 really enjoyed the food. We had no problems getting reservations.
The Italian Restaurant is another story… we had reservations at 7:45 pm. We were served an appetizer and soup. By 9:30 p.m. we were still waiting on our main course – we finally got up and left and headed to the Festival Buffet to get something to eat. Service was terrible. We did let management know…
The Senses, French Gourmet Restaurant, was quite nice. We had the beef tenderloin and crčme brule. The food was very good and was beautifully presented. Service was excellent and everything was nice and hot. My niece’s reception was also held at Senses, where we had the entire restaurant to ourselves.
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The American Seafood is bright and cheery. Service was great and we had a Caesar salad prepared right at the table. We enjoyed the food here as well.
The Beach Restaurant was where we had all of our lunches. It is a bit repetitive in the food, but the chicken makes it worth coming back to. It opens at 11 am and closes at 6 pm, so it is nice to have the option of eating there whenever you want. Some people would fill their plates and then head back to the beach or pool, which was a nice option.
We also had beach/pool service. It was nice having your drink orders taken without having to go to the bar. Service was a bit hit or miss, but the option was there.
The courtyard off the lobby was a popular hangout during the evenings, as all of the restaurants are right in front. They had various entertainment – concerts, Cirque de Soleil (taped shows), etc. The only problem was that there were never enough chairs.
We did not go to the Crystal Theatre – mainly because it was indoors and we wanted to enjoy the weather outside.
The Alesio Bar was very spacious and nicely laid out. Unfortunately, we did not hang out here because of the smokers. The Sports Bar is right off the courtyard as well and we also got our drinks there. There are also servers in the courtyard taking your drink orders, but on the night we had an a la carte booked, we had waited 30 minutes for our drinks to arrive and had to finally leave so that we didn’t lose our reservation.
Drinks were good. A favourite was the Sammy Sosa. I’m not sure what all is in it, but if done properly, it is layers of red, white and blue.
We did not do any excursions or tours – just relaxed and enjoyed the weather.
The beach was beautiful, as usual. We never had problems finding palapas on the beach, or chairs by the pool. There are lots available.
I guess the only negatives I would have to say about the resort are that there wasn’t a great selection in the Festival Buffet. It was pretty much the same food on both sides of the food stations and service was hit or miss.
I would recommend this resort, but would not go back. We like to try different resorts each time we visit the DR |
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| We really enjoyed this property. Paying for the upgrade is worth the money. |
| NH Real Arena |
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Ted from Toronto >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2009
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Arrival: November 10 to 17
Came in on Monday, so the PC airport wasn't busy and we got through real quick. The ride to the resort was real quick, 15 to 20 minutes. PC airport is modern.
Rooms:
Resort is relatively new, rooms are oversized, great king sized bed with crisp linen, lots of pillows and beautiful duvet. There is a flat screen tv with plenty of channels. Everything worked well. Service was excellent, you can request cleaning at a specific time. Free safe.
Restaurants and Bars:
We enjoyed the buffet for breakfast, way too much food, even had bacon every day-unusual for Dominican Republic. We enjoyed all the a-la-carts, especially the Asian. Order appetizers while waiting for the hibachi chef to complete the meal. The beach restaurant is convenient, we liked going over to the main buffet restaurant to take a break from the sun/heat. Self serve soft icecream by the beach bar is a nice treat. The resort was about 2/3 full so one restaurant was always closed-no problem for us.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
We were on the beach pretty well every day, played beach volleyball everyday and walked the beach everyday. You can walk forever-don't forget to bring along a thermo cup for your walks and to keep your drinks cool/hot. The resort is a perfect size, u shaped with a courtyard surrounded by stores, restaurants, casino, etc. If you want you can walk under cover through out the resort, very clever.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We where with a group of 11, and spent each day starting with playing tennis, then beach volleyball, long walks on the beach, more beach volleyball, and finally cards/casino. The tennis courts are fabulous, sandy surface-new nets.
Other Comments:
Bring along some school supplies. PC Mike will take them to a local school, the kids really appreciate it. Take advantage of Debbie's Spanish translation-the staff appreciate your attempt to speak their native language. One day they ran out of premium rum, so I switched to beer-not hard to take.
This was our second time at NH Arena, we've been at many other PC resorts, e.g. Palladium Bavaro, Bahia, Ocean Blue, etc., and we really enjoyed this property. Paying for the upgrade is worth the money, the rooms are bit nicer and closer to the beach. Request pool view. |
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| * Service could use some improvement. |
| NH Real Arena |
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Debbie >
23 contribution(s) |
| Nov, 2008
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November 9 to 16, 2008
We flew Air Transat Club Class to Punta Cana on November , 2008. Our first week was spent at NH Real Arena (formerly called EdenH Real Arena). Just a name change, no change in ownership or anything.
This hotel is located in Bavaro, about 15 minutes from Punta Cana Airport, 50 miles from La Romana Airport, and 120 miles from Santo Domingo. The cab ride from Punta Cana Airport cost us $35.00 U.S.
The hotel is located between Paradisus Palma Real and Los Corales, and is about a 20 – 30 minute walk along the beach from El Cortecito.
The resort is quite compact, and the layout makes it very easy to get around and find things. Its design reminds me of a combination of several resorts – Punta Cana Princess for the grounds, Ocean Blue for the courtyard area where the restaurants, bars, and lobby are, and Majestic Colonial for the rooms.
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| Check-In |
Checkin is at 3 p.m., checkout is noon. Late checkout may be available depending on availability or they will provide a courtesy room where you can shower and change. We were booked into a Paradise Club Concierge room and checkin was at the Paradise Club Lounge in the lobby, opposite the front desk. Note that Transat Holidays calls the Paradise Club Concierge room Le Mirage Concierge room. I don’t know why they insist on using different names than the hotel uses, it just causes confusion in my opinion. We were provided with a welcome drink and checked in and given a pink wristband, a map of the resort, our key cards and towel cards, and a slip to fill out with time preferences for our restaurant reservations. Transat Mirage and Transat Concierge guests only are guaranteed 5 a la carte restaurant reservations . The Paradise Club lounge was also the checkin for guests that had the Mirage rooms, they were given a green wristband.
The Paradise Club lounge has complimentary internet for Paradise Club guests, snacks, newspapers, a TV, coffee, drinks, and a fridge with beer, pop and bottled water.
During high season Mirage room clients will be booked in at the Paradise Club lounge in the lobby, and the Paradise Club guests will be taken to the respective lounges in buildings 1 and 2 for checkin. These lounges were not in use while we were there, but will be fully staffed during high season.
We were then taken to our room with our luggage by golf cart, which was located in the Paradise Club section, on the 4th floor. Note there are elevators in all the buildings. |
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| Rooms |
The rooms are lovely - large and very bright and airy. We had a great view of the pool and beach, we were in room 1460. What was especially nice was the key cards for the door, you didn’t have to slide them, just touch them to the lock like a Paypass credit card. Apparently it will even read the card if it’s in a wallet. When you enter the room you have to place your room key in the slot by the door for the power to work.
Our room had a king-size bed, 2 night tables, a desk, dresser, couch, chair, and coffee table. Note that the Paradise Club Concierge rooms do not have a tub in the room, it is out on the balcony, that was a little disappointing, but the shower is large and very nice. There are double sinks and separate toilet and shower stalls, divided from the rest of the room by a wall, so the bathroom area is more private than their regular rooms.
The room also contained a 27-inch TV, telephone, coffee maker, clock radio with MP3 plugin – never did figure out how to stop the alarm from going off, it went off at 6 a.m. the first two mornings, we ended up just changed the time to a more reasonable hour.
There is a minibar which is restocked daily with beer, soft drinks and water. Leave a note and tip with your preferences.
Bathrobes and slippers were provided in the room as well as beach towels – we never needed to use the towel cards we had, we just exchanged the towels at the beach for clean ones when we needed them (towels are at the Watersports Centre). An iron and ironing board was provided. There is an ice bucket, and ice machines are located near the elevators.
There is lots of closet space and shelves to put your stuff on and the electronic safe is included. It is large enough for most laptops, you might have to tilt it up a little to close the door. One problem we had with the room was the door banging – changes in humidity make the doors swell and shrink and it was quite breezy while we were there. We solved this by putting a small pad of paper in the door as we shut it for the night.
The bathroom contained a hairdryer, makeup mirror, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, bath sponge, even a plastic brush and comb, sewing kit and makeup pads. Suggest you pack a couple of facecloths, as they are not necessarily left every day, or hide the ones they leave so they don’t take them. We started out with 2, but by the end of the week we didn’t get any. This is not unique to this hotel, happens in all the hotels we’ve stayed at.
We always had good water pressure and hot water. The Jacuzzi tubs are big and take a LONG time to fill up. As we had a Paradise Club room, we only had a tub outside on the balcony, so I only used it once.
We tipped the maid every day and maid service was excellent. I think this is the first hotel where we actually received turn-down service every night, and they literally did a cleanup of the whole room, ie. emptied garbage, washed dishes, left clean towels, etc.
In all room categories they are available with a king-size bed or two full-size (double) beds. The rooms with double beds may have a table and chairs instead of a couch.
The regular Deluxe rooms and Mirage deluxe rooms (same as regular Deluxe rooms, just in a better location higher floors overlooking the pool and extra includes) have an open concept bathroom (no wall), but have a Jacuzzi tub in the room. They are a little smaller than the concierge rooms (495 square feet), but still a good size. These rooms have no Jacuzzi on the balcony, just inside the room. |
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| The Le Mirage Inclusions are: |
- preferred room location
- Concierge service with direct phone line and private reception
- Minimum 5 guaranteed reservations for a la carte dining (Transat Holidays only)
- Separate checkin/checkout
- 30 minutes/person/week Internet access in the business centre (must be used in one session)
- Beach towels, bathrobes and slippers in room
- VIP amenities
- Turn-down service
- Fruit basket upon arrival and distinct identification bracelet
- One bottle of rum in room
- 50% discount on a 20-minute massage
- 15% discount on selected spa treatments
- Welcome gift in room |
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| Air Transat inclusions for the Paradise Club rooms (Le Mirage Concierge) are the inclusions listed above, plus: |
- Accommodations in more luxurious and spacious rooms (581 sq. ft.) with outside Jacuzzi and ocean or pool view, closest to the beach.
- Private continental breakfast (This is at the Italian Restaurant)
- VIP in-room lobster dinner (restrictions apply and this is for Transat Holidays guests only and is only available for a couple of months during high season (Dec. to Feb.)
- Premium drinks
- Private pool with butler service
- A la carte pillow and bath products (we never saw any pillow menu, but the pillows were fine).
There are about 20 larger oceanfront suites, but these are not sold through the tour operators, you would have to book these with the hotel. You can also purchase upgrades at the front desk after you arrive, subject to availability – the prices are posted. It’s probably cheaper to book the upgrade when you book your trip.
Some rooms with connecting doors are available. |
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| Grounds, Beach and Pools |
The grounds are beautiful, I love the layout of the resort and all the palm trees and fountains.. Pools run down the middle of the resort, and rooms are on each side in 4-storey buildings with elevators. There are covered walkways to protect from rain and sun. For a new resort not even open a year the landscaping is very nice. They still need some umbrellas around the pools, there isn’t much shade there and people tended to be on the beach instead. I understand they are working on that. They were experimenting with some shade cloths on the pergolas.
There is a swimup bar in the pool right at the beach, the main pool, and a “relaxing” pool, as well as a kid’s pool. In addition there are two private pools for Paradise Club members at the front of each oceanfront section, complete with bar serving premium drinks.
When you look at the pools you will see they are not the “pool blue” most pools are, the pools actually have brown and white tiles in them and looking at them from the room, the colour matches the colour of the ocean.
The pools are open later than most resort pools, until 8:00 p.m. (bar service ends at 6 p.m.)
The beach here is spectacular, nice and wide, with lots of palapas. You can walk for miles in either direction, it’s easier walking in this section of beach, at resorts further north the sand tends to be deeper and harder to walk in.
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| Bars and Drinks |
Lots of bars around. There’s the Alisios Bar off the lobby (large and enclosed), open from 10 a.m. to midnight – they also have live entertainment here, and Karaoke once a week.
The Olas bar is at the beach restaurant, open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Swimup bar – open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. – the bartenders are quite entertaining – one day they were delivering drinks to guests at the pool on a bicycle while balancing the drinks on their head.
Tahntra Bar is next to the casino and opens at 9 p.m. This is a very nice open-air bar, they have lots of comfortable couches and even a splash pool.
Sports Bar – open from 3:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. – there are several pool tables in here and a bowling alley. Bowling is $10.00 an hour plus $2.00 for shoes – available from 5 p.m. to midnight. Automatic scoring, so you don’t have to keep score. You have to wear socks. Also a popcorn machine in the bar.
Theatre Bar - open from 6 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Paradise Club bars – there is a bar at each Paradise Club pool, open from 10:00 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Presidente is the main beer served at the resort, sometimes they may have Heineken, Coronna or Miller’s.
I could not get a drink menu at any of the bars. The bartenders will be happy to recommend a drink. I tried the “Carlos Special”, it was very good. Mostly I just drank white wine though.
Also loved the icecream machine at the main pool bar. |
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| Restaurants |
The Festival Buffet restaurant is open for Continental breakfast from 6:30 a.m. – 7:00 a.m., Breakfast from 7:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m., Lunch from 12:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., and Dinner from 6:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
There is a small open-air section in this restaurant.
They had a good selection at breakfast and I enjoyed their freshly-made smoothies and Felix’s wonderful omelettes!
We ate lunch here several times, was very good, with lots of coldcuts and things for sandwiches.
We ate dinner here the first two nights. Loved the food the first night, but I did not feel they had as great a selection of items as other resorts I have been to, but I had no trouble finding something to eat. I was told during high season there would be more variety available – at the time we were there occupancy was less than 50 per cent. They always have pasta and pizza available.
I was a little disappointed in the deserts available, not a great selection, again likely due to the low occupancy.
Service in this restaurant was good most of the time.
A La Carte Restaurants
All of the restaurants are located in the same area, opposite the lobby, with a central courtyard in the middle. This is where some of the entertainment takes place and they have tables and chairs where you can relax with coffee or a drink before or after dinner.
They have 5 a la carte restaurants, and reservations are required. If you are in a Paradise Club room, the concierge will have you fill out a form when you check in noting your preference for dining time, and will make the reservations for you. At least that’s the way it’s supposed to work. We didn’t get our reservations and found out they had not been made, but another concierge looked after it for us. Later on during the week we needed to change a reservation as friends were joining us for dinner, we assumed the concierge would look after this for us, but they just told us to go see the Reservations person at the Sports Bar.
For other room categories you make your restaurant reservations at the Sports Bar.
Dress for the a la carte restaurants is “Casual Elegance” – long pants and collared shirt for men, no flip-flops.
Asian Restaurant
Open for dinner 6:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
This was our first reservation, on Tuesday. When we were seated we realized that there were 3 Tepanyaki tables, but we were not asked if we wanted our reservation for a Tepanyaki table or to order off a menu. We would have chosen the Tepanyaki table. Actually while we were waiting for our food I made a comment to Pat that the food they were cooking at the Tepanyaki table smelled good, and one of the servers overheard me and brought over a small plate of it for us to sample! Our food was okay, but they didn’t bring me what I had ordered, and they ran out of white wine..
Cinque Terra Italian Restaurant
Open for dinner 6:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
We ate here on Wednesday. We had friends from Santo Domingo joining us for dinner. Service was very slow. Pat and I ordered spaghetti and meatballs with red sauce and they brought spaghetti with a different kind of sauce and no meatballs. Our friends pointed this out to the waiter and he did bring the meatballs. The thing was, our main course did not arrive until an hour after we’d had our appetizers. But, we were talking with our friends, so it wasn’t a big deal for us. We had coffee but elected to skip desert.
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This restaurant is also open for a la carte breakfast for Paradise Club guests. We went there one morning, I think we were the only ones there. It was fine and service was great, but we found it just as easy to go to the buffet.
American Shore Grill Restaurant
Open for dinner 6:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
We ate here Thursday night and again on Saturday night - this was my favourite restaurant. The first time I had a salad, pumpkin soup (aka butternut squash) and beef tenderloin. Cheesecake and apple pie was on the menu for desert, but we were just too full. The second time Pat had the 24-oz. hamburger (really - that’s what it says in the menu, actually it is just a regular hamburger), and I had the “World Famous Ribs” – I actually enjoyed them very much – better than what I’ve had at our local Ribfests. Service the second time we were there was slower than the first time, but they had a couple of large groups they were serving.
Senses Romantic Restaurant
This restaurant is Adults Only, and is open from 6:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
The décor is all in red and white – red chandeliers, white curtains and fabric on the ceilings, roses on the chairs – kind of cheesy. But the food was good and service was excellent.
Olas Beach Restaurant
Located at the beach, this restaurant is open for lunch and snacks from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. It’s the only open-air restaurant, all of the others are enclosed and air-conditioned. They serve hamburgs, hotdogs, chicken, pizza, salads, French fries, nachos and cheese, a good selection. We alternated between eating lunch here and up at the main buffet. |
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Room Service
24 hour Room service is included for all guests. The menu is quite limited, consisting of continental breakfast items from 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and the entrees available from 11:00 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. included Chef’s Salad; Cheese, Olives & Mustard/Raspberry Vinaigrette; Beef Carpaccio of Manchego Cheese; Caprese Salad; Ceviche; Cheese platter; Club Sandwich with potato chips; or “Make your own sandwich – choice of cheese, ham, tuna, and salmon with choice of bread, and Deserts consisting of cheesecake or Tripical Fruit Selection The literature indicates an upgraded room service menu for Paradise Club guests, but I didn’t see any signs of this?
Candlelight Dinner for 2
You can make arrangements for a private dinner on the beach or other area of the resort – see guest services for details.
Lobster Dinners
The Italian and Grill restaurants offer a lobster dinner at an additional cost of $29.99 plus tax.
Daytime Activities and Sports
There is no shortage of activities here, if you want to be active. You can check the activities board near the Buffet restaurant for daily events. They have dance classes, aerobics, cocktail-making classes, weaving classes, beach games, Spanish lessons, all kinds of things.
At the beach is a “coconut tree” for climbing (kind of like rock-climbing) – you get the harness from Animation. I never saw anybody doing it, but it looked interesting. They also have a bungee trampoline in this area, which is privately owned and costs $10.00 to use, again I never saw anyone using it.
There is an ocean trampoline in the water for kids.
The Animation hut is located next to the pool and is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., where you can get board games, books, etc.
Tennis
They have 2 clay tennis courts at the front of the resort, open from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Private lessons are available for $30.00 U.S. an hour, you make your reservations with Guest Services.
Watersports
See the Watersports desk at the beach operated by Sea Pro Divers for info on catamarans, party boat cruises, parasailing, glass bottom boat rides, sport fishing, diving, snorkeling, banana boats, kayaking, windsurfing, and sailing, etc. They also have a free scuba clinic in the pool every day.
Nightly Entertainment
They have various entertainment venues in the area of the courtyard
There is the Crystal Theatre where they put on song and dance type shows, some with audience participation. We’re really not into these shows, watched one for a few minutes.
In the evening they have large screens up in the central courtyard and we enjoyed the music videos, ie. Frank Sinatra and Bee Gees concerts..
On Latin night they had an entertainer who put on a “fire” show. He was covered in wax and lit various parts of his body on fire.
Since we get up early, we didn’t stay up for much of the evening entertainment.
Casino
There’s a small casino off the courtyard. There are 25 – 30 slot machines open from 4:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m., and poker, roulette and blackjack tables open from 8:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.
Internet Access
If you are in the Paradise Club, you can use one of two computer terminals in the Paradise Club lounge off the front lobby for free.
There is also a business centre where you can purchase internet time. (Mirage room guests get 30 minutes free, to be used in one session). If you have your own laptop you can purchase wireless internet access in your room for $25.00 for 24 hours of time good for 6 days. |
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Hotel Stores/Shopping
There is a large gift shop at the hotel, and space for another store, maybe a jewellery store. Shuttle service is also available to the nearby Palma Real Shopping Centre. We meant to go and check it out, but we never got there.
Golf
Golf is available at 8 local courses. See your concierge or Guest Services in the lobby to make arrangements for any of the local courses or others located throughout the country
Spa
There is a lovely full-service spa run by Renova Spa, open from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.. I had a combination massage which was wonderful. They also have two massage palapas at the beach which are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Watch for their daily specials!
Fitness Centre
Next to the spa is the Fitness Centre. Sorry, didn’t go in
Medical Services
24 hour medical service is located next to the gym.
Kids Club
Nino’s Kids Club is located near the buffet restaurant and is for children ages 4 – 12. It’s open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. At night it is open from 8:15 p.m .until 9:30 p.m. when the kids put on their shows and parents are invited to watch. I was told that during high season they bring in kids entertainers to put on shows.
The day I went in there weren’t any kids there, but I was impressed with the facilities they have. There is a full program of activities for the kids, they are divided into two groups – Cubs – ages 4 to 7, and Bears, ages 8 to 11.
Weddings
We didn’t see any weddings the week we were there. There are a number of packages available, starting from $649.00 U.S. For a description of the various packages, see our Weddings Page.
Currency
Take U.S. currency. You can pay for virtually everything in U.S. dollars, and even if you exchange your money, you will get the best rate with U.S. dollars. There is no ATM at the resort. Money can be exchanged for pesos at the front desk, or there is a bank at the Palma Real Shopping Centre.
Weather and Bugs
We had gorgeous weather during our week at this hotel, except for the last afternoon when we had some rain. It was hot during the day, but very comfortable in the evening, not humid at all.
Didn’t notice any mosquitos, there were a few flies and bees around.
Meet and Greet for forum members
On Tuesday we went into El Cortecito to La Casa de Piedra with Hula and her husband and Mikefisher, and met some other forum members for a couple of drinks. These meet and greets are usually held on a weekly basis, a good way to put faces to names if you post on the forums.
Donations
If you want to bring school supplies or other donations (clothing, etc.) you can leave these items with Mike Bryant at the hotel. We had the privilege of going with Mike to a school in the barrio on his weekly trip to deliver school supplies and see firsthand the good that these donations do. The children are so excited to see him, and Magdalena is so grateful for the donations.
Summary
The staff at this hotel are great, they are always smiling and there is always an “hola” when you pass by. Service was good for the most part, but could use some improvement in the concierge area and restaurants. Quite a bit of English is spoken by the staff, the hotel provides English classes every day for its employees..
This is still a new hotel, not even a year old yet, and they are still working on making improvements in service and other areas. We really enjoyed this hotel, and I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us and I’ll try to answer them for you.
With special thanks to Mike Bryant, Carmen Rosa de Torres, Priscila in Guest Services and Maria in Restaurant services. |
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| Photos: http://travel.webshots.com/album/568959423JlYNlX |
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| Old Reviews - NH Real Arena |
| NH Real Arena (formerly called EdeNH) |
Judy
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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| December 2008 |
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Arrival: Dec 7-14, 2008
We were at the NH Real Arena from December 7-14. Here are our thoughts on this resort:
Airport - The process at Punta Cana Airport was pretty effecient. After we processed at the airport, we were taken to our bus transport where we then sat for about a half an hour waiting for other people. I guess our waiting wasn't anyones fault, the airline had lost their luggage.
Arrival at resort and check-in. This was also fast and efficient. We had upgraded to Paradise Club which meant that we could check-in in the paradise club lounge. We really enjoyed the upgrade to paradise club, used the complimentary internet daily, would stop in and get a bottle of water and the room location was nice. Check in was literally 5 minutes and we were on our way to our room. First room was room 1381 (I'll get to the reason we changed rooms later). The room itself was very nice, a corner room with the large corner balcony. It overlooked a paradise club pool and had an ocean view. We checked out our room and then off we went to look around the property.
First impression -
The property itself is nice, very clean and small enough to navigate without any problems. I think it struck me as more of a hotel in Florida than the Carribean. Just little things like the lobby being closed in and air conditioned. Well, supposed to be air conditioned, the air wasn't on all the time and it was hot and stuffy. We did notice that there are cracked tiles in some of the hallways and lights that didn't work. To us it looked like the resort was built very quickly and maybe not the best workmanship. Now watching them work on the project next door one day, with the available resources that these workers have to work with it is pretty impressive how quickly they do finish these projects. When you would unplug something in your room, some of the outlets would pull out of the wall. These were just little things that we noticed, nothing that would change our opinion about the resort.
First night we went to the lobby bar to get a drink. The service at the lobby bar is SLOW. We found as the week went on that if you went and sat at a table, you are more likely to get served than actually sitting at the bar (just our experience). We would also walk in the sports bar and grab a drink as that was faster and more efficient.
The reason for our changing room came the next morning when we found that we had no hot water. After a cold shower, off to the lobby to report the water problem. We were told that it would be taken care of right away. Well, from Sunday until Tuesday evening we went to the lobby numerous times about not having hot water, each time being told a different story. By Tuesday I had to take one too many cold showers. I had tried really hard not to let something that seemed so trivial get to me, but, by Tuesday, it did get to me. Finally Tuesday, they offered to move our room. So, off from the lobby to check out the room we would be moving to. First room they showed us, I first went and checked the water. Surprise, no hot water here either so back to the lobby. It was Tuesday afternoon that Clara in the Paradise Club found us a suitable room and we moved to another room. She is so very helpful and nice. This room was an ocean front suite and is absolutely beautiful. Huge balcony, large round jacuzzi tub on the balcony along with an outdoor shower. The suite had two bathrooms, a dining area, sitting area with a tv and seperate bedroom with another tv.
Our room was always cleaned promptly and really, they did a good job. One day our room didn't get cleaned until after 6:30pm. (not a complaint). There was a transit strike one day and a majority of the employees couldn't get to work. Management had posted this information asking guests to please be patient as services may be limited. Again, no big deal.
The Beach is very nice. A little seaweed, but, it's cleaned regularly and often. Never had a problem getting a palapa or chairs on the beach.
Pools - we spent our pool time in the Paradise club pool. They were very nice, the water was a little cool for my liking, but that's just my opinion. I think it was most peoples opinion as it was not common that anyone was in the water.
Pool Bars - WOW. These bartenders work so hard and are always smiling and very pleasant (Robert and Dariana). They made some pretty good drinks too. I did notice that the shakers, etc were all rinsed in tap water, which bothered me a little bit since I was so careful not to drink the tap water. We're still, a week later, having a little stomach issue.
Sports bar - Nice. This was the best and easiest place to get a drink. It was fast. They have 3 pool tables and a bowling alley. Also, TV's around the room to watch if you choose.
I have to confess that I can not comment on night life as by 9ish, we were exhausted and just went to bed.
Al a Carte restaurants - We arrived Sunday afternoon, made reservations Monday morning only to be told that the first reservation we could get was Thursday. So we made reservations for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I think that if you're there for only one week, this makes it really hard to get reservations when the first available sitting was Thursday night.
Festival buffet - The food was good. I don't think either one of us could have any complaints about the food here. Felix the omelette guy was so nice and always remembered your name and where you are from. The service here was sparatic, sometimes you could get a drink as soon as you sat down, others you would finish your meal and leave without ever getting even a glass of water. Maybe if there was a drink dispenser here as there is at the beach buffet, that could solve the not getting a drink problem. I don't have a problem with getting up and getting my own.
The beach buffet restaurant -it was nice and convenient so as to not have to leave the beach/pool area. The food was good, not great but good. Not much variety from day to day, but, if we wanted something different, we could have walked to the other buffet.
Check out process was quick and painless also. We had a later flight so we checked out of our room and left our luggage with the bell boys.
Leaving at the airport was quick and easy. All in all it was a nice week. I would give it a 3 1/2* rating as the resort still has a way to go on the service issues and building issues (water issues). |
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| NH Real Arena (formerly called EdeNH) |
Hula (Jacquie & John)
Toronto, Ontario
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| December 2008 |
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Hula is one of the hard working moderators on the Dominican Republic Travel Forum
November 8 – 15, 2008
This was my 32 trip to the Dominican Republic and we made a great choice in picking the EdenH.
We flew Skyservice, pre-booked emergency exits seats (13A & B) both ways which were great, lots of leg room well worth the $35 each-each way. Flight was 3 hours late leaving Toronto due to the hurricane in Cuba where it was evacuating people that wanted to come home. Flight was a smooth 3 hrs 24mins down and 3 hrs 35mins home. Arrived in Punta Cana at 11:45pm local time. No movie on the way down. Luggage was fast coming off the plane, out of the airport and on the bus within ½ hour.
Check in: Arrived at the EdenH, check in was at the Paradise Clubroom (Mirage) even though none of us were staying in that section. (we figured it was because it was so late). Check in was smooth; they took us to our room with luggage in a golf cart. First he took us to the 3rd floor and tried to get into room 1332, we told him that we were in room 1434 so he took us up the stairs This hotel is 4 stories and has lots of elevators in the buildings. They didn’t give us an envelope upon checking in but a brochure of the hotel that we heard later was out of date (the hotel just opened, how could it be out of date already!) no room service menu (we were starving) or a la carte reservation sheet. We tried to call room service a few times then the front desk but no one answered the phones. We finally gave up and went to bed, as it was now 2:30am.
Lobby: The lobby is very large and very attractive with all kinds of seating available. The colour schemes here and through out the resort is orange with green and white. It is air-conditioned and also has the Paradise Club Lobby, guest services and the Lobby bar is off to the left.
Room 1434: (Deluxe) Our room was large with a king-size bed, plasma TV, couch table and chair. Bathroom was open concept with large Jacuzzi tub. (which I only used once or twice) toilet was behind frosted glass door and the shower is behind another frosted glass door, large with a rain shower head, great pressure and tons of hot water! Balcony had 2 chairs and table, our balcony was on a slant facing the pool and a good view of the ocean. We had a fruit plate and bottle of rum on the table upon arrival and gift of coffee.. Room was spotless and the bed was very comfortable with 6 pillows. Nightly turn down service and they replaced the towels that we had used that day for showing. Bar fridge was re-filled daily with Coke, Sprite, water and beer. Beach towels in the room upon check-in. Ironing board and iron. Electronic safe. We had lots of large bath towels and at least 2 face clothes everyday. Plenty of closet space along with drawer space.
Pools: This hotel has 7 beautiful pools and pool areas. The main pool is large and approx.. 36 in water loungers, it also has an edge the runs around the pool just under the water level so it is easy to climb out if you don’t use the stairs. The pool closest to the beach has a swim up bar and is a good size too, no in water loungers here. The quiet pool is located at the top end of the main pool and has the in pool loungers also. The colour of the pool bottom is beautiful and matches the ocean perfectly when you look down from you room. There is also a small kids pool but this is out in the sun with no shade near by, didn’t notice anyone using it as all the kids that were there used the beach. There is also a small pool at the end of each building by the beach which is for Paradise Club (Mirage) guests only, they also have their own bar. Pools are small I can’t see there being enough room if everyone that belongs to the Paradise Club (Miarge) section wants to use this area during peak season. Tons of loungers around the pools but not much shade, a few umbrellas here and there. There is also a splash pool above the Sports Bar at the Tantrua Bar!!!! (which no one believed me until they saw it for themselves).
Bars: There are so many bars here that you never have to walk far to find a cold drink.
Restaurants:
Fiesta Buffet is air-conditioned, the food section is in the middle with 3 seating sections running off of it. There were a lot of food choices, lots of meat and veggie dishes, pizza, pasta bar, fresh breads and rolls and great soup. (Never ate lunch here) We did breakfast here every morning; fruit assortments varied from day to day one day there would be lots to choose from and the next only one or two items. The toaster was the slowest one I had ever used and then you had to put it through a few times just to get your bread toasted but not really a big deal. Omelet bar was very good and fast as they had two people making the omelets and eggs. Bacon, sausage, cold meats, cheeses, yogurt and juice bar.
Ola Restaurant: this restaurant is by the beach and pools and is open air, beautiful view of the ocean! Serves Lunch from 12 noon until 6pm. Great selection of hamburgers, hotdogs, pizza, nachos and cheese (cheese is served cold), salad bar plus a selection of potatoes, veggie, fish and meat also the best-roasted chicken.
Asian A la Carte: Service was good. I tried to order a dish and the waiter told me no you order this one so I didn’t know what I was getting until it came to the table, chicken on skewers and a plate of fried rice. Chicken was good and the rice was okay (not my favourite restaurant) we both order the hot & spicy shrimp soup, the broth was nice and hot (heat wise) and hot & spicy but it had 1 lonely little broken shrimp in it. We would have preferred to sit where the were making the food but we were not offered this we got a table up against the wall by the door which I did not like. Service was great.
Shore Grill A la Carte: I really enjoyed this restaurant, the seating the atmosphere everything was great. We both started with the Caesar salad, which they make right at your table. I Ordered the Ribs, which were really good but my baked potato, and veggie were ice cold. My husband ordered the 24oz burger which is really a 4 oz burger max. He said it was very good, his baked potato and veggie were steaming hot, go figure … we both ordered the clam soup which was a fishy broth with a whole clam (shell and all) he really liked it but I didn’t eat it. Service was great.
Entertainment: Never went to the theater so can’t comment on the shows. Did see the Fire show on the Friday night, which was very good. They had a giant screen in the courtyard, which they show recorded concerts by the Bee Gees, Frank Sinatra, Bob Marley and Cirque du Soleil.
Sports Bar: We visited the sports bar a lot, played pool and even bowled twice. Great Pina Coldas here!!!
The room is a nice setup of seating etc. popcorn machine in the corner, nothing on the walls, the pictures etc that were in the Shore Grill should have been hung in here beer and pop pics and posters.
Beach: What can you say that hasn’t been said about the beach in Punta Cana? The beach in front of the EdenH is very wide and lots of shade and loungers. They have aerobics on the beach every morning. The beach is keep clean with the men raking the seaweed a few times a day. But, people please put your plastic cups and cigarette butts in the garbage!
Overall: We really enjoyed this hotel and would not hesitate to return. The staff was great from the waiters and waitress in the restaurants, the guys and girls at the bars to the maids who kept our room spotless and well stocked of towels etc. We did have a small leak in our room from the AC and they were there and fixed it before we returned to our room. |
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| NH Real Arena (formerly called EdeNH) |
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May 2008
EdenH Real Arena (Le Mirage)- Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
My fellow travelers were Rob , Peter, Tammy (all 3 from Halifax, NS), Charmaine and Wilf (from Mississauga, Ontario).
We stayed at the EdenH from May 3rd- May 10th, 2008.
The Airport: I absolutely loved the airport in Punta Cana, it was unlike any other airport I’d seen before. It just looked like a giant hut that you would see on a tropical beach! It was also almost completely empty, so the lines were very short and the atmosphere was relaxing. It was a great start. The weather was cloudy but warm the day we arrived. We got on the bus and it was a fairly short drive to the actual resort. The bus we were on made a few stops at other resorts first, so we got to check out the competition and get views of other places we may want to try out in the future.
Check-in at the Hotel: The check-in situation was very scattered, and had us all waiting around confused for awhile. We had our own private V.I.P room for check in, but once we "checked in", we were not allowed to take our items to the room until several hours later. We arrived early in the morning and would not be allowed to check in to our room until 2pm. At first we thought this would be fine…I had read the reviews and knew about this. Luckily, we had family who had arrived a bit earlier that day (took a different flight), so we went to grab our suitcases and take them to their room. We were planning on leaving them there and then transferring to our rooms when necessary. Sounds like a fairly simple plan, right? Well, it sure didn’t work out that way. We had to practically wrestle our suitcases away from the attendants out front. We tried to explain that we were just going to drag them to our friends’ room, but they didn’t want to hear it. We were all really uncomfortable with our luggage being out in the main yard in front of the bus where they had planned on keeping it for hours. We also wanted to get some of our stuff out of them. Finally, after many failed attempts to just sneak by the attendants with our luggage, we convinced one of the attendants to bring our luggage to that room. I guess the problem wasn’t so much that we wanted to take our luggage earlier; it was just that the attendants wanted the tip for bringing it to our rooms themselves.
The Rooms: Upon first entering our friends’ room, we were pretty surprised. We were greeted early on by mosquitoes and the view out from their balcony was horrible. Their room faced a large fence and a guard standing there holding a gun! We all had a good laugh, but I was pretty glad it wasn’t our room. We were getting the "Le Mirage" upgrade, so we were hoping we weren’t on the bottom floor. Previous reviews had mentioned the awful mosquitoes on the ground floors, so I called my travel agent a few months before going and requested that we don’t get a room on the ground floor. When we finally got into our room, we nearly slipped on the floors because they had JUST been mopped and were soaking wet. Nevertheless, we were excited because the rooms were very visually appealing. The bed was extremely comfortable, and we had a fantastic view of the large main pools. We would have preferred a view of the beach, but were really excited about the view either way. I ran out to the balcony to check out the Jacuzzi. I had been so excited for it…in fact it was the reason I urged people to upgrade to the "Le Mirage" package. To make a long story short…the Jacuzzi poured out nothing but cold water all week. It was also full of bugs. I never got to use it but am not sure if I would have anyways since I would have been eaten alive by mosquitoes. The bathroom was nice, however my in-laws (Charmaine and Wilf) had a nasty incident with the shower itself. The showerhead fell off while Wilf was taking a shower and hit him on the back of the head. They called and had it fixed right away, but he’s lucky he wasn’t hurt any worse. Housekeeping was awful. Our fridge was always missing something when it was replenished. Apparently you had to leave a tip inside the fridge to get beer. We tried that; no beer. There were three days that housekeeping didn’t show up at all. I’m not sure why. Normally we wouldn’t have cared that much, but the only way to get your beach towels washed and get new ones was through housekeeping. We had to complain to the desk about the housekeeping and the fact that we weren’t getting our beers (typical tourists, huh? Need our beer!). Once we complained, they took care of the situation right away. The men working down in the V.I.P room were VERY helpful, but the women ignored us most of the time and looked pissed off. The mosquitoes were a big issue for all of us, it seems like it’s not just the ground floor that’s affected. Pack your bug spray!
The Food: I enjoyed the food quite a bit, as did my fellow travelers. The omelet guy (Felix) was awesome, and always remembered a face. He flirted a bit with the women, and made easy friends with the men. I can’t remember his name right now, but we really thought he was great. An important notice though for travelers who look forward to having a morning mimosa (champagne and orange juice): They don’t have them at this resort. Well, perhaps that isn’t entirely true…I asked for one everyday and they looked at me like I was crazy. I did end up getting one on one of the last days and was happy about that. Most other days I ended up just drinking champagne. Seems a little extravagant for breakfast, doesn’t it? The buffet was probably our favorite place to eat. The grill by the beach was not too good, just really had a lot of finger foods. To be honest, I am only saying it wasn’t very good because my boyfriend and his family didn’t like it. I am a finger food lover so I was very pleased to have some lunchtime Nachos and fries. I would like to make a big warning now for future "Le Mirage" package buyers…just go to the buffet for breakfast. They have a big selection and the v.i.p section is never packed. We went to the Italian restaurant the first morning because we felt so privileged as Le Mirage travelers. It’s a sit-down breakfast with very little selection. We were the only people in there and it was pretty awkward. We would have gotten up and left if we hadn’t been the only people there. We were really excited with our package to have gotten a VIP Lobster dinner during our stay. Since we were all traveling together, we arranged to have one massive dinner in one of our rooms instead of all eating separately. One of us is a vegetarian, so we arranged to have a special huge vegetable meal just for him. Two of us don’t like lobster, so they told us they could bring us steak instead. We were so excited! We decided to order 1 bottle of white wine, 3 bottles of red and a bottle of champagne to come with it. We arranged it for the end of the week so we were expected it to be messed up by the time the dinner came rolling in the room. Yes, it was messed up! There was one vegetarian meal, which was just a small plate of carrots and beans. The vegetarian from our group is also a diabetic, so clearly he needed a few other food groups in there. There were no steak meals, it was all lobster. Instead of our assortment of wine, we wound up with one bottle of champagne and 2 white wines. I felt bad because I’d been the only one in the group that wanted either of those…everyone else wanted red. We left the room after a few bites and went down to the beach just in time for the pig roast meal.
Events held on resort: The first day we got there we were told about the pig roast. They had two of them while we were there. Although the animal roasting itself didn’t interest us, the other food was pretty good. Tables were set up outside and we were able to sit together in the evening watching the sun go down while enjoying our food. We didn’t stay out long for the first pig roast because we were really exhausted from our flight that morning. However, we did stay out for the second pig roast, which was our last night there. After they cleared away the tables, came the limbo contest line, the dancing to the live band and the crazy fire guy. The crazy fire guy was a man covered in wax who did all kinds of tricks with eating fire and lighting himself on fire. Hence, the title I gave him as "Crazy fire guy". The limbo contest was SO much fun. Not only are you trying to get under the stick without falling backwards, but they are pouring some kind of sugary alcohol drink in your mouth while you are going underneath the stick. My boyfriend is 6 foot 8 and managed to be one of the last people in the contest. I have no idea how that wound up happening but it was so much fun to watch. Then came the dancing! Everyone was dancing without a care, and it was the perfect ending to our vacation. We were so upset that we had waited until the last night to go to any of the nightlife events. The only other event that we went to see was "Chris Blizzard", a guy who was on Oprah and sang a lot of famous songs. Nothing too interesting there, to be honest.
The A la carte Restaurants: We attended 3 different a la carte restaurants. The Italian restaurant was the best and we wound up going there twice. They had the most delicious blue cheese pizza I have ever tasted! The grilled eggplant was also delicious as an appetizer. It tasted just like lasagna. The service was great, the waiter (Eddie) joked around with us and kept referring to us as "Family". Whenever we were short on wine, he would apologize and send over extra. The romantic restaurant, in my opinion, was terrible. I actually had to spit my food out into my napkin because I couldn’t bring myself to swallow. The others seemed to enjoy it okay. The Asian restaurant was great too. Each evening for dinner we were missing a person from a group because we ran into "digestive issues" while there. We each brought a pack of Imodium with us and I’m quite sure we didn’t get to bring any home.
The Drinks: The drinks were really tasty, but you really had to know what you wanted. There were no drink menus to order from, so you had to either get the waiter to suggest something, or ask strangers what they were drinking. Again, I wound up drinking champagne by the pool. Favorite drinks would be the sunrise tequilas, daiquiris and chunky monkeys. The chunky monkey is a drink that tastes like chocolate and peanut butter. Our bartender in the VIP section’s name was Raoul, and he took great care of us. He would bring you another drink before you were even finished your first one. A great drink to get in the sports bar is a "Sammy Sosa", which is a white, blue and red drink. My favorite drink of the week though would have to be the "Chocolate Martini" from the main night lounge. So delicious!
The Pools: I have to admit that I really loved having the VIP treatment and pool to ourselves. If someone who wasn’t VIP even walked in our area, they would get kicked out. It was nice to have the pool basically to ourselves and our own bartender with no line up.
The Beach: The beach was the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. White beach sand, and the water was the most gorgeous shade of turquoise. We traveled to Mexico the year before and the beach was nothing compared to this one. The vendors on the beach are just as annoying as the vendors you see on any tropical beach. My favorite line was "Please, Miss…come see my shop…we’re having a special sale today, 99% off".
Extra-Curricular Activities: I won’t go into great detail since this is getting VERY long, we chose to do the dune buggy trip one day and the snorkeling/swimming with sharks adventure another day. The dune buggy trip consisted of riding around a small local village in dune buggies (2 people per buggy), going to an amazing Clearwater beach, and horseback riding. The snorkeling trip consisted of a catamaran ride with entertainment and drinks, snorkeling in a patch out in the water filled with tropical, colorful fish and swimming with the sharks and stingrays. Ofcourse the sharks were nurse sharks (I was still terrified), and the stingrays had their stingers removed. We got to have our pictures taken with the giant stingrays. Both trips were one in a lifetime type of adventures and I can’t urge how much people should do them. They may seem scary at first…but they are worth it!
The Gift Shops/ Shopping Opportunities: The Gift Shop was really nice, but extremely expensive. We all had a feeling they were ripping us off. One of us bought suntan lotion and a bandana that seemed to come to about 75$ Canadian. No use fighting it though. I really liked the jewelry and pictures frames inside the store. The jewelry was cheap quality but really cute. It was cheap in cost as well. I bought a beaded ring for about 2 dollars Canadian. One afternoon we decided to take the free bus shuttle to the shopping plaza, which was literally 1 minute away. We all laughed that we had waited about an hour for a shuttle to come and drive us down the road. The shopping was okay, but a lot of the stores sold similar items.
The Staff: Okay, here is where I get to speak about some very special people who made our trip the best it could be given some of the circumstances. Eddie from the Italian restaurant always had us laughing with us sarcasm and witty comments. Felix the omelet guy was the friendliest and most laid back worker at the entire place. One day while he was preparing our eggs, he moaned, rubbed his stomach and said "Man, I am so hung-over. Big Party last night". What a laugh riot! Lenardo was a younger looking waiter who was usually in the buffet VIP section. He was very accommodating and tried really hard to please us. He brought us a bottle of Champagne when he wasn’t supposed to, and when we were leaving gave one of us his phone number so we could keep in touch. Great guy…but I don’t think we’ll be making any long distance calls to talk to the guy. Wilton was the strangest and nicest guy in the whole resort. He would walk around in the morning at the café mumbling over and over again in lightening fast speed "Papa mama café". We tried imitating and saying it as fast as him, but it’s just not possible. He has the sweetest smile when you actually can get him to show you!
Overall: We enjoyed the trip, but didn’t get the best service (minus the individuals I just mentioned). I was one of the people who went down and didn’t want anything to get to me...but it did. The resort is absolutely beautiful; they did a fantastic job on designing it. The beach and location is incredible, and I’m not sure if I’ll ever see a beach that gorgeous again in my life unless I return to Punta Cana. Out of a 5 star rating, I would give the Eden H a 3 and a half star rating. |
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| NH Real Arena (formerly called EdeNH) |
"Kittykatkat"
Canada
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| September 2008 |
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Our family went there on August 24th for a week, we were the orange braclets and we didn't upgrade to Paradise club. First of all, the staff and place are amazing!! Even though we were not the VIPs, we were treated like one. A lot of people are uncomfortable with the openness of their bathroom, which I noticed is now the trend in Europe and Asia Pacific resorts. We have no issue with such design. We find it fun, especially our daughter can watch TV while in the tub. My husband even wants to remodel our ensuite based on this design! However, if you don't feel comfortable, I believe you will get the enclosed bathroom if you upgrade to Paradise Club.
As with the private pools for the Paradise Club memebers, they are the two smaller pools closest to the beach. They are small, and we didn't see a lot of people there. Most of the VIPs went to the main pool or the beach anyway.
EdenH got the best strip of beach. It's wide, clean, and the sea is calm. The resort built a lot of cabanas, so we didn't even need to wake up early to reserve one. We sometimes will pop by the beach in the afternoon, and we have no problem finding a really good spot.
As with food, you do not get privilege as VIP to get booking into any of the specialty restaurants anyway. The buffet restaurant serves good variety of good hot food, so is the seaside grill.
Mind you, we are not drinkers, so we can not comment on the quality of their drinks, but Presidente is good enough for us!
We have been to other AI resorts in DR, both in Punta Cana and Bayahibe, all 4.5 stars to 5 stars. To be honest, EdenH is the one that's closest to what we expect from a 4.5 - 5 stars. It's new, but you can tell they are working very hard to meet all customers' expectations. We are definitely going back next year. |
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| NH Real Arena (formerly called EdeNH) |
Renee, Eric & Remy
Toronto
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| September 2008 |
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Arrival and Flight
We booked our trip via Conquest, this was our first time with Conquest, and it’s not bad. We flew Canjet, and we it’s basic, with no onflight entertainment. We were given cold sandwiches, and non-alcoholic drinks, and $5 for alcoholic drinks.
At arrival, we were taken to the resort via a big tour bus. We were the only family to EdenH, the other were to other resorts. The bus ride was extremely safe! Our guess is the result of the tragedy a few weeks ago in La Romana, Check in was a breeze, we were taken to our building on a golf cart, and along the way, the bellboy gave us a mini tour. Great service, great people!
Rooms
A big thanks to PCMike, we were assigned to room 2443, which was on the 4th floor of building 2. We have spectacular view – both ocean and pool!! We loved the room; it’s modern, clean, and bright. The open bathroom didn’t bother us at all, as our daughter can watch TV while in the tub. The shower stall was big, and we got plenty of hot water. The resort provides satellite channels, more channels than we even wish for!
Our mini fridge was stocked up everyday. When I left a note for more water, we have 3 big bottles the next day, and every day since.
Restaurants
We only dined at the Buffet every night, and for lunch we went for the seaside grill. The Buffet has a good variety to choose from, they have different theme every day, including Chinese theme! We found our daughter’s favourite dumpling in sweet and sour sauce. The only down side was their ice-creams at the buffet, they taste very artificial.
The seaside grill has the best pizzas, you can taste the freshness!
My husband booked the Asian restaurant, but the only available slot was at 8:30 pm, which was too late for us. We end up going back to the Buffet that day. My husband said the staff who was doing the booking has the worst attitude in the entire resort. You either take it or leave it kind of attitude. But otherwise, everyone in the resort was wonderful, always with a smile, and always trying to help. We have the best server at the Buffet – Juan. He knows our drinks before we even settle in our seats, and he will come by and play with our daughter.
Bars
We are not big drinkers, but the Pina Colada (non-alcoholic) is the best from our experience with other AI. It’s not watered down, and my 3 year old even know how to order it at the bars!
We visited the Sport Bar once, and we walked up to the bar at the roof top to look at the amazing décor!
Beach and Pools
We spent most of our time at the small pool (the closest one to the buffet restaurant), which was clean, and there weren’t a lot of people, so our daughter can play, splash and scream as much as she can without bothering other people. We love how they built lounging chairs/areas in the all their pools. It’s a great way to get tan and stay cool.
There are pools especially for the Paradise Club’s guests, which are closest to the beach. They are small, and I didn’t see a lot of people there. Most of the Paradise Club guests spent their time at the larger pools, or on the beach.
The beach is spectacular, clean white sand, and not too choppy waves. There were plenty of shades for everyone, and no one needs to reserve chairs with towels. We can find a good spot even in the afternoon. Maybe it’s the low season.
There were security staff along the beach, and we saw two guests from other resort wandered over, and was guided out of the resort by the security.
Grounds
Beautiful ground; a well blend of modern and Caribbean style. It’s different from other AI resorts. Maybe it needs a little more colored flora; but we know they are coming. The resort has been only opened for 8 months!
Activities and Entertainment
Most of the entertainment shows were held at the Crystal Theatre. It’s indoor with air conditioning, what a change from the open air theatre – no more bug bites, and no need to spray yourselves with insect repellent after dinner, and wash them off again when you head back to your room. LOVE the idea.
We only went for the Latin Party (I think they have replaced the Beach Party with the Latin party during the low season), which was held at the Crystal Plaza. The plaza is in front of the lobby. GREAT show, with a lot of fire throwing, juggling. You can tell the entertainers are highly professional.
We also attended the
Departure and Check Out
We have late check out, again thanks to PCMike for arranging this. Our daughter was able to catch some zzz before heading to the airport. We were picked up promptly at hotel, and delivered safely to the airport. One puzzling thing was that we never got a chance to pay for our departure tax. I thought at some point we have to hand in $75 USD for the 3 of us!
Conclusion
It’s with great pleasure to meet up with PCMike at the resort! I’ve also told him that we would DEFINTELY go back next year for 2 weeks stay, and will invite my sister’s family to come with us.
I would definitely recommend this resort to everyone. It’s a new resort, and it’s improving everyday. It has great people, great management, and great potential. Definitely a 5 stars. |
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| NH Real Arena (formerly called EdeNH) |
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Arrival and Flight
USA 3000 Flight was wonderful. Crew was great on both flights
Rooms
Were beautiful, very clean and loved the balcony that over looked the resort. Huge Jacuzzi tub in the room, my son loved to fill it and watch tv from it after a long day.
Restaurants were great..Loved the Asian and French. Americano was wonderful but if you have children there is not so much for them to eat and the Hamburger which was 24 ounces was served rare. The Buffets were delicious and don't miss the beach party!
Beach and Pools
The Beach was beautiful and the water sports were plenty. They were so helpful to give you a lesson on the Catamarans and not to worry, should you tip it over, as myself and my son did, they are out there in minutes to pick you up. I can't say enough about how wonderful the whole water sport section was!!
The pools were absolutely beautiful and they had so many fun activities to do. My 10 yr old loved it!
Grounds
The outside of the resort was so well maintained and it was one of the most beautiful resorts I have stayed at. The beach chairs were not a problem and the pool chairs were mostly empty.
Activities and Entertainment
Activities were plenty. I was disappointed there was not really any shopping but this was in no way the fault of the hotel. We did find a gentleman working in the tour section that called a friend and he came and picked us up and took us to his shop and we got to watch them make cigars and we bought some T-shirts from him 2 for $20...it was a pleasant trip only 15 minutes away..If you do nothing else on the trip...you MUST get a massage on the beach. I got the 80 minute and it was WONDERFUL!! ask for Damalia (think the spelling)
Tours
We did not go on any tours but we did go parasailing and it was great. The driver let my 10 yr old "drive" the boat and he thought it was awesome!!
Departure and Check Out was uneventful except I did not like that you had to go turn in your towels and give them a ticket back. I did not get this part...I don't want responsibility for turning in towels or I would be charged $20 per towel...this was not a good way to end an otherwise perfect trip...I hope they do something about that system
Conclusion
I'm not sure how the vacation could have been better...it really was wonderful. I will warn you to upgrade before you go. I have never been to a resort where you had to upgrade to get better drinks. The cheap alcohol is terrible. This was a new experience to me. I upgraded after I was there. Everything else was so great it made up for it. There is not very many workers that speak English, so it can be a problem but what can you expect when you go to another country. This should not ruin your vacation. |
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| NH Real Arena (formerly called EdeNH) |
Annick and Sylvain
Blainville Qc.
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| July 2008 |
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Section: Paradise Club
To start, I would like to thanks all the staff at the Edenh for the mostly warm welcome. Especially the staff from the VIP lounge, Staff from the dinner a la carte, Ramon and Fransisco at the VIP Pool and finally Mike Bryant (Punta Cana Mike).
AIRPORT; Upon our arrival we quickly recieved our luggages (lots of helper to carry your luggages, for a small tip if you want) and we were directed to the bus, which took only 20 minutes.
Hotel; We arrived from a late flight 9:00 PM. If you are at the concierge section please go check in to the VIP lounge. If not at the Check in counter. Both were quick and people were nice.
After our check in we took a cart ride to our room.
Our Room; was really clean with a king size bed and the jacuzzi on the balcony. The shower was huge, and plenty of hot water, and pressure was execellent. We had a Ocean view, Just amazing! The mini fridge or bar was filled with beer, pop and water. We ran out of water in the fridge once and we called room service and within minutes they arrived with some. We also ordered beer one night and also was quick. We had breakfest in our room, took 20 minutes.
Bars; Of course our number uno choice was at the VIP Pool with Ramon. (Check youtube "Ramon VIP Pool" to see him) We also liked the Tanthra Bars with a super warm pool. The Alisios bar was really nice but we found it quiet, when there was no Karaoke night.
Mosquitos: We did not see any, not in our room or outside at night. The only bugs that we saw were flies, but really few.
Elevators; I did not count how many there was, but a lot. We were on the fourth floor and we found the elevator just fine. We did not have to walk really far to find one .
Restaurants; For breakfest we could go to the buffet or at the Cinq Terre restaurant (if VIP, pink bracelet), We love having breakfest at the Cinq Terre, few people going and great service.
For Lunch we went to the buffet twice and was great, pasta was good, of course we did not like some of the food, but in general it was good. The restaurent at the beach, had some good chicken, burgers and fries. American food. Finally all the dinner a la carte were amasing, steak, fish, squid, porc etc. The wine is ok but I had better. We were serve without waiting to long. The Shore Grill and Asian was the top but also liked Sens (French Romantic) and Cinq Terre (Italian). The staff were always smilling.
Activities; We are a couple early 40's and we loved the activities, we wake up early (7 AM) we did the cayak, parasailing, swimming in the sea and snorkling. To be able to see the fishes you need to put some crumble of bread in a plastic bottle and crush the bottle to empty the air, put the cap back on the bottle. I found no fish until I arrive close to the security barrier. The bread crumbs are the key of seing any fish. We saw plenty! But If you want to see more fish you will need to do some catamaran. They go snorkling, we try the Marinarium and theTropical Storm, WOW!
At the hotel, they also give a free biginer scuba crash course (in the pool). And if you want you can go deep in the see ($$$). The Gym was nice, ok it's not the GOLD gym but we are not here for the gym. If you want some pictures, sned me a request.
Our goal for this trip was to relax but have fun at the same time. We did reach our goal!
Do we recommend the Edenh: Absolutly!! and for all the family.
We would go back anytime. |
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| NH Real Arena (formerly called EdeNH) |
Deb
Pittsburgh, PA
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| June 2008 |
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We booked our 4 night stay through a travel agent and Apple Vacations. At the airport, we were met by porters who took us directly to the Apple van. They had all our info ready and we were at the Edenh in about 15 minutes.
At the Edenh we were directed to the Paradise Club private check-in. We were given great fruitty drinks, checked in, but told our rooms would not be ready for a while (it was only 11:00 and check-in is at 3:00), so we understood perfectly. Ramone the bellhop, asked us if we wanted to change into swimsuits or go to eat. Ramone drove us in the "golfcart" to the beach end of the resort, explaining everything as we passed, to the Olas buffet on the beach. Food was "normal" with pasta, burgers, french fries, chicken and all very good. You can also get wonderful breads, desserts, salads, and ice cream here. I must say, we all enjoyed the breads at this resort. They were all tasty and fresh! Afterwards, we headed back to the lobby area to get changed into our swimsuits. Ramone saw us on the way and gave us a ride. It's not an incredible walk, but seems that way in the heat. And being fully dressed. ; Ramo ne checked with Paradise Club and found one of our two rooms was ready. He drove us and our luggage to room #1360 (building one, third floor, room 60) the higher the room number, the closer to the beach. We put our teen+ kids in this room as it had two double beds. We were next door in room #1362 with a king size bed. When we got the key to this room, it was filled with "happy birthday" balloons for our daughter (a request made by our TA). She loved it!
After we changed clothes, we went first thing to the Paradise Club private pool just outside the front (beach side)of the building. There we met Carlos, the bartender at the swim-up bar. We loved him. He would even come out of the bar and serve us pool-side. He even told us to "slow down on the tips" (we tried to tip him a buck or two when we were not soaking wet), as he said "it is my pleasure to serve you!". Imagine that?! He would automatically bring refills of the drinks we had that day and even made some suggestions for other drinks to try. What a remarkable guy, he was so upbeat and funny- he really made the trip for us!!!
We wondered down to the beach a couple times, but really liked being at the private pool, so spent most of our time there. The beach, though, is out of this world!!! Wonderful water and the softest sand! Pool and beach lounges are very comfortable and never could we not find 4 together. We didn't see much in the way of bar service on the beach. I think Edenh really cuts their staff during low season. That was also very apparent at the Ala Cartes and buffets.
We went to the Shore Grill and the Asian ala carte restaurants. Husband and I went alone to the Shore Grill since the kids were being lazy and wanted to try the room service. Anyway, we waited about an hour for a table for two and when we finally got seated, there were half of the tables empty because they had not been cleaned. Staff ran around like crazy because it was short-staffed and they had closed two of the ala cartes that night. Food was wonderful, I had a beef tenderloin and husband had the ribs.
Even though low season, I think it is probably not the best move to close any ala cartes. It seems there is then not enough seating for the number of guests. The one night we ate at the Olas buffet - seafood theme night. Although I didn't see any seafood that I wanted, no shellfish anywhere! Except mussels - yuck! They had fish on the grill and that was about it for "seafood". We ate the grilled beef - okay taste, but pretty chewy and husband said the fish was okay. That night, we had originally tried to go to the Italian ala carte. We stood in line just to get a "buzzer" for about 1/2 hour and the line never moved. We finally gave up and went to the buffet. They only opened the Italian and the "adult only" Senses ala cartes that night. Anyone with kids obviously tried to go to the Italian. And it seemed a lot of people didn't even know about the seafood night at the beach buffet. We only found out about it because we were told by our apple rep, Santos, to pick up a daily activity sheet in the lobby. It would have been a good idea to print these and deliver to the rooms the night before. It included the "drink of the day", the entertainment that night, and the ala cartes closed that night.
The four of us went to the Asian ala carte on our last night. We couldn't get seated at the hibachi grill, so ate at a table instead. No problem as we've seen the "show" elsewhere. The food was awesome, although the small gourmet portions left us wanting much more. The service here was terrific as well. Servers made suggestions that were very tasty. Beef skewer appetizer and Chicken skewer for main entree. Husband had the salmon and loved it.
We also ate at the Festival Buffet for breakfasts and once for dinner. Food was good, but nothing to "write home about" like the ala cartes. It was a lot of common buffet type food and a bit repetitive. There were some Dominican food on the buffet and some very tasty. Felix the egg/omelet maker was so friendly and very good, but it took a bit too long standing in line for either. It was much easier to just eat from the buffet tables. Paradise club had reserved area in the Festival Buffet. I'm not sure the point of that, because although we got coffee poured, so did the other areas of the buffet. We never got offered juice, so went to buffet and served our own. It just didn't seem like any special service, maybe just a better chance to get seats. However, it was never overly crowded in the buffet anyway.
We all tried room service at one time or another. Once you got someone on the phone to order (not always easy - again I think they were overwhelmed) service was fairly quick and you got what you ordered - at least most of it - one time we got more breakfast than we ordered. LOL The club sandwich, chef salad, eggs, cheese plate, and fruit plate all very good. I do think the Paradise Club upgraded room service menu should be just that. No real main entrees, just sandwiches and salads. I'm not sure what part was an "upgrade". Maybe we never got the true Paradise Club upgraded room service menu.
In the early months of the resort, people were bragging about the "all they could eat" lobster on the buffet! So we go in June and see it offered at the Shore Grill, but for $29.99 extra. What???!!! Especially with the Paradise upgrade - we get charged for something that other resorts offer as included, and without any upgrade. I do think it is very wasteful and probably ridiculously expensive to offer it on a buffet, but it should surely be available as included at an ala carte. This is an island resort and no crab or lobster on the menus anywhere that I saw. We really didn't expect to eat mostly beef dishes - we get that in abundance here it Pittsburgh! We really enjoyed the grilled lobster at the "Lobster House" ala carte when we stayed at Excellence last year and looked forward to having some at Edenh.
Our rooms were beautiful, although workmanship was a little sloppy. It appears they rushed to open prior to or at least during high season. That's understandable, but I think some problems are now showing up. Our toilet backed up twice in our five days there. We had to call late one night for maintenance. He came in about 20 minutes, but the second time was on the morning we were leaving. We ended up leaving the room before anyone showed up to fix it. It never did flush right the entire time we were there. We really feel it was "set" wrong to begin with, so the flow was not proper. But thankfully, we had our kids room to use, or it would have been a major inconvenience.
Also, the Paradise Club rooms have the bathtub jacuzzis on the balcony rather than inside the room. We never used it once. Partly because we couldn't get a light to come on on the balcony. We asked several people and finally got a working light on our last night there. So now we were able to "check for bugs or anything" in the tub or on the balcony, but then we couldn't find a switch to turn the light off for some privacy. And honestly, getting into a bathtub in swimsuits just seemed strange. After all, this was the size of a little larger than normal bathtub. It was not a hot-tub or what we would call a two person jacuzzi. We had used an in-room two person jacuzzi at another resort a lot and loved it.
The casino was fun. It's a bit small like other resorts. They had some tables of blackjack, poker and roulette and about 30 or so slot machines. The staff was not friendly there, but I've heard they are not Edenh staff, but a sub-contracted company. They acted as if you were "bothering" them if you needed help with a malfunctioning machine or needed to cash out or break a bill. We never saw so much as a smile until the husband tipped them when he cashed out on a slot machine. He even got a "thank you" then as well as the smile. Funny how money can change someone's demeanor!? LOL But at no other place in the resort did a tip seem expected and when we did tip, we received absolute gratefulness.
Check out and the trip back to the airport went very, very smoothly. We'd all go back in a heartbeat because nothing was enough of an issue to even think much about. It is a fantastic resort with awesome staff. In summary, the resort, the pools, the restaurants, the beach, the activities, the amenities, and especially the staff were all absolutely perfect. Once the workmanship shortcomings are fixed and the staffing at capacity and fully trained, it will be a resort very hard to top! And it does seem the management is listening to complaints and trying to make corrections. One that I witnessed, was that the music at the pools was changed from piano, spa music to the typical upbeat Dominican music. I was so very glad to see this happen as the music is a big part of the tropical ambiance we look for. I don't want to hear music I'd listen to at home.
A big thank you to the staff at Edenh. We loved our vacation! |
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| EdeNH Real Arena Punta Cana |
Terry & Marcia
Guelph , Ontario
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| June 2008 |
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Flight
We had a choice of either flying Westjet or Air Transat; we opted for Westjet. Flight was great, on time; we had the exit row down and back and no-one was in the third seat either way. The baggage allowance was unbelievable - well over 100lbs each which allowed us to bring Punta Cana Mike some goodies for the Kids. (Tennis racquets and balls as well as sets of badminton)
Check in
Was very smooth. We met with Francisco in the VIP lounge and got our entire info package and were assigned a room on the 4th floor facing the pool and overlooking the ocean.
Met with Mike, (friendly, knowledgeable and a perfect Gentleman). He introduced us to Clara Escribano who was the Manager of the Paradise Club.
Clara was always helpful and always smiling which for the first 2 to 3 months was not easy all the time, I would suspect.
Room
Well laid out and spacious, lots of storage area and a nice area to sit on the couch or nod off, as the mood struck you.
There was a King size bed as requested and I didn’t need any time to get used to it; it was great right from the start. There were 4 pillows supplied and were almost large enough.
The bathroom was well laid out with a huge shower and good lighting. The whirlpool was on the balcony and was the source of much entertainment.
There was also an electronic safe, large enough I would say for anything you brought on vacation.
The fridge was well stocked and a note to the staff as to what you wanted was all that was needed to ensure you had your supplies.
We tipped the maid every day; they do work hard and do a fine job.
Pool & Beach
The resort is on one of the nicest beaches in the DR and its location ensured pretty calm waters and a clear beach.
The beach was raked almost every day to rid it of the seaweed the tide brings in, just like every other beach I’ve been at in the Dominican Republic.
There is a vacant or undeveloped beach next door that was not raked each day, however when the tractor with the automatic sand rake arrives for the hotel, it would be a good idea to continue on to the vacant beach also.
There were a good number of palapas and more being built.
The pools were kept very clean and were large. All 3 pools at the front area had swim-up bars.
The towels were plentiful and clean
The loungers were very comfortable however not all of them had arrived at resort by Feb 14th so there was a rush on early in the morning to secure one for the day.
I should note at this point, that in my opinion MANAGEMENT should have had more chairs. Getting a chair at 6am is ridiculous!!!
However the GUESTS bear the majority of the blame for lack of chairs in MY OPINION.
Guests would save 2 chairs at the VIP pool, then 2 in the shade by the big pool and then 2 at the beach under a palapa (a palapa that they would not share with any one as they wanted only 2 people). People would save chairs all day for friends that never arrived. People would reserve chairs at 6 am and never get to them until 11 or 12 if at all.
People would grab bundles of 6 towels for 2 people??
Food and Restaurants
We ate only at the buffet and the beach restaurant.
The food was always the way it should be, hot for hot foods and cold for cold foods.
There was lots of variety and the presentation was always entertaining.
There is room service but we did not make use of it, with the exception of our included in- room lobster dinner. That was great.
Conclusion
We enjoyed the resort and would recommend it to all. |
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| EdeNH Real Arena Punta Cana |
Lisa
Orillia, Ontario
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| June 2008 |
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The Punta Cana airport really is too small for the amount of visitors they get each week! You will just have to be patient! Everyone rushes - don't the luggage will be a while!!! Relax! We always get a bell hop luggage guy - they appreciate it! He carries everything to the bus!
Rooms
The rooms were just wonderful. We upgraded to the Oceanview which put our jacuzzi on the balcony. But we did not have the pink wristbands or the private pools. Our friends had the reg. deluxe room - open concept. Didn't feel it was necessary to upgrade - nice but not necessary! Knowing that (open concept rooms) before you go don't complain deal with it! It was the same concept as the Majestic Colonial. The resort is new so if a tile is missing - whatever - they will fix it in the summer when the rooms are available for repair!!! I have been to the Caribbean a lot musty smell - put fabric softner sheets in the air conditioner out take and all is wonderful!!! We had 4 rooms and only one room with the smell. We took a flyswater for the mossies and we killed two! Problem must be fixed.
Restaurants
Buffet - great pasta and they grill meats on the grill. Steak was really good and so was the fish. Breakfast had loads of selection!!! Buffet accomadated larger tables - we really appreciated that. Grill near the beach - good pizza, fries dogs, burgs etc.... Salad bar really good!
Italian - good - food was good had to seperate group into two tables - didn't accomadate larger groups. Slower meal but great atmosphere - relax and enjoy!
International Grill - remember warm water lobster is way different than cold water lobster!!! Steak was wonderful. Service good but again slower restaurant relax - your on holidays!
Asian! A MUST!!!!! To get the grill on this one you must line up!!!! Joe lined up at 4:40 to get the 13 of us at one grill - they only hold 12 but they let us have it because of my 6 year old son! The show is WOW!!!! and the food was the best!!!! I showed up at 4:50 and became the bar wench. While the others waited! Good meeting people and we had soooooo much fun!
My guess is the grill by the ocean will open eventually for dinner and that will greatly reduce the wait lines. For now if you want a sit down dinner ya have to line up! I knew before I went that it was like that! So no biggy!!!
Bars
Swim up bar - Alexis made me sooooooo laugh it was so funny!!!!! Balanced beers on his head - said "Why Not" all the time - way funny! At the lobby there is one guy that juggles the bottles too much fun! The lady bar tender at the Casino makes GOOD drinks!!!! Dirty Monkies, Screwdrivers with Polar Ice, Miami Vice and some blue drink - way yummy!!! As far as the complaint "not enough alcohol" ask for mucho mucho and well you will be more than fine!!! I still think Presedente is the best!!!
Beach and Pools
Pools are lovely! Loads of room. Two private pools for the pink bands and One smaller pool with swim up bar and large pool and kiddie pool for everyone else! Beach chairs already knew I would have to get up early for shade so nothing I didn't already know!
Grounds
Coming along. Remember two months open!!! Gardens are starting to take shape! Saw a lot being done while we were there! Foutains are lovley!
Activities
Dance lessons, in pool and out of pool excercise class, volleyball and I saw yoga. They do not offer games and activities like you see at other resorts. The painter - very interesting and excellent with adults! NOT good with children! He is very sarcastic so if you can handle that it is worth trying - for me he was too sarcastic especially to children (had one in tears) told me it was good for her and when challenged he is extremely deffensive! He can dish it but doesn't like taking it! We decided to pass! If I pay $20 American I want to feel good when I finish!!! Nightly entertainment was REALLY good!!!! The night shows are worth staying up for! Don't miss the Circus and the Techno show - break dancers are amazing and we danced sooo much!!!
Tours
Mike's Marina Fishing Charters for fishing!!!! Wow great!!!! This is our third year with Mike and I would not fish with anyone else!!!! My son is now six and this year he caught a Barracuda so he tells us! It was his highlight to his week!!!!! Picked us up right at the beach! and dropped us off there! Just the best!!! As always!!!!
Caribbean Festival - third year for us!!! I brought a photo album from the other two years and the crew loved it!!! Snorkeling was wow and the stingray exhibit great! We so enjoy the crew! They make it for us!!
Catilina Island - LONG TRIP best site seeing ever! Unfortunaltly the dive company at the resort hires a different company for the diving in Catilina! The equipement was awful! I jumped in the water and the PFD didn't inflate! Lots of other problems - I ended my dives and snorkelled. The eqipement at the resort was great and the Instructors good - Catilina I would walk to the Melia - they are Scuba Caribe? and everyone that booked with them had a great time! and good equipement! Hope the company at Edenh does the same. They did give me a partial refund the next day but not the first dive I so wanted in the ocean!
Golf - Espada was just too much - to rent clubs and round etc almost $450 per person had a great round at the course across from the Hard Rock Cafe! It use to be a Sugar Plantation!
Conclusion
The Edenh is new but way fun!!!!!!!! No worries!!! I saw some people taking pictures of the light fixtures that didn't have covers! They pulled the lightbulb out to make it look better for their complaint! Another man went into the ladies bathroom to take a picture of the one missing sink (two were fine and working) scared the life out of my 11 year old daughter! This place is GREAT and was a GREAT price!!!! We had a blast!!!!! The best was meeting our new friends from this forum!!!!! We would adopt their son if they would let us!!!! Can't wait to meet up with them again!!!!! No worries enjoy the resort - any questions PM me!! daydaydayo |
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| EdeNH Real Arena Punta Cana |
Jennifer
Northern Ontario Canada
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| May 2008 |
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My husband and I traveled to the EdeNH Real Arena on May 10th – 17th 2008 with Conquest Vacations. We are both 25 years old.
Flights: Our flights were with Air Canada and left on time with no problems. We really enjoyed the seat back TVs with new release movies that was offered on the flight. It took awhile to get the luggage after we landed but everything arrived in one piece so we were happy. There was only one other couple in the van with us so we had only one stop before our resort. Everything went smoothly.
Check In: Check in was smooth and efficient. We changed our room to a pool view because of the negative comments we had read about the garden view. Turns out we didn’t even sit out on the balcony and only really used it on the first morning to check out paradise.
Room: The room was clean and nice. I found it to be a bit plain but it was only a standard room. I really liked the opening between the bedroom and the bathroom as I could talk to my husband as I was getting ready for dinner. The Jacuzzi was nice, took awhile to fill up but it worked fine.
Restaurants: Being that it was low season the restaurants opened on a rotation basis. Unfortunately because of this we were unable to try the Romantico restaurant. There are 4 a la cartes, 1 buffet restaurant and 1 beach buffet. We really loved how you didn’t need to pre book reservations at the a la cartes and were able to go as many times as you wished in a week. We never had to wait more then 45 minutes for a table and we were a group of 8 every night for dinner. We ate at the Asian twice (one hibachi and one menu), Shore Grill twice (American) and the Italian once. None of us enjoyed our food at the Italian, my food was incredibly salty. However my risotto appetizer was AMAZING!! We were there for over 2 hours which was really long, the food was slow coming but nobody ever had an empty glass so needless to say some were quite tipsy by the end of dinner.
My favorite restaurant was the Shore Grill. They had yummy Steak, Ribs and Seafood. The Asian was great as well, we had sushi for one of the first times. The Hibachi was really yummy and we had tons of food. A great stir fry with beef and chicken and veggies and shrimp. On Thursday we had the beach party which is something not to be missed! A HUGE buffet on the beach with roasted pork and beef, pastas, salads, potatoes…. YUMMY! The beach buffet had the most amazing French fries, pizza, fried chicken and soft serve ice cream. We did the buffet for breakfast every morning, they rotate bacon every other day, smoothies with fresh fruit, omelets and awesome mashed potatoes and pastries. We ate there once for dinner when we arrived (it was almost closing so not a great selection) and also once for lunch. They also had 24hour room service (we heard it was good but never tried it) and a sports bar that had hot dogs, homemade chips (yummy!) mini burgers…. You never went hungry at this resort.
Bars, Activities and Entertainment: We spend a lot of time at the bars on the resort. The pool bar was amazing. Alexis was always full of energy and had a few tricks up his sleeves. We went to the lobby bar every night to meet up with everyone before dinner and to have a pre dinner drink. There was one bartender who was amazing however I do not remember his name. We also went to the sports bar and the Tanhtra bar. I did talk to Mike about the music at the Tahntra bar and he did say they tried to play disco type music but there was a lot of problems associated with that and they prefer not to have those type of problems on the resort. They did however have a DJ most nights in the lobby bar for a few hours which was fun. They also had karaoke night, they had movies in the courtyard and I even saw them play Nintendo Wii one night in the courtyard on the big screen. We went to the Wednesday night show which was good and we went to the Casino a lot.
Beach and Pools: Amazing, the beach was cleaned every day. There were tons of huts on the beach with plenty of shade and chairs. Not sure if it was because we went during low season but we never had a problem with the chair issue on the resort. Lots of traffic in the water on the beach with was annoying at times especially with the helicopters and the parasailing, not much we can do about it though. Water was beautiful and there was a bit of seaweed but nothing compared to other resorts further down the strip.
Grounds: In a few years the grounds will be beautiful. There was a lot of work still going into the grounds at this resort. Nice fountains and very clean everywhere. We saw people washing rocks one day.
Tours: Went on 2 tours, Saona Island and Marinarium. Saona Island was boring in my opinion. The bus ride was long, saw some culture, farming and the famous Higuey Church. Stopped at a store where they wanted $9.00 for 2 bags of chips and didn’t barter at all. Took a speed boat to a natural swimming pool where they had starfish, that was the best part of the trip. The beach on the island was rocky in the water and your first step in the water you would sink in sand up to your ankles and it was yucky. Buffet was ok, drinks ok. Vendors on the beach coming up to you every 5 minutes asking you to buy things. Had a massage cost $70 for 40 minutes. Too much in my opinion. Would not recommend that tour. The Marinarium on the other had was amazing and would recommend to anyone. Snorkeled with Sharks and Stingrays, very cool. Then we partied on the boat with dancing and stopped in the middle of the ocean to have drinks in the water. We also went to the Mangu Disco one night and thought it was ok. The downstairs area seemed to be more fun then the upstairs. $8 cover and a $20 shuttle to the Disco. Drinks were quite expensive and there are a lot of locals there.
Departure and check out: Went smoothly we were on a late flight so we had to leave our luggage in the lock up with no problems. Our shuttle was scheduled to pick us up at 5:10pm. At 5:03pm the hubby was still in the pool. We made it to the shuttle on time and were the only ones to be picked up. Two porters grabbed our luggage at the airport and we had to run to keep up with them. We only had $1.00 left over but since they took our luggage and started walking with it before we could say anything and they brought us to the wrong line I don’t feel so bad.
After we found the correct line, check in was very fast. The airport is not air conditioned so it’s very warm so make sure you dress accordingly. Our flight was on time and we landed a half hour early.
I would definitely recommend this resort to anyone thinking of traveling to Punta Cana. I would return in a heartbeat if I could. Staff was friendly, resort was clean, no problems at all. Only one person we met wouldn’t go back (didn’t like the quality of the alcohol, we thought it was fine). We met TONS of people and had a blast. The nightlife is not the greatest so if you’re looking to party then this is not the resort for you. Great quiet spa type resort. |
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| EdeNH Real Arena Punta Cana |
Brenda and Daniel
Halifax NS
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| May 2008 |
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Arrival and Flight - We stayed here from April 26-May 3. Travelled with Air Transit Club Class (worth every penny) Arrived mid-morning so we had the whole day at the resort.
Rooms - We upgraded to Deluxe Concierge Room. Room ready about 2:30. We had a third floor room which was very nice and we enjoyed the outside jacuzzi tub, it was nice to get into after a day at the beach. We were also entitled to a lobster dinner - room service brought this and set everything up for us on the balcony. Lots of English TV stations. Mini bar and lots of water stocked every day. Our room was cleaned early in the day as we were out of our room by 7am. We didn't get a chance to visit a Presidential Suite but I heard they were very nice with an outdoor jacuzzi and shower on the terrace.
Restaurants - we ate at the buffet only two nights. Buffet had a good variety of food. We tried all of the Al la Carte restaurants:
1. Italian - this was very good, we ate here twice and service was very prompt
2. Shore Grill - ate here once, they do need more wait staff as service was very slow - I didn't get the appetizer I ordered but I did enjoy what they gave me. In the most recent reviews, however, I hear the service has improved.
3. Hibachi Grill - if you don't get to eat at the grill table you don't get much on your plate - we were disappointed and didn't try to get into this restaurant a second time.
Incidentally, it was the day after we ate here that we were told that the a la carte restaurants open at 5:45 and not 6:30 so that would explain why the hibachi tables were full at 6.
4. Romantico - we ate here on our last night. Food and service was really good. The decor is different - done in red tones.
We got a "beeper" for the Romantico restaurant. Our wait was 45 minutes which wasn't bad. We usually eat early so that was the only time we had to wait.
The pink bracelet folks has the option of eating a la carte at the Italian restaurant from a set menu. Waffles are advertised but they don't have a waffle maker yet. This may be the only place to get bacon as the buffet had bacon once during our stay.
We usually had lunch at the beach grill. The food was good and they have plastic plates so you can take your lunch back to the pool or beach.
Bars - We had top shelf liquor. Loved our waiter Ramon. He treated us like royalty and our glasses were never empty. Lobby bar was very busy before supper. I usually went to the bar to get my drink.
Beach and Pools - The beach was breathtaking. We have been to the DR many times and Bavaro beach is one of our favourites. It was strange to see folks walking toward the beach at 5am to get a chair. I went for a walk every morning and nobody on the beach at nearby resorts. Even at 10:30am there were still chairs available on the beach. The security guard on the beach will remove your belongings before 7am so it wasn't uncommon to see people wrapped in their towels sleeping in beach chairs at 5am! The water was very calm and great for swimming.
Grounds - very nice - will be beautiful when everything has matured.
Activities and Entertainment - we didn't see any shows as we're early risers but I heard that some of them were very good. The lobby has a sheet that is available every day with the list of activities and what a la carte restaurant is closed that night. The animation team doesn't approach the guests to participate, you just show up to play.
Tours - as we have been to the DR many times we have already done the tours
Departure and Check Out - our bus left at 7:20am. It is advertised that a continental breakfast is set up in the lobby for those leaving early or going on tours. Unfortunately, this was not the case on the day we left and unless you paid for the upgrade and could eat at the Italian restaurant then you were out of luck.
Conclusion - we had a wonderful vacation and would recommend this resort. We met some great folks - hello to Barry and Pauline from Nfld. and Jen, Tim and Jane from Michigan. We didn't get to actually meet PC Mike but we did see him on a few occasions. He's a busy guy. |
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