|
 Fun Tropicale/Fun Royale - Playa Dorada Fun Royale  ~ Fun Tropicale      Location: Shuttle service to and from the beach - North Coast - Playa Dorada, Puerto Plata - 15 minutes from Puerto Plata Airport 5 minutes from Puerto Plata, adjacent to golf course. Hotel Website contact@funroyale-tropicale.com Ph:(809) 320 - 4054 Fax: (809) 320 - 6120 All-inclusive: Fun Royale: 168 superior rooms Fun Tropicale: 184 standard rooms Description from resort website: Weddings available - please contact the hotel. Double your Dominican Republic vacation fun with our two resorts located in the Playa Dorada complex, Puerto Plata. The properties residing next to each other so guests can enjoy all of the facilities offered by both resorts. - 5 restaurants - 4 bars - Kids Club (Club Little Village) - 2 soft surface tennis courts  ~ Reviews posted on this page — 43  Don't forget to send Debbie your review ~ Reader's Vacation Photos ~ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
|
Save on All-Inclusive Caribbean Resorts with Travelocity.ca
Have you stayed at this resort? Share your vacation experiences with others.| Fun Tropicale/Fun Royale - Playa Dorada | Lynn |
Just returned home from the Fun Tropicale in Dominican Republic.
If you have read the reviews, you will have read all you need to know about this particular resort.
I thought I would add a couple of things that I found. Firstly, the staff are definately 5*! They, and I mean all from the front desk (who are the busiest people you first see) to the animation staff (incredible energy) to the room service ppl (very clean for what they have to work with) to the grounds ppl (immaculate).
The beach - we seemed to hit a small tropical weather front. The waters were quite rough during the first few days there. (the staff with the red cross on their shirts would not allow anyone to enter to their knees) guess they likely knew more than what we did. The beach for this resort is not the greatest but as previously said, few feet in either direction and there is no problems. The beach restaurant - very good chicken :) as also mentioned before.
Rooms - clean. (my most important issue). we had a balcony with adjoining room for our daughters (no balcony). Beds were comfy, double sized (not the smaller ones we have had before), typical carribbean rooms. If i could make a suggestion it would be to upgrade the bathrooms. We had a continuous drip in ours from the air conditioning. again, not a problem, but if they were to do anything, i would suggest that first.
Food - buffet like any typical buffet. always something to eat if you are hungry. Nice to see a "dominican" section to eat from for those who want to try something different. Again, staff always there either cleaning your table and seeing if they can be of service.
A al Cartes - brazilian was my fav. I enjoy meats so luved the foods presented on skewers, staff were excellent and a relaxed atmosphere etc. Italian equally as good for food, bit more on the dressy side. Either one, very good. Issues? would be that i would like to book in advance, not have to book in the am for that particular pm. (not a big complaint is it?)
The staff! amazing! all of them. I really thought i had it "bad" working my 8 hours a day! Didn't matter what time of day, always a friendly smile and olah! I would say this was the biggest asset of this resort.
Anyway, i want to get this sent as i too rely heavily on the many reviews i have read here.
Thanks very very much to Bob, for answering my many questions. I can see why you do enjoy coming back here year after year.
Would i return? yes, may not be rite away (still have some more places to see yet).
Hope this helps with your decisions. If you have any questions, you may ask at dlbobick at hotmail.com
cheers!
| Fun Tropicale/Fun Royale - Playa Dorada | BobFromCanada |
BobFromCanada is one of the moderators of Debbie's Dominican Travel Forums
TRIP DATE: Jan 8, 2008 to Jan 22, 2008
TRIP SYNOPSIS: Sunwing Vacations, Sunwing Airlines, Fun Royale/Tropicale
VERDICT: Solid 3.5 star, basic, clean, food good, very happy, will return.
This year we flew on Sunwing Airlines. Despite their less than stellar
reputation, the flight times were not changed after booking, the flights were
on schedule, the in-flight food and service was good and the seating was
adequate. To be fair, both flights were quite pleasant. I can't quite say the
same about what happened at the airports at each end, but none of it was
anything serious. On the trip down, after a three hour drive from home, we
arrived at the Toronto airport early, about an hour before the checkin booths
opened. There were quite a few people milling around by the time they opened,
and they tried to form a queue based on the lay out of the roped guide posts,
so there was some confusion when Sunwing tried to re-organize the lineup to
match "today's booth configuration". It all got sorted out eventually.
It should be noted that they were very stringent on the luggage weight, and
weighed both the carry on and checked luggage. I had tried to get an excess
baggage allowance prior to leaving, but gave up based on the terms and
conditions they sent to me. We just brought less clothes and supplies. Our
friends got nicked $80 because of the school supplies they brought. This
was despite the 300 lb bozo with the golf clubs that travelled at no
extra charge. Thanks to my fish scale, we were bang on the limit.
Check in on the way home was an absolute zoo. They had a computer system
failure and after a long delay they ended up doing it all manually. The
boarding passes said 'First Choice Airlines' and were marked 'Infant No
Seating'. They just used what they could find around.
It should also be noted that Sunwing still isn't precollecting the departure
tax, so this has to be paid at the airport. No big issue as long as you are
aware of it.
The transport to the hotel was inadequate. There weren't enough seats on the
bus, without using the jump seats, and there wasn't quite enough room in the
luggage trailer for all the luggage. As usual, I watched UNTIL MY LUGGAGE WAS
LOADED and then I boarded the bus. About half way to the hotel they informed
us that "some" of the luggage had been taken off and put on another bus. After
some confusion when we arrived at the hotel, all the luggage showed up. The
transport from the hotel was fine, and in fact we were the first bus to arrive
at the airport. Too bad about the computer foul up. Without it we could have
just walked up to the checkin, checked our luggage and got our boarding passes
without any wait at all.
OK, now we're in double digits territory. This was trip number ten to this
property, and it just wouldn't seem like January if we didn't go. Creatures of
habit or what? This year we were accompanied by Snowbird (from Debbie's
forums), plus some friends we met here several years ago. So there were eight
of us to party on. And a good time was had by all.
After all these trips, it gets harder and harder to find something "NEW" to
write about, but it's still possible. Is everything perfect in Paradise? Nope,
not a chance and it never will be. There's always going to be a few warts.
Will we return? Sure, without question. And just like last year, I may even
try to find a deal for later this winter.
Actually, we had no "real" issues. There were no nasty surprises, but there
were some changes. Some good and some not so good. For example, they've
eliminated the fruit smoothie station in the morning (a negative). They seemed
to serve bacon more often than in previous years (a positive). They have
changed the french fries and are now serving the beefeater type (a positive in
my opinion, but this opinion wasn't universally shared). I liked them. A lot.
At the least, the larger fries were well cooked, hot and crispy and stayed hot
longer. The thin fries get cold very quickly.
The new refurbished washrooms near the lobby and pool have finally been
finished and they are quite nice. These changes were long overdue. They also
redid the activities and tour representative area between them and the
theatre. I heard that it took five months to finish this work. My only comment
here is that they did a great job but they picked a floor tile that is quite
slippery, especially when wet. Near a pool, wet floor, do you think? .....
Any issues we had were very minor things and certainly not enough to ruin a
vacation. Most of these were "other guest" related. Sometimes you have to
wonder why the hotel even bothers. It has to be quite frustrating for them.
There was a constant issue with clogged toilets due to idiots flushing things
that were never intended to be flushed. A pizza slice leaps immediately to
mind. Maintenance was kept quite busy keeping the public toilets running well.
They had expended some serious cash and workmanship on the new facilities and
these were extremely well done. Then some other mental giant wads up a bunch
of wet toilet paper and tosses it up to the ceiling where it stuck. Not very
pretty. Again, one has to wonder why ..... Oh, and the last weekend we were
there was a holiday weekend and there were a lot of locals staying at the
resort. Up until now I've never had an issue with any locals staying at the
hotel. In fact, I welcome them. This time, most, with the exception of this
one group, were model citizens. They reminded me of spring breakers in Cancun.
All you had to do was mention them in a conversation and everyone rolled their
eyes and knew exactly who you were talking about. If it hadn't been for this
one group, all would have been well. Fortunately they were only at the resort
for one day. Enough said.
They (the hotel) market themselves as a 3.5 to 4 star property, and that
rating is just about right. The food is good, the place is exceptionally
clean, and the rooms are functional, although dated. Everything in our room
was in good repair. Eureka, I didn't have to fix a thing this year.
In my opinion, it's still a great place for a vacation, even after being
'spoiled' by a 5 star resort in December. The 'new' beach bar is still not
100% finished. It's still missing a few light fixtures, but they aren't really
necessary unless they turn the place into a specialty restaurant at night
(steak and seafood maybe, hint hint). I've been working on that concept since
the new place was built. But it's still very nice and we spent a lot of time
there.
The other facilities may be a little dated, but they're SUPER CLEAN. We had no
complaints about the food; pretty good, simple and not gourmet. The rotisserie
chicken at the beach club is still excellent. At dinner there's lots of
choices and I never left the table hungry. The staff is extremely friendly and
obliging. Oh yes, they certainly remembered us from previous visits. After all
these years, they're like family now. Management cares and responds to valid
'positive' criticism and works very hard to accommodate their guests. The
entire "team" has seemed stable from year to year, but this time around there
were a lot of missing faces and quite a few new faces. Some staff have been
around for years, and now there's some new ones.
In addition to the main buffet, which was quite good, we also enjoyed the two
specialty dining rooms (Brazilian and Italian/Mediterranean). We found the
food and service were excellent in both restaurants. The only problem is that
they are small and fill up rapidly. If you haven't made a reservation by 7:15
am, it's probably best to forget it. Oh, and the wine served this year is
still pretty good for a house wine. You can choose from red or white.
Personally I prefer the red, but I had to try the white just to compare. It's
the scientific method in action.
Oh yeah, there's a new manager at the Brazilian restaurant this year. He used
to be one of the best waiters at the Italian restaurant, so I guess he's made
a big move up in the organization. And, he's doing a great job.
The main buffet restaurant and the Brazilian are open to the outside air, but
the Italian one is closed off and air-conditioned. Warning: In the main buffet
at breakfast and lunch, the black birds are pretty bold and will filch the
food right off your plate if you leave it unattended. They don't seem to be
around in the evening.
At breakfast, bacon was served about three or four times per week and sausage
was served the other days. The smoothie station is gone. The best part about
breakfast was the omelet and fried egg station. One of the other guests
referred to them as killer omelets and I have to agree. They were great.
The beach club serves lunch and snacks daily. As usual, the rotisserie BBQ
chicken was excellent. They also served fish, burgers, hot dogs, great fries,
salads and fresh fruit every day. Lunch is also available at the main buffet,
but we never ate there.
In the dining room, wine is available by the glass (red and white) and you
simply help yourself to what you want. The wine wasn't vintage, but it was
quite drinkable.
On the plus side, the hotel still has 24 hour all-inclusive. It's not full
buffet, but you can get drink and food (burgers, hot dogs, chops, salad) at
odd hours if that is your want. So this feature is obviously a success! Me, I
didn't need it. As usual, I gained a few lbs.
In summary, the food was good, plain but not fancy. They did a pretty good job
of avoiding repetition (exception - see note below). During our stay, we had
various kinds of fish, roast suckling pork, pork chops, roast beef, lamb,
veal, turkey, chicken, ham and various types of stews. The carvery seemed to
be used more often than as in previous years. Interestingly enough, the
carvery served up roast turkey four days in a row. Excellent turkey, but four
days in a row! There must have had a surplus of turkeys approaching their best
before date. However, there were lots of other choices. My wife especially
enjoyed the fish entrees and the cooked-to-order pasta dishes.
As I previously mentioned, this was our tenth trip to the resort. Most of
these trips have been two weeks. Obviously, the place still suits our needs
and we were more than happy with what we got this time. Honestly, we know a
high percentage of the staff by name and they are just like family. We missed
a few of them this time because we were in a large group eating together and
the larger tables were not in the areas being served by some of our
favourites. They also know our wants and are eager to please. For example, you
are supposed to get your own coffee, juice and wine. Let's just say that it
was a rare event when I had to.
You have to remember that it's a three and a half star to four star resort, so
don't expect anything fancy. The Royale section consists of hotel rooms
arranged in 4 blocks (labelled A through D) while the Tropicale section
consists of multi-unit villas. In case you're wondering, about 15 years ago,
it used to be two separate hotels. These were rolled together under the
all-inclusive plan at that time. They have a wristband system and it's easy to
recognize repeat and vacation club guests. We saw a lot of repeaters, so that
speaks well for the hotel. It tends to be a love it or hate it kind of place.
We obviously fall into the love it category. We were in good company.
There are no marble floors or walls, and the buildings are "standard"
Caribbean construction that consists of stuccoed concrete block, terra cotta
tile floors, and very plain ceramic tile in the bathroom. As I've said many
times before, it wouldn't have been my colour choice, but ......
We were in B wing and we had the same room as last year, by our request. It
was super clean and there was lots of hot water (with the exception of one
day when it was at best tepid). We were at the far end of the wing and it was
a 'little' distance to the hot water tank, so it took a short while.
The room was comfortable and everything worked. Towels and bedding were
changed daily (yes daily) and the floors were swept and mopped. No complaints
here. We even got wash cloths; a rarity in the DR. My advice would be to take
your own just in case. We did, and made sure they were a different colour so
they wouldn't get mixed in with the hotel's. The bathroom was equipped with a
hair dryer and had a wicker basket with shampoos, conditioners and a sewing
kit.
Most rooms, say 60 per cent, have balconies or terraces while the rest don't.
If it's an issue for you, yes you 'can' get a balcony, but you have to be
persistent. On a previous trip to another hotel, we noted that all the rooms
had balconies; they were rarely used. In our case, my wife has a sun allergy,
so she spends a fair bit of time in the room. We like the balcony and we like
being out in the fresh air, so it's important to us. On the plus side, if you
don't get a balcony, the interior space in the room is bigger.
As I mentioned, we got the same room as in previous years. This year the trees
and greenery have been trimmed back considerably. Even though we faced the
pool and activity areas, it still seemed very private. Our room had two queen
size beds, a bedside table between them, a phone, a large balcony, a bureau
with large drawers, cable TV and a large closet. The bed mattress was nearly
brand new, firm and very comfortable. Bottled water was provided. You DON'T
drink the tap water; for that matter, you probably shouldn't even use the tap
water to brush your teeth. This might be being over cautious, but why take the
chance. The tap water is essentially untreated, so there are no guarantees as
to what might be living in it.
We rarely turned on the air-conditioning, since the AC really wasn't
necessary. The room remained very comfortable over the entire two week period.
Frankly, the weather-person didn't really cooperate this year and we found the
weather quite a bit cooler than normal. We actually used the blanket a few
times.
When closed up for a while, the room seemed a little musty, especially in the
dead air space by the closed door, but this cleared within minutes when the
patio door was opened. Remember, this is the tropics, so the humidity is a
little high. I didn't spot any mildew, and I looked.
Hydro is expensive in the DR. Like most of the hotels, you have to insert a
card into a slot in the wall to enable the room power. There is also an
interlock on the patio door that inhibits operation of the air conditioning if
the door was open. Considering the price of power in the DR, this is a
reasonable solution.
Fun Royale / Fun Tropicale is a very nice and well maintained resort. There is
always someone sweeping, pruning or raking. There are three swimming pools.
These are the activity pool (somewhat NOISY since this is where the activity
takes place), the quiet 'adult only' pool and one near the kids club,
nominally reserved for children, but generally used by anyone who just wants
some peace and quiet. They appeared clean and well maintained and the water
was a pleasant blue colour. The staff appear to be pretty good at picking up
after guests that are too lazy to pick up after themselves and just leave
their garbage.
The beach is OK, but not spectacular. Since there had been a lot of rain, this
year it was pretty mucky. Except for one or two days, there was a lot of
seaweed. When it did finally wash ashore, it was quickly raked and carted
away. There's a "bit of coral" in the sea in front of the beach club, so some
caution is required. This year the warning sign seems to have disappeared.
However, a short walk in either direction leads to hazard free swimming. You
don't have to swim in the hotel's area since the entire beach is public.
However, if you go too far, it's a long walk back to the bar!
From the hotel gate, it's an easy and scenic 6 minute walk alongside the golf
course to the beach (I timed it) and if you don't want to walk, there is a
frequent tractor powered shuttle service. Something like a Caribbean hay ride.
We generally take it a few times "just because".
If you want to participate, there are activities at the pool with a great
activity (animacion) staff. The speakers have been aimed away from the
residential areas, which helps reduce the noise level in the hotel rooms.
There didn't seem to be much organized beach activities. So beach volleyball
was a pick-up, do it yourself operation. Other activities with the
all-inclusive package include mini golf (7 holes ???), shuffleboard, ping
pong, Spanish lessons, darts, pool basketball, water polo, water aerobics.
There was usually a bingo (extra cost), and there is a coin operated pool
table. In the evenings, they organized tours to casinos, discos or into town
(all at a nominal cost which seemed quite reasonable).
There is entertainment each night (outdoor stage, weather dependent) which
varies between dance shows and some audience participation. The shows mostly
consist of dancing and lip sync to recorded music, which some people would
consider cheesy, but the dancers are pretty good and put a lot of effort into
it. The shows were pretty much the same as previous years, so we found
something else to do. From what we saw, most of the audience seemed to enjoy
the performances. Vegas it's not, but it's enjoyable. The shows are all over
by 11pm and that bar stays open until midnight. After that, all activity moves
to the quiet pool bar which is well away from any guest accommodations, so the
noise isn't an issue.
Again this year, I talked to several guests who thought that having a small
local group play near the 24 hour bar in the evenings would be a great idea.
Things like a piano bar alternating with a small dance band or local music
would do. Personally, I too would like to see some more local entertainment. I
suggested this a few years ago, but nothing came of it.
I would also like to see more use made out of the beach club in the evenings.
A steak and seafood restaurant, even if it was extra cost would be nice. It
seems such a waste to have that nice facility being there and not being used.
It would be so nice at night.
The main dining room (buffet) is very attractive. It gives you a choice of
three eating areas. The first area is well inside, but open to the air on
three sides, the second area is also covered in with a translucent ceiling,
and the third is outside with tables under umbrellas. These overlook the golf
course and one of the ponds. Most of the tables are candlelit at night, but
the number of candles seems to be diminishing due to attrition and guest
filching. Several nights we took our own candle.
Oh yes, in case you get 'hungry' during the afternoon, there is a pizza place
near the main pool that serves quite good pizza. The pizza is different from
what you get at home, but good. Note that you don't get to order what you
want; they make pretty much what they want and you take whatever slice(s) look
appetizing to you.
MISC (in no particular order):
It's still a very friendly hotel. There are a lot of 'holas' from the staff.
We had no real language problems with the front desk, waiters or bartenders.
The grounds keepers and maids didn't speak much English, but we had no real
problems communicating with them either. In a pinch, sign language works well!
The currency exchange on site is run by a real bank, not the hotel. The
exchange rates were about as good as you could get in town. The posted rates
while we were there were 33 pesos to the $US, 30 pesos to the $CDN - so
when it comes to the $US vs $CDN debate, you do the math! The double exchange
is still worth it.
The mini golf and shuffleboard equipment has seen much better days. They have
restored the traditional triangular scoring area on the shuffleboard courts,
but the numbering in the score boxes is wrong.
We never got around to trying the miniature golf, but the course and equipment
was in poor shape. The grips on the golf clubs have been wrapped in electrical
tape. They were not pleasant to touch!
I still can't believe the number of people that treat the buffet like a
cafeteria. Year after year we see people who get their food, then run
around looking for a table. Then they complain that the food isn't hot. Geez,
get a table, then go get the food!
The cooling trays for the stuff that was supposed to be cold sometimes worked
too well and the food was frozen to the serving dish. The heating trays were
not quite as efficient, but kitchen staff were constantly replacing with full
dishes from the kitchen. The food serving stations were all equipped with
sneeze-shield, just like a buffet restaurant here. The guys on the grill all
wore masks and wore rubber gloves. This seemed to me to be over cautious.
There's not a bug in the world that's going to survive that grill temperature.
WHAT WE LIKED: We have no real complaints. It's a nice place and good value
for the money, unless you are really fussy. The food is pretty good. It's
nothing gourmet, but there's lots of choices and a good variety. All the bars
are still serving Presidente beer. The house wine is OK. The rotisserie BBQ
chicken at the beach bar is VERY good.
WHAT WE DIDN'T LIKE: You know, it's the little things that get you. In
previous years, we could only get one key for the room. This can turn into a
major annoyance, especially if you're each doing something different, or one
person retires early. This year we managed to get a second key for the room.
Much more convenient.
Another annoyance was the fact that they changed the phone system recently but
didn't follow through. The card on the table identifies the number for
guest services, but after 2 years it is still wrong.
We never got the invitation to the repeater's party. We did get a second
note about them spraying the room for insects. I think they sent the wrong
note.
There was not as much bacon at breakfast as I would like, but the sausage was
good. The Dominicans usually do a pretty good job on pork products. Their beef
is sometimes a little chewy, but with good flavour. This year we actually got
some good beef (occasionally).
There also are some little things that still need attention. There are loose
taps in the public washrooms at the new beach club. There are urinals in the
men's washroom near the main buffet that haven't flushed properly in the 7
years we've been going there. There's no water pressure for the flush. It
would appear that the cleaners are flushing it using a bucket of water
because it was always clean. The bottom step from the shower area at the beach
club to the beach could be improved.
The washrooms at the main buffet restaurant should be next in line for
refurbishing. The same applies for the ones at the quiet pool.
They have a weekly beach party with a bonfire on the beach. This has the
potential to be a LOT OF FUN, but ..... Personally, and this isn't my
opinion, I wish they would do away with the silly party games, set up a dance
and sitting area, light the fire, open the bar, play some music and let the
people party. Every time the dancing and partying just got started, they would
stop the music and play some game. That took care of that.
Would we go back? In a word, YES! We are already planning our next trip.
Notes:
The mini golf and shuffleboard equipment is way overdue for replacement.
The minigolf course is in poor repair and the fountain wasn't operational.
The fountain at the pizza parlour is also deceased.
Let people amuse themselves at the beach party. Let the animacion staff be
around as dance partners or to just get things going. Dump the silly party
games.
Make use of the beach club as a specialty restaurant at night.
Make some sort of quiet dance area around the 24 hour bar at night.
For a virtual tour and slide show, see http://www.bobfromcanada.com and select
the show. There is also a link to this year's photo set on worldisround.
Select Fun Royale/Tropicale - January 2008
QUESTIONS: email bob(at)bobfromcanada.com (anti-spam change the (at) to @)
This isn't part of the hotel review, but we've been going to the DR for many
years now and don't normally take any tours. I have to add that I was the high
bidder for 'A Day With Martin Espinal' Martin Espinal (Isaira Tours) in the Beyond The Beach
Childrens Foundation (BTBCF) on-line auction. So, this year we toured.
BTBCF supports many charities in the DR (see www.beyondthebeach.ca), mainly
schools and orphanages and I invite you to visit their website and see what
they are doing. I might add that the organization is totally run by volunteers
and ALL proceeds collected go straight to the charities. I'm proud to be a
supporter.
We had a great day with Martin. We managed to tour the rum factory, toured
through a good portion of Puerto Plata, visited the fort, drove up to
Cofresi and Maimon, dropped in at Ocean World Casino and the Marina, went
to Costambar for lunch and took the cable car up the mountain.
I've been recommending Martin for years now, based on other peoples
reports. Now that I've met him, I can now recommend him based on personal
experience. I'd also like to thank him for his generous donation to the
foundation. I'd also like to thank him for a great day.
I've also added a slide show about our day with Martin. See my website at
www.bobfromcanada.com
| Fun Tropicale/Fun Royale - Playa Dorada | Shauna and Deb ~ Ontario, Canada |
Arrival -
Arrived a little late to the airport and recieved a special van straight to the resort which was kinda cool (we where going to get a cab)same thing just free lol. Front staff were nice, on dominican time, room was delayed at checkin waited about an hour but we didnt care we were in paradise.
Rooms -
They were ok a little disappointed thought we were going to get a room with a terrace or balcony. we did not have either. basic hair dryer and fridge
Restaurants -
calypso-buffet stlye. food was hit and miss each day was not the strong point of the hotel but we did not starve. breakfast was great
popeyes pizza was really good
miranda's rest. brazilian was fantastic served like a king and queen and lots of great food
Bars -
not big drinkers but deb enjoyed the strawberry colada. was cool to see a 24hr bar
Beach and Pools -
pool-i liked the fact that there was 3 pools one for the kids one for the adults and one for everyone. clean and lots of fun
BEACH- dirty was not seen there very often beach bar was really good burgers fries and chicken hotdogs. go for a long walk and the beach gets better.Grounds -
PEACOCKS PEACOCKS PEACOCKS everywhere lol was a nice touch to a beautiful resort. always kept clean and tidy
Activities -
One word for the animation team!!!! AWESOME!!! hilarious (ok two words lol) SHAGGY,SEXY BELLY,SPAGHETTI,AND MACHO MACHO ANDRES. keep up the great work you do made my 8 yr old feel special thanks for signing her book. lots of games to participate in and the night time shows were entertaining
Tours -
Monster Truck Safari was ok lost a 1/4 of our trip cus of a brake falling off the truck going up hill made it half way and had to come back down.Conclusion -
We had a fantastic time and would go back in a heartbeat. resort is great for the kids. always FUN in the air. cant wait till next year
| Fun Tropicale/Fun Royale - Playa Dorada | Connie ~ Canada |
Jan 3rd for one week.It was a great holiday lots of kids our kids had a blast and they are 12 and 15 Rooms -
our rooms were clean but could use an up date . The hotel is one of the first ones built so it could use a little TLC but it was clean and nice. The rooms are a little loud. Restaurants -
The restraunts were good we all enjoyed the food plenty for the kids to choose from. I suggest yogurt eveyday to help with a wobboly tummy.Bars -
The bars were good . They really need to stick with the yellow wrist band no drink thing because even our 12 year old could get rum if she never specified no rum which is not cool. I really loved the fact that the 24 hour bar was far away from all the rooms.Beach and Pools -
the beach is nothing specail but it was also rainny and rough when we were there. Soussa is definatly worth the cab ride great beach.I really didn't like the peddlers on the beach they got a little annoying exspecailly when you are there for a holiday .Grounds -
IT is beautiful all of it . Playa Dorado is definatly the place to stay. lots to do lots to see and we felt very safe. we meet a lot of great people. It was a blast.Activities -
Activities were good the girl dancers could have been friendlier with the kids though .Tours -
amazing the out back safari is awsome if you are going bring some school supplies for the kids . Boggie boarding was great fun . Awsome guids at all the tours . was great the shark sting ray encounter was great a great deal . The food there was awsome .Conclusion -
I would definatly go back . Next time maybe a 4 star or more. but the hotel was great for what we paid. and really all you do is sleep in the room and you don't do much of that so , it was good exspecailly for kids and families. A great starter vacation.
| Fun Tropicale/Fun Royale - Playa Dorada | JKM |
Just got back from a two week stay on Jan 3rd. Overall it was a fairly good holdiay.
The hotel is old but reasonably clean. A criticism I have is the discrepancy in what different guests get in their rooms such as a suite oppossed to just a bedroom, a fridge, (w e never had one) location of rooms etc.
We found the staff generally very accomadating. I had seen a critique before we went slamming a bar tender named Hector. Well we found Hector and Carlo at the adult pool bar to be terrific and very entertaining.
The food was plain but lots of variety and good. I was not fussy about the beer (taste) but the rum was ok.
We found the VIP people very annoying and pushy. I have never seen so many vendors anywhere else we have been. On the beach, everywhere when you took a tour and all selling the same junk. We were very disappointed in the half day city tour which was to include a tour of the Brugal Rum Factory which was closed when we got there and everyone was just herded through the store to buy rum. Tour guide said he didn't know it was closed until we got there. I called bullshit.
One major annoyance , and it was not the fault of the resort, was some guests from England. I hope they read this as they will be able to Identify themselves, not that it would make any difference to them I am sure. There was a family of what appeared to be three brothers, their parents and the wives and children of the three brothers. All the other English guests said they were Gypsies. I could not believe how rude and insolent they were, especially two of the wives and all of the children. They would go up to the bar and scream and whistle at the bar tenders who were serving others demanding service. We observed an eleven or twelve year old son of one of them, teaching his 4 to 5 year old cousin how to get service by screaming at the bar tender. I could not believe that this class of people existed
We liked the fact this is a reasonably small resort and there was never a line up to get chairs around the pools or in the buffet. We enjoy walking so did not at all mind the short walk to the beach and around the Dorada complex and to the Plaza. We did have a problem with insect bites and in fact had to seek medical attention. They were a tiny unseen almost insect that some people were simply allergic too and raised extremely itchy welts. The medical attention we received at the Medical Clinic in the Plaza was absolutley fantastic.
We would consider going here again and taking grandchildren but I would insist on better accomadation upon arrival.
| Fun Tropicale/Fun Royale - Playa Dorada | Kyle |
1. Our room was crap. Infested with ants and went home with a sort of skin rash from beds. Fridge was rarely restocked, sheets rarely changed, bathroom toilet paper and towels never replaced. We had to find the linen closets to get our own stuff. Poor.
2. Food was amazing. The a la carte dinners were like nothing else. Very high class food. Waiters were excellent and very accommodating.
3. Front desk is horrible at delegating duties. You have to call 5 times to get anything done.
4. Daytime bar staff are very slimy. Expect them to try to be all over you GF or wife. Night time Bar staff are very cool.
5. Closest beach is not worth going to. It sucks. Take the trip into Sosua and use that public beach it is very nice.
6. Not a resort to go to if you want to relax or get refreshed. Music is very loud all the time. You can hear it in you rooms loud and clear from 9 - 9. I guess maybe we were supposed to be outside in the sun, but being hung-over will do that to you.
7. Finally, for all the crap we had to deal with, we probably lost a good 2 days off of our stay trying to get service. And we can speak Spanish.
| Fun Tropicale/Fun Royale - Playa Dorada | Steve & Lynda |
We Stayed there September 17th for two weeks, I want to be as fair as I can so I might seem quite harsh at times but will try to balabce it with some good things.
Resort: Well the accommodation was a bit archaic and shabby but generally clean, the air conditioning played up (not buttons or knobs to adjust it either) but to be fair the resort did its best to sort it out.
I didn't appreciate being constantly harrassed by the room cleaner for a tip. I was planning on leaving something before I left but after one too many times of her following me towards my room telling me she was going on vacation (which she didn't, well there is a suprise!), I just left a bit of change, her loss cause I normally tip well.
The 'time share' people (VIP on thier tshirts) were a pain in the arse with thier hard sell. They sit at a strategic point on the resort meaning every time you want to get something to eat you get harrassed by them. In the end I had to be a bit rude and asked them to leave it out! They were even down the beach and even approached you while eating your food and while on the transport to and from the beach!
Be careful on the beach, there are rocks/reefs that are difficult to see (water was cloudy not crystal clear like you imagine), no good for snorkelling, there was no room to swim really but the water was warm. On the beach you get people walking up and down trying to sell thier wares I had no problem with this and to be honest they were quite friendly, just say no thanks and they go on thier way (unlike the VIP lot) or if you fancy something be prepared to bargain hard.
My wife and I renewed our vows and it was well worth it, thanks to Nicholas the guest services manager. Word of warning though if you have a photographer this is how it works, for £25 you get 14 photos, sounds good so far, you get photos taken of the ceremony and then you head off down to the beach for some more. Ok here is the catch....you can only pick 14 photos from the ceremony at the resort, if you want beach photos you have to buy the complete package at £220 + 16% tax and the same for the video. If it hadn't been for a friend using my camera at the beach I would have been heart broken and a special day ruined by underhanded selling.
The pools were really good and in particular the adult pool was good. The entertainment was ok, I am a bit reluctant to critique the entertainment because I thought they put a lot of effort into it.
The staff and people in general were good and the onsite italian restruant was superb. The all inclusive got a bit boring at times but was generally ok. There were a few people suggesting that the food gave them a stomach upset but to be honest most of them were suffering with heatstroke and I think it was unfair to blame the food.
Overall:
Well in general it was great weather, beach was disappointing, Renewal of our vows was great bar the photographer, Got a bit fed up with having to watch wether I was being ripped off, I didn't find it as relaxing as I had hoped for due to the consistant harrassment mainly on the resort itself. Both my wife and I agree that we wouldn't probably go again as it didn't really meet our needs to relax and chill. Finally I do understand that the country is quite poor and that tourists are money, however I believe that the drive to take tourists for all they have is short sighted. I do wish the country well with its future and growth though.
| Fun Tropicale/Fun Royale - Playa Dorada | Cathy |
After a much anticipated vacation my daughter and i were disappointed in our hotel booking at the fun tropical/fun royale. The travel brochure seemed to imply that you are staying at two separate hotels with the use at both places. In fact it is only one hotel, with the amenities spread between two areas.
family pool- lots of chairs, although not enough umbrellas or in the shade.
adult pool -adjacent to the cafeteria-quite and very relaxing with a bar close by
children's pool and play are located on the far side of the complex. although we had no need for this, it did look inviting and had various activities for the children.
entertainment- be prepared to be approached by staff numerous times for you bingo card. You had to purchase these separately for your daily bingo fix, however you were constantly being approached by staff to purchase your card from one individual only. It soon became bothersome.
not very appealing/perhaps we were not age appropriate or just tired.
cafeteria. no swim suits allowed.be prepared to be asked to leave immediately if only attired in bathing suit. . At first i thought this was only directed at the teens but soon realized it was for all ages. however, the adult pool is right beside the cafeteria so remember to always have your beach cover up with you.
Food- limited choice of main dishes, and the presentation was poor. The food may have been good but it was not presented very well.
Italian restaurant- we had made reservations but were lost in the translation. However the hostess went to extreme lengths to prepare a table for two, apppologizing for the misunderstanding. Excellent dinner, and amazing staff.never have i enjoyed a fish dinner more( i am trying to get the recipe).
Rooms-clean and basic-old furniture but was clean. No chain lock on the door nor on the adjoining room. I was not comfortable with only the key lock in the door and put a chair in front the both doors at night.
Entertainment_ we were too tired to attend as the shows started for the adults late in the evening.
when we arrived there was pool aerobics, however after that the did not seem to be any activities that were organized,and were disappointed. They did have a soccer staff soccer match, but women were not allowed to play. I find this somewhat chauvinistic, as in Canada many women are enjoying playing both soccer and rugby. This activity should be for all to play....no matter the skill level.
Beach-not very clean compared to other beaches along the way. Poor location, and would not feel safe at night in the area.People leaving their garbage on the beach-disgusting. Plenty of chairs and shade.
Beach restaurant- excellent chicken/hot dogs/hamburgers/plenty to drink/ and alcohol was not pushed (a pleasant surprised)
transportation- . Although it is only a short 7 minute walk from the hotel to the beach, there is transportation to the beach every 10 minutes. However, 10 minutes is not by the clock.
Horse and buggy- these were everywhere in the compound.We did take one to the orange market which is located at the far end of the compound. However, after looking more closely at the poor condition of the horse, we chose not to use and abuse them further. We actually thought one was going to drop dead on the road as the poor horse was swaying and was in extremely poor health.
| Fun Tropicale/Fun Royale - Playa Dorada | Glenna and Al |
We just returned from a week at the Fun Tropicale. As vacation club members we stayed in one of the condo units. We initially had a 2 bedroom.....but had a very noisy air conditioner outside our unit (too noisy for us country folk). The resort was very good about
moving us to another unit...much quieter! We arrived later in the
afternoon and spent the first evening exploring the grounds. We attended the orientation meeting, led by Shirley, the following morning. She was a wealth of information and provided suggestions for our excursions into town. She also had great stories of the DR. I had heard she was a great host. She truly was. with a great presentation of the island.
Having traveled a bit, and utilizing all inclusives at other
resorts, we found the meals to be good, with a nice variety.
Breakfast was good, with a eggs made to order, fresh fruit and pastries. Only complaint? The coffee was way to strong for our taste. We spent our mornings at the beach. As club members we had a towel service and beverages served to us by Paul. The lunches at the beach club were very good. It was nice sitting and looking out at the water. The vendor's on the beach were friendly but not overly aggressive. We did all of our shopping sitting on our lounge chairs and found no need to go to the flea market. We are familiar with bagainning and the going prices for different items and found we got most items for 1/2 of the vendor's initial asking price.We spent our afternoons at the adults only pool. A feature we really appreciated. However, it was disappointing how guest littered the area with cups and straws. The staff seemed not to concerned and
could have done a better job of keeping it picked up. The general
pool was always a flurry activities that were family friendly. It was evident that the activities staff worked hard at getting to know
the guests, and encouraging them to join in events. Never, a wait
at the bar to get a drink...unlike other resorts we have been to.
Dinner's were themed each night and for the most part good. We always found something we enjoyed. We had dinner at both specialty resturants and enjoyed both. The Brazilian was a unique dining
experience, the wait staff friendly and fun. The italian was a bit
more formal, the food was good and it was air conditioned.
Unfortunately I can't say much about the entertainment (we couldn't seem to stay awake long enough to enjoy them. However, the bits of shows we did see.....were fun, creative, and the staff looked to be having fun with it!
If you want name brand drinks, bring your own. All Booze was low end Dominican. Also, although they have a bar or two at each pool and beach, there is not an inside bar to relax at. Something we would of liked and have had at all of the other resorts we have stayed before.
If you are a member with a condo, do the all inclusive for $40 each a night. I could not imagine trying to go shopping for food and eating out(24% tax). I did not see anyone at the resort all week that did not take advantage of the all inclusive option.
We had lots of fun with new friends from the US (Tiffany and Kenny)
and the UK ( Pam and Frank).
It was interesting to watch the different people all week. All types, ages and sizes. All having FUN!!!!
Keep your expectations in check and have Fun with it all. Most all did.
| Fun Tropicale/Fun Royale - Playa Dorada | Jim |
I stayed at Fun Tropicale 6 to 15 May 2007. My review is generally the same as last year (see May 2006—Jim). I was a single traveler and from the U.S. and spent most of my time reading, walking and doing some individual travel to Puerto Plata and Sousa, using local transportation.
I really enjoy this resort. There is almost always something to do and you are free and invited to join in the fun or, if you are like me sometimes, free to be by yourself reading out by the adult pool where no one will bother you and where things are quiet.
Last year I thought that the food was good. But this year I thought it was very good. I ate at the buffet for my meals and I thought there was a greater variety of choices this year and the food seemed tastier to me. There were a number of sauces (served with various meats) that were really outstanding. If I had any complaint about food it would be that the desserts were generally ordinary…except for the ice cream which was very good. I wanted to offer my services to make a few cheese cakes for them but thought it would be a little tacky to do so.
I had very few insect bites (I followed my own instructions from last year).
The staff was a very fine group of people and fun to be around as others have noted in their reviews.
Again, I took the all-inclusive package ($41 each day for all you can eat, drink, etc.). It made doing what I wanted to do very easy and I am glad I did it.
In short, it was a good trip and I will return again. I had a very relaxing time.
| Fun Tropicale/Fun Royale - Playa Dorada | Sheldon & Wendy |
I just returned home from my trip to FunRoyale/Tropicale. All I can say is That is was by far the best trip I ever had! I met alot of awesome people! Tourists as well as the staff! They are incredible! Spaghetti, Angel, Angela all the animation team were great!! They got you involved in everything! Felipe the tractor driver was a sweetie! Edwin the front desk guy who called us a taxi every night..Was wonderful!! With all the stuff you see happening at other resorts and other countries I have never felt more safe at this Resort! You feel right at home!! I had friends go to another resort that might have had nicer rooms, but they did not have as much fun as we did..Rooms were very clean a bit outdated but still clean..The resort over all was always clean and the staff were always smiling. Am I going back!! Your darn tootin right I am ..We are planning it already and we have only been home a week!! With all the friends that I made there I am think we will be about a group of 20 returning next year!!! So if you are looking for a good time and alot of happy, friendly people then Fun Royale/Tropicale is the resort for you!!! I do not think that the people at that resort will be forgetting me anytime soon!! Thank you to all the staff that made our vacation the best one we ever had!! A big applausso to you all!! See you next year!!!!
| Fun Tropicale/Fun Royale - Playa Dorada | Canada |
Myself and two other girlfriends stayed at the Fun royale from April 30th to May 6th! And we had and awesome time. Yes the rooms are a little outdated and could use some renos but we only slept there so who really cares! The food was just ok, I have had better and I have had worst. The anamation team are amazing. We spent the whole week with Anthony and Safy, they would stay every night at the disco and dance with us! They are the best and we miss them very much. We are already planning another trip back to this resort. For the price that you pay, you can't beat it! Lots of other Canadians there to party with and lots of things to do! We miss everyone there and we will see you again soon!
| Fun Tropicale/Fun Royale - Playa Dorada | Karen |
My sister and I just returned home from what I will say was the best trip of my life. We spent one week with some of the best people I've ever met. The staff at the Fun Royale was AMAZING !!!! Spagetti, Angel and Anuedi just to name a few made our trip....Would I go back again....In a second we are already planning for next April...Pictures just don't do it justice...
| Fun Tropicale/Fun Royale - Playa Dorada | Brian |
My wife and I, along with our 2 kids (ages 8 and 11yrs old) and my mother-in-law recently stayed at the Fun Royale / Tropicale April 26th – May 3rd. Check-in was very quick and the ladies at the front reception desk were very helpful. All staff at the resort were great to deal with. They really make your stay enjoyable.
Overall we had an amazing time. What a great place. We stayed on the Royale side in building C and had no major complaints with the rooms. They were very clean and comfortable. (I have to repeat what others have said – this resort is very clean. The staff are always cleaning and tidying up)
We started each day with breakfast at the main buffet and there was always a nice selection. Whether it was eggs made to order, fresh fruit, pancakes, yogurt, sausage, toast or fresh donuts there was always something to fill you up. (even our kids found something they liked). For lunch we had a choice between the buffet or the beach grill. Again, if you went away hungry you were too picky. Always a nice selection. For dinners we ate the buffet and also tried the Italian restaurant (they had a birthday cake set up for my wife’s birthday) and the Brazilian restaurant (if you love meat, you need to try this restaurant – amazing). These two specialty restaurants were also free and included with our stay.
We hung out at the pool for most of the week and had no complaints. The pools are very clean and the pool bar is a great place to hang out and meet people. The kids came back water logged. (be sure to take extra sun block as you will need to apply and re-apply all day in the hot sun). We’re not big beach people so didn’t spend a lot of time there, we preferred the pool. The beach is nice though. It’s only a short ride on the beach buggy to get there. Take a travel mug to the beach and fill it up for a walk along the beach.
The kids really enjoyed the trip. They took part in the mini disco show on the stage nightly before the main show and had a blast. They also went on an afternoon excursion with the kids club which gave my wife and I a bit of free time. They really enjoyed that (and so did we LOL). The entire animation team and kids club staff are great and very hard working.
Thanks to Bob from Canada for all the advice / tips before we left for our trip. Very helpful. Thanks for everything Bob.
Would we return to Fun Royale?? Absolutely. For the money we paid it was a great value. The best family vacation we’ve ever had.
| Fun Tropicale/Fun Royale - Playa Dorada | BobFromCanada |
BobFromCanada is one of the moderators of Debbie's Dominican Travel Forums
OK, better late than never. I wasn't going to write a review for this one, but in response to many requests, I've written a short mini review. This was trip nine to Fun Royale and our second trip to this property this year. There haven't been many changes, but there have been some, so I'll add these comments and reference back to my January review. So this will be brief.
Will we return? Without question. Next January for sure. And then we'll be in double digit trip counter category. I suspect that since most of our trips have been two weeks instead of one week, that we're already officially well into this territory.
TRIP SYNOPSIS:
Sunwing Vacations, Sunwing Airlines, Fun Royale/Tropicale, Puerto Plata, in
the Playa Dorada complex. Given all the bad press about Sunwing, I had my
reservations about them. But the lure of the great price I found convinced me.
Let's just say that I was VERY pleasantly surprised. There was only one
schedule change, about 2 weeks before the trip and that was to move our
departure from Puerto Plata back by 45 minutes. So, that gave me an extra 45
minutes of holiday ......
The flight down and back was very pleasant. They provide things that other carriers gave up a few years back. Things like welcome champagne, complimentary wine with dinner, a dinner that was actually edible, free headphones, hot towel service and bar snacks. There seemed to be more knee room than on the other guy's planes as well. The flight crew was quite friendly on both flights. For charter service, quite acceptable, with reservations.
There were a few not quite nice things, such as weighing the carry on luggage in Toronto. Since I had my laptop this trip, mine was a bit overweight, but my wife's was underweight, so they allowed it. Let's face it. 5 kg doesn't go very far. On the return trip, I used my fishing scale to maximum advantage. My carry on weighed the required 5 kg and the total of our checked luggage weighed in at precisely 40.00 kg (well, it dipped to 39.95 kg momentarily).
It also would have been nice if they arranged to get the immigration blue card to you at the hotel so you could fill it out at leisure before going to the airport for the return trip. Also, like the rest of the Canadian airlines, the $10 tourist card is included and the $20 departure tax isn't. They didn't do a great job of telling people WHERE that had to be paid. They also did a nasty to travelers with a non fare paying infant. They wanted $20 for the $10 tourist card ......
CHANGES AT THE HOTEL:
They have added some of the missing lights at the beach club. There is still
nothing going on there in the evenings. This location would make a great steak
and seafood restaurant at night.
They have added a seafood night at the Brazilian restaurant. It's on Thursdays and the regular menu is suspended. That night they serve BBQ lobster tail or shrimp. It's extra cost, but they don't do a very good job of advertising that. They have also added optional extra cost items at the Italian restaurant. There is an extra menu sheet inside the regular menu and the costs are clearly laid out.
The wifi internet connection and the Voip phones were functional. I used the wifi and found it moderately fast, but nowhere near as fast as my connection at home. I could only use it on the balcony or right near the window. I lost the signal if I entered the room. They still don't have enough repeaters.
The Italian restaurant has been completely redecorated since January and the centerpiece in the lobby has been redone as well.
It seems to me that the wine served at dinner is vastly improved. I think they have changed the supplier since January. We found it very pleasant for a house wine. That applies to both the white and the red.
THINGS THAT DIDN'T CHANGE:
Everything is super clean. The food was still very good. Lot's of variety.
Anyone who can't find something to eat is obviously pickier than me, and
that's saying a lot.
We managed to do the Brazilian on seafood night, the Italian restaurant twice and the Brazilian restaurant twice as well. The second night at the Brazilian was not quite as good as the first time. The second night at the Italian, we were the last people seated. The 'vultures' ahead of us had already made two trips to the antipasto bar and had cleaned out the smoked salmon ......
Oh, in my January review I missed the fact that they had totally redone the swimming pool at the kids club. The entire pool is now a proper depth everywhere.
MISCELLANEOUS:
The weather for this trip was not as cooperative as for previous
trips. This was very surprising since this time of year should be dry. There
were some minor power interruptions, perhaps a few minutes, while they worked
on some flooded underground wiring. There were also some interruptions in the
water supply as they were repairing a failed valve. These interruptions in
service were very short.
Oh the darn peacocks. It must be mating season. They were extremely noisy. Sometimes even at 3 am, much to some guest's distress. One hen was sitting on a nest with 3 eggs in it. So, the 'herd' is getting larger.
I had a lengthy "meet & greet" list, but no scheduled times or places. I managed to meet most, but not all of the people on the list. Apologies to any of the ones I didn't get to meet.
I also met a few others who kind of guessed who I was and came up and asked. One was really cute about it. She passed by and about 20 ft away she said kind of loudly, "Bob?". When I turned, she said "from Canada?". And so another friendship began .....
Like previous trips, virtually everyone I met seemed to be enjoying their stay. There were exceptions, like one guy who said that there was nothing to do. When I cornered him and queried him about what he thought was missing, he was unable to provide any answer. He just kept repeating the words "nothing to do" over and over again.
QUESTIONS: email robertdungan2002ATyahoo.ca (anti-spam replace AT with @) or bfcATbobfromcanada.com (as before, replace the AT with @) and make sure the subject line says Dominican Republic.
| Fun Tropicale/Fun Royale - Playa Dorada | Shelbi Michelle Austin and Shaun |
We travelled to the DR on April 12 -19 and stayed at the Fun Royale/Tropicale. I'm 15 and I travelled with my Mom Brother and my Boyfriend. From my Point of view It was the most amazing trip I have ever been on, considering I've been pretty much everywhere. I found that this Resort had the BEST absolute BEST staff. This staff kept us up on our feet and involved in EVERY activity. The staff also introduces you to other families, so our table of 4 for dinner turned into reservations for 20. The activties were awesome I wasnt bored for a second. The staff was also very friendly and I have never been treated with more respect. Spaghetti was one of my favourites! Along with Domingo, Salami, Anthony and Aneudy. The rooms were clean, We were greeted with a bottle of rum, fresh fruit basket and a stocked beer fridge. We left our maid little items and a couple dollars US a day. Every day we found fresh sheets and more towels. The food was amazing, I am a very picky person but can not complain about any of the food. The Bar seemed to be great as my Mom really enjoyed herself. The Shows were AMAZING.
They have a different show everynight, I would say better than any broadway I have ever seen. The Micheal Jackson Show is a Must See. The pool was very nice. Everything about this resort was clean (always saw people cleaning around the pool and grounds). While I was at this resort we decided to take the tour to the water park ( 20$ per person) We were escourted to the water park in Sosua by 2 staff members (Domingo and Carmelo). This water park was off the hook! Best water park Ive ever been too. I recommend if your travelling with children you go there! We were definately sad to be leaving, and already saving for our next trip. We will definately be returning with our red arm bands!
| Fun Tropicale/Fun Royale - Playa Dorada | Coralee |
We went as a group of 8 to Fun Royale from April 8-15. We lost the first day due to snow storm in Halifax which was very disappointing. Then we lost the last day as our flight was early in the morning. All in all do not have any complaints on the resort except for one thing. The animation team (who worked so hard) mislead us every evening saying that *we* were all going to a disco at another resort. Free transportation one way and one free drink. We went along on two of these *tours* as they call them. But no one from the animation team went. I think we saw one young fella at Hemingways one night, but he never acknowledged us at all..it was supposed to be Karaoke but only one person sang. After talking to the staff the next day and saying that it was not fair to mislead the tourists. It was just me and another friend that went so we were alone. They promised the next night that wouldn't happen. Well it did. So we did not bother again. I never understood why it was so important to get business to the other resorts. Not a soul except maybe 4 of us from our group went to the disco on the resort. The dj was asleep on the couch every night.. They should have put as much effort into gettting people to go the disco on the resort. Teach the club dance.....etc. Anyway like I said all in all...worth the money we paid. Would I go back? No.
| Fun Tropicale/Fun Royale - Playa Dorada | Alexis & Robert ~ Sydney, Nova Scotia |
We spent our second vacation at Fun Royale from March 18-26 with a party of 7 (My husband and our teenage daughters, a friend ; as well as my sister and her teenage daughter). I was weary bringing the teens thinking like any other vacation they may get bored but not a chance the staff on hand kept them so busy they did more than if they had been home with friends. I will say in my 4 years in going to the Dominincan that it was the first time I had seen RAIN .. And RAIN and more RAIN!!!! But it didn't' discourage us.... If you were up early in the morning it was beautiful and sunshine and before evening fell it began to rain. The night activities were moved inside to the disco which was much smaller but the acts were just as good. The staff has so much energy, they come early in the morning and work til late at night and you never see them loafing around like you would around here ... The always have a smile and polite words. They encourage you to relax and forget about time.. People complain of such trivial things. You are in a 3rd world country you aren't at the Ritz and you certainly didn't pay to stay there. I encourage so many people to attend this resort as you could not get more value for your money.Good food, pleasant staff and Clean, clean ,clean grounds rooms etc.
This year they had a bottle of Rum and fruit baskets in each of our rooms awaiting us as well as a stocked fridge. I won't complain.The obviously respect the fact you are a returning customer. I will commend the entertainment staff they try their best to get everyone involved. It amazed me how they went from young children to young at heart without a blink of an eye and encouraged you to try it all. Some people complain there are no clocks in the room.. Well heck you are on vacation what do you need to know the time for...lol relax enjoy. Take some stress off.
The food is awesome I admit I am fussy and some things don't turn my crank but hey that here in Canada too. I never went away hungry and UMMM I certainly put on about 5 lbs while there so I must have a been eating something. The service was absolutely out of this world at the Brazilian restaurant and they went out of the way to please you. We were sorry we hadn't tried it on our first vacation.
There are 3 pools I will say we spent most of our time at the activities pool which yes it is LOUD but it made it so much more fun. The beach is quiet and relaxing and breezy so a good place to get a tan without boiling. There is and adult pool which is quiet and near a bar as well as the buffet restaurant. The Beach restaurant is by far the best I think .. The Spit roasted chicken MMMMMMMMMmmmmmmm delicious. There is always something fro someone there is a great variety at the buffet.Also the Pizzeria during the afternoon near the activity pool .. Mmmmm a great snack to hold you over til dinner time.They also don't' mind you making a request fro a special pizza of your own variety.
I work in the food service industry so believe me I see that these peoepl work so hard to pleas everyone .. And some people are just unpleased. I find from one year to the next improvements have been made.
Don't forget to take a ride on the Dune buggy's They are a blast .. Don't wear anything you aren't afraid to get muddy so leave the white clothes home... And something easily washable on your feet. I went last year with my hubby and this year all the girls came with us.. We had a blast of mud .. Puddles and got to see a lot of the countryside and people. DO it you won't regret it. SO much fun.
I've also done Ocean World Adventure Park and Jungle Safari .. They are both awesome. Ocean's world is a long day for small children though .. Sealion entertainment is great and if you swim with the Dolphins but that will cost you extra. But hey it's once in a life time.
This resort is by far well worth the price you pay for a quality relaxing make you not want to leave vacation.Be prepared You will be depressed when you go home and Domingo is not saying wakey wakey play some "BEACH VOLLEYBALL" and you don't have your bed made , room cleaned, meals prepared and NO DISHES to clean on a daily basis .. Go ahead don't' listen to all those negative comments.. Call your travel agent NOW !!
| Fun Tropicale/Fun Royale - Playa Dorada | Cleide |
February 26 to March 12
All in all a great holiday. Most of the staff were very friendly , especially if you do talk to them and don’t just totally ignore them…The country is just beautiful and you will more than likely fall in love…Made lots of friends with the staff and visitors out there…if you go out there expecting simply a 3* property and keeping an open mind and nothing more then you wont be disappointed. Keep in mind that you get what you pay for. Tips are very much appreciated by everyone…always tip discretely and don’t ‘throw’ the money across the bar or table-that’s just rude…barmen, maids and waiters tipped, not on a daily basis…we tipped the maid a few dollars every 2/3 days, bar staff and waiters we tipped at the end so I know the service we got was not because we tipped but simply because we made an effort to be nice to them!!
Rooms
Well used furniture, flowery curtains and bed spreads, definitely could do with some modernisation. Very 3* standard, as long as you expect this you wont be disappointed. When we arrived the balcony door wouldn’t shut but I just called reception, it was late and the maintenance guy needed to get a part for it fixed the next morning and no more probs. There is not enough lighting in the room so the evenings to get ready takes getting used too…we were just using the bathroom as there was enough light there.
Restaurants
Main Buffet restaurant. Always a great choice of meats/pastas/salads/chicken, basically there should be something for everyone every night. Deserts always a large choice from ice cream to puddings and cakes. Some staff are great, especially if you do get chatting to them, Ramon I think his name is was always coming over and chatting to us, great service from him and had some great conversations...the Italian and Brazilian were ok. Pretty good pizza, good if you want a quick snack. By the lively pool. Great chicken at the beach snack bar.
Entertainment staff/clubs
Every night there’s an ice breaker event at about 9pm…where they get members of the audience in to do something or other…some of the events are really funny. Dancing shows every night (except the day of the beach party)
The sows although not Las Vegas are pretty good the dance choreographer can do amazing stuff and the others certainly do try their best. We sat through most of the show on most days. The Michael Jackson show and the Horror show were actually fantastic.
During the day they run lots of activities and will come round asking if anyone ants to join in, volleyball/dancing/water aerobics and loads other stuff. Music coming out of the DJ booth all day long which is great, creates a lively atmosphere, and I still managed to sleep reading a book…if you want peace and quiet there is always the quiet pool on the other side of the hotel. Spaghetti is hilarious and well you have to see for yourself…
The staff do promote visits to other clubs in the plaza after the show ends…the clubs normally provide a free cab ride to the club…you don’t pay entrance, roadway club we also always got free welcome drinks vouchers. You either walk back from the plaza (15mins) or take a cab…we always walked as it was nice and breezy. Drinks cost about us$4 each. Hemmingwas, mangu, crazy moon are also good. Weekends are at their busiest. The boys also did the sosua bar crawl but said that you can see how much more dangerous it can be, the tourists are looked after by the entertainment guys and tend to hang out with each other. Wouldn’t start any trouble here basically. The Club at the hotel is not very busy at all especially at about 1 am people start wondering out. DJ Caramelo (hotels DJ) does try bless him…
Bars
We mainly were at the lively pool bar, swim up bar or the 24 hour bar over by the quiet pool. Be forewarned, one drink will contain about 4 times the amount of alcohol in a drink here in England! I had to ask for a little bit of alcohol as I am a lightweight! A couple of bartenders to look out far which were fantastic company… Freddy he is our ‘papi’ always very friendly and kept us company…Daniel - again very friendly…Dennis – well he is so sweet and had some great chats over the last few days…Hector – great company had some good chats about life in the Dominican Republic and look out for him singing bachata songs in the early hours of the morning when working at the 24 hour bar!
Tours
All booked at the plaza, not the booths when you first enter but over by the jewellery store. Spoke to Frany or franky or something like that Haitian guy who grew up in Detroit. Basically he did some great deals for us as he uses Dominican companies and not the main tour operators…
Jeep safari please note this not the ‘outback safari’ costing us$79 at the hotels this is local operators and it cost us I think about us$45 each…lunch included…the highlight was the waterfalls, definitely one of the highlights of the holiday, you climb 7 waterfalls and either slide or jump back down. You do feel safe nowadays as you have a life jacket, helmet. You pay us$8 when you arrive to enter park as not included in tour cost. Definitely would not recommend the waterfalls for kids under 10 or even 12. Adrenaline rush non stop.
Party catamaran paid about us$50 each music blaring out…great entertainment team, fantastic snorkelling in sosua bay clearest water I saw out there, lunch and drinks after snorkelling and more entertainment.
Horse riding paid us$25 each, collected at 0830 back by about 1.30pm. amazing scenery, I really do mean amazing…we went through green valleys up and down streams and over to a fantastic waterfall where you can swim…please take insect repellent. Stopped over at a typical Dominican bar in a village…it was basically like a wooden shed type building but it was great, no tourists in site other than the 4 of us doing the riding…was a bit worried as no helmets provided and especially with galloping and trotting…ps we were beginners but the horses are accustomed to the routine. Definitely an experience.
4x4 quad bikes about a 3 hour tour I think about $45 per bike. Great tour also, went through sugar cane fields past villages, stopped over at a local pub again, down to the beach. You do get helmets would not recommend kids under 13 on their own bike as you do have to cross the main road on the way out and the way back.
| Fun Tropicale/Fun Royale - Playa Dorada | Sonia & Roger ~ NB Canada |
We stayed at the Fun Royal/ Tropical on the Tropical side from March 30th to April 6th . We were 8 couples and we booked with selloffvacations.com out of Moncton airport.
Thanks to information we had found on this website and especially tips we received from Bob from Canada our stay at the Fun Tropical was a great success… special thanks to you Bob! It was great meeting you and your wife while we were there!
Flight was with Sunwing and lasted around 3hours 40minutes.
I will not go on with other information you can find in other reviews, but will say ‘’yes’’ rooms are a bit dated but are kept very clean (the hotel maids wash them daily), food was good at the buffet and especially delicious at the Brazilian restaurant, beach ok (but was a bit dirty first couple of days due the severe rain storms they had going on for the last 2 weeks, but cleared up on the 4th day). I had requested a small fridge in my room since I have special dietary needs. The fridge was not in my room upon arrival but one visit to the front desk and the fridge got delivered within 10 minutes.
Overall I would definitely return to this hotel in a heartbeat and would recommend to others except if you are picky and fussy and are looking for a 5 star facility. You might not be satisfied at this resort… it is a 3 ½ star resort, but the sun & beach are the same with whoever you book! For us this was our 4th trip down south and we make ourselves at home as long as the food is good, the hotel is kept clean and staff is friendly! So this resort scored well with our expectations.
We did 2 excursions. One was a trip to Puerto Plata on an air-conditioned bus. This was the trip which you book directly from the hotel tour guides (not the one found with vendors on the beach or the ones selling at the Plaza mall) around 39 US per person. This trip is good if you never have been into town before. They take you to the rum factory for an inside tour, then into Puerto Plata streets for a bit of shopping at Rainbow jewelry store (where they make the jewelry in back of store), to the Amber Museum and then to an old fort for a bit of Dominican history. We had lunch which was good at a town restaurant (everything ok for tourists). After lunch we headed to Sosua for about a 1 hour to shop or to swim at Sosua beach. Be aware that the merchants at these little boutiques are extremely persuasive to get you into their shops. It comes to a point where you get tired down of this behavior and can’t wait to leave the area.
We also did the (67 US $ per person since we were a group of 10+), which in our opinion was the best trip we have done so far 10+traveling south. We did a tour of the back country (were you stop a little village Outback Jungle Safari house to experience how they live), stopped at a local river. I wouldn’t recommend walking in the water, as there are many parasites in the water which can lead to sickness since us as Canadians are not immune to this. We saw some tourists with small children strolling in the river, which is really not recommended by our Canadian health authorities. We then headed for lunch were they served Mexican food which again was delicious. After we took a few pictures with small crocodiles and then boarded a small wooden boat for a 20 minute ride along a small river. Afterwards we headed back in the jeep towards Cabaret beach, where we had fun doing ‘’boogey boarding’’ in the big waves for about 1 30minutes. This had to be the highlight of our trip. We then headed back to our hotel for supper. Our day was great thanks to Rudy our tour guide and Hosa our very experienced driver (you have to be an excellent driver if you drive in DR…it’s unbelievable the way people drive).
We did bring school supplies which we left with Nicholas at the hotel guest service desk. (Schools were closed since this was holy week in DR and we weren’t able to distribute at the local school on our safari trip)
We then returned back to NB to face 2 snowstorms (one on the day before we arrived and one the day after we arrived).
We wish we could have stayed longer to enjoy the sun and relaxation instead of shoveling this white stuff!
| Fun Tropicale/Fun Royale - Playa Dorada | Brian and Janice ~ Ontario |
We were at Fun Royale from March 22 to March 27 2007. We flew with Skyservice and it is your typical charter airline no leg room or seating space.
The resort is very clean as they are always picking up,sweeping and all around cleaning the resort.The rooms are cleaned every day the floors are mopped, sheets changed and so on. Any reviews that say otherwise I have to think about, they must have been in another resort. The food was good and a good amount to choose from.
The weather this trip how ever did not work out as it rained a good part of every day, we saw the sun 5 to 6 hours a day may be.
This is a 3 to a 3and half star resort.
| Fun Tropicale/Fun Royale - Playa Dorada |
We stayed at the Fun Royale March 11-18, 2007. Overall we were extremely pleased with our vacation and hotel. It was a great value for the price. I would give it 4*. We traveled with Go Travel Direct from Ottawa.
I went with my two teens, boy 13, girl 14 and my friend and her son, 14.
My other experiences in the Caribbean have been on 5*+ cruise ships. I also love the cottage live so don't need marble bathrooms and plush carpeting to have a great time. Cleanliness and politeness are very important to me.
Hotel
The entire hotel, rooms and grounds are exceptionally clean, there was always someone cleaning the pool area, grounds or rooms.
The rooms themselves were very nice, tiled floors, very comfortable beds, very clean bathrooms. The bathrooms could use a bit of updating, the tubs are a bit worn and some grout needed replacing but they were kept extremely clean. This is the only slightly negative comment I have about the whole vacation.
We had a balcony off our room, it was great, I would really recommend this. We had asked for a balcony when we reserved originally but when we checked in the rooms they gave us didn't have one, it was no problem getting changed, they were very accommodating.
We tipped our maid $5US a day plus gave her little gifts like soaps, shampoos, school items. She changed our beds either everyday or every other day, to tell you the truth I couldn't tell for sure but I saw her changing them a least 3 times we were there. The floors were kept very clean and the bathroom was very clean. She provided us with extra towels, glasses and water. I brought the Spanish words list off Debbie's website and it was perfect to assist me in communicating with her.
The grounds and pool area was very nice. The grounds were lush and very well kept with a quite a few beautiful peacocks always around displaying their feathers, beautiful!
The activities/entertainment staff were great. Wow what energy they have! They were good about getting people involved but if you said you weren't interested they didn't bother you. The staff spoke English very well. We checked out some of the nightly entertainment and the Michael Jackson show isn't to be missed, very entertaining.
This hotel isn't on the beach but that was no issue what so ever. It actually I believe made for a more friendly hotel as you met people around the pool area, lots of British and Canadians, not many Americans at the hotel. Our kids spent hours in the pool playing volleyball with teams springing up spontaneously.
The buffet restaurant was great, they had a good selection of different foods, a lot of vegetables and fruit, meat fish and they always had pasta and a kids section, hotdogs fries etc. The breakfast was great as well, great omelets, yogurt, juices, pancakes etc. My friend said the coffee was terrible so if you really like your coffee bring you own.
Beach
They had a beach buggy that went to the beach, it left the front of the hotel at least every 10 minutes and it wasn't more then a 5 minutes trip to the beach.
They Beach club is very nice, best one on the beach as far as I could see. Perfect lunch time fare and same drinks as at the hotel. Loungers easily available, bring your hotel beach towel. There are vendors on the beach but they are very polite and as long as you say no thank you they move on. Their prices on T-shirts seemed good and if you are into hair braiding there is a lot of that available. The beach is the darker sand type, it is kept very clean, tends to be a lot of wave action and isn't calm enough for snorkeling but great for body surfing. I heard Sousa had a perfect beach for snorkeling but we didn't make it there.
Excursions
We took a few walks to the Playa Dorada Plaza, you can take the beach buggy half way there and then it is about a 6 block walk, it is great for some souvenir shopping, prices are good, check the different stores as some have better prices on certain things and some are more willing to bargain. We felt very safe walking to and from there and in the plaza.
We took a few excursions, my friend and daughter went riding at the place you book through the hotel tour desk. My daughter owns her own horse and found the horses at the ranch very well kept and fun to ride, they are a different type then we have in Canada. Helmets are provided.
My son and I took a dune buggy excursion from the hotel tour desk, it was great fun but plan to get really dirty, that was the fun part for my son. They also provide helmets. The dune buggies did seem to break down a bit but the guides with us had any problems fixed up in no time. Besides getting dirty and ripping around in the DR outback it is interesting to see the DR villages.
We also took a day trip to Ocean World Adventure Park . We booked this through our travel rep at the hotel tour desk. What a great day, very nice park, better then many I have seen in NA. My friend and kids participated in the Sea Lion Encounter, for an extra $15 you had a full 30 minutes at least of interaction with the sea lions up close and personal, well worth the money and some great picture opportunities.
Tips
If you get asked by some very friendly types not dressed in staff uniforms how long you have been there be aware they are trying to sell timeshares. We learnt to say we'd been there for a week, that way they figure they've already spoken to you and leave you alone. Otherwise telling them you are not interested and walking away seems to do the trick. We did meet a few people that were there through timeshares and they seemed happy with them so if you are into timeshares you might be interested.
Don't make use of the horses and buggies outside the hotel, beach and plaza etc as they are not very well taken care of at all, they were severely underweight and didn't have access to regular water and food, a must for horse.
We also brought quite a bit of school supplies to the hotel front desk, they distributed this to their staff who had school aged children, it seemed to be very appreciated.
I would certainly tip the maid the same as last time. Next time I'll bring some more funds to tip the staff in the buffet restaurant and barman, they were very efficient and helpful.
We will definitely return again to this hotel due to the cleanliness, relaxed atmosphere, friendly staff, good food, location and price.
| Fun Tropicale/Fun Royale - Playa Dorada | Sandra ~ Canada |
My husband and I and our 7 year old son spent two weeks at this resort in Feb/2007. It was a great 2 weeks. I'll touch on a few points that may be of interest to someone travelling to this resort.
Food: This was the best food we have ever had staying at an all inclusive. We ate from the buffet all but 2 meals (when we went to the Ala Carte restaurants.) There was so much variety and the food was so good. Every meal they had stations set up where the chefs were cooking right in front of you and you could pick what you wanted right off the grill. We loved the omelete station and fresh donuts in the morning. The pasta station and grilled meats at night were awesome. The Ala Cartes were very good also, but we enjoyed the buffet so much we didn't want to miss out on what they had there.
Rooms: We stayed in building B room 214. The room was dated and needed some TLC but we weren't in it very much anyway. We had a large L shaped balcony that we used at night and it was great for drying wet clothes. Beware of the peacocks. We were surprised to find that they fly up there at night and make a terrible mess of things. The location of the room was good. We could quickly go back and forth from the pool or to the buffet. The only thing I would suggest is to ask for a room with an odd number as the even numbered rooms faced the back parking lot and were very noisy with vehicles in the night. I'm not sure if that was when they had their food and liquor deliveries or what.
Animation Team: These guys were top notch. If you wanted to play games during the day, there was no end. Darts, ping pong, water areobics, bowling, beach volleyball, water volleyball, bocci ball, beer drinking contests and bingo. You name it. They tried it. The evening entertainment was very good. Expecially the Michael Jackson show. This is a family resort and the only bad thing I would say is that my 7 year old son saw some things that weren't totally appropriate for young children. Some of the men on the animation team were quite forward with the women. It was all done in fun, but not always in good taste. I would like to mention an employee of the animation team that also led the children's mini disco in the evening. His name was Ramone (better known as Spaghetti) and he was absolutely awesome. My son was sad when we left because he wouldn't get to see Spaghetti again.
Front desk Staff: I found them to not be as friendly as they could have been. First impression of a resort is quite often how you are treated upon check in and if you have a question for them during your stay. They weren't rude really, I just didn't get that warm fuzzy feeling from them.
Tour Desk: There was a lady sitting at a desk in the lobby and I'm not sure what her job was exactly, but one time we had a concern over a delivery coming from Ocean World to our hotel, and she was so good about helping us track down our delivery. She went out of her way to help us. It's people like that I really appreciate.
The Beach: The beach and new beach bar were great. The chicken and hotdog/hamburgers were great for lunch. Do wear bug spray at night though as I was literally eaten alive. The bites swell up and are very itchy. We went kayaking twice which was free.
Day Trips: We did Ocean World Adventure Park which was fantastic. It was a full day but went very quickly. We did the Outback Jungle Safari . If going to the school is important just double check when you book to make sure the school is open that day. We were disappointed that the school was closed the day we went. The teachers had a meeting and so we didn't even stop to see the school. We also did the Puerto Plata city tour. In the afternoon they took us to Sosua for lunch at a restaurant and then to a great beach with 150 markets on the beach. It was the best day!!
Timeshare People: I had read the reviews and knew they waited for people in the walkway leading to the buffet restaurant. As we weren't interested in their presentation every day we told them "No Thanks" and after the first week they quit asking.
Buying Stuff: We brought back alot of art work (Oil paintings and Lava Rock sculpture) as well as Larimar jewellery and enjoyed the whole process of getting at least 1/2 what their asking price was. We walked to the orange market one day, did some shopping in Sosua as well as from vendors selling at the resort. There is a Fine Dominican Jewellery Factory at the resort with some very nice jewellery and we bought a few things there as well.
Topless in Public: Coming from Canada where topless women is against the law in public, I would have to say we were a bit taken a back by this at first. They were everywhere on the beach and in and around the pool. One day a woman even participated in the water aerobics with no top on. That was great entertainment especially for the men. I never saw such a big audience of picture takers and video tapers.
All in all this was a fantastic trip. The weather was great (except for a couple of days of rain), but even when it's raining it's warm. We came home with so many great memories of the people we met and all the things we did and have lots of pictures to remember them by. Two weeks was a bit long for our 7 year old. Our Signature rep told us they they are bringing in 10 day trips next year to the DR so that's good. We like to try new places and not stay at the same place twice, but for the money we paid for 2 weeks, we will most likely return here again someday.
| Fun Tropicale/Fun Royale - Playa Dorada | Misty ~ Canada |
2 girlfriends and I just returned from a week at the Fun Royale/Tropicale. Our room was in building A (310), and I am still unclear on weather we were in the Royale or Tropicale side. I did plenty of research & read many reviews so I was a little suprised with what we experienced. This is was my 4th all-inclusive vacation, but for both of my friends this was thier first so I think they had a higher opinion of it than me.
On arrival we got checked into our room which was in need of some major updates and had a water leak in the bathroom that lasted all week. Otherwise it was okay, we had a nice big balcony and it was tidy. The lighting was extremely poor, we took off all the lampshades and still could barely see ourselves to get ready. The plumbing was also poor, there was a foot of water in our tub by the time we finished a shower.... but from what I have heard this is consistant with all resorts in Dominican.
Tipping doesn't seem to get you any special service at this resort. We tipped the maids everyday and many of the bartenders as well. The whole time we were there we never noticed anyone else tipping so I am not sure what is the norm for this place. They certainly didn't seem to provide an extras for it and were unappreciative so near the end of the week we stopped.
The food was mediocre with the exception of the 2 specialty restaurants which were fantastic. Make sure you get down by 7:00 am to book as they book up fast and are a nice change from the buffets. The drinks were great.
The nightlife was second to none in Playa Dorada, with Mangos and Crazy Moon being some of the best clubs I have ever been to in my life (and believe me I have plenty of party experience). One night the resort staff bussed us to and from Sosua for $18 each. It was good to experience but again, be careful. The locals are extremely aggressive, even the females who were very intimidating to us in the bathrooms. By the end of the night the toilets were all plugged and there was no running water in the sinks (not to mention some of the toilets did not even have seats), this turned us off quite a bit.The nightly entertainment shows at the resort were pretty good, some better than others, the Michael Jackson show was one of the best ones.
The activity pool was a fun place to hang out and the beach was okay too. We didn't mind at all having to catch the shuttle to the beach.
Overall we had a fun time. I think families may have a different perspective because they are not exposed to the shadiness of the workers like singles are. You get what you pay for I guess, so don't expect anything glamours. If you are looking for a cheap holiday with a comfortable place to stay this would do.
| Fun Tropicale/Fun Royale - Playa Dorada | Greg and Heather ~ Prince Edward Island, Canada |
Getting There
We booked with Signature Vacations and flew with Canjet out of Halifax N.S.Our flight was a little long.Boarded the plane at 2:10pm....was supposed to leave at 2:30 but we waited till 3:00pm for a guy who thought that everyone except him needed proper documentation.Got in the air at 3:15pm and due to strong headwinds had to stop in Nassau to refuel.Landed in Puerto Plata at 10:20 pm and arrived at Fun Royale at 11:30pm.The flight was smooth,seats were comfortable and the meal was good.
As we were the only 2 people to get off at this hotel,check-in was quick and smooth.
This was our 6th trip to the Fun Royale so when we arrived at our room there was a fruit tray,bottle of rum and flowers to welcome us as repeat guests.A very nice touch after such a long trip.
Rooms
Our room was in Building "B" by our request.It had new vanity faucet,shower head and plenty of towels and face cloths.There was a hair dryer,a wicker basket with shampoo,conditioner and sewing kit (I didn't need the sewing kit,if I can't fix it with duct tape or staples,throw it out.)There were new pictures on the wall and the Mattresses were new.The room had been painted recently and the balcony was very large.
The bedding and towels were changed daily.The room was swept and mopped daily and kept extremely clean.
The air conditioner worked great and after you got used to it you don't notice the night owls going back to their rooms at late hours.
The Grounds
The hotel grounds are kept in impeccable condition.You can see someone cleaning,sweeping or raking at all times of the day.
There are 3 pools.The activity pool with a swim up bar is the main pool.I can't comment on the activities as we spent all our days at the beach.There is a quiet pool by the 24 hour bar and a childrens pool by the Brasilian restaurant.
There is a small gym with a sauna,mini golf ( 7 holes with putters that are way too short),horseback riding,shuffle board,ping pong,Spanish lessons,darts,pool table (extra cost),soccer ,aerobics,water polo and what surprised me the most was 1 hour daily of banana boat rides at the beach (which I did not see anyone using in our 2 weeks there).If it weren't for the problem I having with my shoulder I would have been on that banana boat ride daily.
I have to say that the washrooms by the stage area are in bad need of refurbishment and should be done over immediately.These are used by everyone in the public areas (except for the people at the swim up bar).
There is a Managers cocktail party each Tuesday and I certainly enjoyed the Duggans Scotch served there by Leandro the bar manager.There is also a repeaters party every 2nd Friday.
Restaurants
The main buffet overlooks the 18th fairway of the golf course.The food was even better this year than other years we were there.They had roast turkey,roast pork,roast beef ,steak,lamb,goat and various other meats.The buffet was so good this year that it was my 1st time in 6 years that I did not get anything at the pasta bar.
As usual the desserts were to die for.
The Brasilian Restaurant was a HUGE improvement to me.I hadn't eaten there in our previous 4 visits.I had read about so many people who really enjoyed this restaurant that we thought we would try it again.WHAT a huge improvement.The meats they served were fantastic.
The Italian restaurant was very good as well,although I think they could stand to have a better selection of Italian cuisine.
The beach grill was very good.We had lunch there every day.The rotisserie chicken was very good ( a little too many spices on the skin for me) .They always had fish,hamburgers and hot dogs as well.My only complaint here is I'm not a big french fry lover but they don't serve any rice or other potato there.The fruit served at the beach grill was minimal as I didn't see any bananas there in my 2 weeks and pineapple and mango was minimal.
Ana the Beach Club Manager does a terrific job of making sure your lunch is an enjoyable experiance.She takes English lessons in Puerto Plata (she lives in Sosua) and takes pride in being able to talk to her English patrons.
Juan the bartender, makes a mean Banana Mama when he has bananas there to make the real ones (I always picked up a couple of bananas from Breakfast to take to him).
Beach
The beach was fantastic.There is some coral in the water in front of the Beach Club,but if you walk to the left past where the boats go back and forth,the water is terrific.
When you walk up the beach by Grand Ventana you will see a dramatic difference.they have hauled in tons and tons of sand.The beach from the Grand Vantana down past the Orange Market is even better than it was in our first year to Playa Dorada 1997.The Paradise Hotel finnaly has a beach and it is impressive.Where they used to have a boardwalk they have filled in about 200 feet of sand.As you go past there the Dorado Club and Playa Naco probably have the best beach in Playa Dorada now.
Misc.
The Playa Dorada Mall is about a 15 minute walk.Here you can find just about anything you want to purchase,although if you want to walk to the Orange Market (about a 35 minute walk via the beach) you can bargain and get much better pricing.I bought my Anejo Rum there for 280 pesos.This is up in price from our last trip.I am told the government has imposed more taxes and Brugal has increased their price.It is still cheaper than we can buy it here on P.E.I.
We took a lot of Hersheys Kisses chocolate with us which we passed out to the grounds workers,maids,security,golf course workers,staff at the beach (including the guys that clean up the beach) and workers in the mall.The workers in the mall called me The Candy Man.
What we liked
The staff are the key to this resort as they always have a smile and a hola for you.It starts at the top with the Managing Director Mario Matanna and goes down to the grounds workers.These people care about all of us (the vacationers).They really enjoy their jobs and it shows.
At the Managers cocktail party I noticed that the upper management has not changed in the past 4 years with the exception of the Bar manager (due to a tragic death).I did notice a change in bar tenders (I'm not sure where some of them went) but the waiters at the restaurants seemed to be the same.
The chicken served at the beach grill was fantastic.
The Brasilian Restaurant was certainly the most improved.
The wine served at the buffet (Calypso) was improved big time.
I know some people complain about the lack of bacon at breakfast. We had bacon 5 days a week and that suited me fine as the sausages were very good (much better than previous years).
What we didn't like
My first complaint is the pizza.The quality has gone down BIG TIME.The crust is too thick and not cooked enough.
I love Presidente beer but they put Bohemia in the mini fridge. Now I don't hate Bohemia but it was in cans and I don't like canned beer.
At night the entertainment starts with the kids show at 9:00pm.This is way too late for small children to participate as most of them would be in bed at this time.They need to start this at 8:00pm.
The shows that are put on each night by the staff are OK,considering they have to work a full day at entertaining people,then try to have enough energy to do a show.That being said they do a terrific job.
In my opinion they should have a live band playing. Last year we went to Punta Cana and the resort we were at had a band playing after the kids were on till the show started and then they played after the show for about 45 min. I know we went all 14 nights and thoroughly enjoyed the evenings.
Would we go back.
We are already planning our 7th trip to the Fun Royale next year.
We would like to thank BOB FROM CANADA for leaving us a Care Package in our room (he was there the 2 weeks before us) it was Greatly
Appreciated.We hope to see you there next year Bob.
We would like to thank Mario Mattana (Managing Director of the Fun Royale/Tropical) and all of his staff for making our vacation so enjoyable.That is the reason we return year after year, it is truely our HOME AWAY FROM HOME.
| Fun Tropicale/Fun Royale - Playa Dorada | BobFromCanada |
BobFromCanada is one of the moderators of Debbie's Dominican Travel Forums
After 8 trips, it gets harder and harder to write these reviews and still find something "NEW" to write about. Is everything perfect in Paradise? No, and it probably never will be. Will we return? Without question. Next January for sure and I may even try to find a deal for later this year.
Any issues we had were minor things and certainly not enough to ruin a vacation. Well, certainly not ours. We don't really worry about the little things. They're just not important enough.
They market themselves as a 3.5 to 4 star property, and that rating is just about right. Four stars is pushing it a mite since they are not right on the beach. Oh well, a mere 6 minute walk from the front gate. Oh the trials of life! How about 3 3/4 stars .......
TRIP SYNOPSIS: Signature Vacations, Skyservice Airlines. Fun Royale/Tropicale, Puerto Plata, in the Playa Dorada complex. In my opinion, it's still a great place f