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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
Majestic Colonial Punta Cana: Majestic Colonial Punta Cana Reviews |
| Total User's Score 4.5
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By Occasion... |
By Traveller Type... |
| Based on 56 reviews |
| Excellent |
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16 |
| Very good |
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38 |
| Average |
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3 |
| Poor |
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1 |
| Terrible |
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0 |
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| Family |
3 |
| With Spouse/Partner |
4 |
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| Nice but not a 5 star hotel |
| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
User Rating:
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Jennifer >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Jul, 2010 | Wedding | Family
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| Overall it was a nice place. We had a good time. My cousin got married there and it was beautiful. There are a few minor things I could complain about and will explain but I am gonna be detailed as some people are nit picky and I would want to know as much as possible before booking a trip! |
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| Your Arrival |
| When we arrived at the airport, we were put on a shuttle that in turn, had to go back to the airport a few minutes after we left to pick up people that were left behind. Wewere exhauted and just wanted to get to the hotel to shower from our red eye flights. (from CA to the Dominican Republic) Once we got to the resort, we were greeted with a drink "the majestic". it was great!The bell boy brought our luggage to our room. The safe was locked and we couldnt get it open to store our valuables so we had to wait for a staff member to unlock it, no big deal. It was fixed within the hour. The room was clean. There was plenty of closet space. The shower was large and nice. Also, there are jacuzi spa in the room which I loved! The tv got quite a few channels, some in English, most in spanish. |
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| Rooms |
| The rooms were nice. (9 people total in our group with 5 rooms). It seems like the hotel doesnt have enough towels and supplies to go around. one day you get hand towels, bath towels and another day you are lucky to get more than one. Each person in our group generally agreed with me on this. There is absolutely no privacy in the toilet area, and if you walk in front of it, you may see through the glass a bit. So if you have to go number 2, the other people in the room will hear you unless you run the ssink water. :) The room stayed nice and cool the entire trip. the beds were pretty comfortable. You always had the fridge stocked daily with 2 beers, 5 waters and 3 sodas, although the fridge was not very cold. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
The food was alright. We ate breakfast daily in the buffets, the menu stays the same, but there were some good items and lots to chose from. theres even an omlet man so you can order a fresh omlet the way you like. The service varied from restaurant to restaurant. The first night, we ate at the Steak place, the food was awful! Pork chops were like rubber and hard to cut, meat was flavorless. and the server was not friendly at all! I was so disappointed the first night. On the other side of the restaurant, you can order Lobster and seafood, but you cant eat both in one place. The seafood section was much better than the steak side on our second night when we tried it. The Mexican restaurant was good. The French restaurant was great and so was the Japanese restaurant. You must reserve a night at these places (Japanese and French restaurants) ahead of time though as they book up quickly! We booked both restaurants right away and we were there 7 nights. we got into the japanese restaurant on our last night! Make sure when you book the Japanese restaurant, you ask to sit in the special room where the cook prepares the food right in front of you! its like Benehannas restaurants! otherwise you'll just be seated in the general restaurant area.
Victor, the bartender, and the pool bar was fabulous! so so friendly and loves his job. Very sociable. It was harder to get service at the swim up bar but if you are patient, they will get to you. The main upstairs lobby bar was my favorite bar. great service and as soon as the drink was empty, they would get you another one. Most of the time if it was busy we would order 2 drinks each! |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| The beach was beautiful, totally see-through water! There seemed to alway be lounge chairs to sit on, most with tiki palm trees over them for those who want less sun. We really enjoyed it!!! There are a few topless ladies here and there, but most were on the far side of the beach as that was allowed. We only saw 2 topless ladies laying out by the pool (this place has kids everywhere by the pool so I don't know why that would be allowed). The grounds were kept clean, and were beautiful. We got massages the last night we were there and it was the best massage we had ever had, so relaxing! Also, in the same spa area, the bride and I got our hair done just before the wedding. Our hair both turned out beautifully. i had my husband with me to speak spanish to the ladies to tell them exactly what we wanted. (I read a review before we left mentioning that not all staff spoke English, and the people who did hair and nails were some of them). It seriously was the best updo I've had since high school prom (over 10 years ago!) And I will make sure I show the pictures to another hair stylist for my next updo, I got so many compliments from complete stranger. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
The activies on the resort were definitley not up to par compaired to recent trips my husband and I went on including jamaica and cancun. We didn't really attend any after our second night as they were not very interesting. (The whole group shared this opinion)
We paid for 2 excursions. One was the ZipLine tour, it was really fun. Eddy Perez from hotel beds helped us book our tours and he was awesome! So friendly and helpful and personable. We missed the time for our second excursion (thanks to the bride who mixed up the time LOL) but Eddy was so cool, he just let us join the next tour 3 hours later, no big deal.
Our second tour was the Doon Buggies, where you can chose either ATV's or the Buggies to ride in. You drive in a single file line to the beach, spend about 20 minutes there, then you drive on a very rocky road to an underground water cave and swim for 20 minutes. There are people at the second location trying to get you to buy stuff but we just said no and walked away. I would recommend ATV's as it was so bumpy on the buggies being so close to the ground. |
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| Other Comments |
| If I didnt have other all inclusive places to compare this hotel to, I would have probably thought it was even better! The service wasnt great all around, some people were good, some werent. The food was okay depending on where you go. The deserts were flavorless, except the tres Leches cake slices. They were delicious. We got locked out of our room a couple times, but the problem was fixed pretty quickly. My cousin who got married there, was delivered a bottle of wine every day, also they delivered a fruit platter one day to her, another day they delivered sushi. They forgot to deliver the banner on here door saying congratulations Mr and Mrs so and so. She was a little disappointed but not a big deal.Oh and I forgot to mention there was champagne in every room upon arrival! My husband and I agreed that it was more of a 4 star hotel for the cost (about $3,100 for 2 for 1 week), not the 5 star I was told when I booked it. We don't plan on returning. We'd rather try new hotels/areas. |
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| HORRIBLE Customer Service! Nothing worked & No one cared! |
| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
| User Rating:
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Joshua >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Jun, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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Ok, so we got a great deal on what we thought was a 5-star resort for our honeymoon. Elevator didn't work, and the bellhop told us it hadn't worked for a long time. We were on the 4th floor. Batteries in my TV remote died (when does THAT happen??). AC would barely keep the room at 80 degree Farenheit. Had to call TWICE to get a repairman out there on the third day of our stay to fix our AC. Resort website said this was for COUPLES ONLY. Bull! I've never seen more screaming kids than at Disney World! Including next door and right outside our room running around screaming all the time.
Then we get locked out of our room. Key card wouldn't work. So I called using the elevator phone. They told us we had to walk down to the front desk to deal with this (10 minute walk to the other side of the resort), that they wouldn't just send someone to help us or anything. So we get there and they tell us to go BACK, that a technician will change our batteries out in the door mechanism. So we waited for 15 minutes after we got back for him to get there and fix it. The next morning, it happened the SAME way AGAIN! I was a bit upset at this point, and asked them how I knew it wouldn't happen again - they just shushed me up and sent me back to my room. That night...you guessed it! LOCKED OUT AGAIN! This time they had to literally BREAK THROUGH THE WALL to get in (I have pictures).
I raised hell. No manager was ever on duty to do anything, however. Finally, on our way out of the resort after our honeymoon week was over, I found a manager, related all our stories to him, and demanded some sort of refund. NOTHING. He said all he could do was give us some sort of a discount on our next stay there as if we would come back!!! Told me I should have complained sooner, to which I replied that I tried, but there were no managers! He shrugged his shoulders. Nothing I could do. Maybe not as much will go wrong on your trip, but if it does, you're screwed, because they won't do a thing about it. |
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| beautiful resort good food and drinks |
| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
| User Rating:
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maria- goretti >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Jun, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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we enjoyed our stay very clean and beautiful beach
pleasent staff. |
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| Your Arrival |
| perfect.happy with the room and staff. |
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| Rooms |
| very clean and planty of towels. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| alway perfect plenty of chairs |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| we did not activties in the resort. |
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| Other Comments |
| we will be going back for another vacation at the Majestic Colonial. |
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| Great week at the Majestic! |
| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
| User Rating:
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Geoff >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| A picture perfect week at a true 5 star resort. The Majestic Colonial lived up to its reviews and fantastic pictures. Maybe even better! |
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| Your Arrival |
| Arrival was very smooth. The Sky Service flight was right on time leaving Winnipeg and a bit early arriving in PC. Bye bye Sky Service. I guess we were some of your last customers. We were quickly signed in at the front desk and shuttled to our beach-view, ground floor room. |
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| Rooms |
Very nice. Not too big, but very nicely laid out. Beautiful view of the main walkway and pool just beyond. Water was a bit of a problem. We left a few extra dollars in the mini bar fridge, but never got any extra bottles of H2O. I even left a note with the money asking them to leave more. Oh well, not a big deal. I just went to the pool bar and snagged extra as we needed them. The lock on our sliding deck door was broken, but they had it fixed for us before we got back from supper the first night.
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| Restaurants and Bars |
Main buffet restarant was very nice. Maybe a bit dark overall, but seating was easy to come by and the temperature was perfect. The food was well...not the best, but we expected that. After a few days you find what works best for you and work with that. The food wasn't terrible, the deserts were great, but the majority of meat was tough, and almost everything else was bland tasting. Great service from the coffee dudes!
There's a big restaurant/bar overlooking the beach that was okay, bu the food here was the worst anywhere on the resort. Usually burnt, or reserved stuff from main buffet?
The Mexican restaurant was our favorite. We ate there twice. Very flavorful food, friendlier service than main rest., and very nice ambience to the place. Loved it!
French restaurant was a disaster. We could only get a reservation on our final night and that was at 9:45 PM. They weren't happy to see us. We were rushed through by waiters constantly checking their watches. You get the picture.
We did the walk-in Japanese (no reservation needed if you don't sit in the area where your meal is perepared in front of you). Pretty good food, but no where near as nice as the Mexican.
What can I say about the bars? There were tons of places to get a drink! Service was always great. I got addicted to the Tucans. Presidente beer was (as expected) excellent. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
Nicest beach we've ever seen. We walked a couple miles either way (past RIUs to the right), and maybe even further to the left. I loved that you could see the mountains in the distance!
The pool was nice and long. We stayed at the beach most of the time though. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| We didn't bother with any activities. Lazing around the beach and drinking beer all day was active enough for us this year. There was very little to be seen of the animation team anywhere during the day. And the shows at night were dreadful. They have a beautiful theatre set up for shows, and we were very disappointed with what they offered. In comparison, the Catalonia Bavaro has a basic outdoor stage with plastic chairs set up. The shows there blew anything Majestic Colonial could muster up. Maybe because they only seemed to have a half dozen entertainers in total? Too bad, the theatre is very nice. A lot of missed potential there. |
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| Other Comments |
If it wasn't for the bad night shows and not-so-good food, we would've easily given this resort full marks. But when you're rated that high, things should be just a little bit better.
Would we go back? For sure! But for the price, I think we'll try Bahia Principe or one of the Iberostars next. |
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| Absolutely Wonderful - Truly a Five Star |
| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
| User Rating:
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Elizabeth >
4 contribution(s) Canada |
| Mar, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| This resort has it all, from great food of all kinds, to friendly service, to a fantastic beach and pool and clean, comfortable and very spacious accomodations. This spacious resort was not crowded, features beautiful grounds, and extremely "user friendly" and easy to get around, you can quickly find shortcuts to your destinations. |
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| Your Arrival |
| We arrived at Punta Cana Airport with no glitches. After debarking the plane, there seemed to be a delay in entering the airport itself. The delay was due to the locals taking pictures of the each and every tourist standing with another local holding a parrot. Honestly, that could have been one of the things we could have done without. You're anxious to get to your resort and any unnecessary delay is a hassle. We stood in line for approximately 20 minutes unnecessarily after trying to get off the plane for 30 minutes beforehand. They will offer you this photo when you arrive at the airport for your departure back home. But all in all, it went well and aside from the photo shoot, everything went smoothly and expediently. We arrived at the resort and were checked in immediately, without a drink and no fanfare. |
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| Rooms |
| We were led to our room and although beautiful, I had asked for a king bed with balcony. We were given a room with two double beds and terrace. I went back to the lobby and the manager, after some "searching" located another room. We were again led to our new suite, which was exactly what we had requested. The only negative issue with the room was that we were facing the parking lot of another resort. Who cares. For the amount of time we would be sitting out there, it really didn't matter but the Cameleon Gold with Nolitours (Majestic Junior Suite) was supposed to provide us with separate check in, preferred room selection with DVD player and selected library, bathrobe, slippers and beach towels in room, and a surprise gift and welcome letter. We never got any of that except for the bathrobes but again, who cares. The room was cleaned every day, fresh towels provided daily, the 4-poster king size bed was comfortable and the mini fridge was always stocked. A 2-person jacuzzi is located right beside the bed, within the powder room section that featured a double sink and a huge walk-in shower with rain, message or stream and a sitting area, and another seperate access for a toilet. The sinks and jacuzzi are visible from the room but the walk in shower and the small area for the toilet each have their own frosted glass doors and are not seperated from floor to ceiling from the rest of the room if you get my drift. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
Wow, what can I say about the food. Food, food, food everywhere. Reservation required for the Gourmet Restaurant but I was not impressed with the meal and I'll leave it at that. The Japanese Restaurant does not require a reservation but if you want the section where the Chef prepares the meal in front of you, you need a reservation. It was probably the best meal I had during my stay. If you enjoy meeting people, that's a good place to start. If you don't make it to the buffet for breakfast (closes at 10am but OMG what a feast) you can go to the beach bar and they have just as good a selection for breakfast from eggs any style, to pancakes, french toast, healthy stuff, dry cereal, bacon, bacon and more bacon, sausages, beans, etc. You won't go hungry. It is a huge building and the drink bar also opens at 10am. Then they take away the breakfast food and start with lunch. You can get pasta, grilled burgers, mussells and other fish, fries, nachos, etc. This bar converts to a steakhouse and seafood place for the evening and no reservations are required. The food was also good at both of these locations. We never tried the Mexican/Dominican restaurant nor the late night snack bar that served wings and burgers after 11pm. We never stayed up that late nor did we make it to the disco. Not my cup of tea on this trip.
Since my Spanish is very limited, I could only understand that on Friday mornings only, there is this huge frying pan than requires four people to carry to a special grill directly on the beach. You can see this frying pan right behind the chef that prepares the eggs in the beach bar/restaurant. I could not understand what they prepared though. Maybe worth checking into.
We didn't hang around the lobby bars too often but we did have drinks while we waited for our a la carte dining. I didn't find the staff overly friendly at the lower level lobby bar but they were busy and remainded courteous. The upper level lobby bar was good though with friendly servers. The pool bar was another matter. Victor and Micheal were extremely friendly and entertaining. You will get a kick out of Victor with his constant "Yeah, yeah, yeah" and "WAZZ A-A-A-A-P". He was fun to watch and as long as he had an audience, he was happy and therefore, made you happy. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
We rotated from the Beach to the pool on a daily basis. The beach, upon first site, brought tears to my eyes. It is the most beautiful beach with huge palm trees, and plenty of palapas to sit under. Get there early if you want one though but there seemed to be no shortages for loungers. Servers, once they located you, brought you drinks constantly. We walked for 30 minutes one way on either side of us in the mornings. The other resorts did not seem to have palapas, and if they did, the wave action was more severe at other locations that some. I believe our beach had a reef further up that stopped much of the waves so that made it good to swim in. This resort offers the best of everything so enjoy. And bring your own snorkelling equipment if you have it because you can watch the fish swim nearby. They do provide these at the watersport hut if you forgot them and there really is no need to go on a Catamaran at a cost when you have it right there. There is no coral though.
As for the pool, my goodness, what a huge pool at 400m long. Never too crowded except for the "kids" area, and the other bar which featured the swim up bar. The music was way too loud for my taste in this area, with the DJ screaming in the microphone. All the activities were at this location so if you're up for action, that's the place to hang out. People of all ages too. The pool also has no shortages of loungers but again, if you want a palapa, you have to get there early. We never seemed to have a problem finding one though. Coming in from the beach, we wanted some repreive from the sun and we always managed to find two loungers with some shade. The pool area is clean and the pool itself was refreshing with some jacuzzis in various locations.
The spa also has a little oasis for swimming and lounging in a covered building. It has a couple of small waterfalls and a jacuzzi. You don't have to make an appointment to use this area but I never had a chance to use it. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| No excursions this time. Our trip was mainly for relaxing and getting to know each other more since ours is a relitavely new relationship (less than 1 year). They do offer many off site excursions though, but I didn't see too much on site activities. As mentioned before, we stayed away from the area of the 400m pool where all the activities took place. We also did not attend any of the evening animation in the theatre preferring to go for an evening walk on the grounds then sit on the beach enjoying the stars and a cuban cigar with an Amaretto. I would have thought that the beach would have been off limits after hours but no one stopped us and there was no other tourists around. Maybe we were not supposed to, but like I said, no one stopped us and no one patrolled the area. |
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| Other Comments |
| All in all, it was a most glorious vacation and one I would recommend. I have to admit that checking the reviews scared me as there seemed to be a lot of negativity. You have to remember that a four star or five star in our country is not the same as in the Carribean. If you got there with an attitude that you expect the same kind of service and luxuries as you do at home, then you're going to be disappointed. As long as the room is clean, the food is good, the staff friendly and helpful, the sun shines and the beach is to die for, what more do you want out of a vacation? I give this resort a five star plus, and would not hesitate to take my teenagers next year, which is what I'm seriously considering. |
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| ALMOST PARADISE |
| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
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Cheryl >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Feb, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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| I would recommend the majestic colonial to people. Very nice and better than previous resorts i have been to. Only one small complaint, went to have hair put up for wedding at spa - no english. However, with limited english/spanish and hand gestures - i was able to have the hairdo somehat close to what i had wanted. |
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| Your Arrival |
| Upon our arrival - check in was farily quick and personnel pleasant. A nice surprise that safes were included free of charge. Information session scheduled for following day re: pickup times, excursions etc. |
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| Rooms |
| Room was beautiful - air conditioned, jaccuzzi tub and a huge shower. Plenty of hot water (unlike other resorts which were luke warm at best). Only complaint, no faceclothes? Used large handtowel (not soft!). If you are assigned a corner room close to lobby I would suggest changing rooms, all night we heard entertainment noise, staff, vacationers - it was like being beside a frat party. Rooms were clean and well kept. Some rooms had flowers and towel swans but I guess that depends on your housekeeper. Mini bar had water, pop and max two beers per day. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| Buffet was good - better than others i had been to. Ala cart restaurants were good - steak house - chateau briand was awesome and French Restaurant very good! Make reservations upon arrving as they are booked quickly. Personnel were friendly. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| Beach and pool grounds were amazing. Pool bar a must try! Daily Water excercise class - great! |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| Activities - dolphin explorer a must - very cool. Awesome pictures! Worth the money. Horseback riding at the Pat Ranch also very cool. Very well run - and worth the money (not expensive). Staff were very friendly. They had guides at front, back and inbetween to ensure all riders were comfortable. Personnel also took pictures for riders on their own cameras. Very nice! |
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| Other Comments |
| Attended my sons wedding - they chose the gazibo for their ceremony. Beautiful. Wedding planner was very helpful and efficent. The photographer (off site) was amazing. Very organized, pleasant and funny! Unfortunatley do not know his name. I would suggest Gazibo for weddings - I watched three weddings and those on the beach were very nice, but sand/wind /beach people were all factors. the Gazibo, you are surrounded by gardens and a little more private. Pictures of beach still obtained. |
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| What a disappointment!! |
| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
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Deborah >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Feb, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| The resort looked like a million bucks when we arrived. Because we picked a Nolitours "Camelion Gold" package, the desk clerk immediately took us away from the front desk to a desk tucked out of the way to check us in and present us with a drink. OK so far. Our bags were taken to our room, 3 doors from the beach. OK looking good, the room was nice, but smelled a little damp, but Ok you're at the beach. We had had a 4 hour flight delay, so our first priority was to have a shower and get changed. My husband went to check our the balcony as I was unpacking, and discovered the door had been broken into from outside and wouldn't lock. so we called the front desk and they sent someone who took a hammer to pound in the frame from the outside and the lock mechanism so the door could be locked. Then we discovered that the taps at the sink didn't work, turn them on but no water. The repair man then started to pound on the taps with a hammer and after about 20 minutes of banging around, got some water to come out. So we've been at the resort for about an hour and we aren't too impressed. |
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| Rooms |
| damp and a little musty, well worn. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| We had heard the fish restaurant near the beach was terrific so we headed for for dinner. It was a little smokey because one side is a grill and the other a fish restaurant. We ordered and service was good, and the food was terrific. So we are back on track. After being up for about 36 hours, we headed to bed. The bedding was damp, but what the heck, we are at the beach. In the morning we headed to the Supreme buffet for an early breakfast. Not too bad, but the eggs are swimming in grease cooked in pans that look like they've never been washed (they were black and disgusting looking, oh yeah and they pour the grease onto your plate along with your eggs. If you like your tea hot, make sure you tell the coffee boy, BOILING WATER please or it will be luke warm. Down to the beach we head and most of the seats with shelter are already spoken for, but that's to be expected. We head to the buffet in the Palapa hut for lunch and find a salad bar, Paella with and without shellfish, burgers, sandwiches, the greasiest nacho chips I've ever seen, rice, beans, chicken and vegetables along with a desert bar - ice cream and pastries. This is the menu for the week and it doesn't change. The lunch and dinner buffet in the Supreme restaurant consists of these items, plus pizza and pasta - again the same every day (oh yeah and most evenings with a few additions here and there) The Mexican restaurant was a disappointment - service was slow and the food was mediocre. If you like Dominican food, they had a buffet of that and salad you could supplement your meal with. The fish house was good on the first try but our second visit was awful, the lobster was covered with something greasy and a bit rancid and was almost impossible to get out of the shell, I asked for rice instead of potatoes which arrived after I had finished my fish and was ice cold. My husband asked for white wine, they brought red and arrived with the white after our dinner arrived. We left without finishing our meals, no one even came to see if our dinners were OK. Serving staff on a whole are disinterested. Some appreciate the tips, others expect them, but it doesn't impact your service at all. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| The beach was not as clean as I expected. Cigarette buts, straws and bottle caps were littered everywhere and they staff didn't have the tools to properly take care of it. You can't clean up small items by walking around and picking them up by hand. The lawn chairs were grubby and the few small side tables were filthy. The water was rough and for a non swimmer, could be dangerous. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| My husband and 9 other guys went deep sea fishing, the tour rep recommended a charter, it was about $50 US cheaper than the tour per person, but the boat was well used and the entire event was less than impressive. The guys running the charter were selling beer for $2.50 US per bottle, but pushed the guys to buy a case, 24 for $72 US, elevating the price from $2.50 US per bottle to $3 US. There weren't any snacks or anything provided. If you travel Nolitours, be warned that the Cameleon Gold package DOES NOT INCLUDE GOLF even thought the brochure advertises it and the Nolitours rep will not intervene to sort it out for you. The Nolitours rep, Isabella won't help and sent us to the desk, but the hotel said we didn't have a jr suite and weren't entitled. PS they only have jr suites and majestic jr suites, so beware of their advertising. |
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| Other Comments |
| If you are travelling to the Domican, be aware that many of the hotel staff are Hatian and they do not speak sufficient english to communicate well. They are also looking for items to sent to Haiti for the earthquake victims, tylenol, advil, antibiotics, clothing, toiletries, etc. Take what you can and leave behind what you can. Every little bit helps. |
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| Nothing major to complain about. |
| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
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Melissa from Sudbury, ON >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Sep, 2009
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| Arrival: |
Arrival was little scary. Bit of a bumpy landing (first time flie)but not to bad (so i've been told). We arrived at around 9 pm. Once we exited the plane, we were rushed into the airport and through all the steps. People yelled at us (we were the only plane at that time) and we could not even use the bathrooms.. it was rush rush rush... grab your stuff get on a bus..
Once on the bus, our tour speaker was pretty friendly but a little hard to understand. He was funny and polite. The trip to our resort was quick, zooming through a dark countryside and needing to pee was dulling my mood.. lol
Once we arrived at our resort, check in went pretty quick and they (staff) gave us thier signature drink "the Majestic" OMG SOOOOO GOOD!!!! such a bonus after the airport attitudes.
We were amazed at how beautiful and large everything was. When we first walked in, it took our breath away.
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| Rooms: |
After we checked in, we arranged with a porter to bring our bags to our rooms (us and another couple that came with us). Poor guy.. our bags were heavy.. they were loaded with extra things for the kids at a school.
We started the journey to finding our rooms, and the map was pretty simple to follow. We just had no idea HOW large the resort actually was.. it took a good walk to get to our rooms and i was nervous as we had wanted a specific room and we were not sure if we'd get it (there was alot of misunderstanding between our travel agent, the resorts website, and whomever our agent spoke with at resort)
When we finally found our room, waaaaay at the end, hehehe, it was wonderful. Just like the pictures, it was amazing. Of course i was excited to see that we had recieved the right room.
We booked the Colonial Junior suite ocean front.
I just about died the next morning when i could actually see the view from our room. It was beyond breathtaking. This trip was to celebrate our 10th anniversary, and to basically be our honeymoon, as we never took one. We've been raising our five children, and this was now some 'us' time.
I totally recommend this room for anyone looking for a romantic time.
The room was clean, and huge. It did have a bit of a musty smell, which i was told to expect. It wasn't a smell that you noticed all the time. Just a little bit.
The bed was a king size and actually comfortable. The pillows needed to be more fluffy, but we just ordered extra's from housekeeping, and of course i brought along a body pillow (i strunk it in one of those space saver bags to bring along).
The terrace was very large and private enough. We really enjoyed the outdoor jaccuzzi tub and used it every night. It was nice that the outside lights on our terrace would turn off themselves around midnight, and it made a nice setting, that much more romantic. |
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| Restaurants and Bars: |
We seemed to favor the restaurant closest to the beach (La Hispaniola) as it was the only one serving breakfast when we'd get up. (late risers) At night it turned into two restaurants, steak on one half and seafood on the other.
One night when i wanted to go to the seafood side, hubby realized that it was only seafood on that side. He was going to sit with me, while i had my dinner and then grab himself something at the snack shack after. (He hates seafood).
One of the waiters, realized he had not ordered and came to question us. When Hubby stated that he didnt eat the seafood, the waiter offered to get him something from the 'steak' side. Hubby and I got to enjoy a great dinner together, thanks to a wonderful waiter who made sure that we were happy :)
We ate at least one meal at every restaurant and the food was good everywhere. We were very disappointed in the Ma+suri Teppan-yaki cooking presentation.
Our 'chef' was not very friendly and did not put on a show for us..He just cooked the food and left.
Our whole group wished we were at the cooking show beside us, as that 'chef' was putting on a great show (that we could hear) and everyone in that group had the most amazing time.
The bars were basically the same everywhere. Great drinks, fairly good service. The only we caution people on, is that the services do not seem to know the word "allergies".
Our friend is deathly allergic to pineapples, and we always stated none to be served. At one bar, a waitress brought over a drink with pineapple slice on the side, and when we tried to order it without, she took the pineapple off the drink and ate it and said " there..no pineapple". She didnt seem to understand that it even with the slice gone, the drink still contained pineapple now.
That was the only thing we brought to the resorts attention and suggested that they be aware of people with allergies. It would sometime take a few minutes to find the right bar tender who would understand what we were telling him about allergies, but overall it was pretty good. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds: |
The grounds were well groomed. Very clean and pretty. Lots of flowers and trees and the pool was amazing. Very long and not to cold.
The beach was beautiful and of course, a few seconds into my first ocean experience i was hit by a wave and inhaled the water.. yucky salt.. lol EVERYONE was laughing.
It was frustrating that the loungers would all be 'saved' but if i really wanted to sit/lie and i noticed that someone had not come back for a while, i just gently moved thier belongings and used the lounger. I would place back thier stuff later. Some might disagree with me, but i think that it is a worse offense to 'save a seat' that you are not using.
The overall expeirence everywhere was amazing! Beautiful weather, amzing resort and a wonderful time with hubby :) |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel: |
We did two tours. The first was a jeep tour which was ok. We were disappointed in the fact that the school we were to see (and had brought supplies for) was closed that day (apparently the teacher was ill) We left our supplies with our tour operator (which our travel operator suggested) and he was supposed to drop them off at the school at a later date and send us pictures, which we never recieved. oh well. We hope at least that someone was able to enjoy the gifts we brought.
The jeep tour, was quick. Not many bathroom breaks but still nice. We got the short version of everthing as there were only 3 of us who spoke english, and the rest were french. The tour guide would give a very long description of everything in french and we'd get a two-word 'this is this'.
our second tour we did was to Saona Island. I really enjoyed that tour. The don't plan things very well for overweight people, but overall it was a great day. If you do the tour and are overweight, do NOT get out of the boat at the star fish area. It was very hard to get back into the boat on the stupid little ladder they had. We had a lady slip and smash her face because she could not get up the ladder. |
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| Other Comments: |
| We had an amazing time. Any little situations/annoyances were just that: Little. Nothing major to complain about.
In fact, we are trying to book the same room and send my parents there for their 40th anniversay next year.
We would go back in a heart beat, although i think we'll find something alittle lessy pricey as we hope to bring the kids next time :) A wonderful resort that was easy to create unforgetable memories in! |
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| I would recommend this resort if you are thinking about going south. |
| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
| User Rating:
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Kevin from Nova Scotia >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jul, 2009
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Arrival: June 27 - July 04
Our arrival was fine. Being a seasoned traveler to the DR we knew to take our own bags to the bus area and look for our A/C rep. If you are a first time visitor you can be overwhelmed by all the guys trying to take your bags for you but all they are after is your $ so take your own maybe a 1 minute walk to the buses. The bus ride was good only one other stop so it was about 30 minutes. At the Hotel we were greeted by a hotel rep that led to an area for Air Canada Travelers not the main desk, check in was roughly 5 minutes. We were given a welcoming drink kind of sweet but nice.
Rooms:
We asked for a room on the top floor and received it. We ask for the top floor because we find them less musty smelling. Ours was on the fourth floor not a problem with an elevator. The room was large with a whirlpool tub and walk in shower, the only thing I could find bad about the room was the drain for the shower was in the high part of the floor and didn't drain properly. Nothing a couple of minutes with a sandal couldn't take care of. Our air conditioning worked great I set it at 15 and left it there all week no problems. One tip I will give is if the power goes out go back and reset it because it defaults to 21 not cool enough.
Restaurants and Bars:
Lots of choices, we ate at the Mexican, Gourmet, Japanese, Steakhouse and the Fishhouse (name escapes me) all good. We ate two other nights at the buffet great selection all the favorites. Breakfast at the buffet was great, get have the chef make you an omelet.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The beach was nice lots of room to be with a group or be by yourself if you want to. No shortage of huts at the beach or pool. The pool is large I think around 400 meters long, the water at the pool was to warm and to much chlorine so we spend our time at the beach, always a nice breeze there as well. The grounds were well maintained only litter was around the pool lazy people leaving their drink glasses on the sides of the pool.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Lots of beach activities for those who want to take part we are in our mid fifties so we want to relax and take it easy. The nightly shows are okay much the same as other resorts we have visited, lots of audience participation but somewhere to go for a night cap. We have done most of the day trips over the years but this time I decided to try the deep sea fishing, mistake that day any way. No fish and not very comfortable. There was seven people six rods, and only one no seat, outside that is. There was seats in side the cabin but if you are fishing you want to be outside. I wouldn't recommend this trip at this resort.
Other Comments:
Over all our trip was great, I would recommend this resort if you are thinking about going south. |
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| The mojitos were as good as any we had in Cuba. |
| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
| User Rating:
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Sophie & Wolf from Montreal >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jul, 2009
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Arrival: June 19 to July 3
After an uneventful flight we arrived at the hotel in time for dinner. The bellboy took our luggage to our room 2224 and patiently explained how everything in the room worked, especially how to program the save (rental included in the all-inclusive package). The bathroom robes were missing, but thanks the bellboy, arrived soon after. He deserved the big tip he received. The two key cards for the door had to be reprogrammed the next day no big deal.
Rooms:
The room was excellent in every way. Occasionally a mosquito got in somehow and I got bitten several times. Lots of towels and fresh flowers every day. We did not tip the maid until the end of the first week and then again at the end of our stay. Her service was excellent. Frankly, I don't see the point of having a big bathtub in the middle of the room. Who needs it after swimming in the ocean all day.
Restaurants and Bars:
Well, what can I say? No gourmet food here, but we could always find something edible. Breakfast was fine with crepes and fresh tropical fruits. Lunch in the beach resto consisted mostly of rice, a piece of chicken and some vegetables. Sometimes a freshly grilled hamburger. I had a lot pasta for dinner and stayed away from the precooked stuff. We survived. The red wine was terrible, the white acceptable. We ate twice at the Chinese resto. The duck was O.K., the rest tasteless. Sushi acceptable. The Japanese grill was the best reserve early, the place is very popular. Drinks with domestic liqueur were included, imported premium (cognac) costs extra. The mojitos were as good as any we had in Cuba. We try to cut down on alcohol one beer and one drink a day was enough.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The beach is superb, the best part of the whole vacation. Gorgeous white sand and clear warm water for swimming. We arrived on the beach between 7:30 and 8:30 and had no trouble getting loungers and a palapa. Front-line palapas were usually reserved by then. People arriving after 10 a.m. had to keep looking.We never tried the pool who needs it with that fabulous beach.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
I got a good workout at the small gym every second day. They should have more dumbbells with different weights. Some machines need maintenance badly and the air-conditioning should work better. We went for long walks on the beach daily and had a look at some of the other hotels. The Moon Palace looks raw and uninviting. The Barcelo Premium looked overcrowded with loungers like sardines on the beach. The Majestic Excellence next door seems like a twin sister of the Colonial.
Other Comments:
A well deserved vacation, reasonably priced,we will be back!!! |
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| We would only recommend this hotel if you get it at a great price. |
| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
| User Rating:
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Debbie from New Jersey >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Jun, 2009
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| My husband and I (both 30 years old) stayed at the Majestic Colonial Punta Cana from 5/16/09-5/23/09. We booked airfare via Continental and hotel/transfers via Orbitz. We have stayed at a number of all inclusive hotels previously and rate our stay at the Majestic Colonial as good, not great. This hotel is a moderate 3.0 to 3.5 star all inclusive. We only paid $1050 for seven nights for both of us, so we were not expecting luxury and did not get it. It is very unlikely that we would return to the Majestic Colonial if/when we return to Punta Cana in the future simply because our experience was not so wonderful that we would not want to try something else. But I do want to make sure it is clear that nothing went terribly wrong on our trip either. It was just an “ok” resort. Luckily, I did plenty of research before going and knew what to expect. |
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| Airport Arrival: |
| Paid $10 per person upon arrival for the tourist card (a joke). It is purely money making. From there we were harassed by at least five airport baggage employees who wanted to take our bags from us so we would tip them. I knew what to expect ahead of time. Simply say, “no gracias” and keep walking.
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| Transfers using Coco Tours: |
| We booked our transfers using Coco Tours (paid via Orbitz). We had no problems when we got to Punta Cana, but had major problems when leaving. We do not recommend Coco Tours. Our scheduled pickup at the MC was 11:00 AM for a 2PM flight. We were waiting for our transfer from 10:30 AM. At 11:00 AM no one showed from Coco Tours. At 11:30 AM no one showed up. The bellhops at the hotel tried to help us by calling Coco, and Coco said that someone would be there shortly. We were not picked up until 11:55AM. (2 hrs before our scheduled departure). We were picked up with 3 other couples- all who also were picked up very late (30 min-55 min late) The lines at the airport are TERRIBLE. We checked in online but still needed to wait to check in our luggage when we got to the airport. (took 20 min) Then we had to wait to go through airport security which meant waiting on an additional three separate lines which took an additional hour and ten minutes. We almost missed our flight because of Coco Tours. We made the tail end of the plane’s boarding. We do not recommend Coco Tours- but if you use them, have them pick you up at least 3.5 hrs in advance. |
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| Hotel Check In: |
| Hotel check-in begins at 3:00 PM. We had an early flight and arrived at the hotel around 1PM. Three times we were told to come back to the front desk to see if our room was ready. It was not finally ready until 3:30 PM. I was fine with having to wait for the room, but we should not have kept being asked to come back. When we arrived we received the handcloth, but no Majestic drink. No big deal, we walked over to the bar :-) |
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| Room: |
| We paid for a Junior Suite Garden View but were upgraded (thanks to Annemarie!) to a Pool View. We stayed in room 3322 (third floor of a three floor building). The room is very large, had high ceilings, a large ceiling fan, and has nice marble floors and counters. We loved the large Jacuzzi. These rooms are made for couples- not families or friends traveling together. As we knew ahead of time, the shower and toilet stall have frosted glass doors and the doors do not extend to the ceiling. We had no issues, but others may. We had no musty smell and no mosquitoes. Air conditioning worked well. Our mattress was horrible- very cheap thin mattress. Became very uncomfortable after a week of sleeping on it. Unlike others, we requested extra pillows and had no pillow problems. Our sheets/towels were not stained as others have stated in their reviews. One issue we had were ants. Dozens everyday all along the bathroom counter, bathroom floor area, hot tub area, and mini fridge area. At first I could deal, but then it just got annoying. I know this is the Caribbean and the humidity encourages insects, but this was ridiculous. The hotel needs to spray. Room was cleaned everyday around 11AM. Hotel also had a maid come around between 9PM-10PM asking if you needed more clean towels. This was nice except if you were sleeping or you have kids that were sleeping! TV offered the following English channels: CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, ESPN News, TNT, and USA. The room was nice, but not luxury by any means- cracks in the walls, missing cement and corking in corners, open electrical outlets in the walls with exposed wires. The maid never made any towel animals for us even though we were celebrating our anniversary. Our bath was never drawn and flower petals (or flowers) were never left in our room. We didn't care much though. Our mini-fridge was restocked on a daily basis with soda, water, and beer. If we wanted something in particular, we left a dollar or two on top of the minifridge with a list of what we wanted. When we arrived we had a bottle of champagne waiting for us. Later that first day, we had a fruit/cheese plate delivered (no extra cost). (Not sure if this was sent by Annemarie of if this was standard). Second and third day we were sent (no extra cost) plates of white chocolate covered grapes (a bit unusual but good). Fourth day we received a plate of Italian meats. The first few nights a guy game around with a wine cart asking if we wanted a bottle of wine for our room.
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| Food |
Breakfast: is excellent- made to order crepes, eggs, omelets plus hot chafing dishes, fresh fruit, fruit smoothies, etc.
Lunch: is ok- indoor buffet has chafing dishes, burgers, one carving meat, made to order pasta, and salads. Outdoor lunch buffet has made to order grilled sandwiches, burgers, paella, made to order pasta, and a few other miscellaneous things. Meat quality was fair. Many foods are not kept hot enough/cold enough.
Dinner: is a hit or miss here. Overall, with a few exceptions, we found the quality of the meat and dishes to be sub par compared to other all inclusives we had been to (the Palace Resorts in Mexico are way better in this respect) There isn’t much seafood, the carving stations serve dried out poor quality meat, and many restaurants serve reheated meat. We tried every restaurant except the Chinese.
Japanese Restaurant: excellent and you should make sure to book your reservation as soon as possible. Great show and great fresh food.
Steakhouse and Seafood Restaurants: At the steakhouse for an appetizer we had the tempura pineapple/chicken skewers which unfortunately did not taste fresh and instead tasted like it had been made hours before and were reheated and tough. The chateaubriand is excellent but its side dishes were fair- overcooked mini corn on the cob and cold, pre-made boxed mashed potatoes. The steakhouse and seafood restaurant are in the same room- steakhouse on the left side of the room, seafood on the ride side. The room has one kitchen- an open air kitchen where all food for both “restaurants” is prepared. I wanted to have lobster at the seafood restaurant, but my husband cannot eat seafood so one night we went and clearly explained this to the hostesses. For ten minutes they refused to seat us at the same table, insisting that we could only pick one. Eventually they caved and sat us with the two menus. My husband again ordered the chateaubriand- excellent. Seafood: I ordered the seafood enchiladas (not good) for an appetizer. I had the grilled lobster dinner which was excellent. Later in the week we again returned and had the same request. We were laughed at and sat at the bar. They refused to seat us at a table. After fifteen minutes I got up and asked when we would be seated and the hostess brought us to the seafood side of the restaurant, handed me one seafood menu and told us that only I could eat (not my husband) and that if he wanted to eat, he’d have to sit across the room. Extremely rude and very unaccommodating for no reason. Luckily, our server didn’t care and happily brought me lobster and my husband chateaubriand (yes, his third that week). Both were excellent again.
French Restaurant: The pumpkin soup was excellent but the lobster bisque was terrible. I ordered the snapper which was good. My husband had the beef tenderloin which was very good. We both had the crème brulee with the alcohol on the side. Very good.
Dinner Buffet: Fair- We were not happy with the dinner buffet because it was almost the exact same as the lunch buffet and did not have high quality offerings. Overcooked fish, no shellfish, overcooked meat, dried out carving station, etc. Like I said, it’s fine, but not great.
Mexican restaurant: absolutely terrible. Don’t bother going here. My husband had the chicken nachos which were ok, my seafood cerviche was horrible. For main course, my husband had the “burrito” which was not a typical burrito and was terrible. I had the Fajitas- overcooked, reheated meat in tortillas.
We certainly didn’t starve, but it isn’t the best food at an all inclusive either. Most of the restaurants offered a dessert buffet. Unfortunately it was always the same and the desserts were only fair. As I knew, room service was not included. We did not use it because the menu was very small and very expensive.
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| Bars: |
| We don’t drink that much, but didn’t find the bars here as good as at other all inclusive resorts. First, unlike other better resorts, most of the bars only offer pre-made frozen drinks in large icee machines. No blenders to make fresh drinks with fresh fruit and alcohol. Also, no light beer is offered. Additionally, certain better quality alcohol costs extra. The two “better” bars are the two in the lobby because they have blenders. Make sure to ask for a “dirty monkey” (chocolate/banana drink), “banana mama” (frozen banana and grenadine), and the “majestic” (frozen creamsicle drink). Only regular presidente beer is served at the hotel. As far as wine is concerned, we tried the house white and house rose wine. Both were fine. I didn't try the house red. |
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| Grounds: |
The grounds are beautiful and very well kept.
Pool: The long pool is beautiful and is really split into two sections (wall in the middle) and is beautiful. But it only 3-4 ft deep in all parts. One half of the pool has a swim up bar. The side of the pool with the swim up bar is colder then the half without the bar. (we have no idea why). Make sure to bring pool floats with you. While we were there (last week) the entire area around the pool was under construction- the surrounding pool patio area which was made of cracked cement was being replaced with tiles. This will look much better once completed.
Beach: Beach was nice with clear water. We recommend bringing water shoes because there are rocks in some places. If you snorkel you can see/feed some schools of fish. No reef is within swimming distance. We never had a problem getting chairs at the beach/pool around lunchtime. Don’t bother “reserving” chairs with a towel because rude people come by, take your towels, and put their stuff down. Three days we were there the pool towel service ran out of clean/dry towels. (TIP: lose your towel cards? Don’t pay the $20 for replacements. Instead, go get the same towels from the gym.)
Gym: We used the gym a number of mornings: It is very small with 2 treadmills, two ellipticals, two bikes, some free weights, and some equipment. No fans or air conditioning- extremely hot inside. As far as the gym is concerned, the elliptical machines really don't work very well. Make sure you are familiar with the metric system so you don’t try to lift too much. The tennis courts looked nice (although we didn't use them). The softball/soccer field is a joke- flooded and coming apart
Shows: The only show we went to was the Michael Jackson show which we both enjoyed.
Casino: The casino consists of about 24 slots, and 4 table games. Very small, so don’t expect much.
Sports Bar/Disco: The sports bar and the disco are in the same small room. We went to the sports bar one night to kill some time, it has one large projection tv. We never went to the disco.
Internet/Making Calls: Internet costs $5 for 30 minutes in the computer room. If you want to call the US, buy a calling card in the lobby or elsewhere. When using the calling card in your room, you’ll pay a $2 connection fee (when finished with each call don’t hang up- follow calling card prompts to keep making calls to prevent additional $2 fees).
The Beach Party is on Wednesday night, but because it rained it was cancelled. Friday night is vendor night where the locals bring in jewelry/paintings/crafts to sell. Make sure to haggle with them for way less then they ask for.
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There is a photography shop on site where you can book a one hour photo session (no booking fee). You meet them, walk around the resort and take photos. Some come out well, some not so well. If you want to buy them, each pic costs $10 for a 6x8 for $20 for 8x10 or $30 for 12x18. Each pic costs an extra $10 to have it on cd. We bought 3 6x8 prints. (they won’t let you pay to put them on cd unless you buy 5 or more pics) So, we bought the 6x8 prints and we’ll scan and blow them up.
Service: Overall, the staff at the hotel is extremely friendly and helpful. The only exception was the two hostesses at the steakhouse and seafood restaurant who were actually quite rude.
Day Trips: there are about six “activities” desks at the MC. At each desk sits a representative from the major tour companies. They expect you to book with the person from the tour company that you booked your trip with. However, you can sit down with each of them to see if they offer something that your tour rep does not offer. There may be some difference in price as well. We took the day trip to Saona Island: Don’t waste your money. One of the worst vacation day trips we have ever taken.
Shopping: The hotel has about 10 shops itself: Harrisons’s jewelry (ridiculously overpriced- almost hilarious), cigar store (we were told by smokers that they were ridiculous), and other miscellaneous craft shops that were very overpriced. Instead, walk out to the main gate of the Majestic Hotels and go to the Punta Blanca Artisenal Shops (get souvenirs at WAY less). When we went we were told large oil paintings were $5-$25 before haggling. You can also buy tshirts, jewelry, and crafts.
The hotel does not have a free shuttle to the Palma Real Shopping Mall and we were told it would cost $50 round trip to go, so we didn’t bother. The only shops (outside the resort) within walking distance are the Punta Blanca Artisenal Shops (5-10 min walk) and the ones that are on the beach (30 min walk on the beach to the right).
Weather: I knew that this is the “rainy” month and it was. Out of 7 days, we had one sunny day, five completely cloudy days, and two almost completely rainy days. We also had some terrible thunderstorms at night. Resort lost power and it took the emergency generators a few minutes to kick in while you were in your room in complete darkness.
Overall, as I stated in the beginning of this review, this was a good vacation, but not a great one. For the price we paid, we had no major complaints. However, this was not a spectacular hotel and is only worth what we paid. We would only recommend this hotel if you get it at a great price.
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| We enjoyed our stay at the Majestic and felt that 7 days was not long enough! |
| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
| User Rating:
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Lex >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| May, 2009
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Our group of 4 stayed at Majestic Colonial from Apr 25-May 2. The resort is quite large and overall we had a wonderful time. We have been on a few all inclusives before so the below information is an unbiased opinion of what we experienced.
Flight (4/5): Air Canada Vacations – The seats were very roomy and you could pay extra for first class service, if you wanted. You are able to do an online check in 24hrs before your flight where you get to pick the seats you want. There was food for purchase on the flight (sandwiches, Pringles, etc). You can use your own personal earbuds to plug in and watch movies/tv shows on the screen in front of you.
Punta Cana Airport (4/5)– Very clean and smoothly run from what we saw. As soon as you walk into the airport your picture gets taken, which you can pay for when you get back to the airport for your return flight ($9 or $10US). There are several baggage handlers that try to take your bags for you to the bus, however a firm ‘no gracias’ will let them know you don’t need their service.
MC Checkin (4/5)– We were greeted with a cool, wet facecloth and MC’s signature drink – the Majestic. The cloth was so refreshing and the drink was DELISH! We drank several of these throughout the course of our trip! Checkin was smooth despite the large group of people checking in. We had arrived at about 10:30AM but were told our rooms wouldn’t be available until 330pm. Our luggage was left at the front of the lobby, so we could get into our bathing suits and relax by the bar, pool, beach, etc until our rooms were ready. Our only hiccup was the room we were given. We had requested floors 2 or 3 in building 2 or 3 and it seemed like we were given the exact opposite – 1st floor in building 1. (Building 2 & 3 face the pool – whereas 1 and 4 face the outside grounds. After speaking to someone at the lobby we managed to get a 2nd floor room. We were in ‘1’ (1207 & 1210) which faced a neighboring resort where their trolley often picked up people to go to the beach or somewhere. It wasn’t too bad as we did get to enjoy the sun a bit longer on our balcony.) --the first number is the building number, the 2nd number is your floor and the last 2 numbers are the room numbers. The lower the number, the closer to the lobby, buffet etc. The higher the number (45-50ish) the closer to the beach you are. |
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Room (3.5/5)– Like many have mentioned, the rooms are very large and spacious. There was a chilled bottle of champagne upon our arrival. We got a King Sized bed, several pillows, 2 robes, a bunch of towels (FYI – no facecloths, we had brought our own). The room also included a large Jacuzzi. Many people have commented on the open concept washroom area (the toilet is enclosed in a frosted glass door, however the tile and doors create a lot of acoustics – so be mindful of this!) We found the bed to be comfortable enough – but we are pretty easy going. Myself, I found the pillows to be too soft, but I just took the extra pillows and doubled up a bit. There is A/C in the room, which I found caused a LOT of dampness. The bed often felt wet from the humidity (which we only noticed in the rooms, mostly). Bring a scented candle or an air freshener as it will freshen up the room a bit – ours was quite musty smelling. We also noticed a lot of dirt (maybe mold) along the rims of the lampshades, which was kind of gross. Perhaps a result of the dampness? The housekeeper cleaned our room daily – we tipped ever other day or so. One day she left flowers in tissue on the faucet in the sink which was nice. I am quite glad she didn’t leave any flowers on the bedding as it seemed there were some teeny tiny bugs that came out of the flowers. They hung around in the bathroom sink all of the time, but we just swept them up with a tissue. No biggie, really. The mini bar was restocked every day with bottles of water, some pop and cervesa. Our first day there were 2 chocolate bars (Monchi) that were exactly like Nestle Crunch bars. There was no extra charge to consume what was in the minibar.
Pool (4/5)– The pool itself was VERY large – my boyfriend even went for a ‘pool hike’ and timed his walk – 9 ½ minutes to walk the length of the pool (this was walking IN the pool). The pool was a comfortable temperature, and VERY refreshing on the hot HOT days! I wish I brought floaties as they are not supplied by the resort. We did end up buying one from the shop for TWENTY dollars, so if you want to float around, go to your local dollar store and pick one up for MUCH less!!!!! (You will find them at the outside vendors which is right outside of the resort which are selling for about $12, and you could probably barter to a lower price). There are several loungers around the pool and only one day we couldn’t find a spot to sit, but we hadn’t gotten to the pool until 1pm. Close to the lobby there was a schedule of pool events which we didn’t find EVER took place. There was water polo and volleyball scheduled usually daily at 4pm but they never ever occurred. There is a volleyball net in the pool but when we asked for a volleyball we were told there wasn’t one. So we also had to buy one from the local store….
Beach (4/5): The beach is fantastic! The resort is situated on a part of the island that is VERY windy, so there are lots of waves. I had heard about Portuguese man o’ wars before I left so I was worried about getting stung by them. Luckily we didn’t see any when we were there, however I’ve heard SEVERAL people say they have. (Google Portuguese man o’war for more info… and be on the lookout!) It was not overly rocky in the water – but there were some rocks towards the center/left of the resort. If you walk to the right a bit, the ocean floor is all sand! |
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Food (3.5/5): The food was ok, but nothing great. I loved the crepes, French toast and Memosas at breakfast the most. There was no bacon the first two or last day we were there, but there always was ham. I enjoyed the steakhouse and the Japanese restaurant the most. We booked reservations on Sunday morning for the Japanese restaurant and the earliest availability was Thursday night at 930pm – if you wish to eat at this restaurant...book early! At the gourmet restaurant the men must wear long pants. We saw a few men who were asked to go back to their rooms to change. All of the food is included in the AI price, however if you want 'non house' wine, you'll pay extra for it. There is a wine menu at the Gourmet restaurant for bottles of wine ranging from $30+. We had been to Cuba and Punta Cana before without any problems, however this was the first trip that I’d ever had any stomach issues. I had an upset stomach the last few days of our stay, but it wasn’t anything terrible. We’d met someone who had more severe stomach problems and were forced to take runs to their room on occasion. Bring Pepto pills and Immodium to be safe. I can’t say what caused the problems, but something was off.
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Activities(3/5) – the nightly shows were ok. They didn’t last too long but were enjoyable. We never went to the disco or the casino. I heard from a few people that it seemed like almost everyone was losing at the casino. Some people thought something fishy was going on. We’d also heard that some of the dealers were less than pleasant. To the left of the casino there is an outdoor chess set, 2 pool tables, ping pong and fooseball which were fun to take part in at night. The pianist, Pablo, who plays in the upstairs area and in some of the evening shows was fantastic!! He is so friendly and plays amazing music!
Staff (5/5): Although this wasn’t our favorite all inclusive resort, we have to comment on the staff. The staff at the Majestic were fabulous! From what we experienced, everyone was so friendly, smiling and willing to accommodate your needs. At the buffet and restaurants there was ALWAYS someone ready to fill your water, clear your plate, or just engage in friendly conversation. We NEVER got the feeling that tips were expected… We tipped at almost every meal and noticed how sincere the employees were and gave us a genuine ‘gracias’.
Excursion(5/5): This year we only did one excursion which was the Fun Buggies (Pancho Rancho LLano). There was a mix of ATV and Dune buggies. We did the Dune buggies which was SO much fun. It was 2person/buggy and there were a mix of manual and automatic buggies. Everyone else I know who did this tour got to get down and dirty and muddy, however we did not go through any muddy areas. The tour took us to a beach (can’t think of the name of the beach right now) where we stayed for 15 min for some pictures. After this we were taken to a freshwater cave which was so much fun. There were children in the area who gave us drawings they made in school. After the cave dive we went for a brief horseback riding tour. The ranch itself is BEAUTIFULLY kept... a really nice spot to visit. This excursion was about $63US for a ½ day and well worth it! SO much fun!!!
The activities around the pool need to improve and some updates could be done to some of the rooms, however nothing was unmanageable. Overall we enjoyed our stay at the Majestic and felt that 7 days was not long enough! |
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| The room definitely had the musty smell everyone talks about. |
| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
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Sherry from Vastal, NY >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| May, 2009
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| Arrival: May 15-21 |
| We arrived at the airport and went through a long, but realtively quick line to purchase our tourist cards for $10, just to hand them back at the next desk- the DR's way to pick up some extra money I guess. We booked our trip through CheapCaribbean and purchased the transport service. So after we got our luggage, we found the representative for Turinter transport and were quickly loaded onto a van. We were disappointed with the scenic drive to the resort due to garabage all along the road side. Check in was quick and simple and they accomodated the room requests we had asked for when booking. We also sent Annemarie an email with our requests. We went straight to our rooms (we arrived around 2:30 PM). No Majestic drink at check in, no biggie. There was a little confusion with Turinter transports- we were told to meet with their rep the following morning at 9:30, after waiting for 30 minutes, we finally discovered that there rep was in an area in the lobby where there are reps booking tours to various places. We were given our pick up time for departure and were on our way after that- they are trying to sell tours along with the transportation back to the airport.
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| Rooms: |
| The room definitely had the musty smell everyone talks about. We were on the second floor. I would not rate this hotel a 5 star, more like 3- 3 1/2. The bedding, curtains and pull out coach all need to be replaced. The room was clean and we had brought some candles to help with the smell. It is a very open floor plan, so being very comfortable with your roommate is important! We never had towel problems and the fridge was stocked everyday. We did leave a $2 tip for the maid everyday. Our room was always made up by the time we returned to the room around 3 pm. Our room was at the end of the hall, closest to the lobby and there is a large theater directly across from the rooms. There is a show every night from 10-11pm and it was very loud, so if you like to go to bed early, ask for a room towards the middle or the beach end. |
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| Restaurants and Bars: |
| We went to the main buffet everyday for breakfast. The staff throughout the resort were all wonderful, friendly people. Many tried to help us with our spanish. The buffet had many choices for breakfast and the coffee is wonderful! We ate at all of the resturants... the main buffet was best for breakfast and lunch. There is a smaller buffet at the Steak restuarant by the beach for breakfast and lunch. This is where we typically had lunch. The food consisted of chicken, burgers, pasta, fruits and salads, and was ok. The French Restaurant was wonderful, though stay away from the lobster bisque- it was awful. The Japanese restaurant was wonderful and the Steak Restaurant was very good. It is not gourmet food by any stretch of the imagination, but good. I am a big white wine drinker and I have to say the house wine was barely ok, the red was awful( that is all that is included in the all inclusive- otherwise there are other options for a price). Presidente beer is the only choice included in the all inclusive. They frequently ask if you want rum in your drinks- well yeah! There is not a lot of consistancy in how a drink is made or how much alcohol there is in a drink. We had Dirty Monkeys and if you give them bananas(just make sure there is a blender- not all of the bars have blenders) they will use the banana for your drink. You should try Mamajuana- it is the Dominican Drink. We did bring our bubba kegs with us and they were fine with filling them up for us. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds: |
| The grounds, beach and pool are beautiful. We walked up and down the beach and it is the best stretch of beach compared to the Moon, Rui, and Bahia Principe. There are palapas everywhere- we did do the towel game and put towels on our chairs early, but there were always plenty of chairs throughout the day. Topless is ok at the beach and we saw some people at the pool- many who should rethink their decision! The water is fairly rough for snorkeling, so we never even tried it. The pool is nice and there were typically chairs there as well. It does tend to be littered with empty cups along the sides, by the end of the day, but that's thanks to the guests. You can exchange your wet towels as often as needed- just remember to collect your towel card prior to check out.
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel: |
| We didn't do any tours, but we did take the 5 minute walk to Playa Blanca- the small shopping plaza by the hotel- go out the main lobby and head down the road to the right, once through the gaits, it's straight ahead on the right. Be ready for 20 or so shops, side by side, and being hearded in by the workers for high pressure sales/bartering. All of the shops for the most part, have the same stuff. |
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| Other Comments: |
| We brought plenty of 1 dollar bills and tipped everybody, but we too were amazed at how few people we saw tipping. We would see some of the waiters we had at breakfast later at dinner. A lot of these people are bussed in from various parts of the island, work long days and make very little and yet they were always cheerful. A word to those traveling from the US- you cannot take the mamajuana bottles of just the herbs back into the US- you have to add rum to it or it won't get through security at the DR airport. Our friends we were traveling with had to throw their bottle away at security. We have traveled to a number of other destinations and would say that St John, St Thomas and Bermuda are nicer islands. We would not return to the DR. |
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| The food in Punta Cana was the BEST Caribbean food I've ever had. |
| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
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Anne >
5 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2009
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Arrival
Easy breeezy"!
Rooms
The room we had booked. However it was a room on the ground floor with a walk out to the pool. There was absolutely NO privacy, as the bathroom area was completely open and as a result open through the patio doors to the pool. ( there was no where to dress or undress without feeling open to the public. So we upgraded our room to a fourth floor completely private room with two decks! It was amazing!!!! The food in Punta Cana was the BEST Caribbean food I've ever had. ( I've been in the Caribbean 9 times) The resort was so spacious that even if the hotel was full (which I don't know) The staff was extemeely friendly which is not surprising umong Domincian people. Maid service iffy.... we left a $2.00 US tip daily and got what would we expect if we had given no tip. Overall... the best of the Dominican that we've experienced!!
Restaurants and Bars
The food here was far above par. Delicious!!!!!!!!
Beach/Pools/Grounds
Teh beach, Pool, Grounds were fabulous!!
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
Didn't participate
Other Comments
Worth the money. But don't lelave the maid a tip...you get nothing extra!
aaylward@live.ca
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| The beach wedding was awesome. |
| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
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Barb from Ontario >
2 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2009
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Arrival: March 27 - April 10
Greeted by nice young lady who gave us a "Majestic" drink, which was very good. We arrived at 1:00p.m. and the rooms were not ready. We were part of a bigger party that was coming for a wedding. We requested a room overlooking the pool and Janet was very accomodating. We were able to get into our room by 3. Unfortunately for the bride and groom, they were not able to get into their room until 5.
Rooms
Room was clean. We had no problem with the fact that the bathroom and the actual room set up. Shower was nice and big. Always clean towels and face cloths. Maid did a great job of keeping us in good supply and if by chance laundry was late, she always came in the evening and gave us the towels that we were missing. Fridge was well stocked and staff was very accomodating when we requested more water to be left. The balcony overlooked the pool which we really enjoyed.
Restaurants and Bars
Buffet had a huge selection. We figured out that it was necessary to tour the entire area before choosing what we wanted, to avoid overeating. There was fresh fish grilled every night, as well as fresh chicken or beef. Fresh pasta section was great.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
Loved the pool that ran the length of the hotel. Always a chair poolside or at the beach. Never had to search for a chair to sit in. Grounds were well manicured. Staff was on the beach daily to clean up debris that had washed up.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
We spent our time relaxing and taking part in the celebration of the marriage of our son and daughter in law. Had a great time. The beach wedding was awesome.
Other Comments
We enjoyed our stay. To be honest, there were some small troubles encountered by different people in our party, but it was all correctable. We enjoyed our stay and would return for another visit.
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| The wedding was a huge success. |
| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
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Susan from Fort Lauderdale, FL >
2 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Apr, 2009
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My son Jay and my daughter-in-law Megan were married at Majestic Colonial, Punta Cana, on March 27, 2009. We had almost 50 guests in all so it was a large gathering. We were spread out through the entire hotel even though we had requested for the family rooms to be in the same general area.
We arrived on Mon, 3/23. The weather that was very overcast and windy. We stayed at the pool and the water was very chilly considering the lack of sun. The next day it was more of the same weather, very windy on the beach but we still went. Each day the weather improved a little so by Friday, the day of the wedding, it was quite pleasant, warm and sunny with a bit of wind.
Jay and Megan were married at 5:30 p.m. at the gazebo. It was very beautifully set up with a small table and a flower centerpiece, candles and chairs for everyone. Everything went off flawlessly including my grandson, Dylan, meandering down the very long aisle with his little ring bearer pillow in hand. After photos were taken, we proceeded to the upstairs bar for our cocktail hour. Megan and Jay joined us after a few more photos. We took a group photo on the huge staircase which joins the top and bottom floor of the lobby. I can't wait to see that one!
The reception was at the Presidential Suite in the building to the right of the lobby, oceanfront, on a rooftop. It was also set up very beautifully with a buffet dinner of lobster, beef, chicken and fish (that everyone raved about.) Two soups were served, pumpkin and vegetable, along with salads, fresh veggies, bread/rolls. The food was excellent. Megan had brought silver chargers (the large decorative plate placed under the dinner plate) along with navy blue cloth napkins and navy blue chair wraps with bows. She also placed a pair of flip-flops (hot pink for the ladies and navy for the men) on each chair. Although she also brought votive candles, it was too windy for the candles to burn. The men also got a Dominican cigar at their place setting.
The bar was well-appointed and we brought additional name-brands of liquor. The bartenders were very quick and were trying to please. They gave everyone whatever they wanted, shots, etc. They received lots of tips from everyone and went home very happy. The dancing was non-stop with Megan being the center of attention. Her dad called the wedding "Megan's Ultimate Dance Party." I would have to agree. She did not sit down once and there were no slow songs. She planned out the music perfectly.
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When it approached 11:00, the bartenders indicated that they had no problem extending the time. However, at 11:15 someone literally pulled the plug on the lights and very abruptly threw everyone out, quite rudely in my opinion. They said they were getting complaints about the music. Not to worry, everyone moved on to the new disco which was built when the Majestic Elegance was added. The party continued on there until ?????
Overall, we had a wonderful time at Majestic Colonial and the wedding was a huge success. Planning a destination wedding can be trying but I give Megan all the credit for being organized and having faith that everything would turn out all right. I would be happy to answer any questions, just email me. |
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| We were treated royally from the moment we arrived in the lobby. |
| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
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Tropiclady >
2 contribution(s) Canada |
| Mar, 2009
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Loved the Majestic Colonial!
We stayed at the Majestic Colonial from March 12 - 19/09. This is a wonderful hotel and I would highly recommend. We were treated royally from the moment we arrived in the Lobby. We were met by one of the Porters steered to the lobby for check in and presented with their specialty Majestic Drink. This is very good and even better with Brugal Rum. We enjoyed several over our stay.
I am going to refrain from mentioning staff names for various reasons. Please be reassured that the staff was all wonderful and very helpful and I will elaborate later in the review. |
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| Check In |
| We were greeted by a wonderful fellow and once we said our names, he mentioned and knew that I had contacted Guest Relations and that I frequented Tripadvisor. The lady from guest relations was away on holidays but made sure everything was set up for our stay. I had made a few reasonable requests and all were granted. Once we received our room keys, wristbands, passport to the MC and beach towel cards we were steered to guest relations where we made our reservations for Le Gourmet and the Teppanyaki side of Matsuri the Japanese restaurant. Once this was done we were off to our room to settle in before venturing out to enjoy the Magic of the MC. |
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| Room |
I had requested Bldg 2 or 3 with a view of the pool and that is exactly what we received. We were in Bldg 2 and room #2217 with a great view of the pool. The room was beautiful and we were greeted with beautiful Towel Art. This towel art was gorgeous and in the design of beautiful Heart Shaped Swans decorated with fresh Hibiscus flowers. There was also fresh flowers all over other areas of the room. We were also greeted with a chilled bottle of Champagne and a fresh fruit and cheese tray. This was wonderful after a long flight and the fruit was still cold. They must have their timing down to a science. We had a King size bed, a Jacuzzi tub and we loved the walk in shower. We always had lots of hot water. The open concept of the bathrooms did not bother us in the least as we have been married for many, many years. The mini bar was well stocked and replenished daily. Our safe worked great and never had a problem with it. Bathrobes and slippers were provided in the closet and we did use the robes during our stay. The room had two phones one at the nightstand and one in the bathroom. The TV was great and the hubby was quite happy with the sports channel as he could get the hockey scores. We loved the patio and spent time out there every day. There was no musty smell in our room, not that we noticed anyway. There was also a bottle of rum and whisky in our room upon arrival.
Okay, the downside of the room. The pillows are either too flat or too large and lumpy. I am not sure how else to explain. The bed was very uncomfortable and really, really firm. I do think it is time for some updated mattresses and pillows. We also on a couple of occasions thought that the bed felt damp. I also read someone else mention this on another review. I am not sure if the humidity causes this or maybe the Air Conditioning or even damp sheets placed on the bed. If someone can explain please send me a PM. Our AC never shut off the whole time not even when we opened the patio door and we did not figure out how to shut off or adjust. The maid was great and the room always cleaned well, I however did have to chase her down a few times for bath towels. |
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| Beach/Pool |
| We love both the beach and the pool at this resort and spent plenty of time at both. This is the nicest resort pool that I have ever seen as it runs the length of the resort. There is plenty of palapas at both the beach and pool. We enjoyed walking the beach several times. We only played the towel game on our last day as we wanted a certain spot at the pool for a few hours. We probably spent more time at the beach than the pool and were usually down there at around 9:30. There was only one day where we did not get the area that we wanted. I would say that prime spots both at the pool and the beach are usually gone by around 8 but someone’s perception of a prime spot can be different from someone else’s as we prefer the quieter areas and these were usually available for us. |
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| Restaurants |
| Our favourite restaurant will have to be the Beach Restaurant whether it was lunch or evening. We ate lunch here every day and just loved the sandwich bar. The chef got to know me well. We ate at the seafood restaurant twice which is 1/2 of the restaurant in the evening and at the Rodeo Grill once. We just loved the atmosphere, staff and food here. I would have to say that our favourite meal was at Le Gourmet though. When it was over my husband said “Wow”. We ate breakfast at the buffet every morning and we both loved their French toast and omelettes. There was champagne every morning to add to your fresh juice if you desired. I don’t see how anyone could go hungry and not find something to their liking. We only ate dinner at the buffet once and there was plenty of items to choose from. The Teppanyaki section in Matsuri was decent as well as the show but hubby thought that they used too much soya sauce. I liked the rice and the chicken the best. They do move you along pretty fast though as I believe they have reservations scheduled about every hour. We did not eat at the other side of Matsuri and did not make it to the Mexican restaurant. We ate dinner on the beach at beach party night. This was a lot of fun and a nice way to end our last night. |
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| Theatre |
| We did catch a couple of shows and enjoyed the Michael Jackson show and laughed our heads off at the Ideal couple show but I would not have wanted to be one of the couples participating. We also saw the Tropical show which is mainly just dancing and as much as I like the dancing I found it to be a bit boring and they could easily spruce this act up with a theme or good story line.
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| Spa |
| We did not visit the spa but we enjoyed a massage in the beach hut. They were wonderful! |
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| Staff |
| The staff in all areas of this resort are wonderful and like most people we had our favorites. They all work very hard and many go out of there way to make your stay enjoyable either with a hug, a high five or a short chat when they had the time. We would run into a few of them going from one place to another and they always stopped to talk for a minute. |
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| Other |
The Grounds are beautiful and well kept.
The plaza bar is a hopping place in the evening until 10 and the band is terrific. The band also performed at the beach party and we really enjoyed.
I am a huge white wine drinker and was not impressed by the house white wine and felt that this area could certainly be improved on. We did not try the red.
We were surprised a few times by a knock at our door around 6 – 6:30. We were delivered wine and sushi the one night. We really enjoyed this on our patio before going out for dinner; it was a really nice touch and helped make our visit special. The next night we received wine and chocolate covered grapes. They were excellent! We also had to turn smoked salmon and wine away one night as we were headed to Le Gourmet right away for dinner. We really appreciated this special touch and it helped to make our stay magical.
I would strongly recommend this resort and give it a 4.5. We certainly hope to return. I would be happy to answer any questions, just send me a PM.
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| Could not have had better weather. |
| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
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Joanne from Toronto >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Feb, 2009
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Arrival: Jan. 17 to 24 2009
Each couple was greeted personally and taken to the check in counter. Great Service!
Rooms:
We were worried that our room was not going to be what we requested - we had phoned the hotel as our travel agent had booked a different room than what we had requested. Our room was spectacular- ocean view outdoor jacuzzi- lounge chairs- a nespresso maker that we loved so much I have already purchased one.
Restaurants and Bars:
We booked our reservations as soon as we arrived as well as a romantic dinner. We really enjoyed the Chateaubriand at the Steak House as well as our meal at Le Gourmet. The romantic dinner was a great way to spend our last evening there! Breakfast was always great, lots of personal choice cook stations. The room service breakfast was huge~ We spent the majority of our time at the swim up bar- fantastic staff there! and the upper lobby bar. There were lots of places to be in the action or have a romantic drink.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The grounds were spotless- the beach was beautiful but the pool was a definite highlight for us. We spent hours sipping our drinks and walking the pool.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
No tours- we did go to one show the Michael Jackson one- chairs were as comfotable as promised. We visited the Casino once, but preferred to be out in the night air.
Other Comments:
We had checked the weather forecast before we left and it was calling for rain all week. It only rained for about 2 minutes one afternoon. Could not have had better weather. Guest Services were very helpful with any questions we had. We enjoyed this vacation so much that our friends have just booked it for a week to celebrate their anniversary!
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| The Majestic Colonial is a lovely resort. |
| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
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Barbara >
8 contribution(s) Canada |
| Feb, 2009
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My husband and I enjoyed our second stay at this resort Jan 11 - 20, 2009. We stayed 16 nights at this resort in Jan 2008 also.
We used IBK Servicios for our transfer from Punta Cana Airport. The driver did not speak any english and he drove very fast but we arrived in one piece.
Upon arrival, Francisco gave us a room in Bldg 3 on the third floor which is what we had requested, however, we had asked for a room closer to the lobby as last year we were in room 3340 and found the Activity area by the pool very loud between 4 and 6 pm when we like to enjoy our balcony and the setting sun. He gave us room 3342 and I asked if he had anything closer to the lobby. It took about 15 minutes, but he was able to move us into room 3319, which was a better match for us.
We loved our room. Yes, the decor is a bit tired and could use some sprucing up. The linens are not of the best quality and the pillows are very bad. But the size and layout of the room is excellent. The balcony is also of a good size and has very comfortable furnishings. Our room had a leather sofa and a large coffee table. We love the bathroom area with double sinks and shelf under mirror for storage. Also, we make good use of the large amount of drawers in the room allowing us to unpack everything we brought. Our safe worked fine.
We did not have any welcoming fruit even though we were repeat guests, but perhaps that was because we asked for a room change last minute.. The air conditioning was adequate for us, although we do not use it much. We were given a bottle of champagne but did not open it.
Our maid service was excellent, we never had any facecloths but we just used a hand towel to wash our faces. The fridge had 2 Presidente's each day until I tipped $5 one day and then we got 4 Presidente's each day. We left a tip of $2 - 5.00 everyday. One day, my husband was sick, (hungover) and we didn't leave the room until about 1:30pm. As we were going out, I went and found our maid and explained he wasn't well and asked her to clean the room right away as I thought we might end up back there shortly, and she said yes no problem, and she cleaned it next even though it was out of her way. She was wonderful, I'm sorry I don't recall her name.
We did have the problem with the clock continually needing to be reset due to brownouts, but no big deal. We found the noise level for us for sleeping was much better this year. Last year, the hallways seemed much noisier in the evenings and we do go to bed early some nights.
My husband ordered flowers for me for our anniversary and although the arrangement was okay, it was not what he asked for and the flowers started to die with a couple of days. So that was a disappointment. I guess we should have gone for the larger more expensive arrangement. |
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The beach of course is amazing. We spent an equal amount of time laying on the beach or by the pool and both are great. I love the loungers on the beach. You can almost always find a palapas for shade at both also. The pool is fabulous. We swim quite a bit, but mostly in the pool and it is terrific. Bring a floatie and then leave it for the next guest. The crumbling cement around the pool deck though is a mess and I wish they would fix it. Also, I would like to have been offered a drink from a waitress at the pool at least once or twice a day. They do not seem to be busy at all, but its hard to get served. Denny on the beach on the other hand is always running and does a good job.
In the evenings we enjoy the music played by the dance area very much and wish more resorts would have this. The band plays from about 7 - 10pm and lots of people join here to listen or to dance. The entertainment staff also comes out and mingles and dances with the guests from about 830 - 10pm before the evening show starts at 10. We went to two shows, Michael Jackson and Rockstars, both are lip-synching shows done reasonably well. We went to the disco one night and stayed till about 12:30am and it was fun. (Thus the hangover)
Food- well, I felt the food quality had slipped a bit from a year ago. The buffet food was very monotonous. And this year much of it was cold or lukewarm at best. It was a huge disappointment as we quite enjoyed the buffet last year. The pasta is good, the desserts are fabulous. The fresh fruit is plentiful as are the breads and egg stations. Breakfast meats and potatoes were cold EVERY DAY. We enjoyed the chateaubriand very much at the steakhouse and also the Japanese restaurant was excellent. The gourmet restaurant was pretty good with the service being hit and miss. We ate there twice. We did not try the Mexican or Seafood restaurants. The Beach party was rained out. The service in the buffet is generally very good. The House red wine is bad in all of the restaurants. We purchased one bottle of wine for 22.00 in the gourmet restaurant which was fine.
The staff in the buffet are very friendly and enjoy visiting with their guests. They also were very good with bringing around the wine and usually the coffee in the morning.
The Majestic Colonial is a lovely resort, with an amazing lobby area, comfortable theatre, and fabulous layout of the property, but it is probably a four star at best. We will return there I'm sure, but we found there were a lot more children there this year and that was very disappointing, so we may try an adults only resort for next winter. I have some pictures on webshots.com under gemgirlbarbara if you would like to take a look. |
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| The management needs to take a greater interest |
| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
| User Rating:
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Mike >
13 contribution(s) Canada |
| Feb, 2009
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Trip Date: February 1st to February 7th 2009
Room #2149 (Ask for room 2150 if possible. The closest to the beach while being pool side)
Accommodation: The rooms are nice and very clean. The standard junior suite and Majestic junior suite share the same arrangement, except the majestic puts you pool side. Other differences between the two are that with the majestic you get:
A mickey of Brugal rum and a mickey of Johnnie Walker Red label. 6ounces per bottle.
Room service included – Never tested though
A DVD player. ( Bring your own dvds for the rainy days, as none are available for rent…anywhere)
Located pool side with two lawn chairs (that is the main reason and best part of this accommodation upgrade.
The only problem with the room is that the business end of the washroom is separated by a 3 foot tall glass door.
Which is fine if you are an exhibitionist, but not very comfortable if you are used to washrooms with full height doors that you generally see in North America. My girlfriend and I sent each other outside when we needed the use the facilities. This is what the other guests were doing as well, we later found out.
Restaurants: There are supposedly 5 a la carte restaurants on this resort. The three main ones are the ‘Matsuri’ Japanese, ‘Le Gourmet’ French and the ‘Taina’ Traditional D.R. food. The two others ‘Las Carabellas’ and the ‘Rodeo Grill’ are actually situated in the Beech buffet area, which gets split in two. The 3 main restaurants are very mediocre. In fact, we preferred to eat at the main buffet, which at least had a large selection in case you weren’t happy with your food choices the first go around. The issue with the a la carte restaurants, is that it is abundantly clear, that you are very often eating leftovers from the Buffet. The two a la carte located at the beech buffet are horrible. I have been to the Caribbean 5 times and Cuba twice, and know what to expect. This was a new low. Nothing is made fresh or from scratch. The main buffets are good, but contain a LOT of American food. Pizza, pasta, lasagna, French fries, burgers etc. The breads and desserts are always excellent however. Breakfast at the main buffet was outstanding and huge.
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Entertainment: The nightly entertainment was by far the weakest I have ever seen in the Caribbean. The shows consist mainly of clients entertaining clients. For example, there was the ‘Perfect Couple’ show, then there was the ‘Men vs. Women’ show, then there was the ‘Talent night’. All these shows are about pulling people up from the audience and basically asking them to do stupid stunts to get a laugh out of the audience. While I am used to a little of this from having visited other resorts, it usually only ever consists of the first or last 15 minutes of the nightly entertainment. There was however one night where they brought in a acrobatic troop, but they failed to install any lighting where they were setup, and they literally performed in the dark. Clearly a much larger budget and more organization needs to be put towards this aspect of the resort.
Nightlife/Bars: There are 2 lobby bars, 2 pool bars, 1 disco, 1 sports bar and 1 beech bar. Here’s the deal though. The beech bar and pool bars, are only open during the day. There is zero action there at night plus they close early, 10PM. Of the two lobby bars, the main one, is the best place to drink on the resort. It is very busy at night and you can find lots of tourist to chat with there. Plus that is generally where they place their best service staff. The sports bar, which would be awesome as a piano bar, is only open for 2 hours a day to play a movie on a big screen. Clearly for parents and their kids, but it is the biggest waste of a nice bar. The small lobby bar closes early as well. So basically you either drink at the lobby bar or at the disco when it opens at 11PM. The disco is cool. It’s just big enough and has the usually disco amenities. It is shared between the Colonial and the Elegance resort.
Service: The resort is listed as a five star resort. That is completely inaccurate. It is clearly a four star resort. We experienced the entire spectrum of service there. A good chunk of the staff outstanding and very friendly, while an equal amount were extremely uncaring and simply not friendly. This range of service levels, constitutes the greatest weakness of the resort and the area that needs the most work. The front desk managers, as well as the restaurant managers, seem to only point fingers and stand around. While some service, as I said, was outstanding, the ones that don’t seem to care, leave a very poor taste in your mouth.
Tipping: Gratuities are included, this is true. HOWEVER, if you don’t expect to tip at every meal, or the bartender, do not expect good service. It’s just that simple. You will also experience a lot of bartenders that seem to be very spoiled and used to big tips. After a very frank conversation with one guy who we came to like very much, he told us that he makes $300/mo. US. Salary and makes on average $700/week in gratuities. Not bad, even by Canadian standards. Keep that in mind if you get attitude when you tip a dollar.
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Aquatic services: Here’s the skinny. The aquatic center is run by an independent company called ‘Marina Caribe’ if memory serve me well. They pay the resort rent to be able to sell scuba tours by the pool and also must provide the other services that are required of this type of resort. They provide the catamarans, windsurfing equipment, snorkeling gear and so on. The problem is, since this is just a pain in the ass service that they are forced to offer, you get treated as a pain in the ass customer there when asking for something that is free. To take out the catamaran, you must book 24hrs in advance, have experience, and leaving a blank signed credit card slip there. We went there and wanted to take out a catamaran, which were all available, but were refused because we didn’t book in advance. The guy was by far the rudest we ran into on the resort. After tearing a strip out of the guy, we were finally allowed to use it, but still had to let them have a signed blank credit card slip there. We did not go there again.
Sports and Golf: While I did not use much of the sporting facilities, I did use the gym. The gym is quite small, but adequate enough for a resort gym. I wouldn’t go there expecting to keep up your regular workout. It is enough to pass the time if you feel guilty about your extra trip to the dessert table. Golf is expensive down there. The costs are $145/round/person. $40 for rental clubs and $45 for any ride along passenger. I found this expensive so I did not partake.
Internet: Access to an internet computer is $5/30minutes. It is a one time use. Once you are logged out, you must purchase another 30minutes. Wireless is $3/30minutes. Lots of folks brought their laptops. I would suggest doing that if you intend to use the internet. It isn’t very fast though. Good luck finding the @ symbol.
Overview:
The hotel is quite large, over 500 rooms and is very clean. The grounds are nice and also well kept, perhaps not as lush as some other resorts I have visited. I wouldn’t return to this hotel mainly because of the service. The other aspects are what you expect from a Caribbean resort. However, the management needs to take greater interest in the service, entertainment and use the facilities to its full potential which is currently not the case. |
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| I would return to this resort. |
| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
| User Rating:
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mikedavid00 >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Feb, 2009
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Ok wow I just got back from the Majestic and am going to give an impartial review and compare it to Grand Bahian Principe next door from time to time just for comparison. Man.. i have like 3 hours of high def video, and over 300 pictures.
Lets just get this out of the way: the Majestic is better. Way better in most things that are important to me that is. I went to GBH on my honeymoon and coulnd't wait to leave because I was getting so tired of eating poor food - hard, improperly cooked pasta, tough burgers, meat chewy like rubber and had to be spit out. Various meats had to be spit out on a daily basis.. even chicken sometimes. Rice that was hard, dry uncooked. For breakfast, scrambled egg that was simply uncooked and more liquid than solid. And most of all, i'm famous for complaining of no bacon. And when it was served the 2 times, it was cold and simply unedible. I can't have eggs, bacon, toast, etc. then what is the point of having breakfast? I dont want omlettes and last nights left over dinner foods. I decided to give the DR one more shot and get the best room and best hotel. I carefully researched and decided that the Majestic Colonial was the best of all that suited our needs. But we still didn't know what to expect.
So let's talk about Majestic.
Ticket Prices/Arrival/Departure Time:
2 people exactly $2999 - Swimup room right outside main pool area where games where. Dates from Jan. 23-29 Booked last September. Arrival at hotel on Friday 1:30pm, left hotel at 6:30 pm on Friday so got to enjoy 2 partial days. Last day fealt like a full day. Used Sunwing departing from Toronto. Flight delayed 1 hour on way back.
Guest Demographic:
The people were about:
85% Canadian
15% 'Other' (US, Russia, Spain, etc.)
The languages spoken around the resort where about 40% French believe it or not. The majority of the guests fealt at times they were all from Montreal (french Canadians). But it was probably about half of the Canadians. Then there's the odd Brit, Spaniard, Russian, etc. At the pool games the animator would say how many here from US? And like 2 people would clap. Then he said.. how man from CANADA! And you heard this big cheer. This is a large contrast to GBP where days would go buy and you would here no English being spoken at all from guests or staff. |
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| Languages (staff): |
I realized this resort was under good management when I heard the impossible: staff... get this.. speaking FRENCH/ENGLISH to bend towards the common language around the resort. I instantly knew this was a very well managed resort.
Contrary to your own opinions, current reviews of any resort in the carribean shows that language is a huge problem for guests and guests will always want staff to bend to speak English to them, NOT the other way around. Keep in mind many are being dragged out for destination weddings etc. or don't like to travel. To think that resorts still have front desk people who speak no English at all is mind boggling.
We are paying the money to be there so we expect the effort to be made on their part to speak some English, not ours. Instead, amazingly, there are still common complaints at the GBH about staff refusing to speak English. I can't believe it's still that bad. At GBP I asked for 'towels' once from a maid and she had no idea what I asked for. 't-o-w-e-l-s' and just a blank stare. How could you not learn ONE simple word that you should know because it's your only job? I was too busy with my wedding and craziness to start learning another language. Come on seriously guys. The Spanish word for towel is very close. There's no excuses for that. I had to refer to my language book constantly for simple items they should already know how to say in English. Often the staff would lecture us on how to say somthing in Spanish when we used hand signals. I'm sorry. That is not the correct attitude to project onto guests spending a lot to be there for a very short time.
At Majestic, the maids will call them 'towels' and then say 'merci!!! Lol! I'm not kidding. Here is a common exchange:
Waitor: "Bonjour/Hello, How are you tonight/would you like some wine"
Guest: "Yes please"
Waitor: "Ok...(pouring wine)
Guest: "Thank you very much"
Waitor: "Your welcome"
Guest: gives tip for the effort and proffesionalism to make it a more comfortable experience for the guest
I would always say 'Gracias' and they would say 'Your welcome' just by habit so we actually switched back to saying 'thank you'.
The animation team spoke very good English and French. Yes French which still amazes me. The games were done in English mainly and important openings and announcements were duplicated in French and sometimes he would translate to Spanish if there was a Spaniard around.
The GBP staff was Spanish language only except some bar and front desk staff so we were lost the whole time and had no clue what was going on when onlooking games. Many would laugh and we wouldn't. The 30% of people not laughing were the large group of guests from Canada/US/Russia/Australia/England/Ireland/Germany that could't speak Spanish and probably won't return. Understanding the games that are going on and hearing the announcements, jokes in English is now a must for me and I will not attend another resort if the animation team does not do its games in English. You really do lose all the entertainment factor.
Chefs, cooks, bartenders, maids almost all spoke some English. I'll get to the chef's later actually. Another wise move with Majestic management.
The fact that the management make staff go through the simple task of speaking English and French common frases speaks volumes (no pun) about the management at the resort and the deep understanding of the hospitality business. |
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| Resort/Lobby/Colonial vs. Elegance: |
We got off our bus and got a bad fist impression. The building is showing some age and looking a bit tired. We were like 'oh no what did we get ourselves into'. There was staining parts of the drywall ceilings and a lousy looking coffee station compared to GBP.
The front bar daytime staff, unfortunately, should be replaced as much as I hate to say it. They have long faces, drag their feet, and their service is poor. They act like they don't want to be there. It's a very bad impression for the guests to get when first arriving and not representative of the rest of the resort. Again, this is only the morning/daytime staff at the upstairs lobby bar. Music was often not played, coffee/milk left unfilled, they were very forgetful, very slow, long faces. They need to be replaced by energetic people enthusiastic to be there even if they have to poach them from another resort and pay them more. Honestly it was a bad first imporession on the service. I whitnessed some guests arriving from Russia and being told 'no coffee, only water'. He then saw me drinking coffee and asked me where I got it from and I told him down at the outside terrace bar. She should have told him that. He had a bad first impression.
GBP outshines Majestic by leaps and bounds when it comes to non-resturaunt table service and lobby bar. Majestic throughout its resort decided to cut costs on table service it seems which is a wise move becuase they put those rescources into food services.. more on that later.
The Colonial portion of the resort is larger than the Elegance. Just look at any helecopter picture of both resorts and it's easy to see. The beach is also much larger and 'deeper' so there's more sand and palapas. The gap between buildings is much larger in the Colonial. The Elegance lobby actually looks very similar to the Colonial. Even the same chairs and sofa's. The Elegance seemed more 'dead' and unlively.
Our room was a swim up room and all we had to do was look out the window for action or other happenings. We did get red ants when leaving food out over night. This did not happen at GBP when we left food out. No cocroaches wandering in either. No spiders. We did put a towel under our door this time though after we had that horrid cochroach experience at GBP where it was in the bathtub while my wife was getting out of the shower. It was so large we didn't know how to kill it. |
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| Overall 'Vibe': |
Basically laid back with some fun 'here and there'.
The pool is not crazy and music is not super loud all day. The animators come once at 10am, then again at 4pm to do a game and then arobics. The animators also have to reherse for the night shows in between and will be working 14 hour days. The arrobics are pretty advanced and intense. They should ease it down a bit for people who are sedentary and want to join in.
Also there should be some more dancing lessons as in latin style 'line dancing'. Less intrusive and easy. The beach has some fun with the animators doing arobics and dancing lessons on the beach but no games. The music is also not played throught the day on the beach which is a shame. The people are a mix betweened laid back and light fun.
Lots of wedding party groups so they had more fun. GBP was completely laid back and you would rarely here people talking on the beach. Majestic at night the crowd was.. well.. just converstaing and sticking to their wedding parties. No craziness or anything like that. Not the vibe at this resort altough there were people having 'fun'. The GBP was even more calm with everyone speaking softly and not drawing attention to themselves. I never saw a wedding there the whole week. The Majestic there was like 2 weddings a day and bride walking on beach taking pics. Great entertainment. |
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| Cost Cutting: |
All resorts need to cost cut somewhere. Imagine a pie chart that you have to work with and if you incraese one portion, you have to take away another. This is the reality of business and mangement has to decide it's priorities and strategies to work with the pie chart. GBP put it's eggs into more 'bodies' serving and doing room service. Majestic put its eggs into food prep.
GBP, you would leave a door card to clean room, goto the beach, come back, room cleaned. Maids *everywhere*. You would be in the lobby area, put down your drink, and get visited by a server asking if you liked more... since the option was there, the guests often said yes to drinks they didn't want. And I'm not always talking about alchohol.. could be tea, expresso, anything. The server would fetch it, and we would finish half, and then the rest was wasted. Costly to the resort to hire her and us having drinks we didn't really want.
I know it sounds bad but you have to draw the line somewhere. If I put a hot slice of pizza in your face and ask you if you want it, you'll probably say yes. But do you really want it? Probably not or you would be ordering one right now. It's too costly to the resort to serve drinks that aren't 'wanted' or to clean rooms that aren't 'needed' to be cleaned.
At Majestic, it was obvious that wait staff is instructed to come out once an hour. They (meaning 1 person per area) would dissapear for an hour, do a round, fetch the drinks, then dissapear for another hour. Very bad move from management. I see the logic, but it's not a good idea.
People who want drinks can get them themselves and will not be bitter about it. I whitnessed a server who works by the pool come over to us (about 15 steps from the bar) and ask poeople in our area if we would like a drink. We all said.. ..umm.. yeah sure. And I got a diet coke, dude beside me got a rum and coke. We only said yes becuase we were amazed that she finally came around.
Each drink was lost revenue for the resort. We got drinks that we weren't craving or really needed. Same thing with the lobby area. The server comes out once an hour and does not ask you if you would like more when they clean your table. Very wise management cost saving move. If I want a drink, I'll want it enough to walk over 10 meters.
As guests, we all feel where the cost cutting is coming from. At the Majestic, it was definatly 'bodies' as far as room service and non resturaunt table service. At GBP it was hands down the food where they were cutting costs.. using every trick in the book to cheap out on low quality food prep and meats. Seeming to purposely make bad scrambled eggs to people wouldn't eat them. Creating long lines for the omlettes so people would give up and just have dinner left overs. Trying every trick to illogically place or even hide the expensive foods. Hiring chefs that seem to be street pesants looking similar to the people manacuring the gardens. This was GBP's game.
We never got towel art once at Majestic and that was more than fine with us. We got really odd hours of room cleaning but if that means keeping my ticket price low than so be it. The room got clean when it needed to be. The staff was stretched thin, but worked longer hours.
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A resort cannot hire loads and loads of staff and managers to fix all the problems. That would result in higer ticket prices for all of us. You can't have that amount of staff then expect trained chefs and sushi platters nightly. You can't have both without the ticket prices running them out of business. With the amount of competition, ticket prices need to stay as low as possible or bookings will slow down and they will get in the red.
(I understand this happenning in Jamaica at one Sandles where they actually had to lay off many staff due to decreased bookings. I suggest Sandles rethink their $6200 CAN for 7 night. per couple ticket pricing if they want to survive and take up some cost cutting practices like they do in the DR. People don't need a conceirge to book a dinner or reserve a palapa for them! Lol.. even the reviews said they weren't needed and people didn't really use them) |
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| Food: |
The Majestic seemed to place their money on food services which is the right thing to do.
The meats the resorts purchased are of a high grade (unlike GBP). Everything is cooked properly including the bacon and scrambled eggs. Bacon was nice and soft as it should be. Steak was very good. Hamburgers grilled and meat soft and nice: not rubber and hard with a gamie flavor. Just read any review and you'll see.
At GBP we whitnessed a couple send back their steak, leave, and my wife simply could not chew hers so it went in the garbage. Low quality meats and lack of cooking skills were the issue at GBP. No care went into food prep. Also tap water seemed to have been used in their cooking as I'm still reading reviews of people complaining about travellers diahreah.
At Majestic my wife didn't even take immodium once. Me only 3 times and had diareah only once (because of my over eating I think.. not the same thing we had at GBP). The tap water creates water born diahreah pretty much. It seems the food prep staff really took care not to make their guests sick and used filtered water.
The buffet at Majestic simply blew away GBP and so did the a la carts. The a la carts were never full. Simply walk in, sit down, and you will be served within 10 mintues. The staff is not streatched thin when it comes to the a-la carts. I read on another review that the hotel manager (a Spaniard) tasted a wine and ordered it to be thrown out and not served. He's obviously a foodie.
The food was really good. Not amazing, but just good to really good. We are at home right now wishing we could eat the food at Majestic. This is a HUGE contrast to our last days at GBP wanting to go home so we can eat some real food.
The main buffet had food there that was so good almost everything was yummy and worth eating. No having to search for the 1 or two good items. The japanese resturaunt had a sushi platter where you can just walk in, get the sushi, eat it, then leave for the buffet. No reservations needed.
Chicken was tender, beef was too. Potatoes were cooked properly. Fries were good. Rice was soft and cooked properly. Lasagnia tasted good. Stuff was deep fried properly. Pizza tasted good. Pasta was soft and boiled properly. Egg plant was good. I can go on and on. No cost cutting in this department. Then I realized why so many people book their weddings here - the food services, catoring, and chefs.
There's not much point going into reviewing a la cartes because they were all no reservation and food was on your table in 10 min. All the food was 'good' or better. Just go elsewhere if you dont like it. At GBP it was a joke and the dinners were honestly for laughs and something to do. Much of the time leaving 2/3rds the plate for the garbage and heading to the buffet.
(Note that Majestic had lettuce. Yes.. simple iceberg lettuce to make a salad with. GBP had no lettuce, yet strangly, all the bowls of toppings for a salad on display making it look like ther was a lot of food and a big salad section. And suprise suprise, no one ate it! What am I going to do with olives, green pepper, crutons, and all these other salad topings when there is NO LETTUCE? Ah yes.. it's done on purpose to you wont eat that food and use the dressings. All those topings are for filler display and then used the next day for dinner dishes. This is just one of the many, many tricks they used at GBP and man they don't realize that you should never cost cut in food services. Big, big mistake on their part. Majestic has their priorities straight and understand between where to cost cut and where not to) |
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Beach:
The beach at GBP was better. More deeper water, no rock, more palapas, more deep, more sand, better looking guests, easier to find a palapa, more nudity. Just an overall better experience in probably every way.
The Majestic Colonial beach was better when compared to the Elegance and the other neighbouring resorts. Palapa's were usually full and should be reserved before 9am. 7:30am and you will be one of the first ones there.
Colonial did have a beach waitress and the GBP did not. Great for impulse drinks I really didn't need . Maria came so seldom that when I wanted a drink I got one myself. When she did come and ask, well.. I used her services because it was right there. I gave her a tip to see if she would come more and she didn't. Oh well..
I'd much rather they do away with beach service if it isn't going to be done properly and put those recources into something else (like someone in the kitchen who manicures and peels the prawns and clams: they mostly end up in the garbage so I dont know why they continuasely put that in their seafood dishes. People end up not eating or trying the best tasting dishes. Such a waste of money and good meat. Poeple don't want hard shells, eyeballs and wiskers in their food. It always ended up in the trash or left over on peoples plate. The staff must notice this and should remidy that one problem becuase it's money down the drain and also gives people something to complain about when the pool/beach service is very slow and the food doesn't look appetising.
Rooms:
We had the swim up room looking out to the main pool area. I didn't like how cramped the toilet was when closing the door. We had the red ants if food was left out over night and a weird misquito problem. I only got 5-6 bites the whole time so I wouldn't consider that even a problem. Twice at GBP I got bites. Go read about Cuba and people being eaten alive with the strongest misquito repelant and you'll be glad they spray for bugs in the DR. Air conditioning stayed on all the time unless there was a brown out. The air worked faily well.
Maintanance Problems:
During our week we saw a lot of differnet things break down:
-An ice machine
-2 elevators
-Electricity in the beach bathrooms
-Keycards malfunctioning
-Other small things.
Naturally things are slow to get fixed and I feel sorry for the cost and management burden this must have on the hotel manager. A light in my shower was dangling down from a bare wire but I wasn't about to bother anyone with it because it wasn't a big issue for me. Keycards seem to need to be reprogramed. Ours twice and another guy came up having the same problem on a seperate day. These constant repairs are going to be costly on the resort. Plus all the money they owe the bank for the Elegance. |
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| In closing: |
I would return to this resort. If the prices are too high (as they are right now) then I will try Mexico or Jamaica.
They really need to focus on being the #1 rated resort and keeping prices LOWER than they currently are if they want to have more bookings and stay in the green. They have set the bar so high and are doing everything right. It's hard to cost cut already but there is room for improvement:
-Replace the morning/daytime lobby staff immediately.
-Keep the main loby bar open 24 hours serving coffee/snacks 24 hours. Very cheap, yet goes a long, long way in reviews and customer satisfaction. Better first impression for guests that arrive all times of the night/morning and would like a coffee or softdrink or sandwich.
-Stop the waited service by pool and beach becuase it's not being done properly and re-allocate those recources to the new 24 hour lobby bar. You're only giving people ammunition to say the service was really slow and you'll save money with less drinks being served that people weren't going to order anyway.
-Start an environmentally friendly cleaning selection service so people can choose 'bed only'/towels only/ etc. etc.. They are starting to do this in major hotel chains and it's working. You can turn down your room being cleaned. Many people don't want anyone in their room and will let their towels dry natrually. Give them that option and your maid staff will be cleaning less rooms so there isn't a partial job being done (as was the case with me never getting my towel art and 2 days not getting the room cleaned at all). It didn't bother me, but your just giving other people ammo to complain about poor service. I was never given the option not to have my room cleaned. I was at GBP and we got our room cleaned once only and just asked for towels when we needed them changed.
Well that's my review and opinion. Please feel free to ask me any questions about the resort or anything else - mikedavid00 on the Dominican forum.. |
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| I found the service to be impressive. |
| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
| User Rating:
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Robyn from Hamilton, On >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Feb, 2009
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Arrival: January 24 - 31
We made our third trip to the Majestic Jan 24-31. We brought hubby's mother with us, and knew she would love the Majestic. We found out only hours before departure that our flight was delayed by almost 8 hours and were not happy campers. Were supposed to depart at 6:05 am, be on the beach by noonish :), but that didn't happen. Oh well, we got a full night's sleep and headed out to the airport. As it turned out, our problems were minor compared to others who got caught up in Skyservices' problems that week.
I had arranged transportation with IBK Servicios even though shuttle was included in our package. How nice to avoid the line up of people, the waiting, and the stopping at resort to resort. So, everything started out nicely. We arrived at dusk. Since we beat the rush to the resort, we arrived to an almost empty lobby...how lovely. We were greeted with their signature Majestic slushy on our way to the front desk. No problems at check-in. Staff very pleasant and friendly. What a beautiful lobby, and then the walk down the stairs to the lower lobby and the view of the resort. The resort was lit up beautifully, and looked so elegant...
Rooms:
The reason we originally came to the Majestic the first time in 2006 was because of the newness and size of the resort, and the rooms. I wanted a large room, nicely appointed, and wasn't dissapointed. I won't go into the room descriptions, that has been covered so much in the reviews, and all the junior suites are the same inside. We were both in building 2, closer to the beach...rooms 2348 and 2234. Room 2234 had a minor musty smell, 2348 did not. Our maid and mini-bar man came every morning while we were at breakfast, and did a wonderful job every day. Different towel art every day. Left a note in spanish for the mini-bar man requesting a lot of some things, and none of another, and every day after that it was stocked exactly how we wanted it.
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| Restaurants and Bars: |
I gained five pounds that week, so yeah, the food was good.
I find that there are a lot of food choices at the buffet. Some people complain that it's the same boring thing every day. I did not find that at all. When there is so much to begin with, what else can be added? Yes, there was fish every day, but a different type of fish. Potatoes every day, but cooked differently every day…you get the picture. You could always find something being cooked fresh, whether it be at breakfast, lunch or dinner. I looked forward to my surprise of the day' for lunch and dinner at the buffet. Depending on our mood, lunch was either at the beach or the main buffet. The service in the buffet was excellent, our glasses were never empty.
Went to the Steakhouse 3 times for dinner - sirloin is a fav. Le Gourmet was very good. Be prepared for a drawn out dinner. Our 4 courses took about 1 1/2 hours. Tepinaki was also good, and a lot of fun.
The beach party was fun. One tip...don't eat dinner before you go. Save your appetite. So much food there that I didn't even try because I was too full. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds: |
| I could pretty well cut and paste what everyone else says about the beach and pool, so I won't go there. They are both awesome and plenty of loungers to go around. Because the pool is so long, you never felt crowded. If you're out shortly after breakfast, there was no problem getting under a palapa. Our biggest decision every day was whether to go to the pool or the beach.
The grounds have grown in so much in 3 years. Just beautiful. Always being worked on.
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel: |
We went to the meet and greet on Wednesday at Steve's Bar. Dropped off some school supplies and finally met Wud and the 2 Mikes, but didn't stay too long. Drinks are good, and cold. If you go, make sure the cabby drops you off DIRECTLY in front of Steve's if you don't want to get 'attacked' by the vendors nearby.
Hubby and I played one round of golf at Punta Blanca golf course. Nice course. Expensive, but we were expecting that. One round of golf each, rental clubs, and one golf glove....$390 U.S. |
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| Other Comments: |
I found the service to be impressive, whether it be at the front desk, bars, restaurants, housekeeping, and of course guest services.
We'll be back again. |
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| The resort is gorgeous. |
| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
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Tammy from Oakville, ON >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Feb, 2009
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We have been back just over 3 weeks from the Majestic (would go back in a heartbeat) and were married Jan 27/09. We had a great time!!!! The resort is gorgeous. We were given one of the swim up rooms 3 up from the beach, had no complaints. I agree with others will absolutely NOT regret your decision to marry there!!! I had faith in my travel agent and she didn't steer me wrong. This group was also a lifesaver as it answered little things that I hadn't really thought of.
The food at the buffet and the restaurants were very good. For the restaurants you don't have to make any reservations, except for the Le Gourmet and the Tepanyaki cooking at the Japanese restaurant. The Tepanyaki cooking didn't have much flare at all, but the food was pretty good. Room service was included as part of the wedding package but we didn't use it. There was a bottle of champagne, cheese tray and fruit tray in our room when we arrived and a little cake arrived mid way through the week. There was even a banner on our door that said Honeymooners. My sister was celebrating their 1 year anniversary and they had a banner for that too.
The beach was beautiful........as far as the eye could see. We did go snorkeling on the beach and there were a few fish. Some of the group went on a snorkeling tour with the stingrays and sharks and enjoyed every moment. My now husband also did the Dune Buggy trip which he enjoyed but they do take you to a beach were there are locals trying to get you to buy things, if you go offer 30% of what they are asking. He did get some nice necklaces for me.
When I checked in I was told to come back to the lobby the next day (Sunday) to arrange my meeting with Sandra, when I did I was told it was her day off, no problems though as I wasn't getting married until Tuesday. My Mom and I met with her on Monday morning and she had a sheet of paper with all the things we had discussed via email on it. To note if you have agreed to prices or were told you qualified for the free wedding bring the emails with you in case they tell you otherwise then. I had brought my emails but didn't need them, the only thing that was going to be an up charge was my bouquet The meeting took less than 20 minutes, during which time we discussed the, choice of salad for our meal, and music. honestly, it was SO easy!!!!
I gave her the CD with my music on it and she suggested we do the first dance in the gazebo after the ceremony which was perfect as I didn't now when or where I was going to do it. The songs were all labeled on one CD. She then confirmed the time the flowers and photographer would show up at my room and the reception dinner. Sandra is very sweet and easy to work with. By the afternoon before the wedding the charges were on my room and paid for, no surprises. |
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The wedding day.......although it started out raining was absolutely perfect. By 2pm everything was dry and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Nobody should have any worries about getting married here. I had originally wanted white lilies and purple orchids as my bouquet but at 1pm the day of the wedding Sandra called to say the florist didn't want to use them as they weren't very nice looking, so they changed it up some. I thought it was very nice that they called first. What I got was absolutely gorgeous, because of the heat by the end of the night they were starting to wilt but lasted till then.. Our wedding was at the gazebo at 2pm. They decorate it beautifully, which rose petals all down the isle and beautiful flowers and music playing. It was very intimate so everyone could see and hear perfectly As the gazebo is off the beaten path there were no sunbathers in our photos, a few people stopped to watch when they passed but we didn't really notice them. I had supplied fans/bubbles and jelly beans for my guests. Even the staff that was playing the music got into it. After the ceremony we had our champagne toast, they even had a fruity drink for the kids in champagne glasses. Then the first dances, it was the perfect location to have them.
We had gone with the resort photographer, KIKO, highly recommend him, he had a few spots and poses already picked out but was open to any photos that we wanted taken, as it was very sunny he was very good at capturing me without my eyes closed. The photos were ready to be viewed the next morning at 11am, I purchased the silver package which came with 100 photos and could have purchased the rest on CD but didn't as many of my group had cameras as well. I wasn't pressured into buying more just given the option which I though was really nice. They were ready Thursday (wedding was Tuesday) at 11am, I got 2 sets of 100 photos (6*8), 10 photos (10*12I think), one CD of the negatives and a DVD of the photos to music. The package didn't say the photographer would be at the reception but he was and took the cake shots and a photo of each of couples with us, very nice to have.
We had our supper at the Steak House and the food was great. I had gone with the Chateaubriand based on reviews from facebook and was not disappointed. We had one long table in the corner that was perfect, I didn't even notice anyone else dining, speeches were okay as well. The cake was awesome!!! We got the chocolate cake with the banana filling as the bottom layer and white cake with the strawberry filling as the top layer. They make THE best chocolate cake!!!
All in all, the day was one I'll never forget. It was prefect and I wouldn't change a thing. We had a small group, but everyone had a wonderful time and enjoyed the resort. |
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| The staff are pleasant but their English is not good. |
| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
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Janis from Ontario, Canada >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2009
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Arrival: January 9 through 16
We arrived in the evening and the lobby is very impressive and check in was quick and efficient. We were not offered and did not see anyone offered a complementary Magestic drink.
Rooms:
Our room was a jr. suite and very impressive, part ocean view and looking over the pool. The elevator was very small(2 person size) and we preferred to walk the four flights. The second day it was broken and remained so therefore be in good health or take a main floor room.
Restaurants and Bars:
The steak and the seafood restaurants are excellent in our opinion. We ate at each twice and enjoyed each meal and ate the remaining time at the buffets and were pleased with the selections, very good desserts too!
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Enjoyed the beach every day and for our "middle age" bracket was happy with no vendors and quite a quiet atmosphere, loved the white sand, the welcoming ocean and walking along the sandy beach not needing to watch or sharp stones or shells. There are no shells for collecting .The pool was welcoming as well, well kept grounds and lots of walkways to "keep fit"
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We had a "r and r" holiday and did not need or want any tours.
Other Comments:
There is not a lot of shopping, enough in the resort shops for us . The staff are pleasant but their English is not good. Speaking some Spanish will help you get your point across but we did alright with little Spanish and truly enjoyed a relaxing and great BEACH HOLIDAY. |
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| A fantastic resort. |
| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
| User Rating:
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Karen from Woodstock, Ontario >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2009
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Arrival: January 11-18, 2009
Smooth! Flew Signature/Skyservice, to my surprise all the people on the bus were going to the Majestic Complexe, no stopping at multiple resorts. Check in was fast at hotel. Although I was a little uneasy the person asked me to put down a passport no. on the form. I had never been asked this before on past trips.
Rooms:
Beautiful! Huge! Four-poster king bed, jacuzzi tub, huge walk-in shower. It was clean. We had our mini-bar and towels replenished daily. Never had to ask for anything.
Restaurants and Bars:
Fantastic! There was a bar everywhere. Restaurants were very good. Ate at the Steakhouse by the beach twice. Both meals were really good. Steaks cooked to what we asked. Ate at the Gourmet (the one you had to make a reservation for). I ordered Grouper (I never usually order fish off a menu) - very impressed. Not fishy tasting at all. Really enjoyed it! The Taino was good as well. The buffet had different dishes each night we went (I think 3 times). So much to choose from. I can't imagine the pickiest eater not being able to find something. We love food and trying new food - no complaints here. Oh, the burgers are fantastic at lunchtime at the buffet on the beach.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Grounds - beautiful. Pools was very nice - not freezing but cool. Went in only once at the end of the day. We are beach people...beach is totally beautiful! In front of the resort the rope didn't go out to far - seemed to get deep closer to shore than other parts of Bavaro Beach. We walked to the left, down the beach passed the Barcelo - went in the ocean there, tons of waves!!! Big, crashing waves to jump in. We took a walk there everyday. When we needed to cool off, we would go on our beach. There were some rocks in that part of the beach though - in certain areas. There were enough lounge chairs, towels and palapas.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We didn't do any tours. The activities were plentiful in the resort. We played ping pong, horseshoes, boccia and volleyball. I missed the drinking contest though-darn!
Other Comments:
SERVICE in the buffet restaurant was unbelievable! You never once had to ask for more coffee, water or wine - they were contantly topping you up. Best service I have had in my 6 trips to Punta Cana. Their english was better than anywhere else I have been too - and they seemed proud too. They would ask "how are you tonight", "are you enjoying your vacation", they seemed to like it when you responded in English rather than trying to speak spanish. They knew the more popular sentences - as we would in spanish to communicate is how I took it.
Overall - fantastic resort - they deserve a top notch review in my opinion.
patandkar@sympatico.ca |
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| * We really liked this hotel |
| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
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Debbie >
23 contribution(s) |
| Dec, 2008
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December 2006 and December 2008
I originally wrote this review in December 2006. We stayed at Majestic Colonial for 5 days in November 2008, as a result of which I have updated some of the information in this review. |
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| Arrival |
Our second week in Punta Cana was at Majestic Colonial, a $15.00 cab ride away from Palma Real.. Majestic Colonial is located immediately south of Grand Paradise Bavaro. (November 2008 – the new Majestic Elegance is right next door to Majestic Colonial). It is about 30 minutes from Punta Cana Airport, 90 minutes from La Romana Airport, and 3-1/2 hours from Santo Domingo Airport.
As you enter the hotel the front desk is located to the left, guest services and the lobby bar and seating is located to the right. There is a staircase down to the ground level, also a glass panel elevator. Checkin was quick, we received our wristbands and an information package consisting of two room keys (don’t lose them or they’ll charge you $90.00), a map of the resort and information regarding the resort restaurants and facilities, and then the bellboy took us to our room.
The rooms at Majestic are beautiful, large and nicely decorated. We were in a second floor Oceanfront Junior Suite, steps from the pool and beach.
The room had a king-size bed, a Jacuzzi tub, walk-in shower with a glass door and separate toilet stall with glass door, 2 double sinks. We always had hot water. The living area had a sofabed, desk, and coffee table. The room is open concept, ie there is no division or privacy between the Jacuzzi tub and the rest of the room, which could be a problem for families staying in one room. It looks beautiful, but it would be nice if they could add a curtain or blinds that could be put down to afford some privacy when using the tub.
Amenities in the bathroom included a basket with shampoo, conditioner, bath gel, sewing kit, shower cap, comb, shoeshine sponge, Kleenex. There is also a makeup mirror and hair dryer.
In the closet you will find lots of shelves and space for your clothes. There are also 3-drawer nightstands to put things in. Don’t put your things in the cupboard closest to the door. This is a room service unit that can be accessed by staff from the outside to deliver room service orders or collect dishes and laundry.
In the closet there is an electronic safe (included), big enough to hold a laptop. I have a 15.4” widescreen and it fit just fine, you just have to put it in vertically on an angle and prop it up at the back of the safe.
Bathrobes and slippers, along with an iron and ironing board, are in the closet.
Glasses and a bottle of champagne awaited us, and later they brought a small bottle of rum. All guests receive a bottle of champagne in their room on arrival, the bottle of rum or whisky is in the upgraded rooms and suites only. Two bath towels and two hand towels are provided (plus you get two extra towels if you are lucky enough to get swans). Facecloths were kind of hit and miss, some days we had them and other days we didn’t. I had brought one from home, though, so it didn’t really matter.
We had 4 pillows in our room. Two were flat and lumpy, two were just flat. I do understand they have ordered new pillows.
The room had a phone, and TV with North American, French, Russian, Italian, Spanish, and South American channels. (They get CNN).
Air-conditioning worked well, and there was also a ceiling fan.
The minibar was replenished daily, and contained 2 beer, 4 pop (they had Diet Pepsi), and 4 bottles of water, along with 2 chocolate bars. Bottled water is also readily available at all the bars.
There were plastic chairs and a table on the patio, mid-week these were replaced with brand new aluminum chairs. November 2008 – we had a ground-floor Junior Suite this time, I like the upper floors better. |
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| Room Descriptions |
All of the Junior Suites at Majestic are the same. size. Upgrades are related to location or whether they have an outdoor Jacuzzi or larger terrace. Following is a list of the various junior suites and suites available.
Standard Junior Suite – 538 square feet
Contains one King or two double beds, Colonial style furniture, Full bathroom with jacuzzi tub, walk-in shower, hair dryer, ironing board and iron, bathrobe and slippers, air conditioning, ceiling fan, satellite TV, direct phone line ($), Hi-speed internet connection ($), Room Service ($), free minibar restocked daily, free safety deposit box, separate door for room service, desk and sofa in living area, balcony or terrace with table and 2 chairs. pool or garden view. Maximum occupancy - 2 adults and 2 children or 3 adults.
Majestic Junior Suite – 538 square feet
Same as Standard Junior Suite on interior, with the following extras:
Outdoor Jacuzzi located on terrace, private garden area with direct access to swimming pool, all located on ground floor, two lounge chairs in garden area.
No children allowed in these rooms, adults only. Maximum occupancy 2 adults
(The terrace for these rooms is private in that there is no path in front of you so nobody can walk by, but people sitting around the pool have a clear view of these rooms. Maybe when the gardens grow a little bit more it will be more private. It would be nice if a lattice of some kind was put up in front of the outdoor Jacuzzi to give privacy – I don’t think they’re used too often.)
Colonial Junior Suite – 538 square feet
Same as standard junior suite on interior, with the following extras:
Outdoor Jacuzzi on private terrace, rooms located on 2nd and 3rd floors, pool or garden view. No children allowed in these rooms, only for adults. Maximum occupancy 2 adults.
(Third floor Colonial Junior Suites are nice, they have vaulted ceilings)
Majestic Suite – 1,076 square feet
One bedroom suite with two separate areas, living room and bedroom, divided by sliding door. Living room area has a desk with internet connection and telephone, 29” TV, two sofas, and a balcony. Bedroom area is the same as a junior suite. Garden or pool view with large terrace. All suites are located on the 4th floor. Children allowed in these rooms – Maximum occupancy 2 adults and 2 children.
Colonial Suite – 1,076 square feet
Same as Majestic Suite but with an outdoor Jacuzzi on the terrace. Pool view. Children allowed in these rooms – Maximum occupancy 2 adults and 2 children.
They also have a Presidential Suite which is over 1,600 square feet, and has a huge rooftop terrace – very impressive. You could have a party for 100 people up there.
They have some specially-equipped rooms for disabled people, ie. wider doors, grab bars.
Clock-radios are being added to all the rooms, both Junior Suites and Suites. Coffeemakers in the suites only are being replaced with Nespresso coffee makers, and DVD players and a stereo system are also going to be added to the Suites only.
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| Guest Services |
Annemarie is guest services manager at Majestic Colonial (as of November 2008). It is at guest services that you make reservations for the Gourmet and Japanese Restaurants, and they can also make reservations for golf, and help you with any other questions or concerns you have. You can contact guest services at: pr@majesticcolonial.com
Changes to All-Inclusive Plan
Changes were being made to the all-inclusive plan, effective December 23, 2006, as follows (as far as I know this information is still correct in November 2008):
All international premium liquors will be included for North American guests (while we were there only a few were included, the rest were available at an extra cost). There will still be an additional cost for beer other than Presidente and wine other than the house wine.
Room service is available in the Standard Junior Suites at additional cost, but as of December 11 will be included in the upgraded Junior Suites and Suites.
Grounds/Pool
There are a lot of ponds and fountains throughout the resort. Christmas lights were everywhere, with a big decorated Christmas tree in the lobby. It is beautiful at night with everything lit up.
The huge swimming pool runs through the length of the resort. It’s length provides several different areas to sit in, some more quiet than others. Found the pool water cold, but refreshing. It’s quite a shallow pool, less than 4 feet deep I think. There is also a small kids’ pool in the area of the main pool. We liked to sit at the end of the pool nearest the beach, it was quiet there. The area around the swim-up bar in the middle was where the Activities staff hung out, and then there were quieter areas up closer to the lobby.
The hotel was 85 – 90 per cent full the week we were there, and it didn’t seem crowded. There were lots of chairs available, even after 9 a.m. in the morning. (November 2008 – the hotel was completely full and it still never seemed crowded, and we were always able to find a spot at the beach.)
Beach
The beach is beautiful, you see lots of people walking the beach every day. The Bahia Principe hotel is about a 10 minute walk down the beach, and the new Riu Palace is about 20 minutes away. Grand Paradise is right beside Majestic to the north.
There are lots of palapas on the beach, no problem finding a place to sit.
Weather and Bugs
There was no problem at all with bugs or mosquitos the week we were there. The weather was generally good. It was quite windy the beginning of the week, but the winds calmed down toward the end of the week. It did rain at some point almost every day, but didn’t last long. Temperatures were in the mid-80’s during the day, dropped to the 70’s at night, it was very comfortable.
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| Restaurants |
You can eat at the a la carte restaurants as much as you want (if you can get reservations) There is a limit of 4 bookings under one room number. The Japanese and Gourmet restaurants are the only ones you need reservations for, best to make them as soon as you arrive. While most people did dress up a little for the a la carte restaurants, the only restaurant that enforces a dress code for men is the Gourmet restaurant - long pants and a collared shirt required. No "muscle shirts" allowed at any of the restaurants at dinnertime.
Main Buffet Restaurant
The main buffet restaurant is open from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. for breakfast, 12:30 p.m. to 3.00 p.m. for lunch, and 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. for dinner. It is enclosed and air-conditioned, up near the lobby.
They had a fairly good selection of food. Fresh-made omelettes in the morning were my favourite. The crepes were also good. They did have some pre-made omelettes, fried eggs, pancakes, etc., but I found these were cold. Toast always took a long time, had to put it through the toaster several times. (November 2008 – enjoyed the food in the buffet, felt it had improved from the first time we were there. Their pre-made stuff in the mornings was still cold though). At lunch time they had pizza, salads, cold cuts, as well as different meats, fish and vegetables, fresh bread and rolls. The rice and red beans was my favourite. They also have a pasta bar. I like their French fries, but they’re really greasy.
At dinner there was a choice of meat and fish, vegetables, salads, rolls, etc. as well as pasta. You could always find something you liked. There was fresh fruit and deserts, but not a large selection. We only had dinner here once, as we went to all of the a la carte restaurants.
A hostess will seat you when you enter the buffet restaurant, and then someone will take your drink order. I usually like to drink white wine, but I did not like the white wine they served in this restaurant at all. I did not try the red wine. Some of the a la carte restaurants had a different white wine that I liked better.
La Hispaniola Beach Restaurant
Open from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for continental breakfast Open from 12:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. for lunch and snacks This is an open air restaurant at the beach/pool area. At night it becomes the Steakhouse and Seafood Restaurants. We had lunch here a couple of times. They serve hamburgs, hotdogs, salads, and usually a paella or something with fish in it., and also have a pasta bar. I had a hamburger here the first day and it was still pink in the middle, so that kind of turned me off. Had pasta another day, that was very good. (November 2008 – they had added a sandwich station, where you could get a sandwich made to order).
Never tried the continental breakfast there, it opens too late, and it didn’t really seem to have “breakfast” foods, there were things like cheese and ham and dinner rolls.
November 2008 – service very good, plates cleared right away, or in some cases before you finished eating, ie. Pat had a hamburger on his plate and picked it up to take a bite and his plate was taken away :)
Steakhouse – Rodeo Grill
Open 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. (in half of the Hispaniola Beach Restaurant)
This was my favourite restaurant, we ate here a couple of times and had the Chateaubriand, and it was very good. There is also a Caesar salad station where you can get fresh Caesar salad.
We ate here again in November 2008 – was very good, but service was a little too fast in this restaurant.. Someone was there to take our order before we even had a chance to open the menu.
Seafood Restaurant – Tres Carabelas
Open 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. (in other half of Hispaniola Beach Restaurant)
We don’t like fish, so didn’t eat here. |
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Le Gourmet Restaurant – requires reservations
No shorts allowed. No kids under 12.
Open 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
This restaurant is located up at the lower lobby. Had the Surf and Turf and Pat had a chicken dish, both were good. The other entrees on the menu were seafood.
Oriental “Matsuri” Restaurant
Open 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
This is actually two separate dining areas – one is the Teppanyaki tables – you have to make a reservation for this. This is show cooking where the food is cooked in front of you. It was good. At the end of the meal they give you a shot of “mamajuana” to try, the Dominican cure-all. Actually, I think they had a jug of it in all the restaurants. (November 2008 – we ate here again, didn’t enjoy it as much as the first time. No mamajuana served.) The other section of this restaurant is the Chinese portion, no reservations are needed to eat here. We had the chicken chow mein and Szechwan beef. Appetizer choices were egg rolls or won ton soup. It was pretty good. There is also a buffet sushi bar.
Caribbean Taino Restaurant
Open 7:00 p.m. to midnight for dinner
This is also a “two-part” restaurant. They have a buffet of Dominican/Mexican food, as well as a menu you can order from. You can just have the buffet if you want, or just order from the menu, or have both. We had a 3-meat entrée with baked potato from the menu, and also sampled some stuff from the buffet.
(November 2008 – we ate here again, it’s pretty much the same)
Bars
Piano Bar (upper level of lobby) – open 9 a.m. to midnight
Lobby Bar (ground floor) – open 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Sports Bar/Disco – open 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Theatre Bar – open 8 p.m. to midnight
Plaza Bar – open 5 p.m. to midnight
Pool Bar – open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Swimup Bar – open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Beach Bar – open 9 a.m. to midnight
As of December 11/06 all international liquors are included for North Americans.
Beer – Presidente Beer is included in the all-inclusive. Other beers such as Coronna, Budweiser, Bud Light, Miller, or Heineken are $3.00U.S. a bottle.
They make good Caesars, they have Clamato juice! Their welcome drink, the “Majestic” is also really good. In the evening, outside the lobby, they set up a table with hors d’oeuvres and serve a special drink, I think it was something different every night.
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| Entertainment and Activities |
There is a big board just outside the entrance to the lobby that tells what the activities and entertainment are for the week.
During the day the activities staff has pool games and contests in the area of the swimup bar and on the beach.. On Caribbean Street near the front of the resort is a games area with a giant chessboard, foosball, two pool tables, and a pingpong table. They also have games and books to lend out..
Next to this area is a well-equipped gym (included).
Tennis courts (day and night) are located at the front of the resort, and they are going to be adding a baseball diamond as well as walking trails through the mangroves
At night, after dinner, people would congregate in the lobby areas, or wander through the shopping areas. There is a Harrison’s jewellery store off the lobby on the Reception level, they have beautiful stuff. There is also a clothing store (very expensive) (November 2008 – the clothing store is gone, and has been replaced by the internet lounge), and a cigar shop. On the “Caribbean Street” adjacent to the lobby is where you’ll find a Mini-Mart, souvenir shops, paintings, Internet Centre, the Sports Bar/Disco where you can watch sports games on big screen TV’s, and the casino and theatre. They were in the process of opening up a “café” where you could get late night snacks. We never went to the disco, but drinks are included.
(November 2008 – internet lounge has moved to the lobby, they now have a place here called La Bodeguita del Majestic where you can get late night snacks such as burgers and wings. It is open from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.) On Dominican night vendors had stalls set up around the lobby entrance.
There is a beautiful theatre where they put on evening shows. The seating is very very comfortable – I fell asleep there one night. We actually only watched a couple shows for a short while. There was an Acrobatic show, a Michael Jackson show (I’ve only seen about 25 of them). Others that we missed – Ideal Couple, His and Hers, Magician show. A waitress will come around and take your drink orders in the theatre.
What we enjoyed the most was the saxophone player that played in the outdoor plaza every evening. There are tables and chairs here, and bar service, and it was nice to just sit back and relax and listen to him play.
There is a casino with table games and slot machines. Drinks are included. Pat played Blackjack one night and ended up about $50.00 ahead.
Kids Club
There is a Kids’ Club for ages 3 to 7, located near the front of the resort near the theatre. Next to that is a Teens Club for ages 8 to 14. They are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Kids’ Club looked interesting with its castle and swimming pool. Parents are encouraged to go there with their children
Golf
There are several golf courses in the area – Cocotal Golf Course, White Sands Golf Course, and Punta Blanca – contact Guest Services for information and pricing and to make reservations.
Majestic Spa
A nice full-service spa, with indoor treatment rooms, as well as massage beds at the beach. There is a water entrance that connects to the pool. In this area are outdoor spa tubs and showers that you can use for free. I didn’t discover until the last day that the spa tubs actually had hot water in them. In fact, the whole pool area around the spa entrance is much warmer than the rest of the pool. I did go in one day for a massage – 55 minutes for $80.00 U.S. Also had a nail polish change done for $10.00 U.S. (hands and feet).
(November 2008 – went for a massage which was very nice, also had a nail polish change done) |
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| Hair Braiding and Tattoos |
Next to Mariana Watersports at the beach is a place where you can get your hair braided, or temporary henna tattoos. I paid $7.00 U.S. for 5 braids. Also got a temporary tattoo on my ankle for $15.00 U.S. that’s supposed to last two weeks. She said to come back the day I was leaving and she would touch it up for free, but I never bothered.
T-Shirt Painting(New in November 2008)
Antonio has a place at the beach where he will handpaint a t-shirt for you. We had him make a few with our logo and name on the front and the website URL on the back – he did an awesome job. (If any of the forum members are interested in buying a “Debbie’s” shirt, just ask him about it – you could probably get your forum name added on the shirt as well.
Money Exchange
There is an ATM machine in the lobby as you enter where you can get pesos, or you can exchange money at the front desk. If you take U.S. cash, there is really no need to change it into pesos.
Watersports
Mariana Watersports is located at the beach. Included items are snorkel equipment, boogie boards, ocean kayaks, and a scuba clinic in the pool. Also included are catamarans and windsurfers, but these require a security deposit, ie. credit card, and must be reserved one day in advance. Here you can also book fishing trips, parasailing, boat trips, etc.
Tours
The tour operators have desks in the upper lobby area where you can book excursions – jeep tours, boat trips, 4-wheelers, day trip to Santo Domingo, trip to Altos de Chavon, boat trip to Catalina Island, horseback riding, etc
Internet Lounge
November 2008 - The Internet Centre is located off the lobby. About 8 computer terminals, lots of comfortable seating and tables and chairs. Internet cost is $5. for 30 minutes. If you bring your laptop, you can get internet in your room for $10.00 U.S. a day. (good idea to bring your own cable).
Weddings
There were lots of weddings at this resort while we were there, either on the beach or at the gazebo in the gardens near the lobby. Information on their new wedding package will be posted shortly on our Weddings Page along with contact information.
Medical Services and Pharmacy
Located near the theatre.
Late Checkout
If you have a late flight, you might be able to get late checkout. The cost is $40.00 (up to 6:00 p.m.). You will have to go to the front desk the day before you leave to see if a late checkout is available for your room. Note that you must take your room cards to the front desk and have them re-programmed before 12 noon on the day you are leaving, otherwise you will be locked out of your room at noon, even if you arranged for the late checkout.
If you do have to vacate your room, they have showers adjacent to the reception area.
Summary
We really liked this hotel. Accommodations are beautiful, the grounds and pool are nice, the food was fine, and the staff and service were great. Management seems committed to continually make improvements to the resort. There are lots of things to do if you want to, or you can just “veg out” at the pool or beach.
If you have any other questions about Majestic, you can e-mail me.
Special thanks to Ricardo Espinosa and “Majestic Mike”, for all your assistance during our stay.
November 2008 – the hotel was as great as I had remembered!
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| Old Reviews - Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
Susan
Fort Lauderdale, FL
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| April 2009 |
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My son Jay and my daughter-in-law Megan were married at Majestic Colonial, Punta Cana, on March 27, 2009. We had almost 50 guests in all so it was a large gathering. We were spread out through the entire hotel even though we had requested for the family rooms to be in the same general area.
We arrived on Mon, 3/23. The weather that was very overcast and windy. We stayed at the pool and the water was very chilly considering the lack of sun. The next day it was more of the same weather, very windy on the beach but we still went. Each day the weather improved a little so by Friday, the day of the wedding, it was quite pleasant, warm and sunny with a bit of wind.
Jay and Megan were married at 5:30 p.m. at the gazebo. It was very beautifully set up with a small table and a flower centerpiece, candles and chairs for everyone. Everything went off flawlessly including my grandson, Dylan, meandering down the very long aisle with his little ring bearer pillow in hand. After photos were taken, we proceeded to the upstairs bar for our cocktail hour. Megan and Jay joined us after a few more photos. We took a group photo on the huge staircase which joins the top and bottom floor of the lobby. I can't wait to see that one!
The reception was at the Presidential Suite in the building to the right of the lobby, oceanfront, on a rooftop. It was also set up very beautifully with a buffet dinner of lobster, beef, chicken and fish (that everyone raved about.) Two soups were served, pumpkin and vegetable, along with salads, fresh veggies, bread/rolls. The food was excellent. Megan had brought silver chargers (the large decorative plate placed under the dinner plate) along with navy blue cloth napkins and navy blue chair wraps with bows. She also placed a pair of flip-flops (hot pink for the ladies and navy for the men) on each chair. Although she also brought votive candles, it was too windy for the candles to burn. The men also got a Dominican cigar at their place setting.
The bar was well-appointed and we brought additional name-brands of liquor. The bartenders were very quick and were trying to please. They gave everyone whatever they wanted, shots, etc. They received lots of tips from everyone and went home very happy. The dancing was non-stop with Megan being the center of attention. Her dad called the wedding "Megan's Ultimate Dance Party." I would have to agree. She did not sit down once and there were no slow songs. She planned out the music perfectly.
When it approached 11:00, the bartenders indicated that they had no problem extending the time. However, at 11:15 someone literally pulled the plug on the lights and very abruptly threw everyone out, quite rudely in my opinion. They said they were getting complaints about the music. Not to worry, everyone moved on to the new disco which was built when the Majestic Elegance was added. The party continued on there until ?????
Overall, we had a wonderful time at Majestic Colonial and the wedding was a huge success. Planning a destination wedding can be trying but I give Megan all the credit for being organized and having faith that everything would turn out all right. I would be happy to answer any questions, just email me.
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
Tammy
Canada
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| February 2009 |
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There was a bottle of champagne, cheese tray and fruit tray in our room when we arrived and a little cake arrived mid way through the week. There was even a banner on our door that said Honeymooners. My sister was celebrating their 1 year anniversary and they had a banner for that too.
When I checked in I was told to come back to the lobby the next day (Sunday) to arrange my meeting with Sandra, when I did I was told it was her day off, no problems though as I wasn't getting married until Tuesday. My Mom and I met with her on Monday morning and she had a sheet of paper with all the things we had discussed via email on it. To note if you have agreed to prices or were told you qualified for the free wedding bring the emails with you in case they tell you otherwise then. I had brought my emails but didn't need them, the only thing that was going to be an up charge was my bouquet The meeting took less than 20 minutes, during which time we discussed the, choice of salad for our meal, and music. honestly, it was SO easy!!!!
I gave her the CD with my music on it and she suggested we do the first dance in the gazebo after the ceremony which was perfect as I didn't now when or where I was going to do it. The songs were all labeled on one CD. She then confirmed the time the flowers and photographer would show up at my room and the reception dinner. Sandra is very sweet and easy to work with. By the afternoon before the wedding the charges were on my room and paid for, no surprises.
The wedding day.......although it started out raining was absolutely perfect. By 2pm everything was dry and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Nobody should have any worries about getting married here. I had originally wanted white lilies and purple orchids as my bouquet but at 1pm the day of the wedding Sandra called to say the florist didn't want to use them as they weren't very nice looking, so they changed it up some. I thought it was very nice that they called first. What I got was absolutely gorgeous, because of the heat by the end of the night they were starting to wilt but lasted till then.. Our wedding was at the gazebo at 2pm. They decorate it beautifully, which rose petals all down the isle and beautiful flowers and music playing. It was very intimate so everyone could see and hear perfectly As the gazebo is off the beaten path there were no sunbathers in our photos, a few people stopped to watch when they passed but we didn't really notice them. I had supplied fans/bubbles and jelly beans for my guests. Even the staff that was playing the music got into it. After the ceremony we had our champagne toast, they even had a fruity drink for the kids in champagne glasses. Then the first dances, it was the perfect location to have them.
We had gone with the resort photographer, KIKO, highly recommend him, he had a few spots and poses already picked out but was open to any photos that we wanted taken, as it was very sunny he was very good at capturing me without my eyes closed. The photos were ready to be viewed the next morning at 11am, I purchased the silver package which came with 100 photos and could have purchased the rest on CD but didn't as many of my group had cameras as well. I wasn't pressured into buying more just given the option which I though was really nice. They were ready Thursday (wedding was Tuesday) at 11am, I got 2 sets of 100 photos (6*8), 10 photos (10*12I think), one CD of the negatives and a DVD of the photos to music. The package didn't say the photographer would be at the reception but he was and took the cake shots and a photo of each of couples with us, very nice to have.
We had our supper at the Steak House and the food was great. I had gone with the Chateaubriand based on reviews from facebook and was not disappointed. We had one long table in the corner that was perfect, I didn't even notice anyone else dining, speeches were okay as well. The cake was awesome!!! We got the chocolate cake with the banana filling as the bottom layer and white cake with the strawberry filling as the top layer. They make THE best chocolate cake!!!
All in all, the day was one I'll never forget. It was prefect and I wouldn't change a thing. We had a small group, but everyone had a wonderful time and enjoyed the resort.
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
Marilyn
Long Sault, Ontario, Canada
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| December 2008 |
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Arrival: Dec. 13 - 20, 2008
Our arrival could not have been more breathtaking. Entering the Lobby at the Majestic Colonial was like entering Paradise. We were handed a tropical drink upon sign in at the hotel lobby and was met with very friendly and helpful staff
Rooms:
The rooms were very large and equipped with everything and more than was necessary for a one week stay.
Restaurants and Bars:
Lots of restaurants and bars to choose from and the staff could not be friendlier or more accommodating. We ate most of our meals at the buffet restaurant next to the beach. By day, it was a buffet for breakfast, again for lunch and then at night, it was turned into a steak and seafood place. It was wonderful meals that we ate there. My favourite place, though I have to say was the Japanese restaurant. The meal was amazing. My husband and I also went to the little take out place next to the casino, one night after 11:00 p.m. and we had one of the best hamburgers that we have ever eaten.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The beach was truly right from a movie. The white sand and the beautiful breezes from the crystal blue and green ocean was breathtaking. The pool by day was full of activity, but by night when it was lit up, was the most romantic place that I could ever imagine. The grounds were also very clean and well kept by the hard working gardners.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
My husband did the full day trip, first a 2 hour bus ride, through a town and countryside, then on a catamaran, to an island for a couple of hours, then back by a power boat. He had a great time. I am not a water person, so I spent my day with other friends, but also went to the spa for 2 1/2 hours. It was also very relaxing and one of the best spas that I have been to. The theatre shows were very entertaining. We watched Michael Jackson, the circus, and the magician shows. They were all very entertaining. The casino was also one of my favourites.
Other Comments:
I came home on December 20th and could have went back on December 21st. It was truly amazing. The weather, the resort, the pool, the beach, the staff, the food, etc. etc. We will return!!
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
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We visited the Majestic 22/09/08 - 6/10/08 to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. We arrived in the middle of a tropical storm and were unable to land at Punta Cana Airport, we did land at Larimer to refuel and waited 90mins on the runway until we were able to take off and land at Punta Cana, meaning that our overall journey was 12 hours. That is were our problem ended!
We arrived at the Majestic and were given Majestic cocktails, the bell boy took us up to our room (3338) pointing out the restaurants and bars on the way. The room was very nice, clean and spacious, overlooking the pool with a sea view also. The beach and pool were great with lots of space.
The buffet had lots of choice, the staff (chefs, waiters and waitresses) were excellent we did not have to wait for anything. Steak and fish restaurants were very good, Japanese was excellent, the Mexican restaurant was very busy the night we attended and was just ok. The bars.. Pool bars was very good with singing bar man William, lobby bar fantastic, excellent bar tenders (Massimo, little Alex and the beautiful Angela) drinks were always refilled without even asking.
The animation team were very entertaining, the circus show and Michael Jackson show were very good. We attended the little church on site to receive mass in Spanish, a lovely experience.
Overall would say the employees of the Majestic make the hotel what it is.. fantastic!!! It was a wonderful experience to meet them all from the gardeners, pool staff, towel hut, cleaners (Lourdes - Lobby cleaner) and all who left the site spotless. Restaurant staff were so pleasant and helpful, did not have to wait for anything. Bar staff were fantastic! I can say all employees went above and beyond the call of service. Did not get to meet Anne Marie but look forward to doing so on our return visit next year.
Also met lots of nice people from around the world, Americans, Canadians, Spanish, Dutch, Irish and of course English.
Would recommend this hotel to anyone going to Punta Cana.
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
Jorge & Desi
Reston, VA
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| June 2008 |
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Arrival and Flight
We flew to San Juan and from San Juan to Punta Cana (a 1 hour flight). The airport is small but really nice. Don't worry about the picture they take when you arrive...it will be there on your way out of Punta Cana.
We used a private transportation company from the airport to the Majestic and back to the airport...did it using the internet and it worked perfectly. The cost was $80.00 for the three of us both ways. They were waiting for us at the airport, and they were right on time at the hotel on our way back. The good thing about it is that it was just us, so we didn't need to stop in 4 or 5 different hotels before getting to the Majestic. Depending on your tour, either you have to wait at the airport for everybody to be ready and/or the bus has to stop in different hotels to drop people off. Anyway, I think it was a good deal.
Arrival at the Majestic was really nice, a couple of cocktails and cookies as we checked in...my son (7 yrs old) was sold right away with the cookies and non-alcoholic fruit punch! The check-in was easy and fast. I did ask, thru the hotels' website, for a room overlooking the pool instead of the construction...no problem at all. It was room 3315 which is pretty much in the middle of the resort...half way to the lobby/restaurants, and half way to the beach.
Rooms
The room was beautiful and huge (approx. 34 x 15). The bathroom, although beautiful too, might be a problem depending on who stays with you. For couples or families with small kids, it’s perfect; once you bring your mother in law (not that you will ;-)) it is a problem because there is no private area to change your clothes or get dressed after a shower. Yes, the shower is huge but it gets all wet!!! It was very clean and everything worked...including hot water everyday, AC, TV, and Presidentes in the mini bar too!! No problems with bugs at all...maybe a couple of mosquitoes, but no big deal.
People/Employees/Locals
Dominicans are very friendly. Everybody was so nice...always a "Good morning", "How are you doing today?", "Do you need anything?", How can I help you?", etc, etc. It did help to speak Spanish to them. Most of them do speak English, but you will also find some that, even if they didn’t understand the language, would try to get you what you need.
Grounds/Beach/Pool
The grounds were immaculate. Everything is clean and well maintained.
The pool is beautiful and LONG. You can go to the main area where the music and games are happening, or go to the other areas where it is more relaxing. But no matter where your room is, the pool is right in front of it. The water temperature was perfect...not too hot...not too cold....and once you get a couple of drinks at the wet bar, you won't even remember that there is water in it.
The beach is also nice. We had both calm water days and days with small waves, so it was ok. The sand is soft and white...well, you know, like a brownish white :-) but beautiful too. The service at the beach was not the best...yes you can see somebody once in a while asking if you want drinks but they will take forever to bring it to you...with no ice since it gets pretty hot down there. Bring one of those insulated mugs...it works great.
Shops
The shops have a little bit of everything. Yes it is true that things are expensive but you have to understand that if you didn't bring it from home, they are facilitating it for you. The other option is to take a taxi in to town, buy there and come back...how much more will you pay? I did buy some Mamajuana rum from one of the stores...the lady gave me a sample from a bottle that was hidden behind her counter...so if I die after writing this review, please remember me every time you go to the Majestic.
Bars
Bars were all good...service good, drinks good. The Presidente beer at the wet bar was really, really cold...the best! Try the Bananarama with "vitamins".
Restaurants
We ate at the Taino restaurant twice, the Steak house, the Chinese, the buffet and the Seafood restaurants too. The food was incredible. I was expecting average food, because of the all-inclusive, but the food was excellent. I would not recommend the breakfast at the Palapa near the beach...a lot of flies. But for some reason, it is only during the day; at night you won't see one fly.
Activities and Entertainment
We went to three of the shows: Night with the Stars, Michael Jackson, and the Circus. People, the shows are not Broadway but they are really good and entertaining. Do not volunteer for the pre-Michael Jackson's show unless you know how to dance like him...it was pretty funny. The only problem, at least for us, was that the shows started at 10:00 pm...you need to find something to do between dinner and the shows. And if you have children that have been swimming all day, it is very tough keeping them awake long enough to catch the show. The entertainment around the pool and the beach was fun.
Kids Club
Even though our 7 year old son was not too excited about going to the kids club, he did a couple of times. The staff was nice and really careful with the kids. They have a private small pool with slides + a room with toys and a TV always showing movies.
Pictures
This is just extra info. There is a company that takes pictures of you or your family at the hotel. The pictures are incredible; they are a professional group of photographers from Argentina. The deal is that they will make an appointment with you and spend around an hour taking pictures of you in different places of the resort. The picture session is free, but you must buy a minimum of 10 pictures (6 x 8) @ $10/each...which I think it is a good deal. Once your session is over, they will tell you when to go to their shop to see the pictures and pick the ones that you like. The photographer takes around 100 pictures in a session.
Ok, the first problem is that you will like at least 80 of the pictures...for the low price of $800...WOW... but wait, they will give you 4 or 5 option packages with better prices. This problem gets really complicated when suddenly they tell you that they ONLY accept CASH$$$$$...no traveler checks, no Visa, no MC, no Presidentes. I just don't know why they think that people will have $800 - $1000 cash in their pockets on an all-inclusive resort...go figure!
The second problem: make sure that you get your pictures (or CD with the pictures) when you pay. We paid the day we picked/looked at the pictures and two days later, while waiting for our airport transfer, my wife was fighting with them because the CD of the pictures was not ready...even though they told us that it was going to be ready the day before. And the free 8X10 that they promised with the CD? Forget it. The computer was down so they couldn’t make if for us. So the moral of the story is, once you hand over the cash, you may or may not get what they offered. So make sure you have what they offered in you hand before handing them your cash. Anyway, something to be aware of. But again, the pictures are beautiful.
Conclusion
This place is wonderful and we recommend it to everyone. If the bathroom is not an issue for your family, this is the hotel you're looking for...believe me, I read every single review in this and other websites. For sure I will go back to this resort. My wife wouldn’t because of the bathroom situation.
One other thing, we brought a lot of Sammy Sosa and Pedro Martinez (EBay - $10.00) baseball cards with us and gave them to the staff as part of the tip...for their kids…something cheap and nice that you can do for the service that you will get at the Majestic! They were so thankful knowing that people appreciate their baseball player.
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
Ron & Kerry
Southern California
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| June 2008 |
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Arrival and Flight
We were in and out of the airport in about 20 minutes; it took me 2 minutes to find my driver to take us to the Majestic. The airport was very clean, and nice! Arrival at the Majestic was nice, we were given two cold towels and a drink called the Majestic, I finished it in one sip! When I was checking in, I asked for a room opposite the construction and was given room 2211 (Great Room).
Rooms
Very clean upon arrival, the AC was already on so the room was very comfortable. We never had any issues with our room, I gave our maid $5 on the fist day and she took care of us for the remainder of our stay.
Restaurants
OK for an all inclusive, we both liked the Steak House and the French restaurant the best! Stay away from the Chinese, this is the Dominican and not China. The Buffett was really good, every morning we would have breakfast there!! Around mid-night we would visit the small café across from the castle for a mid night snack! I would suggest the Chicken Wings!!
Bars
I have to say, when I started drinking the beer I would drink 20 of them and not feel a thing, I think they water down their alcohol! I had to chase down the waitress on the beach for some drinks and even then she brought over the wrong one I think it was the lack of communication. Next time I suggest bringing a small English/ Spanish translation book. The wine that was offered at the restaurants was of good quality wine, however, not included in the all inclusive price… I purchased 2 bottles a night at dinner and spent roughly $20 to $30 a bottle….
Beach and Pools
I was so unhappy with the fact that people disregard that this is a beach for all and not pick up their trash after they leave. I stepped on I can’t tell you how many cigarette buts. The beach was good, I’ve seen better! I was told that this was a good place to snorkel… I disagree, a good place to snorkel would have been for me to pay $50 to be taken by boat to a secluded place to snorkel… Ohh well!!
The pool was great, needed a little fixing but otherwise clean and refreshing!!
Grounds
Were always clean….
Activities and Entertainment
Did no activities! Entertainment was SO..SO! We really enjoyed the Friday Paella on the beach, that was fun to watch and very good to eat…. I would recommend it to anyone, ours was on Friday. The entertainment around the pool was fun, but then it fizzled really fast.
Departure and Check Out
Nice and fast, no issues!
Conclusion
We both had a great time, I would recommend the Majestic to other people… However, read as much as you can on this web-site it’s very informative and helpful. Both of us must of ate something bad because we keep going to the bathroom 2-3 times a day! Take Amodium A-D with you!!! It’s a must!
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
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Our Perfect Wedding/Vacation at Majestic Colonial Punta Cana
GETTING TO THE RESORT
We flew US Airways on April 27th from Boston to Punta Cana. There were no closets even though we were in first class. We had to lay my dress folded in half in an overhead bin....it actually made it with no issues. I gave my extra suit cases to friends and family to bring for me.
The Punta Cana airport was a little chaotic, but I expected that due to past reviews. We gathered our luggage and headed to the booth that had our Tour Group "TNT vacations" posted on the overhead sign. The ride to the resort with TNT/Coco Tours was very unorganized. The driver was confused and didn't know where to drop people or how to get to some resorts. It took almost 2 hrs to get to the resort from the airport. We traveled separately with 37 other guests many of them were booked though "Travel Impressions"/VIP and they were all very happy with the tour company and transportation to the resort. Our guests ranged in age from 3yrs-87yrs old.
CHECK IN
Once at the resort we checked in at the front desk and were greeted with a wet towel, I think they offered us a drink too but I was too busy talking to the front desk clerk.
The resort was overbooked so we did not get upgraded like we had hoped. We got what we booked "Colonial Suite", when you pay for the wedding package you are suppose to get upgraded if available. A porter carried our luggage to our room. The room 2406 was great. It was pool view across from the towel hut. All of our guests got what they paid for. Two rooms were requested with double beds and they didn't get them so we had to ask for cots but they never complained. Everyone seemed happy and I had them meet us at night at the upper lobby bar to give them their welcome bags. The welcome bags were zippered beach bags with a bubba mug, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, personalized playing cards, personalized matches, room spray, first aid kit, rice krispy treats, Swedish fish, sour patch kids, face cloths, and a welcome letter. The kids got more of course.
MEETING WITH WEDDING COORDINATOR
Right after settling in we got a note under our door to meet the wedding coordinator Larissa at 5pm the next day, Monday. It was a relief to get this note so quickly.
We meet with the wedding coordinator and went over everything in a matter of 30 min....I had to meet her again the next day because I didn't bring my "stuff" the first meeting like I was suppose too. I brought center pieces, program fans, sand ceremony, seashell chocolates for the cake, pictures of how I wanted the cake and pictures of how I wanted the center pieces, seashell photo albums for favors, seashell photo frame for guests seating cards, wedding guest book, cake topper, and seating chart.
THE RESORT
The Majestic Colonial resort is perfect. The pool is clear blue and runs the length of the resort. The grounds are immaculate. Everyone in our group was able to find something to eat. We ate at the Steakhouse two nights and had the chateaubriand (can't spell) and everyone loved it. The main buffet was great and the steak house lunch buffet was very limited in choices. The only food people complained about was the hamburgers...they were never cooked enough to feel safe to eat. All lot of my guests raved about the Japanese. A few people did have some stomach problems but when you drink all day, take in the sun, and eat like a sumo wrestler your body might react.
THE WEDDING
Our wedding was booked for May 1st at 4pm. The day before the wedding I got a phone call from Larissa the wedding coordinator saying there was a problem with the Judge and we can have the wedding at 3pm or 5pm. We chose 3pm and lucked out because we got to shoot way more pictures with our photographer. The day of the wedding we only booked 4 spots to get our hair done in the spa. I brought pictures of how I wanted my hair and the ladies in the salon did and excellent job. After getting my hair done two more of my wedding party wanted to get their hair done. We started at 11am and were done by 130pm and that was 6 girls hair. We went back to my room to get ready.
I ordered room service for lunch, it was good but no one really had time to eat. I recommend you designate someone else to order the food for you at a particular time.
My sister did my make up (I got new make up from Macy's with a consultation and she just did what the Macy's lady did). The flowers arrived about 2pm and were beautiful. I ordered a calla Lillie bouquet for me and single calla lilies that we hand tied ourselves with white ribbon that I brought with me, 3 calla lilies per girl and flower petals for the flower girls. I had my friend tie my memory frame of my brother to my bouquet, didn't want to get teary eyed so soon.
All the guests and the boys meet at the steakhouse bar at 245pm to wait for Larissa to escort them to the beach. Around 315pm Larissa called me and we met her at the base of our elevator to walk down to the beach.
The beach wedding was set up just as we asked and we had the Trio playing music. The judge did his thing then my sister read our sand ceremony and "I DO". The ceremony was very quick. Right after the ceremony we had a champagne toast and then a group picture. We did a few family pictures and wedding party pictures then we went off with our photographer till 630pm shooting all around the resort.
THE PHOTOGRAPHER
We hired our own photographer Rebecca Garone and her assistant Michael Garone from Sandown New Hampshire, USA. We couldn’t have asked for more. They were both great and full of ideas and so organized, we were able to do so many shots in so little time. We were so happy we brought our own photographer. We had so much fun shooting all around the resort. We also did a trash the dress shoot the next day at 6pm.
THE RECEPTION
The reception was great and everyone danced the night away. We had our private dinner reception at the Parrot Bar from 7pm to 11pm. This was an added cost of $55+26% per person, we did not do open bar because it would have been a waste of money...the private dinner included beer,wine,soda and water which everyone was happy with. I had my friend introduce us and we went right into our first dances, father daughter, mother son and then speeches then we ate dinner and listened to the dinner music. I rented the sound system for $250 and had my ipod hooked up to it with the play lists clearly labeled and ready to go. My friend Jon hit play at all the right times and did all the announcements...IPOD weddings are great. Some of my guests really liked the dinner music and danced a few slow songs while eating. After eating we snuck off with our photographer for a few night time photos. When we got back we cut the cake. We had a 3 tier white frosted cake decorated with pink and pink/white chocolate seashells and topped with our Swarovski crystal cake topper "D". The cake was chocolate/banana, everyone loved the cake. After cake we danced the night away. I guess I made a great play list because everyone danced and had fun all night. I played 8 dance songs mixing it up oldies, 80's and newbies and then two slow songs and had enough music on my play list to last 5 hours just for dancing.
AFTER THE RECEPTION
Do you really want to know? We got changed up and headed to the lobby bar for a few drinks and had some french fries and realized we were way too tired to party. I guess all the dancing wore us out. We got back to the room and the maid had made a bubble bath with rose petals for us (but she forgot to plug the drain and all we saw were suds and rose petals. Hehe) My husband really got a kick out of the letter they left us which read MR and Mrs. Lamb (Lamb was my last name) Hehe
TOURS
We only went on one tour Bavaro Runners Safari Adventure and it was great. They take you through the real country side to a ranch and you go horse back riding, then to a real house where they make coffee and chocolate, to a school house, then they feed you (the food was good but there was fly problem that really grossed out some people and they didn't eat). After lunch we went to a beach and chilled with some rum. The tour was worth every penny.
THE END
We did meet a great tour rep Jama from VIP and she helped us get a helicopter to fly us to the airport....what a grand exit and worth the money.
The vacation and wedding were awesome. The Majestic Colonial was worth every penny. I can't wait to go back.
1 week was not enough....Two weeks would have been great.
You may view some of our wedding/trash the dress pictures at www.bridalportraits.com and The password is 7542.
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
Lloyd & Kathy
Ottawa
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| April 2008 |
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My wife and I vacationed with our 2 daughters (10 & 8) and parents (83 & 74). So here are some comments/recommendations from this perspective.
It was our girls first experience in the ocean, so snorkeling was a main highlight. Actually, after an initial attempt at using snorkels, our girls preferred to only use goggles to explore the tropical fish and dive down to pick up sea shells. I recommend the interesting bottom structures a short distance from the beach, in front of the dive shop.
The "Kids club" didn't appeal to our girls and there did not appear to be any organized activities for their age.
Some of the highlights for our girls included: banana boat ride, hair braids, nightly shows, swim up bar for "dirty monkeys", boogie boarding, and
2 person kayak.
We had requested a room with 2 double beds, but were given a King bed. So they added 2 single beds to our room, and this was even better.
My parents greatly enjoyed the friendly service. It appears the staff are very respectful of elderly people. Lots of hugs and kisses for Momma & Papa.
The size of the resort and elevators were beneficial for my parents.
Among many other aspects, my wife enjoyed the daily aerobics sessions on the beach.
As for myself, highlights included: a scuba dive to the "Astron" ship wreck, early morning swims in the long pool and ocean, and the gym. This exercise enabled me to take full advantage of the awesome quality and quantity of food.
I recommend bringing enough $US cash to cover extra activities, tips, souvenirs, and $20 departure tax (per person). ATM only provided local currency. Payment by credit card for water activities (e.g. scuba dive) included a 16% tax which would have been avoided if we had paid cash.
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
Leah and Carter
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| April 2008 |
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First things first, arrival at the airport in Punta Cana was extremely organized; we were in and out in about 15 minutes. Next was the bus ride to the resort, I was pretty upset at all the garbage along the roadside, something should really be done about that!
Arrival - We were greeted with cold towels and a drink, of which I passed on to head to the front desk to check in. We were greeted by Richard (I hope I got his name right). We requested, through our travel agent to have a room on an upper level, not on the ground and not facing construction. Well, when we checked in, we were assigned a room on the ground (it wasn't facing construction), room number 3112, but this was quickly changed to room number 3312 after a quick trip to the front desk! We had NO problems changing our room. It was also stated by our travel agent that we were celebrating our honeymoon, but nothing special was done for us. There was a bottle of wine with 2 wine glasses when we got there (of which everyone receives), other then that, no extra perks which was disappointing, but, what can you do - I wasn't about to spend my vacation complaining about the little stuff. I should note that the ground floor smelt a little musty, but the room we changed to, was not. It was very clean.
Rooms - As mentioned, the rooms were very clean. Room is huge, double sinks, toilet behind a frosted glass door, HUGE shower with 2 shower heads...we had a king size bed, leather couch, coffee table, desk and chair...our view was of the beautiful wedding gazebo and pool. Our maid was Laylea and she was always given something nice as a Thank You. Our room was always cleaned around the same time, after breakfast but before lunch. Not once did we have any issues with our room, nothing was broken and we never seen any bugs and believe me, after reading some reviews about cockroaches, this was the thing I feared the most! It was spotless!
Internet – Cost was $5 for 30 mins…however, when we went, it was free due to the ticket printer not working – this was a bonus. I took note of either 8 or 10 computers, located in an air conditioned room.
Grounds/Pool/Beach - What can I say about the following, the grounds were always kept clean, you'd always see someone doing something with the flowers, maintaining the grass...they were never in your way. The grounds were beautiful with little ponds, palm trees, flower beds, bushes...beautiful. The pool was amazing and NOT cold like some people have written. What the hell do you expect, it's a pool! The water was warm, not freezing; it was so refreshing...even in the shady spots. Some people are too damn picky in my mind - which is the main reason why I decided to write this review. For those complaining about the small stuff, I'd like to know what hotels you stayed at, because this one was well worth money spent! Loungers were always found at the fool...we didn't stick around where the Animation team was, rather our spot was always in the middle or near the end of the pool (down by where the last bar is, where the table and chairs are located). That bar opened for service at 12 I think. The pool was always clean, it wasn't loud, again, because we stayed clear of the Animation team, not that they weren't good, but, we prefer to relax and not be bothered to take part in shows. We always found a spot with shelter too, for shade. Next, the beach, ahhhhhh, the beach!! We spent our mornings at the beach, and our afternoons at the pool. The beach was a tad bit windy but it was a comforting breeze, the waves were high, but not rough enough in that you couldn't swim...there was some coral, so, I would recommend water shoes...but it was absolutely amazing. The beach was VERY clean, well maintained, never once did we have an issue with not getting lounge chairs, nor shade. We use to go for walks down the beach to check out other resorts, but we were always glad to get back to our own beach...the beach bar that we went to was the bar that was part of the Steak house and Seafood restaurants. My female cousin and I never got our drinks there that were the job of our husbands!! So, to speak of what the service was like at the bar, my husband would have to tell you, but he never came back complaining so that was good. I wouldn't be able to tell you what time it opened either, we brought down our travel mugs and they were always topped up! For those getting married, they have a beautiful set up on the beach!
Food/Buffet - We ate at the buffet every morning and for lunch...there was always plenty to eat. Some foods were labeled, some were not, we stuck to the basics of what we knew and we didn't get sick. I had stomach issues on Wed, but I highly find it unlikely it was from the food, more from the fact that I was drinking a lot, and not drinking enough water. One day I had a hamburger, cut into the middle, and it was fine, bit into the edge and it was red. I didn't eat the rest and went back for something else - problem solved. The next time I had a burger, I asked the chef to cook it black, he did, and it was great and I didn't get sick. The food was the same ol same ol every day, with different assortment of things, like for instance, one day it was white rice, then seafood rice, then veggie rice...and so on...you'd always find chicken, whether it be grilled, baked, deep fried, fries, different assortments of pizza, beef, steak, lots of fruit, deli meats, salads, pasta, different assortments of pasta sauces, some Dominican foods which I didn't bother with, if I didn't eat it home, I wasn't eating it there! They had a juice machine, but if you wanted pop or something different, the servers would get it for you. (Hi Padro!)
Restaurants - We ate at the Steak house twice, the French restaurant once, which required reservations, the Chinese restaurant once, which is in the same restaurant as the Japanese (Japanese rest. requires reservations and is off in another section of the restaurant) and the Mexican restaurant:
Steak house - First night I ordered the grilled chicken, it came with a Caesar salad, it was good. Second night I ordered the steak, cooked WELL, that too came with a Caesar salad (which was a little runny, due to the lettuce being wet). My husband ordered the steak twice as he enjoyed it so much the first time...he ordered the other salad that was on the menu the first night, wasn't too fussy on that and so he went with the Caesar the second night. Both nights were busy, as there were 2 wedding receptions, but the service was still good, and on time. We didn't feel rushed. The first night we weren't told about the buffet in which you could pick up your breads and deserts, we went up anyway, the second night we were told to help ourselves.
French Restaurant - It too was good, the service was good. My husband had the sirloin, me, the chicken which was served on a bed of rice and was stuffed with mashed potatoes, with garlic, YUMMY!! For our starters, we both had soup, I had the one that mentioned lobster and I'm not sure what he had...don't remember, but, both meals were good.
Chinese - For our started, husband had the egg rolls which he said was good, me, I went with the fried chicken, I lost one on the floor taking it off the stick :( The other one was good though LOL. We both ordered the Beef in Sweet and Sour sauce, well, the sauce wasn't very good, very disappointing, it kind of tasted like throw up in your mouth - sorry to be disgusting but I'm being honest...the couple we went with both had the Chicken Chow Mein and both said it was VERY good, they shared some of it with us LOL. Service was good, we didn't feel rushed and we always tipped!
Mexican - We were served with nachos prior to ordering, which was funny, because we were thinking, funny we haven't seen any nachos yet! Viola, there they were. We all had the chicken fajitas, which were good. They had salads to select from in a buffet format. Again, service was good, we didn't feel rushed and we always tipped.
Bars - Our evenings consisted of hanging out at the Lobby bar, both upstairs and down. Plenty of room at the bar and many seats to people watch and enjoy your drink. The service at both bars were fine, we didn't wait long for someone to approach us to serve us...some drinks took longer to make, but that didn't matter one bit to us...we tipped here as well. It didn't speed up the process; it was more of a Thank You for doing a great job. We went outside to another bar that is just outside the lobby, near the gazebo...this was nice, and because there was always someone there playing music...service was good there as well. Overall service was extremely good!
Vendors - 2 of the 7 nights that we were there they had vendors set up long the walk way in between the theatre and lobby, this was convenient for us because we didn't leave the resort, except to go on our excursion. They were pushy at times - nothing different there!
Theatre - HUGE and the chairs - very comfy. We attended the Michael Jackson show only, it was good...my husband fell asleep through it, but I thought it was good LOL.
Excursion - Saona Island - Expensive and really not worth the price, glad we did it, wouldn't do it again. It was a 2 hr bus ride to the boats...we took a speed boat over, got dropped off at the sand bar to locate the star fish, were in the water for 10-15 mins, were served drinks, got back in the boat, over to the Island, spent roughly 2.5 hrs there, had our lunch...went in the water a bit...the beach isn't as nice as it appears in the pics, the beach back at the resort was much nicer in my opinion. Lots of hornets I thought. We took a catamaran back that was fun...lots of drinks, fruit being served, and of course dancing!
That concluded my review - after reading some reviews on here prior to our trip, I was scared to death, but, we had a GREAT time, the staff were great, the service was good, the rooms were clean, the drinks were good, the beach and pool were amazing, the food was good - what more can you ask for...some people are just extremely picky and love to ruin it for others, you make what you want out of YOUR trip...your not in the US or Canada any more, so get over yourself and enjoy the surroundings and have a blast, cause I'm telling you, you WILL!! I would DEFINATELY go back to this resort, in a heartbeat!! :)
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
Marilyn & Jerry
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| April 2008 |
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We stayed at the Majestic from March 30/08 until April 6/08. We were 2 couples ranging from 36 - 49 in age. We have been to Punta Cana 4 times and at 4 different resorts.
-this resort was beautiful
-the construction did not bother us. We were given rooms on the other side.
-the food was great. Always something different to choose from at the main buffet. The steak house was so good, we went there 3 different evenings for supper.
-our rooms were always clean and very spacious
-the pool was so refreshing
-the beach is beautiful
-the ocean is warm and so inviting.
-we found the staff to be very friendly and they went out of their way to please us....even at the main buffet restaurant.
No complaints from us and someday we might go back there to see the expansion. If you have the chance to visit and stay at the Majestic do not hesitate....GO and ENJOY!
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
Lou and Anne
Prince Edward Island
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| April 2008 |
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| We just got back from the Majestic Colonial last week after being bumped from the Eden H Arena. All I can say is that I would go back tomorrow. I had e-mailed Richard with a room request of second floor with pool view and that is exactly what we got. The room was perfect, I especially liked the four drawers in the bathroom area for all our toiletries. Yes the bathroom area is open with jucuzzi tub. The toilet area, although very small is enclosed with a frosted glass door as well as the huge shower area. The safe is programmable with your own numbers and is free of charge. There is lots of closet space as well as iron and ironing board. We just had a regular room but yet, every day, we would come back from the beach to find a special treat in our room, champagne, chocolate covered grapes, cheese trays and meat trays, fruit baskets, etc. The resort is a wonderful size and we could easily walk the full length of it in about 5 minutes. Our rom was 2222 and it was halfway between the beach and lobby. We ate at the a la carte restaurants 5 nights and loved each one. We had chateaubriand, grilled lobster and really good food at all the restaurants. For the gamblers out there, the casino is very small. There are a few shops on the resort but the prices are very high. There is even a chapel on the resort. If you want to shop, you can walk about five minutes off the resort to a plaza where there are quite a few shops, be prepared to barter. We had no problems finding loungers, although on a couple of mornings, we felt like we wanted a palapa therefore I was down and found some at 7:30 otherwise there are plenty of loungers available. For those of you who have heard about the Big Wave, it happened the day before we arrived and yes, the beach was closed for a few days. There is a section of beach that took quite a beating but there is still plenty of beach to enjoy. Our favorite thing to do at night was to sit in the courtyard under the stars and listen to the saxaphone and piano player. Beautiful place to dance the night away. We did not see any shows or go to the disco as we've done all those things in the past. We brought gifts for the maids and even some for anyone whom we felt deserved something. We really paid attention to the staff and distributed candy along the way. Our reward was so many hugs every morning, they even nicknamed us Poppy and Mama. By the second day there, our waiter at the beach restaurant automatically brought me a cappacino and my husband an expresso. The sweet guy kept this up all week. We gave him a nice gift on our last day. Everything about this resort surpassed our expectations, from the cleaniness, to the service, to the wonderful staff and yes to the food. The pool is the biggest I've ever seen. We saw so many people complain about the least little thing while we were there. We felt it was important to write a positive comment card before we left as well as to express our gratitude to Richard. If we had a minor negative, it would be that the food could be warmer, but they feed big crowds, so chill and enjoy. If you are going there, do not hesitate as both my husband and I highly recommend this place and are already making plans to go back next year.
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
Susan
Kenora, Ontario
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| April 2008 |
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Arrival and Flight
We flew Air Transat out of Winnipeg, Mb and had excellent flights in both directions. We pre-booked our seats and were comfortably located at the emergency exits so we had plenty of leg room. Unfortunately for Air Transat both flights were only 1/2 full so we were even able to select our own row seats which made the trip even more comfortable.
The bus had just a couple of stops and our tour rep allowed us to take our beer onboard.
Our arrival at the hotel was quite eventful as the hotel was overbooked and they separated our party to all different numbered buildings. I had tried to email and confirm our reservations two times in the week prior to our arrival and never had a reply from the hotel staff so I was "expecting" this problem. They did end up upgrading 3 of our rooms for 1 night and then "letting" us move to the type of poolside, swim-up rooms that we had thought that we had arranged for...it was just not a pleasant experience having to spend so much time and effort at the front desk at check in and then again the following day to get new room cards programmed, have the bellboys arrange to move your luggage etc.
The poolside rooms were very nice...our 3 rooms were in Building 2, very close to the main buffet and at the quiet end of the pool.
Restaurants
Most of our group found the food to be ok and certainly no one starved. We found that a lot of dishes didn't look like they were either chilled well enough or heated enough and avoided items that looked like they had been sitting on the buffet line a little too long. People in our group tried all af the restaurants and found the "Steakhouse" at the Beach Bar to be the favourite.
Bars
The swim up bar was the most fun.
Beach and Pools
The beach was gorgeous, just like all the pictures and the pool was great.
Grounds
Immaculate
Activities and Entertainment
Our favourite place to meet was at the outside bar to listen to the sax before supper.
Tours
Some of our party played golf at Punta Blanca and Cocotal.
Departure and Check Out
Uneventful
Conclusion
The Majestic was a lovely resort. I would suggest taking a Spanish language course before travelling...I found language to be a great barrier even though we usually made ourselves understood with some very basic Spanish and alot of signing. The waitresses would take your drink orders and nod that they understood and then we would never see them again. The consensus in our group of very friendly Canadians was...tipping did not make a difference in the type of service we got. We all had a great time and would have, wherever we were staying. If you have any questions, you could email me and possibly I could help.
j.s.mc@shaw.ca
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
Joan and Kevin
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
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| March 2008 |
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My husband and I treated ourselves to a 25th wedding anniversary trip to the Dominican Republic during the March break week of the 8th to the 15th.. We were not disappointed. We arrived midafternoon at the Majestic Colonial and were greeted with the wet towels and a Majestic drink. We had some time to wait for our room as our request was not fulfilled. Our travel agent requested a junior suite overlooking the pool and they gave us a room overlooking the construction in building 4. Thankfully, I kept my request from the agent and I spoke to Richard and Victor who promptly took care of us and we ended up with a lovely room in building 2 on the 3rd floor overlooking the pool.
The rest of the week was a dream vacation. The meals were very good and you had many choices. Towards the end of the week, we were tiring from the buffet. We loved the Gourmet restaurant and the Chateaubriand at the Steak House. We didn't try the Japanese cuisine, as neither of us is fond of oriental food. The service was always great and you were greeted with a smile. Our waiter Socrates went out of his way to speak to us daily. I know some Spanish and he and the others were grateful that you would try to speak in their language. We did not find the language a barrier. After all you are in a Spanish speaking country. Nelson Mandela and Jesus in the Steak House restaurant knew your name when you returned for meals during the week. They kept everyone entertained. I even heard Jesus speak in German to a large group of German tourists.
Our room was wonderful and huge. It was always kept clean, thanks to Mary Lucie Perez. She could not speak English, but understood what Spanish I could manage. We had champagne in our room when we arrived, a fruit basket another night and on our last night, a special anniversary treat was left on our table. Thanks for the nice touch. We did not mind the washroom set up at all. We loved the king size canopy bed.
The beach was wonderful. We would take long walks up and down the beach, sometimes twice a day. The waves were rough the first couple of days, but how that water was so warm, when you compare it to the Atlantic Ocean in mid August. At least your toes did not freeze!! We enjoyed meeting people from all over the world. As the March break for Ontario coincided with the Nova Scotia March break, we met many people from Ontario, especially teachers like ourselves. Many of the tourists were Canadians. The Americans we met from Baton Rouge, Louisiana nick named our resort the Majestic Canadian! We had no problems getting beach chairs or shade. We did not spend too much time at the pool, because we enjoyed the swimming and scenery at the beach, as well as the tropical breezes. I did mind the topless women at first, but by the end of the week, one did not really take notice.
My husband and I loved sitting out on the terrace at night listening to the amazing saxophone player who sounded just like Kenny G. The other bands were amazing too. We did get to see two shows at the theater, the Michael Jackson shown and the Circus show. Both were very entertaining. The other nights we sat around outside listening to music, enjoying the company of new friends and sipping on Majestics and Cervezas.
We did take a trip off the resort on the evening sunset cruise on the Tropical Storm. For the price, I would not recommend it to anyone, unless your'e into the heavy drinking and loud party scene. We were led to believe by our Air Canada agent that this cruise was romantic and quiet. Another couple we met from Ottawa were told the same thing. We are quiet couples and looked forward to a quiet cruise. We learned the hard way. The next time, we would probably do the outback tour. Many of our new friends really enjoyed this trip. The cruise was quite expensive. The meal at the Jelly Fish Restaurant was fairly good. My husband really enjoyed the Rock Lobster. As I don't like lobster, I had the mustard chicken, which was good.
We would highly recommend this resort to anyone. It was full, but you never felt crowded. The grounds were immaculate and the people working there worked from sunup to sundown. Amazing people! We would love to go back next year and go with a group of friends. Thanks for the reviews. I always looked at your site for important information.
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
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March Break
We had a family vacation taking both our son's 17 and 18, what an excellent vacation!!
My husband and I have gone on many vacations, but this was the best!
Nothing to complain about, service was excellent - even though it was March Break and hotel was full - you did not notice it.
Always chairs by the ocean and many huts to provide protection of the sun.
Excellent food - wow imagine not having to go to the same spot twice for supper. All suppers were from a menu with exception of the buffet.
You received the same service regardless of tips or not.
When we were there about 80% of the tourists were Canadian
Would highly recommend this resort to anyone, this resort truly is one of the best we have been to before, and we always stay at 5 star or better resorts.
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
David
Toronto, Ontario
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| March 2008 |
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Arrived around noon -- told our room would be ready in 20 minutes. Had lunch, went back and room was ready. Room was oceanfront with huge terrace -- nicely appointed and very clean. This resort lives up to its five star rating. The accommodations are excellent and the resort itself is beautiful and not so huge you feel lost. Reservations are required at only two a la carte restaurants (Gourmet and for Teppanyaki) the food was very good to excellent – some of the “hot” dishes in the buffet could be kept warmer. My spouse is vegetarian, and they were always able to accommodate her needs. The beach is superb, but the water is rough (with undertow) so I would closely supervise younger children.
Language is not at issue at all – we do not speak Spanish (other than the few tourist phrases) and never had any problems. The staff is VERY friendly and helpful …. they do everything they can to make your stay enjoyable …. especially Jesus and Nelson at the Rodeo Grill, and Denny the beach waiter/concierge was the best! Service here is top notch. This was our 5th trip to the DR (all 5 star resorts) and this was the best. If the Majestic does not meet your expectations, stay home.
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
Michael & Chris
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| February 2008 |
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This was a pleasant surprise for us as we had originally booked for the Eden which is brand new, but apparently overbooked. There were approximately 20 of us that were informed that we would be going to the Majestic instead.
Check-in – the lobby is one of the biggest lobby’s that we have seen and very elegant. Check in was quite fast
Rooms – our group was a total of 3 couples and we were all in building #4. The downside of this building is that your balcony faces construction. We did not care as we leave our room @ 7:00 a.m. and never return til it’s time to get ready for supper. By that time, the construction workers are getting ready to quit for the day. The rooms are very spacious with a Jacuzzi splitting the bathroom and the bedroom (no privacy from whomever you are sharing the room with). The toilet is a separate cubicle and the walk in shower is large. No problems with cleanliness, towels, etc. All was very good for us.
Pool – a winding pool vs a round/kidney etc shaped pool which was different, but very attractive. Lots of bridges so that you did not have to walk all the way around. Always kept very clean. If you decide to “hang out” at the pool, keep in mind that the Entertainment group has their activities planned by the Pool/Swim-up Bar so it’s quite noisy in that area. If you want quiet, plan on the other end of the pool (by the Wedding Arbor)
Beach – the color of the water literally takes your breath away. It was quite windy every morning, but the afternoons seemed to be calmer. Very sandy –no water shoes needed on this beach. If you like walking – you can walk all you want – both directions.
Food/Restaurants – no complaints with any of the food. A couple of us were sick, but we did not blame the food as it was too good to believe that it could have caused us to be ill. The buffet had lots of choices for all 3 meals – if you went hungry – you’re too fussy! We also ate at the Beach Grill – quite a few choices there as well. The Japanese & Gourmet restaurants are the only two that require reservations. Our friends enjoyed the Japanese and we all enjoyed the Gourmet. The Steakhouse had the best steak that we have ever enjoyed in the Caribbean. The Seafood was also great, Grilled Lobster seemed to be the “winner” in this restaurant. My husband & I tried the Mexican and also had no complaints. In general – there is something for everyone and if you have children, they will not starve!
Service – now I can understand why people like 5 stars! the service was great! We never had to wait and plates were cleaned up as soon as you set them aside. One of things that really stood out was that most of the staff spoke English to a certain degree. It’s one of the first resorts that I’ve been to where I say “Buenos Dias” and they say “Good morning”. The Staff is very friendly and they all look like they enjoy their jobs –
singing, dancing. It’s so nice to see people that smile while they work and are willing to help with anything you may need.
All in all this resort is absolutely beautiful and not one of us could complain about anything. Would we return? No doubt about it!
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
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Got home last night from 1 week at The Majestic. What a wonderful vacation!!! I wanted to thank all those who, starting 10 months ago, answered all my questions about Punta Cana and helped me select my resort. I don't say this much, but Punta Cana is a place I will definitely go back to and will definitely head back to the Majestic!
A quick review-My husband and I are in our early 40s and were traveling without kids. We arrived to the hotel, was offered the signature drink and were checked in. Our room was not ready yet so we went to eat. Overall we found the food to be above average for an AI resort. Most meals were good or very good. When we returned, our keys were given to us and a bell boy escorted us to our room. we had a colonial junior suite which as a small balcony and a huge patio with an outside jacuzzi and lounge chairs which was just perfect for 5:30 sun and evening lounging! First thing we did was head down to the beach-it was magnificent! No matter what time we headed down there were always loungers at both the beach and pool and a palapa if you so desired! Nothing ever felt overcrowded. No waiting at any of the restaurants. All the staff was very friendly and helpful. We don't speak Spanish for the most part which would have been helpful because there is a language barrier, but we got our point across and so did they. The evening shows were a little cheesy, but fun. The casino was very small and that is the only place where I could say the staff for the most part was not friendly. My husband made a spa reservation for me for a chocolate wrap which was just amazing. In New York my 1 1/2 hour treatment would have cost between $200-$300 was just $98 and well worth it!!! I never wore a watch and my only worries were beach or pool today and where are we going to eat dinner. On to the restaurants... my favorites were Le Gourmet and The Steak house which were very good. The seafood, buffet, and Japanese were good, but we didn't get a show at the Japanese place for some reason. The Chinese and Mexican were okay. They could use an Italian restaurant, although fresh pasta was available at the buffet. Any complaints are minimal and not worth writing down except they had no bourbon. My husband is a Jack Daniels drinker and not only was there no Jack, but no bourbon at all. He settled for the Presidentes and The Majestic Con mucho rum. We took the jeep tour which was interesting but a very long day...and buyer beware...if you buy mamajuana to take back, purchase it with the alcohol already in it-otherwise it is considered a plant. We had to open up one of our bottles of rum to pour into the mamajuana roots so we could get through customs. Of course the rum leaked all over our bag on it's journey back.
This was the best vacation I have had in many, many years and am now a Punta Cana lover!!!
Thank you all for your help and thank you Majestic for an amazing vacation!
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
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We have just returned to winnipeg, canada, from a one-week [late-january ‘08] stay at the majestic colonial in punta cana. I’m 63 and my wife is 57. it was our first visit to the dominican republic.
* Flights
- we flew sunwing from winnipeg. The flight was supposed to be non-stop, but as i’ve so often read about all charter airlines – they changed it to ‘stopping-in-london, ontario’ both ways. This was very disappointing as it increased the flight-time........ and the chance of weather delays. This is exactly what happened when there was a storm in ontario and the return flight was 4 hours late, bringing us home at 3:30 in the morning!
- when you arrive in p.c., ignore anyone trying to sell you a taxi-ride – unless you actually want a taxi. They will be saying your charter company name, but you must find the REAL charter person, who will direct you to your bus or van. [the charter people wear distinctive shirts, so they’re easy to spot.]
- regardless of your airline -- if you’re delayed at the punta cana airport coming home, walk [for one minute] from the extremely crowded and boisterous terminal 1........over to terminal 2, which is very new, very empty, and has many electronic flight departure signs --- of which, incredibly, there are NONE in terminal 1. Go figure! [Lots of food services in #1, though.]
* Hotel
We chose the majestic colonial on the basis of it being new in 2005; the impressive overall look of the resort; the number of ala carte restaurants [6 or 7]; the tennis courts, the 400m pool snaking through the grounds, and the overwhelmingly positive guest comments we found here on the internet.
We were very pleased with everything at the majestic and would recommend it highly!
A few miscellaneous comments..............
- we found all the staff to be wonderful..........very friendly and helpful!
- the number of beach and pool chairs and palapas [shade-structures] was impressive! And, the beach maintenance was excellent!
- The beach is utterly incredible! The sand is perfect and it goes on forever! It was very windy and wavy at the majestic when we were there.........and i suspect that is quite common at that spot. I snorkelled anyway, close to shore, and there were a few fish on the left side of the roped-in swimming area.
- we didn’t do any tours. None appealed to us and we feel they are generally over-priced for what they are. [But, lots of people like tours and there were quite a few, if you’re keen.]
- the cleanliness of the long pool was amazingly good! Since this is such an important feature of the majestic, it would be a disaster if it’s maintenance was neglected...........but this is obviously not the case. It’s the nicest, most innovative pool idea i’ve ever seen!
- The buffet is wonderful, but the 6 or7 ala carte restaurants are even better. We particularly enjoyed the gourmet restaurant.
We found the food good in the steakhouse and seafood restaurant, but the service was too fast for our taste. The seemed to rush us through our meal too quickly. I can appreciate that they have many people to move through the restaurants, but we like a slower pace to our meal and this is one reason we chose the ala cartes. [you can go to any restaurant more than once and only two required reservations.]
We made a reservation at the teppanyaki ‘Ichiban-style]’ japanese restaurant, but while eating in the regular [adjoining] japanese restaurant, noticed how loud and boisterous the teppanyaki sounded, so we cancelled that reservation.
[We also found all that loud noise distracting and annoying while in the adjoining restaurant.]
- we tried to use some spanish and found the staff responded very positively to this small gesture.
- we requested an upper-floor room, hoping for a view, and this was what we got, but unfortunately it was on the back-side.......... facing next-door construction! we requested a move to the pool/garden side and they moved us two days later. This second-floor room in building 2 was perfect!
- the toilet was not working in our first room when we arrived, this was fixed quickly. The hair-dryer and coffee-maker were not working in our second room when we moved there. These were also fixed/replaced immediately.
- any request of housekeeping was quickly taken care of. [e.g.- request for a face cloth, more tea, more water, etc.]
- we found the beach towels nice, but the bath towels were too rough.....almost a bath MAT texture.
- we would love to have had red and white house wine in the room mini-cooler. We are not beer, champagne, or soft drink lovers.........but we love wine.
there’s plenty of house-wine at all the bars and in the restaurants, but, the hotel refused my polite inquiry/request about wine in the cooler. however, one of the bartenders was kind enough to give me 2 bottles of wine for the room. He got the biggest tip of the trip!]
- tipping at all-inclusives is not required or even expected, but we decided to take a lot of U.S. $1 bills down there and tip anyone who was pleasant, tried hard, etc., etc.
there were plenty in that category!
People working on cruise ships and at all-inclusives are underpaid and it felt good to make this small gesture toward them.
[but, get the U.S. dollars before you go.........you’ll probably have trouble getting them down there.]
- it’s wonderful how generous the hotel is with sealed-bottled water! It’s very re-assuring to have ample bottled-water to alleviate concerns about health problems that might come up. We took ‘upset-stomach’ meds [antibiotic and immodium] with us....and one of us had one bad afternoon and evening, which the meds fixed by the next day.
[there are so many variables about getting sick, it’s impossible to know what causes it. Just take meds with you, in case.]
- we also had hepatitis a & b shots before going, just in case. They seem to be recommended often. [It’s a several-month, 3-shot series, so start early.]
- supposedly, all the hotel water used [except the tap water] was safe. they used bottled-water for ice cubes, fruit and vegetable washing, dining room water, etc. [i guess you never know for sure about this, but they seemed quite careful about it at the majestic.]
- the tennis courts needed some clean-up and sweeping. [The same kind of wonderful attention that’s given to all the other areas of the hotel grounds.] it looked like the courts were recently worked on and then there was no cleanup of the courts or surrounding area after the work was completed.
- the nightly shows in the theatre were quite good.............though not as good as those on cruise ships.
- we enjoyed dancing to the sax and keyboard music in the plaza bar area each night........and on the beach one night. Excellent!
- the majestic seems to have planned very well for services appealing to all age groups.
- i was disturbed to see assorted bugs crawling out of one of the wicker coffee tables in the lower lobby one night. [As a courtesy, i mentioned it to the front desk and the fellow explained that they spray every night, but can’t use too strong a spray as the guests complain about the smell. You can win!] perhaps wicker-style furniture is not the ideal choice for that open-air location.
- We eventually found out that there was a marketplace within walking distance of the majestic, near the entrance, on the highway. ironically, the day we walked there, the merchants all appeared later in the hotel garden selling their merchandise! [i guess they come on Thursdays.] Other than the few hotel shops, ‘haggling’ is the selling/buying system. [Start at half of what they’re asking and work from there.]
all in all..........we were very happy guests and like so many of these other web-comments, we whole-heartedly recommend this hotel. The majestic colonial is wonderful!
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
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We just returned from 16 nights at the beautiful Majestic Colonial in Punta Cana. Here is our review:
We arrived late on Sunday January 13th and were quickly taken to a room in Bldg 1 on the main floor. This was not the type of room we had asked for and so asked to be moved. They were able to move us the next morning to a third floor room in Bldg 3 which was more to our liking. The only problem with the room location was it was directly in front of the activity pool which was quite noisy with excercise and dance classes each day from 4 till 6 pm.
We stayed in that room but next time would probably have tried to get one closer to the main lobby area which would have been quieter. Other than the odd late night returnees waking us we found the room very nice. We loved the shower and double sink area with the shelf and drawers most of all. We also had a leather couch and large coffee table and the balcony was a great place to relax at the end of the day.
The grounds are beautiful and the main lobby building is spectacular. Huge two story marble filled with 20 or 30 couch seating areas. Very nice and spacious.
We spent a lot of time at both the pool and the beach. We thought the beach was fabulous with tons of powdery sand and lots of waves to play in. We especially liked the light beige beach chairs as they seemed of a much nicer quality than any of the other resorts. It didn't matter what time of day we went to the beach, we never had a problem finding chairs or a palapas to sit under. If yu wanted lots of personal space, you could easily find that at the top area of the beach. It was a bit closer down near the water but not overly so. Some days we found the beach a bit too windy, and so we spent time at the fabulous pool. Long winding and not too cold for us at all. If you don't like the loudness of the activity area, there is plenty of quiet spots closer to the main lobby with an exceptional bar playing lovely Dominican music. Again, we never had any trouble finding somewhere to sit (even shade) at any time of the day.
We loved the evening bands which played on the open air courtyard from 7 - 10pm each night. There is a dancefloor and lots of tables and chairs to relax after dinner. The bands were great, too. There weren't many waitresses so we usually got up and got our own drinks. We went there almost every night. We didn't see any of the shows so cannot comment on those. A nice feature was an early evening movie each night in the theatre, all animated for kids to watch.
We had a one hour session with one of the photographers and bought the cd with all of the pics. She did a fabulous job taking us around the resort and shot some great photos.
The food was more than adequate at the buffet and we ate there most meals. They just started putting signs on the different foods the day before we were leaving. It was interesting trying to choose a meal before that, but they had a lot of variety, beef and pork and chicken every night. Also, chili, lasagna, pastas, pizza, seafood and much more. We also tried the Steakhouse, the Gourmet and the Asian restaurants. All served nice meals. We had our anniversary dinner at the gourmet and they decorated the table with beautiful flowers especially for us. We also saw couples having special dinners on the beach.
Overall, we loved this resort. We have stayed at 4 other all inclusives in the caribbean and thought this one rated very high on our scale. We probably will book to go back there next year.
If any one has any questions email me at barbara.kjl@shawbiz.ca |
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
IRMA
Hamilton , Ontario
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| January 2008 |
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Hi Debbie,
We stayed at the Majestic Colonial from Jan 17th to 24th and scanning the reviews on your site before our visit helped us quite a bit. Overall we found the positives far outweighed the negatives and would rate this facility as a 41/2 rather than a 5 star.
Our tour operator was Nolitours and we flew with Airtransat. We found the service attentive and timely.
We arrived at the resort late at night and were pleasantly surprised by being assigned an oceanview room on the 3rd floor of the 4th building . If you prefer quiet , ask for rooms located closer to the beach and away from the activity pool. The staff at the front desk, the concierge desk, the restaurants, towel hut and on the beach were always friendly and helpful. Service in general was good. Mind you, while all inclusive, we found that it did help to provide the occasional tip when appropriate ( 30 pesos to 1 dollar) .
ROOM
We loved our room, and the mini bar was always stocked. Yes there was a slight musty smell, but heh you are in the tropics and we soon got used to it . We received for the first 3 nights (between 5 and 6pm), some nibblies ..cheese plat and wine, fruitplate, and sushi ..was a nice touch. We also had a bottle of champagne waiting for us in the room on our arrival. It was pretty quiet at our end except for the Occasional over exuberant party goer
RESTAURANTS
We found the food acceptable and there was sufficient variety to suite all palates. We tried all eating facilities and preferred the buffet for breakfast and lunch with the Gourmet ( tenderloin)and Seafood( grilled lobster and Grouper) restaurants as our favourites. The only issue was food was not labeled in the buffet setting ,resulting in not trying many of the offerings.
BEACH vs. POOL
We preferred the beach because of the constant breeze and being away from the constant boom of the activities at the pool. Service for drinks and towel exchanges were available but you had to flag him down to get attention because of the crowd. We found that you could come down anytime up to about 9:30 am and get a lounge chairs. We did the usual thing and picked our spot early to reserve our lounges by leaving our towels on them. The ocean was on the cool side at first but you soon got used to it ...a boogie board enhanced the fun of the waves.
DOWNSIDE
RESORT...
The only time we found service lacking was from some of the waitresses in both the lobby and plaza bar areas. I asked the same waitress in the lobby bar 3 times (in both Spanish and English ) for drinks which never came. At that time I had to go up to the bar and get the drinks myself. Inconsistent service would indicate lack of complete training of the staff on customer service.
The other negative was more to do with the tourists..I term them "Piggy tourists"...those people who come with a sense of entitlement because they have paid a good buck at an all inclusive..those very people who expect respect and service but have no respect for the people around them( fellow tourists or staff) , nor for the culture or environment( leaving bottles and plastic glasses lying around , cigarette and cigar butts throughout the beach area (because "they" can pick it up). The staff did make a valiant effort to keep the beach area clean .
CONCLUSION: We had an enjoyable time and would recommend this resort .We got the feeling that they are trying to improve both their service and their food offerings.
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
Tammy
Ontario
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| January 2008 |
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We stayed at this resort from January 14 – 21st. Our first impression going into the driveway was not the greatest but to your surprise, they have a beautiful lobby. It’s 2 floors and is really spectacular. Our check in was quick as we arrived late at night. The gardens at night are beautiful with the lights and water fountains.
Rooms: We had the room on the main floor, facing the pool with the walk out. Well worth the money as it was very convenient as there were two loungers on your patio as well as a table, 2 chairs and a Jacuzzi tub. The bathroom is open to the room. This is fine for a couple, however, not too good for a family or friends sharing a room. The rooms were cleaned daily and we received fresh sheets as well as towels daily. The shower was fabulous!! Nice and big and always had plenty of hot water. Room had a safe but did not have a peep hole in the door.
Food: Seemed to be the same every night at the buffet and they don’t label the items. Everything seemed to have fish in it so we stuck to the pasta and fresh fries later through the week. The steak house and gourmet restaurant had the best food. There was really no choice if you were hungry between 3 and 7 in the afternoon as there is no where to get food. The snack bar doesn’t open until later in the evening and the food wasn’t good. Bring munchies as our friends paid $8 American for a bag of Doritos on the resort.
Pool: Beautiful but the water was really cold. Maybe it was because of the size, however, it was really too cold.
Service: The service at the bars near the pool was great. If you wanted a drink in the lobby, you can expect to wait. The waiters and waitresses seemed to be a little rude and not in a hurry to ask you if you wanted a drink.
Beach: Was nice but no bars are located on the beach. You have to walk to the buffet restaurant near the beach to get a drink. There were waiters that walked the beach but didn’t ask whether you wanted anything.
Fitness: I was told the gym was really good and nicer than most. There were tennis courts on the outskirts of the resort; however, I would not go there as it seemed to be unsafe as most of the walkways leading to them did not have railings. If you fell down the bank, you would find it hard to get back up. Definitely not a place I would bring kids.
Excursions: We did the parasailing and it was awesome. There was a hut close to the beach that had all the excursions listed on the board. It was $45 for one person or two for $80. The boat ride was hilarious and the whole experience was great.
Overall, I would rate this hotel 4 or 4 ½ but definitely not a 5 star. The resort seemed to be small; however, there’s another resort being built next door so maybe it will be part of the Majestic. For the price, I would not recommend this resort nor would I return.
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
The Plouffe
Ontario Canada
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| January 2008 |
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This was our first time at a resort and what a FIRST EXPERIENCE. WOW. It was MAJESTIC...
As much as we can not compare it to any other one… our next one will have BIG shoes to fill.
The place is AWESOME. We went from Dec 20 to 27/07. We went with our two daughters, 18 and 16 and they want to go back for Easter…
I could talk about the place for a long time but I will limit it to a few comments…
We traveled with Sunwing and again no negative comments. ALL went well from our departure from Toronto to our return. The resort is so beautiful. The food was SUPER, the drinks were great. The service was excellent. The staff are very courteous and professional. If you have questions or comments, you can contact us directly at gabdan@hotmail.com
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
Nancy aka Seachick
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| November 2007 |
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Hi Debbie - here's our review of this great resort:
Majestic Colonial, Oct. 26 to Nov. 2, 2007
Just back from this wonderful resort. We were there during Tropical Storm Noel and even though we had 3 days of heavy rain and high winds we still enjoyed our vacation and would like to return one day. The resort is a smaller one and is easy to get around. We appreciated the covered walkways during the heavy rain. The grounds are immaculate and beautiful both day and night. A row of boutiques next to the Theater and a small internet centre. Internet was pretty fast..$5 for 30 minutes, $8 for an hour. Medical centre and a Casino completed this area. They are building a new addition on the right of the beach and we were told it would be more luxurious - this should be something to see! At no time did we hear or see any construction. A large fence with black tarps covering it blocked views of any work going on.
Check in: We were only 4 to arrive around 6 PM so we were checked in very quickly by smiling staff at the main lobby. As soon as we got off the bus a porter came out with a tray of cold, wet faceloths and a welcoming fruit drink. Very refreshing and a taste of all kinds of special touches we experienced at the Majestic. We were given our towel cards and room cards along with a little booklet describing the facilities and restaurant schedules. The staff at the reception are very helpful and fluent in english. Our porter pointed out different areas of the resort as he took us to our rooms.
Rooms: Very beautifully done and spotless. A bottle of bubbly with 2 wine glasses were set out on the table, along with a fridge stocked with 2 Presidente beer, 4 bottles of pop and 4 bottles of water. The safe works with the code you program it with, no charge for safe. Room is large with a comfortable king size, 4 poster, curtained bed. Lots of closet space provided. Nice touch was 3 large drawers in vanity for putting away health and beauty products. Lots of thick fluffy towels and 2 fluffy facecloths provided, along with a supply of bath products. The room had 2 thick dressing gowns but you would have to be a size 10 or smaller to be able to close them in front, lol. Jacuzzi tub set up in the room and a large closed in shower. We had a beautiful view of the pool and wedding gazebo from our nice large balcony in Building 2. It was even more stunning at night when the pool and gardens were lit. Air conditioning was very efficient and quiet. When the patio door was closed you couldn't hear anything from outside. Only annoyance was when people got back late from the disco and laughed or sang in the hallways and slammed doors. There are 3 or 4 elevators in each building for people who can't take the stairs. They are small but efficient and are not equipped with fans, so if you are claustrophobic you might like to take the stairs. The ground floor facing the pool have outdoor jacuzzis on their patios and lounge chairs with thick cushions on them.
Pool: A long and winding pool with a few integrated jacuzzis. A quiet area near the lobby and the entertainment area near the beach . Three bars situated along the 'banks' of the pool, with the swim-up bar situated near the entertainment area. There always seemed to be something going on in that area - so if you want quiet, I suggest asking for a room near the lobby area. But again, it can get noisy at that end in the evening as it is near the theater. Pool was cleaned every morning before 7. Maybe it was the time of year, but we never had problems getting a lounger or a palapa.
Beach: Beautiful! Clean, with soft white sand. We took long walks on either side of the resort. As we were there during the Tropical Storm, the waves were quite rough and we didn't enjoy getting pounded so we took long walks in the surf instead. They said the resort was 75% occupied but we didn't get that impression. Anyway, we had no problem at all getting a palapa or a lounge chair. I think this resort has more palapas than any other we've been to on Bavaro Beach. A few nice touches concerning the staff at the beach - a waiter comes by every hour or so and takes orders for drinks. There is also a towel person who comes by in the morning with a load of fresh towels and asks if you'd like a clean one. There are security guards who patrol the beach and there are 2 or 3 vendors who walk up and down a few times a day with their wares. Not once did they solicitate - they just walk slowly on the beach and if you're interested they will show you their wares. Also, the photo guys come by once a day with their parrots and monkey. We saw one family having a group photo done and also some romantic couple photos.
Food & Drinks: Drinks available at 6 bars. The beach bar didn't seem to have enough barmen and the ones that were there didn't seem to care if you wanted a drink or not. The other bars were more efficient. Coke at the bars was never cold and usually lacked fizz.. there were at least 2 slush machines at the beach and pool bars. There are 6 restaurants at the Majestic. The main Buffet, the Japanese, the Gourmet and the Taino are all air conditioned. The two a la cartes on the beach do not have air conditioning or ceiling fans and can get quite hot if there's no wind in the evening. You need reservations at the Gourmet and at the Japanese, but half of the Japanese restaurant is also a Chinese a la carte - you do not need reservations for the Chinese part and the food was delicious. Try the Beef Cantonese - very tender. The food at the Japanese was good and the chefs are very entertaining. The Gourmet menu was quite refined and so was the restaurant. We didn't eat at the Taino because there was a really bad smell in that restaurant - along with the Ladies washroom next door. I don't know where it came from but we walked out as soon as we got in there. We also saw 2 private supper set-ups on the beach at night. Lovely setting with candles and rose petals in the sand leading up to a table set for 2. Looked very romantic! Food was abundant everywhere. Service in all the restaurants and the buffet was excellent. I don't think I've ever seen so many wait staff in a resort. Most of them were always smiling.The staff work very long hours- from 6 AM to 10 PM, 12 days in a row, so be gentle with them. Lots of them live in Puerto Plata and room close to the resort. These employees work 24 days in a row and have 6 days off to see their families..it's an 8 hour drive each way... but we never received anything but great service from them. Many wait staff spoke only Spanish but there were many who spoke english and french and they helped out. If you can speak a bit of spanish you will be greeted with big smiles - made my day. A tip at the end of your meal will also bring on beautiful smiles. The food was well prepared and tasty but the only complaint I had was it wasn't hot enough. Lots of the dishes were only lukewarm and this at 6:30-7:00 PM when you would think they would be fresh out of the oven. Another complaint was the elevator-style music in the Buffet. It almost put us to sleep one night, lol, and the poor kitchen staff looked as if they were in pain from listening to it.
Excursions: We didn't take any this time because of the storm. No water sports available until 2 days before we left.
Entertainment: We watched the Michael Jackson show and it was very entertaining, even if we had seen it before. We were fortunate to be in the DR for Halloween. The resort really outdid themselves with decorations and Halloween shows for the kids and adults. Staff were dressed up and the Buffet has some exquisite pumpkin and squash jack-o-lanterns. A few entertaining shows mixed in with the usual Mr & Mrs comedy shows. The Theater starts at 10 and is quite loud. During the evening there is a musical trio who play in the garden and also in the lobby bar. There are 2 lobby bars at the Majestic - one in the check in area on the top floor and another on the floor below. A beautiful wrought iron staircase or an elevator gets you up or down.
We were very happy with the resort and all the staff and plan to return
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
Debbie & David
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| November 2007 |
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| Thanks for the update, we just got back last night at 1:00 A.M. We stayed at the Majestic Colonial Punta Cana for 6 days. If you call ahead to the on site Medical facility they can provide oxygen, plus the tubing but is 9.00 American dollars, I bought my own.The tanks are 63.00 American dollars each and they require a 300.00 refundable deposit once you return the tank. They seemed very willing to accommodate any medical request if it's possible for them to obtain, of course for a price. We got a free bottle Rum,Whiskey and a bottle of champagne, which we had our first evening upon arrival. We packed it securely with no problems from customs.. On the cigars, you can take them out of the country, they really didn't search that thoroughly but no Cuban cigars are allowed out of the country, however, you can take Dominican cigars out of the country as we got some for family members. Thank you again for all your tips, advise and knowledge of the DR. We had a wonderful time, you made it much easier.
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
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We flew Sun Wing Vacations from Toronto to Punta Cana – Sept 15 – 22nd. Flight down was uneventful and airport & shuttle bus service was trouble free & efficient. We arrived at the Majestic about 12 noon to be greeted with our wet towels & majestic drink along with a quick check in. Our room, 2345 was ready & waiting for us and Guest Relations Manager, Laura personally showed us around the resort & to our room. Emily & Laura made themselves available for any questions or concerns we had. Thanks to you both.
Good Points:
Accommodations are absolutely beautiful. Our view was tremendous of the pool & ocean. We had no issues with musty smells. Maid service was perfect, with our maid coming as we asked her, about 10 am every day, once we had finished breakfast & were on our way to the pool or beach. Most every day our fridge was stocked with what we asked for. The bed was comfortable and we asked for 6 pillows on arrival and had them within an hour! The shower & hot tub were both wonderful and the toilet was not an issue, knowing what to expect prior to arrival like we did.
Service is wonderful at the Majestic. Everyone is friendly, smiling and willing to help. Language was not an issue. We were ‘surprised’ the first few nights with Champagne & cheese/crackers, sushi & white wine along with Red Wine & chocolates. We received courteous & friendly service at all the restaurants. Our wine or water glasses were never empty and someone was always coming by seeing if we needed anything. Special thanks to our Pasta & Pizza Amigos we made at the Main Buffet. Both these gentlemen are great cooks! The entertainment staff work hard and keep things ‘hopping’ around the pool & the resort.
Pool & Beach are both second to none. Lounge chairs were always available as were palapas. Ocean is a beautiful aqua blue and is a comfortable temperature. The pool was always clean & also very refreshing.
Restaurants / Food – We found all our meals to be very good quality. There was plenty of variety for the most part at every meal. Keep in mind there is only so many choices any restaurant/buffet can have for breakfasts etc., so some may think it gets ‘repetitive’ after a while, but there is still lots of choices! We ate at the following restaurants; The Gourmet, The Japanese, Steakhouse, Seafood along with the Main Buffet. We tried on 2 occasions to go to the Chinese Restaurant, only to find it closed, which I mention below in the improvements. It is hard to pick a favorite, as we enjoyed all the restaurants, both for the food and service we received.
Bars; Lobby bar had great service and had the top shelf liquor. The only thing you were asked for, was your room #, when you ordered a premium selection. This was only for them to ‘track’ what was being ordered and served. There was no charges for any of these premium drinks, be it Kahula or other Top Shelf Liquors.
Improvements:
There were no “Majestic Passport Books“ available. When we asked for ours at check – in, we were told it was only available in German. This provides the guests with information on restaurant times and other valuable information.
Due to occupancy, all restaurants were not open every night. This is one area that they could improve the communications on to their guests. On 2 of the 7 evenings, the Buffet was the ONLY CHOICE! On a couple of occasions we arrived at the restaurant we had hoped to dine at, only to find it was closed! Last September (06) at Ocean Sands/Blue, each morning at the Main Buffet, we were given a 1 page information sheet on Daily Activities ( Times, Locations etc. for Entertainment Staff Activities ) as well as restaurants that were ‘in recess’. This information sheet was simple but an effective way to let all guests know both what was going on that day and which restaurants they could not dine at that evening. It is understandable that resorts can not keep all the restaurants open each evening during ‘down season’, but all the guests ask is they be told in advance which are open which nights, so they can plan their meals to include the restaurants they want to go to. Also, there should be at worst only 1 evening a week, where your only choice is a buffet style meal. That is part of the reason you choose a resort with 5-7 a la carte restaurants, so you can go to them!
We took a 1-2 hour trip to Domenico Cigar Factory. We prearranged the trip via email with Heike Niesler (she is the assistant manager). They picked us up in a small van at the Majestic at 9:30 am and we were back at the hotel by 10:45 am. No charge for the trip both ways & promptly picked up when promised! It was a very interesting personal tour and provided the opportunity to both try and buy their finished products afterwards. http://www.domenicocigars.com. It is well worth the time if you are interested in Cigars.
In closing, find a nice way to communicate with your maid as to ‘what time works best for you to have your room cleaned’ and they will be more then willing to try their best to accommodate your requests. We had our room cleaned the same time 6 days straight. If you want “4 towels” or other items, leave a note and a tip and they will gladly accommodate your requests.
In the Main Buffet, if you have a special request for pizza toppings, ask and they again will do their best to make it for you. I asked and received a great pizza made within 5 minutes, hot & fresh. Be sure to tip these employees who work hard to make your stay memorable. A few dollars goes a long way and they truly appreciate it.
We would definitely recommend Majestic Colonial to all the Deb’s Dominican readers.
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
Gerilyn and Mike
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| September 2007 |
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My wife and I just returned from the Majestic Colonial. I’ll try and hit all the main points. We were there from September 01-08 and got married. We had 30 people travel in our group. The most important item is that I highly recommend this resort. The resort, rooms, service, beach and pool were all first class. So for those who want to read on, here we go…
Resort – beautiful. Great lobby and bars. Grounds well manicured and clean. Very few mosquitos but some people did get bit (too be expected)
Check In
– Since we had a decent size group with some of the same last names, there was some mix up upon checking in. It was sorted out, but for one couple it took longer than it should have. If you arrive in the morning be prepared to wait until the afternoon until your room is ready. Bring a bathing suit and hang out at the pool and grab a bite to eat.
Rooms – we had a Colonial Suite which I recommend if you are getting married. The standard rooms (junior suites) were first class. One couple in our group had some air conditioning problems that were fixed but did take a while. Another couple had a shower problem that was fixed immediately. At one point our key card did not work due to the batteries in our door dying. It took about 30 minutes for them to arrive, but I just went to the beach. Rooms that overlook the pool are a bit louder obviously (I believe these are buildings 2 and 3) but you’re probably not going to be in your room much during the day.
Restaurants – Buffet: breakfast was great, the omelettes, especially. Lunch at the beach restaurant was okay, not the biggest selection. The main restaurant was better for lunch. Dinner was decent, but not that much variety, perhaps because the resort was about half full and many people ate at the a la carte restaurants. Gourmet: Excellent, highly recommended. Seafood/Rodeo Grill: both were excellent. At the Rodeo, I had the ribs the first time which were average. However, the steak was good and the Chateau Briend was fabulous. I recommend getting your salad before you order as they serve the entrees fairly quickly. We didn’t go the Japanese but all reviews were excellent, especially if you have the cooking table. Mexican was not worth going to according to most in our group.
Service – Almost all staff were incredibly friendly. Remember to tip them, as a few dollars means a lot to them. Housekeeping was efficient. We tipped at the beginning of the week and the end. I don’t believe the staff expects tips but they certainly deserve it.
Beach/Pool – first rate. The pool spans the length of the resort so there are some quiet areas. It’s a 2-3 minute walk from the beach to the lobby. The catamarans were fun but be careful of the wind as you can get stuck out there easily if it’s strong (yes, this happened to us). However, one of the beach staff helped us get in. You can also pay about $50 to have one of the staff take you out for an hour – they take you beyond the normal “boundaries” you’re allowed to go if you’re on your own so it makes it an enjoyable experience.
Tours – we didn’t go on any but some friends did. They went on the Saona Island tour and enjoyed it very much. However, they tell you it’s a 90 minute ride each way, but that doesn’t include the stops at the other 5-6 resorts before you leave town, making it about a 2 – 2 1/2 hour ride.
Wedding – Larissa is the Wedding Coordinator and she did a tremendous job planning our wedding and I highly recommend getting married at the Majestic. When you arrive, you’ll spend about one hour with her confirming all of the details. As I mentioned, we had a Colonial Suite as part of our wedding package. Each night, we received various appetizers – wine with fruit plate, chocolate rum balls, sushi, etc. Be careful if you get a group rate from your travel agent for the wedding as that might negate a “free” wedding. We did not get a group rate, all of our guests booked individually for a very reasonable price (cheaper than most comparable resorts in the area, e.g. Bahia). There are some things you’ll pay for if you want extra – renting the disco, flowers, etc. My wife brought her own flowers down with us. We had our wedding on the beach at 5pm. With the heat, I strongly recommend later in the day if it’s available (judge determines the time). The gazebo is nice but it would be hot as there is not much of a breeze where it is. Our wedding was on time, but be prepared to wait if the judge is running late (remember, you’re down there for a more relaxing wedding, so don’t get stressed). We had our dinner at the Rodeo restaurant and it was great – get the Chateau Briend. We showed Larissa a photo of the wedding cake we wanted and it turned out exactly as we had hoped. Our photographer was Kiko and he did an excellent job. We purchased the silver package – this included photos the day before, pre-wedding, wedding and dinner. You get to choose 20 photos the day before and 100 day of. Of course, they take many more than that. We ended up getting an additional 75 photos on CD. (I didn’t negotiate as well as I should have, but I also didn’t want to spend my time inside on my final day). So, we ended up getting 195 photos – 100 printed in 4x6 (two sets), 10 printed in 10x12 and all of them on a CD and DVD for $1,400 USD which apparently is fairly good value.
Feel free to contact us with any questions.
danischm@nflcanada.com
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
Gerilyn and Mike
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| September 2007 |
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Larissa is the Wedding Coordinator and she did a tremendous job planning our wedding and I highly recommend getting married at the Majestic. When you arrive, you’ll spend about one hour with her confirming all of the details. As I mentioned, we had a Colonial Suite as part of our wedding package. Each night, we received various appetizers – wine with fruit plate, chocolate rum balls, sushi, etc. Be careful if you get a group rate from your travel agent for the wedding as that might negate a “free” wedding. We did not get a group rate, all of our guests booked individually for a very reasonable price (cheaper than most comparable resorts in the area, e.g. Bahia). There are some things you’ll pay for if you want extra – renting the disco, flowers, etc. My wife brought her own flowers down with us. We had our wedding on the beach at 5pm. With the heat, I strongly recommend later in the day if it’s available (judge determines the time). The gazebo is nice but it would be hot as there is not much of a breeze where it is. Our wedding was on time, but be prepared to wait if the judge is running late (remember, you’re down there for a more relaxing wedding, so don’t get stressed). We had our dinner at the Rodeo restaurant and it was great – get the Chateau Briend. We showed Larissa a photo of the wedding cake we wanted and it turned out exactly as we had hoped. Our photographer was Kiko and he did an excellent job. We purchased the silver package – this included photos the day before, pre-wedding, wedding and dinner. You get to choose 20 photos the day before and 100 day of. Of course, they take many more than that. We ended up getting an additional 75 photos on CD. (I didn’t negotiate as well as I should have, but I also didn’t want to spend my time inside on my final day). So, we ended up getting 195 photos – 100 printed in 4x6 (two sets), 10 printed in 10x12 and all of them on a CD and DVD for $1,400 USD which apparently is fairly good value.
Feel free to contact us with any questions.
danischm@nflcanada.com
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
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we just came back after spending 4 days in the majestic colonial 8/16-8/20 for a saturday wedding. there were 6 in my family all adults and 85 guests in all. we had a great time even though it rained saturday the day of the wedding (dean passed by).
the service could not have been friendlier and accommodating.
our room for 2 #2313 faced the pool. who spends time in the room except newly weds, etc. the night shows were pretty good considering they are not professionals. we enjoyed the food and thought we had a good selection. there is enough to drink for everyone. And don't forget to tip them one or two dollars according to what they do for you. It might be all-inclusive but these people make very little salaries.
The place is beautiful, the grounds are green and manicured and the weather for august was comfortable on the beach on in the pool.
We all agreed we would go back to this resort again. |
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
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Not going to go into great detail as others do,but will give you some of my observations. This was my first A-I. My better half and I are basically cruise people but wanted to try this out. Did research and picked the Majestic
Stayed in Room 2141 bottom floor with Jacuzzi on the porch with two lounge chairs and ten steps away from pool.
Good Point -This room was right across from the pool wet bar and all the activities Bad Point- People would camp out in front of you at the edge of the pool and sometimes take the lounge chairs off the porch (had to ask people to get off so I could use them). If you want quiet this was not the area for you.
The room was close to the beach but quite a walk to the main lobby, buffet and restaurants.
The beach was Beautiful. More than enough areas to sit through out the day. Palapas for all.
OK, Lets get to the food.
It’s good but not great.
Cruise food much better (Royal Caribbean) Buffet by the main lobby was good. More than enough choices to find something to eat. Some dishes were there everyday and some new ones appeared thru our stay.
They say you need reservations, you really don’t.
Most times they will take you as a walk in.
Japanese /Chinese - Don’t bother, Better food at your local take out
Le Gourmet Good food worth going
Steak House and Seafood -Good, but they are outdoors and the salads and desserts are subject to the elements
Caribbean/Dominican If you’re into that kind of food eat up
During the Day the Steak House and Seafood Restaurants were a continental breakfast and lunch buffets If you are really hungry and didn’t want to leave the beach it was OK and once again opened to the elements. I opted for the walk back to the main Buffet Much better and air conditioned The Shows – Skip them The theatre was a covered open air building If they would put fans hanging from the ceiling it would be tolerable.
SCUBA
While I was there I used Marianna Sports which is the water sport vendor at the hotel I took my Advanced Open Water certification I passed and received my documents and mailed them to PADI Hopefully I will receive my card, if not that will be another story.
The instructor was Glenn, he was great. I had 5 great dives.
The one and only drawback, which really wasn’t for me was the boat they used Instead of climbing up a ladder to get back on the boat, you had to pull yourself up and over the side of the boat, with their assistance if you needed it
We met Andrea at the customer service desk. She was nice and sweet and took Care of the few problems we had expeditiously and always with a smile Over all we had a good time, but will stick to cruising
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
Jen & Brandon
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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| July 2007 |
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We vacationed at the Majestic Colonial for one week, from June 22-29/07. This was our ninth all inclusive visit to Punta Cana and our third visit to the Majestic (previous trips were in April & September '06). We are married with no kids, aged 29 and 31, and don't have many goals on holiday other than to relax and soak up some sun!
Upon arrival we were escorted to our room by the rooms division manager. We were in room 2247, a standard room with a good beach/ocean view from the balcony. We faced into the pool and were located right in between the beach restaurant and the pool bar. The room was decorated with flowers and 'towel art' when we arrived and continued to be done up throughout the week. It was always nice to come back to the room and see what creations the maid had done that day. Our room was always cleaned by noon and the mini fridge was usually filled by 2 p.m. We did leave a few dollars for the maid each day and whenever we left a dollar and with a note asking for specific items in the fridge, our request was always met.
The consistency of the food at the Majestic is one of the main reasons we have kept visiting and we weren't disappointed this time. We dined at the Gourmet (French), Chinese, Caribbean, and Steakhouse a la cartes and enjoyed all of them. As others have mentioned, the chateaubriand at the Steakhouse is incredible. We also enjoyed the sushi at the Chinese a la carte - it was just as good as we remembered from our previous trips. We had breakfast every morning in the main buffet and split our lunches between there and the beach restaurant, which was more convenient if we were still a little soggy from the pool. Be aware that if you do go to the main buffet for lunch and you are wet, you will not be allowed to dine there. We saw a few people come in literally dripping wet and they were disappointed to be turned away by the hostess (there's a reason why the beach restaurant has chairs that aren't covered in fabric!)
The service is another of our reasons for repeat visits to the Majestic. We really felt spoiled by the efforts the staff made to welcome us again. Most nights we had treats (truffles, brownies/dessert plates, even sushi one night!) delivered to our room along with wine or champagne. We also got to enjoy our own private dinner in the gazebo one evening, which was incredibly romantic. The gazebo was decorated with rose petals and candles, and palms framed the walkway as we made our way in for dinner. It was one of the highlights of our trip and we really appreciated the opportunity to enjoy a special dinner there. Service in the restaurants and bars was fantastic, as always - lots of smiles and laughs. We were blown away by the number of staff members who remembered us from our previous trips. One of pool bartenders even remembered that I always ordered 2 bottles of water with our drinks! Now that's impressive!
As with our previous trips, the only excursion we went on was a trip to Don Lucas cigars. It's the best place to buy quality cigars, and you can pick up coffee, rum, artwork and jewellery while you're there. The trip is free and can be arranged by guest services or by your tour rep - it's well worth a few hours off the resort.
I'm happy to answer questions and share photos from our visits. If you would like to contact me, please email me at ginnyfyris@yahoo.ca Happy travels!
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
Luvclearbluwater
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| July 2007 |
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The Majestic Colonial is truly an amazing resort! Upon arrival you will be welcomed with pleasant smiles, cool towels, and their signature drink, the “Majestic” which tastes a little like an orange cream popsicle. Don’t worry about the safety of your baggage…it will be well taken care of by plenty of bell hops who will be there awaiting your arrival. The registration desk is just to the left of an immaculate two story lobby which is beautifully decorated with a mahogany ceiling, marble flooring, huge flower arrangements and lush wicker couches and sofas. The front desk staff is friendly, qualified, and competent. Check in is quick and efficient. Just like all the resorts/ hotels I have ever stayed in, check-in is at 3:00 pm and if you arrive before that time you will probably have to wait for your room. But don’t fret…just go and enjoy a nice lunch in the buffet which is located just down a gorgeous marble, double staircase and a then few steps to the left or enjoy a drink in one of the three bars located inside or just outside the lobby.
The rooms are beautifully decorated in a pale yellow décor and are supplied with champagne. I saw two rooms. The first was in Building 4 (room 4420). It was on the fourth floor and had a huge cathedral ceiling. It faced the empty lot on the right side of the resort, but it had an expansive view of the beautiful sea. Victor, the front desk manager, assigned us the room because he believed we would enjoy the view. He personally escorted us to see it, and if we had been seeking a romantic, private vacation, the room would have been perfect; however, we had our 20 year old daughter with us, and wanted closer to the pool, music, bars, etc. Victor, who I will always remember as one of the nicest and most accommodating people I have ever met, understood what I wanted and quickly made arrangements for another room. We were welcomed to use room 4420 until our Majestic Suite Pool room was available. In the short time we used the room a fruit platter and a cheese and cracker platter were delivered for our enjoyment! In the days to follow, we also had delivered to our door, bottles of wine, and a platter of sushi and one of chocolate covered fruit.
When our new room was ready Victor then again escorted us personally to see our Majestic Suite Pool Room (2144). This room was perfect for us. Right on the pool and near the ocean, this room had about 400 square feet of yard, two nicely cushioned chaises for our use, as well as two chairs and a table on the patio. There was a Jacuzzi inside and outside on the patio. This room, like the others contains an open bathroom, two marble sinks, and a large marble shower. The bed was a king poster bed. They brought in a twin bed for our daughter. The room was plenty large enough for the two beds, a sofa, sofa table, desk, and television cabinet complete with DVD player. There is plenty of closet and drawer space and a section containing a cooler/fridge which is restocked as needed. There are drawers in the bath area as well, which were very handy for storing toiletries, etc.
The pool is massive, stretching and winding from the lobby end of the resort to the ocean end. It is simply beautiful. There are several bridges allowing for crossing from one side of the pool to the other. There is one swim up bar located toward the ocean end and just a few paces from room 2144! There are six bars in all and they are spaced evenly throughout the resort, so no matter where you are, one is located just steps away. The grounds are immaculate! There is a Chapel on the grounds that is quaint and beautiful. Mass takes place on Sundays at 10:00 am.
The beach is beautiful…just like all of Bavaro Beach…white sand and beautiful clear, blue water. It is wide and there are plenty of chaises and lots of shade if you want. We found chaises under the beach huts all during the day so no need to rush out!
The restaurants are all good. Outstanding, in my opinion, was the Pumpkin soup and the Beef Wellington at the Gourmet and the Chateaubriand at the Steakhouse. My daughter love the grilled Lobster at the Seafood Restaurant. We also enjoyed the Hibachi presentation at the Japanese restaurant. We met “Fried Chicken”. He was adorable. You don’t need to have reservations for the Asian and we ate there twice because my daughter was so impressed with the Lemon Chicken. There is also a Sushi Bar there that we enjoyed. The Mexican/Dominican was good too. There is a lot to choose from so you should find something you like. The buffets offer so much variety you should surely be able to find something you like there as well. There is a fast food shop that serves buffalo wings, fries, nachos, etc. after 11:00pm. My husband and daughter enjoyed more than one midnight snack!! In the early evening hours it is wonderful to sit outside the lobby in the courtyard and enjoy a drink, and listen to the band before dinner…savor every minute!
The shows are fun and entertaining. The theatre is large and the chairs are very comfortable. The spa is top notch. I enjoyed a Caribbean Vitamin Cocktail ($120) which was very relaxing and left my skin in great condition. There are plenty of shops to purchase gifts, cigars, etc. You can also take a short stroll to the Plaza Blanca…there is a wonderful Dominican there…he called himself Monte Hall, and we enjoyed him very much. The vendors also came to the resort grounds on Wednesday night. The animation team offers plenty of activities if you wish to participate and there is a board just outside the lobby to let you know what is going on. If you are a walker, as I am, you can walk for miles in either direction on the beach or you can walk the perimeter of the resort which I estimate to be a little less than a mile. The gym is also nice. There is a treadmill, several stair machines, resistance machines, free weights, etc. There is a staff member there to assist you if you need it.
There are so many wonderful details to list that I could go on for some time but I will end with this: We have traveled to many Caribbean Islands and also to Maui and Oahu and we have stayed at both non inclusives and all inclusive resorts. This was our 4th trip to the Dominican Republic. We found this resort to be everything you could ask for and more. The service was excellent. Victor is amazing! His staff including Juan and Keyla at checkout are wonderful, as are the Dominican people in general. They are a friendly, happy, and good natured people. That, coupled with a beautiful resort, is a recipe for a perfect vacation! Go…enjoy!
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| Majestic Colonial Punta Cana |
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Background information
The company with which this holiday was booked with was Global Late Deals. The Hotel was selected out of a choice of five given to me by my manager. Communications between those within my party and hotel staff took place before our arrival. This review is written as the experience and the view of two late teenagers who have travelled moderately and between them visited Jamaica, St Lucia, New York, and Florida.
Flight –
We flew with Mytravel which is apart of the Airtours Group. Everything to do with the flight ran smoothly. The layout of the plane was extremely cramped and I would not recommend this style of aircraft for such a long flight. The food was what I expected. The on flight entertainment was limited; also I must mention that headphones to use the entertainment system were at a cost £2.50. Refreshments were also chargeable ranging from £1 - £5. I doubt I will fly with this carrier again even the “premier” seats looked undesirable
Airport-
The airport was OK. I didn’t like the way the girls taking pictures grabbed us. There was no orderly line system in regards to the entrance Visa, nether the less we didn’t wait long. Joined another line to get passport stamped, I was asked to take my sunglasses of before she stamped my red book. I found it strange that the same card I had to wait to get was just taken of me as they say when in Rome do as the Romans. Our bags came through quickly and we were of to find the VIP travel desk. In regards to the porters if they were a bit more courteous then maybe they could of touched my luggage but I just said NO and looked them straight in the face. The VIP guys were alright. We got directed to the vehicle my only qualm was that were we put our luggage was in a little trailer at the back that was left open and unguarded whist we waited for other passengers. We only dropped of people at two other resorts before reaching the Majestic.
Check in –
This was smooth we were greeted with cool towels and Majestic cocktails. We were greeted by Victor and taken over to the reservations desk where we met Majestic Emily whom I had heard so much about from my Manager she was very pleasant and ensured me that we would enjoy our stay we then proceeded to make reservations for the two restaurants. We got the tour through the grounds and had most things explained to us and then we arrived at our room 2347.
Room –
The room was excellent and cool. There was not any smells the view was really nice however I think it’s a more important to girls because my GF would stop going on about it. The bed was fine the pillows were a bit low but there were more in the cupboard near the door. The safe was one I had used before and worked perfectly, the champagne was on ice and we were told if any problems were arise then to contact front desk. ** There were little snags in the room it basically just needed that extra bit of finishing however there was nothing that major** The mini bar was restocked to a sufficient standard and I made one request for some chocolate during our stay by leaving a note inside the fridge and it was granted. The maid was really kind and we always gave her a gift or a tip. In order to get the sheets changed I stripped the bed on day when we came back new sheets etc were provided. There was inconsistency with the time that maid attended to the room in hindsight I can only assume that as the hotel capacity fluctuated during our stay this changed the patterns of the maids.
Grounds –
The grounds were well kept inside the resort and gardeners were always busy at all times of the day. The grounds were clean although I think there should be more signs warning people of the slippery floors after cleaning or just in general. Driving up to the resort is a different story. The grounds seem unkept and in need of some serious TLC, hopefully this will be done whilst the new resorts is under construction. The tennis/ five a side football area seems far away from the rest of the resort and this is also in some need of attention.
Food –
The food at this resort is really nice. All the staff at every restaurant are attentive and courteous.
We only took breakfast at the buffet which was more than suffice. The selection of food is vast and pastries and bread is made fresh. There is something for everyone at this buffet – My only gripe about the buffet is that when the resort had more guest the line for the omelette station was ridiculous and I felt sorry for the one man with no support minding the station.
We ate lunch at the beach mainly which was generally pleasant. The chips were nice and the salad selection was plentiful. I personally kept away from any type of paella or any seafood dishes. The burgers although seemingly cooked still needed time on the grill and I would say at least another 5 minutes as once I bit into a raw one. There is a good selection of meats and decent desserts.
The Taino restaurant was our favourite. It had the best food and service overall in our opinion. The snapper is highly recommended as well as the 3 meat entrée. (Please remember to stress well done is you don’t like pink meat) The Dominican goat stew served with rice and peas was the best dish overall and It was just what I needed when I felt a bit “fluish”when we just arrived, It favoured a mild version of Jamaican curry goat and it was nice to have some “real food” at that time. The dessert at this restaurant was the best throughout the whole resort some of the cakes were outstanding.
The Gourmet restaurant was really nice. I heard the pumpkin soup was nice and I know that my creole soup was really nice in all the meal was on point from the beginning to end the dishes reminded me of the type of food you might encounter at Zizzi’s. The ambience was really nice and calm and we had a great time
The Chinese part of the the Tepenyaki restaurant was the worst meal I experienced within the whole trip. It was not very nice at all and I actually left 95% of the food on my plate. I tried sushi for the first time although I was put of whilst watching someone taste one of the sauces by raising the spoon to his lip at which I heavily protested. Maybe not eating that much at this restaurant was a blessing because 1 half of a couple whom we had been conversing with throughout the trip fell ill and put it down to the sushi at this restaurant. The cooking show was good we had a mixed crowd which was mostly Spanish speaking so were a bit slow on the up take of some of the jokes regardless of that it was a good experience and one of the cooks even sang a song for us. The food was plentiful and tasty especially the starters, we opted out of trying the dessert so I couldn’t tell you about those.
The Seafood/Stake house restaurants both had a welcoming feel to them. They appeared less formal and were always very full. I think that the resort tried to fit to many tables into this place but nothing untowards happened due to the over crowding so I guess it works fine. The food was again of a high standard and the presentation was well thought out. The service here was not a quick as other restaurants which obviously has something to do with numbers.
The little fast food hut near the disco was good. The buffalo wings were nice and the staff were joyous.
Casino/Sports bar.
Both of these areas in the resort were lacking, in that the casino was small and the lay out sometimes restricted the easy flow of people throughout. The bar was OK however they couldn’t make certain cocktails. The drinks service whilst playing was “sometimish”. The cashiers had attitude but nothing spiteful I just took it as something you play along with however my GF didn’t find them funny. I left them in the knowledge that we were married and had 6 children and the oldest was 7.
The sports bar was just a sports bar and never really changed from one. The “disco” very much reminded me of a primary school disco at the end when the teachers get up and dance so it wasn’t what we really expected. I think this was due to the amount of people at the resort and also the age group the resort is geared to. The music was not that varied and it was mostly Spanish with a few American tunes thrown in now and then regardless of this it’s the beat you dance to not the words.
Spa/Gym
The spa was a hub of extreme professionalism within the resort and a place we would both highly recommend. The services are reasonably priced and the staff are polite and welcoming.
The Gym was well equipped and had a cool breeze to it. The machines were mostly modern and the TV screens were all working.
Entertainment –
The entertainment was very much like something the redcoats would do at butlins which we didn’t expect to encounter. On the plane we both watched Dreamgirls and I said it would be good if a performance like that was put on but nothing like that took place at the theatre and the mc spoke very quickly and wouldn’t always bother to do the English translation. The MJ show was good however without the costume changes would have been just OK. I say this as someone who frequents musicals and the theatre often so some people may find these shows great.
The pool entertainment was entertaining in a “You’ve been framed” kind of way and no one was forced into participating. The swim up bar was heavily populated at the time the “fun and games” started as some guest swam towards the noise to see what was happening.
Tours.
Went to the cigar factory which was long winded and just a shop really. However it was free though I can’t complain. We done the Bavaro Runners Safari Adventure which was fun after about noon when my hangover was nearly gone. This trip was good but it was really long winded. Horseback riding was fun although there was something just not authentic about “Maria’s house”
Return
I settled the bill the night before we left it was $174 this amount was purely for phonecalls. Check out was fine until the time we had to get on the vehicle and the porters were adamant that I hadn’t given one of them my check out card. This annoyed me and I wasn’t pleased.
Overall
Were planning my return to the DR sometime this year and then another trip to the DR in early 2008 and I’m sure the Majestic will feature in one of these trips.
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Dominican Republic Hotels with CARIBBEAN TRAVEL NETWORK
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www.hotel-dominicanrepublic.com Hotel-DominicanRepublic.com offers you exclusive discounts on hotels in Dominican Republic, with maps, photos and hotel information. We offer you a simple, fast and secure way to reserve hotels in Dominican Republic.
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