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| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & SPA |
Dreams Punta Cana Resort & SPA: Dreams Punta Cana Resort & SPA Reviews |
| Total User's Score 4.3
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By Occasion... |
By Traveller Type... |
| Based on 42 reviews |
| Excellent |
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20 |
| Very good |
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15 |
| Average |
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3 |
| Poor |
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4 |
| Terrible |
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0 |
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| Family |
4 |
| With Spouse/Partner |
6 |
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| Rain Rain go away |
| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & SPA |
User Rating:
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Diane >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Mar, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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We have stayed at several resorts in Punta Cana. This was our least favorite. Although my husband and I had a wonderful time together and we enjoyed ourselves I would have been very upset if we would have paid more. The resort is well kept and clean except for the rooms and beach. The water and beach is the main reason we choose DR. The area in front of the hotel has coral and sea urchins. TO the left of the property is the only place you can swim. Every day but one the red flag was up, no fault of the resort. But with the water so turbulent you could not see the rocks. Snorkling was really not fun either. There was no life guard on duty however there is a guard that sits on the edge of the property. People are slobs, there were cigerate butts, bottle caps and trash everywhere. The towel situation is out of hand also. What really upsets me is when people "save" chairs and never show up. There was a limited supply of chairs, forget the beds. Unless you want to get up very early and "save one".
We were unfotunate to be there when it rained almost every day, so there were not as many things to do with many activites held in doors.
Our first room was on the ground level and in the family side. It was dirty, the comforter had stains on it and the comforter pillows had a strong smell of perfume. I had breathing problems and we were moved to a second floor room over on the adult side. Less noise and our own balcony and clean. Some rooms had robes, some did not.
This is definitely a family resort and it looked like they were having fun. We enjoyed the resturant down by the sea the most and room service. We were told what was expected in tips and that was a down side for us. |
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| Your Arrival |
| At the airport. The expected. We knew they would be taking our picture and we look forward to buying that. As you walk into building from the plane they snap your picture. I think Apple is very organized at the airport. A air conditioned bus waits for you and your luggage is loaded. Arrival at the resort was pleasant, but we were shocked when we were not given a 2nd floor room and was instead told we could upgrade to the second floor with hot tub. Of course for a considerable fee. We declined. When we were taken to our room and I really found it unacceptable we were told it was "impossible" to change us. The next day out Apple agent made the arrangements and we were given a airy clean room second floor. |
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| Rooms |
| On the family side first floor, small dark, damp. Dirty. We changed to the other side building three and it was airy. Smaller than we are used to. Refrigator is a joke. Bathroom was clean and free of mold. However I am very short and it was a struggle to get into the tub/shower. Of which it does not function as a tub. It was overal clean and we had a neat balcony we could sit on, In this room we had a king size bed and small table. It was light enough to read. Even with the constant raining it was nice |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| We tried the Old WOrld Cafe, it was okay but the noise level was unacceptable, plus it was indoors....we like to be able to see and hear the water. The Oceania was wonderful. It was not until the third day we discovered it was also open for breakfast. We tried the French and the steak place. Not impressed. Room service was neat, once we was able to get a menu.I was not impressed with any of the drinks I tried. But I enjoyed the mamajana. It settles the stomach. That being said I was impressed that everyone was asked to use hand cleaner when entering for meals. We ate everything we wanted and only started having stomach problems on the 5 day after swimming. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
Pools are too shallow and close at 6 pm every day. Plus it was cold, rainy and miserable most of the days to enjoy. But they are well kept and clean. The bridges that go over them to the rooms on the north side are in bad need of repair as the hand rails are pulling off.
The beach was not clean, and water in front of the resort is difficult due to rocks, coral and sea urchins. When we swam we walked in to the left of the resort. We truly enjoyed the water when it was safe to swim in.
Best part, later at night we took towels and laid down on the beds in the dark and listened to the water and looked at the stars.
Ground themselves are clean and in general look good |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
We walked to the right of the resort to check out the mini mart for coffee and vanilla. Don't bother was out findings. There is a tour that takes you to a farm in the moutains where they make vanilla, etc. Make a pont of going on that one and picking up the clear vanilla. If you can't do that you can buy coffee and vanilla at airport cheaper than the resort.
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| Other Comments |
This is NOT A PLACE for those with disabilites. There is alot of walking. There no elevators except in the main lobby. That is 2 stories and has a huge stairway. We did find a covered walkway that connects the buildings which helps but if not on the ground floor it would be difficult.
IF you have CPAPs, you may need to bring an extension cord. I also recommend good walking shoes.
Bathtubs are very difficult to get into. And if you have asthma and can handle the stairs I would make sure you take a second floor room.
Dress for men seemed to be walking shorts except the French resturant. But we noted most men wore slacks to all except the Cafe. Women, tended to dress up more. It was hard to know what to pack as we left snow behind. It was cool and rainy for most of the days then very humid. I was very glad we packed light weight jackets. You have to ask for umbrellas
Even with the rain we had a good time and met some really nice people. |
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| It was a 6 STAR"dream" come true. |
| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & SPA |
| User Rating:
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MARY >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Mar, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| We have been to punta cana 4 times before this trip to Dreams resort & spa punta cana. My husband & I both said this vacation was magnificant! I read the reviews of this resort after it was booked and I was ready to cancel. I am not sure if it is other resorts that write in bad reviews so you don't go there but Im glad I decided to keep my first choice or we would have missed out on the very best trip of our life! The resort had 9 units with 3 or 4 floors to each unit. We were placed in unit 1 with a ocean view, balcony and the most beautiful room imaginable. Everynite our bed was turned down. We had chocolate on our pillows and red flower pedals sprinkled on our bed. We were not honeymooners, this was for everyone and the maid would turn on our radio with beautiful music to set the mood! We never came back until 2 a.m. every morning because we danced the night away in the great disco! |
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| Your Arrival |
| I always love flying into punta cana because I love the thatch roof airport all open with a mariache band playing for you as you arrive. The girls at the airport are dressed in native red & white dresses taking your picture as you arrive. You can purchase this picture when you are sadly departing! And I mean sadly! Entry is smooth with lines moving smartly. No problems. Have passport & papers ready in hand. |
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| Rooms |
The rooms are spotless,lite and airy. Beautiful open canapy bed(king size),plenty of clothing space in closet and drawers. Terrycloth ropes for your use for the week. chocolate on pillows and flower pedals on top of your rolled down bedding every nite. Hairdryer in bathroom and iron(planga) and board in closet. Balcony with table & chairs looking out on the carribean. WOW!
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| What wonderful food! 5 resturants and a full buffet dinning room with about 14 different stations with unbelievable foods. If you leave hungry its your own fault. There are no reservations needed for the resturants. There is an Italian, mexican, japaneese, chineese & french. Unbelievable and most delicous. You can order anything and as much as you want. I thought the beef was of a better texture and taste than US beef. No joke. Dress is casual but nice. Men must wear long pants for french and mexican and japaneesse. Dress shoes for men, no sandels. ITs WORTH IT!!! |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
The beach was beautiful. If you are a beach walker go to the left not the right. You can only go about half a mile to the right. To the left you can walk 3 miles out to the next resort(solice). The pool is one lazy river starting at the begining of the hotels to the end at the ocean. 3 feet deep all the way with rafts available. Just beautiful and very well maintained. Water bars right there. Great!
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| We go to relax at the beach and pool. We dont leave the resort. there are many things to do off the resort though. The pool activities are soooo fun because of the staff. The staff cannot do enough for you. Your glass is never empty and your face never without a smile because of the staff. Many thanks to Julio, Bernardo, Wilbur, 2Pak, maritza(one of our pool & beach waitress')Isabell and all the others who made our stay unforgetable! I mean that sincerely!! You literally "want for nothing". Its all there for you and more. Wait till you see the gounds! I will not even try to explain it. You so need to see it for yourself. All I will say is that it is BREATH TAKING!!!! |
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| Other Comments |
| I cannot wait to return to this resort again next year! The weather on March 22-29 was in the 90's everday. Their rainy season is in may. dont book then!!! |
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| Perfect Family Escape |
| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & SPA |
| User Rating:
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Russell >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Mar, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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Just returned from a fantastic trip to Dreams Punta Cana.
We are already talking about when to go back next year.
We were a family of 3–My wife and I age 38 and son age 5 ˝
On the plane home we tried to find bad things we did not like.
The only thing we came up with was that the resort was 50 Min from the airport.
But it was worth it.
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| Your Arrival |
Punta Cana airport is quick and efficient. Walking off the plane, on the tarmac, we quickly went through the airport and got our bags. We avoided the baggage handler guys, found our rep, there was a small glich with our name snot being on the list, but he quickly fixed it afer we showed him our papers, and we boarded the bus for the 50 Min drive to the airport.
Once at the resort, we were quickly brought to the Preferred Club where they checked us in. We upgraded to the Preferred Club - we found the expense worth it..
This gives you a better room location on the resort -more central to everything, a Jacuzzi Tub on your porch, a small section of beach that is reserved for Club members, and access to the Preferred Club Building.
Here they have a TV, free Internet, someone always on staff to answer questions or get you anything you might need, and a bar with better drinks – e.g. Johnny Walker Green, Macallan’s 12 yr, Grey Goose, Belvedere, Corona, US and import beers – and a lot more.
Also, if there had been a line when we arrived – the preferred club reception would have been a whole lot faster.
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| Rooms |
We had a third floor suite facing the ocean. I really appreciated the extra room.
Our room initially smelled musty, but after the AC was on for a bit, it quickly went away.
We easily controlled the cold/heat of the room – so it was never too cold or too hot.
It was clean, the bed was soft, we had a great view.
Everything worked as it should – including the Jacuzzi.
I was initially dubious that we would have enough hot water to fill it – but when I did fill it – it was actually too hot to get into.
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| Restaurants and Bars |
Food was fantastic. The buffet was expansive, changed themes daily, and great quality.
The restaurants were also great. I had steak a number of times – ordered medium, got medium rare, but tasty and tender. Also – no reservation for sittings at the restaurants. So you are not on a schedule. We never had to wait as were eating @ 7:00ish. Their might have been a 15 min wait for the later seatings, but they ensured you had a drink in your had the whole time. Service in the restaurants was great. Always friendly and efficient. We tipped between $1-$5 USD when service warranted it – and it was always greatly appreciated.
Bar was a typical southern bar - lots of rum drinks. But they did have some good name brands if you asked. And like I mentioned, the Preferred Club Bar was more expansive
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
The layout of the resort is fantastic. The two large pools snake through the centre of the resort giving lots of places to lay and to swim. The entire pool is only ~1M deep – so no problems of kids to touch and enough water to keep you cool. But there is no place to dive deep.
The beach is clean and pure sand. No shells to speak of. No need for shoes of any kind.
There were a fair amount of waves – so no “swimming” but I’m not sure if this is the norm or not. But the waves were fun for splashing around in.
We did not do any excursions – but the people we spoke to said they had a great time.
The grounds themselves - green, clean, very well maintained.
They have resident peacocks, parrots, fish, and flamingo's.
They are all very cool.
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
The entertainment team is fantastic. They are friendly and engaging, but not pushy.
There was always something going on if you wanted to participate. But if you didn’t – no problems. The evening shows were fund and entertaining.
We were in bed by 10:30 – 11:00 after the shows due to our son, so I cannot comment on the disco/nightlife. But Dreams is not the place for 20 something’s going to party and pick up. It is much more family/couple oriented. That being said – there are not a bunch of little kids running around bothering you. They tend to stay to one end of the pool where the climbing floating iceberg is, or they are in the kids club.
On that note – the Kids Club is fantastic. The give you a phone when you drop off your
Child. So if the child wants to leave anytime – they can call you. But chances are, your
kid will want to stay for the day. They are very entertained with lots of choices of activities.
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| Other Comments |
We all look forward to going back next year to Dreams Punta Cana.
I would recommend it to anyone. |
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| Disappointing |
| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & SPA |
| User Rating:
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Sandi and Jeff >
2 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Mar, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| Your Arrival |
| The landing was pretty scary, it felt like the plane was going to roll on its side, but we all survived and everything else at the airport went quite smoothly |
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| Rooms |
The room was typical of most resorts, although, we did have small ants in the bathroom and I also think getting into the bathtub/shower were very difficult, I honestly don't think an older person that has problems getting around would ever be able to get over the side.
The bathroom door would not stay open and the main door to the room always stuck. But pretty much just minor problems. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
The restaurants were very good, (try the steaks at Sea Side, they are the best I have ever had. I wasn't thrilled with the buffet so we didn't go there much.
Mainly just for breakfast |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| We were here 5 years ago and the pool area was beautiful but now there are so many of the little huts all around that most of the pool area is shaded and we like the sun. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| did not participate |
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| Other Comments |
| We would probably not go back to this resort again, but the Dreams Resorts are beautiful and the people that work there are great they would really do anything for you. We were at Dreams in LaRomana in January and we are definitely going back there next year. |
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| Don't Bother |
| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & SPA |
| User Rating:
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Carol >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Feb, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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| Your Arrival |
| Safe. We arrived at the airport and were stopped to pay an entrance fee of $15 per person, cash only. 15 feet beyond this "booth" was a second "booth" where you turned in the tourist tickets for which you had just paid $15 per person. Why, exactly, do they waste the paper and our time rather than just collecting the cash an letting us pass through. We were lead to a van, uur luggage loaded, and we climbed on board. 10 minutes later, we were asked to identify our luggage so that it could be moved, along with us, to a second van. The first one had apparently changed course already. The driver was pleasant, and the 50 minute drive was uneventful. |
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| Rooms |
| First, let me tell you that I reserved our room in the preferred club, so that we would receive the best treatment and have ou own concierge. The room that I had booked for my two teens and I was supposed to have 2 queen beds. The room we were given had 1 king bed. Not acceptable. The other choices I was given were a tiny room with two full beds, or I could pay another $700 to "upgrade" to a room with 1 king, which I shared with my daughter, and a pull out chair, which became my son's bed. I hate to think about the rooms that are not in the preferred club. We had ants in the bathroom sink all week. Never resolved. We had water dripping from our ceiling. Resolved within hours. There were no screens on our patio door or windows. Never resolved. The patio door lock was broken. Never resolved. The refrigerator in the room never actually got cold. Never resolved. The bathroom light bulb burned out and for some reason could not be replaced until mid-morning. Showered in the dark. Several times a day the power to the room would go out for a few minutes at a time. Okay...that was the room. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| Food at or below average. The buffet did not change from day to day and the food was never worthy of the walk to dinner. The Japanese restaurant rated an average. The Mexican restaurant left me wondering what about it was Mexican. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| The beach is very small. The pool is only 3 feet deep. Everywhere. The ocean was green, not the expected blue, and the caution flags on the beach remained up for our entire trip. Some days you could not go in the water, and other days you could go in if you were "cautious". None of the water activities were do-able due to the beach cautions. If you want to sit like a blob, it was perfect. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| Nothing was nearby off the resort. The excursions appeared to be greatly over-priced and just not worth it. If you were at a beach resort where you should be able to go in the ocean, why pay more to be bussed to another resort to do the same thing? The CORE zone was a joke. No one was ever there other than the 1-2 employees who were assigned to the area. No one offered to let you participate in any of the activities, such as the rock climbing wall or the archery. It seemed to be too much of a bother for the employees to get off of their chairs and set anything up. |
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| Other Comments |
| Okay, I may be at times thrifty, but seriously...$52 dollars for 2 bottles of sunscreen and some aloe when our stash from home ran out?? I guess they know that there is no other place to shop, so they stick it to you big time! |
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| Wonderful |
| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & SPA |
| User Rating:
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Denise >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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We flew To Punta Cana with Sunwing. It was our first time flying with them.
Pros: Complimentary Champagne. Snacks and a meal. Candy or sweet afterward. Attentive friendly flight crew.
Cons: Plane was very cramped. I felt sorry for the flight attendants working in that environment. It was old and rickety, wonky tray table, ashtray in the armrest. Reminded me a lot of the school buses of days gone by. Didn’t make me feel all that secure. There were a lot of angry people on our flight. They too had their flight times changed without explanation. Some had been up for more than 25 hours. I felt sorry for them, particularly those traveling with children. Shows a contempt for your customers, that is almost equal to that of Air Canada's.
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| Your Arrival |
| Airport and customs was relatively easy to navigate, follow the crowd. The Tourist Card was a joke. Pay $10.U.S. get a card. Walk half a dozen paces and hand over the card. It felt just like getting shafted by our Right Honourable’s back home. Went to the Sunwing Rep Desk to find out which of the many many buses we were to take to get to our resort. They are numbered so don’t go looking for a bus with your resort name on it, you won’t find it. The bus ride was air conditioned and comfortable. It took about 50 minutes and there were no stops at other hotels. I have back issues and was worried about the bumpy ride but it wasn’t bad at all and in fact didn’t seem that long. We passed a few villages or something and it would have been nice if we had been told what we were seeing. Dreams! What a beautiful place! The buildings, the grounds, the views. Wow! Check in was quick and efficient and we were taken to our rooms in no time. |
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| Rooms |
We were in Room 2203, building 2, second floor. Building one is closest to the beach. I don’t think there is any building that would not be convenient to everything. All the buildings surround a long winding pool, with bridges crossing over from one side of the pool to the other. We were always able to walk from our room to the main building without getting rained on. Our room had two double beds, a desk and mirror, two bedside tables, a clock radio that we couldn’t get to work but no big deal, a bathroom with tub and shower, a closet and a balcony with a table and two chairs. There was a tv and dvd player as well. In the closet were an ironing board, an iron, some hangers and two housecoats. There was also shelving storage in the closet. The first thing we did was go out on our balcony to see the view. My husband closed the sliding balcony door and we found ourselves locked out of our room. Fortunately a kind stranger we called down to for help, called someone to let us in. I don’t know if it was a maintenance issue or a security thing but don’t go out on your balcony and close the sliding door behind you or you will be locked out. Aside from that bad start, we had no problems. The safe worked fine, housekeeping was wonderful. Yes there are tiny little ants that come into the room but you’re in the tropics. It’s no big deal.
The Bathroom: I’ve read conflicting reviews of this resort and I think perhaps the bathrooms have a lot to do with it. I think they were configured with a raised tub and half glass to make the bathroom appear larger and perhaps more esthetically pleasing. Sadly, they should have thought it through farther than that. It must be a nightmare for the housekeeping staff, and if a guest has any mobility issues it could ruin a vacation. To get into the tub/shower you have to step up about 22 to 24 inches. Trying to take the step down when your wet and slippery is a scary thing, particularly when you’re not a spring chicken and have arthritis or back issues to deal with. Seeing yourself naked in the large bathroom mirror attempting to exit the bathtub uninjured just adds insult to injury and makes you grateful for poor eyesight! I felt very sorry for the maids having to clean so many of those awful tub/showers every day. They must get terrible back pain. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
We tried all the restaurants but one and only because of lack of time. We couldn’t pick a favourite, they were all great. You are given a dollop of hand sanitizer when entering all the restaurants. The Barefoot Grill at the beach had wonderful bbq chicken. The house wine was very good and there was no problem getting premium drinks. I had more Bailey’s with my coffee that week than in my entire life. The buffet is wonderful as are all the restaurants we tried. We had no problem getting in the a la carte restaurants, perhaps because we were always there for the first seating. We brought all manner of things for tummy issues with us and never had to use them.
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
Every day you get a sheet of paper in your room called the Sundial that tells you all the days’ activities. There were lots of options. You can choose to participate or not. We were there for rest and relaxation so the most active thing we did was walk and walk and walk. The beach and grounds were beautiful. Sand is nice and soft, no stones and things are kept clean. The Atlantic provides nice waves that many people took advantage of to propel them to shore. Walking in the water is easy, no stones, but there are sudden changes in depth and it’s not long before you find yourself in deep. With the waves it’s lots of fun. The safe areas are roped and there is a diving platform. There are lots of shade areas for people to lounge under and listen to the sound of the waves and the wind. There are lots of staff coming round to offer you cocktails on the beach.
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| Didn't take any tours.....health issues. Lots to do or not do on site. No pressure on this holiday for sure. |
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| Other Comments |
All the resort staff work very hard. I’d heard that some of the staff come from outlying villages. They work 12 days and stay in a building on the resort. They are bussed home for 3 days off and then the cycle starts again. I’m guessing they are the ones who speak little or no English. It must be so difficult for them to be separated from their children and spouses so much. I felt a great deal of empathy for our maid and tipped her generously. She gave me a thank you and a big hug the day she left. It made my vacation. The Entertainment team worked very hard. I didn’t realize it at first but not only do they put on the nightly show, but they also work in the day.
Overall Impression
Pros: Everything was wonderful. They were always cleaning things. Spraying lounge chairs with some sort of antiseptic, maintaining the gardens, sweeping walkways. Sometimes you could hear the staff singing to themselves.
Cons: Hard to think of any. We wanted to get change at the currency exchange. They don’t give out one dollar bills, only larger denominations.
There are a few very minor maintenance issues. Nothing serious but they should keep on top of it.
If ever I can afford to, I would return to Dreams in a heartbeat, with more tip money.
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| Superb! |
| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & SPA |
| User Rating:
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Mary >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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| This is our 5th trip to the Dominican Republic and the third time to Dreams Resort & Spa! We will probably go back a 4th time to this resort, we are just that happy with it! |
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| Your Arrival |
We are used to the airport. You wonder about the $10 to get in and the $20 to get out, but over the years we have noticed a big improvement to the airport and the roads. Good to see where this money is being used.
Arrival at the resort was very easy as we had signed up for the Preferred Club with SunWing Vacations. I would highly recommend that this is worth the little extra money. |
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| Rooms |
The first two years we had the deluxe suite! What a great room. Large with two his and her sinks, walk in closet and separate shower/toilet room. King size bed, with TV and VCR as well as a sitting room with two couches and another TV. Large balcony with a jacuzzi tub. This year we had a Deluxe room. Lots of space, king size bed, good size bathroom, two couches and nice size balcony. Took us a couple of days to get the air conditioning figured out, but that was our fault. The bar fridge was stocked nicely and if you wanted anything special, you just called the Preferred Club and they seen that it was delivered.
I like to leave the maids a little gift each day on the pillow. I start collecting throughout the year. Sometimes something special for the ladies, and sometimes I leave something for their children! I really enjoy shopping for these gifts. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
We have travelled quite a bit over the years and have been impressed with the food quality and assortment. The World Cafe has a great selection, always found more than enough to please us. The wait staff is over-accommodating; you rarely have to ask for anything. The alacart restaurants were wonderful. The salmon was delicious and the men loved the steaks. A few of the alacart restaurants also offered breakfast and lunch as an option to the World Cafe. If you can't find something here that you like to eat, I would suggest that you are way to picky!
The bars and the staff and extremely friendly. A little tip goes a long way to great service. Yes, I know this is an all-inclusive, but these people don't earn the money that the rest of us do.
The staff at the Preferred Club as the best! Again, I would recommend this luxury. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| Love the fact that you can walk the whole pool from one end to the other! It doesn't matter where your room is, you walk out and there is access to the pool anywhere! Sometimes if you sleep in you may have a hard time finding a lounge poolside, but don't forget there is a large beach with close access to a bar and washroom facilities.
Another reason for the Preferred Club is the Lounge Beds (in a separate area) on the beach. Wait service is also available for drinks anywhere on the beach or pool side. Towels are available for you whenever you want. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| We have done the shopping thing, Jeep Safari, Horseback Riding and Saona Island. Saona Island and the Jeep Safari are our favorites! Check both of these excursions out! |
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| Other Comments |
It's quite obvious that we are huge fans of this resort. If anyone doesn't like the Dominican Republic than I would challenge that they are too hard to please. Remember this is your vacation, so relax and enjoy!
We look forward to our return next year! |
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| Our return visit to Punta Cana |
| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & SPA |
| User Rating:
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Maureen >
2 contribution(s) United Kingdom |
| Jan, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| Your Arrival |
| The coach ride to our hotel was no very comfortable at all and the roads are in a very bad state. |
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| Rooms |
| Our room at Dreams Punta Cana was very good with all the amenities you needed. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| All restaurants good. One night was disappointing as the Italian and the Mexican were closed, on the same night. Plenty of variety in the World Cafe. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| Clean everywhere. What we saw this year but not last year was that folks were coming down to the pool before 8.00am to put towels on beds around the pool and beach. Sometimes towels were on beds for over two hours before anyone came to them. Also last year we were issued with a card to get our towels and only on returning them did we get clean ones. This has since changed and there were no cards given out. This has resulted in wet and clean towels being left everywhere and not many folks return them to bins etc, this made areas look very untidy. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| The trip to Soana island was most enjoyable. |
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| Other Comments |
| Everywhere was very clean, as last year, staff very friendly. As this hotel is getting more popular for weddings to be held there were a lot of large parties of wedding guests at the hotel and some of them made a lot of noise. Especially around the pool and bar areas. |
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| Truly a DREAM come true, a fabulous vacation. |
| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & SPA |
| User Rating:
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Patricia >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| This was truly a wonderful vacation. |
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| Your Arrival |
| When we got off the plane in Punta Cana the locals were singing and dancing, what a wonderful greeting. The airport was beautiful it is open, no walls. It was a great experience, one that I went through in a bit of a daze. Everything went smoothly. We were taken to our waiting bus and started our 50 minute ride to the Hotel. It really isn’t as bad as some people have said, the bus is air conditioned and it was very interesting experience and went by quickly. When we arrived at our hotel, we were given a refreshing drink and after an easy check in with Francis, our luggage was taken to our room. Let the exploration begin. |
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| Rooms |
| We had a swim-out room, we were only about 5 steps from our patio to the pool. I enjoyed being able to sit in my little hammock chair on the patio and watch people play volleyball and swimming around when I needed to rest. The room was clean, it did not smell musty as some have suggested. It was not the biggest room we have had, but it was wonderful, and frankly we didn’t spend all that much time in it. We had a king size bed, a safe and a mini fridge that was well stocked and everything we needed. Our the wonderful woman who cleaned our room was terrific and left beautiful towel art on our bed every day and kept the room extremely clean. We were in building #1 which is furthest from the Lobby, but we didn’t mind the walk. It was a hop skip and a jump to the pool and a 2 minute walk to the beach. Couldn’t ask for more. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| The restaurants were fabulous. The first night we went to Oceana and our waiter Luis was terrific. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. Get a specialty coffee from Wildy and wait for the show, he was so entertaining, you can also get his special coffee in the Lobby bar between 4:00 and 5:00. I had heard that the portions at Oceana were a little small, I prefer to think of them as reasonable. And believe me the other restaurants make up for it. The Seaside Grill was one of our favourites, the steaks were excellent. We also tried the El Patio which was terrific and the World Café. We didn’t get to the others because we enjoyed Oceana and Seaside Grill so much we had to go twice. You could eat at the World Café everyday and still eat something different. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
Our room was a swim-out so the pool was a big part of our trip, it is 3 feet deep everywhere and weaves through the property starting at the Santo Domingo Plaza behind the lobby and ends at the swim up pool bar near the beach. We thought the pool would be too shallow but it wasn't. We loved it. The grounds were absolutely fabulous, well taken care of and beautiful, I spent alot of time taking photos of flowers, peacocks, flamingos and my favourite, the parrots.
The beach was beautiful, there are beds and beach chairs, some are underneath little sun huts. It did amaze me how many were left empty for most of the day, people would go out early in the morning to throw towels and books on them to save their seat even if they didn’t get there till after noon, which we refused to do, we took our chances and if we didn’t find a seat we walked on the beach.
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| Our trip was mostly about just relaxing and getting some rest so we opted not to do any off resort excursions. Maybe next time (and there will be a next time). The activities around the resort were great, the entertainment team work very hard to get people involved. We would get up early in the morning and walk around the resort, not on the main walkway, but behind all the buildings, we walked around 3 times every morning before breakfast. After breakfast there was the stretching class on the beach or Spanish Lessons, then we would swim from one end of the resort to the other, there is only one spot where there is a break and we had to get out and walk around and hop in again right away, it was wonderful. My husband played volleyball instead on one day, he enjoyed it. After that it was aqua fitness in the pool near the swim-up bar. I could go on and on, the activities were endless. The Shows at night were fun too, they work hard to dance and perform for our entertainment, my favourites were the Magic Show and Circus Show. I also enjoyed the Core Zone where we got to hit some baseballs in the batting cage. I didn’t try the mechanical bull or the climbing wall, but we did play some pool. |
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| Other Comments |
| I would not hesitate to recommend this Resort to anyone who wants to go to DR. The staff who work at this resort were very friendly and attentive, they work very long hard days, but were always happy and cheerful. We always tipped in the restaurants and left money every day for the woman (Lidia) who cleaned our room, I would also leave her a little treat bag with candies and little gifts. They didn’t seem to really expect tips, but we were rewarded with a great smile when we did. I had no complaints about this resort, we had a fabulous time and would like to go back next year to the same resort. Many thanks to the Dreams Punta Cana Resort and their staff for making our first all-inclusive experience a positive one. I only hope that when we go back we can get the same room we had this time around. |
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| I would never return |
| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & SPA |
| User Rating:
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Joann from Annapolis, Maryland >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Dec, 2009
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Arrival: November 23, 2009 to November 27, 2009
I would never return to Punta Cana. The concierge was not very helpful.
Rooms:
The air conditioning was very low and could not raise it. The refrigerator did not keep the drinks cold. There were ants in the room. There were tissues stuffed in the ceiling where there were holes. They did not replenish the wash clothes each day. The bath tub was ridiculously high. They only have less than half of the shower with glass, so while you are taking a showew the floor gets soaked. I got out one time and the mat went out from under me and I fell on the floor hard. I would like to know how senior citizens got into the tubs. Also there are no handles to hold on to. The ceiling fan wobbled like crazy. We were afraid it was going to drop. But you had to keep it on because that is the only cool feeling you felt.
Restaurants and Bars:
The only edible restaurant was the buffet. All the other specialized restaurants were terrible. The beef was disgusting. They need more vegetables.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Pools were nice. Where paid extra for swim-out rooms. The waiting staff did not come over to our side of the pool to see what we wanted to drink. They only stayed on the other side. Also, we had to vie for rafts. Instead of having one for each person they had a selected few. So we had to take they into our room at night so that we would have them the next day. People were trying to take our chairs from the front of room.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Signed up for a shopping tour which costs us $35.00. They would not cash our traveler's checks. The Hotel wanted to charge a 10% fee to cash the traveler's checks. We finally found a market that would take our traveler's checks. Also, there was supposed to be free snorkling and parasailing. But they did not tell you they had to take you by boat to the caribbean side of the island and that would cost you $70.00 per person. What a scam.
Other Comments:
Also, they should tell you there is a casino there. The casino is a joke. There were maybe about 20 slot machines and 3 tables. They should call it a game room for adults. |
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| Another fantastic week at Dreams. |
| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & SPA |
| User Rating:
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Elaine from Ontario >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Nov, 2009
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Arrival: October 20-27 2009
Just came home from another fantastic week at Dreams. This was our third trip to this hotel and it is truly worth going to. Next year we will do two weeks. Hot, sunny 90 degrees the whole week.
Rooms:
We has a King Size bed and opted for the swim-out room. Worth the extra money for the convenience. You just walk out your patio door and the pool is directly in front of you.
Restaurants and Bars:
Buffet was excellent as are the a la cartes. Men do have to wear long pants.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Pool is very very clean, lots of chairs. Beach is clean as well.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Entertainmnet was good.
Other Comments:
We cannot wait to go back there next year!!!!. The staff go out of their way to serve you. The rooms are extremely clean. Any little thing you need they will try and do it for you.
Email Elaine: btselain@bellnet.ca |
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| nice resort, could improve on the freshness of the food and veggie's, and lock up your stuff |
| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & SPA |
| User Rating:
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Mike >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Sep, 2009 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| We had a great time until one of the staff stole from us. They took jewelry from our room. We reported this to all concerned and after some idle threats, we got our stuff back. Treated badly by security at the resort, like we were the criminals here. Told this rarely happens, and we witnessed several such altercations with other guests. We reported this to management and our travel agent. Dreams Resorts as well as the provider did nothing to reimburse or do anything to make us feel any better about this. We will never visit the Dominican ever again. The general public needs to know that this must happen alot down there. |
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| I would recommend this resort to anyone. |
| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & SPA |
| User Rating:
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Marcia >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jul, 2009
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Arrival: July 11- July 18
We loved Dreams Punta Cana. We had one of the best vacations we've ever had. Our rooms were pool view and we were located mid-resort so we didn't have a long walk to either the lobby or the beach/ocean. The pool is 3 feet deep everywhere and weaves through the property starting at the Santo Domingo Plaza immediately behind the lobby and ends at the pool bar near the beach. We thought the shallow water would be a drawback. It wasn't. We loved it. The service was terrific. Our maid and turn-down maid went out of their way to make our stay special. When we went back to our room after dinner, muted romantic music would playing, flower petals on the sheets and the lighting dimmed. Hibiscus tucked into the face cloths in the bathroom and chocolate on the night stand. The grounds are beautiful and well-manicured. Strolling from building to building or from lobby to beach, you may encounter a flamingo or a peacock.
There is no need to make a reservation in any of the restaurants. Each restaurant is unique and the food is delicious in each. The Oceana restaurant was our favorite because it was close to the ocean and you could feel the ocean breeze while dining. The entertainment staff knock themselves out all day long, not just for the evening show. They are everywhere during the day, often in very hot costumes, trying to entertain and bring a smile to everyone. There is something for everyone. You can do as much or as little as you like. We were there for relaxation so we mostly enjoyed the pool and beach areas.
We booked through Apple Vacations and also booked an excursion to Saonna Island for the day through the Apple representative at the resort. There is only one drawback and that is the location. It is located on the Atlantic side of the island and we were hoping to be on the Caribbean side. We did not know that when we booked. That being said, because of how beautiful everything was and how much we enjoyed ourselves, that did not take away from our vacation. I had read reviews on this board that really worried us. We didn't experience any of the negatives. We didn't need bug spray at all. Our A/C quit working and maintenance was there in minutes and fixed it immediately. Every time you say "thank you", it is returned with "my pleasure". I would recommend this resort to anyone. Oh, and please tip. These people work so hard and they depend on our tourist dollars. I know the all inclusives say the tips are included. They are but please if you can afford it, tip the staff. |
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| A great vacation. |
| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & SPA |
| User Rating:
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Shelley from Kansas City, MO >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Jul, 2009
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Arrival: Aug 20-24th 2008
This was our second trip to the Dominican Republic. We stayed at this same resort 2 years ago when it was named Sunscape the Beach (which is a parent company to Dreams). A few things have changed,but overall it was still a great vacation.
Rooms:
We had a swim out room, only about 5 steps from our patio to the pool. Great view, it was nice to be able to sit on our patio and watch people play and have a great time, when we had enough sun for one day. The room was clean, did not smell musty. We did have to ask for a few things the first day, that the maid forgot to put in our room on the first night, but that was not a big deal.
Restaurants and Bars:
All were great. Standard fair at the buffet. The French restaurant was good. We did Japanese one night and it was very good. The surprise was the Mexican restaurant and how great it was!
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The beach was fine, darker sand that what we remember. There was lots of seaweed, but workers were out all day raking it up. When the tide changed the seaweed disappeared for a while and then would come back. The best part is that you can walk for a long time without running into other resorts, so if you like to walk on the beach, this is the place! The pool is awesome, very big which makes it nice so that you can use floats, and not feel like you are running over someone.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We just lounged at the pool, which is exactly what we wanted. The staff was very good about having activities, and getting people involved.
Other Comments:
The hotel is about 15 years old, and is showing some MINOR maintenance issues, such as missing tiles in the pool, and around the swim up bar. The resort is still very nice. Will we return, sure we would. I would not have a problem suggesting this resort to someone, and being a travel agent that says alot!
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| I am in love with this resort |
| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & SPA |
| User Rating:
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Mindy from Ottawa, Canada >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2009
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Arrival: March 27 - April 3
We got off the plane in Punta Cana, and we were greated by locals singing and dancing. The airport is open, no walls. It was nice to get through customs with a singing airport official, rather opposite than what you experience at a Canadian airport. We were taken on a bus and through the towns, it was such an interesting experience, seeing local people. When we arrived at our hotel, we were given champagne and our luggage was taken to our room. After a very easy check-in, we looked around a bit and then went to our room.
Rooms
The rooms are beautiful, clean and sunny. We had a balcony but some rooms come with jacuzzies on the balcony. We had a t.v. as well. The maid did a wonderful job cleaning our room, she left fresh flower arrangements everyday.
Restaurants and Bars
The food was UNBELIEVEABLE. It was delicious. You could choose the buffet, differently themed every night, the steakhouse which made the most delicious steak, the Bordeaux which was the finest french cuisine, Himitsu the Asian experience with a chef make it in front of you. There is a Mexican place, Seafood place. Supper was the best part. Lunhc and breakfast were light and delicious as well. The bartenders offer a wide variety of drinks. My only complaint is that the drinks are too sweet, they are almost all made with coconut milk, which acts as a laxative. From the comfort of your spot on the beach, a waitress with bring you drinks. The waitresses and waitors at the restaurants are beyond polite, they are pleasantly and wonderfully entertaining. They pay the most attention to you, unlike waitors in Canada. They truly tried to make the dining experience wonderful.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
The beach was beautiful, there are beds and beach chairs for everyone, underneath little sun huts. We were never too close to anyone. The pool was fantastic. The water was warm and the daily pool activities were fun. Every day there was a dance or spanish lesson. The workers keep the place absolutely gorgeous. |
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Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
There was a theatre, offering magic shows, competitions, circus acts, it was amazing. Lots of laughs in the theatre. The casino and shops were extraordinary. You can drink and smoke inside at any of the several bars, hosted by the nicest, funnest workers I've ever met. Everybody says "Hola". We stuck mostly to the beach, all other excursions were highly priced. One thing I didn't like was being pressured to try activities that cost into the hundreds. People from tourist agencies came onto our resort and bugged us to go on excursions. We didnt, our travel agent warned us. They are not insured. Walking from one palce to the next, snapping photos was the best part.
Other Comments
I am in love with this resort. My boyfriend and I would like to marry there next year. The workers are some of the nicest and funnest people you will ever meet. They are full of energy and pep. They are what made our trip so enjoyable. No sunburns here, the sun was warm and great all day. I would reccomend this resort wth 100% guarenteed fun and romance. We never got to try the spa but others told us it was relaxing. If you are travelling to Punta Cana, head for Dreams, I've never been somewhere so beautiful! |
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| A beautiful resort |
| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & SPA |
| User Rating:
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Debbie from CAN >
10 contribution(s) Canada |
| Mar, 2009
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Arrival: Feb 21 to Feb 28
arrived resort around 1:00 pm room was not ready promised for 3:00 not ready to almost 4:00 We had packed shorts, t-shirt and sandals in carry on.Ate drank and walked around the resort
Rooms
Beautiful clean room on third floor balcony over looked the ocean.If you are in buildings 1 to 4 room on pool side have thier own lounges and can walk into pool
Restaurants and Bars
Buffet was good Japanesse, italian and mexican were great Steak grill was ok don't expect beef to be like ours Ate lunch at ocean grill very good.Couple nites we ate late so we had an afternoon snack of flat bread pizza take out from buffet really good.While we waited for pizza to cook we went to lobby bar and got a couple of bottled Buds.Ate by pool really nice Liquor is all name brands. Be aware of pool bar and beach bar not very friendly unless you have tip in hand. sometimes had to wait awhile to get served
Beach/Pools/Grounds
nice beach brown sand beware of rocks in ocean there is a nice sandy area left of resort pool runs almost whole length of resort nice to walk to pool bar However pool bar can get crowded
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
One great thing this resort has is an outdoor theater where they run two fairly new movies every nite and only steps away from the bar
Other Comments
This is a beautiful resort only disappointment we had was we thought we would be closer to all the other resorts in Punta Cana This resort is another half hour drive over a real bumpy road than the other resorts only one other resort close by.Also we were told this resort is on the Atlantic where as the others we have stayed in are on the carribean sea nicer beach no rocks and white sand |
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| Upset stomachs. |
| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & SPA |
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Donna >
2 contribution(s) Canada |
| Mar, 2009
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Arrival: March 7 - 14
Booked a Sunwing package through selloffvacations.com. Arrived on time morning of March 7th. Airport was a breeze! Only 7 people going to Dreams so had a van just for us. Drive was fine. Arrival at resort went smoothly. Room not ready but we were prepared for this. Put on our swimsuits and headed to the pool!
Rooms
My husband and I and our two children, 9 & 7, arrived at our Junior Suite mid afternoon. Nice room but we were expecting two beds and a pull-out sofa. Had a king size four poster, a couch (that didn't pull out) and a loveseat (which did pull-out). Not exactly as planned. Two calls to the front-desk for a cot got us one before bedtime. When it was time for bed, we could not pull out the loveseat into a bed so my daughter slept on the couch. By the next evening, loveseat was pulled out and made up into a bed (couch was apparently more comfortable). The plug in the hot tub on the deck would not close so you couldn't fill up. Never complained about it as it wasn't really needed. Water in shower had a mind of its own - mostly alternated from scalding hot or freezing cold but with enough "warm" in between to clean up. We were in Building 8 on the 2nd floor. No view per se but was very quiet and an easy walk to everything. I really wish there had been a screen on the do! or and in the window. Not a big fan of air-conditioning and the lovely breeze that we had all week would have been wonderful. Overall, room was a good size (would have been awesome for two) and clean. Safe worked. Coffee machine worked. Two T.V.'s with a DVD player in the sitting area that worked. Lots of storage but not enough hangers. Large vanity with two sinks. Every evening with turn-down service you received the "Sundial" which was information on the following days events. Restaurants and Bars: Went to the buffet for breakfast every morning. Perfect. Staff friendly and efficient. Had lunch at pool or buffet. Tried out several of the a la cartes - Oceana, Himitsu (one night we tried Chinese, the next "Japanese") and the Seaside Grill. All were fine. Good service and always something on the menu that everyone liked. Unfortunately, my husband became very sick the 2nd day and his stomach remained upset the remainder of the week. My children had occasional upset stomachs and bathroom issues throughout the week. I also had issues during the week. Not sure what caused the problems. As of writing this (2 days after the trip) we are all still feeling "off" and have "bathroom issues".
Beach/Pools/Grounds
Lovely. Very breezy during the week so waves were big most days and prevented any watersports (sail boats, etc.). Well maintained property. |
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Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
The Core Zone was a hit with my children. There were pool, ping pong and fooseball tables. This was the area that also had the mechanical bull, climbing wall and a trampoline with harness. They did try the Explorers Club a couple of times but they had an issue with a couple of the other children there so only went when there was something specific they wanted to do. The women that oversaw the Explorers Club were great but did have their hands full with some of the children.
We only saw two evening shows. The Tropical and the Magic Show. The Magic Show was great.
We went to the Animal Adventure Park which is approximately an hour from the hotel. Bumpy but fun ride in the back of an open truck on the way there. Had a half-ton with crew cab on the way home. A half day adventure which everyone enjoyed.
Other Comments
This was my third time in this particular area of the Dominican. If I go back to the Dominican, I will probably go to a different area just for a change of scenery. I would have some concern about recommending this resort, mainly due to the stomach issues that we all experienced. I would be more than happy to respond to any questions (helps me relive the experience!) |
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| One of the best I have gone to. Great staff. |
| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & SPA |
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Grant from Ottawa, Canada >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Mar, 2009
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Arrival: Feb 21 to 28
Arrived late around midnight & check in was great & room was ready.
They spoke english very well.
Rooms
Great room.. We ask for a king & got one.
View was of pool & ocean off the third floor in block #2
Restaurants and Bars
All resurants were very good & no reservations!! French is the best.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
All were great. A sand bar does stop most large waves. Ground were also perfect.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
We did not go on any tours but the activities at the resort can keep anyone busy. They do a great job.
Other Comments
One of the best I have gone to. Great staff.
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| We will not be returning. |
| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & SPA |
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OntarioBowHunter >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Mar, 2009
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Date: January 9-14, 2009
Tour Op: Sunquest Vacations
To start with, let me explain that I am NOT a fussy traveller, just give me a clean room, nice location and working amenities, and I am pretty happy go lucky.
We booked the Dreams Punta Cana first off because of reviews and comments from friends and other members of this board. We booked it in August and the anticipation for this trip built day by day as it does for most travellers. Unfortunately, due to events that occurred during our stay here, we will not be going back to this resort again. Let me be clear, it was due to our own personal experiences that decided this, and not solely due to the resort or tour operator.
I will start this review with general comments about the resort, and then will get into the nitty-gritties of our trip.
ARRIVAL
Our arrival went without a hitch. We arrived at Punta Cana airport, and quickly went through customs and baggage pickup. As usual, we picked up a bottle or two of 'nectar of the gods' before boarding the minibus to the resort. We arrived about 40 minutes after leaving the airport, our resort being the driver's only stop.
ROOMS
The rooms we received, Block 3, Room 3216, was on the second floor of the middle building. When we got this room, we were so pleased that it faced the pool, and the nice views of the grounds. When we got into the room, this changed very quickly. We had contacted the resort before hand, as we always do, and requested twin beds. We arrived and got a room with a queen. We contacted the front desk immediately, and were told that is all they had at the moment, but would move us as soon as a room was available. ( More about this later). The room itself was very dated and had several problems. Bar fridge didn't work, coffee maker didn't work, screen was off the balcony door and just leaning against the wall inside our room, the lock on the balcony door was broken and couldn't be locked without slamming it very hard. We had maintenance there 5 times to fix this, and it still wasn't fixed by the time we left. The vanity in the bathroom was cracked from top to bottom. The cabinet and closet doors did not close properly and were misaligned.
RESTAURANTS
This was one of the highlights of this experience. The food, ambience, and staff in the restaurants was absolutely top notch!!! We tried each of the Ala cartes for dinner, and ate at the buffet for breakfast and some of the lunches. We also ate lunches at the beach BBQ which was also exceptional.
BARS
Again, the bars and staff at all the bars were exceptional. Very courteous and very quick. The lobby bar and pool bar staff are definitely second to none. |
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BEACH
The beach at Dreams was a disappointment to say the least. We weren't able to into the water due to rocks and high waves the entire time we stayed there. You would walk out knee deep, and the waves were hitting you in the shoulder. We are both beach lovers, and love being in the ocean. If I wanted to sit poolside all day, I can do that at home.
POOL
This resorts boasts according to them, the largest pool in the Dominican Republic. It is huge!! It meanders along all the buildings like a little river, and is very well kept up. We did have a problem with a filter cover on the pool floor that was broken, which we reported, that wasn't fixed. I actually put my foot through it.
GROUNDS
This is where this resort shines. The grounds are immaculately manicured and kept. There are flamingoes and ducks and geese wandering around the resort as well as parrots in the wild. For the camera buff, this is a definite enjoyable experience. They also have an explorers club for the kids that is by far the best daycare I have ever seen for kids while on a resort.
ACTIVITIES
There are numerous activities at this resort, from bocci ball, to archery, a shooting range, rock climbing wall, pool tables and the list goes on and on. No shortage of things to do that's for sure.
ENTERTAINMENT
The entertainment crew at this resort is very good, not the best I have seen, but they make up for it in enthusiasm as well as striving to provide the best entertainment possible. They also have an acrobatic show on the beach that was superb!!! The stage area is completely enclosed with a huge bar along side of it that made the viewing of the stage shows very enjoyable. In the evenings, in the upper lobby they have a couple that play piano, sax and clarinet that were very good, and was a nice ambience while having a late night drink at the lobby bar.
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As I said before, we are not picky travellers but I feel I have to tell the whole story and not just the sugar coated version you get in some postings here.
As previously stated, we had issues with the room. This was never solved to our satisfaction, and as of our leaving this resort, the balcony door was still not fixed, and we had not been given another room.
Further to add to our dissatisfaction, on the third day, the girlfriend twisted her ankle on one of the bridges that crosses the pool in front of our building. One of the boards had broken away due to dry rot or old age. I told the security person at the towel/activities centre about this, and he got on the phone an informed someone of this. It was not repaired until two days later. We personally witnessed two others tripping or hurting themselves on this same board. When I finally got a security person to look at it, and showed him the nail still sticking out, all he did was bend it over with his fingers and didn't have it removed or repaired. I saw another lady scrape her foot on this nail. This was unbelievable to me |
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Upon arrival, we also took advantage of the WIFI package offered by the Internet Cafe at the resort. Twenty five dollars WIFI was a very fair price, or so we thought. We couldn't get access to their login screen, so we called down to the Internet Cafe, and he asked me to bring my laptop to him and he would configure it so it would work. This seemed logical and acceptable to me. He had it for almost half a day, and finally said it had something to do with my firewall and virus protection and asked me to disable it until he got it figured out. Well to make a long story short, not only didn't he get it working, but he also changed so many settings on my laptop that many of my programs no longer worked, and he even reset my password. Two days of reinstalling programs when I got back home to rectify this. To add insult to injury, he wasn't even going to refund me the twenty five dollars as he said it was an issue with my laptop and not their problem. We spoke with numerous others during our stay there who had similar issues with this, in fact one gentleman from England told me his laptop wouldn't even work after all the changed they made to it.
We had a few other little 'incidents' which I won't go into in detail here, as I don't want to bore you further with my rantings. Needless to say, I finally had enough and tried to get ahold of our Sunquest representative at the resort. This was a challenge in itself. To say he was less than helpful would be a compliment to him. All he seemed to be concerned with was trying to sell excursion trips. I told him repeatedly of our dissatisfaction, and he seemed very unconcerned. It wasn't until I told him that I would make a call to Sunquest in Toronto that he even seemed to be concerned. He took us to the concierge desk, where we spoke with the concierge on duty at the time, and she told us that they had no record of any of our concerns. The Sunquest rep just dumped us off at the desk, and said he had to go to a neighbouring resort to see other guests for some excursion purchases. This just infuriated me to no end. She said she would pass it onto the head concierge and the manger the next morning and they would contact me. I went to see the head concierge and she told me she was not informed of any of this, but would look into it immediately. She got back to us and offered us a change of rooms.
As previously stated, we had issues with our room, and were promised another room when was available, but were told non were available during the entire 5 days we spent here. It wasn't until we were so upset that we wanted out of this resort that miraculously they had another room, in fact showed us many different rooms.
Finally after all this bickering back and forth and trying to get this resolved, we told them we wanted to be moved to one of the sister resorts. The head concierge said she would be pleased to do so if there was availability. We were told there was openings at LaRomana but not at Dreams Palm Beach. We said we had commitments ( excursions booked) in Punta Cana and LaRomana would not work for us. About an hour later, we got a call saying they had a cancellation at Palm Beach, and could we be ready early the next morning. We were very pleased to hear this. We were told at that time that another guest, ( a Debbie's member) was also going to Dreams Palm Beach at the same time and one of the hotel managers was going to take us to Dreams Palm Beach. Not a problem for us. We met at the appointed time, and were told that our travel plans had changed as the other 'guest' wanted her own transportation, and that we would have to go by taxi. Again, this wasn't a problem for us until all of a sudden they wanted us to pay for the taxi at a cost of $75US. We again said we weren't happy about this and spoke with the manager and finally they agreed to pickup the cost of the taxi no problem. |
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We arrived at Dreams Palm Beach 25-35 minutes later and it was like night and day between the two resorts. My review of Dreams Palm Beach is already posted here.
When we got back to Canada, I contacted Sunquest Vacation and told them our story. They asked for it in writing and asked if we had any photographs. We sent them the information and photos they required. Today we finally got a reply back from Sunquest, saying that although it was 'unfortunate' there was nothing they could do about it but pass on our concerns to the in-destination representative. There was nothing they could do about it.
We told her that I have been travelling almost exclusively with Sunquest vacations yearly since about 1986, and this is the first time I have ever complained about a vacation, but to no avail. Needless to say, I will be looking elsewhere for my future vacation packages.
We did receive an email from the head concierge at Dreams Punta Cana again stating how sorry she was for the events of our holiday, and did offer us a 'free upgrade' to the honeymoon suite in the preferred club upon our return to this resort. Needless to say, we will not be returning. ( E.I. Thank you for your understanding and assistance )
Photos of this resort, and photos documenting the problems we had can be seen on our website
www.ontariobowhunter.ca/personal Just go to the photo page.
To wrap up this review, yes it is a lovely resort as per grounds, restaurants, amenities etc, and I have to give a huge compliment to the head concierge for her excellent attempts to solve this matter for us...if the rest of the management were as caring as she was, we might of stayed! Would we go back again, probably not.... Would we recommend this resort to someone, to be honest, I am not sure.... As I am very troubled by the events of this trip, I am undecided as to if this was an isolated case or the norm, so it would be unfair to say it was entirely the resorts fault.... |
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| I would have a hard time believing there is a better resort in Punta Cana. |
| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & SPA |
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Bill and Jenny >
1 contribution(s) |
| Feb, 2009
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This was my 5th trip to this resort and my 12th trip to an Amresort property (Dreams, Secrets, Sunscape). Was there from Jan 16 to Jan 21. This resort was Sunscape the Beach and became a Dreams about a year ago. I was there last Jan and was under impressed because they were in transition from Sunscape to Dreams. This year I was expecting a nice resort but I was absolutely wowed by the changes. I guess it takes a few years to get a resort right and over the past 4 years or so this resort has turned into a stunning resort. I have always said that all-inclusives are a very nice way to vacation nut not exactly first class tourism but more of a nice and fun resort. Dreams PC has proved me wrong because I thought this was first class tourism all the way.
Just some really nice touches. A new Preferred Club with just a wonder manager and staff. A full time bartender with very upscale liquor and horderves. They will check on you and cater to your every request.
Breakfast in the Oceana restaurant is a full breakfast with and omelette chef and toasters on your tables to make your own toast. Combine that with a quiet atmosphere and ocean view it is really nice.
The Oceana Restaurant and Seaside have a new wall dividing the 2 with an aquarium built into the wall , very nice.
The tile walkway is now all through the resort and with a year of age is just a beautiful stone that stays cool and not slippery.
The sports bar and all kinds of video games, a bull riding machine, climbing wall, batting cage, pool tables and much more. Great area to play. From what I hear and see the kids program is second to none and teenagers would have a blast here.
The restaurants have excellent food and each restaurant have a distinct character. The Bordeaux is very romantic and has a great bar and deck. Two a-la cartes are in the main lobby area and 3 are near the beach. The main buffet has many options and LaTrattoria is a sit down Italian restaurant inside the buffet, very nice. No reservations, either walk right in or get a beeper and have a drink. A huge option as far as I am concerned and sets this apart from other wait for reservation resorts. Eat when and where you want. Bars are everywhere, lobby, showbar,, Kafe bar , Bordeaux Bar, island bar near the Seaside Grill and Oceana. All liquor is high end and available everywhere, even the swim up bar. |
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For lunch they grill hamburgers and hotdogs at the center pool area and on the beach. Also a full buffet at the world Café along with a menu at the Oceana. Many options.
Service is exceptional in all the restaurants. Service on the beach and around the pool is constant. You can always be served a drink with a smile and “its my pleasure“.
Tipping is not required for excellent service. Tipping is a personal thing, if you want to tip bring your own small bills and tips will be received with a smile. It is nice to reward good service.
The suites at this resort are beautiful double rooms with all upscale amenities. The standard rooms are on the smaller side but nice. The standard rooms pretty much all have a pool or ocean view unlike some resort where they look into another room. Many classifications of rooms, some honeymoon suites, preferred club rooms, swim-up rooms etc. Just refer to Amresorts.com.
The landscaping has been trimmed some from previous years making a cleaner feel to the resort and is very beautiful. Walkways with ponds and bird. Parrots in trees, very nice.
The gazebo for wedding is beautiful and there are so may great places for a reception it would be hard to choose.
They had a couples champagne bonfire on the beach with soft music. Nice to dance in the surf and around the fire , very nice and romantic.
The water here is wavy and has coral right in front of the resort but go either left or right and the water is calmer and soft sand . The beach has beautiful thick sand and is very large with many chairs and many types of spots to relax. You can also safely walk for miles and see just beach and blue water.
The pool runs the length of the resort and is huge. Many different locations to lay out with many palapas for shade. The do not allow chair saving and will stop you before 9AM. Always chairs available. One thing the resort does need to do it they need more cushion for chairs. Floatie saving was minimal this time and there were enough for all guests to use.
The had a circque-du-solei type show on the beach at 4:30 that was spectacular. Great performers with the ocean in the background and you are in your swimsuit, really sharp. Very nice again.
They had the AFC Championship game between the Steelers and the Raven on the beach. A large screen with a buffet set up with a full bar. Very special to watch a great game with your feel in sand. Even complete with “Smiley Cookies” a Pittsburgh tradition from Eat-n-Park restaurants. Another one of the special touches that this resort does. I hear the Superbowl will be spectacular.
We have been to many other all inclusives including Secrets PC, Sandals, Palace Resorts, Palladium, Melia, Iberostar etc and this is the finest all-inclusive I have been to. It took me 5 visits to say that, all my visits have been great trips but the resort is just now special . I would have a hard time believing there is a better resort in Punta Cana.Since they have opened till now they have groomed this resort into top call tourism. The staff, hostesses, managers who patrol constantly’ the friendliness, smiling faces just makes this an exceptional resort. Like I said , it just blew me away this time! I hope this helps! I will answer questions if you want |
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| We would highly recommend this resort |
| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & SPA |
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Desiree from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Feb, 2009
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Arrival
We knew from reading previous reviews that the resort was an hours drive from the Punta Cana Airport. We made it in 40 mins. It was not the terrible drive we had read about. The road had potholes which our driver drove around. We relaxed and enjoyed viewing the real Dominican outside the bus windows. Upon arrival we were greeting with a cool cloth and a glass of champagne. The hotel lobby is beautiful and our check in was quick without any problems.
Rooms
Our room was in building #1 which is closest to the beach. We had a king size bed, a love seat, desk & chair and a balcony with a plastic table & 2 chairs. Our view was of the ocean and it was beautiful. The mini fridge was filled daily with 2 beers, 2 Coke light (diet), 2 orange pops and sometimes a couple of juice boxes. We were always supplied with plenty of bottled water. On day 3 I discovered that our coffee maker wasn't working and it was replaced by the time we returned to our room from breakfast. The bed was comfortable, the bathroom was roomy and our room was spacious enough for 2 people. Our room was cleaned daily and we had plenty of fresh towels.
Restaurants and Bars
We had breakfast almost every day at the World Cafe. It is spacious with a wide variety of delicious food! We tried all of the a la cartes except for the Japanese one and that is only because we ran out of time. Every single restaurant provided excellant food. I ate the best steak of my life at the Oceanus one evening. All of the restaurants and bars had top notch service. The wait staff were attentive, great wine(white from Chile, red from Spain - both very good). Absolutely loved not having to make reservations in advance. The longest we waited for a table might have been 10 minutes and that was due to the restaurant opening 10 mins. late. No complaints at all about the variety, flavour of dishes offered. Everything was delicious!
Beach/Pools/Grounds
Grounds were impeccable. The pool was wonderful for relaxing and floating around in. It is maybe 4 feet deep and we almost always found chairs and floats when we wanted them. The beach is wonderful for walking and there are not many other resorts closeby. Always found chairs in the shade and there was always a waitress taking drink orders. |
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Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
This was the first time we did not go on any tours. This resort is "out of the way" in comparison to other hotels which attracted us. We never found any areas to be over-crowded. They offered 2 movies every evening at the outdoor theatre. The musical shows were very entertaining. We arrived on Super Bowl Sunday and a fabulous party was set-up on the beach compete with 2 big screens for watching the show and lots of "tail gate" foods! The casino wasn't overly busy while we were there. My husband played on the poker machines a couple of times. One evening the resort had a "romantic" bonfire set-up for couples only. They served champagne and played a selection of romantic cd's. Torches lit the beach as did sand filled glass containers with candles. Lounge chairs were set up on either side of the bonfire and some couples danced.
Other Comments
We would highly recommend this resort. Although we did not use the Kids Klub we often saw the staff running it out with kids having fun and keeping busy. There were a number of families with babies and young children and everyone seemed to be having a good time. This resort far exceeded our expectations. In the past we have never returned to the same spot but we are seriously considering returning next year. We have a teenager who uses a wheelchair for mobility and this resort was very w/c friendly. The staff were friendly and attentive. These people work hard long days and make about $200/month. We always tipped in the restaurants. Going out to dinner at home to a restaurant equivalent to the a la cartes would cost us $100 easily. We always tipped accordingly. And when someone went out of their way for us we made sure to pass an additional tip directly to them. We have so much and an extra $5 or $10 is a cheap lunch out at home but means so much more to the Dominican people. We were astounded at the number of people that did not bother to tip - espcially in the a la cartes. We also left $$ daily for our maid along with some treats (nail polish, candy, hair clips). Absolutely no complaints about this resort....it was paradise on earth!
desireehalloran@hotmail.com |
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| Very nice resort for the money we paid. |
| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & SPA |
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Larry and Luba >
1 contribution(s) |
| Feb, 2009
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Stayed at Dreams Punta Cana the first week of February, booked it as a last minute deal. Very nice resort for the money we paid. Thanks to the people who wrote reviews on Dreams Punta Cana as a lot of them were very helpful.
Room
Got a Deluxe room which is the lowest room category but that’s what we got with a last minute deal. For two people it’s size is fine but any more and it would be a squeeze. Wouldn’t want to see a family of three or four in one of these. Sent an email five days before arriving and we got two of the three requests. They upgraded us to a pool view from a garden view and we got a room on an upper floor. Didn’t get the king size bed but they would have moved us the next day. Told them it was fine, very good service at the front desk. Safe included and easy to program. Maid service was excellent, the fridge was filled every day. Bathroom had the tub/shower combo with a large vanity with amenities. Air conditioning worked fine also.
Restaurants
World Café was the buffet, air conditioned and excellent service and good food. The Bordeaux (French), El Patio (Mexican), and the Himitsu (Oriental) were all air conditioned while the Oceana ( Seafood ) and the Seaside Grill ( Grill ) were open air. The service and food was fine with one exception. At the Bordeaux our friend ordered an appetizer, a soup and a salad and the waiter told him you could only have two of the three. This took us by surprise. Went to four ala cartes during the week and this was the only place this happened. Put it down as a glich. This was also the only restaurant that didn’t have someone asking how your meal was. Really enjoyed the Mexican. Seafood and Grill restaurants. Didn’t try the Oriental one. No lining up for reservations at the ala cartes. Just show up and if it is full you get a beeper and are seated at a bar. Waited at two of the four restaurants, the longest wait was 25 minutes. Bars. Eight bars, earliest is the Lobby bar opens at 9am. The Show time bar is the latest, open till midnight. Had top shelf liquor and liked the drinks at the lobby bar best. |
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Beach and Pool
The beach was brown sand with some rocks in the middle of the swimming area. Signs were posted at the beach entrance but would have been easy to miss. We swam on the left side, no rocks. Looking out to the ocean Colony Bay was to the right, no resorts in sight to the left. This was the farthest north we’d been and the ocean seemed rougher. Had no problem finding a lounger and a palapa, can’t reserve before 9am. If you do your towels are taken to the beach bar. Liked this rule very much. Never far from a bar plus waiter service is provided. The only problem was some loungers were in real need of repair, ripped and or very saggy. They had one person doing repairs on these so they are aware of this .Still be very fussy when getting a lounger. The pool went from near the lobby to the beach. It is three feet deep and has inlets that go up close to some of the villas. Wish it was at least four feet deep. There is a towel hut, snack bar and bar at the middle of the pool location again with waiter service. Bridges link some of the villas with the far side of the pool. Well maintained pool. Loungers seem harder to get here than at the beach.
Activities
All kinds, for adults, teenagers and children. Sundial is a daily info sheet which is left in your room during turn down .It has info on activities, buffet theme that night, drink of the day, info on activities location if it rains etc. Very well thought out. Not many children when we were there. Had the Super Bowl party at the beach the day of our arrival. Two large screens were set up, good pictures of the game. Lots of different food available plus waitresses going around with coolers full of ice cold Presidente. Very well done, lots of fun.
Grounds
Very beautiful and was more lush than I was expecting. Always cleaning up, beach raked every day etc.
Tips.
No Presidente beer in the fridge, only Brahma. Go to the lobby bar and ask for two unopened Presidente. They will give you them but was told two maximum per person, so we both went up. Ice machine was on second floor in our villa, didn’t see any on the other floors. Room service surprised us. Ordered the continental breakfast and everything was fresh and the coffee was hot. Took 15 minutes to get it. Some people left plates outside the room in the hall, when done just phone them up and they’ll come and get the plates.
Weather
Dreams has no control over this but the weather was bad for a few days, high winds, with rain on and off. Made the best of it. Dreams bought lots of stuff indoors, opened the theater bar earlier in the day and had more people up front for service. They did the best they could., and that’s all you can ask for.
Summary
No complaints. With what we paid thought we got a steal. The service really stood out for us. Was concerned when booking that this resort would have all English speaking guests at it .That wasn’t the case as. We’ve always enjoyed the mix of people from different countries, makes it more interesting. The staff had the most English speaking people we’ve ever had. mostly at the front desk, bars and restaurants. We always try a different resort in the DR but we’re glad we finally tried Dreams. Being beach people we prefer the beaches in the southern area of Punta Cana but this was still a nice resort.
Photos - Http://www.worldisround.com/articles/351485/index.html |
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| A very relaxing holiday. |
| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & SPA |
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Maureen >
2 contribution(s) United Kingdom |
| Feb, 2009
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Arrival: Jan 19th - 26th
The journey from the airport was about one hour and the road was not as bad as some folks had reported. We had a little wait in reception as there were about 10 of us checking in but we were greeted with a glass of wine.
Rooms:
We had a Deluxe room and it was very good. Two queen sized beds, lots of storage space, lovely bathroom, lots of clean towels whenever we wanted them. We had view of the sea in room 2324. It was very quiet late at night and in the mornings and we never had any 'noisy neigbours'.
Restaurants and Bars:
We always had breakfast at the fabulous World Cafe. The choices were fantastic. Lunch at Oceana with very friendly staff and just a step away from the beach. In the evenings we tried Mexican which was good, Seaside grill, quite good and I asked for salmon and when told they didn't have any and saw my disapointment the waiter said he would get some from another restaurant, and he did! We also ate at World Cafe in the evenings too as we preffered a buffet. One of our party is a vegetarian and we found that World Cafe had the best choice. We thought the choice of restaurants was very good although we didn't try the French restaurant as the menu had no veggie choice. We thought it was very dimly lit too. In each place the staff were very helpful and friendly.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Plenty of beds on the beach but it would be good if everyone had one of those stripey mattresses to put on the blue sunbeds as they were a bit uncomfortable. The sea was a bit rough at times and although I tried to snorkle the sand was washed up and you couldn't see a lot. The swimming pool was excellent and I loved the shape of it and not too deep either. Everywhere was very clean and we saw no litter as there was always someone sweeping the pathways. I had read a report that the pathways were dirty but I definitely did not see dirty pathways. The gardens are lovely too and the pink flamingos added something extra. Whenever we were on the beach or around the pool the drinks waiters were always around to ask if you needed a drink and the Miami Vice were beautiful. The shows on the beach in the afternoon were great and we thoroughly enjoyed them. The entertainment team were excellent and very friendly and always encouraging folks to take part in things that were happening.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We didn't go on any trips as we only had 7 days there. We did walk to the local gift shops and enjoyed meeting the folks there and haggling about prices. Of course each shop wanted you to spend money but a smile and a no thank you is accceptable to them. The nightly entertainment at the hotel was very good and better than the cruises we have been on. |
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Other Comments:
We would recommend this hotel to anyone as it was recomended to us. We may go back to DR but would try the South Coast next time. We loved being All Inclusive and it was great not having to carry money around. We tipped the maids each day as they did a good job and they were always friendly. We found all the staff to be friendly and always had a smile or a 'Hola'. We were pleasantly surprised about this very large hotel. Because of the size of the ground we never felt 'hemmed in'. We had a very relaxing holiday, it's such a shame that we have to travel over nine hours to get there. |
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| My hubby and i said we would love to come back. |
| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & SPA |
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Carissa >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2009
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Your first name: Carissa Where are you from?: Ontario, Canada Do you want your email address included in your review?: No
Arrival: January 8th-15th 2009
We left toronto at 620am with sunwing for our honeymoon. The flight was great. At checkin were given welcome champagne. Check in was super fast and our room was ready right away.(normally checkin is at 3pm but we had our room at 1)
Rooms:
Our room was amazing. We stayed in room 1215. It had one king sized bed, nice bathroom and a partial oceanveiw. The rooms seemed to be in great shape, we heard from others some rooms were a little rough but also heard they are working on fixing any rooms that a little rough
Restaurants and Bars:
All the bars we amazing. The bar in the middle of the resort by the pool was our fav but they we all good.
Restaurants
We didnt do them all but the ones we did do here are our reveiws World Cafe- Was our favorite. we ate there everyday for breakfast and lunch and had supper there a couple of times. It was always a buffet style
Oceana- Was another favorite, It looks out over the ocean. The food was really great as well just not used to the small portians.
Seaside Grill- We ate here the first night. the food was ok. we didnt feel the greatest after the eating here but it could have been the flight food that made us not feel great. We also heard near the end of our trip that this resturant was closed for the week before we came because too many people had to visit the doctors after eating here.
Mexican- This was my Hubbys favorite. I dont care for spicy food as much, but it was still good. Italian- They made amazing pastas here, Both my hubby and I really liked the food here
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Pool- Its one big long pool that goes from the lobby all the way down to the beach. There was never any problems finding a chair near the pool or a spot in the pool.
Beach- It was very clean and it was beautiful. If you go the the left of the beach its much nicer than right in front and for some reason there is less people. Never a problem finding a chair here either. Lots of water activities to do, only had a red flag one day and it was cleared by noon.
The Grounds-
AMAZING, they work so hard to make it beautiful. There are soo many gardens, and birds around. Along with a few small lizards running around. The Grounds are kinda big tho. We were right near the beach and it was a 10 min plus walk to the lobby, but its a beautiful walk. |
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Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Activities on the resort is endless. Every night they give you something called a sundial in you room that lets you know about the upcoming activities for the next day, along with the drink of the day, kids program, teens program etc. Another cool thing about the activities is that if you playing them, you get paid for them in "dreams" money. You can use this money in the auctions they have a few nights a week. You can get things like rum, hats, tees etc. It was alot of fun, and great for free stuff.
The nightly shows were also amazing. We heard from another couple that travels alot that these we the best shows they ever seen. My Favorites were the dance shows, the magic show, and the circus on the beach.
We only did one tour and that was the country adventure by bravo. It was a tour around the dominican. They take you to a rum shack, school where you meet the kids, dominican home, sugar cane feild, Shopping center, horseback riding, lunch, and a beach. This tour was a lot of fun. The only downfall was that everyone on the tour minus 5 people(including my hubby and i) spoke german, so of course the tour guide would speak german with only a little english. which made it hard to understand what was happening.
Other Comments:
Overall this is an amazing resort and country. I would give it a 5 start plus rating, and would recomend this resort to anyone thinking of going. My hubby and i said we would love to come back. Before we left i read some reveiw and got a little scared, but as long as you go there with an open mind and remembering you are in a 3rd world country you will have an amazing time! |
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| I wouldn't likely stay at a Dreams resort anywhere. |
| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & SPA |
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Dana from Calgary, Alberta >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2009
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Arrival: Dec 13-21
After doing some research, I chose Dreams for our first Carribean family vacation. We wanted a high end resort with a good kids program and family suite.
We arrived late at night after a full day of travel. We were anxious to get checked in and get our kids settled for bed. The front desk person was very polite and quick.
Rooms:
We were a put off by being put into our family 'suite' - just two adjoining rooms, not a true suite. The room was in some disrepair and we wer not given a key to the adjoining room. My husband sent a hour at the front desk trying to get a key; security eventually came and still could not find a key to open the door. At midnight, we were all ready to pass out and decided to finish dealing with the room issue the next morning. My husband ended up sleeping with our 8 year old son in one room and I slept with our 5 year old daughter in another room. The next day we were able work with our Air Canada rep to translate (only speaking English was somewhat of a barrier) with the front desk staff and manager. We were able to move across the hall into a similar room (in good condition) with a pool view, which was much nicer. The front desk again could not find a key for the adjoining room, the maintainance person pried open the door with a screwdriver and screwed a key card to the door lock so it wouldn't relock! We were quite surprised that there were so many problems with the standard 'family suites'.
Restaurants and Bars:
Our kids loved the World Cafe, which had fairly good food options most of the time. We were disappointed with the lack of 'Domician' food in any restaurant on the property and the kids buffet was always filled with the same deep fried food and a noticeable lack of veggies. Our favourite restaurant was El Patio, with great service, good and healthy food options and a fun atmosphere. The Japanese restaurant was horrible, with much of the food cooked in soy sauce - way too salty!! We did enjoy the French restaurant as well and theice cream and burgers poolside were pretty good! All the bars were great and the kids loved their virgin Miami Vices everyday!
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The pool was awesome! We were there the week before Christmas and never had a problem finding a group of chairs by the kids inflatable water structure. The ocean and beach were great, although it was incredibly windy the week we were there, so we spent most of our water time at the pool.
The grounds were very well kept and clean as well. |
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Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
There were alot of activities going on throughout the day, although we didn't particpate in many of them. The best evening show that we made it to was the Magic show; we stopped by a few of the others and were put off by the adult oriented content when there were so many young kids were in the audience.
We went on two tours - Outback Jungle Safari and the Crazy Wheels quad tour. The full day Outback Safari was THE best tour of it's kind we have ever been on! The guide was amazing and the countryside was incredibly beautiful. The company that runs the tour helps to support six families in the countryside and some of the rural schools. They are very passionate about their country and we learning so much about the Dominican and Haiti. Had we known of the opportunity to give, we would have taken school supplies to donate to the schools they support.
The Crazy Wheels half day tour cost as much as the Safari, but the value was not even close. We really enjoyed the opportunity to tour the countryside and beach on the quads. Hoever, our guide was really just leading the quad group and offered NO commentary on where we were going or the signifigance of anything we saw. A little disappointing from that aspect, and no attention to safety what so ever.
Other Comments:
Overall, we had a fabulously relaxing vacation! We accepted that the room was not what we thought we had paid (a lot of money) for and that the food was going to be just okay. The pool and weather were fantastic! I wouldn't likely stay at a Dreams resort anywhere again though b/c of the misrepresentation of the rooms. Cheers! |
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| Old Reviews - Dreams Punta Cana Resort & SPA |
| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa |
Nancy
Toronto
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| December 2008 |
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Arrival: December 6 - 13
Getting there was fine, have heard many bad reviews about the road, it was not THAT bad, just think of it as a Safari. Check in was simple within 5 minutes of the bus pulling in I had room key in hand and directions on how to get to the room
Rooms:
The Deluxe room was a little small for 4 people 2 adults 2 children (4&7) but we did not plan on staying in the room much anyway.
Restaurants and Bars:
There was a good variety of restaurants.....LOVE the no reservation policy...first come first served....The adults only French Restaurant was my personal favourite, but the rest were good as well.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Grounds were immaculate....they were very well tended, and absolutely stunning, the pool was HUGE it spans from just outside the lobby all the way down to the edge of the beach. Love the fact that they had floating mattress around the pool that you could just lounge on. Pool is also quite clean, every morning as I had my morning coffee I would sit on the balcony of my room and watch them clean the pools, they were there EVERY morning. The beach is a little rough, the Atlantic does come in a bit harder than the Caribean does....if you are swimming in the ocean with kids and they are not very strong swimmers I would suggest using a lifejacket as the cureent is strong and could easily pull them under.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
The Entertainment team works tirelessly all day and well into the night, to help make your trip special, and they do a GREAT job. They organize games during the day and wow you on stage at night.
The Explorers Club for kids is also fabulous, my 7 and 4 year olds wanted to stay there for the entire duration of the trip. This is the first resort that I ever brought them to that I felt confident leaving the kids at the Kids Club. They assign you a cell phone when you check the kids in and contact you if your kids need you, or in my case if they just wanted to call you and see if they could do lunch with the Club Kids instead of having me pick them up.
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| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa |
Nancy
Toronto
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| December 2008 |
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| The Explorers Club for kids is also fabulous, my 7 and 4 year olds wanted to stay there for the entire duration of the trip. This is the first resort that I ever brought them to that I felt confident leaving the kids at the Kids Club. They assign you a cell phone when you check the kids in and contact you if your kids need you, or in my case if they just wanted to call you and see if they could do lunch with the Club Kids instead of having me pick them up. |
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| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa |
Dave
Michigan
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| November 2008 |
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We had a group of 30 from Michigan, for a wedding and some added vacation time. Some stayed 5 days, and most like I, had 7 days. A couple of different group arrival and departures.
I was one of the "Newbies" to this all inclusive thing, so I have nothing to compare it to. But I've got to say, IT WAS AWESOME!
It was easy coming through immigrations at the Punta Cana Airport, you buy a $10 tourist card, which you hand in along the way. There was no second half stub to save, or fee upon leaving as others had said. Their customs inspection was quick for most everyone.
Ten of us rode together in a large comfortable air conditioned bus, (Go Go Tours) from the Airport to Dreams. (Tip: the bigger the bus, the smoother the ride.) Like others have written, "it was an interesting ride". Sure, some bumpy sections, but to see along the way, how some of the less fortunate people live, is an experience in itself.
In less than an hours ride, we were promptly greeted at the resort with champagne for our group. Bags were taken to the rooms for us, while we checked out the Lobby Bar, one of the 7 bars on the grounds.
It was about 4:30 in the afternoon, which we found out was somewhat of a gap time for meals. Most lunches were served noon to 3, and dinners 6 till 10 or even 12 or so. But we found you could go to the World Cafe, and get pizza just about anytime. Also the 24 hour room service is an option too, but limited menu.
The rooms were very nice, I only saw a couple of tiny ants on a bathroom counter a few times. And only one of the others in our group had a serious problem with them. But once they notified the staff, they came right out and took care of the problem. And I hardly saw any flying insects to speak of. I did see the staff fogging the outside perimeter of the grounds several different evenings, so that would make sense.
The maids were fantastic, very hard workers, as all the waiters and bartenders were too.
The World Cafe served wonderful breakfasts, the made to order omelets were great. And during our week, I never saw them run out of bacon! (someone mentioned in a previous post) But the toaster broke down, the last day we were there. What a shame, as the bread was sooo good. The food was great at all the restaurants we ate at, or even heard others talk about. If you didn't like something, the waiters were more than happy to bring you something else. The Mexican restaurant was our favorite, and as others have suggested, order salad, soup, main course and dessert. As their portions are not overwhelming, as they tend to be here in the states.
Once in a while a bar would run out of certain "top shelf" liquors. Then, I'd just go to one of the other bars, or once I even tipped the bartender, and he went somewhere and found more!
And about tipping, although it's not required, obviously it's much appreciated by the hard working staff. I took the advice of seasoned travelers and took a stack of singles. A buck here or there really adds up to their base wage, which I'm sure isn't much. If you spent $100 over the week I'd say that was average.
Besides the variety of liquors, their Presidente beer on tap is very good. But if you can get it in a bottle at the Rendezvous Lobby Bar, it's even better. They even have a Light version. But for some reason, they don't broadcast that. Probably a cost thing. I didn't care as much for the Bohemia beer that they stock in your room frig, but hey, it free!
And their "drink of the day" is always interesting too. The bartenders will whip up about anything you can think of. Try a Sammy Sosa, colorful and very tasty! (named after the Major League Baseball player born in the D.R.)
We all loved the pool. It's HUGE! Most of our gang are water lovers, so we staked out a spot every morning and spent most of the day there. Plenty of lounge chairs available. But as others have noted, sometimes you have to hunt for a float, as it appears they could use a few more. The swim up bar is awesome. And if you get too lazy to walk in the waist deep water to the swim up bar, there are waitresses willing to bring you anything from the bar.
We had an almost continuos volley ball game going, in the pool most of the day. And met some great people that way.
The staff organized various activities on and off during the day. The most memorable one I think, was the water balloon fight. Mind you, it was near 90 degrees and everyone had been partying in the pool near the bar, all day. Then they dumped a couple of hundred water balloons (hand size, mostly air and maybe a half cup of water), into the pool. We pretty much broke into two groups, but balloons were flying every where. I laughed until my sides ached, it was hilarious.
They bring in vendors selling T-shirts, crafts, jewelry, ect., in the plaza, Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. And it takes some getting used to, the way they love to bargain. It was a bit intimidating at first, but if you consider it a challenge, you'll have fun and get a good deal too. (Tip: the first price they offer is usually VERY high. Check out the on grounds gift shop ahead of time, to get a rough idea on what "high" prices are, and go from there.)
If you're a seasoned shopper, you might want to take the 10 minute hike down the main road where you'll find dozens of shops at the flea market. Or take the organized "bike tour" in the morning, about a 45 minute ride, and they stop there for about 15 minutes on the way back. But be forewarned the bikes we had weren't in the best shape, rusty chains, and none adjustable seats. (For a luxury resort, they really need to step it up here!) Other than the flea market, you really don't see much more along the way, other that what you saw on the bus, coming in.
Some friends went on the "Sting Ray & Nurse Shark Encounter" and had a great time. Only about a half day excursion. Others I talked to went on some of the all day excursions, and they were pretty beat, by the time they got back. So factor that in, if you plan any side trips. Being my first time, I was content with everything happening at the complex.
Our friends wedding at the gazebo at 6 in the evening, close to dusk, was picture perfect. But be aware, the judge performing the ceremony did it in Spanish, with an interpreter in English. (Not sure if they all do it that way, but it was a bit of a surprise to us.) To make things worse, just as the event was starting, they turned on the water fountains in the ponds encircling the gazebo. Although they looked beautiful, they partially "drowned out" the voices! I wish our group would have just gotten out of our seats (which were lined up on the entrance walkway), and walked up and surrounded the gazebo and the bride and groom. We could have heard the whole ceremony, and I think it would have added a nice touch to it. Other than that, it was a beautiful ceremony. (Not too long, and casual attire, what more could you ask for!!!) No seriously, it was very, very nice.
Our check out was simple and the return trip uneventful. Only thing I'd do different, take a non-stop flight. We had a layover in Miami for a couple of hours, so it made it a bit of a longer return flight. Minor inconvenience, considering what a wonderful week we had.
I'd definitely recommend Dreams to anyone considering an all inclusive resort...... Hola! |
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| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa |
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We have just returned home from our week vacation at Dreams (Oct 26-Nov2) and it was just as I had thought, Amazing!
Reading many of the reviews before we left had me a bit worried but I’ve come to the conclusion that some people will just never be pleased or maybe it just didn’t compare to other vacations that they paid double for.
Where to start? Yes, as some complained the drive to the resort does take an hour and they do have to maneuver around massive pot holes. I personally found it and seeing the ‘real Dominican’ part of our adventure and also an eye opener.
I do not have one negative thing to say about the food. The themed restaurants all had amazing food. Food was always hot and flavorful. Most memorable was the Bordeaux (French restaurant) and the Himatsau (Japanese cooking tables) was also a hit. They were two of my favorites. The Oceana was also good but mostly amazing spot to have lunch right beside the beach. I love the fact that there are 5 al carte restaurants and you do not have to make reservations. If you didn’t like the Italian you could get up and go to another restaurant, not that we ever felt the need to do that. Some reviewers had complained that with this method there were long wait times but the longest wait we had was 10 minutes. They give you a beeper and send you to the bar so it wouldn’t have mattered if we waited an hour. Still better option than having to make reservations or limiting the number of al a carte dinners we could have.
We booked a deluxe room which did not entitle us to a room with a king sized bed. We ended up with 2 doubles but with a simple request by noon the next day once vacationers had left and a room opened up we moved over. Room was clean and had everything we would need. Rooms are not huge but seriously how much time do you spend in your room? Had morning maid service and wonderful turn down service every day that always left the daily entertainment newsletter for the following day, 2 chocolates, flower petals on our bed and the radio playing nice music for our return to our room.
We only had room service 2 times and we had no complaints. It was nice to pick one lazy morning and have the breakfast of our choice brought to our room. They even set it up on our table on the balcony. But we only did that once as we didn’t like to miss the amazing fruit smoothie they whip up for you at the World Café! Not to mention the wonderful omelets, fruit, bacon everyday (not that I allowed myself to eat it everyday) huge variety of breakfast items!
There are plenty of activities to do off the resort (Saona Island, dolphin excursion etc) although the location of the Dreams resort you have to be prepared for it to take a full day. For us even if everything was close by we wanted a ‘do nothing’ type of holiday.
The activities team was amazing. They keep those who want to participate busy with tons of activities on the resort. But if peace and quiet is your thing (like us) there is always a spot to find it.
The pool and the grounds are spectacular. They work so hard to keep everything just perfect. I had never seen a pool like the one at Dreams (largest in the Dominican). The only negative at the pool is how the people behaved. We never had a problem finding a lounge chair at the pool or beach but if you want a float for the pool, good luck! I’m sure there were plenty for all but people take several to their rooms so they will never be without. We took our own down and had no issues. Even though there is a swim up bar at one end of the pool and another one at the midsection of the pool, there are still waitresses that work around the pool all day. This includes the beach as well, there are 2-3 waitresses that take drink orders all day on the beach!
While we didn’t take our kids with us on this vacation we would certainly have no objections bringing them here. The Adventures club while under repair during our week looked amazing (re-thatching the roof)! Apparently you are given a cell phone and they have many wonderful, well trusted people to look after your kids and keep them busy. They will take them to lunch/dinner and everything. I will also post a picture of the kids club area.
First of all the resort beach was beautiful as you will see in my pictures. We knew before arriving that Dreams is located more North than many of the other resorts. That places Dreams on the Atlantic Ocean where the others are on the Caribbean. I found the water was choppy but I find that more enjoyable to listen to the waves. Just be careful of the under tow. Also remember to swim to left of the property as there is coral directly in front of the resort. The sand while not the white sand you would find in say the Bavaro beach area is still…beautiful sand.
Now for my only negative point to the Dreams resort. The beach property on either side of the resort that does not belong to Dreams is obviously not taken care of. Not sure if the resort cannot do anything about it, but it seems like odds and ends are thrown away by residents on the beach. If they could just take care of this very minor thing Dreams would be absolutely perfect!
I am trying to think of one thing that REALLY displeased me and I cannot. The food was outstanding, the rooms were charming, the people were friendly and outgoing, and the grounds, pool, lobby were impeccable. The weather beautiful and sunny, temp was high 80’s and not a mosquito in sight.
I would recommend Dreams to anyone! Feel free to ask me any questions.
cjcruz@rogers.com |
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| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa |
Susan
30 Miles South of the Burgh in PA
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| October 2008 |
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Our group of 6 returned from a week at Dreams, Sept 20-27, and we all agree that it was a fabulous trip! I will give you the best description that I can about the different views you have read.
First the road to the resort!! Yes there is a 15 or 20 minute stretch that is extremely bumpy and full of large pot holes. It depends on what type of vehicle you are transported in as to just how bad the ride is. We arranged private transportation through IBK services (Mike Fisher and Bronly) and we were picked up at the airport in an air conditioned newer model mini van. The driver, though he did not speak much English, was extremely friendly and very skilled in maneuvering this smaller vehicle around the pot holes and we got to the hotel in only 50 minutes.
We got the cold towels and champagne upon arrival and check-in was a virtual breeze and the bellman Thomas (absolutely wonderful person) had our bags to our rooms in no time at all!
The rooms – We had adjoining rooms on the second floor of building 2 and one room on the bottom floor of building 4. There was plenty of space in the rooms, they even have a small sofa and desk. Ants? Yes, if you spilled the sugar or left food out, or dropped toothpaste in the sink overnight, but you know what……….I live in PA and if I leave sweet food out during the summer I get ants too! The only bad thing I have to say about our rooms is that the one in building four on lower level did have a musty or damp smell.
The maid service was wonderful, my room was spotless everyday when we returned from beach with plenty of fresh towels AND wash cloths as well as beer in the fridge!!
As everyone as said the pool was immaculate!! I would be out there swimming at 6:30 AM and they would be out there scrubbing and cleaning the pool daily. There were plenty of chairs, though there was a shortage floating mats at times. The resort was not that busy and I can see that during prime season that the mat shortage would be an issue.
Food – All I can say is that if anyone comes back and said they could not find anything there they liked or that the food was horrible has got to be some kind of nut or totally spoiled picky eater! I would have liked to see bacon at breakfast more than once in the 7 days there, I was a bit tired of the sausage, but other then that I really did not have any complaints with the food. None of us every got sick and we tried just about every restaurant.
I did see some small black bugs on the salad bar at the seaside grill, and they were actually some in the lettuce. This I am sure was because it was an open air restaurant and with the climate and the lighting attracted the bugs. But that was the only place I noticed anything like that.
Room Service – Don’t go there thinking you can get a steak at midnight (like I did) if you are hungry because you can not! As a matter of fact the room service menu is limited and we were a bit disappointed in this. You can order breakfast for room, but for dinner unless you want pizza and fries or sea bass salad you are pretty much out of luck.
I saved the best for last, THE STAFF! I must say that absolutely everyone from the groundskeepers, to housekeeping, the wait/bar staff and entertainment were a pleasure to be around. They were always smiling and did whatever they could to make you happy and comfortable. Unfortunately it rained for about 60 hours straight while we were there and we still had a fabulous time. They had all kinds of indoor activities in the lobby/theatre area and the booze was flowing freely so everyone still enjoyed themselves.
I would just say HATS OFF TO THE ENTIRE STAFF at the Dreams Resorts. If you want to go shopping or sightseeing, then Dreams is probably not for you. If you want to relax and soak up the sun and fun, then this is definitely the place to do it!
In my opinion a vacation is more about the people you spend it with then what type of bed you have or what you ate for dinner. Dreams made our vacation one party day after another and we would return again in a heartbeat!
Hola to all especially, Julio, Rosalie and her sexy husband Wil, Diony the best waiter and my special waitress with now all her new hair bands and if I could spell her name I would!!! A great thanks to the chef at World Buffet for cooking the fresh Mahi Mahi we caught as well!
If you have any questions or want to whole truth and nothing but truth please feel free to
ask: susan@butlerforge.com |
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| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa |
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Arrival and Flight
Newcastle Arrived May 03-08
Rooms
block 6- sure not the largest rooms ever but quite ample for us!! declined upgrade how much time you want to spend in the room anyway?
Restaurants
I honestly cannot believe what is written in some of the reviews i have read!! 1 couple even left the resort for a decent meal!!! What were they missing Macdonalds?? I travel the world with my job and am writing this review from the Far East and can honestly say we did not have a bad meal the whole of our 2 week stay! my favourite was the French where we ate 4 times and enjoyed each 1. But we enjoyed the others too, steakhouse, seafood etc. Just what do some people expect??? the buffets were all you could want, Omelettes, meats, fruit, cereal, what do you eat for breakfast for goodness sake!!
Bars
No problems in any of the bars -the staff were pleasant and attentive and if you wanted international brands you just asked where's the problem?? Had to stir my own cocktails too what a b****r!! still good exercise i suppose!!
Beach and Pools
Beach a bit rocky in places but was told this before we booked and the views and breeze more than made up for that.
Grounds
Immaculate!! the flamingos, peacocks etc only added to the ambiance. do you get them in all resorts? - cos it's the 1st i've been to where they roam the grounds freely!
Activities and Entertainment
Best animation crew we have experienced bar none!!
Tours
Catamarang trip along the coast great- but a little expensive compared to others we have been on.
Departure and Check Out
No problems!!
Conclusion
The road is very bumpy and takes an hour, but please just go and enjoy this great resort- you won't be disappointed!!!!!!!!! |
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I just got back from Punta Cana and I had a great time with th excpetion of the hotel (Dreams Punta Cana). First, on our day of arrival to Dreams we checked into our rooms (we had two rooms for our family). The bed in one room was broken and sitting on the floor. I contact the front desk to have it fixed immediately (3PM). At 5pm I again contacted the front desk to get it fixed. No response. At 9PM, I contacted the front desk and they told me to come to the front desk for a key to another room. After walking the distance, I arrived to the front desk and was told there was a mistake that they had a room for me but gave it away. After 30 minutes of demanding that something be done, they found another room for us. Also, the air conditioners were not working in any of the resturants, rooms, or casino. No one likes to sweat during dinner and/or playing cards.
Several people got food poisoning at the Chinese resturant (probably due to the lack of A/C).
Dreams Punta Cana should be down rated to a 2 star. Definitely will not choose it again. |
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| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa |
Annie and Marc
New Jersey
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| June 2008 |
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Arrival and Flight
We flew early from Philadelphia International Airport on June 20th. Check in was smooth and relatively easy. (The last time I flew was 23 years ago - things have changed! ;^) ). We endured the rough road from Punta Cana airport (potholes? they were craters!!), arriving at the resort around 12:30. Wish we'd checked our carryons with our luggage. We did plan ahead and packed swimsuits in our carryons. We ate at the beach barbecue, and enjoyed the pool until it was time to check in to our room.
Rooms
I've read other reviews that complained the rooms were small. I beg to differ. We had a garden view room on the first floor (yay!) with two double beds. Honestly, it was nice as my husband gets restless leg syndrome and we each could spread out. The room was spotless, though there were a couple of minor problems - two lights didn't work; one of the hinges on the cabinet under the television was broken; a shelf in the wardrobe was crooked and broken. We went in the morning to mention these things to our Apple representative, Rafael, and they were fixed immediatly. The view from our patio was beautiful. The grounds are all well kept and beautifully landscaped. And the patios are set up so you have privacy.
Restaurants
We were never disappointed in any of the restaurants. Sure, the breakfast buffet is basic, but if you go to the chef for a made-to-order omelet or any style eggs, they were melt in your mouth good. I tried plaintains for the first time ever - delicious. And the Spanish omelet combined with the Ranchero Sauce - yum!! My favorite restaurant was the Mexican. A delightful Mariachi band played very well as we dined. You've got to try the crab cakes, and the chicken quesadillas. And I am not a guacamole fan, but I could not stay away from theirs!! The Oceana and Sea Side Grill traded places on some of the nights as refurbishments were being made on one or the other. Great dining in either, with the bonus of sea breezes. And try the pasta in the World Cafe - you choose the type of pasta and the sauce, and they make it right in front of you. Honestly, if something didn't appeal to you, try something else! Each restaurant had lots of choices. Main entrees may appear small to us overfed, gluttonous Americans, but with all the appetizers, soup or salad, entrees, and desserts, you get plenty to eat. And if you want more - just ask!! Plus, it's not like you're going to take home a doggie bag.
Bars
Great service, great selection, great staff. Some of the drink combinations were out of this world delicious - the Sammy Sosa, which is pina colada with strawberry daquerie and something else; the Miami Vice - pina colada and daquerie; the Punta Cana special - more of a breakfast drink but they'll add rum if you want. The only complaint we had was the girls on the beach taking drink orders. You would see them frequently for about 20 minutes or so, maybe a bit longer, and then you wouldn't see them for an hour or two. Maybe they need more girls for the beach.
Beach and Pools
The pool is immaculate. It's perfect for swimming, lazing, staying wet. I'm glad it's not deeper to tempt divers. It may get crowded around the swim-up bar, but there is plenty of room for everyone. I liked the lounge chairs actually in the pool, on a ledge. And there was lots of shade for people to get out of the sun. After a while, the sun got to be too much.
The beach was great. They work very hard to get rid of the seaweed. I find it amusing to hear people complain about seaweed - it's a natural phenomena, certainly if we could get rid of it we would. Besides, you can pass right through it to the soft sand. And yes, it's better for the feet to go a bit to the left of the beach, right at the point, in front of the water sports hut. Plus, you can feed fish. I brought a couple pieces of bread or rolls and my underwater camera, and hoped for the best. I was up early one morning to try to catch the sunrise and the grounds keepers were at work already cleaning up, raking the sand, raking up seaweed. I am disgusted by how messy the "guests" leave the beach - towels left overnight, books soggy from rain, silverware from dinners on the beach, water bottles everywhere. People take such advantage when they go on vacation. A little common courtesy goes a long way.
Grounds
They are still improving the grounds, planting while we were there, but let me tell you, it is gorgeous. Well kept, well trimmed, with an abundance of flora to enjoy, a flamingo pond (with one duck and an occasional night heron, plus lots of fish and lovely koi fish). One of the days we were there I was lucky enough to be on my patio when a couple of groundskeepers were passing by. They spoke no English, and my Spanish is poor and meager, but they offered me a fresh coconut. They used a machete to cut off the tip and make a small hole - it was delicious. I am not a fan of coconut (though I love the smell), but these coconuts were not like what you see in the store. The "milk" was clear and really tasted like water with only a slight flavor. And it was surprisingly cool. Thanks, guys!
Activities and Entertainment
We were totally impressed with the entertainment staff. You see them by the pool or in other areas all day, working the activities and interacting with guests. Then they will dance for an hour straight in the evening shows. And they always have a smile ready for you. People will comment that perhaps their lip-synching to popular American music isn't up to par, but I dare those people to try to lip-sync any song not in their own language. Their dancing is amazing - they really put their heart and soul in it. If you choose to, there is something to do all day. And if you'd rather spend time relaxing, they won't harass you to join in.
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays they have market days, which could be fun, but man, do they harass you!! Again, you are expected to haggle, but the vendors are so persistent that it can be annoying when you don't want to buy. Plus they are right in the center of things, so there's no getting around them. If you bargain right, you can come down in prices amazingly.
Tours
We only did the Saona Island tour together. It was over an hour to get to Bayahibe, but Jose kept us informed with the history of the island, and you get to see how Dominicans actually live. Plus we traveled in a big, comfortable bus. We caught the catamaran out - the girls really got the guests moving if they were so inclined. The water is gorgeous. Saona Island was beautiful, but we could have done without the vendors. Haggleing is expected, but you just want to enjoy your time there without someone constantly trying to sell you something. The sand was soft and white, the food wasn't fantastic, but the relaxing was. On the way back, we rode a speed boat (two with our crowd, and the boats would race each other), which stopped at a natural pool in the ocean where the water was only four feet deep and the sand was soft. Snorklers could spot starfish, though we made jokes that they weren't real, as the few that we found we all hard as rocks. Then back to Bayahibe and home again. Longish day, but worth it.
I also did the horseback riding (my husband isn't into it). When I went, it was just me and a couple from England. The guide asks you how experienced you are at riding, and chooses a horse for you accordingly. My horse was named Chocolat. The Dominican horses are thinner and smaller than American horses. I had the 75 minute ride - not recommended if you're not used to horse back, and I wasn't. Plus, wear a good, supportive bra. The guide had us at a trot for much of the ride. But he was great, stopping at picturesque spots and taking photos with your own camera (they took one of you just before you started). The end of the ride though, wasn't so great. You come back to a farm, where they try to sell you a bottle of rum and a cd of music with your picture for $30.00. And they have a shed set up with all the tourist things, but I wasn't interested. More sales pitches.
Departure and Check Out
We hated to leave. Really. But check out itself went smoothly (though a couple more people at the desk even in the early am would be nice as the phone was constantly ringing). Instead of the small bus we came in on, we rode out in a big, comfortable bus. And as for the resort being 35 minutes from the Punta Cana Airport? Maybe, if the road was in good shape. It takes an hour and 10 minutes or so over the road. But it takes us that long to get from our house the the airport, if not longer, so we didn't care. The airport wasn't too bad. You have dogs sniffing your luggage, and you, but the actual time was quick. We even had an early departure.
Conclusion
We are definitely coming back! We had a great vacation, we made lots of friends ( I hope most of the staff is here next year), and we hope to bring our kids next time.
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We returned from Dreams Punta Cana on May 20, after a 7 day stay. I want to preface this review by stating that we are seasoned travelers. We go to the Caribbean 2ce yearly, and have been to the Dominican Republic at least 6 times over the past few years.
The resort itself was beautiful. The standard room was more than adequate – it was large with a sitting area and a bed the size of a football field!! They did offer to upgrade us for $100/night, but I cannot imagine that it would be worth it. These rooms were well above the standards you would find in most places in Punta Cana. There is a fair amount of walking to be done from one end of the resort to the other, but that is ok – you earn the food you eat. The beach was great – lots of suns and lots of shade, whatever you prefer. There were plenty of palapas, even for those who did not show up at the beach until almost noon. The girls who brought drinks from the bar to the beach were pleasant and always willing to get you something other than the featured “drink of the day”. For the pool people – the pool stretched the length of the resort – from the first building to the beach with several bars along the way. I did see any shortage of chairs.
There was a good choice of restaurants – we tried Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, the Grille and the “gourmet”. We did Italian on the night they split the buffet restaurant in half. The buffet food was what it usually is in these places – just ok. Breakfast was excellent and varied. Oceana (seafood restaurant) was o pen for lunch with sandwiches and salads – that was a nice change of pace. I was impressed with the quality of the steaks in the steakhouse and the Mexican restaurant was actually very good. The problem, you ask??? I woke up ill in the middle of the night, after our first full day on the resort, with severe stomach pains after we ate at the Chinese restaurant, and I do mean severe. I almost woke my husband to call the doctor! Again, I want to stress – we are seasoned travelers. I drank only bottled water, brushed my teeth with bottled water, and kept my mouth shut while taking a shower. We do not overdo on sun or alcohol. I have taken ill on several occasions while travelling, so apparently my system is more susceptible, but I have never been ill like this. After the pains subsided, the “other” part of the illness set in, and lasted the whole time we were there. My husband, who is never ill when we travel, followed suit within a day or two. It did not affect him quite as much as it did me, but it was there.
I have to say, I was quite disappointed. If it had not been for the illness, the resort was ideal for the vacation that my husband and I had in mind. The staff was genuinely the friendliest we have encountered over the years and most spoke English very well. The fitness center was adequate, the drinks were fine –you could request higher quality alcohol at no cost, the beach was lovely. Even though the ocean area right in front of the resort was rough, you only had to walk around the corner to find a nice calm area for swimming, which many people did. I would hope that management takes the feedback comments that are provided at check out to heart and try to find a solution to this very basic problem that impact a guest’s overall assessment of their resort.
P.S. We corresponded with management regarding our concern – rec’d an email back saying “not every resort is for everyone”….basically brushing us off.
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| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa |
Bridget
Vermont
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| April 2008 |
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Friendly Staff - Great Vacation!
My husband and I just returned from our stay at Dreams Punta Cana and we enjoyed our vacation! We were at the resort from 4/11-4/18 for 7 nights. Let me try to summarize our entire trip and let you know how our experience was.
Airport & Ride – The airport is very clean and easy to get around in. There was no problem getting to our tour company to get our transportation. We did have to wait in line but that is to be expected. Once they gave us our bus number we were on our way and let them take our bags to the bus. It is a very large parking lot and can be confusing. A tip later and we are on our Prieto Tours bus waiting to go to Dreams. The tour buses for this company are full size buses. I don’t know if this made our ride easier but it did take one full hour to get there (and back too) but it wasn’t that bad. Yes there are potholes but honestly not any worse than after a winter in Vermont!
Resort – We arrived at Dreams and check in went smoothly. They asked us if we wanted to upgrade and we chose to continue to our room. We were put on the ground floor deluxe room in building 2 (Room 2118). Yes the rooms are on the smaller side but not unbearable. It was very clean and had a nice patio and king bed. As I started to unpack I realized the air conditioning wasn’t working. We then called the concierge desk and asked for Eileen explained our dilemma. They sent out a maintenance man immediately to try to repair the issue. The air was still not working as well as we would have liked so I called back to Eileen and she explained that she would move us in the morning if we could stay there for the night. She explained she would call us at precisely 9:30 AM and would have keys to a new room! So we went off to dinner and decided we would wait till morning. As promised she called at exactly 9:30 and brought me to look at the new room for approval first. We were moved to Building 6 (Room 6212) and it was a Honeymoon Suite that was absolutely wonderful. It is everything you have heard about in previous reviews! The room is large with a separate sitting area, king bed, double sinks and separate door dividing the sinks from the toilet and shower. Also the plasma TV in the bedroom and large deck with Jacuzzi! This was a great room to settle into and we didn’t want to leave!
Pool – The pool is very large and clean. The chairs do seem to be an issue for some people but they were replacing and adding chairs on the last couple days we were there. Seems to be a lot of saving of chairs but this honestly wasn’t anything we worried about as we are beach people.
Beach - We did go down to the beach at about 10:30 everyday. It is large and there is not a shortage of chairs at all. We never had a problem getting a chair and I must say the view of the ocean is wonderful. The beach is large (Wide and Long) and you can walk in either direction from the resort. It is very desolate and is not resorts stacked on top of each other. There is seaweed and rocks in the ocean but true if you stay to the left you will not have a problem. We wore water shoes the first day and not once after that! There is always a breeze on the beach to keep you cool!
Food – The buffet is all we did for breakfast and it was very good with plenty of choices. We never had a problem getting enough to eat! Try the donuts as they are the best! We did eat dinners at the French (3 Times), Seaside Grill (2 Times), El Patio (Once) and the Buffet once. All were good and the service was good. I would however say that this is not 5 star Food or Service. That being said they are however trying extremely hard and the people at all the restaurants are so friendly you can’t get mad. This is the Dominican and not America, so don’t expect everything to be to our standards. RELAX your on vacation and enjoy! The food was good at all the places just not the best we have had but we didn’t go hungry!
Bars – I can’t say a bad word about the bar service. We visited every one and they are always happy and smiling! If they can’t get to you in an instant they give you a smile and always acknowledge you. We didn’t go with out! The beer is good and the liquor is top shelf and so is the service.
Shows – We didn’t do the shows at night to much but did enjoy the Tribute show! The entertainment staff is Top Notch! They will keep you moving if you want or let you relax if you choose. All of the staff never forgets to say Hola when they meet you!
All things considered we would go back again! This is a great resort for the price that they are charging. It is only going to get better I can promise you that!! To the staff at Dreams “Hola”, you are all doing a great job, keep up the great work!!!! Special thanks to Eileen! See you again soon!!!
Please don’t hesitate if you have any questions??
stolibj@verizon.net |
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| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa |
Kellie
Saskatchewan
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| March 2008 |
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Arrival -
After a horrible trip that included a fog delay and loss of luggage (we were NOT impressed with Sunquest/Skyservice), we arrived in Punta Cana after dark. Everything we had heard about the road from the airport is true and much more. It is the worst and such a long ride (longer in the dark it seems). We were so relieved to find this beautiful resort at the end of the day. We had cold towels and champagne in our hands immediately upon stepping off the bus. Check in went very smoothly, although we had a bit of trouble navigating around the resort in the dark.
Rooms -
We originally were in room 2623. This was a very clean, somewhat small room. It had everything one could possibly need, including a spectacular ocean view off the balcony.
We later upgraded to a suite (7314). This was a beautiful room with double balcony with jacuzzi tub on the balcony. There is a living room, bedroom with plasma TV, huge bathroom area with walk-in closet. The housekeeping service was excellent, always clean and supplies always restocked. Turn down service includes soft music playing, bed turned down, chocolates, etc. There is nothing like it to make you feel pampered.
Restaurants -
We tried all the restaurants and they were all good. We never had any stomach troubles at all (that's a first!!). The buffet was never too crowded we found at any time of day. The a la cartes had a no reservation policy which sometimes made for a long wait if you were hungry! But if the wait was going to be too long, we were off to the buffet. Our favorites were the shrimp martini at El Patio and the chocolate mouse at Bourdeaux - to die for
Bars -
There was always a friendly face ready to serve you behind the bar. Premium brand drinks, lots of variety....what more could you ask for? If you couldn't decide what to have, any of the bartenders always had a recommendation.
Beach and Pools -
It was always a bit windy at the beach, so aside from chewing a bit of sand, the beach was beautiful. There are big palm trees as well as shelters for shade, and the sand is beautiful fine powder. The pool is definitely the drawing card for this resort. There are none like it anywhere! It just goes on and on and there are plenty of "floaties" to hop on and float away the day. The only thing is, this place definitely plays the towel game. Since there are no towel cards, people can pick up 6 towels and leave them at various places at the beach and pool. We saw SO many prime spots that were basically unoccupied for hours and hours, but with towels on the chairs. We're just not sure how to remedy this problem since someone will always start this "towel game" - towel cards or not.
Grounds -
The grounds are immaculate and very well maintained.
Activities -
There are any number of activities one can choose to do here. There were a couple of days that an activity was listed on the daily newssheet, but it never happened. Not sure what this was all about, but it was not too big of a deal for us.
Tours -
We did not take any tours this time. We hired a cab and went to "Plaza Bavarro" one day (did I mention that Skyservice lost our luggage?). This is quite a large "mall", but with the same old stuff as always - "cheapy, cheapy" and lots of work bartering..
Conclusion -
I would definitely recommend this resort to anyone. We would probably not go back, just because it is far away from anything and the road is just SO bad. We felt it was just too much travelling time to do anything off resort. The locals say that it will take maybe four or five years to finish the new road from the airport to the resort, we we would try again then. The resort itself is spectacular, and just the right size. As always, we were amazed by the Dominican people - such a happy, friendly, beautiful people.
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| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa |
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| This was my 5th trip to Punta Cana and I would rate Dreams as number one. The staff was so friendly and always there to please you. The room was so bright and clean. The food was good, wide assortment. And the grounds was so pretty and always being worked on. I would go back again. AAAAAAAAAA+++++++++++++++++++++. |
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| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa |
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We visited Dreams the first week of February(3 - 10). The resort is quite similiar to the Majestic but with the vegetation being more developed allowing you privacy on your balcony.
We had a deluxe room overlooking the pool. (building five) The rooms are adequate and clean but a bit on the small side (however we did not find it a problem as we are not in them very long). We did notice the buildings that contained the suites that it seemed all the suites were quite large with double balconies. We were offered an upgrade upon arrival (however we felt that it was not necessary and a bit costly $100/night). Many people have complained about the the half glass door in the shower, but that was not a problem (exactly the same style as the Bahia chain), however my problem was minor....I felt the tub was a bit to high off the floor and found that getting in and out was a bit hard (guess I will have to grow..LOL)
The pool is lovely, very clean, and never feels full of people (with the exception of around the pool bar) it goes just about the entire length of the resort. They have a couple of special areas for the kids to play, along with many floaties available for your use. But I will say it is one of the worst resorts I have been to in regards to the "towel" game, however once again that did not bother us as we are always at the beach. I think this situation might be worse than previously as there is now no towel cards and guests are allowed as many towels as they want, therefore they can save seats at both the beach and pool.
The beach is nice for its location as it is not on Bavaro beach. Tthere is coral in the water on the main part of the beach (not a problem if you had water shoes or were careful) but a bit to the left (by the boat rental booth)the swimming is absolutely amazing (nice sandy bottom).
The food was also very good. The al la cartes do not require reservations which we found to be nice. We tried all the al la cartes (except the Oceana) and thorougly enjoyed them. The Bordeaux was my absolute favorite. The buffet as well was very good and you never had trouble getting a table even during peak times.
The entertainment was also pretty good. We arrived on Superbowl Sunday and the resort put on a huge Superbowl party with the game on the big screen. It made you feel like you were at a football tailgate party. The shows as well were pretty entertaining, expecially the nights that the guests were involved.
All the staff (bartenders, maids, gardeners, etc) are very friendly, helpful and quite fluent in English. Please take the time to speak with them. On my husbands birthday I left a note for our maid asking for a couple of balloons and when we came back from the beach at the end of the day, the room was completely decorated with balloons and flowers. What an awesome touch.
There is some construction/upgrading going on still around the resort but did not find it to be bothersome at all. They are re-tiling the sidewalks in a few areas but it really is not inconvenient. There were also doing some replanting of some of their gardens. One night when we came home around 10 there was a very large crew of gardenders working on a garden in the middle of the pool. When we went by them the garden was completely empty and when we woke up we saw a gorgeous garden. Our room overlooked where they were working and we did not hear a thing all night long.
It really is hard to find something wrong about this resort at all. The only negative we found is the drive to and from, it takes about 1 1/2 hours and the road after you pass the Majestic Colonial is very poor. I am sure once the rest of the road has been done it will be a much quicker ride.
However, that being said it was a very nice 5 star resort. |
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| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa |
Heather
Madison, Wisconsin
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| February 2008 |
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Arrival -
The ride from the airport to the hotel is over a half-hour ride. So it's a long ride to the resort and a long ride if you leave the resort to go back to Punta Cana, go on any excursions, etc.
We were also very disappointed with the front desk as we upgraded our room and they overcharged us. Every day of our vacation, we would stop by the front desk looking for the credit receipt to our credit card. Whether I was speaking Spanish or English, Orlando the manager, would keep coming up with excuses as to why we did not have our credit yet. Finally on the last day, he said that he couldn't do the credit and one of his accounting people had to do this. Of course when we asked why he waited all week to notify us, he had no answer. Also, since it was the weekend at this point, conveniently no one from the accounting department was available. We finally had to contact the credit card company when we returned to get our credit card credited. I would recommend anyone who goes to this resort to watch their room statements closely, as we met other guests who also had problems with "accidentally" being overcharged.
Rooms -
We upgraded to the honeymoon suite when we arrived since the standard rooms were so small.
Restaurants -
The only thing positive that I can say about the restaurants was that the service was good. We tried every restaurant and were very disappointed with the food. I have traveled around the world, and stayed in a variety of hotels, but this is the first time I have been disappointed with the food. It was definitely not what I expected from a 6-Golden Apple Hotel. The food was either dry, old food from the day before, or we would be served something different than what the menu stated. I would also like to mention that I have been to the Dominican Republic in the past and had wonderful food during my past visit. We were very disappointed with the quality, and found the poor quality to be common in all of the restaurants. We finally left this "all-inclusive" hotel to get a decent meal. However, since the resort is so far away, we had to pay $80 round trip for a cab to take us back to Punta Cana just to have a decent meal.
Bars -
The Bar Service was good, but you need to ask for premium beverages.
Beach and Pools -
The pools are very nice. With regard to the beach, it wasn't the cleanest beach that I have been too, but the swimming was great.
Grounds -
Dreams used to be Sunscape Resort, and you could tell they were trying to update a lot of things. Overall it was nice, but for the rating, I was definitely expecting a nicer hotel. It looks much better on-line than it did in person.
Activities -
Although this is not an activity...we did try the spa and had massages. Again, like everything else at this resort, it appeared nice, but over half of the showers and waterfalls in the spa relaxation room did not work, the person who gave me my massage obviously had never been professionally trained. The worst experience was when my friend had a two-inch cockroach crawl onto his massage table during his massage. Again, we all expected more from the high rating, and definitely do not expect cockroaches to be crawling on you while you are trying to relax.
Tours -
We did the Zipline Adventure and loved it. I highly recommend this excursion; it was a lot of fun.
Conclusion -
Overall, we were very disappointed with this resort. We have contacted Apple Vacations as this resort definitely did not deserve a 6-Golden Apple Rating. As I mentioned, I have traveled around the world, been to the Dominican Republic before, used Apple Vacations, and speak fluent Spanish, so in comparison to other Apple resorts, I have been to much nicer ones, that were rated lower than this one. I would definitely not recommend this resort to anyone, and wish I had read the reviews before I went on my trip.
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| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa |
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Trip from Airport—YES….it is a long bus ride! Be prepared! Try to sit up front near the Apple Rep. He will point things out to you and can answer any questions you may have. The “new road” is not finished and seems to be progressing on “Dominican Time”. Take the time on the bus to observe the landscape and the towns you will go through.
Arrival-- There were only 3 couples on our bus getting off at Dreams so our check-in was very quick and painless. Orlando was F A N T A S T I C. Our room was not quite ready so we took a stroll down to Seaside Grill for a light lunch. Along the way we got a good idea of the layout of the resort. After a little more than an hour we returned to the Desk where Orlando handed us our keys and off we went. (I had to stop there later in the week and walking up to the desk Orlando remembered my name on sight! Now THAT is good customer service!) Our bags had already been delivered to our room so we all we had to do was grab a drink at the lobby bar and head to building one!
Room—1302! Fantastic room. I had emailed Juan Jose ( a great guy who will go out of his way to help you) a week prior to request a quiet section of the resort if possible and he certainly came through for us. We had a great view of the pool and a view of the ocean over the Sugar Reef Bar. The room itself was in extremely good condition. Linens were clean and in good repair. Furniture was in good repair. We did not note any of the issues mentioned previously regarding rooms “looking tired”. Water pressure was good and never had a hot water issue (and resort was at 100%). My only negative comment would be regarding the “half” shower enclosure. I too found it unusual and it did create a “water issue” on the floor. I would recommend removal.
Building one is definitely the closet to the beach but if you have “walking” concerns you may want to consider one of the centrally located buildings.
Beach-- We found the beach to be beautiful. It is not the “white” sand of Bavarro BUT is NOT dirty brown either. It was wonderfully soft and easy to walk on. The beach was very clean and did not seem to have the seaweed issues of Bavarro either. Water is murky at the break but is still the beautiful green I have come to love in that part of the Caribbean. Hubby did some snorkeling and said it was pretty good over the rocky area. Having done my research I was aware if we stayed to the left toward the end of the property the water is calmer and there is not a “rock” issue. We did not have a chair issue on the beach but palapas do seem to be hard to come by and there do not seem to be many of them.
Pool—We loved the pool. I have always said I prefer the beach to the pool but this pool really drew me to it. We found sitting at the end of bridge 2 was the perfect spot for us. It is quiet, the four chairs were USUALLY still available after breakfast and we could enjoy watching people floating by on the “lazy river”.
As a side note: In our five trips to the Caribbean, 3 to PC, this was the first time we were ever involved in a “chair dispute”. I believe the time has come for resorts to lay down some rules and guidelines regarding the use of towels to hold chairs and what exactly is considered an appropriate amount of time to allow a chair to be held. Particularly when the resort is at full capacity.
Food—Here is where our ratings went down from a 10 out of 10 to a 9 out of 10. The food was certainly good and in some cases very good. But it was definitely NOT the best we have had at an AI (in fact Dreams Tulum was the best AI food we have found yet!). The soups were excellent. One night the pork was superb, the next dry. Same with the beef. We did not try Himitsu and unfortunately the night we were to eat at Bordeaux I was not feeling well and left dinner early (cold and slight fever—NOTHING to do with the food! LOLOL). We ate at Seaside Grill a couple of evenings and I really enjoyed it. The steak was very good. El Patio was very good as always. We had the beef fajitas and the beef was chewy but still very good. Breakfast, of course, was always fantastic. We did room service for breakfast one morning and there was enough food to feed a family of five! Lunch at Seaside Grill buffet was always good. Remember, if you try something you don’t like, try something else!
Service—Here is where AMResorts excels. Every staff member’s goal is to make your stay an enjoyable and trouble free one. Managers are visible 24/7. Resort is kept immaculately clean. Marco and his team are to be commended for their outstanding efforts in this department.
We will most definitely return to Dreams PC!
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| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa |
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We stayed at Dreams Punta Cana from January 5th/08 to the 12th/08. We were a group of 10 (5 couples no kids) and ages 22 to 60. We were joined by another couple on the 8th of Jan for a total of 12. This was our 3rd straight year to Punta Cana and the 3rd time to PC in the last year for my wife and I. We are 30 and 29. Last Jan we were married at Grand Palladium Bavaro, the in April we honeymooned at Excellence PC and then this year celebrate our 1st anniversary at Dreams PC. We all had a great time and I would say we are not picky travellers and don’t expect the same standards as North America.
This was the 3rd straight year we used Sunwing from Ottawa to PC. Flight to PC was on time and 2hr delay on the way home. Better than 8hr delay last year and 6 the previous year. Once again they shipped us to the airport without telling us about the delay.
The ride to the hotel took 1 hour and 20 minutes. What I realized is that it depends on the van/bus that takes you there. In April it took us 50 minutes to Excellence (which is further than Dreams) but we were on a large bus, this year we were in a small mini-van, with a trailer. So it was slow going around the numerous bumps and potholes.
The hotel is in transition from the former Sunscape to Dreams. They are still replacing the pathways. I would estimate there is still 2 weeks work to go on this. It’s not a big deal, you just walk around them. Keep in mind though there are grinders/tile cutters running all day. You don’t hear it at the beach. They are also doing landscaping all over, there was a bobcat (small tractor) doing the grunt work. The grounds were not as nice as other resorts I’ve been to. The hotel was 100% full when we were there.
The lobby and facilities are on par or better than any resort we’ve been too. The spa is unbelievable and the resort really caters to kids. The pool is definitely the best we’ve seen. It is only 3 feet deep but it was nice to walk in and have drinks. The swim up bar was good. There are no Jacuzzis. The chair towel game is played here more so than other resorts we’ve been to. We never had trouble getting a float mat.
The beach would have to be ranked the lowest of any resort we’ve been to in PC. Be very carful not to run and dive into the waves in front of the resort. There is coral and you could really hurt yourself. We knew not to do this because we read other reviews. The resort does have signs up about this. If you go left there is no coral. The sand is not white like the Bavaro area but I knew this because we stayed at Excellence in April. There are huge waves to play in if you walk to the right of the resort (not good for kids).
We were in building 1 closest to the beach. Great location, about a 5 -10 minute walk to the lobby. The rooms had to be the biggest disappointment. They seem old and tired. Furniture has water damage and the lamp shades have some mould and rust. This does not bother us, but I’m mentioning it for those that it might. They are also very small (smallest I’ve stayed in). I can`t imagine a family of 4 staying in one. In fact I met a couple of people who upgraded to a family room (adjoining doors) because the room was too small. I have read where they plan on refurbishing all the rooms and putting in Jacuzzi tubs. Not sure how they`ll do this as there really isn`t the space. Two couples in our group started in the preferred club rooms in building 6. They had flat panel TV`s and upgraded linen. They later asked to be moved to B1 so we could all be in the same building. 2 in our group had swim out rooms. They were nice in the afternoon. The rooms themselves were no different than a regular room. The maids were good, the fridge was kept stocked and we had turn down service and room service. There is an iron, safe and bath robes in all rooms. Sometimes wash cloths and sometimes not.
Food in general was very good, better than the Palladium but not as good as excellence. We tried all the a la cartes. Service was generally good, it little slow at times. At the end of the week they were training a lot of new staff. Buffet was also very good and room service did the trick when you were too lazy to go for a snack.
The drinks at the bars were good, same as Palladium, less than Excellence. They had Bud and Bud Light at the lobby bar and had Motts Clamato for the 1st half of the week for Cesar’s. The overall service at the resort was good and on par with Excellence PC. Much better than the Palladium.
The one major negative at the resort was that when ours friends arrived late Tuesday night, they were told that the hotel was FULL, and they`d send them to their other resort (the new Sunscape, 40 minutes away...which I believe is inferior). Our friends told the resort that that was not an option that they came here to meet family. So they crammed into his sister’s room for two nights before getting a room. They hotel tried to offer them massages, but they insisted on compensation, and when we left Saturday they were told they would get compensation but not how much. They didn`t say if his sister would get anything. We also met a guy who was there for a wedding and they same thing happened to 12 of them, so it seems like this may be a regular occurrence here.
All in all we had a great vacation, and I`d rate this resort just under a 4.5 star/apple. It`s definitely not in the same class as Excellence, but slightly better than the Palladium. We`d go back at the right price. It may be better when the transition is complete, but that will be many months.
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| Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa |
Julie
Ontario, Canada
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| April 2007 |
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We stayed at Sunscape the Beach in Punta Cana (Dreams Punta Cana) in April 2007
I’m not even sure where to begin, so I apologize ahead of time if this is a little erratic. First, the wedding. To say it in the simplest terms possible, it was easygoing, relaxing, and beautiful. The wedding coordinators spoke fluent English, were so unbelievably helpful, they took care of everything. They searched me out to set a time and date for my wedding, and then we set up a meeting when it was good for me to discuss all the details. I couldn’t have imagined a more relaxing wedding, they did everything for me. I would recommend this resort to anyone thinking of getting married in the Dominican. And the photographer was phenomenal. I have gotten so many compliments on the variety and quality of my wedding pictures. The resort had 5 or 6 different photographers, and they were easily as good or better than any I could have gotten back home.
Considering I was in a bigger group (34), there were many of us to please. Both sets of my grandparents were there, aged 70s-80s, my parents and my husbands parents, both in their 50s, cousins, brothers, friends, niece and nephew, ranging in age from 2-35. Everyone had a blast, and no one had one thing bad to say about the entire trip. The staff were great, getting all of us, or those of us who wanted to join in, involved in daily activities in the pool, or dancing at the bar. They were phenomenal. Mind you the songs got a little repetitive by the end of the trip, but that is expected regardless of where you stay.
The pool was great, huge, swim up bars were wonderful, as always. We didn’t even get to go to all the restaurants/bars for dinner. There are more than 7 restaurants, ranging from Italian, usual buffet, finer dining, seafood, so much variety. I loved the food, and was so impressed with it. That is saying a lot for me too, considering I have numerous allergies and a weak stomach, I didn’t have any problems finding something to eat. However, if you are someone that is expecting to eat the most phenomenal meal of your life, stay home and cook it yourself. I’m sorry, but for what you pay for, they surpassed my expectations in the food/restaurant department.
The only negative thing I have to say about Sunscape the Beach, now known as Dreams Punta Cana, was the beach itself. It was beautiful, the sand was so soft and white, but unless they have changed where you swim, it was kind of rocky. That’s it, that is the only thing. And to solve this solution when we were there, we walked maybe 50-100 feet in either direction and had no problems with rocks.
All in all, I would recommend this hotel to anyone, but especially those looking for a wedding destination. I am still to this day so happy that we chose this resort to get married at!!!
Please feel free to email me to ask any other questions or see pictures, either mine or the photographers of the wedding or trip.
julietosh@cogeco.ca
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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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