Grounds: Breathtakingly beautiful, I have nothing bad to say about this. The flamingos, ducks, geese, fish everything was great and the kids did enjoy feeding them.

Food: I am a picky eater, but am usually able to find something, was very leery on most of the food, as it did sit out for lengths of time and lost its appeal. I did manage to live on, lol, bacon, toast and peanut butter & jam for breakfast. Daughter ate similarly, sometimes having the occasional omelette.
Lunch we usually ate at the pool, as they did have hamburgers, hot dogs and pasta.
Supper, was a hit and miss, at the buffet, service for drinks was terrible, seldom had a drink except the pitcher of ice water on each table...again stuck with pasta.
The Italian restaurant was ok, we missed the seafood as everyone wasn't feeling quite well enough to venture there, or they didn't like seafood.
The Steak restaurant was to die for, it was our last night there and was the best ever, had the tenderloin, baked potatoe & carrots, we all felt tons better after having some food with substinence.

Room: Was ok, we didn't spend alot of time in it really, so was ok for sleeping, air worked great no problems there until last 2 days....tub, toilet leaked, air conditioner did last 2 days, upon going to front desk with problems, they wrote it down and that was it, nothing fixed. The first bathroom door, didn't work, had to fight to get it slightly closed, we usually went to the toilet room to dress, as we couldn't very well do it in front of everyone.

Pool: Like most say, if you didn't get down early and put out towels you probably won't get a lounge chair, we managed to usually get chairs, but then when your towels get stolen and they tell you will be $40, kind of makes you leery on doing that as it could cost an arm and leg. The entertainment guys at the pool were great, even if they weren't doing something with vacationers, they were goofing around amongst themselves and was quite funny. I loved watching the dancing. There was no introductory scuba lessons as advertised. They did play water polo but was usually bigger guys/adults, so made it hard for the younger ones to play as they were quite rough.

Check out: We had to be out of our room by noon, and our luggage was to be put in a locked room since we weren't being picked up for airport until 9 pm...the room wasn't locked and heard some saying the locks on there bags were broke etc. Ours fortunately didn't have anything worthwhile in them or they were left alone.

Pictures: Unless you get the supervisor there, good luck, we were told 1 hour, than another 1 hour, and again another 1 hour, we finally left it for about 4 days, then went back our last day to get a disc made....this time we were told 5 o'clock, but we had no clue on what would happen at that time. We finally found someone that could speak a bit more English that could help with translating, she was great. She told us to come back after 5 and the supervisor would be there and we would pick out our pictures and he could make the disc.

Language barrier: I realize that Spanish is the main language and found out it is pretty much the only language other than a few employees. We weren't rude to them at all, as we are in there country, and we aren't like that anyways, but it was extremely frustrating when you couldn't ask for the simplest things because they had no idea. They were nice enough, they would smile and nod and go about there business, lol, at this point, we realized they were like us when someone spoke Spanish to us, clueless, lol....it was fun trying though. We had an awful lot of coffee in our room, but no cups to drink from, lol, we were asking for the cups, not the coffee. We did take things down to leave for the maids each day, I just hope they liked the stuff and could use it or know someone that could....we were told to do this and our rooms would be well taken care of, well glad we did cause not sure what would have happened hadn't we, nothing special was done.

Anyways, sorry this was a bit of a bummer, it wasn't totally a drag, it was fun and we made the best of it while we were there, mind you we were all extremely happy when it was time to come home.

I stayed at the Natura resort from March 18-25, 2006. I am a sixty year old woman who was traveling alone. I have been going to the DR for years and have visited over a dozen different resorts. During this week the weather was spectacular – not a bit of rain until we left for the airport and the guide suggested that this was because the country was shedding tears that we were leaving.

Resort/Rooms: The room was nice with 2 double beds, a couch and lots of lights. The TV was small and you need to ask for a remote at the desk but there no longer is any deposit on the remote. Unfortunately the room over looked the lagoon that was a breeding ground for mosquitoes and had 8 flamingos that made noise all night long. Also the birds walk on the sidewalks leaving excrement. The room smelled a bit moldy and by the end of the week the clothes I had hung in the closed smelled so much I could not wear them. My husband noted when I returned and got in his car at the airport that I smelled like a swamp. My suitcase had to be aired outside and my clothes had to be washed multiple times.

Food: This was pretty good when I could eat it but I had intestinal distress that I never before had in the DR. You need to plan well in advance to book the a la carte restaurants. Two times I tried and once was told the computer was down and the second time all were full for 2 days. Media Luna, the steak restaurant on the lagoon, has wonderful food but beware of mosquitoes. They were so bad even though I had a long skirt on and had used Deet repellant that I could not finish my meal. A warning about this resort being all inclusive – the Natura really isn’t. Upon arrival you are told that you could only have free 4 sodas and 2 beers from the minibar for the entire week. There also is a substantial charge for the smaller bottled waters in the minibar and the bars do not give out bottles of water as they do at the Barcelo resorts.

Beach & Pool: The beach was very disappointing – it always seemed dirty and not just seaweed but garbage in the seaweed. The pool is small and always was cold plus in the attached outside whirlpool many people smoked. You can ’t smoke in the main restaurant but you can in the pool. Plus the man who gave out towels smoked so the beach towels smelled. The beach chairs always seemed taken even though no one was there. On my last night some one from Vancouver told me if no one shows up for an hour you can take the chairs by imminent domain!

Night Entertainment: I enjoyed the open set up of the area and particularly liked the Jazz groups.

The Spa/Gym: There is a pretty well equipped gym with showers and inside whirlpool just off the lobby. There also is a salon/spa area. The only listing of services is there, you do not get one in your room nor is there a brochure. Prices are more expensive than services at the Barcelo Beach/Palace. Many massages cost $100 US. I had a manicure and pedicure and was pleased with the quality but it was no bargain. They use OPI polish.

Shopping: Other resorts such as the Riu and Barcelo groups have significantly upscale shopping areas and a jewelry store. The gift shop at the Natura hotel was reasonable but had only inexpensive items (including Red Bull and generic Imodium for eighty cents a tablet).

My husband and our “almost 6” year-old daughter stayed at the resort from Mar 19-26. We travel at least once a year to all-inclusives and were quite happy with this one, particularly because we booked a great last minute deal. This was my 3rd time in the Dominican (previous to Puerto Plata and La Romana). Weather and beaches did not disappoint … clear blue skies, a nice “browning” sun (if you’re careful) and lots of breezes. As the Natura is further east from the biggest resort area, it was interesting that for our last 2 days dark clouds hung to the north of us and the other resorts supposedly had rain both days … we had nothing but glorious sunshine.

Resort/Rooms: very similar to the others we have stayed at in that it is not huge and overwhelming (we prefer this). Beautiful gardens and our daughter loved the animals (flamingoes, ducks, fish, peacocks) roaming..watch out for the geese as sometimes they get bossy and attack! Rooms are a little tired but very clean and lots of storage; always had hot water. Doors into bathroom are sliding louvers so warning that they are not very soundproof (especially when Montezuma’s revenge arrives!). Minimal face cloths left sporadically so you may want to pack a few! Maid service OK … we tipped and took gifts.

Food: Fine for us; typical of an all-inclusive in this price range. Got boring by end of week but didn’t really bother us as we didn’t go for the food. We ate at the Italian twice (awesome food; service is great; hola to Gendolzon) and the steakhouse once (good food; service not as good). The buffet has variety but make sure you LOOK AROUND as it is spread out between the main area and 2 side ones in other rooms (one is the “wellness” buffet I think). Pasta bar at lunch and dinner which is nice if there’s nothing else that tickles your fancy (plus great for a 5 year old!) Buffet at beach for lunch has Mexican, hot, pasta and pizza if you look to the side counter.

Beach & Pool: Awesome …there is some seaweed (they rake). So what if there is, it’s the ocean people – deal with it or stay at the pool! Depending upon how the breeze is, however, there can be absolutely zero seaweed as there was our last 2 days. Glorious. The nicest surprise for us (compared to a typical resort location) was that you can walk to the left and see absolutely no hotels for about 40 minutes. Safe walk, no pushy vendors and there are some non-seaweed areas you can swim in along the way. If you go to the right, there is the Allegro, Sunscape Punta Cana Grand and a market. We’re told way around the point further (not sure how far), there are Oscar de la Renta and Julio Iglesias’ homes. Although only 1 pool (with kids wading pool as separate part of it); good size (smaller than Copa) and never crowded; has a wheelchair ramp/wade in area which was good for our daughter and nice swim-up bar behind a waterfall. Only negative comment is that only ½ the jets in the hot tub area were ever working…they should fix this. Bathrooms nearby (good with kids!) but watch the last stall … no toilet seat so you might fall in!! Definite “chair saving” at this resort in comparison to others. If you end up “doing as the Romans do” enjoy the benefit of seeing the sunrise … ~ 6:30 am. – you are on the most eastern point of the DR and it is breathtaking..great pics! If you don’t want a palapa on the beach, you can usually score chairs later on; plus after lunch it gets shadier (sun behind) and the chairs seem to really free up. If you want a chair at the pool, saving is the only way you will get it after 8 am!! Even with saving, however, some people will still take your pool umbrella and move it to their spot before you came back! Chairs hard to get at pool even in afternoon.

Night Entertainment: made it to about 3 shows and they were enjoyable but not quite as good as others we’ve seen. Warning if travelling with kids: a lot of adult humour (as there was during some of the poolside games). There is a “kids disco” at 8 pm which is 2 clowns singing kids songs with actions … same songs each night and by the end of the week you’ll hate yourself for humming them! The kids liked it though. They have a good house band and there is sometimes some dancing … other than that, we didn’t stay up late enuf to check out any night life. Couples/family resort mainly. Drink recommendation: Banana mama (not on menu but yummy).

Health: Take Imodium Advance and PeptoBismol for sure. A lot on our flight got sick . My husband had intestinal problems, daughter vomitted twice 2nd day but luckily seemed to shake it…husbands problems persisted. Typical travellers problems. We’re told they cook with coconut oil (natural laxative) and palm oil (we’re told some people can’t easily digest it). I was OK but had eaten 2 yogurts/day before we went and made sure we all ate 1/day after we got hit.

Well, I had researched our trip (our 7th all inclusive vacation) using this site, so felt it was essential that I in turn share our experiences with you.

We just returned last Thursday and can honestly say that we were extremely pleased with the beach, quality of food, cleanliness of the room and the overall service we received.

My husband & I (early 50's), have been to the Dominican Republic 4 times, (our first however in Punta Cana). We appreciate the staff and show it in many ways (politeness, verbal recognition and monetary compensation). You do not need to tip at this resort; every member of their staff was courteous to us, however just as we are at home, an acknowledgement is definitely recognized and we did receive service above and beyond as we were remembered by all.

Our flight was with Sun Wing (the first for us). The service was excellent, especially on the flight down. We've travelled extensively and had the best flight attendant of all of our trips on the way down. I told her so but unfortunately I did not get her name. She went above & beyond for all onboard, in particular the young children. The free head sets, complimentary wine accompanying our hot meal were nice gestures as well. We were at the resort within 30 minutes of landing at the Punta Cana airport (which, by the way, is new and very nice).

When we checked in, it was 10:30 p.m., we literally walked up to the first attendant on duty; our bags were promptly delivered to our room which was located in block #8 - excellent ground floor room w/Patio walkout closely located next to the pool, beach, lunch bar & grill and the bar overlooking the swim up.

Our Sun Wing rep (Louis) was also very helpful and a pleasure to deal with.

The weather for the 7 days was very good; we did experience about a day & a half of heavy cloud cover with intermittent rain showers but nothing at all to mark/spoil our holiday (remember our summers in Canada and keep the weather in perspective). We visited all 3 al acarte restaurants and found all to be exceptionally good. The bottled wine in all 3 is a very nice touch. My personal favourite was the Italian. Highly recommend the beef medallion dinner (yes offered in the Italian - outstanding quality). If anyone's really interested in what to order at all 3, I would not hesitate to share our preferences with you.

The resort is rate 4 1/2 * and, in our opinion, deserves this rating. The room was exceptionally clean and other than one day (3:00 p.m.), the room was made up by 10:30 or so every morning.

Yes, you do need to reserve chairs on the beach or by the pool but because we're early risers, we had our choice every day. Quite honestly, there are enough guests coming & going throughout the day, you can easily find a chair (we never had a problem).

Yes, there is seaweed but as previously mentioned, the workers are constantly (in the extreme heat) attempting to keep the beach clean. We tipped the young gentleman for his efforts one morning; we had the feeling that this was the first time his hard work was acknowledged by a hotel guest.

Our only excursion outside the resort was the half day trip to swim w/the sharks/manerays. My husband throughly enjoyed this/ the snorkling was very good as well.

This resort to quiet - we found there were several young families with the majority being 35+. I would not recommend this resort to "partiers" as there is no disco/casino, however the house band and the nightly shows were entertaining.

I'd definitely recommend this property and would not hesitate to return, although we have, to date, made it our practice to not return to the same resort (for fear of disappointment/comparisons). We were given a site inspection at the Occidental Allegro (right next door) and will seriously consider this property for our next holiday in the DR. Although we've been to several caribbean islands/countries, we find for the money, the DR cannot be beaten.

We stayed at the resort from Feb.18 - 25

It was our first time there and we were very happy, the weather was amazing every single day, no rain, lots of sun and some breeze to cool you off a bit.

Resort: is not too big and not too small, just right. Very beautifully decorated, all wood. The grounds are beautiful lots of trees and plants and so well maintained.

Room: very clean and spacious and very cozy, no bugs, we always had hot water.

Food: AWESOME, we ate at all three a la carte rest. they were super good, the buffet there was very good as well, there are 2 parts where you can get food. For lunch we ate at the beach rest. the pasta is sooo good, you pick what you want.

Beach: its very nice, there is some seaweed but they are always cleaning it, saturday when we were leaving it looked so clean, we wished it was like that during our week, but still beautiful, the sand is nice and white. If you take a 10 min. walk to the left you'll find the most AMAZING part of the beach, clear white sand, the water is breathtaking we took lots of pics there.

We were in the olympics there, Natura Park vs. Allegro next door, this was sooooo much fun. There were 5 activities we had to do, so funny, and we won WOO HOO

Pool: there's one pool and its great, never crowded, nice swim-up bar.

Night Entertainment: was alright, we missed most of the shows, but the ones we saw were good.

One more thing, when you go to the market, you have to be very firm with them. Don't get stuck with one like we did, and although we cut his price by half we could have done better. Still we got a few nice things to bring back.

The only bad things were there is a lack of chairs by the pool and on the beach. You have to get up very early to put your towel on some charis to reserve them. Some people would put towels on chairs in the morning and you would't see them using them all day???? one day we were just sitting at a picnic table because there were no chairs available and one of the workers brought us a couple of chairs, which I thought was really nice. The other one is after the evening entertainment is finished around 10 or 11pm it seems eveyone goes back to their rooms, no night life, kinda boring. There is a disco at night but we saw one night maybe 6 people dancing, so if you're looking to party, this isn't the place. Other than that this place is awesome!!!

We went to the Natura Park Resort from February 17 to the 24th. It was the best holiday we have ever had. The resort was spotlessly clean as were the rooms.

With the food you had to really look and be very selective but it was fine, not once did we get sick. The maid left us with 4 bottles of water everyday, so we could make our own coffee in the room which was much better than the coffee in the resturant.

As for the beach it was amazing, I honestly don't understand people complaining about a little bit of seaweed on the beach (it is natural), every evening it was raked up. We were not bothered by it at all.

The only real complaint that we may have, is that when walking past the other resorts we were hounded by people offering us time shares. On one walk we were hit up 6 times, Natura Park has none of this.

There were no language barriers, with the maid I wrote her notes in spanish and left her tips and shampoos and lotions (they love to get gifts) I also took sticker books for children, toothbrushes and lolli pops.

Check in
No problems there. They spoke English well and we had no troubles communicating with them.

Room
Fantastic! Clean and had a great view. Two double beds, but that was fine. Doors seem to let every sound through but other than that it was good. The very last day we had no hot water. That sucked. If you have a late flight home be prepared to pay $50 per person to keep your room after 1pm. They do not budge on that. Not once were we offered to have a shower in a room like some of the other reviews have said. They did say we could shower in the gym with everyone else. But again there was no hot water.

Grounds
VERY VERY beautiful!! Out of a postcard.

Beach
Very disappointed. Lots of seaweed on beach and in the water. Go for a walk up the beach to get away from that. (Weird how at the resort there was a LOT of seaweed but up the beach (were there are NO resorts) it was a lot better) We saw one guy on ONE day cleaning the seaweed off the beach at the resort.

Good place to propose though. J Trust me.. LOL.

Specialty Restaurants
Very good food at the steak house.(we ate there twice it was so good) We ate at the Italian restaurant and got sick (we think it was the meat in the spaghetti sauce)

Buffet Restaurants
Not good at all!!!! If you want any chance of not getting sick get to the restaurants as soon they open. Everything is left out till they close. Not sure about the water either. I travel A LOT and have never gotten sick. This trip gave me two full weeks of the runs and two visits to the doctor. I think it was parasites in the water but I can’t be sure. Good luck getting a good cup of coffee too.

Pool
Very misleading according to all the pictures we saw of the resort. Don’t get me wrong it was very nice and clean but very small, COLD, and there is only one pool. It did have a cool little swim up bar under a waterfall.

Feb 16, 2006 - After reading some of the reviews earlier about Natura, we were a little concerned about things like the meals, condition of the beach, etc... What a great relief!! This place is like Heaven on earth! The food was GREAT; The beach was GREAT - the entire resort was GREAT! There is a little bit of seaweed on the beach but you are in a reef-protected area. What do you expect? I just found it made for more enjoyable snorkeling. The grassy underwater hills, just off to the left were full of life; a little seaweed is a small price to pay. I don't know how anyone could complain about anything here - We can't wait until next year to enjoy it again...

P.S. - Make sure you take in "Manati Park" while you are here, the bus leaves right from the resort and the park is excellent! - but the shark died, the pool is now full of crabs...

I Just returned from my vacation to the Natura Park Eco Resort and Spa in Punta Cana on Jan 20, 2006. I was a little bit worried after I booked my trip when I started to read some of the reviews for this hotel. Some say too many bugs, the beach is not pretty enough and has too much seaweed, the communication barrier is a huge problem, ect. Well I am going to tell you that I had no problems and the place was absolute paradise. I am going to write my review on a scale of 1*-5*, 1* being the lowest and 5* the highest.

The Resort over all I gave a 5*, because of the beauty, people, everything overall was great.

Flight 5*. We flew out of Newark, NJ. We left at 6am which was great because we landed at 10:45am. We were on the beach by noon. It was quick and smooth. The only thing I did not like about the flight home was that the resort made us leave at 7:30am to catch a flight for 11:45am, I thought that was ridiculous. Iwanted to take a taxi instead and just pay for it but the Apple representive said it would not be a good idea that it take forever to get through customs coming home. We definately could have taken a cab at 9:30am like I wanted to because it only took about 20 min to get through if that. But my fiance did not want to risk it. So we hung out at the airport for awhile. Then our flight left about 45 min early, so maybe in the end it was good we came with the bus.

Check in 3*. When we arrived at the Natura Park they gave us our key and stuff and said our room was ready. So I was very happy with that because I was not expecting it to be ready until check in at 3pm. So we began to walk to our patio(thats what they call the diferent sections of rooms) mind you the walk there was beautiful birds fishing, fish being feed, flamingos hanging out by one of the many ponds, peacocks walking the open air halls by the lobby. It was amazing. But when we got to our room we put the key in and it would not unlock the door. So we were trying to communicate with the maid to explain to her what was going on and for her to call the front desk. We really did not want to walk all the way back to the lobby with all of our suitcases because they were already brought up to our room we were supposed to have. So I finally got the maid to call the front desk from the room she was cleaning, which was right next to the room I was to have. I got on the phone with th e front desk and he told me to just take the room I was in and to come down and get the new key. So Iwalked back to the front desk and when I had gotten there they had already given the key to someone for the room that we were supposed to have now. After I had gotten a look at the two rooms they had offered me I knew I wanted one of the two. So he told me I can not have the room that they just gave the key away too but I can have one down the hall a little. I said no I do not want that one, how about the one you originally gave us. He said oh those people did not check out yet. So I said I would wait for that room and we got it by 1pm. That was really one of the only run ins the whole week. But tin the end I got the room I had requested a week before leaving and loved it.

Room 5*. Top floor room in patio IX room number 4229 oceanview somewhat which was great because the only rooms that are oceanview are the suites. But I did know from reading other reviews that if you get a top floor in some of the standard rooms you can see the ocean. So I e-mailed the resort requesting one and got it in the end.

Food/Service 3*. It is better than some other all inclusives I have been to. It is very repeatitive. My fiance liked most stuff but I am a very finicky eater so I barely ate. The service is OK not great but they do try to keep you happy. They have three A la carte restaurants. I loved Media Luna(steakhouse) I ate there 2x instead of having to eat at La Perla(seafood) not a lot of people enjoyed the seafood so we just stayed away. la Gondola (Italian) is OK. If you are Italian and are used to you Sunday gravy and macaroni, like us, you may not like it.The service in the restaurants seems to me just like the service in the buffet but the waiters speak english and not many do in the buffet.

Beach in front of hotel 4*. There seems to get a lot of seaweed right there but if you walk a little ways to the left around the point it is absolutely georgous. I give that 5*. Also to the left of the resort there are no hotels for a couple of miles. So you have all that beach to explore. I you get far enough there are trails where little hermit crabs scurry along. It is PARADISE. If you walk to the right there are more hotels and vendors who sell stuff on the beach, but they are very very very pushy. Do not ever pay the first price they offer. you offer half or less back.

The language barrier is a little bit of a problem but they try very hard to understand. I bought a computer game that teaches me all the basics of spanish. It was very helpful. Also remember we are in there country do not get angry if they do not understand you. There is always someone around that can translate and help. Practice your spanish on them they love it when you try.

Overall, my girlfriends and I had an enjoyable time at this resort. There were no major complaints but there are some areas that are in need of improvement.

Flight
• The flight was through Skyservice and I was very impressed with the service as well as being served a meal on the flight both to and from the Dominican
• Travel time was approximately 4 hours
• If you are wanting to book over the Christmas holidays and leaving from Toronto, my advice is to not book last minute (unless this was a fluke year) – if you book at the end of November, you will get a much better rate. The prices did not drop at all this year.

Tour Operator
• We used Conquest Vacations and overall the service seemed fine (i.e. the rep was on time for the orientation and seemed to be available at the appointed time on the schedule) except that we were informed during our orientation that we would not have to pay the $20 US departure tax (that it was included with part of our package) but it was not and therefore I was scrambling last minute at the check in at the airport counter upon departure
• There needed to be greater clarification with respect to the green forms provided by the tour operator which exempts travelers from paying $10 US for the tourist card. The flight staff informed us that we needed to complete blue forms instead which were provided but they were not the correct forms

Resort
• It is a family resort and there were definitely a lot of children and couples but surprisingly this did not make for an unpleasant experience since all the children were pretty well behaved and really cute!
• I traveled with 3 single females (late 20’s/early 30’s) and we did not feel out of place
• The population seemed to be mostly Europeans (German, Spanish, Italian, French) and Canadians with a few Americans mixed in
• Definitely bring insect repellant since many people were bitten by what one can only assume as mosquitoes since the bites were very itchy. As well, bring anti-histamines and calamine lotion. My girlfriend had an allergic reaction to the bites and spent a few days miserable until she received allergy shots and cortisone cream from the health clinic
• Compared to Cuba, I found there was a bit of language barrier in communicating with the staff. Many staff members do not speak English (maybe about 50%?) and therefore it is recommended to learn some basic Spanish phrases/words prior to the trip

Meals
• Overall, the food was adequate but not overly impressive. As most people are aware, one does not go to Dominican for the food- especially at an all inclusive resort
• The selection at the buffets tended to be repetitive and if one arrived too late, the selection at times was quite dismal i.e. if you were to eat lunch at 2pm instead of 12pm
• Even the a la carte restaurants were not very impressive whereby the desserts were the same desserts one could find at the buffet- however, it was still nice to be served
• We did hear complaints from other patrons that at times, they did not get served for 2 hours at the restaurants
• The Media Luna (the restaurant in the middle between beach and lobby) is open late and you can get snacks (fries, hotdogs, hamburgers) after midnight
• We did find that receiving beverage service at the buffets were a bit on the poor side- so different from Cuba whereby the servers are very attentive!!!

Rooms
• On first floor, halfway between beach and lobby, safe in each room, can hear the music somewhat in the evenings (may disturb light sleepers)
• The room key is attached to a metal key holder which you place in its holder by the light switches in order to receive electricity in the room
• Only one key provided to us even with two occupants in the room- we didn’t bother asking for an extra key so I’m not certain if extra keys can be provided or not
• Refrigerator was not working and although we requested assistance on the matter, did not receive adequate help
• Towels were not provided every day and had to phone in for towels on almost daily basis
• It is quite possible that we did not receive towels since on the first day we did not leave a tip. I don’t quite agree with this logic. I believe that there should be a minimum level of service and if we do leave a tip, one should receive benefits beyond the average level of service such as receiving extra towels, extra bottles of water etc. In any case, even on the occasions we did leave a tip, we did not receive the towels!!!
• There is absolutely no privacy with respect to the bathroom and one can hear everything! The doors are wooden slides that are similar to wooden blinds for windows
• In the rooms, there is an iron (hooray!) but no ironing board. I requested one on 2 occasions and did not receive it and therefore gave up and ended up using the coffee table and placing a towel on it
• The rooms felt a bit chilly at night but wasn’t certain how to adjust the thermometer- may want to bring warm PJs!
• It was confusing to determine which bottles of water that were in the rooms were free – I believe it is the bigger bottles of water that are complimentary.
• They also lock the minibar/refrigerator the evening before departure which was kind of annoying

Beach
• Very beautiful and clean, white sand, some seaweed, but the seaweed is definitely not as bad as the resort next door to the right (sunscape?), to the left there is not another resort and therefore nice to walk along the beach
• Also, the resort is not overcrowded as the resort next door
• Temperature was warm and very comfortable, did not rain, only sprinkling a bit which we seemed to have missed each time since we would only notice that the ground was wet but did not actually see the rain falling

Sports
• There is diving, catamaran, parasailing, snorkeling, tennis, volleyball (not all the time), table tennis, horseback riding, banana boat, kayaking, wind-surfing (the equipment at the resort was not very good), certification course for diving is available
• Don’t bother going on the snorkeling trip for $20 US- especially if you have been snorkeling in other places like Mexico- not much to see and very awkward since your feet doesn’t touch the bottom of the ocean and it gets tiring very quickly to swim around snorkeling (even with life jacket)- you can probably take the kayak out by yourself and borrow the snorkeling gear if the staff lets you and go on your own
• With regards to tennis, make certain to book as soon as you get there since early morning (9-10am) and late afternoons (4-5pm) get taken very quickly and it may be too hot to play at other times during the day

Tours
• Different ones are available i.e. monster truck, swimming w/ dolphins
• I went on only one excursion: the trip to Santa Domingo. I was the only one of my girlfriends to go since everyone else was put off by the travel time (3.5 hours to get there). The bus picked us up at 6:30am and we didn’t return until around 8:30pm. Cost was $68 US. I felt the trip was definitely worth the fee. There are several mini stops along the way and therefore it did not seem as long. The main highlights were going to an underground cave, going to the first basilica of the New World and Christopher Columbus’ house. We were given approximately 1 hour to shop in Santa Domingo. As well, we were given opportunity to shop on our way to Santa Domingo and on our way back at the rest room stop- about 30 min each time. It was nice that at both locations the vendors were not aggressive
• Going to Santa Domingo is comparable to going to Havana if one is visiting Varadaro

Nightlife
• The shows that they put on each night were not that interesting in my opinion but perhaps children found them more entertaining?
• They have a great house band and sometimes they played jazz which was fantastic- check out the hot trumpet player (alas, he has a pregnant wife)
• One can go to resorts nearby to check out discos but my friends and I never got around to it nor did we get around to going to the nearby city of Higuey
• There is a central bar lounge which worked well since there is only one location where all the patrons gather every night. This is also the location of the evening shows

Shopping
• Shopping is so-so
• The jewelry selection is not as nice as Mexico- the main stones are amber, larimar (national stone only found in DR) and some jewelry were made using conch shells (pink)
• Paintings were not as nice as I found in Cuba, but much more affordable
• Many people were purchasing coffee, rum and cigars

This is a short review as most information has already been mentioned but I have also included a map which I could not find before I left.

Well maintained, beautiful grounds, large suite-type rooms, we didn't find the beds as hard as previously mentioned. We were in building IX so close to the beach on the ground floor with no problems. They have small touches that make the resort very nice, (complimentary terry house coats and slippers, book marks, bread to feed ducks in bins). My husband and I had a king room and my mum (74) had a twin. They were very good in accommodating our request for her!

The food was adequate, we didn't starve!!! Always something to eat at the buffet but it sure isn't home so don't expect that. Breakfast was the best with fresh fruit, smoothies, omelets etc. The 3 al a carte's are very nice and our favorite was the Rest Media Luna (bbq). The beach restaurant needs some work. The food is okay and it is very difficult to get a beer/wine brought to you (my husband ended up going to the bar himself each day), although they do have self dispensing pop/juice/water machines, and they are very slow in clearing the tables both at the main buffet and the beach buffet. That is my only fault with the hotel and not really a complaint just more of an annoyance having to scrape and pile the dishes up yourself.

The beach is nice, water warm, great for swimming and walking but there is loads of seaweed which the gardeners spend an entire day, each day, raking up. We have been in Punta Cana before (LTI) and found the beach much nicer the further north you go.

Immigration both coming in and going out is a nightmare.....bring loads of patience!

Just got back from the Dominican Republic where we stayed at the Natura Park. I was a little worried because I read the other reviews but let me say to you….it was great!!!!

The resort is wonderful….full of green areas, lagoons, little brigdes….the pool area is dreaming with a bar in the water, and the beach…well is paradise. Crystal turquoise waters, white beachs of soft clean sand, palm trees…my god how I miss it!!

You have plenty to do if you don’t take the excursions. Canooing, snorkeling, yacht sailing all free…and other paid activities like scuba diving, water banana split (you’ll find out later) and many other things.

They have a beach market where you can find everything….it’s the cheapest place to buy souvenirs…believe me I waited to see all the other places. They push you a bit because they’re poor and need selling but you can discuss the prices till both of you feel it’s a fair price. They have 3 wonderful restaurants, one by the beach specialized in fish “La Perla”, a meat one by the flamingo lagoon “Media Luna” and a Italian one “La Gondola”…both great places, with a somehow romantic atmosphere, live music with “the muchachos”…plus you have the buffet area wich is great. If you’re American or European you’ll find food to your taste….on breakfast you’ll even have pancakes an peanut butter…fruit milkshakes, jams, French toasts, eggs,…everything. But try everything, at least if you don’t have a sensible stomach….i tried everything….

After breakfast indulge yourself on a relaxed vacation spirit and go feed the flamingos, the ducks, gooses, fishes and all the other birds….sometimes they fly to the table near you to eat the crums…don’t be snob about it….its great to feel an harmony between you and nature.

The rooms are not luxurious but they’re fine…spacious, clean, with a big closet, nice bathroom, air conditioned….besides with so much to do who cares about the room!!!

The people is great…the employes pass by and always say hello….muy buena gente! Try to learn some new spanish words, ask for the things name try to speak in their language….

We spent one fabulous week at Narua Park in Punta Cana. We flew CanJet from Halifax and had no complaints. Customs was quick at the Punta Cana airport. We arrived at the resort after a 25 minute drive and checked in immediately.

The resort is very lush and has many species of birds throughout the grounds. Our room was on the 3rd floor in building #3. It was a good location, halfway between the lobby/restaurant and the pool/beach. The beach was perfect with white sand and many palm trees. The majority of guests were Spanish speaking. There was a lot of topless sunbathers at the pool and the beach.

There were vendors located down the beach. We had fun bartering with them. Make sure you do not pay any more than half of the price they start out with. The food at the resort was good. The coffee and deserts were excellent. Remember you are in a different country so you should not expect the food to be the same as home.

We took one excursion to Catalina Island. It is on the south coast. We took a bus to La Romana and then a large catamaran out to the island. Lunch and drinks were served and we spent the entire afternoon snorkleing. An underwater camera is a must.

Hi. Just returned from five days at Natura Park. Went with great trepidation after reading reports with no updates since the Hurricane. We were pleasantly surprised again and again.

Review:
check-in was organized and easy, luggage delivered immediately

food - pretty good overall, lacks the polish of the Iberostar with the daily carvings and decor. Ate at the Italian rest. - La Gondola, and the meat rest., Media Luna. Both meals were great. Buffet was inconsistent but had some great pasta, rice, veggie dishes. Waiters/waitresses were responsive and refills were plentiful of soda, wine, etc. We are not seafood eaters so we can't really rate the seafood.

drinks - just fine. They had so much to choose from and we thought the house drink (Blau Cocktail) was delicious. Enjoyed the rosato (zinfandel) at the two restaurants, which was not available at the buffet or bars (different one - which was drier). Would have liked Baileys after dinner, but they had so many others to choose from that you have to be satisfied.

staff - polite and helpful - go ahead and try a little Spanish - it is respectful when you visit any other area to try their language and they responded so nicely. We left a few dollars for the maid each day and had good service. Left notes with phonetically spelled requests in Spanish for extra towels, etc.

property - tranquil and soothing. Seems to be lots of replanted areas and the roaming fowls are fun and interesting, some graceful. Never a problem with loud music.

beach - B-E-A-utiful. Seemed to be two hotels with a shopping area (high pressure) on one side and about five miles of undeveloped land on the other side - beach felt very safe to walk on and what a delight. Seaweed changed daily. First day I couldn't find a place to step in the water - a few days later I couldn't FIND any seaweed in the water. Do take a swim in the salt water, it is so recuperative and rejuvenating.

room -