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| Catalonia Gran Dominicus Resort |
Sule ~ Canada |
October 2009
Arrival: oct17/oct24 2009
We travelled with our 2and 3,5 years old kids. We had a great vacation.Everything was like a nice dream which you never want to wake up!
Rooms:
Clean,comphy but needs renovation which they have started in some sections.
Restaurants and Bars:
Buffet in all meals was very satisfying for each member of our family.
But the Pizza restaurant which serves italian food was perfecto! We tried steak house it was also good..But I got sick after I had a bite from an undercooked hamburger. Good thing I brought Pepto- bismol with me in case for my kids get sick but I had to use it for myself and I recovered next day and did not miss anything.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Beach was amazing very safe for young kids, clear water ,nice sandy beach good for making sand castles!Walking on beach is little rough but fun to go to little shops to see souveniors and the other side neighbour hotels iberostar' lighthouse..
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Animation team was really great.We enjoyed the shows in beach and at night in theather especially gala tropical was good.We rented a taxi and go to santa domingo and altos de chavon.payed 200 US$ tips inc.and had a great cultural tour but spend the day away from the beach...
Other Comments:
I definitely recommend this resort who likes family vacation it is not a place for partying most of the guests are europeans esp. italians.don't expect luxury on the other hand I would call this resort "cozy hidden piece of paradise"
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| Catalonia Gran Dominicus Resort | Nancy ~ Canada |
February 2009
Arrived around 8 in the evening. Customs and baggage claim went smoothly and we were onto the bus with no hassles. The road to the resort was pitch black and narrow, which made for an exciting half hour. The Nolitour rep had us fill out a check-in card with our particulars and passport number on the bus and we were given our bracelets. At the resort we were served a welcome drink while we stood in line to check in. The card helped immensely and it didn’t take time to be given our welcome bag and key. We were given 1 key per room - a regular key attached to a wooden circle with our room number and the villa name on it. We took it off in our room as we didn’t want to lose it and have whoever found it just walk into the room.
http://travel.webshots.com/album/569984739oKOgJT
We were in the Barahona Villa, a few minutes walk from the main bar and buffets. The room was spacious enough – 2 double beds, a dresser and mirror with a chair, regular sized TV and a small fridge in the dresser. Electronic safe in the good sized closet. A shelf by each bed served as a night table, no clock, iron or coffee maker. Mattress was quite comfortable but pillows were not. Air conditioning was good and pretty quiet. We had a nice sized balcony with 2 Adirondack chairs. The building was beside the service road which the employees used - so we could hear them come in to work around 6:45 each morning. Rooms were quiet even if close to activities. Guests were usually in their rooms by midnight so we didn’t have much banging of doors. All the villas have wonderful tropical landscaping around them.
Bathroom needed updating. Hardly any counter space but a pretty flowered sink. There were shelves near the sink for your personal things. No bathtub and the stand-in shower was circular and curtained. Many times we had no hot water during peak hours – would have to wait 15 minutes and then it was boiling. Toiletries supplied but we didn’t use them and facecloths were not supplied. Toilet is closet sized with a wooden door. Tile grout was in need of replacement and was very grungy looking. I was told they are updating the bathrooms and that will be a great improvement. The fridge is restocked daily with small bottles of water – a soft drink or two would have been appreciated at times but what I missed the most was the coffee maker. Maids did a good job with cleaning.
Everything is centrally located. Reception is at the entrance and that’s where you’ll find the exchange desk and the reps. All the action happens near the beach. The main bar and pool dominate the middle part and the buffet and a la cartes are on either side. The theatre and shops are also in the same area. The whole resort is clean and well landscaped and the gardeners work at it all day long. They spray for mosquitos before supper time – I only witnessed it when on my balcony so I don’t know if they did it near the restaurants. A man with a tank on his back, wearing a mask, sprays along the bushes every evening. You can hear him coming. I didn’t notice a strong smell of insecticide but didn’t take any chances and would go to the room for a while.
Food was pretty good! The resort is mainly Italian and this was reflected in the food choices and preparation. Fish and a meat cooked to order at separate food stations, good variety of pasta, more fish and another meat dish at the buffet counters. Salad fixings with choice of oils and vinegars. Good Bruschetta and Italian cold cuts. Smoked salmon was on the menu often. The daily soup was never really hot – almost bordered on cold, as were lots of the veggies and potatoes. Good choice of breads and grissini and the toasters worked well! Desserts were great and ice cream was available for lunch only. Coffee was not up to par – especially considering the European clientele – and it was only served for breakfast in the buffet. The pool bar would open around 8:30AM and served delicious coffee from espresso machines but if you couldn’t wait until then you only had the buffet coffee – made very early in the morning and overheated in those big 50 cup urns, served by the staff at your table. By 8 AM it tasted boiled and would burn your mouth. Eggs were made to order at the egg station but they would also dump a pound of bacon on the same griddle and cook it along with the eggs. They didn’t cook it lined up but in a pile so it never got cooked enough for my tastes. The bacon fat would be flowing all over the place and they used this fat to cook the eggs. People who wanted bacon would be given a clump of it straight from the griddle and you could see the fat just flowing onto their plates – yuck! No bacon for me this time, lol. Buffet was open from 7 to 10, 12:30 to 2 in afternoon and from 7:30 to 10 in the evenings.
We ate at 2 a la cartes – Steakhouse and Mexican. We had no problem reserving in the middle of the week for either one. We enjoyed both meals – service was great and the decoration of the restaurants reflected the theme quite nicely. The Tequila shrimp and quesadillas were terrific as was the steak tenderloin in the Steakhouse. Not the tenderloin we’re used to, but tasty and very tender.
Beach Snack Bar is right on the beach and is open from about 10:30 till 5:30: make-your-own hot dogs, hamburgers and sandwiches to order, fries, onion rings, delicious roast chicken and nuggets, salad bar, self-serve beer (Presidente), and fruit bar. No desserts or coffee. There is also a bar on the beach with slush machines and self-serve soft drinks.
El Patio restaurant serves assorted pasta and delicious thin-crust pizza at lunch time. It becomes the Italian a la carte in the evenings. Nice place to sit – near beach and pool – beer and coffee available. There are line-ups here at 12:30. Service at all the restaurants and bars was impeccable. There was always a smile and the staff were quick to remove your plates. I don’t think we were ever served at any of the restaurants/bars by the same person more than once and we usually sat in the same area. I was a bit disappointed in that aspect as I like to form some kind of friendship with the staff.
We gave the beach mixed reviews. The water is calmer than Punta Cana and very clear but the beach isn’t wide because they arrange rows of loungers on the area where we usually walk. The beach slopes down quite strongly to the waters edge so you are walking on a slant. If you go higher up you’re ankle deep in the soft sand and it’s not easy to walk or jog. To avoid coral, enter the water in front of the activity hut and the snack bar. It looks as if there has been some erosion because we had to step up about a foot or so to get to the lounger area. All along this line there were wasps that nested in the sand near the exposed palm tree roots. They never bit or bothered you but they were flying about close to the ground all day. The water isn’t deep and you can go far out before it’s chest-high. There’s a man-made reef along the safety line and you can see 3-4 different kinds of fish. There is also a pier to the left of the beach were some people were fishing or bringing bread to feed the fish. Waves weren’t high but they were strong. Not that many palapas but lots of palm trees for shade. The towel game is popular but you can still get shade by 9:30 AM. The shade area gets crowded and don’t be surprised to see towels on unoccupied loungers for long periods of time. Loud music is blasted from 10:30 till 12 and from 2:30 to 5. We didn’t visit the beach vendors this trip but did the half day excursion to Catalina Island. Snorkelling off shore wasn’t that great and there wasn’t much coral. Lots of debris at the bottom – water was 10 ft. deep there. People were bringing bread and bananas for the fish and the guide had no clue when I told him it was bad for the fish and the environment. He thought I was really funny! We enjoyed the beach area on the other side of the island, where we saw more fish than off shore. They have a snack bar there and toilets and a small souvenir shop. Beware of vendors trying to sell you starfish shells – our guide said they would be taken away from you at customs. He was not popular with the vendors that day. We thought the vendors spoiled the effect of a ‘deserted’ island. Coming back we slowed down at Casa de Campo and were shown houses of celebrities – Madonna, M. Jackson, Shakira, Julio Iglesias – fun to see and a real eye opener. Saona Island and Catalina are both about a 30 minute boat ride from the resort. We were happy with our half day.
The entertainment staff are very active! The team is made up of Italians, French and Dominicans. They mingle a lot with the guests and are on the beach for an hour each morning and afternoon, stopping by your lounger and chatting before starting the activities. Lots of dance and aerobic classes on the beach and sports such as Bocce, petanque, volleyball. Activities alternate from the pool to the beach and you can hear the music all over the resort. The Italians join in every activity – old and young alike. They love dancing and dance under their palapas, on the beach, in the water – wherever there’s music. It was great to see them enjoying themselves and I was envious of the ladies who had such wonderful dance partners J The theme song is ‘Hey, Baby’ and it plays about 10 times a day. Everyone congregates around the pool bar in the evening– again lots of music, games and dancing with the animators until the show starts at 10 PM. It can get noisy and if you don’t like the music there’s nowhere else you can go except back to your room. Don’t miss the pool show – they turn off the lights around the area and there are lots of torches going on – quite a sight to see. The shows are done by the animation team and they’re also at the disco until 2 AM. They show up smiling and bouncy on the beach at 10 AM! We heard no music from the Iberostar next door.
There’s an internet hut near the main bar with 4 computers. The computers kept switching to Italian and I was lost. Spanish keyboards slowed me down too. $5 for 30 minutes – speed is pretty fast. There are pricey boutiques and a small shop where you can buy ice cream, snacks, personal supplies etc. and a cigar-rum hut where you can sit and smoke and relax. The Casino was closed for renovations but if you wanted, you could go to the Dreams resort - $10 taxi each way and use theirs.
As far as language barriers…if you only speak English you might find it difficult . I recommend going with friends or family because it could get lonely. I speak fluent French and limited Spanish and had no problem. Most staff spoke fluent Italian or French. The DJ includes some English in the evenings but leaves things out in the translation so you miss out a lot. The English menus at the a la cartes are a real joke– half English, half Spanish and half Italian – so be prepared for a laugh. I would think that the Catalonia could have had them properly translated. If you can, leave some used novels at the 'library' for future guests as there is not much in English. I would estimate that 80% of guests were Italian, 15% French or Quebecois and 5% Anglophone. I spoke to some anglophone guests and they said they really enjoyed their vacation. The Domincan staff really go out of their way to make you feel welcome.
All in all, a pretty nice resort. Food is pretty good, water is calm, everything is centrally located and not far from your room. If you like peace and quiet on the beach you might be disappointed. If you like long walks on the beach – ditto. If you like mingling with other guests or chatting with staff, you’ll be disappointed if you don’t speak the language. This resort has a different flavour than the non-European resorts but it can be a lot of fun. Danielle, our Canadian Nolitour/Transat rep was very helpful and available every day. She is perfectly bilingual so you can speak to her with ease. If you want to surprise her or thank her – bring her some Maple Syrup. It’s the only thing she misses from home!
You can check out my album here: http://travel.webshots.com/album/569984739oKOgJT
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| Catalonia Gran Dominicus Resort |
Helen ~ Wainfleet, ON |
December 2008
Arrival: Dec 8 - 15th
The ride to resort was great got to see part of the country, about 30 minutes from airport. It is really to bad the people of the Domincan use it as a garbage can though. Very senic when you overlook the garbage. PS tourist card also included in your price of trip, no surprises when you get to airport on return trip.
Rooms:
very clean and basic, newer furniture, decorated nicely. Please note this resort was flooded out in the last huricane and you would not know it. They are renovating the rooms one section at a time by looks of it these rooms will look beautiful once resort is completely done. I was very happy with room had mini fridge with bottled water supplied every day, color tv but i only slept in room. You are in villa's either 8 rooms or 16 rooms each with thier own garden private patio or verandas on second floor. safe is electronic and included in your trip. Very colourful resort, all villas painted outside with pastel colours and tiled floors. Very Itialian looking.
Restaurants and Bars:
2 al cartes, food in mexican and american are well worth the trip. The EL patio (italian) the pizza is to die for, thin crust. The buffet had a variety of food the was cooked well and you knew what it was. The buffet was themed every day. I was not disappointed. Staff attentive, gracious. The beach snack bar had wonderful roasted chicken and nice cold beer ;-) the central bar, great service like the Bamahma's white tray service, again very attentive, bar manager and bar captains on top of staff all the time, staff were to know all different drinks from all around the world and know how to speak many languages. Table staff got to know all your names and what you were drinking, were there before you glass was empty to ask if you would like a refill. Beach bar great drinks, they use hard plastic glasses that are reusable.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Landscapers taking care of ground all day, fixing, repairing or replacing what needed to be done. The is no shortage of lush green bushes, flowers or palms on this resort. Grounds were constantly being sweeped and cleaned, Beached raked daily, ashtrays throught the grounds and on beach. Very clean. Bathrooms cleaned and checked every half hour, spotless. Pool big and divided on areas for kids and deeper end. Basketball or water polo played in pool with no interuption to others. This pool is handicapped accessable, the whole grounds for that matter. They have a beach wheelchair and special cabana's reserved just those in wheelchairs, there are staff members all around to help with those people in wheel chair from taking them into the water or helping with any medical daily care that needed to done. These staff members also entertained so other family members could enjoy them selves also. There is a reef in the ocean that is man made. (this resort lost thier beach a few years ago) this reef are very large cement bells with holes in them. Presently there are lots of fish that live in these bells, Coral is just starting to growing on these bells and fanna. Please snorkle over to enjoy the fish but please don't stand on the bells you will kill the coral, just enjoy the beauty of this. Water activities include all non motorized activities. Staff is helpful but I was not a happy camper that they don't tell the people who are just learning to snorkle not to damage the coral on the bells. The sand is white and clean.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
the entertainment started at 10 in the morning and went well past midnight, there was always something to do. The entertainment team is from all over the world and can speak many languages, they work well together and do thier job very well. Just sometimes a few were a little over aggresive to get you engaged in activities. But I know how to say NO with humor.
Other Comments:
This resort is a hidden gem. Hello Canadians, this is one resort I did not want to leave, yes there are many Itialians (think the name of resort and the the town gives it away) and other European countries. You will hear many languages spoken by all staff members and you will hear english also. This resorts loves Canadians and would enjoy many more to go there. This resort has lots of security 24 hours a day, no beach vendors to bother you. Knowledgeable staff. I went for a relaxing week and got just that. When I do go again and I will with out even thinking about. I will make sure that I don't get a room in the front of the resort by the IBOESTAR resort (next door), (they like thier music there really really loud and must think everyone at all resort in the strip must like the same thing and thier way and we should be listening to the same thing). The staff of the PADI dive shop are very nice and helpful. If you bring any gifts for the staff it must have a note from you saying that you gave it to them or they will not be allowed to keep it and may be fired for it. (that is for our protection). The are staff photographers all over taking your picture is you want to buy them. Internet service. A doctor on staff 24 hours a day on resort. The general store across the street is fair. I loved this resort beach is stunning, they catered to my 71 yr old mother with respect and care. Please email anytime with any questions subject line must have Catalonia Gran Dominicus Resort - Bayahibe on it. smallworldtraveller@hotmail.com I will do my best to answer any questions. This resort is a 4 star and is working towards more stars I am sure of that.
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| Catalonia Gran Dominicus Resort |
Ian and Joanne ~ Gravenhurst, Ontario |
March 2007
We selected this resort because we wanted to return to the Dominican Republic, but wanted to visit someplace that had white sand and long beaches, other than Punta Cana.
We have travelled to Punta Cana 3 times (staying at the Riu Bambu, and the Bavaro Princess), and to Cuba 3 times (staying in Cayo Coco, Holguin, and Cayo Santa Maria).
The La Romana area of the Dominican Republic is located on the south coast of the island, on the Caribbean Sea. The area is relatively undeveloped in comparison to Punta Cana. We were told that there are only 7 resorts in this area.
When selecting the resort that we were planning to travel to, we looked at Debbies to see if we could find any reviews. There were none of this resort, but we managed to find a limited number of reviews elsewhere. Few of the reviews were written by Canadians, and even fewer were recent.
The Gran Dominicus was listed in some reviews and on some websites as the "Venta Club Gran Dominicus", and in others as the "Catalonia Gran Dominicus". When we arrived and spoke with the Sunwing tour rep, he explained that Venta Club was the previous Italian owner of the resort property, and that Catalonia (a Spanish resort company) had just recently acquired it. When the resort was owned and operated by Venta Club, it was exclusively marketed to Italians. Now that Catalonia has taken it over, they have started marketing it more broadly, and Sunwing has picked it up in Canada. The vast majority of the resort guests are Italian (about 95%). We found only about a dozen Canadians on the resort while we were there. As a result, you will hear mostly Italian being spoken by the resort staff, and the guests.
Flight / Airport: Sunwing Airlines seems to be in a good competition for service with Westjet. There customer service is good, even though there are too many seats on the plane. They served hot meals on the morning flight down, and on the afternoon flight home. The breakfast meal included hot, moist towels, and cold champagne. The La Romana airport is small, and relatively new looking. Everything ran efficiently, and arrival and departure went smoothly. (The staff working in the duty free shop were telling Canadians that the Customs rules had changed, and that you could now bring home 2.0 litres of alcohol. As a result, many people on our flight home bought 2 litres of alcohol per person, and found out on the flight that only 1.14 litres is permitted.)
Resort: When we found the tour rep at the airport (upon arrival) we were guided to a small bus. A total of 9 people (including us) got onto the bus, and were taken straight to the resort. When we arrived at the resort, we noticed that the lobby is small and dark, and was not part of any activities of the resort. Check in went very smoothly, and even though we arrived at the resort around 11:30 a.m., our room was ready.
Rooms: The rooms are smaller than most that we have enjoyed at other resorts, but not unlike most business class (Holiday Inn) type rooms. There were two (small) double beds, with hard mattresses and flat pillows. The bathroom had a shower only (large enough for two people), a small sink, and a toilet in a separate room. We are only about 5'6" tall, but the toilet room was so small that if you shut the door, our knees would hit the door (almost). Great water pressure in the shower, and lots of hot water (except on our last day). No bugs in the room, and the maids were always done their cleaning every day by noon. There was a small bar fridge that was stocked every day with lots of fresh bottled water and pop (no beer). The T.V. had very limited choice in channels, but we don't watch T.V. while at this type of resort. The balcony was large enough, and quiet.
Beach: The beach is made of soft white sand, and is lined with both large and small palm trees. There are lots of palapas and trees for shade if you want it. The depth of the beach (from the high water mark to the palm trees), is not a great as Punta Cana, but is large enought to fit lots of people, while still having room to walk. The beach slopes more steeply that other areas that we have been too, and as a result, long distance walking gives your legs (shins and ankles) a workout. The water was clear and great for swimming. The beach does not get the kind of winds that you find in Punta Cana, so the waves are smaller and less fun to body surf in (but safer for children). We were told that the entire beach was wiped out about 2 years ago by a large hurricane. The resorts in the area, have taken steps to rebuild the beach, by placing "reef balls" parallel to the shoreline, out about 100 metres from the beach. These "reef balls" are large concrete balls (about 1.0 metres in diametre), that look like large practice golf balls. Marine life is already forming on them, and many fish live in amongst them. You can easily snorkle around them.
The marine traffic in the area is much less than in Punta Cana. Very few motorized boats go by, and we only saw one or two parasailers the whole week that we were there. Instead, there were the typical kayaks, Hobie Cats, and large catamarans, sailing by.
There is a large, undeveloped stretch of beach to the northeast of the resort, that is a national park. It is approximately a 15 minute walk along the beach to reach it. There you will find some old reef shorelines, caves, untouched forest / jungle etc. Very few people came out this way, and if you're looking for a good quiet place, it is worth the walk.
The resort patrons all seem to line themselves up every day facing east, like parallel lines of sardines. Nobody really changes this pattern, and it looks a little funny. There were always a large number of people talking or text messaging on their cell phones while on the beach, around the pool, or anywhere else on the resort. It must be an Italian thing to do!
Resort Staff: This resort probably had the best animation staff that we'd ever seen anywhere. They were on the go from 10:00 a.m. to after midnight every day. They were very friendly and good at involving as many people as possible. Although we did not travel with kids, we noticed that the kids club was the most heavily used of any kids club that we've ever seen. The kids seem to enjoy themselves too. Most of the staff spoke Spanish, Italian, English and French. Many of the activity staff were Italian.
Food and Drink: Because of the Italian ownership of the resort, and the Italian clientelle, most of the food had an Italian flare to it. Fantastic bruschetta at every dinner, good selection of international cheeses (at every dinner), good proscuito, etc. Great pizzas, cooked in a wood fired pizza oven too. There was plenty of local fuits, and the standard Dominican fare too, but the food was definitely influenced by Italian cuisine. No complaints about the food. It was as good as any other place (if not better) that we have been too. There is only one a la carte restaurant that you can book at, but you must pay $35.00 per person to eat there as they only serve lobster for dinner. We didn't try that one, but it is the beach grill dressed up a little.
There is one main bar by the pook that is the centre of attention on the resort. There is no swim up bar. Intitially, we thought that was a little odd, but after the first few hours, we didn't miss the swim up bar at all. The main bar was lively, and all the drinks were good. Try the "cold coffee with rum". They also make really good (authentic) cappucinos and espressos. The main bar offers only domestic drinks, but there is a small bar at the cigar lounge that offers brand name (superior) alcohols and wines for a cost.
The restaurants all offer bottled water and pop on tap, and beer and wine on tap. Those are all available as self serve in each of the restaurants. Because of the Italians (we believe) each restaurant also offers a wide selection of good quality (international) wines for sale.
Overall Rating and Comments: We found the resort to be smaller than the others that we have been to, but the size made for a very comfortable stay. Great resort, with a friendly feel, that appeared to be really good for kids. The beach has everything that you'd like to see on a beach, and the water is great for swimming in. We would return to this resort again.
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