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Dreams Palm Beach — 
Location: Beach front - Punta Cana - East Coast - 20 mins. from Punta Cana airport
All-inclusive
Description from resort website: Our amenity-filled luxury rooms and suites offer stunning ocean views, shimmering pools or manicured gardens. A spectacular array of day and evening activities for every age and interest. Three beautiful sun-basked pools including a children's pool and a quiet, adults-only area. Eight international restaurants serving gourmet fare, a beachside snack bar, coffee, tea and pastry cafe and seven very friendly bars and lounges serving unlimited premium brand beverages. 24-hour room and concierge services. Supervised Explorer's Club for kids, and Core Zone for teens so everyone enjoys their own time in their own way. Nearby excursion sites for golf, shopping, tours and adventure. A friendly, fastidious staff who will make you feel like the honoured guest you are.
 ~ Reviews posted on this page — 19
 ~ Reader's Vacation Photos ~ 1, 2, 3, 4
 ~ Dominican Republic Travel Forum
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| Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana |
Katie ~ Michigan |
July 2009
Arrival: July 15 to July 20
My husband and I (ages 29 and 30) spent 6 days(7/15-7/20) at the Dreams Palm Beach. We booked through Apple Vacations. This was our second time with Apple and in an all inclusive. We previously stayed at the Grand Palladioum Resort in the Riviera Maya.
Our flights on US Airways were on time or early both ways. We spoke briefly with the Apple Rep when we reached Punta Cana and he immediately directed us to a minivan that drove just my husband and I to the resort. It was very nice not to have to climb onto a charter bus and make multiple stops. We were at our resort within 20 minutes.
Hotel check in was smooth and our room was ready for us even though it was 2:00. We received cool towel and mimosas while we checked in. Check out and departure also went very smoothly.
Rooms:
The room looked just like the pictures. Some of the fixtures are showing wear already even though I believe they are less than a year old. It is still a very nice room. Our room was 6305 (on the 3rd floor--this is nice because you get cathedral ceilings). It had a great view of the pool and even a view of the ocean! We booked the AI Supersaver rate and received a standard room. It had a king sized bed, flat screen tv, iron, hairdryer, safe, shower (no tub), mini-bar, and a balcony with a small table and chairs. The bathroom had shower gel, shampoo, lotion, and bar soap. The AC worked great! Our room was clean when we arrived. Our bellman told us that the mini-bar was half empty and that we should request to have it refilled immediately. We did and they did come and add some items (I'm not sure how long it took, because we were at the pool). Our room was cleaned nicely each day and most nights we received turn down service. The mini bar never got restocked until we called on the 4th day. It took two calls before they came and we never really did get what their room guide said it should have had. Oh well, it wasn't a big deal to us.
Restaurants and Bars:
There were many bars throughout the resort. They would even set up temporary, but well stocked bars, around the pool during the day, so a drink was never far away. We didn't experience the long waits for drinks that others have described. We did feel that the drinks at the lobby bar were much stronger than the pool bars, so it is up to you on how you prefer it. The buffet had many choices and everything we had was good. We are very picky, but always found plenty to eat. Others who are more adventurous would probably really enjoy the variety. The buffet is open air and it can be pretty hot in there. Everyone is very friendly, but drink service is pretty slow. We ate at 3 of the restaurants. The only one we had a long wait for was the Seaside Grill. We enjoyed our meal, but it wasn't spectacular and the service was very slow. We had virtually no wait at either Portifino or Bordeaux, but had the same feelings as Seaside Grill. Pretty good food, slow service, we were glad we'd tried them but weren't anxious to go back. We tried room service a few times. It is a limited menu, but they were always quick. The room guide states 30 minutes, but we usually had our food in 10-20 minutes. We often ate lunch at the beach bar, which offered chicken (most of the time), burgers, hotdogs, and fries.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The overall grounds were very nice and well kept. The resort is nicely laid out and everything is easy to get to. The pools were very nice. It can be tricky to get chairs, but we always managed to get some without resorting to getting up super early and reserving them, like many people did. The rafts were nice. We enjoyed the swim up bar. There was always some music and activities, but it was never annoying or obnoxious. We met many friends around the pool and although there were many families with kids that never bothered us either. You can grab towels whenever you need them (no cards and no limits). We had a wait for them. It seemed easiest to get them early in the morning or late in the afternoon. It was easier to get chairs at the beach, but hard to get shade. There is a lot of seagrass on the beach and some floating in the water. The bottom is clean and sandy for quite a ways. The grass is better than normal seaweed, but I could have lived without it. They try to keep up with it, but there are a lot of boats going by and I think they stir it up and then it floats in. The water was clear and warm. The beach itself wasn't quite as clean as I would've liked some litter and debris from the trees and seagrass. I talked to someone who stayed at the Moon Palaca and she said they had a large beach with no boats and no seaweed. I heard similar things from other who stayed up the coast in those resorts. If your main reason for going is the beach you may want to try a resor in that area. For us, it wasn't a huge deal because we also enjoy the pool.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We did the Mundo Authentico shopping/cigar tour (free through Apple). It was interesting and took less than two hours. Some items are a good deal compared to the resort and others are not. The selection of souvenirs seemed pretty limited. The only other time I left was to walk into town with a friend I had met. I am always a little nervous when leaving the resort, especially this time with it just being 2 women. The walk to the shops is very short though and things went fine. The vendors are a little aggressive (not as bad as the ones that come on to the resort once or twice a week) and you have to barter, but we felt our trip was a success. It was worth going as they had more reasonable prices than anywhere else we'd been.
Other Comments:
I hope my review does not come across as negative, we really had a wonderful time. I think most of the little bumps we had are common at most all-inclusives and they did not detract from our enjoyment. We found the staff to be extremely friendly and nice. We would consider returning or staying at a Dreams resort again. I had some reservations about traveling in July, but found it to be a very nice time to visit. The weather was beautiful. It was very warm, but there is always a nice breeze, especially in the evening.
My final bit of advice has to do with calling home. We left our 1 year old daughter at home and it was important to us that we were able to check in on her. We found that there really is no easy way to call home, even our cell phone gave us some trouble. The resort charges fairly high fees (around $2 to connect and then $3 a minute). My advice is to call home once right away (we ended up having the front desk place the call for us because our phone would not dial out properly). When you call, give your family the hotel number and your room number. After that have them call you on a calling card. I purchased a card ahead of time that was about $0.30/minute). If you use the card to call, then you will still be charged a connection fee, etc. But if they call you , then you will not recieve any additional charges. They can leave you a voicemail if you don't answer (just beware that there was no way for us to know that we had a voicemail except to dial 8000 and check it! There was a red light on the phone, but it never flashed whether we had one or not) At the end of the trip, I had only a $3 bill for phone usage.
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| Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana |
Steve ~ New Jersey |
July 2009
Arrival: June 26 - July 01
We flew on a 6:00am flight on Apple Vacations charter airline, USA 3000. The check in at Philadelphia was chaotic. Nothing is computerized. Other than that, the flight was uneventful, which means great. The flight attendants were extremely friendly. Our return flight was also great. Again, the flight crew was excellent.
Rooms:
We were a group of 8, in 4 rooms. Two of these 8 were my 24 year daughter and her friend. The front desk had a lot of problems handling this. They wanted to put us 8 rooms apart. We had requested connecting with our travel agent, and it could have been her mess up, but the front desk wouldn't even try to move us next to each other. We ended up in building 8, while the other 4 in our group was in building 6. It appears that nobody is allowed to think with the permission of their manager. It took a few hours and they finally put us in adjoining rooms. One small problem, the door from our room to the girls room was bigger than the frame, and therefore wouldn't close. They said they would fix, so we left and headed out to the pool. When we returned, the door was closed. Of course it was jammed closed, so now we couldn't open it. Kinda defeats the purpose of connecting rooms. We waited 4 days, but they did fix it for our last night.
For our second day, we returned from the pool to find out that we had no shower. Maintenance did some sort of jerry rigging and we had a shower a few hours later. Yes the shower set up is pretty stupid, and the floor gets soaked, put a towel on the floor. Problem solved.
Just to top off our room problems, my wife went back to the room during the afternoon of our third day and the toilet didn't work. It took a while to fix this problem. Then of course later that night, when we returned from the casino, our toilet didn't work again. I spent the next few days lifting the float and repositioning the flapper.
To be fair, Jose the day time front desk manager offered to move us to a honeymoon suite, and move the girls close to us. We really didn't want to pack and unpack again, so we said, no, please just fix the room we're in. We did ask for and receive access to the preferred club so our girls could use the internet.
Unfortunately, our room issues never stopped. Our mini bar was never stocked. No matter how many times we called, we would return at the end of the day to an empty mini bar. Every afternoon we called for a refill. One night, we returned a little after midnight and called the front desk. They connected us to housekeeping who told us that the mini bar service was closed for the evening but they could transfer us to room service. Room service was gracious enough to tell us that we could get drinking water in 60 minutes. A little talk with the front desk sped up this process. The next day, empty mini bar. They told us that they had restocked it at 2:45. They told us this same answer for the next two days.
Our housekeeper was very good about forgetting to bring us towels. Most days we received two towels, no floor towel and no hand towels. We had to make daily calls housekeeping about this. A couple of days we received the paper with the next day's events, but not every day. Cesar at the front desk was about the only person who was able to get anything done for us. He was also probably the only person who cared.
The rooms themselves are fairly large and the A/C worked great.
Restaurants and Bars:
The main buffet has some great choices. The breakfast buffet is your standard, omelet station, pancakes, waffles, bacon, sausage, fresh fruit, etc. At lunch, they had absolutely delicious grilled shrimp and mussels. There was always a fresh fish being grilled. Other than the heat, since it is open air, the breakfast and lunch buffets were great.
For dinner, we never ate at the buffet. We ate at 4 of the 5 specialty restaurants. We did not try the Italian restaurant since we heard from numerous people that the food was awful. Our first night we tried Himitsu, the hibachi side of the Asian restaurant. Our chef was Acevedo and our waiter was Danny. They were great. Since the show is a big part of Hibachi, wanted to mention them by name. We loved it. The food and the interaction was great. Again, I don't know what they do to the shrimp, but they are amazingly good. The caramel bananas and the fried ice cream are the winners as dessert choices.
The next night we ate at the Seaside Grill. This was a big disappointment. The food was not good and the service was terrible. Most our group got the shrimp cocktail and the (gotta love this translation) Tibon steak (T-Bone for the rest of us). The shrimp was over cooked and chewy. The steaks were like half a cow. They were bigger than the plate, burnt to a crisp and full of fat. I personally got the rib eye. It had a lot of fat, but the when you cut off the fat, the meat was pretty good.
El Patio, the Mexican restaurant was next. This was a lot of fun. Everybody enjoyed their diners except for my nephew who didn't listen to our waitress, Noami, and ordered the tacos. She was best waitress that we had at any restaurant. Great service and a great personality. The manager, Carlos, was also phenomenal. The dessert here is the Tree Milk Cake. Not sure what it means, but it was very good. Don't miss this restaurant. The French restaurant, Bordeaux, isn't really French food, but it was pretty good. The only problem here was that it took 2 ½ hours.
We returned to Himitsu to try the Chinese side. It's not really Chinese, but once again, everyone enjoyed their meals. Very good service.
Overall, the food is very good for an all-inclusive.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The grounds are very nice. The pools are large. I think the resort was very full, so chair and float saving was a very big issue. We were up at 7:30 to make sure we got floats and lounges. The beach is powdery soft white sand and the ocean is crystal clear. It's probably just the time of year, summer, or maybe just all those people sitting at the swim up bar and not moving all day, but the pool water was warmer than the air. The ocean is cooler and more refreshing.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We did the parasailing. They promise you 12 minutes, but they only deliver about 6-8. Still, it was fun. We also went deep sea fishing. You have to do a lot of negotiating to get a decent price. After 3 hours of boredom, we did catch a 6 Marlin, so in the end it was worth it.
Other Comments:
This resort is next to the Grand Oasis which was the Sunscape Punta Cana Grand 4 years ago. I stayed there when it was Sunscape. I loved it. I wrote a great review about it on Debbie's website. While Dreams might be considered a better resort (both AMSTAR properties), we had a better time at Sunscape. Supposedly there was an activities team at Dreams. This was the first resort that I've been to in the D.R. (or any Caribbean resort) that had no music playing at the pool during day. They also didn't try to get any activities going. They did activities with 2 or 3 guests. They had very little interaction with the guests. We hardly saw them and we were at the main pool all day. The entire team should be replaced.
I was also a little shocked by the bar service. Yes, they had some top shelf liquor, Absolut, Stolichnaya, Kahlua, Baileys, etc, but they almost always only had one bartender so there were always long waits. They also never had cold water at any bars, only like warm. The bartenders also were devoid of personality except for Clemente at the lobby bar who was loaded with it. We spoke to couples who had their rooms changed, some twice. Many who had previously stayed at Barcelo, Melia Tropical, and Paradisius, all of whom said they would return to those resorts before Dreams. I love the Dominican and Punta Cana, but there is no way I'll stay at Dreams again.
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| Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana |
Gary ~ Illinois |
June 2009
Arrival: June 08 - June 13
The arrival at the airport was handled very well. Instructions from the cabin crew on USA 3000 were spot on. A short bus ride and the arrival/checkin was uneventful. That is to say, it was exactly as it should have been. Quick, efficient, polite.
Rooms:
We had asked for a king and were assigned one with two queens. A brief exchange with the bellman and he quickly had us in a King. No problem. The room was small but adequate....afterall, you are not there to spend time in a room. Bathroom is in a word, different. Shower literally opens up into the room....through the wall. Funky but OK. Design of shower guarantees some water challenges on the floor. Nothing that is not manageable. The cleaning crew does a good job and there is no shortage of towels. Temperature controls are great and rooms are comfortable.
Restaurants and Bars:
The buffet is first rate. Breakfast and lunch there every day but one. The food is prepared well and presented in a very appetizing way. Service is as good as I have seen in a resort. The people are genuinely happy and pleasant. They could give lessons to Disney....they are that good.The Japanese/Chinese restaurant has very large portions. Go when you have an appetite. Portions are smaller at all of the others. Service at the Italian was the only issue I saw. On the night we were there , there was only one staff member with a working vocabulary in English. he was working his tail off. Eveyone else was dependent on him for instruction. Not a bad experience...just slow that night. The French resturant service is again best in class. You will enjoy the evening. Mexican is OK..nothing spectacular. Don't miss the Carribbean buffet on Tuesday night. Grilled lobster leads the menu. Some very skilled folks carve spectacular things from melons. Take a camera to dinner. I am not a drinker, although you can ge anything you want...any time you want......quickly. Water, tea, cranberry or any other juice. Any cocktail, Make sure you visit the coffee bar. The coffee is not for sissies. It is bold and robust. I took mine black...
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The beach is clean and safe. There is visible security approximately every 50 feet. As they are public, everyone has access. Do not go on the beach after dark. Do not. Way too much personal risk. Pools have plenty or room, and plenty of umbrellas etc. Towels are again plentiful and you are never far from either food or beverage. Grounds reflect good maintenance and the assortment of plant life expected in a tropical paradise.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We only went to the Cigar Factory. in a vehicle driven by a maniac. Holy buckets. I have riden in hundreds of taxis in Chicago. This guy was in a class all by himself.
Other Comments:
The staff works hard. Most make about $100 per week. Trust me it is not a 40 hour week . A few dollars in tips ....go a long way. The staff we met were simply nice people. We enjoyed them very much. And yes, we plan to return.
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| Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana |
Heather ~ Manchester, CT |
May 2009
Arrival: April 25 - May 02
Upon arrival, we were graciously shown to the front desk but were promptly sent to the Preferred Club for separate check-in. As previous guests have noted we were given champagne and a wet towel to cool off. At first a room with 2 double beds was offered even though we requested a king size bed, but a king room was ready in less than a hour.
Rooms:
The rooms were very spacious for what we needed and though we had a garden view overlooking the explorers club, noise was not an issue throughout our stay. The beds were extremely comfortable and I wanted to take the matress home! The shower was an issue, though nothing a towel on the ground in front of the shower didn't fix. The rooms were a bit moist, I am not sure if it is because of the space below the door letting mooisture in or not, but a mildew smell did start to come from my clothes and I have washed them once and it seems like one or two more washes and the smell will go away. I was a little upset towards the end of the week when I found out there were many additional items that were supposed to be included that were not in our preferred room at anytime including the upgraded mini-bar, the beach towels during turndown service, our internet had ot be requested, it was not just set up for immediate use, and we did not receive upgraded toiletries. It seems a bit
worrysome that they do not automatically give you the items you pay for being in a preferred room, and that you must ask for everything that is considered "extra". Had I known this and thought of it, I would have never paid the extra money to have a preferred room and would have saved a couple hundred dollars each for our trip or I would have made sure everything that was promised was there from the first day we were there. I would suggest either not paying the extra money, or making sure from the first day of your stay that you request all the items that were promised given your preferred status.
Restaurants and Bars:
All of the restaurants were better than any all inclusive restaurant I have stayed at. The Hibachi was a great time (we went there twice) and the rib eye at the Seaside Grill was amazing. We only hung out at the Lobby bar while we were there since the dance club was not that great. If I had to pick a least favorite restaurant it would have to be Portpofini since the pasta dish I had the last night was undercooked, but still edible and both times I asked for a ravioli dish they had listed on their menu, but did not have either time and I found out the last night we ate there that this had never been changed from previous management. One thing travelers should know is that during the off season, the restaurants are only open a couple times a week, not the advertised "only closed twice a week" as noted. There was also 2 days of our stay that we were given only one choice of where to eat. One was an outside buffet and the other night was a Dominican style dinner at the convention center.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
There was never an issue as I have heard others complain, about getting a towel or poolside chair, nor was there an issue getting a beach chair, though our trip was during a slow season and I can not imagine 1000 guests trying to find an available pool chair, since there woudl not be that many to accomodate even half the guests.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
I did not go on any tours, I am a fan of sitting around and doing nothing, though other guests raved about the ATV ride, parasailing, and chartering a boat to go fishing. There are also plent of things to do while on the resort but they do not push you to be involved asking you hundreds of times to do something.
Other Comments:
Please note that I tried to be as informative as possible and tried to list as many positive and negative things about the resort.
The staff was great and there for anything you need, not a bad apple in the bunch. Our drinks were never watered down as others have noted, I did have a huge problem with mosquitos but my partner did not (I seemed to have attracted them more bring bug spray just in case), the pool, beach area, and walkways were always kept immaculately clean, and the grounds were beautifully kept.
I probably would not rate this a 4 out of 5 stars, but I will say that for $1400 with flight from Hartford, CT, I definitely thought it was more than what I paid for it! Again, I tried to give both positive aspects and negative aspects about this resort to help you form the best decision to fit your vacation needs. If you have any quetsions, please do not hesitate to contact me!
kinsley_heather@yahoo.com
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| Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana | Jennifer ~ PEI, Canada |
March 2009
Arrival: Feb 12 - 19
We were greated with champagne and a quick check-in. We were told it would be a few hrs before our rooms would be ready because we arrived around 12noon but they were ready before that time. One small clitch with our check in was that we had 4 rooms with our party and 2 rooms were in one building and 2 were in another. They did get all 4 in one building but not on the same floors.
Rooms
Rooms were beautiful but as mentioned before the shower was not practical as the door is a half glass door and water was always on the floor. Also, the floors and tile in bathroom really should have been regrouted with the renovations! Our phone did not work properly and was never fixed by the time we left.
Restaurants and Bars
Restaurants were great! Best food was at the japanese restaurant and the buffet. I thought I would like the idea of not having to make reservations for the restaurants but we had a group of 9 and it was always hard to get a spot and they always wanted to divide us up into 2 tables. It always seemed to be a big problem when we went into the buffet to get a table for 9, even when there were a ton of empty tables that could be pushed together. Some waitstaff were very slow with the water refills.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
Nice grounds except that if it is supposed to be a 5 star there was a lot of garbage on the beach and the pool was really dirty on the bottom for a day or so. They always had guys raking up the seaweed which was nice.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
Went on the zipline adventure and it was amazing except for the 2hr drive to and from in the back of the truck!
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| Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana | Janet ~ Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA |
March 2009
Arrival
It was a great trip. One of the best Resorts we've been to. We traveled to Mexico and Punta Cans many times.
Rooms
The rooms were fine, only one little complaint. They had 6 large decorative pillows on the beds, and they took up so much room I had them taken out.
Restaurants and Bars
We did not go to the restaurants as we prefer the buffet. It was the best food and the best selection we have had. The restaurants did not require reservations which is a great feature.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
The pool was wonderful. The resort is not as large as some which we liked as we are seniors.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
The staff were the best and the shows were great. The shows were different each night not your standard fare. We went on self driving trip on the Fun Buggy. It was exciting and very enjoyable. www.fun-buggy.com
We went on the Party Boat at the resort for an afternoon. Some snorkling and swimming and lots of fun.
Other Comments
We would highly recommend this resort.
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| Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana | Lori ~ Canada |
February 2009
Arrival
Everything was great got our room in under 45 minutes even though we arrived at 11:30.
Rooms
Rooms were very clean and very quiet which is important to as we are up early and also are in bed fairly early.
Restaurants and Bars
Best food in an all inclusive I have ever had. Best bartenders at the lobby bar at night and beach bar during the day. Mexican and the Japanese were the best but I heard they had great lobster even at the buffet.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
It was so clean it was like they cleaned the floors ever 20 minutes.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
Did not go any tours this time as it is our 5th time there, but the water sports guys were great and even got me out on a Catamarand.
Other Comments
We took a six apple square deal, it was very nice I would only have 2 complaints very minor 1) the bathroom in the room was not very private, and it was hard to get a diet coke. But other than that it was excellent!!
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| Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana | Sue/Mike ~ Nebraska |
February 2009
Arrival: February 8 - 15
Our arrival to the airport was uneventful. We had been to Punta Cana a year ago so the anxiety level was quite low. Check in at Dreams was fine, we waited about an hour to get our luggage and they wanted us to stay in the room and would not allow us to just come get our bags.
Rooms
The room was very nice, clean, orderly. You could tell the shower/toilet part of the bathroom was not new but had been slightly refurbished. The TV(nice flat screen) at first did not work but we called and they came and fixed a connection quite promptly.
Restaurants and Bars
For an all inclusive we had the best food here of any of our trips. The buffet was clean and always well stocked. Plenty of choices. Perhaps a little lack of change or themes from day to day. We loved the Italian and Oriental restaurants!
Beach/Pools/Grounds
Beach was not quite as nice as that on the Riu coastline but certainly nothing to complain about.The grounds and pools were beautiful and immaculate. We split our time equally between the beach and pools, mostly on those days when the wind was up a little.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
We went on the speed boat Bavaro coastline/snorkling excursion. My husband loved the boats....I loved the snorkeling.
Other Comments
We have been to Sandals in Jamaica....4 times, Cancun and Mexican Riviera, Punta Cana last year. We love it here. Plan to return to Dreams Palm Beach next year if price stays competitive....and if USA 3000 from St Louis gets away from the late nite return trip.
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| Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana | Patti ~ Michigan, USA |
February 2009
Vacation Photos
We arrived on February 8, 2009 for a 7 day stay at Dreams Palm Beach.
We were greeted by the bellman with a friendly smile and a "Welcome Home!" What a wonderful way to start our stay. We did indeed feel "back home" even though we had never been to this resort. This was our 7th stay at either a Sunscape or a Dreams resort.
We did not take the transfer provided by AppleVacations, but arranged a private transfer with Dominican Taxi Service which we have used numerous times with complete satisfaction. Since we "beat" the bus, check-in was very fast with no waiting in line. The gentleman checking us in was very fluent in English and also greeted us with a warm welcome. He gave us a quick orientation of the property and supplied us with a map. While we were checking in, a young man brought us cool washcloths. That was so nice after the long flight. Then a young lady brought us Mimosas and warm chocolate cookies. We both felt so pampered already! A bell-boy was immediately at our side with our luggage to take us to our room. And what a room....It was amazing!! It was room 3301 in the preferred section. We have stayed in honeymoon suites before, but this one was over the top. Since it was a refurbished resort, two rooms were combined into one which made for a very spacious suite. The very best thing in the whole room had to be the bed. We have never had such a comfortable bed in the Dominican or Mexico. They are usually cement with sheets. This was a pillow-top mattress. Also, a pillow menu was available, but we were happy with the pillows we had. I always bring our own facecloths but everyday we had 3 facecloths along with plenty of towels. Beach towels were even in our room as well as robes and slippers. Body wash, shampoo, sunscreen, toothbrushes and razor were supplied in the room. A hammock in addition to a table and chairs were on the double patio. The safe was electronic and very spacious, large enough for a laptop and then some. An iPod docking station/clock radio was great for listening to our tunes and recharging the iPod. Plenty of closet space and hangers. Everyday the room was cleaned and restocked with towels. Housekeeping staff was always friendly and they work so hard. The mini bar was restocked daily as well. One day I left a note in Spanish asking for Presidentes and that is what was restocked daily. We only had!
turn do
wn service one night, but that is not important to us. Three nights we came back to our room to find gourmet chocolate creations on our coffee table!! They were amazing
The food is hands down the best food we have ever had at any AI. The chicken and fish were all tender as was the beef. Plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Everyday around 4pm we went to the Coco Cafe to grab a coffee or tea and a pastry. The buffet was so good I would have been happy eating there morning, noon and night. Lovely young ladies seating guests and prompt courteous wait staff at all meals. We ate at all the ala carts except the Japanese/Chinese. All were very, very good. Excellent quality food, drinks and service. One night we went to El Patio and only had appetizers. As we were leaving the manager was concerned that we did not like the food. We told him it was the opposite, the food was wonderful but we were not that hungry. Too much great food and not enough time. We did have room service twice and it was very, very fast and very, very good.
Liquor was top shelf if you wanted it. Mixed well and served promptly. We even had drink service at the pool and the beach!!
The pool was very clean and well laid out. Every afternoon a young lady would go around the pool and pass out cookies. That was a really nice touch. Not enough shade areas at the pool area, though. If you want shade, you need to be there by 8 am. The beach has more shade and we did not have any problems finding chairs. The chair reserving game did not seem to be too much of a problem. I did not notice many reserved chairs not being used. What I did notice was people taking the pool floats to the beach or just keeping them by their lounge chairs. Not a problem for us because we bring our own floats. The "Sundial", the daily newsletter, always requested that floats be shared. Beach towels were never in short supply and always available, morning or afternoon.
I can not comment on the nightly shows, because we never went to any. We turned in by 10 and started our day by 7 am. We were there for the sun and sand, not the nightlife. I did enjoy the stretching and the aerobics on the beach.
I had a massage at the spa which was wonderful. We then had a couples massage on the beach and that was the best!!
The vendors came on site 3 nights but they were never a problem. My husband actually told one guy that we had been to the Dominican so many times and had so many souvenirs that we were thinking of bringing some back with us and selling them. The vendor just about busted a gut laughing at that one. One morning we did go outside the resort about 5 minutes walk down the road to a shopping area and bought some rum and coffee at a great price.
AppleVacations had a cocktail party one evening which was very nice. Got to chat with a few of the Apple reps. Nice folks. The managers cocktail party was the next night. That was really cool. They had delicious canapes and drinks and friendly dancers (they work so hard). Got to meet many of the managers and the head chef. They genuinely cared to hear our comments. We really only had positive comments, but they assured us that they are striving to improve the resort even more.
We are hoping to return in October because this has now become our favorite resort. Close to the airport and so easy to enjoy. Whenever we would say "thank you" to any of the staff, it was always replied with "My pleasure" and I believe they meant it!!
If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask. I can not recommend this resort enough. It is truly a Dream come true!
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| Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana | Bill - Jenny |
February 2009
Dreams Palm Beach Great Addition
We stayed at Dreams PB from Jan 21 to Jan 26. This was our 13th visit to an Amresort property and the resorts was just wonderful. We have been to many all-inclusives but have been returning to this chain because of no wristbands, no reservations required at restaurants(you can just eat anywhere and anytime you want and no restrictions or coupons. But mostly the staff and its crew outshine any other resorts we have been to, the friendliness, service, ammenities, food, pools etc are just what we like. We have stayed at Dreams Punta Cana(STB) 5 times but wanted to try this new resort because it offers a closer resort to the Airport and is on Bavaro Beach and is a Dreams property.
We had a Preferred Club room so we just checked into the club with no waiting. The Club area is like a resort in a resort. Has its own internet(3 computers), self serve bar, horderves, concierge, big screen TV’s in the club itself. Attached to the club is the Seaside Grill which is open to club members only for breakfast and lunch and a full service bar. Restrooms right there. Unlimited pool towels, drink service, a large hot tub which is hot, and your own private pool with plenty of loungers and floats, and a private beach. You really don’t have to leave the area.
The resort is laid out like a big “U”. You stand at the lobby and look out and each side is lined with rooms and down the middle you just see the 2 main pools, the children’s pool, palm trees and the beach and ocean. Not a lot of walking required. The 4 a-la-carte restaurants(French, Italian, Mexican, Japanese) are in one building. Each has different décor and atmosphere and are very pretty rooms. The World Café is beside the restaurant and shopping area. The buffet has whatever you want for breakfast, varies but large selection at lunch and themed selections for dinner including lobster tails. The Seaside Grill is open to everyone and is open air and on the beach. All have excellent food and service. Some of the dinners will truly be some of the better meals you have had. Top notch all-inclusive food. They also have wine lists so if you want a better wine the bottles on the list are very reasonable. The house wine are not bad with the white being better in my opinion. If the restaurant has a wait they will give you a beeper which works all over the resort so relax and have a drink or listen to the live music in the lobby bar or the beach bar or just shop in the stores. Alcohol is high end and they have pretty much whatever you want. I like Bailey’s and it was everywhere.
The pool entertainment is pretty much standard fare with games and contests all day. The night time shows are scaled back right now but with an new entertainment facility being built will be full scale soon(within 2- to 4 weeks). There will also be a conference center there and a new bar which I am sure will be very popular. The new facility will be right past the casino and the sports bar. Right now the shows are on a small stage in the middle of the resort and are open air. The show are still fun and my wife likes being outside and close to stage. Servers bring drinks constantly.
The rooms are all very nice and all are pretty standard in size except for the suites which are a double size rooms with a very large bathroom, a large powder room, eating table, couches, 2 flat screen TV’s and patio or deck. The standard room has a king bed or 2 doubles, bath, storage closet , TV, coffee maker, mini bar, very comfortable rooms. The linens are high end and the beds are the most comfortable of any all-inclusive ever. Amenities in the bathrooms are high quality. Towels large and soft. Deck or patio. Room service is available although we didn’t try it. Maid service was excellent. Bed was turned down nightly with a Sundial newsletter explaining the next days activities and chocolates were on the bed each night. Mini bar refurbished daily.
The pools are 2 separate pools . One has a large whirlpool in the middle(not heated) and many nooks to put chairs in the water, to get shade, to swim under fountain sprays etc. The swim up bar is in this pool. Walk out of the pool and go a few feet across the walk and you are on the beach. The other pool has the children’s pool at one end and is more of a lazy river type pool where the pool activities are located. All walkways and the hard areas around the pools are a tile like material which is beautiful but stays cool and is not very slippery, very nice.
The beach is white sand and the water is fairly calm and blue. Large beach but many like the beach and may be harder to find chairs so go early or later. Some seaweed but is raked up constantly. There is a beach hut for fresh grilled hot dogs, hamburgers, and french fries with tables and chairs in the sand. Very good food. A beach bar is very close to the beach but with so many servers you never wait long for a drink. The servers even filled up our thermal mugs.
Tipping is not required for service at any time. Service is excellent and with a “its my pleasure’ each time. Tipping is a personal thing. If you want to tip it would be nice, a few dollars go a long way but it is definately not required for excellent service! If you do tip bring dollars because they are hard to get there and a tip will be greeted with a smile.
The lobby bar is a very busy place at night with the bartenders basically putting on a show with their drink making. Many Martini’s being made there but a full bar with everything. Also a sitting area in front of the bar to drink and listen to the music. They also have live entertainment in the lobby at night. There is an outside bar near the beach with tables and are candle lit for a more intimate setting. Also a bar at the Seaside Grill with a few tables on the walkway outside the restaurant. The new entertainment will also have a bar.
Outside the World Café the is a Starbucks like coffee shop to get whatever type of coffee drink or pastry you may like. Outside there are a few tables to sit and enjoy as well as tables and booths inside, again very nice.
The resort has a kids club, a core zone for teenagers, a spa and exercise room which I can’t really comment on except to say that from many people I have talked with at all Dreams I have been to that the activities for kids and teenagers are exceptional. There is also a kids movie in the evening at the wedding gazebo. Plenty for kids of all ages from just peeking into the clubs.
Apple Vacations rates resorts on a one to 6 Apples with 6 being the highest. I would rate this resort a 5 Apple right now and as soon as the new bar-conference center-entertainment show center opens(just weeks away) then I believe it will be a 6 Apple. I believe this resort offers many amenities that some others do not as a whole package.
The resort is just refurbished and it really is a complete transformation. A few bugs are being worked out as with any new resort but none should affect your vacation and management is working them out as we chat. Landscaping will need some time to mature but the areas between the rooms, the fountains outside the main lobby etc make this a very pretty resort. I also believe this would be a great resort for handicapped guests to be able to get around with just a few exceptions(the Bordeaux and Italian Restaurants are up steps).
I spoke with many people while at this resort and aside from a few start up problems the responses were excellent. In all my trips with Amresorts I have had great times and they have been hassel free. We have been to many other all-inclusive resort chains but prefer Dreams and Secrets. I like to see managers walking around the resort and that are available in case of a problem or suggestion. The no reservation and no wristband is a huge thing with me and is just another huge plus with Amresorts(Dreams,Secrets, Sunscapes). Hope this review helps and as you can tell I love the chain of hotels and will return again. If I can be of help my e-mail is bbgamer1@yahoo.com.
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| Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana | Don |
February 2009
ADEQUATE SUPPLY OF TOWELS: Generous, very large and fluffy.
ADEQUATE SUPPLY OF CHAIRS: You have to reserve one early.
ADEQUATE ALLOCATION OF SPACE TO NON-SMOKERS: Not even an issue; no one attempted to smoke in public spaces.
BEACH: Very calm, not warm, much seaweed (usually swept up).
ENTERTAINMENT: We’ve stopped going to this, still being at dinner when it started at 9:30.
TENNIS AVAILABILITY: Dreams’ courts aren’t finished yet, but we were able to go next door to Natura, which has 3 (seldom-used, though 2 seemed to be permanently locked).
FOOD: Excellent variety and quality. All a la carte very good, and dessert/pastry cafe an unexpected bonus. Main dining room not shielded from the elements, and on rainy tables it was windy and wet.
SHOPS AND AMENITIES: The usual jewelry and gift shops (with resort prices). There is an Internet cafe, but unlike other hotels, there is a charge to use computers ($4 for 15 minutes). Adequate exercise room, though a charge for steam and sauna.
NON-HARRASSMENT: Vendors were allowed on the grounds once; the beach salespeople were low-key
TV STATIONS: Major and network cable available.
QUIET: Their website states, “Three beautiful sun-basked pools including a children's pool and a quiet, adults-only area.” This is only true at the small “preferred” pool (we didn’t ask how to become “preferred”); it’s hard to avoid noise at the main pool. The resort is compact, so the long major pool is connected to the kiddie one. The beach was peaceful except during aerobics.
STAFF: Excellent attitude, but some in contact positions needed English training. We had a problem with the TV, and it was replaced right away. But no one seemed to know how to deal with the room safe.
GROUNDS: Kept up.
ROOM: Kind of on the small side, especially bathroom (no tub). No odors. The entire resort was out of diet soda for 2 days. Mini-bar service is sporadic; we had to get water bottles at the bar and bring to our room.
SPA: Excellent facial.
AIRPORT AND CHECK-IN: Airport arrival handled efficiently. Hotel check-in slow. Airline check-in (Air Trans) very slow, but plane arrived ahead of schedule.
SUMMARY: This hotel omits some of the nonsense of other all-inclusives: no bracelets, signing out for towels, and signing up for restaurants. Having opened 12/08, it’s not quite ready for a 5-star rating. We’re not likely to return because of the beach and room size.
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| Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana | Denise ~ Pittsburgh |
February 2009
Arrival: Jan.2 6- 30
We arrived at Dreams Palm Beach by 12:30pm, only a 20 minute ride at most from the airport. There were a lot of people checking in when we got there but it went relatively fast since they had many people working the front desk for this purpose. Alexander checked us in and told us where our room was so off we went.
Rooms:
I had emailed the reosrt a week prior to our arrival and asked for a third floor room with a king bed and nice view if any were available and that's just what we got. First let me say we just booked the Supersaver Room through Apple vacations, no up grades of any sort. Our Room was 6316, Third floor with king bed overlooking the pool where they play water polo and things. Very nice I might add. The room was newly renovated and was spa like feeling. We had robes, 24 hour room service (which we never used) safe, turn down service each night, ironing board and iron, flat screen tv, nice sitting area. The room was cleaned everyday usually by lunch time. One day we came back to the room and found a swan on the table made for us out of towels by the maid. Like stated before no matter how careful you are it is hard not to get water on the floor when showering so we used one of the hand towels for a bath mat and it worked. The air conditioning worked so well that at times we had to turn it off for fear of freezing! No matter how we adjusted the thermostat it still was cold, but I would much rather have that than it not to work. We spent time out on the balcony people watching and just enjoying the beautiful resort.
Restaurants and Bars:
We were only there 4 nights so we only ate at the Seaside Grille one night because one of the people that went with us was very allergic to peppers, and after telling the waiter there not to put any peppers on her plate her steak came out on a bed of grilled vegtables including peppers. So she just removed the peppers from her plate instead of ordering another one and cut the part that touched the pepper off. The steaks were by far the best we have ever had at a all inclusive. So the other nights we just ate at the buffets since my friend could "look" at the food and see if peppers were in it. I guess if we had stayed longer we wouldhave tried some of the other ala cartes. Let me tell you that the food at the buffets was out of this world for a buffet. I think I liked everything I tried and I always try and try new things. I had grilled lobster 2 of the nights, and I don't usually eat seafood when I am away. But my girlfriend got it and it smelled and looked so good I had to get it. Boy I am not sorry either. Then one day I had lobster put in my made to order ceaser salad which was also very good. Well let me just start by saying if you go to this resort and don't spend one evening at the lobby bar being entertained by Clemente then it will just be another bar. He is probably one of the best bartenders I have seen in the Dominican. He definately was the highlight of our trip. I already miss him. The beach bar was great too. Johnny and Elvis were the guys that were there and they always had a smile on their face. Most of the time we had beach and pool service for drinks.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The beach is nice not as nice as Bavaro beach but it is still a pretty blue and white sand. A lot of palm trees and there was always a couple of guys raking up the seaweed when we were there. A never ending job, I'm sure. But they did their best. We watched in delight as adults would make their way up onto the water trampoline. I thought I wanted to get up there before I left but after seeing adults up there jumping around it really looked rediculous so I passed and just watched the others. We spent one day at the pool and it was a bit chilly but I was just fine laying in the sun tanning myself. We did make it to the swim up bar one time cause my friend had never been to one but we managed to have one drink and then back to our loungers. The beach grill was great with hamburgers and hot dogs and french fries with all the fixings. Make sure you let the waiter get your drinks or he will feel bad. They had servers in different shirts for different areas which we didn't realize.
It looked like the guys in the white shirts served the beach grill area. The girls in the orange flowered shirts served the pool and beach. But they were awesome. We met a guy there named Eduardo selling T-shirts that he air brushed. So we had him design one with the STEELER logo from my husbands sun visor and ( he took a picture of it with his cell phone) and then put a palm tree on either side and Punta Cana 2009 on the bottom. He wouldn't even take the money until it was done the next day. It turned out so well we order 9 more for family and friends! We left on Jan. 30th and the SUPER BOWL was on Feb.1 so they were big hits when we handed them out to our kids and grandson and friends at the super bowl party. And everyone knows the outcome of that game...6 SUPER BOWLS RINGS BABY! I wouldn't have minded if we had to be ther for the Super Bowl cause I heard they were having a big party on the beach on Sunday with the big screen to watch the game, and we saw a lot of Steeler fans there with their terrible towels even someone had a felt helmet hanging on their sliding glass door. Eduardo told us he got 10 more orders for the STEELER shirts when we picked up our shirts. So we were happy for him. The grounds and pool area was impecable. Not as much foliage as we are used to. We like more green areas or natural areas but all in all the place was nice.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We didn't do anything since we were only there 4 nights. I will tell you that there was always someone walking around the resort telling you what activities would be taking place soon. One thing that I liked that this resort did was every night they would deliver a paper with the next days activities, special drink of the day, weather, etc.
Other Comments:
One of the things that I didn't like and it is a pet peeve of mine is that they played very little Dominican music if any. I was told that they "HAD" to play American music, believe me I'm American and I do not want to hear Celine Dion singing God Bless America. Then they would play this stuff from the 50's it was horrible down by the pool. In the lobby each evening they had live music which varied I still don't remember Dominican music there either. I told them at guest relations about it since that is what I was told to do by the head of the entertainment team. I just told them that I am American and don't want to hear American music when I come to the Dominican, I love their music. One other thing is that I know from past experience to bring whatever you think you might need because the shops on the resorts are always so highly priced. well we were in the Dominican in June of 08 and bought quite a bit of coffe at $6.00 a bag. I know ther is inflation but they wanted $16.00 for a bag of coffee, the same kind we always buy. So of course I wouldn't buy it there. When I got to the airport (which is always more expensive thanthe resorts) I bought a couple bags at $8.00 a bag. I don't know why Dreams was charging so much for their coffee. We would definately go back some day.
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| Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana | Patricia ~ Charlottesville, VA |
February 2009
Arrival:
We flew from BWI (Baltimore, MD) via USA3000. Arrived on time at 1:30pm. Processing through entry and customs was as fast as it could be considering the great volume arriving at the Punat Cana airport in the AM. We had not been in Punta Cana for 3 years and were astonished by the growth of the airport and the efficiency with which the officials processed everyone.
Rooms:
Our first room was in Building 8, room 8203. It was decorated very nicely with two queen beds. The second night we were there the fuse box started sparking around 9:30pm. My husband called the front desk -- hard to explain without Spanish -- front desk said they would send some one. In the meantime I went into the hall and saw the nigh maid supervisor and had her come in and see the problem, she also called. We waited about an hour and called again and stressed it could mean a fire. The electrician came and looked in the box and said, it's okay. Fortunately, my husband saw a loose wire, pointed it out to the electrician who called the front desk and we were moved upstairs which was just fine with us. We ended up in room 8304 which was great. Being on the top floor is much quieter because at this resort the stairwells echo EVERY little sound - even just light conversation it comes booming up so we would recommend the 3rd floor. The only other problem with the room has been mentioned in other reviews which is the poor design of the shower so that no matter how careful you are the water goes all over the floor because of the half glass door.
Restaurants and Bars:
The restaurants and bars were terrific -- no question about it. We have been in 6 different AI at Punta Cana and the buffet and ala cartes at DPB is by far the very best. The superior quality and diversity of good choices is great. There is something for everyone. What did we like: hot donuts early in the AM, carribean lobster, shrimp, wheels of very good blue cheese, gouda and swiss, wonderful whole wheat bread, fresh baby asparagus, fresh papaya, a caesar salad bar where it's made to order for the guests, champagne and orange juice at breakfast, grouper, mahi-mahi -- the list would go on and on and all of it done with care and finesse.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
We loved both the pools and the beach. They do have floats at the pool which are often hidden away by guests so that you may have difficulty finding one. We always buy a couple in the winter when they can be found in the back room of most pool/hot tub stores, put them in our luggage and have the scuba guy blow them up and when the float hogs move in, we bring them down to the pool and give ) them to families with kids when we leave -- it's worth it. On the beach at DPB you will find lots of guests (usually not Americans) who smoke like mad and leave their cigs all over the beach. I don't know when if ever the resorts will do something about it because it requires a lot of labor to be cleaning up after the careless smokers.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
The recreation team at the resort was terrific -- a high leven of energy and geniune interest in helping and entertaining guests.
Other Comments:
The DPB staff was very helpful and hard-working. It is an old resort that has be renovated and only opened December 10 so we believe the technical water, wiring, etc. problems will be addressed and are really small compared to the over-all vacation experience DPB provides. We will be back,for sure.
ragmountain@comcast.net
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| Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana | OntarioBowHunter ~ Stratford, Ontario |
January 2009
Arrival: Jan 15-23, 2009
We arrived here by taxi from Dreams Punta Cana after a less than memorable (least good ones) stay at that resort from January 9th-14th. Upon arriving we were greetings with Champagne with a cherry in it, and a total different atmosphere than at DPC. Check in was effortless..we arrived at 1pm and had our room keys exactly at 3pm as promised. The bellman took our bags to our rooms, and even refused to be tipped...said it was 'his pleasure'. We gave him $5 anyways told him to give it to his kids then...he just smiled.
Rooms:
We had just the standard room, no upgrades, no special 'vip' treatments, nothing, and were left in awe at how nice this room was. Huge queen size bed, dresser, night tables, writing table, end chairs, large bathroom, big balcony and everything worked!!! The safe was large enough to put my laptop in if I wanted to, but we just left it on the end table...plugged in the entire time. No worries.
Restaurants and Bars:
I could go on and on here. Lets start with the basics... World Cafe, this is the general dinning/buffet room. Food is varied, abundant, and excellent. Champagne and orange juice every morning, or every meal if you so choose. The ala cartes were the highlights of our meals though. The Bordeaux is for ADULTS ONLY..no one under 18 allowed in this restaurant. Food was magnificent. The SeaSide Grill was our next favorite, they had a rib eye steak that was at least 2 lbs, and so tender, I would find it hard to compare it to any steakhouse here in Canada. The ElPatio, is a nice ala carte as well, serving a variety of cuisine. There is also an Italian, Japanese and Asian restaurant, but we never made it to those, but the stories we heard from others who attended was only raves and very very few 'it was okay'. So in general, meals here were fabulous, with NO restervations required. BARS: The lobby bar is the most popular next to the pool swim up bar of course, and they have nightly music and a very laid back atmosphere. Service is beyond belief, if you tip or dont tip, service was excellent. Each day they had a 'drink of the day' and they are well worth trying out.... Sammy Sosa's were favorties of the ladies, while alot of us guys were the double bailey's on the rocks, or golden pineapple guys. They have all top shelf alcohol here...just ask for it by name and you will get it at no extra charge. Drinks we found here were not as over powering as we have had at other resorts...they dont use as much of the 151 here I think... LOL There was also a daily beach bbq which you could get burgers, fries, hot dogs and sometimes chicken. Filled those mid day hunger pangs! There were also waitresses that went up and down the beach and poolside areas to take your drink orders, that were unbelievable. Marta was our favorite, and she was such a sweetie.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Pool...two words describe them...Beautiful, Immaculate! Lots of chairs, loungers, water floaters, towels for all...never once did we have to go without.
Beach...kept very clean and you could go out into the water at any time without need of watershoes which was a nice change from Dreams Punta Cana. The Grounds on this resort were some of the best manicured and well kept grounds that I have been on in all my trips to the Dominican. They should be commended! We made a habit of giving the grounds crews a coke or sprite whenever we could, and the smiles were heartwarming.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
This is the first trip we didnt go on many tours. The main trip we took was with MikeFisher from here at Debbies... This was one of the most memorable trips we have had. Not just because of the sailfish we caught, but because of Mike's expertise, courtesty, friendship and his experienced crews. Would definitely do this trip everytime we are there without hesitation! Only other trip we did was self exploring in the little barrio town around the resort for some local colour, cold beer, and shopping. Definitely worth it if you want to buy goods at local prices instead of tourist prices! Coffee was under $4 instead of the resort $8-9 price.
Other Comments:
Only negative comment we can make, if you can even call it a negative, is that the main entertainment centre wasnt completed yet, but should be by mid February according to the Entertainment director. They still had a temporary stage set up outside building 3. Only other small pet peeve I had was the very small casino. They had one caribbean poker table, NO 3 card poker, 3 blackjack, 2 roulette, no holdem, and just a handfull of slots... nice way to kill hour or two. Drinks were included of course!
If you want to do some local shopping for dominican prices...go out the front gates, walk down the left sidewalk about 1500 yards or more, you will come across a corner store called La Defensa... incredible prices and quality. We went there a few times.
OVERALL.... I would recommend Dreams Palm Beach to anyone, and would definitely return again in the future. I will be posting my pics as soon as we download all the cameras and sort them into a manageable order.
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| Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana | Sonja ~ Canada |
January 2009
If this complaint were to be titled, it would be called "Not all Dreams are Pleasant". Let me first clarify that on this trip the parts that were provided directly by Sunwing were at a rather high level of service. Our checking on the 28th of December went smoothly despite rather large crowds at the airport. Our luggage arrived at Punta Cana without a glitch. It can be said that the same was true about our return flight. We used Sunwing in the past-most recently last July to Sandals, Varadero, Cuba. Based on the last experience, we rated Sunwing highly when choosing our next vacation and trusted that the Dreams Palm Beach hotel, also rated by Sunwing as a 5 star hotel like Sandals, would provide a similar, if not better, experience.
Unfortunately this was not the case and our vacation was ruined by the horrendous service at the hotel.
Now, let me tell you about our hotel experience. Upon arrival at the hotel around 12:30 PM local time, we were directed to the reception where staff was extremely disorganized and unable to sort the arriving crowd. Our Hotel voucher was taken from us and we were given a bad photocopy of the hotel map and told to return 3.5 hours later in order to get the room.
To make things even worse, after returning to the reception 3.5 hours later we were still made to wait for another hour and a half until we got the single room key. During this time, no less than 5 people took our name and disappeared into the little office beside the reception in order to get the room sorted out. We approached the Sunwing representative Ryan while waiting, in order to expedite the room check-in, but he was of absolutely no help at all. So by waiting for our room for a better part of the day we were not able to use the first day of our vacation at all. This turned our 7-day trip to a 6-day trip.
Once we finally got the room key we were told that we could only have one room key because they were having problems with the system. These problems were never resolved and we had to go all week with one room key. The room we got was well below the 5 star levels promised. The bathtub advertised as an amenity was nothing more than a small and unfinished shower. Tile grout was still all over the bathroom and there was no proper shower enclosure installed, resulting in regular flooding of the bathroom as you showered.
The toilet would not flush properly and it seemed to be at least 10-15 years too old. In order to flush a piece of toilet paper you would have to run the water at least 3 times. The mirror in the bathroom was taped to the wall and a soap bar was nowhere to be found.
Furthermore, several cigarette buts were dispersed in various corners of the room and 2 pillows were missing pillowcases. The balcony door could not be opened and once opened could not be closed. The ceiling fan in the room was not functional and the air-conditioning unit only worked at the highest possible setting while emitting sounds equivalent to a jet plane at take off. Only the bathroom lights worked in the room and one of the bedside lamps, all others were missing light bulbs. We asked the hotel staff to move us into a room that was completed but we were told that that is not possible and that all the problems would be resolved shortly.
Over the course of our vacation, we ran into other guests at the hotel who had similar, if not worse, complaints about their experience at Dreams Palm Beach. They described similar problems leading us to believe that our room was as good as it gets.
The next day our t-shirts and sandals were taken from the beach chairs that we were using together with the hotel beach towels that we got. This all happened in the 15 minutes that we were away from the chairs in the water.
It appears that hotel staff just threw it away and gave the chairs to another couple so that they can collect tip. We could never find our belongings, and informing the reception staff did not resolve the matter.
Obtaining the replacement beach towels took more than 5 hours and only after speaking to the reception manager. At the same time, we informed him of all the room deficiencies, and were again told that everything was going to be taken care of shortly. Upon returning to our room at 6 PM it was still not made up and even after it was finally cleaned around 8 PM, none of the issues were resolved.
As the week progressed things did not improve much. Beach towels were a rare occurrence at the towel desk. Our one and only soap bar was finally delivered to our room on our fifth day. We got one more light bulb on our fourth day at the hotel but the mirror, AC, and the ceiling fan were never fixed. All the pillows were placed in the pillowcases only on our last day there. The balcony door fell on my girlfriend as she was trying to get it opened and we had to fix it, as the hotel could not find their technicians.
The cigarette buts were never cleaned out of the room.
A daily strong odour from the sewage could be well noted inside the bathroom as well as immediately outside our room. Every conversation carried in the neighbouring rooms could be heard inside ours. Our promised Deluxe Tropical view was that of a shipping container and of a hotel unpaved road used by buses for turning around. This persisted day and night providing very little privacy and quiet time for sleep and relaxation. We got two 6 AM wake up calls that we did not ask for. The hotel staff was not able to help us with any of this.
As far as the beach was concerned, it was far from the 5 star standards that one might expect. It was not cleaned and there was plenty of seaweed in the water and in the sand. While hotel staff can't be blamed for the seaweed in the water, cleaning the one on the sand should be done more than once a week. If this was not bad enough, one could never get any beach chairs unless resorting to getting up extremely early to get one and go and guard it all day long. Several incidents occurred around the pool area and the beach with people shouting and yelling over stolen beach chairs. This contributed to the feeling of nervousness and complete misery rather than relaxation at a 5 star resort.
Further complicating matters was the fact that the majority of the narrow beach that the hotel had was closed off to the swimmers, as boats were constantly going in and out of the water. Getting a drink at the beach bar was always a chore as there was always something missing and an incredible line up to go with it.
Two nights during our stay at the hotel, local "Artisan" vendors were permitted on the hotel property. They were extremely aggressive, tagging at guest¹s sleeves in order to get us to buy something. The majority of hotel guests, us included, resorted to walking around and through grass in order to avoid the before mentioned scenes. This further added to the matters of an uneasy feeling about this hotel. To make things even worse, the hotel management blatantly allowed these vendors to openly sell fake cigars on the hotel property. Unsuspecting tourists wasted their money on this, and it is unimaginable that a 5 star hotel condones this kind of practice and behaviour on its property.
As far as the rest of the property was concerned, there was never enough space at the lobby bar to get a seat. This was largely due to the fact that there simply weren¹t enough spots where one could sit down for a drink or just to relax. The hotel has an open-concept layout, but the space is not used well. The entertainment was lacking and was limited to two or three songs. There was only one night where there was decent entertainment. While I enjoy listening to Bob Marley, listening to one CD for the entire trip blaring through the hotel premises was a little too much.
While all of the above was enough to make our vacation miserable, the events that occurred on January 2nd and 3rd were what really got us upset. Upon leaving the room in the morning, we left tip on the night table for the maid. Once we returned to the room around 3PM, we discovered that the room was not made up, the mini bar was not refilled, but the money was gone. What was even worse is the fact that someone entered the room, drilled into the walls and installed a toilet paper dispenser. All the mess was left unclean and several new cigarette buts were left for us. Trying not to dwell in negativity, we returned to the beach, thinking that it would all get cleaned. Upon entering our room again at 6PM, we were disappointed to see that it had still not been cleaned.
At this time, we once again returned to the reception to complain about it and were assured that our room would be cleaned up first thing in the morning, and that we have nothing to worry about. They brought us two clean towels and soap but our room was never cleaned in the morning as promised.
Sunwing representatives could never be located around the lobby or the representative desk at the prescribed hours. Once we finally saw Ryan on January 2nd and complained, he told us that we should have told him of our problems earlier. That would have been only possible if he could be found where he was supposed to be found. Since he was never there he was of no help to us. He did advise us to meet with George the next morning and to fill out a Customer Complaint Form. But, once we found George he knew nothing of such a form and just gave us a borrowed piece of blank paper and asked us to write our complaint on it.
Based on the summary of the above described it is hard to believe that a reputable company such as Sunwing would rate this hotel as a five star resort. If we paid $500 per person and were told that this was a 2 star resort, the service and level of cleanliness would have still been unsatisfactory.
While paying a fair amount of money for this vacation from hell, we did not expect to be carried to our own beach chairs and waited on hand and foot.
What we did expect was a clean room with facilities equaling to a five star resort. Basic necessities such as working lights, functional doors, complete bedding, and a bar of soap would have been a good start. Responsive and courteous hotel staff would have made it a bonus.
We will never be able to recommend Dreams Palm Beach Hotel to anyone.
Although we would have liked to continue using the services provided by Sunwing, this will have to wait until they take initiative to actually respond to our complaint, which to this date, has not occurred.
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| Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana | Carole ~ Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
January 2009
Arrival: December 31, 2008 - January 7, 2009
We arrive at Dreams Palm Beach on December 31, 2008 at 5:30 p.m. for one week.
We were brought to our room upon arrival. No waiting time.
Rooms:
The room was nice and clean. The only downfall was it was right beside the laundry room. It got a little noisy when you kept the door open. The fridge didn't work, but the next day we receive a new one. During our stay, it was only stock once.
Restaurants and Bars:
The buffet was great! There was always a variety to pick from like lobster to spaghetti. The deserts were fabulous. We always received good service from the waiters/waitresses. The coffee at the Cafe was good and again so were the deserts. The only a la carte restaurant we ate at was the Italian restaurant which we found the food very good and so was the service.
At night we would go to the lobby bar where we would be entertained by the bartenders. We had a lot of fun.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
We didn't swim in the pool, only went to the beach. There's was only one day that we couldn't get chairs, so we just sat on our towels on the sand.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We tried our luck at the Casino on the resort. Very small, needs more machines and tables. But we won, so it wasn't all that bad.
We went on the Saona Island tour. It was great, we had a lot of fun on the speed boats and got to take pictures with the starfish. I found that on this tour you really get to set how people live and the poverty. Very sad.
Other Comments:
This was our first trip to Dominican Republic and we enjoyed it very much. We found that the staff at the Palm Beach resort were very nice, friendly and always service with a smile.
We will definetely go back to this resort.
The only downside is that we decide to go off the resort up the street to do some shopping. The guides pointed out to us that we could buy souvenirs there. Well, not a good ideal. The venders are very, very aggressive to the point were they make you feel uncomfortable. We definetely won't go shopping there again. I picked up a few souvenirs in the gift shop on the resort which the prices weren't too bad.
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| Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana | Jody & Carl ~ Mississauga, Ontario, Cananda |
January 2009
Arrival: Dec 25th to Jan 1st
Arrived 1:00 p.m. Dec 25th/08. Waited until 7:30 p.m. before shown a room with the ceiling caving in & water dripping from light fixtures. Got another room @ 9:30 with no A/C, frig not working, safe not working, bathroom still under construction, & with a lovely view on the laundry facilities. Accepted the room for the nite because we were exhausted. Finally got a decent room at noon the following day. Rooms beside us were falling apart.
Rooms:
The room we finally got was just okay. Not a 5 star resort. Maid service was just okay. Mini bar was not stocked. Bathrooms are very outdated. No doors on shower or bathroom. Very small vanity.
Restaurants and Bars:
The buffet restaurant had good food, but slow service for beverages. Ala carte restaurants were good. The beach grill & pool bar had grumpy people and poor service. The pool side waitresses were great.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The pool was cold. Not enough chairs at the pool or beach. Witnessed a few fights over chairs, and people stealing chairs. The beach was okay. Too many motorized boats. They spoil the water & reefs.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Did the parasailing & it was great. Went on the boat tour to the reef & swim with sharks & stingrays. Too many people. Got kicked in the face a # of times while snorkelling, & the coral reef is dead.
Other Comments:
This resort was not ready to open. Heard many horror stories. Dreams should change there name to Nightmare. Would not go back!!
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| Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana | MS |
January 2009
Arrival: 12/23/08 (1 week)
This is a spectacular-looking newly-renovated resort which aims for 5 stars but may not achieve that for quite some time. In the first 2 days, many things were not finished, not working, or out of stock. There was no manager in sight, and front desk staff was not helpful or pro-active about solving problems. But each day some of these problems were fixed.
Rooms
Rooms were clean with good beds and linens and nice balconies; bathrooms were a bit plain, and some things didn’t work at first. A lot of attention had been lavished on fancy cushions and mirrors but not enough on plumbing. TVs were just being installed. Maid service varied in timing but was friendly.
Restaurants
There are four small air-conditioned restaurants (dinners only) and one large all-day buffet dining area. We thought the food in the buffet dining room was mostly terrific, lots of variety of seafood, fish, meats, vegetables, fruit; and the bread/pastry items were excellent. The red and white table wines were different each day and usually not great. The open-air design may be a bit risky – it was windy in there, and at other times may be hot. The Italian restaurant had good food, wine, and staff. The Japanese place had medium food at the group grill table, but good wine and staff. We didn’t try the others – the French decor looked stuffy, Mexican didn’t appeal. The no-reservation/beeper system for the restaurants didn't work at all. In total we enjoyed the food.
Bars
The biggest bar is in the spectacular main lobby. This bar had great service, nice seating area although the outer chairs get wet when it rains – this area should probably be retrofitted with a clear roof. There is a stand up and swim up pool-side bar with good pool and beach service. The small seafood bar and grill at the far side of the beach was dark and windy when we were there.
Pool/Grounds/Beach
The pools are beautiful big free-form pools, unheated so apparently too cool for some people, but we thought they were great, although you can’t get a chaise after early morning. Grounds had new sod, some flowering shrubs, some palms need replacing. The beach in front of the resort is lovely clean sand kept raked every day. Ocean water was clear of seaweed and has a marked safety zone. Best of all is the beautiful undeveloped beach to the northwest past the next resort where you can walk barefoot for miles carrying rubber shoes to get past the coral point; government guards try to warn you of danger but there are lots of people there all day walking and swimming.
Activities
You have to be prepared to entertain yourself, this isn’t summer camp. There are fitness classes for adults and kids, Spanish lessons etc. Swimming, walking and reading seemed popular. We can’t comment on the casino, gym, tennis, boat rentals or kids area. We didn’t go on snorkelling or other water excursions because it was so windy and often rainy, but from the shore the Marinarium cruise looked like fun for some but not others with loud dancing and a stop at the Bavaro pool that looked dull. The jeep safari trip looked like a long day on hard wood seats. There are no towns or archaeology sites to visit, and the Palma Real shopping mall was ritzy and totally empty of shoppers. The outdoor evening entertainment can be good but wasn’t well advertised and the magic show was cancelled, but one night we saw an acrobat troupe that was utterly beautiful and spectacular.
Comments
We had a terrific visit and were generally very pleased. We were lucky not to experience the worst of the renovation problems, and hope they will sort that out soon.
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| Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana | Scott ~ New Jersey |
December 2008
Arrival: 12/24/08
The resort is not ready to have guests. Most families waited from 3 to 8 hours for a room. We saw and spoke to about 20-30 families over the first two days having the same problems as us. We arrived at 2 and got a room at 7:00pm. Some did not get rooms until 12:00 in the morning. They had no room keys so they told us to get a guard to open the doors. Trying to find a guard when you needed was a chore.
Rooms:
We had three rooms. No A/C in one, the fan in the second room made so much noise that we could not run it while in the room or at night, no control of the A/C in the third (50F or 80). Dozens of rooms had the roof leak over their beds and complained parts of the ceiling were falling on them as they slept. The halls are always flooded during the rain. Two inches in our room by the door. My sons room door would not lock and we had to wait two hours for a repair man to come fix it. Our three rooms had no cable TV however I did figure out how to connect them myself and program the TV channels. There were no towel racks or toilet paper holders in the bathrooms. No handles on the shower or toilet doors. Room service was non existent unless you called several times. Rooms were made each day by 6-7:00pm. We always were out of bath towels. We had suites (Preferred Club) but there were no drawers to put our clothes. My wife kept hers in the night table drawers and I used my suitcase.
The floors in the rooms and parts of the lobby are smooth tile that were like sheets of ice when wet. We fell or slipped many times.
Restaurants and Bars:
The food is just average. Getting reservations at the habachi restaurant is a trick. You need to get there by 5:45 and wait until 6:30 when it opens to get in line to make reservations for 1 of the 9 seating available the entire evening.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
They ran out of beach towels several times a day. They ran out of vodka several times and we had to wait til the next day. You need to get up early to get a lounge chair on the beach and even earlier to get one at the pool. We saw many argument about stolen chairs.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
The state of the art Gym is a small room with 1960 bar bells. One of three Hobi sailboats were broken making lines very long making there first come first serve policy anoying. We had to stand there for up to 1-2 hours to get the next available one. The Theater was closed and we saw no shows.
Other Comments:
Well I could go on forever but this should be enough for you to make your decision. There are too many great resorts out there to waste your time on this one.
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Last updated: July 23, 2009
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