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| Punta Cana Resort & Club |
Punta Cana Resort & Club: Punta Cana Resort & Club Reviews |
| Total User's Score 4.6
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| Based on 9 reviews |
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| * It’s more of a country club atmosphere |
| Punta Cana Resort & Club |
User Rating:
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Debbie >
23 contribution(s) |
| Nov, 2005
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October 30 to November 6, 2005
We arrived in Punta Cana on October 30, via AirTransat. We had booked Club Transat seating, which in my opinion is the best the charter airlines have to offer.
To me the priority checkin and luggage handling (first off the plane) is worth it, along with free food, snacks and drinks on the flight, not to mention the larger seats.
During the first week of our two-week visit, we stayed at PUNTACANA Resort and Club. Before I talk about the Resort itself, I will give you a little bit of history:
In 1969 a group of American investors bought 48 square kilometers of jungle on the east coast of the Dominican Republic, with 10 kilometers on the Caribbean Sea.
Later, local investor Frank Rainieri and others joined this group with his vision to use this land for tourism development. Known today as GRUPO PUNTACANA, S.A., they began development of the land in 1971, with the opening of a small hotel called Punta Cana Club, that had 10 two-room villas, a Clubhouse, a small town for employees, a power plant and a basic runway for aircraft. In 1978 the Dominican Government started construction of the first access road to connect Punta Cana with the country road network, but the nearest airport, Santo Domingo, was almost 4 hours away. In 1982 the group started construction on the first private international airport in the world, Punta Cana International Airport, which was completed in 1984.
Due to its isolated location and lack of public facilities, GRUPO PUNTACANA, S.A. assumed responsibility for building and maintaining facilities such as access roads, security, waterworks, electricity, garbage disposal, waste water disposal, schools, etc. Today the owners of GRUPO PUNTACANA are Theodore Kheel, Frank Rainieri, Julio Iglesias, and Oscar de la Renta. This and other corporations belonging to the group now go under the trade name of PUNTACANA Resort & Club.
The Resort has undergone many changes over the years. We visited the resort about 5 years ago, and I could not believe all the changes since I saw it last. It was damaged in last year’s hurricane, and there are many new structures.
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| Arrival at Punta Cana Airport |
| For guests who have booked directly with the hotel and do not have transportation included via a tour operator (ie. Apple, Sunquest, etc.), you will be greeted as you enter the airport (sign with your name on it) and be expedited through the airport customs process (ie. You get to go to the head of the line). As they own the airport, they are the only ones allowed to do this. Assistance is provided with your luggage as soon as you get it off the carousel and transportation is waiting to take you to the hotel. Completely hassle-free. When you leave, you have the option of paying $25.00 U.S. per person to use the VIP Lounge at Punta Cana Airport, which is only for guests of PUNTACANA Resort & Club. Here you can get free drinks and snacks. There is a TV, and 2 computers you can use, couches and chairs, washroom facilities and everything is spotlessly clean. A comfortable way to pass the time until your flight boards. There is a screen showing the flights and their status, and you can hear the boarding announcements made in the airport. There is a window in the lounge where you can look out into the departure lounge of the older section of the airport – it is a one-way glass, you can see out, but nobody can see you :) |
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| Arrival at PUNTACANA Resort & Club |
The Resort is located only 5 minutes from the airport (not noisy, no planes flying over the resort). Upon arrival you are greeted with a welcome drink and a wet facecloth. At checkin you are provided with your room keys and information about the hotel. Ask for your safe key, it’s included, just don’t lose the key or they’ll charge you $30.00 U.S. TV remotes are in the room, there is a $20.00 U.S. charge if you lose it. The bellboys will take you and your luggage to your room. Checkin is at 3:00 p.m. and checkout is at noon. Extended checkout is available for $20.00 U.S. per extra hour.
I was told occupancy was at 80% the week we were there, but it was never crowded anywhere. They had two conventions. Guests are mostly American and some Europeans. We found many of the staff spoke excellent English. It was also interesting to learn that they have an excellent school there that the children of the employees of PUNTACANA Resort & Club attend.
There are no wristbands at this hotel. It is sold on an MAP basis, which means breakfast and dinner at selected restaurants is included. All drinks (including water, soft drinks, etc.) and lunch and snacks are at extra charge. You will be asked to sign for all your meals (including breakfast and lunch for inventory control), although I must say we only had to sign for breakfast a few days out of the 7 we were there). Having only been to all-inclusive hotels, it took a bit of getting used to having to sign every time we got something…more than a few times we would just get up to leave and have them running after us to sign…oops. |
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| Accommodations |
There are 420 rooms of various types with ocean, golf, and garden views.
We had a Deluxe Junior Suite in Villa 4 on the second floor of a 3 floor building. It was in a very central location, close to the pool and lobby, and close to the buffet restaurant and the beach. (If your room is further away, there is a shuttle that you can take that goes around the resort on a regular basis). A deluxe junior suite is like a regular deluxe room, with an extra room off of the main room, like a sunroom, windows all the way around with shutters, and a couch and tables. Although we were close to the beach, the trees and vegetation blocked our view of the ocean from the balcony.
The suite was nicely decorated and had solid wood furniture (Dominican-made).
There is a large closet with shelves for your clothes, and ample hangers, unless you’re like me and overpack – you only need half as many clothes as you think you need. There is no dresser in the room. There are two bedside tables with one drawer. There is also an umbrella, ironing board and iron in every room. The bathroom is pretty standard, tub and shower, toilet and vanity, with a makeup mirror and hairdryer. There is a clothesline for hanging clothes over the tub. We always had plenty of hot water, and I mean hot, not warm. Air conditioning in the room worked very well. We had, I think, a full-size bed as opposed to a Queen size. Pillows were very small and soft, but I imagine you can ask for more if you need them.
There was a coffeemaker, and 2 bottles of water per day is left in the room. There is a minibar, but you have to pay for everything in there. That’s one thing I would like to see here, more water available for free, even water coolers in the bar area would be good. (There is a water cooler in the gym and by the tennis courts). All other water is sold by the bottle at the bars.
Maid service was excellent, our maid spoke some English. Along with our usual tip I left her some candies one day, and she left me a thank-you note. Turn-down service is provided daily (we didn’t get it a few nights, but we may have had the do not disturb sign out). Fresh flower blooms were put in the room every day, unfortunately I think this caused some of those little tiny bugs to appear in the bathroom area. Not a big deal, just be sure not to leave any food out as this will attract them also. Voltage in the rooms is 110 VAC (same as North America).
They get a wide variety of TV channels, including the main network channels, so you don’t have to miss your favourite shows. (NBC CBS, ABC, Fox A & E, ESPN, Family/Disney, 3 or 4 movie channels, CNN, Discovery, Golf, WGN, TBS, TNT, USA channel, SciFi channel and Spanish channels).
The first night when we went to bed, Pat put the deadbolt on the door. He found it very hard to turn, but it did eventually lock. Next morning we got up and got ready to go for breakfast. Unfortunately we could not open the door. The deadbolt was jammed and we had to call guest services to send someone to get us out They were very prompt, though, and after the bellboy and the maid had tried to open the door (I don’t think they understood the problem, maintenance was called and he ended up having to go through the next door room and climb the wall onto our balcony and dismantle the lock mechanism from the inside. Anyway, he got us freed fairly quickly, and by the time we returned from breakfast it was repaired. |
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| Other Types of Accommodation |
A Deluxe Suite is two-storeys, with a deluxe bedroom upstairs and a complete living area and second bathroom downstairs.
Deluxe Rooms are located in six three storey buildings with golf, garden or ocean views. One building sits directly on the beach.
Beach Villas
Two or three bedroom individual beach villas are located directly on the beach. One bedroom has a king size bed, and the other bedroom(s) have two full-size beds in each. Each bedroom has its own ensuite, and all are connected by a common area with kitchenette, living/diningroom, and garden or terrace. I think these are a great idea for families or friends traveling together.
Nature Villas
These are the same as the beach villas, but located at the front of the resort, near the tennis courts, in a more tropical setting.
Maximum occupancy for suites, junior suites and suites is 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 kids under 12. Villas accommodate a maximum of 4 adults in a two-bedroom villa and 6 adults in a 3-bedroom villa.
There are some no smoking rooms available. The resort is not really wheelchair-accessible and has no handicap-equipped rooms.
The hotel offers facilities for meetings and conventions, with air-conditioned conference rooms for up to 200 people. Also with its proximity to the airport, it seemed to be a favourite place for flight crews to spend their layovers. We saw a number of flight crews checking in and out while we were there.
Adjacent to the hotel and surrounding the golf course are the residential areas of Corales and Arrecife, home to celebrities such as Julio Iglesius, Mikhail Barishnykov, and Oscar de la Renta.
A new exclusive boutique hotel, Tortuga Bay, will be opening in December, comprised of 15 luxurious villas.
Grounds and Beach
The grounds are beautiful here. Lots of birds, and you’ll see lots of green geckos. Very tropical, one of the most beautiful spots I’ve seen in the Dominican Republic.
The resort sprays twice a day for mosquitos, we did not notice any problem with them at all.
This resort is right on the Caribbean, with its turquoise-green water and palm trees and mangroves dotting the beach. The water is very calm here, seldom are there any waves to speak of. There was a bit of seaweed on the beach, but the beach is machine-groomed every day. I’m told the water is usually very clear, but due to a lot of rainstorms prior to our arrival, the water was quite silty and not very clear. There are no vendors on the beach.
The pool is not large but is very refreshing, with a swimup bar. The pool is only 4 feet deep. We were always able to find a chair there, but there is not a lot of shade. We usually spent the mornings at the pool, then went to the beach in the afternoon. No problem finding a spot there either. They play “easy listening” music at the pool, no loud music.
Beach towels are available at the pool or the beach – we had no towel cards, you just sign the towels in and out (although there was no one there most of the time, we just exchanged them as needed). If you lose your towel it costs $30.00 U.S. |
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| Restaurants |
La Cana Restaurant – The included buffet breakfast and dinner is served in La Cana Restaurant. It’s a beautiful open-air restaurant overlooking the ocean. There is a large selection of food at the breakfast buffet – fresh fruit, smoothies, omelettes, pancakes, bacon, sausage, fresh donuts…anything you can think of. The first night we arrived La Cana was closed and they had the dinner buffet at La Choza on the beach, where they were barbecuing fish, chicken, and beef. We ate at the La Cana buffet for dinner two other times during the week, lots to choose from, and they always had a pasta station.
Some mornings and on Dominican night, vendors would set up their stalls adjacent to the restaurant.
Anani – this is one of the included restaurants for dinner, located upstairs from the main lobby. This restaurant is very elegantly decorated and is air-conditioned. Try their black bean soup, it is excellent! You need to make reservations for this restaurant with guest services. Guitar players will serenade you as you eat.
Mama Venezia – this is the third included restaurant for dinner, located across from the Anani Restaurant. It was closed while we were there, due to low season, but the menu was available at the Anani Restaurant., so we ate from that menu one night. The Mama Venezia restaurant is not air conditioned.
There is no restriction on how many times you can eat at any restaurant.
The following restaurants are not included in the meal plan, but are certainly worth considering:
La Yola – this restaurant is located in the Marina area. La Yola is Spanish for “boat”, it is modeled after a fisherman’s boat, and overlooks Punta Cana Marina. Open from Wed. to Monday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch and 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. for supper. Advance reservations required at guest services. Shuttle transportation provided. The food was very good here, and the atmosphere was wonderful. I had beef teriyaki and mashed potatoes, they also had seafood and pasta entrees.
El Cocoloba Restaurant – specializing in Caribbean food nouvelle cuisine. This restaurant is located at the Clubhouse. I had an organic salad (many of the organic vegetables they use are grown at the resort), a beef tenderloin with peanut sauce, vegetables, and cheesecake for desert…it was absolutely excellent. There is a small air-conditioned area of the restaurant, but we opted to sit out on the terrace, it was beautiful. You can even arrange for a private dinner on the beach.
Prices at these restaurants are about the same as what you’d expect to pay at home for a nice meal.
Lunch is available at the following restaurants (lunch not included in meal plan)
La Choza – located on the beach, open-air, casual restaurant. Sandwiches, burgers, steak (try the Churrasco), salads, etc.
El Grille – this is at the Clubhouse, we did not eat here, but heard it was excellent. It’s open from noon to 4:00 p.m. for lunch, no reservation required.
Franco’s Pizzeria – adjacent to the pool. They have really good pizza, and sandwiches and pasta dishes.
All of these restaurants are open-air. Entrees start from around $8.00 U.S. for lunch.
Room Service is available from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. with breakfast until 11 a.m., salads, sandwiches, etc.are available – we never tried it.
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Bars
There are lots of bars throughout the property.
Los Platanos – located at the Golf Clubhouse – open 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Lobby Bar – in the hotel lobby, where people tended to congregate in the evening.
Open from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.
The Lounge Bar – located off the lobby – opens at 7:00 p.m.
Manantial Pool Bar – open from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
La Choza – beach bar – open from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
La Jola – at the Marina – open from noon to 1:00 a.m.
Mascara Bar & Lounge – at Galerias PUNTACANA, opens at 9:00 p.m.
La Cana Restaurant bar
Franco’s Pizzeria bar
Try a Banana Mama – they use real bananas and mix the ingredients in a blender! Strawberry Daiquiri’s are good too.
Beer available – Presidente, Miller, Coronna, Budweiser, Quisqueya
Also premium liquor. But no Canadian Club…
Not sure of the cost of the beer, a Banana Mama was $5.00 U.S., an Espresso Coffee $3.00 U.S., a bottle of water $1.50 U.S.
Oh, and they have Pepsi, not Coke.
Sports
For golfers there is La Cana Golf Course, designed by P.B. Dye. It has 18 holes, 14 with ocean views, and 4 holes interacting with the sea. The famous pot bunker of the Dyes is present in this golf course, and the 7th hole is golfer’s purgatory. For guests the cost for 18 holes is $100.00 U.S., including a cart.
A second new golf course by Tom Fazio is now under construction on the property.
The La Cana Golf Course Clubhouse has a pro shop, lockers for visitors and members, and has its own pool and beach, as well as The Grill Restaurant for lunch and El Cocoloba Restaurant for dinner. (these restaurants not included in meal plan). This place is gorgeous, even if you’re not a golfer, you have to go and see it. It was decorated by Oscar de la Renta. You can take a shuttle or it’s about a 20 minute walk along the beach. Guests of the hotel can come and spend the day at the pool or beach here if they wish.
Tennis – There are 6 tennis courts made out of limestone mixed with blue sand, available for no charge during the day. There is a night fee of $10 US/hr. Lessons are available. The Nature Villas are located in this area as well as a small swimming pool.
Watersports – Sailing, windsurfing and snorkeling lessons are free of charge 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.. Make your reservations at the activities centre. Boating, canoeing and sailing are also available free of charge. Fishing, scubadiving, and waterskiing are available at additional cost. They have their own dive centre where you can book dives, or take certification courses.
There are ping pong tables, soccer and air hockey tables in the pool area.
Kids’ Club
There is a kids club for children aged 4 to 12 adjacent to the pool, open daily with an activities program including boat rides, water skiing lessons, horseback riding, and a variety of competition and beach sports, painting lessons and other activities.
It’s open from 10:00 a.m. to noon and from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Lunch for the kids is available for an additional cost of $10.00 U.S. Seemed to be a lot of families with kids there while we were there. |
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Tours
Any off-resort tours you want to take can be booked at their travel desk, in the Commercial area near the lobby. Some of the tours available are: Catamaran to Saona Island, Dominican Jones, deep-sea fishing, ½ day or full day, Fun Fun Cave, Hot Caribbean nightlife show, Higuey to Romana, horseback riding tour 1 or 2 hours (they have their own ranch across the road from the entrance to the hotel), Manati Park, Saona Island, Bavaro Runners, Santo Domingo city tours, Safari Monster Truck, ½ hour sightseeing tours, shopping trip to Higuey – 3-1/2 hours, Bavaro Trackers, helicopter tours, Shopping tour to Bavaro – 4-1/2 hours. Swimming with dolphins at Manati Park, Bavaro Trackers.
Car and bicycle rental is also available.
You can also rent a 4 passenger golf cart for $40 US/day or a 2 passenger golf cart for $30 US/day to get around the resort. Myself, I enjoyed the walking, as the grounds are so beautiful.
Shopping
There is a small gift shop in the hotel Commercial area. There is also a shopping Centre located across the road from Punta Cana International Airport. There is free transportation to and from the hotel between 6 p.m. and midnight. There are a variety of shops and restaurants here, including:
*Altamar – bathing suits and beach apparel
*Bank – money exchange, personal accounts and other services. Open Monday to Friday 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
*Beauty Salon
*Baskin Robbins Icecream Shop – open 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
*Tobacco/Cigar Store – open 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
*Coco – clothing store
*El Guano Restaurant – Dominican cuisine – open only at lunchtime.
*El Portuguesse Restaurant – traditional Portuguesse cuisine – open 12:00 noon to 3:00 a.m.
*La Scaveola – flowers, gift shop
*La Creperie
*Le Four a Pain – bakery
*Mascara Bar & Lounge
*Medical services – GP, pediatrician, dentist
*Movie store – foreign movie rentals, DVD sales
*Oscar de la Renta Clothing store – casual clothing for men and women. Seemed to be very reasonably priced.
*Pharmacana – drugstore, personal care products, magazines, toys, etc.
*Pizzarelli – pizzeria
*Bowling Alley – good for a rainy day.
*Trattoria Mamma Luise – Italian cuisine
*Western Union office
*Art Gallery
Internet Access
There are 4 computers available. The cost is quite reasonable at $2.00 U.S. for 15 minutes, $7.00 U.S. per hour. There is free wireless internet in the lobby and convention room areas. Everytime I went to the lobby I would see one or two people there with their laptops.
Beauty Salon/Spa
Beauty salon open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. where you can get braids, manicures, pedicures and massages. You can also get a massage at the beach in a raised gazebo out over the Caribbean. Opening in December at the La Cana Clubhouse will be Six Senses Spa, a world-class spa, this being the first one in the Americas. Sounds like it will be wonderful. I was hoping they were closer to opening when we were there and needed someone to practice on :)
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Gym
Next door to the spa, looks to have very good exercise equipment, saw people using it on a daily basis.
Medical Services
Available next door to the beauty salon, near the pool area.
Currency Exchange
There is a currency exchange open from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and an ATM in the Commercial area next to the lobby. We took U.S. cash and never had a need to change it into Pesos. You can use U.S. dollars for everything.
Marina
Punta Cana Marina is located on the southern area of hotel, providing complete immigration and customs services. Each port berth has 110 and 220 VAC elect.
Telephones, cable network as well as gasoline and diesel, boats available for rental.
Religious Services
There are religious services at Our Lady of Punta Cana Church, located at Residencial Punta Cana Sundays at 11:30 a.m. Catholic weddings are held here as well. It’s a beautiful little church.
Weddings
Both Civil and Catholic Weddings are available. For more information see our Weddings Page.
Ecological Reserve
Part of the resort is designated as an ecological reserve where visitors can see the region’s flora and fauna, with nature trails throughout the property. Guided tours, bird-watching tours and educational workshops are offered weekly by professional naturalists. Reservations can be made at the activities centre or visiting the Centre of Ecological Foundation. Take the path off the beach and you will come to a beautiful clear spring. It is full of large fish swimming around in the crystal clear water. You can go swimming here as well.
Their Center for Biodiversity and Sustainability offers educational and research opportunities to visiting students and teachers, who come from all over the world to study Dominican flora and fauna.
If you visit in July or August they say if you walk in front of the Tortuga Beach Villas you can see the turtles burying their eggs in the sand at the beach.
Entertainment
There is a theatre adjacent to the pool area and we watched one show on Dominican Folklore and dancing. I don’t think there were any other shows the week we were there. Most people seemed to congregate in the lobby in the evening, they have live music from 7:00 p.m.
Weather
The weather was very hot and there were some very humid days. It rained overnight several days, but the days were clear and sunny, some of the best weather we’ve ever had in the DR.
Summary
The atmosphere here is very different from an all-inclusive resort. It’s more of a country club atmosphere, quiet and relaxing. While they do have some activities, it is all rather low-key, things like aerobics in the pool, or games at the beach.
If you’re looking for a party place with constant action, this isn’t the place for you. But if you’re looking for a place to just relax and unwind and do things at your own pace, it is the perfect place. Staff are friendly and accommodating. The beach and ocean views and tropical gardens at this resort are truly beautiful.
PUNTACANA Resort & Club is sold in Canada through Sunquest, Voyages Gendron, and Air Canada Vacations, and through Apple and GoGo in the U.S.
Special thanks to Amil, Francesca, and Dinorah, and the wonderful staff of PUNTACANA Resort & Club for an unforgettable week.
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| Old Reviews - Punta Cana Resort & Club |
| PUNTACANA Resort & Club |
Kari
Madison, Wisconsin
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| July 2006 |
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April 7-11, 2006: The Full Honest Review
Check In: No problem. I even arrived before the 3:00pm check-in time and only waited out 15 minutes. The front desk personnel assured me it would be worth the wait and they were right! I got a third story room with a beautiful ocean view!
Staff: Always very helpful and polite.
Weather: Perfect! I had 4 full days of sun and not a cloud to speak of! I watched the sun rise over the ocean every morning. What a treat! (Note: last year I did have rain, but just like anywhere you live or stay, the weather is something that cannot be controlled and can’t be bad or good all the time)
Beach: Immaculate! The site is right on when it states 3 miles of beach. It took me about 45 minutes to walk from one end to the next. Usually I had the whole beach to myself. It was amazing! The water is clear and the sand is soft and white. Yes, there is a little seaweed that some might complain about, but what do you expect to wash up out of the ocean?!? The beach is perfect!
Pools: The main pool is nice and clean and has plenty of chairs and also floating rafts to lounge on in the pool. I highly recommend the golf club pool. It is at the far end of the beach past part of the golf course. It is about a 30 minute walk (or 5 minute golf cart ride, but why spoil a good beach walk) from the main restaurant. The pool is a bit smaller but that is the attraction. I spent every morning at the beach there and barely bumped into anyone until a little later in the afternoon. It was truly relaxing. The bar staff was great. I ordered a few sodas and they were so prompt in service and made a good effort to make friends.
Accommodations: The room I had was newly remodeled and beautiful. It was kept spotless by the maid and stocked with water every day! There were no bugs in the room.
Grounds: Beautiful! There is so much room at this resort! There is plenty of room to walk around
Food: The main buffet (La Cana) is right on the beach. The view is spectacular. The staff is so attentive and the food was great! I just ate fresh fruit for breakfast and dinner and one evening they had steak and seafood skewers that were incredible! As I didn’t eat too much I did notice the wide variety. There is something for everyone!
Ecological Reserve: Beautiful trails! The walk takes about 1 hour just as the sign says. Do use bug spray on the walk though. I got several bites. However, I really could care less about a few bug bites when I heard birds singing and butterflies flying in front of my face like something out of a dream!
Ranch: This resort even has horses, goats, cows, chickens, and iguanas on the farm. Check it out! It is a nice addition to the resort
Activities: This resort is designed for relaxation, not excitement. You can kayak, sail, swim, walk, golf, and relax until your heart is content. One night they had dancers and another night I saw they were playing a movie on the big screen. I was there to relax, so the lack of entertainment was just fine with me.
Excursions: I didn’t go on any since I visited the country last year, but I would highly recommend a Jeep tour of the countryside or visiting a local town for shopping. Higuey was about 1 hour by taxi and seemed to have plenty to do.
Check out: After reading the reviews I was a little concerned about how my bill would look. I had made and received several phone calls (mainly local to a friend in the nearby town of Higuey). Check out took me 5 minutes and my bill was $2.00 US! That is it!!
Travel tips: Take $1’s for tipping and make sure to leave the maid a nice tip. They work hard! Just a few dollars a day is nice. Take aloe, because if you are fair skinned you will get burned. Thankfully I am not but I saw a lot of red people. Take snacks for lunches. That will help cut costs a lot. Plus, when you are busy swimming and laying out in the sun lunch just doesn’t seem all that important.
Summary: I am 100% sure that I will return next year! This resort was nothing short of perfect! I wanted to relax in paradise and this is it! Any of the negative reviews should be ignored entirely! Everyone I talked to at the resort was having a great time! Also, I have been back for 2 weeks and still feel happy and relaxed! NOTE: If you are looking for free drinks and lots of drunk, crazy people to party with this is not the place to go!! If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at kari.anne@yahoo.com. I am happy to help!
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| PUNTACANA Resort & Club |
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This hotel has it all. There was a slight problem with the room being ready when we got there, which I had heard was a problem with others, but we fixed it and instead of a two bedroom beach villa, they gave us a three bedroom villa extremely close to the beach.Food was okay in the buffet but the sit down restaurants were excellent. There were a couple that you had to pay at and it gets expensive, but the two sit downs that were included, were great. Service around the resort was top notch. Played golf twice and had the experience of a lifetime. Must play course with holes right on the water. 18 reminded me of Pebble Beach. We brought a two 1/2 year old and did not have one issue. He loved everything and everyone. The staff were so good with him. He enjoyed the petting zoo(goats, sat on the donkey, ducks and horses etc.....).
Lobby bar is the place to go at night as well as the disco. Very laid back during the day but plenty of drinks available on! beach or pool bar. Don't really need to leave resort although we did rent a car for the day and went exploring. Rent a golf cart for the week. We had a four seater and thank God we got one. We went with a total of 7 people and they got one too. There are cart paths all around the resort. It's huge. Also check out the natural lagoon. You walk into the jungle and stumble upon a bunch of fresh water lagoons that you can swim in. My son loved it and swam with us. Also, if you golf, Noel was a fantastic caddy ($12 but my father in-law and I each gave him a $20) He talked us out of a few clubs and he was right on. The beach is protected by a coral reef so there are not big waves that come into the shore. Overall I would take my family back in a second. If you want a great experience stay in a beach villa. They have open air living rooms a great views of the beach (have to ask for it close to water). I read reviews before we went and was a little worried, but I truly believe it's all in wh! at you make of it. It's a laid back atmosphere/island so don't bring you hectic schedule and lifestyle. Take the time to relax and enjoy the weather and drinks. You'll be back to the hustle and bustle soon enough and will be wishing your back at the Punta Cana Resort and Club. Any question feel free to email me at
johnmcgregor@sbcglobal.net
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| PUNTACANA Resort & Club |
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We stayed at the Punta Cana Resort 11th-15th of April.
Getting there: We lost half a day when our JFK 0740am AA flight had mechanical trouble. American Airlines put us all on a flight to Santo Domingo and then bused us to Punta Cana. We were suppose to land at 11:40, instead we did not get to the resort until 8:00pm. One of the other passangers commented that the same thing happened on their last trip to Puerta Plata.
Weather: was very good the entire time. No rain, occassional clouds to keep it from getting too hot, and 82 degrees in the shade. A light breeze most of the day, and not too much humidity.
The Room: #3332, looked like it had just been redone. It was very clean and nice - it was a deluxe suite - bedroom, bathroom and balcony upstairs, lounge, bathroom and balcony down stairs, both with nice views looking out towards the ocean. Only gripe, water was slow to become warm when taking a shower. Water in sink and shower was for washing only, could not use it for drinking or brushing teeth. Lots of bottled water and other beverages in the room, but all overly expensive.
The Food: The food was Good to OK, The Italian resturante and the Dominican restaurante shared the same kitchen and the food from either was similar. Presented as a work of art, it would have cost alot if it had been NYC. My wifes fish was fishy, otherwise the restaranate food was good. The Buffet was ok, which was about what we expected.
Supplementing: Our package included breakfast and dinner only. Lunch and drinks were extra. We skipped lunch most of the time. Stopped on the way back from Manati Park at Veron and bought a 5 gallon bottle of drinking water for the room and a case of presidente beer.
Highlights: We enjoyed Snorkeling, Sailing, Swimming, the nature hike and driving around in the golf cart. With the Golf cart there are some nice quite beech areas to visit halfway between the resort and the golf course country club. This place was very quite compared to the Iberstar Bavaro complex up the road. If you are looking for a quite vacation, it is the place to go. If you are single or looking for a spring break/disneyland atmosphere the Bavaro Hotels are more suitable.
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| PUNTACANA Resort & Club |
Gary & Chris
New Brunswick, Canada
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| March 2005 |
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My wife and I stayed at the Punta Cana Resort from March 3 to March 7, 2005. Non stop flight from Moncton, NB.
About 4 hours - plus or minus - each way - Air Canada Vacations, booked through Harvey's Travel. We also got bumped into first class on the flight, just lucky. Quickly passed through customs at Dominican.
Transport to the Resort took 5 or 6 minutes. The taxi cost was included in our package. Check in was
very fast and we were on the beach by 2 PM.
I don't believe they have all-inclusive at this resort any more, so our package was: flight, superior room, buffet breakfast and buffet supper. We paid extra for drinks and food outside of the 2 buffets. However, The Italian and Dominican a la carte restaurants were included, but you paid tax and gratuity extra.
Last year we stayed at the 5 star Bavaro up the beach, so we had that experience to compare with.
The Punta Cana Resort was superior in nearly every way.
- The food was excellent, varied menus each day, great desserts, and our favourite smoothies in the morning. Never a line up. Drinks were extra in our package, usually $6 for a Pina Colada or other mixed drinks. I drank soda water at $2 a pop.My wife found the house wine excellent compared to last year when she had to buy the imported wine by the bottle for decent quality.The Italian restaurant was nice, but the Dominican restaurant - Anani, was excellent.
- Room was very comfortable with a large deck and great view of the ocean. Housekeeping made up the room in the morning, and turndown at night.There was always house staff at hand for extra towels etc. I left $30 for the 6 nights we stayed.
- Staff are very friendly, always 2 or 3 waiting on you at buffet and restaurants and helping us with our Spanish. Nicolas, guest service manager was always available with a big smile no matter what questions I had.
-The beach was very nice, protected by a reef, so very little waves, and not crowded. Never a wait for kayaks, sailboats or windsurfers...all included with our package. The pool was superior this year. Last year my wife had a reaction to the chemicals in the pool. This year no problem.
- Entertainment was a bit limited. Unlike last year at Bavaro where there was a big show at each resort each night. But here, there was at least something on every night; karaoke, Dominican dancers, a Dominican band.
It was recommended that we take Malaria medication, which we did, although the alert was over when we went. We had the Hepatitis shots (A&B) the year before (also recommended). No gastro or intestinal problems this year. Last year had a short episode. yuk.
Overall, it was the most relaxing vacation we'd ever had, which worked for us as we needed to "veg" out. Met some wonderful folks from all over.
I would recommend the Punta Cana Resort & Club to anyone looking for a truly relaxing time, great food, excellent room, service and people. We hope to return again next year.
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| PUNTACANA Resort & Club |
Barry , Cindy , Matt
Salem, Virginia
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| April 2004 |
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We stayed at the Punta Cana Resort and Club for seven nights,April 10 thru April 17.The flight down was great , non stop from Charlotte on a vastly improved Us Airways,took about Three hours.When you arrive at the Airport you are wisked into the terminal and a line forms,
at this point you need not stand in line send someone to the desk straight ahead and get your tourist cards to be filled out and then you can stand in a short line through customs to pay your ten dollars and show your picture ID or passport.gather your luggage and go outside to your transportation. A five minute drive by taxi cost ten dollars and it will drop you off at a beautiful entrance with sharply dressed bellmen and a water garden.
CHECK IN :
We booked our vacation on line through their web site it is some what confusing when you call the 800 number you are told that you must E-Mail them your reservations , which is not what most Americans are use to and it takes a few days to get it back.When we checked in they had no record of our reservation even though they had charged our credit card.How ever the Gentleman behind the desk said don't worry that he would give us a nice room and that they would look into the problem. We recieved a great room on the ocean and our problem was fixed on Monday when they found our records and all was good.My suggestion would be to book through a travel agent.
ROOMS :
We stayed in a hotel room which was pretty much standard but was nicely painted and decorated, had a large deck and a million dollar view , the maids which we left a tip of 3 dollars each day would put fresh flowers around the bathroom each day.
The other options are the beach villas and golf beach villas which are very nice.The beach Villas are a cluster of Villas right on the beach although some are back and may not have a view of the beach .They are painted in Caribbean pastels and are woven with concrete and brick lined paths.
STAFF :
The staff is constantly trying to please you, even though their is a language barrier most key staff members can speak some English. From the time the bellman leads you to the front desk and whisk you away in a cart to your room,to the security guards which are at every hotel building 24 hours.To the great young hostess at the LaCana Buffet everyone is smiling and seem sincerely interested in serving you.Dominicans are very friendly.
FOOD :
Food is great,The Breakfast Buffet is very nice, Dinner Buffet gets the largest crowds and is quite good with Dominican recipes and a feature every night like skewered seafood or scallops prepared as you wait.Great desserts and breads , they have a wonderful pastry chef.
LaYola at the Marina - Great seafood great view , Anani -Nice atmosphere and food,
Mamma Venezia -The best food and staff ,
La Choza - on one of the most beautiful points of palm lined beach, with seafood ,burgers and drinks,
Francos Pizza - Absolutely great pizza,try the Punta Cana and their Cuban sandwich with fries,they have a nice little salad bar.
GOLF :
The P.B Dye , La Cana Golf Course is a challenging course with the constant wind ,pot bunkers and waste areas the greens are large and fast , they have a great clubhouse on the beach with a swimming pool, my Wife laid by the pool while our son and I played golf.
ECO TRAIL :
Entrance is right by the last hotel building on the South end at the road to the Marina .The trail is dense and quite cool because of the foliage blocking the sun . It leads to a series of Gin clear spings and the last one you come to they invite you to take a swim.
The grounds are kept neat and clean the workers from Picky Plant do a wonderful job of keeping the place neat.The beach is actually broken up into several beaches including a stretch that is isolated leading to the golf course.The pool is a large with a small waterfall leading to a wading pool.
TRANSPORTATION:
A car is really not needed you can take a taxi to explore, to shop in Higuey(45 miles) or the Plaza near the other Hotels.Most every thing you need is at the resort including a small store,which has soft drinks ,candy ,lotion, film, clothing, bathing suits,cigars,rum,etc.
TIPS :
You can buy cold bottled water at any of the bars . The water that is left in your room is warm.
Number 1 tip . rent a cart for the week ($30.00 two seater and $40.00 four seater per day)
well worth the money the resort is large ,you can use it to go to dinner ,you can drive it right on the beach to your chair ,explore the marina, drive the secluded beach to play a round of golf and use it so that you dont have to wait to take your luggage when you check out .
We have been to many Islands in the Caribbean and this beautiful resort ranks very high on quality and the return factor.
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| Punta Cana Beach Resort |
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We stayed at the Punta Cana Beach and Golf Resort from February 19 to the 29th. We were initially rather skeptical because our group had book all inclusive and were told it would be honored even though the resort is no longer doing completely all inclusive. We need not have worried; we had no problems with our all inclusive package.
Our rooms were the greatest. We had a large suite, as did the other 3 couples we were traveling with. One couple was in a less expensive room, but was quickly updated to a suite when he said something to the front desk.
We enjoyed the beach restaurant and bar. The food was really good for mid day, as was the pizza place. We eat at the Italian place 3 nights and the Mexican restaurant twice. The other nights we did the buffet and never found ourselves hungry. The sit down restaurants are slow but after all you’re on vacation.
Our friends all played golf and the course is beautiful. All in all we would definitely come back, but we prefer all inclusive and will choose another all inclusive next year.
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| Punta Cana Beach Resort |
Therese and Gerard
Long Island New York
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| March 2004 |
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My husband and I were at the Punta Cana Beach resort for 6 nights from February 14, 2004 to February 20th.
Flight: We travelled on American Airlines leaving JFK 2 hours late so after being up from 4am and not leaving the ground until 9 we were feeling relieved to just be airborne! The flight was booked solid but went smoothly. American is the only airline with a direct flight from NY into Punta Cana. Our friends travelled from Montreal directly into Punta Cana the previous day.
Arriving in Punta Cana we loved how clean and pretty the airport was. Because we were staying at the Punta Cana Beach Resort, which is owned and operated by the same people who own the airport, we were wisked right through the airport and they filled out the tourist papers and we bi-passed all the lines. They also got our bags for us and took us right out to a car that was waiting curbside. The airport was crowded and the only resort allowing people inside was the Punta Cana Beach. A nice perk! The driver was very knowledgeable and talked about the countryside as he drove, only a 15 min. ride.
Check In: We stayed in the La Tortuga Golf Villas at the resort and Check in was very easy. Both the Women spoke English and we were checked in and in our room in a short time. Check out was also easy, with no problems on our bill, and completed in about 15 min.
Rooms: Well we had a beautiful Golf Villa with 2 master bedrooms with windows overlooking the ocean. A large great room with sofas, chairs, tables etc. We had a covered veranda with a table and chairs, and a private beach with 6 lounge chairs. The view of the ocean was breathtaking. The grounds were immaculate and the villa was very clean. With the Villa we could have breakfast delivered to our room, which we did 5 of the 7 days. We did have a slight mix-up one day, but they rectified it in a short period of time. The language was a little problem a few times, but nothing catastrophic. Getting an outside line to the states is tricky. We had a kitchen with microwave, coffee pot, coffee and tea. and a small refrigerator. We saved the cheese, fruit and biscuits from breakfast (way too much food) and had it as a late afternoon snack. We had the buffet dinner most nights, there was something for everyone and delicious. Everything is at a slower pace and we kept reminding one another that we were on Dominican Time. One night we had dinner at Mama Venezias and that was very slow, and we never did get our coffee, at the end of the meal, and had to have it removed from the bill. The language was a bit of a problem at this restaurant.
Another night we had dinner at La Yola the Marina Restaurant, which had wonderful fresh seafood. The service here was excellent and everything was delicious. The Anfi-theater, had a fun show every night but never went to the disco as we were exhausted by 11:30 most nights!
We did have a water problem on two occasions, broken water lines from building that was going on. Did lose a nice dinner reservation because we couldn't shower one night but the other time it was repaired quickly.
We had the use of a golf cart and rode around all the time. We did go horse back riding on the beach one day, and it was a great time, and reasonable priced as compared to home.
Beach/Pool: all the pools were beautiful, Marina pool was quiet and empty, golf course pool, beautiful and the main hotel pool clean and busy, as there is an outdoor bar.
All in all it was the most relaxing vacation we've ever had. The people are gracious and I would recommend this resort to everyone.
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| Punta Cana Beach Resort |
Keri & Eric
NYC
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| July 2003 |
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Hi Debbie,
Here is my review of the Punta Cana Resort & Club. Your website and all the reviews were so helpful to me....I'm hoping to return the favor now and be of some help to others.
My boyfriend and I were there from Friday, March 14th, to Monday, March 17th, 2003. We had gorgeous weather every day we were there....rained once or twice but only at night. This was our 2nd trip to Punta Cana. We were there last year - April 2002 - and stayed at the Occidental Flamenco Resort. So I may make some comparisons between the 2 resorts in my review.
FLIGHTS: We booked our trip thru Apple Vacations and flew out of JFK on Champion Airlines early Friday morning. Flight was fine...left on time...full flight. Punta Cana Airport is fine - it was quick filling out the tourism card (have to pay US$10) and getting your bags. When leaving the airport we did encounter many people who wanted to carry our bags...we each only had 1 bag since we stayed for such a short time so we simply just said "no thank you" and they left us alone. We were the only ones on our flight staying at the Punta Cana Resort and Club so we got to the resort quickly since we had no other stops on the way. It is about a 10 - 15 minute ride from the airport. We left to come home on a Monday afternoon so there were no long lines at the airport which was nice (last year we left to come home on a Saturday and the Punta Cana airport was packed...every flight out of there was delayed). Flight home was delayed about an hour. We boarded on time...they were just waiting for a list with all passengers names on it from the airport and each person on that list had to be cleared that they were allowed back into the USA or something. They said this was something new that had to be done since 9/11.
CHECK IN/OUT: Check in was fast - there were no lines. Jose checked us in and he told us that if we needed anything to let him know. He said there are no problems at the Punta Cana Resort and Club...only solutions. We found out later that night that there are indeed problems - but I'll get to that later. The one thing I noticed right away at this resort is that you don't have to wear one of those annoying plastic wristbands to show that you are part of the all-inclusive. They just ask for your room number when you go to eat and when you order drinks and I guess when they go to charge you they see that you are all-inclusive. We were checked in within 10 minutes. I was prepared to ask for a safe lock at check in, but they gave one to me before I even had a chance to ask. I thought there was a charge for this but because I was with Apple Vacations there was no cost for a safe lock - it was part of my package thru Apple. Check out was a little annoying. No line but there was a charge on our bill that should not have been there. It was a $20 phone call that we didn't make. Our phone in our room was broken the entire time we were there so we definitely didn't make the call....nor could a maid or other worker have made a call from our room. It took them a while to straighten this out but finally just removed it from our bill and then we were on our way.
ROOMS: Room was nice. Nothing too fancy - we were in a Beach Villa. Just a dresser with small drawers, big closet, bed and 2 nightstands. There was an alarm clock...something I wasn't expecting b/c last year there were no clocks anywhere at the Occidental Flamenco so I thought most resorts
wouldn't provide them. We were in one of the few 2 story villas...we were
on the main floor though. The bathroom seemed fairly new - all marble. There was no mini bar in our room so there was no fridge to keep water or anything in. We would always bring back 2 bottles of water to our room each night to use for brushing our teeth - you do not want to drink the water there. The common area of the villa was nice....several wicker couches and chairs, a table and chairs, and a kitchen area. It was nice to sit in the common area and just read or relax with the doors wide open...you'd get a nice breeze. My only complaint about the room was the bugs. There were lots of tiny ants on the floor by our door and all over the bathroom counter and in the sink. I brought along pennies (read on other's reviews to put pennies down wherever you saw bugs and it would keep them away) and it didn't work at all. We didn't complain to the front desk about the bugs because we realized we were in a villa sitting in the sand on the beach and that all villas probably have a bug problem...so we just dealt with it. We didn't leave anything on the floor and would make sure our toiletries were off the bathroom counter. The view you have from the villas is gorgeous - so it's worth putting up with some ants on the floor because everything else about the villa was fine.
We ran into one problem on our first night there. We were out at the beach all day - sticky with sunscreen and in need of a shower before dinner. When I went to turn on the water there was no hot water. Actually no water came out of the shower head at all when you turned it to hot. So my boyfriend went to call the front desk and that's when we discovered our phone did not work. Just a dead phone line. So we had to walk all the way to the lobby just to tell them we had no hot water. The villas are a little bit away from the lobby so I found this a little annoying that we couldn't just pick up the phone. When we got there someone helped us - I can't remember his first name but I do remember his last name was *********. He was not very friendly at all and really wasn't very helpful. I explained the problem to him and he made a call and said he'd send someone
- he said "15 minutes". We went back to our room and waited over an hour for someone to come. I had to walk all the way back to the front desk to complain about someone not showing up....it was pouring rain at this point. Mr. ********* made another call & said he promised they would be there within 10 minutes. When I got back to the room someone showed up - someone who couldn't speak any English. There was a big language barrier at this resort - something I had no troubles with last year at the Occidental Flamenco. Hardly anyone at the Punta Cana Resort and Club speaks English. The only people who do are the people at the front desk. Anyway, to make a long story short, this person tried but could not fix our hot water problem....or the phone. He said he'd be back. At this point we were starving and just wanted a hot shower and then dinner. So we had to wait another half hour to 40 minutes. We then walked back to the front desk to demand a new room....Mr. ******* would not give us one. He said they would be back to fix it soon. 3 people eventually showed up - one spoke a little better English than the others. They worked on the shower for a while and finally got some hot water to come out. They still couldn't do anything with the phone but at that point we didn't care about the phone - we just wanted shower and dinner!!! They said they would be back the next day to fix the phone....no one ever came & we just let that go. The only thing we would have needed the phone for was to make our dinner reservations - we just went to the lobby in person to make thoses since we had no phone. I was just very annoyed with Mr. ******** - he was rude and didn't seem to care about our problem. He needs to brush up on his customer service a bit. It sort of put a damper on our first night there - we got to the buffet about 10 minutes before dinner ended. So we were sort of in a bad mood our first night there.
BEACH/POOL: Beach was absolutely gorgeous. Beautiful white sand and blue water. There are always plenty of chairs so you never have to worry about getting up early to reserve them. We liked to lay out right near La Choza
- the beach grill. The water was nice there and it was close to the bar and the bathrooms! The pool was ok....nothing to rave about. The pool at the Occidental Flamenco was much nicer. This pool was a lot smaller.
FOOD: The food was ok. Last year we thought the food was awful at the Occidental Flamenco. It was a little better here, but not much. I recommend only going to the buffet - La Cana - for breakfast. They had delicious made to order omelettes and fruit smoothies. Stay away from the buffet for lunch and dinner. It is a small dining hall compared to the other big resorts and there is just not much variety. We went for dinner our first night there (after the whole no hot water fiasco) and were disgusted. There was nothing there we would eat so we both had a big plate of pasta with tomato sauce. I also remember there being delicous desserts last year at the Occidental Flamenco...there was not many here. For lunch we ate at La Choza on the beach the first day. Delicious shrimp dishes. Also good french fries ("papas fritas" in Spanish - you'll need to know that). The other 3 days we ate at Franco's Pizzeria which is at the pool. Being from New York we weren't expecting much from the pizza down there but we read on this website that the pizza was really delicious. We were pleasantly surprised!!! The pizza really was great! And this was good for us because it was open until about 7:30 - since we didn't like much at dinner we would eat pizza for a late lunch so that when we went to dinner we were ok if there wasn't much we liked. We only ate at the Dominican a la carte restaurant (Anani)....make your reservations early the day of. It was very good....MUCH better than the food at the buffet! I would suggest making reservations at the restaurants every night so you don't have to eat at the buffet! I had a lobster dish and my boyfriend had shrimp. Both were very good. Ice cream and rice pudding for dessert - also very good. We saw the menu for the Italian restaurant - Mama Venezia's....not sure what the difference is between their Dominican and Italian food because they had many of the same dishes on both menus....so I'm sure the Italian restaurant was just as good. The restaurant we ate at was really beautiful...lots of french doors and windows and a piano player. We did eat at La Yola one night which is at the Marina - this is not part of the all inclusive. It was a beautiful setting being right on the water - but I would say it's not worth going to because the food was just as good at the all-inclusive restaurants.
BARS/NIGHTLIFE: The shows at night were fun. We usually hung out at the pool bar. We went up to the disco one night...it was ok - depends on what type of crowd you have staying at the resort. One night we went up there and there were only 2 people there, another night it was packed.
One of the big differences I noticed between this resort and the Occidental Flamenco is the service. At this resort you don't help yourself at all. There are waiters and waitresses at the buffet who seat you and bring you your drink...obviously you get up and get your own food. But at lunch at La Choza - there are waiters who help you. At the Occidental Flamenco the Beach Grill was also a buffet where you helped yourself. I preferred being able to help myself to everything at the buffet and even pizza place at the Occidental Flamenco. It was hard asking the waiters for things at the Punta Cana Beach Resort when they spoke no English at all.
Several people from this website asked me to take notice if there was much for kids to do at this resort. There were a lot of families with kids but I would say the other larger resorts have more planned activities for the children. I did notice there was a play area behind the pool for kids - it had a lot of Little Tikes play houses and stuff...but I never saw any kids there.
Overall we had a great, relaxing vacation. Not sure that we would travel to Punta Cana again as this was our 2nd trip there in 2 years and we really didn't enjoy the food at either resort. But if we were to return to Punta Cana we would definitely stay at this resort because of the beautiful grounds and beach...and mainly because it is a quiet and relaxing resort!
Enjoy!!! Feel free to email me if you have any questions or if you want to see any pictures.
Keri_Healey@newyorklife.com
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Dominican Republic Hotels with CARIBBEAN TRAVEL NETWORK
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www.hotel-dominicanrepublic.com Hotel-DominicanRepublic.com offers you exclusive discounts on hotels in Dominican Republic, with maps, photos and hotel information. We offer you a simple, fast and secure way to reserve hotels in Dominican Republic.
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