Latest Reviews for Dominican Republic

Got back last Monday from the best holiday I've had in a long time. What a fantastic hotel. All of the staff could not do enough for you. I cannot find fault with any department from reception through to the maintenance team. Absolutely outstanding & will defainately be going back! Top tips below.

1. Take plenty of small notes. These people earn an average of $100 per month so a $2 tip is very much appreciated & will ensure you are treated very very well.

2. Don't bother taking your own towels. You swap tokens for towels in the mornings. If you are going on a trip tell them the evening before & they will let you have towels for the trip. We went on a trip that involved horse riding in the tail end of Tropical Storm Fay so they got filthy. I took them back & apologised but they were absolutely fine. Nothing is too much trouble at the Merengue.

3. If you are planning to go on the Monster Truck trip to see the island take sweets, colouring pencils etc for the kids from home. There is not an awful lot to buy at the resort. I also recommend taking the toiletries from the bathroom for a few days before you go & giving them to the locals.

4. Sunbeds - I read a lot before going that all the beds were gone before 7.30am. I never had any trouble gettinmg our usual spot by the pool & I never went down before 8.30-9am. True there were beds with towels on at 7.30 but by no means all of them.

5. The buffet is amazing. Oscar makes omlettes at breakfast to die for. Every evening you could chose something different. Don't load you plate up as you can go back as many times as you want. Still on food none of us had an upset tummy at all while we were there. At the entrance to the restuarnts & on the exits to toilets there is a lady with hand gel. Everybody used it & I didn't hear of anyone being ill.

6. Alcohol - it's all inclusive so you can drink as much as you want. However you would have to be there a very long time to get wasted as it's not as strong as you would expect at home. That said avoid the 151 rum. It's lethal at 80% proof & tastes like BBQ lighter!

7. Last & by no means least the animation team. How hard do those guys work. OK so they are not West End performers but they put everything they have in to keeping you happy. I cannot praise them enough. Donald Duck, Sexy Coli, Bill Gates, Bad Boy, Blondie & all the rest are great!

An awful holiday. Dirty pools with peeing children, people being sick and faeces in pool. Rude staff and dreadfully crude entertainment staff. We had awful sickness and diarroha. Hotel dominated by local people who acted like a stampede in the resturant and intimidated us round the pool. Did not feel safe, had money taken form my bag, two families said they had money taken from their rooms. I advise anyone to not book this hotel.

Second time to playa dorada, wasnt as impressed with the hotel as there are more modern hotels around. Busy at weekends when the dominicans arrived for their weekend break.

the rooms were basic, cleaned regularly, bit cramped with a family of 4 sharing 2 queen size beds (smaller than a double. Rooms were dated, we stayed in block 6, preferred to stay above ground as had the benefit of a balcony. Hotel entertainment was repetitive but the staff tried hard.

We did not need to go off the resort as we had everything to hand, as being all inclusive we did not need anything else.

We went to ocean world that was a brill experience and would recomend you go, but there are so many excursions to choose from on the resort

What a brilliant holiday - i have had the best holiday ever

My sister got married - we was amazed with what was done for her, she only hsd to pick her flowers and turn up, the team were fantastic.

Entertainment team were fab and hillarious.

Our rooms were cleaned everyday, and they are so spacious.

The hotel is located right on the beach front, everthing is at arms reach

This is a must go holiday

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So much to see and so much to do! A fantastic selection of trips and outings! You are not advised to leave the complex without a rep etc, but the riu complex offer so much entertainment you dont feel the need to want to leavre the complex.

FANTASTIC!!!!!! litereally the best holiday ive ever had, me and my boyfriend have returned without a bad word to say!!!! We are 23 years of age and would quite happily recommend the riu merengue to anyone. The staff at the hotel are fantastic on arrival your given a cocktail and your bags are taken to your room for you, your also given a towel card which you take to the pool with you and your given a fresh clean beach towel eceryday to use so save room in your case and dont bother to take towels! They simply cant do enough for you, theres waiter service on the beach, the foods fantastic,each room has a mini bar which is filled up every 2 days, and if u leave a tip in the fridge u get extra beers. There is constant entertainment espescially on the beach, pig roasts, beach parties, bbq's, they even had a champagne party the one evening where you get to meet all the managers, it is FANTASTIC! everywhere is so clean, before you enter the restaurant there is a maid with anti bacterial gel for your hands, as you leave the toilet there is another maid with anti bacterial gel, you just cant fault it! You will not be short of things to do, but on the other hand if you want a quiet holiday its perfect for that too! Its ideal for everyone of all ages. The only thing I have to dsay is the hotel does not have a cash point, and they do tnot do cash back, so make sure u take enough money with you, otherwise you have to make a special journey into peurto plata to get cash. The monster truck safari is a MUST, but make sure you take sweets and pencils for the local children, they are so poor, it is a real eye opener, we also swam with the dolphins and sharks.... FANTASTIC, and we also went to paradise island......all i have to say is WOW.... it really is paradise, 100's of tropical fish swim up to you and will eat out of your hands, brilliant!! The weather was also fantastic, we saw very little rain, it rained on two occaisions and it lasted for about 5 mins each time. The sun is very hot, I am olive skinned and rarely burn, however I did burn whilst i was there so I would advise everyone to take factor 50 I used it constantly , id have been lost without it!

Where do i begin! What a fabulous hotel this is. Rooms are cleaned every day and maids are lovely, taking time out each and every day for extra,s such as arranging your nightie and leaving flowers on the bed arranged beautifully ( all before we tipped her on the day we left!!)Mini bar filled every day with branded soft drinks and beer. food is excellent especially the 3 a la carte restaurants-italian was my fave. Service here was ist class and warranted a hefty tip. all the staff were helpful and friendly. No getting up at the crack of dawn to reserve sunbeds either, always managed to get one at any time of day-particularly fab as it was peak season too. entertainment was ok, the shows were great and again always managed to get a seat at any time. One drawback is that we had booked and paid for a studio only to be told the hotel didn,t have any studios but we were well compensated by the rep with a free trip to Ocean world complete with dolphin and shark swims and have to admit to being impressed with their customer service!The 2 rooms we were eventually allocated were great. Be careful as my bag was taken from the side of my sunbed and found -empty of course-on the beach several days later by security. Amazingly even this did not ruin my holiday as it was such a fabulous place but please be vigilant with your belongings! Trips were fab, especially Boom Boom Salami on the monster trucks-what a Guy, really funny with a crackin' sense of humour! I would recommend this hotel to anyone and only aristocrats or 'would be aristocrats' could find fault with it. Those who turn their nose up at it must live in absolute luxury at home. I would return here without thinking about it

Was here 8 years ago and things have changed. The hotel is fine but the timeshare guys are terrible. They are there at every mealtime outside the restaurant and even approached me when me and my wife were having lunch! Went to bring our towels in at 7 o clock in the morning on our terrace and they approached my wife about viewing this VIP DEAL {TIMESHARE}. Every two days there are market traders hassling you to buy on your way to the restaurant. I did complain to the THOMSON rep and the hassle did stop but it was still intimidating to pass by them every single time you went for something to eat. Sat at the quite pool all the time but a helicopter keeps relaying guests from the airport to the resort and lands about 20 metres away.The food in the hotel was fine and most of the staff are good most especially GINA and MIRIAM in the lobby bar who were excellent and always had a smile on their face and very pleasant. All in all we had an excellent holiday here but could do with hassle of people trying to sell.I am really surprised that Thomson allows their guests to be hassled in this way. Be sure to try the Italian themed restaurant which was excellent.

overall the complex is like paradise it's a shame the dominican people come in at weekends like a swarm but remember it's only for 1 or 2 days.

After reading the reviews i was quite concerned about this holiday but must say it was great and would do it again. 14 of us went ranging ages from 9yrs old to 65yrs old. the standard rooms are just standard but comfortable and clean, we were upgraded because our room did have a leak, but we didn't have to complain alot, the staff were accomadating and pleasant. the food was gr8 we all had dodgy stomachs but nothing bad and nothing to ruin a holiday, the animation team, Willy, Kojak, Elvis, Popeye and the rest were lovely and great fun to be with, they came and ate with u, they knew your name after a couple of days and always went out of their way to make your holiday memorable. Well Done to them.

The downfalls to this holiday village is if clothes are left on the balcony at night they will go missing, The dominicans at the weekend are a bit of a pain, but you have to remember that it's your holiday aswell and don't let them push in. Teenagers will get bored unless they are really into watersports or sunbathing.

If you want to do a trip look for Dio on the beach he is great and will work out good deals for your trip. But if he tells you the trip is for an hour then don't believe him really it's dominican time which you are looking at 2-3hrs. Also he doesn't hassle you like some of the others

They say take american dollars out there, but it is much easier and you will always get change back in spanish pesos, which can become very confusing.

Playa Dorada resort is very clean, and beautiful but the people will constantly approach you asking if you want a ride, can u book a trip, would you like to buy their wares, but once you say No they do leave you alone.

I would recommend you take lots of bite creams, and sprays as it is all inclusive and you will be eaten alive.

Went all inclusive so did not really go out of the complex, we did miss going out to different restaurants as we have done on previous holidays. Carribean Street have some nice shops, they do not hassle you to go in, like they do when you travel in europe. Things are generally quite expensive so make sure you take medicines etc with you. The entertainement in the complex was very good although there was a bit too much dancing some nights. Lots of things to do on the beach water sports etc, the sea is quite warm spent most of out time in the sea messing about on a lilo! Make sure you take high factor suncream we used factor 40 and despite applying regulary we still got burnt.

When you get to the airport be ready to have your picture taken as they will sell it to you on the way back. You will you will need some small change as you get hassled for money from the singers and baggage men. I did not have any on way in so just kept my head down and held on tight to my bag. Take more dollars than pesos as most things are priced in dollars, don't forget to save 20 dollars per person for exit tax at the airport. The hotel is nice and clean although a bit dated. We spent most of our time on the beach as it was too hot and noisy by the pool, the beach is like a picture postcard. The staff go overboard to try and get you to join in with games in the pool and dancing on the beach. We just wanted to relax so this was a bit of an annoyance but if you say no they stop hassling you after a while. If you love playing games this is the holiday for you. Do not take too many warm clothes as it is far too hot on a night, you will only need light tops and shorts this was one of the things that spolit the holiday is it is far too hot in the dining room, it can get very busy, but the food is very nice although some of the meat is very fatty, lots of fresh fruit etc but be aware they use garlic and cinnamon quite a lot, say hi to Billy Billy one of the waiters he could not do enough for us. We went on the monster truck safari to see how the dominican people live, (this is a must if you go to the dominican). I took lots of coloring pens,notebooks and sweets for the children, it is heartbreaking to see how they live. They will sell you a hat to go towards the childrens education, although we did not get to look inside the school when we got there as they said it was closed. Ask friends and family if they have any sunhats or baseball caps, as this is what the children want most, they will hassle you for the hat you buy on the trip, but its difficult to give to one as they all want them as it is so hot. Sunhats will not take up too much space in your luggage, don't think you will buy one when you get there as they are expensive. Keep taking the shampoo and soaps out of the room and take these for them, we saw a new baby being bathed in the river so you can imagine what a luxury soap is to them. We also did the sunset cruise and went snorkelling I would recommend it as its a great laugh, but wear the lifejacket. Would I go again? possibly but would try a different part of the island as it can get a bit boring staying in the same place. enjoy we did.