Dominican Republic Holiday Reviews

It is in the middle of nowhere. The nearest town is 30 imutes away. The shops on site are very expensive. Sun cream is very expensive. The clothes are very nice but also very expensive. Some of the gents shirts are $150 each. The medical centre is very close but looks like it has been furnished from the 1970's

Didnt venture to far into Puerto Plata, but what we done was okay. We stayed in Dominican Republic 13 years ago and last time we went you were advised not to go out of the resort, it has changed now because you can venture further if you wish to. Due to the heat and our 2 boys, we choose not too, but lots of people did and from what they said we think Puerto Plata is getting better and will hopefully continue to get better.

For anyone who wants to spend a quiet relaxing holiday, this resort is idea. There are quite a few hotels in the resort which have closed down over the past couple of years, therefore it seems fewer people are now visiting. There is a shopping plaza near the beach, housing pizzahut, pubs and shops, but once again, due to the lack of people visiting, quite a few shops are closed, but there are still enough to warrant a visit.

Drove thorugh it, wouldn't recommend going to it, it's an experience but i wouldnt have felt comfortable.

we didnt go into the town of las terrens so cannot write about it very clean, first impressions really do count, takes approx 2hrs from airport going through villiages,we went by taxi as our rep told us it was long trip by coach and for extra £47 return it was worth it, it then only takes hour,the roads are not like england there more pot holes than you can count, once you get there you feel like your in paradise,although i put family with teenagers there is plenty to do for younger ppl, the hotel is right on the beach with its bars,the ppl are friendly and helpfull, you can feed the fish either snorkeling or when the tied goes out as there is so much coral around the area, water is always warm, drinks from the bar are plentyfull and always ice cold water to help yourself with. maids do fantastic job so do the ground staff who keep the place spotless every day, resturants...... buffet..plenty of choice always well stocked fish....lovely if you like fish but i did enjoy the steak there, (son eats fish) oriantial....... leave that one for you to decide itialian...pasta plentyfull, pizza bit stoggie for my liking but still would recommend gorement.... the posh one food great and i would reccommend it, service in all can be slow but as long as your not in hurry there no problem, service at the bars was second to none never waited more than couple mins to be served, our rep was great always on call if you needed her and nothing was too much trouble

Did not visit Puerto Plata although did go through it. It looked quite run down and uninviting from the road, certainly would not have taken our two teenage children there.

Palace by name and palatial by nature, the Riu Palace Macao brings a touch of colonial grandeur to the Platinum collection by way of elegant white turrets and balustrades. On the inside, meanwhile, dark-wood panelling, chandeliers and marble add a gracenote of Victorians. Room-wise, expect more of the same. Decorated in a timeless combination of cream and gold, they're a taste of old England. Think carved dark-wood furniture, chintzy curtains and elegant wing chairs. And bringing things into the 21st century are mod-cons like satellite TVs and RIU's spirit dispensers. Outside, the cruciform pool takes centre-stage in the hotel gardens. Dotted with fountains and statues of mermaids, it's framed by a spacious sun terrace. Palm trees, white canvas parasols and sun loungers complete the picture. And it all sits on the edge of Bavaro’s long white sandy beach.

Beach was always kept clean, beautiful white sands. Activities to suit everybody all day long but never pressured to join in. It was an all inclusive holiday with a buffet and selection of restaurants open throughout the day. Also a BBQ on the beach daily.

Beach was where to go if you wanted some quiet time and the vendors aren't too disruptive, just say no thanks a few times and they get the message do not disturb. Ladies if your looking for a pedi or mani get it at the beach from Ruth number 8 as she did a better job for less cost than the hotel spa and they are very clean, sterilising their equipment in front of you.

The beach is really good to go swimming at the reefs & see the gorgeous fish,take bananas with you,the best place to see the fish is up to the left when you come on to the beach from the barcelo. It is very busy at the weekend with the locals so we done our trips at the weekends to avoid this you are also better to book resturants at the wkends as the buffet can be really busy.The locals all seem to get the bad name of being rude etc they are not all rude there are a lot of really nice people & lets face it there is a lot of rude people anywhere you go.

As we were on an all inclusive we didn't venture off the hotel campus unless it was on a pre-booked organised excursion. Therefore the ratings above are solely based on what we were able to see while travelling through the resort.

beautiful suitable for familes or couples. Did really eat out except when we were on our trips. But there was always so much to choose from at the hotel.

I cannot really comment on the resort as we did not leave the hotel much, only to go on trips, when we looked around whilst passing through it did look a nice place. The beaches are not the white sands that you expect but that is because it is the north of the island. However, there is more excursions available on the north of the island, that is why we chose there.

The beach is ok, but the water is very very rocky and filled with urchins, so you have to be incredibly wary with young kids as letting them go into the water alone would be a mistake. The hotels each have a set "beachfront area" and some hotels fare better than others, but generally the playa dorada coast is not what you dream up when conjuring a tropical setting.

not sure because we stayed in hotel . we went to oceanworld and swam with the dolpins which was a fantastic day out.

Cannot really comment on resort as we were fully inclusive and did not visit the actual resort. Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana was , as all the staff say - EXCELLENTE !!