Re: Catalonia Bavaro, Punta Cana, Cancun
I noted that Refract's report states "Let`s talk about the Punta Cana area itself. The area appears to be under development,I guess,so there is little in the immediate area. ... The Punta Cana area has little to offer at this time and is just beginning it`s development(if that`s what you want to call it). It is going to take many many years before the area will have anything substantial to offer(quality resort treatment or local activities or attractions). Don`t be lured by travel agents, message boards and the like to come to this area. "
I think Refract did not research his destination well enough before he chose it. He complained in his report that "it is not like Cancun". No, it isn't like Cancun at all. If you want Cancun you should go to Cancun.
Most visitors find Punta Cana to be a tropical dream. Punta Cana has probably the most beautiful beach in the country, and possibly the entire Caribbean, with their miles of silky-find white palm-studded beaches that goes for miles and miles along clear blue waters. This area is the gem of the Dominican Republic and the that fact that one can leave their resort and walk for miles along the beach without scarcely encountering another person or business is one of the area's draws. It is certainly nothing like Cancun.
Granted, if one wants to explore and experience Dominican culture, its remote location does not make it one of the best outposts for such exploration. Because this area is remote, people selecting this kind of vacation should plan on spending almost all their time at the resort. Excursions are likely to be time consuming because everything is hours away. People that want to see the Dominican Republic from a perspective other than a beach resort should not go to the Punta Cana area but instead head to the North (Puerto Plata area) or South-Southeast (Santo Domingo area).
The Punta Cana area lends itself more to those looking for the type of vacation where the resort has everything and one never has to leave the resort. The resorts tend to be mega-resorts and are located in a remote part of the country. Outside the resorts is mostly empty countryside. The resort workers usually live on-site in resort-supplied housing and come from all over the island. You can step off the resort and literally walk for miles along the beach without seeing anything but an occasional unfinished construction project or, depending on where you start, the next hotel. Today, there are a dozen or so mega-resorts on this beach over a stretch of beach about 20 miles.
This area is not Cancun. These resorts are truly all-inclusive. They have just about everything you could want. They are almost small towns themselves.
It seems that every big all-inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic uses the same mold as just about every other all-inclusive resort in Dominican Republic. The food service revolves around a mass-produced cafeteria-quality buffet with an option to eat at a variety of a-la-carte specialty restaurants for which seating is very limited and reservations are required to be made the day before, usually during some very restrictive period between 9 and 10am and usually involves waiting in line to do so. This is a common complaint with many resorts in the DR.
Most of the all-inclusive mega-resorts put less into the actual accommodations but at the same time, build gorgeous swimming pools and grounds surrounded by fabulous vegetation and walk ways. Food has been a short-coming at nearly every resort I've visited in the Dominican Republic, although there have been exceptions. Keep in mind that you are not going to get cruise-ship quality food at the price you pay for a vacation in the Dominican Republic (with some exceptions), or anywhere else in that price range. I found that in general, Canadians and Europeans find the food at the resorts in the Dominican Republic to be acceptable. Many English and some Americans tend to get sick and the Americans frequently complain about the food. In fact, my experience is that food is the number 1 complaint by Americans. The Dominican all-inclusive resorts have a lot to learn about food, beverages, and service, I'll give you that. I personally can get by with the food and occasionally even rave about a particular place but for the most part, I balk at the food too. Shredded lettuce and vinegar doesn?t make a salad and one doesn't visit a tropical island to drink juice made from a mix. Any food that sits out with flies on it disgusts me. I don't know how the food was at the Catalonia resort and I haven't been there. It is possible that it wasn't much different from most of the resorts on the island, which seem to get mixed reviews on the food - some say it is great, some say it is the worst. If you say the food was bad, I believe you. For many, that alone is enough to NOT select the DR as a destination.
So far, Casa de Campo is the only resort I've found that consistently had excellent food and service no matter where I ate. I wonder if that has anything to do with the high concentration of Americans that visit this resort. Alas, I paid about 50% more than most other all-inclusives and their beach, pool, layout, etc. get only good (not excellent) marks so even there you don't get it all.
Jim Hinsch JimHinsch@CSI.COM
