Hotels

Hi There

I would recommend Bahia Principe, It is a large resort but the grounds are very well kept, the rooms are also very nice and the beach is wonderful. A good site to visit is tripadvisor, as with all hotels you will find very mixed reviews but on the whole they are very positive. I visit the resort quite frequently as i do many others in the area and i think it is a great resort.

Bahia Principe won the "Golden apple" award from Apple Vacations in 2007 previously held by Secrets excellence the previous few years, Which is also a wonderful hotel but better for couples.

Bahia Principe is not too far a ride from the airport and is well located, a short taxi ride away to the big disco Mangu if you are so inclined. It is also only a 45-60min journey to Higuey if you wanted to indulge in some real dominican culture.

I also hear as far as entertainment on resort that they have a excellent Circus show, don't miss it!

hi Bruin,
the Grand Oasis where you stayed last time is notthatbad for the rates they offer, but compared to it you will find a 40+ resorts on the list to climb up to highervstars in punta cana. what are your main points/what is the most important for you when you stay at an caribbean AI?
sure budget will cut down the list afterwards.
have fun
Mike

the best resort for the price is Majestic Colonial (95dlls in bookit.com)is one the only place that you can get lobster and good quality steak. plus, the hotel facilities are 5 stars. I been there 3 times, and everything is almost perfect anytime.
the second resort i will recommend in the same range of price is Ocean Blue. good food and drink quality-
Bahia Principe and Riu Palace punta cana are my 3rd option.
Eden Real Arena (82dlls in bookit.com), nice hotel facilities. nice atmosphere, good drinks, but the worst food in punta cana.
Paradisus Palma Real has the best facilities in the area. the nicer resort in bavaro area. it is just not worth to pay 150dlls/person more than majestic.

i would take the EdenH located at the Bavaro Beach over the Bahia and Riu(even both are good resorts), disagree on the EdenH food, but food is always different for everybody, one's fav can be a nightmare for an other one.
Paradisus Plama Real is located on the same beautiful Beach aside the EdenH, top resort, yes, budget will be a point to consider for that one.
the Majestic is always a good choice, i did not know that the Majestic is available for such low rates, no doubt to have a blast there.
Mike

for those expectations you really will have a great time all over the PC area, you do not need to look on the high budget resorts with their pampering services.
i would recommend to stick in the Bavaro area where also off resort discos/bars are located within 10-15 driving minutes, often even in walking distance.
check out the Pricess Chain, Ocean Blue, LTI, of course also the Majestic, specially for the above named rates.
Mike

if good food doesnt matter, you can go to any resorts that we had mentioned.
in my opinion. the beaches in punta cana are good in any resort area. some are better than others. for me the best are the beaches in front of Edehn, Majestic and Riu.
swimming pool: Majestic and Palma Real have the best pools. Bahia Principe also has a nice pool. Edehn is nice, but i dont like the matter of yellow tile, the water looks green.
drinks: in majestic, edehn, ocean blue and Palma real, you can get many international brands.
rooms: majestic and Edehn has the best rooms. palma real, also, but you have to pay much more.
night enter..: Occidental flamenco, bahia principe, iberostar. Edehn has the best lounge. but is always empty.
have fun.
I will be there next week in majestic

Do not forget The Cortecito Inn.

$60.00 with breakfast and next to some of the best seafood restaurants.

yes the food is good in el cortecito
palma sand and capitain cook!

You have so many choices here and just like Mike said, you budget will probably determine where you stay.

I have to disagree with Mike about Eden H. I stayed there for 5 days with friends visiting me we had a great time because we were together but from a hotel standpoint it was a disaster. The food was terrible (except the habatchi which will take you about 3 days to get into, we got in on day 1 because I knew someone but I met people that were there a week and couldn't get in), staff was very nice but not sure what to do, the rooms (ours and my friends) where covered in blood smears on the walls from the tons of mosquitoes that other guests had killed. We all got eaten alive and I live here and have become a bit immune to bites and there were so many mosquitoes in the room that we couldn't sleep and even considered going home to sleep! - Text deleted as off topic. - Gregg, Mod.

The bottom line is that if certain things are not important to you then don't waste your money on Palma Real and you can stay in a decent hotel and have a great time here.

Remember that your trip will be what you make it.


I don't know when you stayed at EdenH but most new resorts experience some sort of a learning curve in their resort operations. That's one of the reasons most resorts have lower rates when they are new. The vast majority of more recent reviews are significantly improved after some of the teething issues were worked out.

But you are absolutely right when you say that "remember that your trip will be what you make it."

Gregg
Mod.

See options in the Punta Cana/Bavaro section at Dominican Republic directory of businesses, products and services

the rui resorts are great and the disco is close and good

While my personal favourite is Majestic Colonial I could not argue with any of the resorts mentioned earlier in this thread - they are all great properties.

Gregg

Gregg,

Absolutely they do have a learning curve, however, I do not think that it is wrong to point out the issues the hotel is having if he is looking for a more upscale hotel and a great experience.

I was just relaying my experience of personally staying in that hotel and other people I know that are working there.

Sorry if I strayed off topic, it was late and my visions of CSI-Mosquito came rushing back to me.


Which is exactly why I only removed your off topic personal comments and not anything you said about the property.

Gregg
Mod.

yes,
the Riu's are always a good choice,
the Majestic is one of my favs in PC because it is not so huge than many resorts, for myself i like it smaller to walk from one end to an other and to the different amenities within a few minutes without the need of a transportation, but each has his likings tending towards smaller or bigger.
about the learning curve of the new EdenH,
i see that learning curve clearly the way Gregg described it,
they had their issues and bugs in the system after the brand new opening like every new resort had during their first time, customers new they will visit a brand new resort with many amenities still not available aso, that's why visitors could book it on great deals. they worked on the issues permanently and that a staff member of the EdenH resort is checking reviews(pos and negs) on the travel bords i see as a very positive thing, every resort should do that to stay in touch with their clients that way, to see what customers like and what they don't like, to work on the negs and stay on the positives.
the latest reviews of the EdenH resort show that they worked on the bugs,
they will climb rankings with the time.
i don't praise it as the top spot in PC.
but i count it in the list of great resorts to stay at with huge value for the $$$.
happy travel
Mike

We just returned from Punta Cana ~ we stayed at the Riu Palace ~ really. I couldn?t have asked for a better place, excellent service, stocked frig, liquor dispensers in the room, clean, friendly, good food (didn?t care for the steak, personal preference), beautiful beaches, good shops, drinks were great, access to the other Riu properties best omelets and breads.

It was a birthday trip when we returned from our fishing trip towel art and balloons were all over the room, chilled champagne and chocolate cake were all waiting. Can?t ask for more attentive service -- I was very impressed, ask for Rosemary at the front desk -- she did all the planning when my daughter told her it was my birthday?.not only that. Everywhere we went in the hotel each one of the employees would say *LeeeedA -- the birthday girl -- really felt like it was something very special ~ a trip I will always treasure and never forget, the Riu Palace gets my vote! Good luck.