Grounds::
Beautiful, I'd venture as far as immaculate. The groundskeepers are constantly pruning, planting and making the landscape gorgeous. There's a beautiful cliff with a gazebo by Bachata you should check out, Merengue has beautiful scenery, birds, lizards and flowers, Mambo has a nice view as well of a beautiful cliff and mountainside with tons of lush greenery. A great thing about this resort is that they worked with the landscape when building it. Every now n then you'll see how they built the resort around the palm trees and what you think is a column in the middle of the hall is really a palm trunk. Its great.
Beach::
Before I left I read these boards and heard how rocky the beach was, I bought watershoes which were totally unnecessary. The sand is similar to Florida beaches and for about 3 feet as you go into the water, its rocky/shelly. After that its sandy at the bottom with the ocassional peice of coral. I didn't really hurt myself on them, but to each his own. The water at Mambo was the best. It was clearer than Bachata, Merengue beach is great for sunbathing, shell collecting and swimming. If you want to swim/snorkel dont go to Bachata's beach. If you want water sports then you should.
Food::
There's something for everybody. There are theme nights and they really make an effort to include a lil of everything so even the most picky eaters can be satisfied. I don't eat meat and still left every meal with a full tummy. At breakfast (which you can eat at any of the resorts) there's tons of fruits, fresh shakes, pancakes, eggs, omlets made to order, cereals, yummy fried cheese, bacon ham etc. At lunch/dinner there's a large variety of fish, meats, great salad bar, rice, veggies, breads, soups, desserts.
Rooms::
We had 2 rooms. First was the standard room which was spacious enough with a beautiful oceanview balcony. It was spotless and had no musty odor. My only peeve was the 2 twin beds that they simply pushed together for a king.
Second room was a beautiful suite with a palm tree in the bedroom from floor to ceiling. too cute. There was an extra large balcony with 2 chaise loungers and an entrance from both the bedroom and the living roomon. The bathroom was equipped w/ his n hers sinks and a separate room for the toilet and bedet. The water pressure was quite forceful so crummy showers were never an issue. The first room had 2 rather comfy couches and lots of storage space and the mini bar, full length mirror and tv, the bedroom had the same ugly bed issue, more storage, his n hers closets, another TV and an extremely powerful overhead fan.
Staff::
The staff was great. The housekeeping staff were sweet, friendly and efficient. We left them bags of clothes as well as gifts for their children as tips each day and they were very very appreciative. (if you do this, be sure to leave a note saying that its okay for them to take this from the room). I left valuables out without a worry, there's also a safe in the room for ur passport/valuables.
The bartenders weren't as friendly and upbeat as in other resorts but they sure made a mean drink, nothing watered down here. The waitstaff...some were incredible, remembering names, drinks and how we like our coffee, some were terrible, leaving dirty plates on our table for 2 courses. You either get lucky or you dont. The animacion team was excellent. They really tried hard to entertain and keep the resort lively but they were never pushy or annoying.
Excursions::
I would highly recommend venturing outside of the resort. A taxi or guagua (the preferred method of transpo for dominicans) will take you wherever you want to go.
Sosua: Beautiful beach, less pushy vendors, wonderful restaurants (try El Botin, its AMAZING), salons, and they serve you on the beach, when you go, try a coco loco...you'll love it.
Puerto Plata City: There are the tourist trap shops with the same cheap memorabilia stuff you see everywhere but u can haggle and get them for a steal. Outside of that there are great restaurants, and stores where you can get daily houseware and even brand name clothes/shoes for 1/2 the price in the US.
Be sure to change your money to pesos before leaving the resort or know exactly what your money is worth before you shop in sosua or puerto plata as it changes every day...the front desk has the current value listed though.
I dont know what else to write, dont forget your sunscreen because its ghastly what they charge for it. The resort is awesome and you'll have a great time. If you want more info or specific questions answered, feel free to email me
Beautiful, I'd venture as far as immaculate. The groundskeepers are constantly pruning, planting and making the landscape gorgeous. There's a beautiful cliff with a gazebo by Bachata you should check out, Merengue has beautiful scenery, birds, lizards and flowers, Mambo has a nice view as well of a beautiful cliff and mountainside with tons of lush greenery. A great thing about this resort is that they worked with the landscape when building it. Every now n then you'll see how they built the resort around the palm trees and what you think is a column in the middle of the hall is really a palm trunk. Its great.
Beach::
Before I left I read these boards and heard how rocky the beach was, I bought watershoes which were totally unnecessary. The sand is similar to Florida beaches and for about 3 feet as you go into the water, its rocky/shelly. After that its sandy at the bottom with the ocassional peice of coral. I didn't really hurt myself on them, but to each his own. The water at Mambo was the best. It was clearer than Bachata, Merengue beach is great for sunbathing, shell collecting and swimming. If you want to swim/snorkel dont go to Bachata's beach. If you want water sports then you should.
Food::
There's something for everybody. There are theme nights and they really make an effort to include a lil of everything so even the most picky eaters can be satisfied. I don't eat meat and still left every meal with a full tummy. At breakfast (which you can eat at any of the resorts) there's tons of fruits, fresh shakes, pancakes, eggs, omlets made to order, cereals, yummy fried cheese, bacon ham etc. At lunch/dinner there's a large variety of fish, meats, great salad bar, rice, veggies, breads, soups, desserts.
Rooms::
We had 2 rooms. First was the standard room which was spacious enough with a beautiful oceanview balcony. It was spotless and had no musty odor. My only peeve was the 2 twin beds that they simply pushed together for a king.
Second room was a beautiful suite with a palm tree in the bedroom from floor to ceiling. too cute. There was an extra large balcony with 2 chaise loungers and an entrance from both the bedroom and the living roomon. The bathroom was equipped w/ his n hers sinks and a separate room for the toilet and bedet. The water pressure was quite forceful so crummy showers were never an issue. The first room had 2 rather comfy couches and lots of storage space and the mini bar, full length mirror and tv, the bedroom had the same ugly bed issue, more storage, his n hers closets, another TV and an extremely powerful overhead fan.
Staff::
The staff was great. The housekeeping staff were sweet, friendly and efficient. We left them bags of clothes as well as gifts for their children as tips each day and they were very very appreciative. (if you do this, be sure to leave a note saying that its okay for them to take this from the room). I left valuables out without a worry, there's also a safe in the room for ur passport/valuables.
The bartenders weren't as friendly and upbeat as in other resorts but they sure made a mean drink, nothing watered down here. The waitstaff...some were incredible, remembering names, drinks and how we like our coffee, some were terrible, leaving dirty plates on our table for 2 courses. You either get lucky or you dont. The animacion team was excellent. They really tried hard to entertain and keep the resort lively but they were never pushy or annoying.
Excursions::
I would highly recommend venturing outside of the resort. A taxi or guagua (the preferred method of transpo for dominicans) will take you wherever you want to go.
Sosua: Beautiful beach, less pushy vendors, wonderful restaurants (try El Botin, its AMAZING), salons, and they serve you on the beach, when you go, try a coco loco...you'll love it.
Puerto Plata City: There are the tourist trap shops with the same cheap memorabilia stuff you see everywhere but u can haggle and get them for a steal. Outside of that there are great restaurants, and stores where you can get daily houseware and even brand name clothes/shoes for 1/2 the price in the US.
Be sure to change your money to pesos before leaving the resort or know exactly what your money is worth before you shop in sosua or puerto plata as it changes every day...the front desk has the current value listed though.
I dont know what else to write, dont forget your sunscreen because its ghastly what they charge for it. The resort is awesome and you'll have a great time. If you want more info or specific questions answered, feel free to email me