Gran Ventana/paradise beach resort

I cant really help with the direct question...but i have stayed at the gran ventana...and I really liked it compared to two other hotels i stayed at in the Play Dorado complex.... It was more family oriented than the others as well...... I didnt get to see any animation..if they even had any....but i would never be interested in that stuff anyway..... the room a great, the food was good.........maybe others will help with info on the other hotel you mentioned.....but wether a hotel is good or not depends on so many things....like what you are looking for... partying...or peace and quiet.... and a little of both some at night the other during the day

good luck

bob

if you want to party and have a nice hotel with a beach..inquire about sosua bay hotel.

I think sosua would more party central than playa dorao will be..but the Sosua Bay Hotel is kinda exspensive...but it really looks nice....plus you have sosua beach which is nice.......

I went to playa Dorado a several times.. they have Mangu Bar... the roadway bar( very very small), and they have hemingways bar....I thought hemingways was a waste of time the one time i went there to party and dance. Mangu is a meat market...the roadway gets packed too tight for my tastes....and the dance floor is about a 6 foot sqaure area.......Mangu isant that much bigger...maybe a 20 foot circle and its raised.....these places are a 5 minute walk maybe a little longer from each other

in sosua there are 10 places in that distance.......
but there are not a lot of choices on hotels

have fun
bob

I have stayed at the Paradise Beach before however not at the Gran Ventana.

Paradise Beach is a three star resort where as I believe that the Gran Ventana is 4 star (?), hence the higher price per night they charge.

I had a great room at the Paradise Beach - there were three of us sharing and it was more like an apartment that had a seperate bedroom with double bed, a lounge area with double sofa bed, table and chairs, tv, a small kitchen area with fridge, a bathroom with bath tub, toilet and hairdryer plus another seperate toilet. I must add though that I did hear a few people complaining about their rooms when I was there - that appliances didn't work, and that they were generally run down :ermm:

Food was great with a varied selection to suit all tastes.

Entertainment - much the same as all resorts really - activities ariund the pool in the daytime and a different themed show each evening (although these can get repetitive!). Staff are friendly etc etc.

I didn't see many kids around when I stayed there - I wouldn't have said it was big on families although there was entertainment provided for the few kids that were around......both in the daytime and before the show each night.

Swim up bar - yes there is definitely one of those so no problems there :classic: In fact there are a few bars to choose from. There is also a casino and night club on site (Crazy Moons) which can both be accessed by other tourists who are not staying at the resort.

Overall - I would stay at this hotel again. Like I say - it's no more than a three star but it's got everything you need and is convieniently located in the Playa Dorada complex close to the main shopping plaza.

Daydream

Hi,

My opinion, keep in mind I'm not a picky person as long as the resort is clean I'm good.
I have stayed at the Paradise Beach resort twice. It is okay, basic hotel 3 star so nothing special. Room was clean, food good and staff nice. I had no problem staying there. The beach section the resort is not the greatest though I used walk farther down towards the shops and the water is better. But in general Playa Doarad beach in my opinion isn't that great.

Have fun

If they are priced similarly, Gran Ventana is a better deal.

plyagirl,

I like to party and go out dancing but I don't really party in Playa Dorada. You can party in the resort hotels. The also have Hemmingways and Roadhouse in the complex. We would go to Hemmingway's or Roadhouse for a drink until it was time to go out, party's start after midnight. I enjoy going to local clubs to dance to Bachata, Merengue and Salsa. It all depends on what you like to do. Lots of places clubs in POP.

If both resorts are the same price I would go with Grand Ventana. If you do end up booking at Paradise do not take the room with the spiral stair case, make sure you have a standard room. I also told them when I was checking in to make sure I didn't get that room on my first stay. On the second stay I booked a standard room.

Have fun

well the Mangu bar attached to the Jack Tar casino, plays all those musics, although reagatone will end up getting played more..... and if you got a beat and stand next to the dance floor, you will get asked to dance... thats for sure.

and as far as wating till seman santa...dont know what it is..

but if the hotel does and they think that more people may go during that time.. they will RAISE the prices!!!!!!!!

the cheapest prices are when no one wants to go......

have fun

I would try to book a room and a flight together, you will have some money

just try all the travel .coms

bob

I've gone both in April and May to the DR.
I have booked trips two weeks before last minute deals. The price when I booked was a little under $1,000.00 with taxes and insurance. A great deal but you can't be picky on the resort since it's last minute.

playagirl said:

Do you think that they would run some good sales once semana santa gets closer?

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laurapasinifan said:

and as far as wating till seman santa...dont know what it is..

bob

Click to expand...

Bob, Semana Santa is Holy week. It's the week leading up to Easter.

I thought it was important for you to know this since there's no drinking or sex allowed during this time in the DR. :laugh:

Avoid Semana Santa!
If you do not mind poor service, overcrowded restaurants, resorts, and airports, you will have a good time.
There are 51 other weeks in the year to enjoy oneself.

AnnaC said:

Bob, Semana Santa is Holy week. It's the week leading up to Easter.

I thought it was important for you to know this since there's no drinking or sex allowed during this time in the DR. :laugh:

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I dont have a problem with the no drinking part

my GF doesnt really drink either........but i can tell you she would have a serious problem going with out the other!!!!!!!!!

me i could volunteer cutting those activities in half... and be plenty happy still!!!!!!!

if it is a holiday...Ill be there.... thats for sure

bob

I was pulling your leg about the drinking Bob but they do cut down or in some resorts cut out motorized water sports due to the heavy drinking.

But now you know two new Spanish words so you can tell your g/f that you'll be there on Semana Santa