Info. regarding Punta Cana Beach Resort

[F Parker]

We are looking for info. regarging Punta Cana Beach Resort in Punta Cana, D.R. Have been unable to get pictures/info of grounds, pool, resturaunts, etc. Info. in travel Co. brochures has been sketchy, yet resort is rated as a 4+ star resort. Trying to decide on whether to visit here or elsewhere in punta cana. This will be our eighth trip to D.R., and fourth to Punta Cana/Bavaro area.

 

[DR One]

This resort has sentimental value for me... I met my husband there during the hotel's construction days, and later spent my honeymoon there. The Presidents of Central America, after holding a summit in the DR in 1998 during which the DR's first free trade agreement was signed, traveled there for a day's vacation. And it was the resort that Hillary Clinton visited during her visit to the DR last year. The owners of this resort took advantage of the lull in visitors during the post-hurricane days and invested several million pesos to upgrade the hotel, a gain for the guests. I would not describe this hotel as a luxury resort, rather a casually elegant one to informal one. Again, note that those who visit resorts in the Punta Cana should be coming primarily for the opportunity of relaxing on a beautiful beach. Probably someone who has been there recently will be able to share their comments. Please file a resort review when you get back.

 

[Giovanni]

You can isit their website a www.puntacana.com (link below)and get more information about the Punta Cana Beach Resort. If you need further information email me..

Giovanni

 

[Al Waggoner]

We stayed there three years ago for a week and were very disappointed. There was a light directly in front of the window over the door of our room which illuminated the room at night, shining into our eyes as we tried to sleep. We changed rooms once but there was no improvement. I finally ended up nailing a towel over the window - there were no curtains.

The beach at the resort isn't nearly as good as the ones at the Bavaro resorts - hard packed with coral peeking through in the shallow water.

The regular food was average for an all-inclusive but for a small additional sum you could dine in the excellent optional restaurants. Very worthwhile and modestly priced.

 

[leslie]

www.puntacana. com is great, if you read Spanish. Unfortunaty the english version is still under construction.

 

[Natasha Lopez]

Like Dolores @ DR1, PCBR also holds sentimental memories for me as well. My husband and I honeymooned in the DR for two weeks; first week in Samana and second at PCBR. By far our week in Samana was more fun, even though we were at a much smaller resort. It was the mixture of the hotel, which was just beautiful, and the natural beauty of Samana. We also did a lot of exploring around the peninsula, thus that first week was much more memorable than PCBR.

Now, PCBR IS a very nice resort. The staff there works very hard and are always willing to please. From a comparison point, the rooms at PC were not as nice as we had anticipated, especailly for a 4 star resort (we were in the rooms located in the 3 story buildings). The rooms at Gran Bahia were much nicer. The food was better at PCBR, but my husband did get sick for about a day. Service overall was attentive, EXCEPT at the beach bar and the Italian restaurant (Mama Venezia was it?). The layout of the resort is nice, we especially liked the rooms in the little villas. No room is too far from the restaurants. Though this is very complete resort and big as well, it never felt huge. We took the walking tour of the mangroves (free) and it was great!

Don't expect luxury here. Do expect attentive service and friendliness. Would we recommend the resort? Definetely. I have heard that they improved many things about the place - that's nice. Would we go back? Yes, but we'd like to try other places first, like Club Dominicus or Casa del Mar.

Natasha

 

[Giovanni]

Natasha and Al, I agree with your comments about the hotel, but that was in the past. After the hurricane they made major changes to the room and all those little details were fixed including the windows. They are working to improve the service. They said if you go now, you wouldn't recognize the Hotel.

Giovanni

PS: They are working to put the english version available. Still if you need information call 1-800-972-2139 toll free..

 

[Natasha Lopez]

Giovanni,

I am happy to hear about the improvements! let me say that we also liked the unpretentious atmosphere here too. We will go back.

Natasha

 

[F Parker]

thanks to all for the info. We look forward to visiting, and will be sure to give an update upon our return.

 

[Nancy]

Is the punta cana resort the same as the barcelo bavaro palace in punta cana, and everyone just calls them one in the same or are they completely different? We have booked a trip in June and will be staying at the Barcelo Bavaro Palace, but everything we read about is listed as the Punta Cana Beach Resort. I will be looking forward to hearing from you.

 

[Natasha Lopez]

Punta Cana Beach Resort and the Barcelo Bavaro Palace are two DIFFERENT resorts. The reason why this might be confusing is because there are actually several beaches in this area; in some instances the name of the resort will have the name of the beach it is located in (i.e. Punta Cana, Bavaro, Macao, ect.). Just so you know, this area keeps growing with resorts practically everyday. Only a few years ago, the only resort here was the Club Med, then came Punta Cana Beach Resort and the Melia Bavaro. Now, you have all sorts of chains represented - Iberostar, Riu, and the list goes on...

Natasha

 

[Lyse]

The Punta Cana Beach Resort and the Bavaro Palace are 2 different resorts. In my opinion the Bavaro Palace is better than de P.C.Beach Resort and the beach in the Bavaro Palace area is nicer.

 

[Nancy]

Thanks for the info. Have you been to the Bavaro Palace? If so, is it as nice as they say it is? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Everything we find is listed under the punta cana beach resort. Would you happen to know a web page that will give us feed-back on the resort? thanks nancy

 

[Nancy]

thanks!!! It's nice to know that you prefer the Bavaro Palace to the Punta Cana Resort. This will be our first trip like this and really don't know what to expect. It's hard to find information on the Bavaro Palace.. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks again, Nancy

 

[Drake]

Natasha,

Punta Cana Beach Resort PCBR is by far the oldest resort in that area. I remember going there when there were wonderful small huts on the beach 25 years ago. Club Med actually bought their area from PCBR. The Bavaro hotels began to arrive after the airport opened.

 

[Lyse]

Have a look below under: Bavaro Beach-incredible, the message posted by DR ONE, Monday 8 March 1999 at 4:45am should help you with your research. The Barcelo Bavaro Resort is a huge complex including 5 hotels (Palace, Beach, Garden, Golf, Casino). The Palace is directly on the beach, the customers from the others hotels (Beach, Garden...) have to pay an extra to eat at the Palace, if they haven't changed the rule. Just relax you will enjoy your vacation over there.

 

[Brenda]

We too are making our first trip to Punta Cana, Bavaro Palace Resort in two weeks. Two very good sites are: www.computan.on.ca/~pdowney/links.html www.where2stay.com/islands/islands/dr.html Our biggest concern is the water. Yes, we will do all that we have read, but it seems illness still attacks. It also sounds as though for the first time in our travels, we will be the minority (American). We are looking forward to our trip, and more excited as each day passes! 'Traveling' means to experience new cultures and people and we hope this trip is as pleasant as our past experiences have been. Language will probably be a stumbling block. I've tried to learn a few words and phrases, but am not too successful at all! Just go to enjoy a beautiful time, in a beautiful place, and stop worrying about what you don't know. That's the experience! Have a great trip as we hope to do.

 

[Natasha Lopez]

Drake,

Thanks for the correction!

Natasha

 

[Natasha Lopez]

Nancy,

I have visited the Bavaro Palace, but did not stay there. The Palace is definetely more luxurious than PCBR. For me, luxury is not the only factor in choosing a place to stay though. Between the two, I'd still choose PCBR, but that's MY choice.

Regards, Natasha