I don't know how lucky other people are because the hotel reviews are quite good. And so, personally, we were not lucky specifically. Let's start with the fact that you don't fly to rest out of season, since we got on algae, the ocean looks like a swamp (I'll attach a photo) The algae are terrible, when we arrived, they were taken out in wheelbarrows, then they hooked up a tractor and for 4 days it works and algae not get smaller.
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I don't know how lucky other people are because the hotel reviews are quite good.
And so, personally, we were not lucky specifically. Let's start with the fact that you don't fly to rest out of season, since we got on algae, the ocean looks like a swamp (I'll attach a photo) The algae are terrible, when we arrived, they were taken out in wheelbarrows, then they hooked up a tractor and for 4 days it works and algae not get smaller. Plus, they stink terribly, the stink on the beach is unbearable. In order to swim normally, we walked in the other direction for about 40 minutes and back the same way, now it’s the 5th day here, we swam 3 times. But it happens, it does not depend much on the hotel. They clean, but very slowly and no one will clean the algae in the water (
The service here is below par. On weekends, locals come and all the attendants run around and almost wipe their ass, but they put us like shit. (Written harshly, but it's true! )
There are long queues in the canteen, the tables are all occupied, it is simply not possible to find a place and ask them to clean up and set the table. You approach the table, wave to them, and they see you, turn around and leave. We woke up early for breakfast in order to have time to eat, yes, to have time, because they eat like elephants and there is stupidly not enough food. So, a queue for an omelette has already lined up, the cook has waited, and he goes stupidly into such a waddling as if he doesn’t have people at all and is still indignant, so he didn’t fry the omelette. I fried eggs that were not fried (I’m pregnant and don’t eat cooked food), as a result, with nerves and tears, they begged them for an omelet. And there are 3 jobs for an omelet and not one omelet is cooked. There are no words. After me, the omelet was not cooked further for people...
And that is not all. Let's get back to the shortage of food, fruits put one plate of watermelon, 2 people take it apart, and people like me who love watermelon can take that plate apart at a time and that’s it, they don’t carry more additives, they take out different fruits, just one plate.
In general, the food is about nothing, there is seafood, but they are so disgusting that I can’t look at them.
I saw a rat near the beach bar . . this has never happened anywhere, in many hotels there were.
On the beach, they do not give rest, they go a lot to steam anything that is not needed.
Plus, we're on our honeymoon and no one has congratulated us in any way.
In general, the flight is 12 hours and such terrible service is not worth it.
I hope we can move in and rest the rest of the days well.
And so, personally, we were not lucky specifically. Let's start with the fact that you don't fly to rest out of season, since we got on algae, the ocean looks like a swamp (I'll attach a photo) The algae are terrible, when we arrived, they were taken out in wheelbarrows, then they hooked up a tractor and for 4 days it works and algae not get smaller. Plus, they stink terribly, the stink on the beach is unbearable. In order to swim normally, we walked in the other direction for about 40 minutes and back the same way, now it’s the 5th day here, we swam 3 times. But it happens, it does not depend much on the hotel. They clean, but very slowly and no one will clean the algae in the water (
The service here is below par. On weekends, locals come and all the attendants run around and almost wipe their ass, but they put us like shit. (Written harshly, but it's true! )
There are long queues in the canteen, the tables are all occupied, it is simply not possible to find a place and ask them to clean up and set the table. You approach the table, wave to them, and they see you, turn around and leave. We woke up early for breakfast in order to have time to eat, yes, to have time, because they eat like elephants and there is stupidly not enough food. So, a queue for an omelette has already lined up, the cook has waited, and he goes stupidly into such a waddling as if he doesn’t have people at all and is still indignant, so he didn’t fry the omelette. I fried eggs that were not fried (I’m pregnant and don’t eat cooked food), as a result, with nerves and tears, they begged them for an omelet. And there are 3 jobs for an omelet and not one omelet is cooked. There are no words. After me, the omelet was not cooked further for people...
And that is not all. Let's get back to the shortage of food, fruits put one plate of watermelon, 2 people take it apart, and people like me who love watermelon can take that plate apart at a time and that’s it, they don’t carry more additives, they take out different fruits, just one plate.
In general, the food is about nothing, there is seafood, but they are so disgusting that I can’t look at them.
I saw a rat near the beach bar . . this has never happened anywhere, in many hotels there were.
On the beach, they do not give rest, they go a lot to steam anything that is not needed.
Plus, we're on our honeymoon and no one has congratulated us in any way.
In general, the flight is 12 hours and such terrible service is not worth it.
I hope we can move in and rest the rest of the days well.
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• 6
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Everything went wrong at first! We arrived at the hotel at 11, settled us already at 16, although the settlement was at 15, we sat waiting for a long time and even for money it was impossible to get faster! It was our honeymoon trip, they took a marriage certificate, as they promised gifts or an improved
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Everything went wrong at first! We arrived at the hotel at 11, settled us already at 16, although the settlement was at 15, we sat waiting for a long time and even for money it was impossible to get faster! It was our honeymoon trip, they took a marriage certificate, as they promised gifts or an improved room or an ocean view, and we didn’t get anything ((No one even looked and it didn’t matter to us, although we came up more than once, later everything -they moved to the same room (it is not clear why), also far from the ocean, and there was no gift either, although people were congratulated on their birthday! It was very insulting and unpleasant! The food was good, but not enough seafood! There were algae, but photo) I do not recommend the hotel!
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Sunscape Dominican Beach Punta Cana 4 * left an ambiguous impression of the holiday. Of course, in order to decide on a flight to the Dominican Republic, such a coward like me, it took more than one year and more than one flight to sunny Turkey and Egypt, which was covered later. I always dreamed of the Caribbean, watched Pirates, tuned in for a trip, and finally, the cherished ticket was in my hands.
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Sunscape Dominican Beach Punta Cana 4 * left an ambiguous impression of the holiday. Of course, in order to decide on a flight to the Dominican Republic, such a coward like me, it took more than one year and more than one flight to sunny Turkey and Egypt, which was covered later. I always dreamed of the Caribbean, watched Pirates, tuned in for a trip, and finally, the cherished ticket was in my hands. I rested in this hotel in February 2018, in fact, the hotel was provided by default in the tour package that we took at a discount. Either the expectations from the Caribbean were different, or it was necessary to take a hotel several times more expensive, but I imagined everything a little differently. On the one hand, the hotel has the advantage of its own beach, but it will not be possible to say that it is picturesque. It is washed away, it seems, and the Dominicans simply strengthen the coastline with some sandbags, mud and algae all around, and muddy water. Disappointment, in pursuit of a paradise picture, I had to go to private beaches (excursions were taken from the Russian Slava, who works in a local cool company, partners, Orel and Reshka). You can’t take a place on this beach after 8, if you didn’t manage to find a place under a palm tree before the Americans woke up, then go straight to the pool. Speaking of Americans, the Dominican Republic for them is like a place for the nearest beach holiday, there are a lot of them here. They behave loudly, drunkenly and sometimes arrogantly, like some of our tourists in Egyptian resorts. Same. The sight is not very attractive. Despite this, the Dominicans are more tolerant of Americans and Europeans than of Russian tourists, although I can say that I was pleasantly surprised about my compatriots. Very worthy people, we even became friends with some. We were about 3-4% of the total number of vacationers, among us there was a couple where the wife is Russian and the husband is American, so we quickly joined both the animation and the life of the hotel. As for the room in which we lived (building 28), I also have mixed impressions. On the one hand, these buildings are located near the beach, it’s not too noisy there, you can relax during the day, the sound insulation is not bad, a large bathroom, but in our room the shower was constantly clogged, and given that there are practically no partitions between the shower and the bath, then all this spread on the floor, the masters were called several times, they realized that this was a disastrous occupation and adapted to wash quickly. But, you see, you don’t really want to do this on vacation. Immediately purchase Wi-Fi in order to be in touch, it is not available in the hotel. More precisely, it is, but it is given in doses and does not work. Shopping is best done on your own, outside the hotel and not through tour operators, then you can buy a local SIM card, and rum, and cigars at reasonable prices. Excursions are also very expensive, at least $ 100 and it will be mischievous, if you want to go on an interesting excursion, you will have to pay even more. Again, we have decided in our preferences, who are interested, I will tell you. The food in the four of the hotel corresponds to the food in the four in principle. That is, to say that it is not varied, it is not correct, but at the same time you will not find any frills here. In the Dominican Republic, there is a lot of tension with seafood, oddly enough, shrimp, mussels and lobsters are even more expensive here than in Russia, so you won’t find abundance in Tae. But the meat, please, as you like cooked and very tasty. Good coffee, almost no tea, again, surprisingly, I usually drink herbal tea in the morning, you can’t find this here. Meat products are delicious, cheeses are not very good, there are very few vegetable dishes. Basically, food is provided based on the taste of Americans, that is, everything is fried and starchy: burgers, chips, etc. In juices (more precisely, nectars or drinks, there is a lot of sugar, a lot of soda, we drank plain water so as not to take it all away on our sides. In general, the hotel corresponds to its star rating, but if these shortcomings were worked out, it would be much better.
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• 11
The hotel was chosen to relax with a child, so I wanted the beach to be calm without big waves. In this hotel, this is favored by breakwaters. They're basically just sandbags, but they get the job done. Grass brings but little and that is cleaned daily. Of course, breakwaters spoil the view, but they are safer.
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The hotel was chosen to relax with a child, so I wanted the beach to be calm without big waves. In this hotel, this is favored by breakwaters. They're basically just sandbags, but they get the job done. Grass brings but little and that is cleaned daily. Of course, breakwaters spoil the view, but they are safer. For kids, good conditions entertain them both during the day and in the evening before the evening shows. Two kids clubs for younger kids and teens. There are two children's pools. There are also three pools for adults. One of them with a bar in the water. Plenty of sunbeds, pools are clean. The territory is clean and well maintained. In the evenings there is a disco bar, some drinks are paid. For guests of VIP concept vacationers, the services are more advanced, but we did not overpay and in general everything suited us, and so such trifles as visiting a la carte without an appointment or a separate pool were not important to us. In general, entertainment for the child was important to us, but we also found something to do. In the hotel, excellent animators organized sports activities and evening shows and foam parties. . In terms of nutrition, everything is very good, the choice of fruits, there is a lot of meat and they cook deliciously. Of course, the choice of seafood is modest, but in terms of value for money, everything is excellent. The room was also very nice. Large bright with good furniture. Cleaned daily and thoroughly. The staff at the hotel are friendly and cheerful. The attitude towards the guests is very good indeed and you treat them in a friendly way and everything will be fine. In general, if you are not confused by the presence of breakwaters, then this is an excellent choice for an affordable price.
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• 12
Territory class! Lots of greenery, lots of shade. You don't need umbrellas on the beach. The shade from the palm tree is more than enough. The beach is clean. If it brought algae, they were cleaned regularly. Loungers are full. The entrance to the water is convenient. You can safely go here to relax with children.
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Territory class! Lots of greenery, lots of shade. You don't need umbrellas on the beach. The shade from the palm tree is more than enough. The beach is clean. If it brought algae, they were cleaned regularly. Loungers are full. The entrance to the water is convenient. You can safely go here to relax with children. Plus for them there is a club for both children and teenagers. Two children's pools. All pools are clean. There is a bar in the water. There is a swimming pool in the relaxation area. Animation is active for both children and adults. Live music, foam parties, and fun during the day. There is a lot of food in general. The food is good and varied. Even freshly caught fish was grilled outside. Lots of fruits. The only thing is a little children's evening animation. I liked the way they taught dancing. Lots of water activities but this is paid. In general, the quantity and quality of services provided in the hotel in relation to the cost is excellent. We are glad that we stayed in this hotel. We lived in the main building. The room is spacious enough. The bathroom is large and comfortable. Hairdryer that was important for me powerful. The only thing is that free internet comes if you have Sun Club accommodation. And wifi in the lobby. Pretty slow. But since we didn’t give a damn about the Internet, we went to rest, it suited us initially) And we also really liked the Fitness Center and Spa at the hotel. And you can also rent a car right at the hotel, but I won’t say for sure, we didn’t even go on excursions) In general, a good hotel to relax at least as a couple or with children!
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• 11
Unforgettable vacation. Everything is excellent. We were satisfied! I'll start with entertainment and animation. Animation takes place everywhere and the beach and the pool wherever you are everywhere you are entertained. Various fun competitions for both adults and children. Learn to dance and play live music.
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Unforgettable vacation. Everything is excellent. We were satisfied! I'll start with entertainment and animation. Animation takes place everywhere and the beach and the pool wherever you are everywhere you are entertained. Various fun competitions for both adults and children. Learn to dance and play live music. In the afternoon, charging the same dances, etc. In the pools, inflatable circles and mattresses. On the beach for vacationers there is an opportunity to ride kayaks, catamarans. All this is free. You won't be bored here. The number is great too. The room has everything. Coffee machine. Mini bar. Everything is replenished without delay. For the bathroom, you can not bring soap and water with you if there are no specific requests. There are even scales) Repair normal furniture is good. Bed towels are ok. Change and cleaning regularly. So we rested in cleanliness and comfort. Of the minuses, we did not use the paid Internet, since there is a free but slow one in the lobby. Beach. Loungers are full. Good beach bar cocktails very good quality bartenders are funny. Towels without cards and deposits change as much as you want. The fabulous ocean has breakwaters, which makes it possible to calmly enter the water without fear that it will knock you down. The hotel is definitely excellent and the price is very good, by the way, we took a tour via the Internet, this also made it possible to save money. And of course, about food, I understood why there are scales in the room) Yes, so as not to get fat imperceptibly) Restaurants with a large selection of food. Everything is plentiful and with a fairly large selection. A lot of fruits. Constantly a sea of products. And thanks to the cooks for cooking very tasty. Great coffee shop. Ice cream and sweets are excellent. Pizzeria, grill bar super. In general, the food is great! We liked the hotel so much that we will definitely come here again and bring friends!
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• 17
We rested at the Barcelo Dominican Beach Hotel from 06 to 20 November 2015. The room category was purchased by Elite Junior Suite. Were with my husband. By the way, we are not the first time in the Dominican Republic. So, settlement. Guide Tez Tour dropped us at the reception (but more on that separately), and we started chatting with a cute girl at first glance.
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We rested at the Barcelo Dominican Beach Hotel from 06 to 20 November 2015. The room category was purchased by Elite Junior Suite. Were with my husband. By the way, we are not the first time in the Dominican Republic. So, settlement. Guide Tez Tour dropped us at the reception (but more on that separately), and we started chatting with a cute girl at first glance. The name was not remembered, a dark-skinned girl of short stature with long bleached hair. So they gave us room keys, showed us on the map of the hotel how cool our building 92 was, printed out the instructions for what we were supposed to do as residents of the Elite building, and we went with the suitcase porter to our home. We didn't get the welcome cocktail. Elite Club was indeed written on the doors, the room had a jacuzzi bath (right in the room), but everything else just made me want to cry. There was no hot or at least warm water in the room (this, of course, did not stop us from washing after a 13-hour flight), the shower fell on me, fortunately I managed to jump back, all the windows of the corner room overlooked the road, the fence on the balcony is a rare lattice, the view is so or on the road. A small consolation was a bottle of rum and a few canapé s that we found in the refrigerator when we returned from dinner. In the morning, on the advice of compatriots who had previously been in this hotel, we changed our room to a room in building 6. Everything changed dramatically. The room was really a junior suite, in addition there was a sofa, a side view from the balcony to the ocean, two sinks in the bathroom, a shower cabin, not a bathtub, a jacuzzi in the bathroom, blinds on the window between the room and the bathroom, hot water. Not all of the lights turned on, but we did not call an electrician, it was not so important. Room cleaning was carried out daily in the traditional Dominican style - not everyone will put towels, then for some reason they will take drinking water even the one that we had, or something else. But the exit from the building was right on the beach. Service in restaurants leaves much to be desired. You ask for wine - the waiters forget. Waiting for coffee, the waiters ignore. The tables are regularly missing some cutlery, until you wait for them to be brought, you just had to pick them up from other tables. A-la carte restaurants are also disappointing. Everything is very long and disorganized, the food, to put it mildly, is not very good, the Brazilian restaurant served terribly smelly beef. There was enough food in restaurants with a buffet, but every day was essentially the same, so we mostly ate potatoes, chicken and sausages))) About the Internet: we were supposed to have a free wi-fi password. Immediately upon check-in, of course, they didn’t give us it, we had to go later to find out how we could connect to the Internet. They gave us a check with a password, on which it was written that its cost was $ 30 for 7 days. We managed to find out that this is purely formal, and we still do not need to pay. Thanks guys Andy and Jesus for explaining. The only restriction on the Internet was - one device could be connected at the same time, but this is not scary, after all, they did not come to sit on the Internet on vacation. About employees. The hotel guide strongly advised us to contact her friend, a Russian-speaking girl at the reception with glasses, on all emerging issues. We tried to contact her three times. . She categorically refused to communicate with us and sent to anyone who was nearby, while being quite rude, which surprised us very much. According to the category of the room, we were entitled to elite alcoholic drinks, both in the bar and delivered to the room. In the bar, everything was simple - you put a note in a notebook for each glass, and everything is in order. Nothing happened with delivery. On the room service phone, we were told that it was already too late, that they basically did not deliver alcohol to the rooms. Somehow we went to clarify this issue at the reception. Our friend with glasses sent you once again, and a dark-skinned girl began to communicate with us. She said that it was enough for us to go to the bar, place an order and call the room number, and everything would be brought to us. We did just that. They waited a long time. Let's go find out where it is. The waiter from the bar, holding our order on a tray, said that it was this same dark-skinned girl who did not allow her to carry anything. What they, together with a girl with glasses, laughed quite loudly in our faces. About evening shows. Every evening for an hour there were strange children's dances, after which the show began, well, how about the show, music and some kind of competitions. The territory of the hotel is not very big, but enough for walking. From living creatures - only 3 or 4 peacocks and 3 kittens in the restaurant. The beach is large, it was regularly cleaned from algae, although this did not help much. It seemed like this is the season, and this is the situation on the beaches of all hotels, but walking far far to the right, it turned out that this is a feature of our location. On weekends, as in many other hotels, many locals came. There were queues in restaurants for food, the same queues in bars. People stopped by both on the beach and just for the evening at the club. So, the main thing that pleased us in this hotel is round-the-clock security on the territory. They were everywhere, and on the beach, and right in our building, and just on the street. But the overall impression was not the best. Conclusion - we will not go to this hotel again, especially through Tez Tour.
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• 18
I don’t know about anyone, but we liked the rest. It all started with the fact that we bought tickets to VIK Arena Blanca 4 *, but due to the overload of the latter with tourists, we were faced with the fact of replacing the hotel. The guide girl Valeria (I will write a few words about her later) told us that this hotel is much better.
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I don’t know about anyone, but we liked the rest. It all started with the fact that we bought tickets to VIK Arena Blanca 4 *, but due to the overload of the latter with tourists, we were faced with the fact of replacing the hotel. The guide girl Valeria (I will write a few words about her later) told us that this hotel is much better. Since we didn’t have the opportunity to choose or change something, we had to take our word for it. Being not so far from the original choice, we went to see "what we lost", and it turned out that the guide was not mistaken. At least, judging by the beach, Barcelo is in a more advantageous position (the beach itself is wider, the sun loungers are newer, the entrance to the ocean is gentle and uniform, visually less algae).
FLIGHT
Perhaps the only drawback of such a holiday (after the cost) is a long and tiring road. We flew from Kyiv via Paris. The road to Punta Cana, not counting the road to Kyiv itself, took 15 hours.
Back even longer, including a stop in Santa Domingo and waiting for a flight in Paris for 9 hours. However, in such a long journey there is a definite plus - Air France. For the first time, we flew with an advanced European company, where they are well fed and well served. Flights Paris - Punta Cana and Punta Cana - Paris fly on a Boeing 777, a huge airliner with normal seats and a medical center. They give out a pillow, a blanket and headphones - you can kill time watching a movie, since there are a lot of them quite fresh and even in Russian. On the way, they feed a couple of times and arrange a semblance of a buffet in the tail of the plane. When we flew back, in Putna Cana, along with the tickets, they gave out a couple of $10 vouchers that can be used at local restaurants in the waiting area. This is just enough for the menu at Wendy's (hamburger, fries and cola).
HOTEL
They settled quickly, because in addition to us, another couple unloaded from the bus.
We planned the trip as a honeymoon trip, which the hotel, as it turned out, was warned about. Therefore, we were given a room in the 6th building overlooking the ocean. Many people complain about the problems in the room: bad old furniture, the shower, the hot stove (it’s really not hot, although this temperature is enough in a hot climate), but when you get into the room and look out onto the balcony for the first time, you can forgive everything. The sound of the ocean and the opportunity to meet the dawn (at 6.30). The room is snow-white with white furniture, although it is rather tired and has not been renovated for a long time, and this is quite noticeable. The room has a large bed, jacuzzi! (remained unclaimed), a normal 32'' TV with usb, which without hesitation grabbed a 32G flash drive, an air conditioner and a ceiling fan. On the table is a drip coffee maker and a morning coffee-tea set.
There is a minibar, which is updated daily and contains a couple of cans of beer, a couple of half-liter bottles of cola, a couple of sprites and a large bottle of ordinary water (technical tap water, only good for showering). Also, the shower has everything you need for everyday life: dispensers with shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, soap bars, toothbrushes, etc. There are no problems with toilet paper either)) All this must be updated when used, so use it without savings. There are several shower towels in the room, it is difficult to say with what regularity they change, but sometimes it seemed that they were fresh every day. Cleaning, by the way, daily. We left a $ 1 tip every other day, I hope the cleaning lady was not offended.
The quality of the Internet was a surprise. Wifi costs $30 a week for a single device, but the speed and coverage are impressive. When we checked in, we were given one card as a gift, we bought the second one so as not to be dependent on changing devices.
If the Internet is needed occasionally and for free, there are a couple of Russian shops in the vicinity (one in the city, the second on the beach), where they distribute it without any problems.
There are beach towels, but we took ours from home to wrap glass bottles with all kinds of local drinks on the way back.
BEACH
Big and clean. Of course, algae pile up in the morning, but the hotel staff carefully cleans the coastline twice a day, so you can only find grass directly in the water. The sand is not snow-white, but very clean, the beach is constantly cleaned, there is no garbage. The ocean is very warm, the water temperature drops only in bad weather and prolonged rain. Rains and even thunderstorms are a frequent phenomenon here, but they usually end quickly, refresh the rest and prevent the skin from completely burning. The beach itself is quite empty, there are a lot of sun loungers and about half are constantly empty. The same is true for swimming pools.
In general, the hotel seems empty, the number of tourists increases only on weekends, and then thanks to the locals. Moreover, unlike the locals in hotels in Turkey or Egypt, the Dominicans do not hesitate and behave very decently. The increase in settlers can be judged by the sharp increase in Spanish speech and the revival in the main restaurant.
NUTRITION
Many write that the food is monotonous. I would probably agree with this statement. However, there is monotonous food for every taste. Constantly in the presence of several types of meat, side dishes, pasta, vegetables. Someone complains about the lack of seafood, but in the Dominican Republic, seafood is a sign of poverty, which is why the main emphasis is on meat. Yes, tomatoes and cucumbers are greenish.
According to the AI system, we were the owners of black bracelets (considered the highest category of guests), so you can drink and eat in any quantity and any production.
Bars are scattered around the hotel in normal quantities, so you won’t have to look for a long time to wet your throat. In a couple of bars from 11 am until the evening you can eat pizza, french fries, make yourself a hot dog or a hamburger. There are no queues anywhere, there are enough dishes for everyone. The staff is incredibly friendly and helpful.
There are 5 a la carte restaurants on site, for 12 days of stay we managed to go to all. Only Brazilian (with a large assortment of meat on skewers) and Japanese (thanks to the show program. Yeah, baby! ) turned out to be interesting and nutritious. In addition, as newlyweds, we were given a certificate for a lobster dinner. Used the day before departure and can recommend.
GUIDE AND TOURS
For the first time in all the trips, we came across an adequate guide and with an understanding of what they want from him. Her name is Valeria and she has been living in the Dominican Republic for several years and works for the host agency Ninfa.
She is always in touch on viber, speaks Spanish and is ready (really ready) to help solve any problem in the hotel. Of the recommended excursions, we went only to Saona ($ 110 per person), a worthwhile and interesting trip. We collected 35 people from hotels, drove to the city of artists, sailed to the Caribbean Sea and snorkeled, then sailed to see starfish and ended the trip on Saona, from where we sailed on a catamaran for a long time)) In general, it’s quite interesting and suitable for a minimum package of excursions , in my opinion. The guide on Saona was Leona, special thanks to her for an interesting story about the Dominican Republic, history and local features.
ANIMATION
Given the significant difference in time zones, we never once waited for the animation that starts at 21:00. But the hotel has the opportunity to play table tennis, beach volleyball, billiards during the day.
For outdoor enthusiasts, there is scuba diving (though deeper and further into the pool for an additional fee) and archery (we never got around to it). The animation is rather unobtrusive, because I have never heard anyone called somewhere or someone was collected along the beach or the hotel.
PURCHASES
Near the hotel there is a shop with Russian sellers, where you can look at something and buy for dollars. A little further down the street there is a supermarket with prices slightly lower, but in local currency. In duty-free on the way back, the prices for the same alcohol and cigars will be twice as expensive (the exception is Barcelo rum in Santa Domingo duty free (a couple of 0.75 for $ 15) - don't miss it! ).
In general, traditionally I wanted to write a couple of words, but it turned out a little more. For those who doubt whether to go or not, I would advise you to go. The Dominican Republic is one of those countries worth visiting. Well, the hotel itself is recommended, based on personal experience.
Although I don’t know what I wrote, don’t put me in a room with an ocean view))
FLIGHT
Perhaps the only drawback of such a holiday (after the cost) is a long and tiring road. We flew from Kyiv via Paris. The road to Punta Cana, not counting the road to Kyiv itself, took 15 hours.
Back even longer, including a stop in Santa Domingo and waiting for a flight in Paris for 9 hours. However, in such a long journey there is a definite plus - Air France. For the first time, we flew with an advanced European company, where they are well fed and well served. Flights Paris - Punta Cana and Punta Cana - Paris fly on a Boeing 777, a huge airliner with normal seats and a medical center. They give out a pillow, a blanket and headphones - you can kill time watching a movie, since there are a lot of them quite fresh and even in Russian. On the way, they feed a couple of times and arrange a semblance of a buffet in the tail of the plane. When we flew back, in Putna Cana, along with the tickets, they gave out a couple of $10 vouchers that can be used at local restaurants in the waiting area. This is just enough for the menu at Wendy's (hamburger, fries and cola).
HOTEL
They settled quickly, because in addition to us, another couple unloaded from the bus.
We planned the trip as a honeymoon trip, which the hotel, as it turned out, was warned about. Therefore, we were given a room in the 6th building overlooking the ocean. Many people complain about the problems in the room: bad old furniture, the shower, the hot stove (it’s really not hot, although this temperature is enough in a hot climate), but when you get into the room and look out onto the balcony for the first time, you can forgive everything. The sound of the ocean and the opportunity to meet the dawn (at 6.30). The room is snow-white with white furniture, although it is rather tired and has not been renovated for a long time, and this is quite noticeable. The room has a large bed, jacuzzi! (remained unclaimed), a normal 32'' TV with usb, which without hesitation grabbed a 32G flash drive, an air conditioner and a ceiling fan. On the table is a drip coffee maker and a morning coffee-tea set.
There is a minibar, which is updated daily and contains a couple of cans of beer, a couple of half-liter bottles of cola, a couple of sprites and a large bottle of ordinary water (technical tap water, only good for showering). Also, the shower has everything you need for everyday life: dispensers with shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, soap bars, toothbrushes, etc. There are no problems with toilet paper either)) All this must be updated when used, so use it without savings. There are several shower towels in the room, it is difficult to say with what regularity they change, but sometimes it seemed that they were fresh every day. Cleaning, by the way, daily. We left a $ 1 tip every other day, I hope the cleaning lady was not offended.
The quality of the Internet was a surprise. Wifi costs $30 a week for a single device, but the speed and coverage are impressive. When we checked in, we were given one card as a gift, we bought the second one so as not to be dependent on changing devices.
If the Internet is needed occasionally and for free, there are a couple of Russian shops in the vicinity (one in the city, the second on the beach), where they distribute it without any problems.
There are beach towels, but we took ours from home to wrap glass bottles with all kinds of local drinks on the way back.
BEACH
Big and clean. Of course, algae pile up in the morning, but the hotel staff carefully cleans the coastline twice a day, so you can only find grass directly in the water. The sand is not snow-white, but very clean, the beach is constantly cleaned, there is no garbage. The ocean is very warm, the water temperature drops only in bad weather and prolonged rain. Rains and even thunderstorms are a frequent phenomenon here, but they usually end quickly, refresh the rest and prevent the skin from completely burning. The beach itself is quite empty, there are a lot of sun loungers and about half are constantly empty. The same is true for swimming pools.
In general, the hotel seems empty, the number of tourists increases only on weekends, and then thanks to the locals. Moreover, unlike the locals in hotels in Turkey or Egypt, the Dominicans do not hesitate and behave very decently. The increase in settlers can be judged by the sharp increase in Spanish speech and the revival in the main restaurant.
NUTRITION
Many write that the food is monotonous. I would probably agree with this statement. However, there is monotonous food for every taste. Constantly in the presence of several types of meat, side dishes, pasta, vegetables. Someone complains about the lack of seafood, but in the Dominican Republic, seafood is a sign of poverty, which is why the main emphasis is on meat. Yes, tomatoes and cucumbers are greenish.
According to the AI system, we were the owners of black bracelets (considered the highest category of guests), so you can drink and eat in any quantity and any production.
Bars are scattered around the hotel in normal quantities, so you won’t have to look for a long time to wet your throat. In a couple of bars from 11 am until the evening you can eat pizza, french fries, make yourself a hot dog or a hamburger. There are no queues anywhere, there are enough dishes for everyone. The staff is incredibly friendly and helpful.
There are 5 a la carte restaurants on site, for 12 days of stay we managed to go to all. Only Brazilian (with a large assortment of meat on skewers) and Japanese (thanks to the show program. Yeah, baby! ) turned out to be interesting and nutritious. In addition, as newlyweds, we were given a certificate for a lobster dinner. Used the day before departure and can recommend.
GUIDE AND TOURS
For the first time in all the trips, we came across an adequate guide and with an understanding of what they want from him. Her name is Valeria and she has been living in the Dominican Republic for several years and works for the host agency Ninfa.
She is always in touch on viber, speaks Spanish and is ready (really ready) to help solve any problem in the hotel. Of the recommended excursions, we went only to Saona ($ 110 per person), a worthwhile and interesting trip. We collected 35 people from hotels, drove to the city of artists, sailed to the Caribbean Sea and snorkeled, then sailed to see starfish and ended the trip on Saona, from where we sailed on a catamaran for a long time)) In general, it’s quite interesting and suitable for a minimum package of excursions , in my opinion. The guide on Saona was Leona, special thanks to her for an interesting story about the Dominican Republic, history and local features.
ANIMATION
Given the significant difference in time zones, we never once waited for the animation that starts at 21:00. But the hotel has the opportunity to play table tennis, beach volleyball, billiards during the day.
For outdoor enthusiasts, there is scuba diving (though deeper and further into the pool for an additional fee) and archery (we never got around to it). The animation is rather unobtrusive, because I have never heard anyone called somewhere or someone was collected along the beach or the hotel.
PURCHASES
Near the hotel there is a shop with Russian sellers, where you can look at something and buy for dollars. A little further down the street there is a supermarket with prices slightly lower, but in local currency. In duty-free on the way back, the prices for the same alcohol and cigars will be twice as expensive (the exception is Barcelo rum in Santa Domingo duty free (a couple of 0.75 for $ 15) - don't miss it! ).
In general, traditionally I wanted to write a couple of words, but it turned out a little more. For those who doubt whether to go or not, I would advise you to go. The Dominican Republic is one of those countries worth visiting. Well, the hotel itself is recommended, based on personal experience.
Although I don’t know what I wrote, don’t put me in a room with an ocean view))
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• 5
The hotel is normal. Clean good rooms. Service is good. Cleaned up every day. The room has a mini-bar, coffee maker, iron. The only thing that the food is normal, there were days when the food was not very good.
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The hotel is normal. Clean good rooms. Service is good. Cleaned up every day. The room has a mini-bar, coffee maker, iron. The only thing that the food is normal, there were days when the food was not very good.
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Hello! I want to share my impressions about the Dominican Republic, or rather about the BARCELO DOMINICAN BEACH 4 * hotel. Let's start with the flight: we checked in for the flight ourselves 30 hours in advance, chose the seats at the very beginning, and miracle, we were lucky! Each flew in a two-seat row.
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Hello! I want to share my impressions about the Dominican Republic, or rather about the BARCELO DOMINICAN BEACH 4 * hotel. Let's start with the flight: we checked in for the flight ourselves 30 hours in advance, chose the seats at the very beginning, and miracle, we were lucky! Each flew in a two-seat row. It was possible to “raise my legs”, so I didn’t swell at all for such a long flight. We spent the entire flight watching movies and the time flew by. At the airport, everything was fast, they were seated on buses and taken to the hotel. We had JUNIOR SUITE vouchers (black bracelets), which allowed us to live in a superior room, use free Internet, and drink drinks not only of local production. When I was choosing a hotel, I paid attention to this, the difference was 1.5 thousand rubles per person, I decided that it was more profitable. At the front desk, check in was very quick with welcome drinks. We arrived at the room! The rooms are extremely damp and musty smell. All furniture is wooden, barely breathing. Humidity does not go anywhere even when the air conditioner is running 24 hours a day. Therefore, for me it was a 3 star level, on more. Do not think, I am not showing off, I am writing a review for people who choose between 5 and 4 stars, who often relax and are used to the service. I always rest in 5 *, but the first time I fell for 4 *. I regretted it a thousand times!
Okay, numbers, it's not to sit in the room, I arrived. The next day was a meeting with the guide. The girl is just “about nothing”, “Only today there is a discount on the purchase of excursions, ” she repeated. PEOPLE, do not buy excursions from Biblioglobus, some of them are just three times more expensive than Teza and Natalie. And half of the group immediately bought from us on the first day, which they were then very upset about. This is the first country I visited with such expensive excursions, Bibltoglobus does not have any excursions under $100. We went on excursions ourselves, buying them on the beach. I liked the only one, it's just SUPER - a tour of the Airborne Forces. It is not offered by any operator in the hotel, because. it consists of 3 excursions that they offer. It is simply unprofitable for them, it is better you buy 3 excursions for $ 100-130 than one. It is very easy to get on it. On TV there is always an advertisement for this excursion with a telephone, call the reception and order. Moreover, the girl taking orders is ready to pay for your conversation, if it is not more than $ 5. The layout is as follows: if you are up to 4 people, the cost of the tour is $ 120, if from 4 people, the cost is $ 110. People from another hotel rode in our bus, they paid $ 190 each. Excursion for the whole day, it includes: sculptures, Blue Lagoon lake, cave, observation deck, lunch with animation, extreme sports (rope bridge, bungee, rappelling), sugarcane plantations, coffee, cocoa. You will be taught how to properly prepare all drinks including mamajuana. You taste everything. Just don’t buy anything there (very expensive, I’ll tell you where to buy later). There will also be cockfights (we were lucky, cock Putin won! ). Next is the beach (I forgot what it is called, they take it there on almost all excursions), on the beach there is horseback riding -40 minutes, surfing. You can go by bus (I advise, because there is such courage !!! , rum and cola flows like water, funny dances, sang songs), you can go by jeeps (and the driver is also allowed to drink alcohol). We had friends in a jeep, they are also delighted. At the Airborne Forces (please don’t confuse, because the Dominicans came up with a DVD tour, but it sucks), there is a TWO-DAY excursion, with an overnight stay, tents, a fire, dancing, but we didn’t get on it, because. she, only once or twice a week, in short, we simply did not have time. Guides, just cuties - Russian handsome guys. Why am I doing this? Yes, this tour is the best impression of this country.
Let's continue about the hotel: Food, it's just awful! ! The same thing, day after day, they put cinnamon everywhere, which I just can’t stand. For two weeks I have never eaten porridge for breakfast, because. It has a HUGE content of cinnamon. They don’t know how to cook seafood at all, the choice of everything is just meager (again, I compare it with good hotels). You eat simply because you need to eat. Fruits are not tasty - watermelon is watery, melon is green and hard. Desserts are not tasty at all (compared to Turkey). it was swept away in 2 minutes. Restaurants: just write, do not go to Italian and Japanese. It is better to sign up 2 times for the one that you like the most from the rest. Let's talk about the beach: the territory is large, there are a lot of sunbeds. But algae are TOUGH!! ! True, they are cleaned on the beach, although not every day, but in the sea they swim with you. I came to the conclusion that it’s just not the season, I’ll be smarter choosing the next country.
The most offensive was that the hotel did not congratulate me on my birthday, although the day before we took a photocopy of the passport to the reception so that they would not forget (or rather, a friend took it, because she wanted to surprise me), but just NOTHING . As it turned out, not only did they not congratulate me. We were that day in a Dominican restaurant, where two Dominicans were congratulated. In the same restaurant, there was a Russian girl who also had a birthday, but we were simply ignored, although my friend went to the restaurant manager. Yes, and figs with them. It’s just that if you compare other countries and 5 * hotels, you don’t need to tell anyone anything, the hotel itself congratulates you.
Souvenirs: before the trip, I looked through a lot of reviews where and what to buy. I write my experience, I think it will be useful to many. Buy magnets in a Russian store on the beach. There is also a very good boy who will tell you in detail about cigars, write down all the names and nothing more. At the reception, take a free voucher for San Juan and go to this shopping center, there is a supermarket on the ground floor where you can find everything - rum, coffee, cocoa, cigars. Everything is in pesos, so it's more profitable to pay by card. If you have dollars with you, change them there as well. they have the best course. But in the supermarket itself, they will calculate the rate much higher for you, and they give change in pesos, you yourself will not immediately be able to calculate how much you owe, but it’s easier. I will give an example for prices; Dry Mamajuana in Russian. Store 4 $, in the supermarket about 1.5 $ (this is a large package). Take more of it, I came to the conclusion that it is better to bring more coffee and mamajuana. Coffee bought almost all types that were, to sample. I advise Induban in a black pack - 100% Arabica, it is the strongest. Santa Domingo is good too, especially with the brown "Tostado en Grano" stripe, it's a little flavored. But try to buy coffee only in beans. By the way, the guide Anya incorrectly tells how to cook mamajuana. Briefly - for the first time you fill it with the cheapest vodka, insist 2 weeks in a dark place. Drain, you can’t drink it, only as rubbing. Vodka draws out all the bitterness and dust. Then pour 70% rum, 30% dry red wine, a spoonful of honey, and another 2 weeks in a dark place. Valid for a year, no matter how many times you upload. I can’t say anything about rum, because. I don't drink hard drinks. We bought what the boy from the Russian store advised, everyone seems to be happy, but they bought everything in the supermarket. By the way, there are days of sales, we just got to the sale of rum, it came out 2 times cheaper than in Russian. Store. Also in the supermarket there are small coffee makers for stoves, from 139 pesos, a very good present. Stone Larimar. In the hotel in a day or two, sellers come and trade on the territory of the hotel. Buy in the evening before they start gathering. We decided to buy rings, asked how much it cost - $40, bargained, and eventually bought two for $10.
It seems like everything. I will never fly to the Dominican Republic for the second time, even to a 5 * hotel. Thailand - cheaper and cooler, more exotic, courage. DO NOT judge strictly my review, it's just not the season and the climate is not there for me. And yes, I love the service.
Okay, numbers, it's not to sit in the room, I arrived. The next day was a meeting with the guide. The girl is just “about nothing”, “Only today there is a discount on the purchase of excursions, ” she repeated. PEOPLE, do not buy excursions from Biblioglobus, some of them are just three times more expensive than Teza and Natalie. And half of the group immediately bought from us on the first day, which they were then very upset about. This is the first country I visited with such expensive excursions, Bibltoglobus does not have any excursions under $100. We went on excursions ourselves, buying them on the beach. I liked the only one, it's just SUPER - a tour of the Airborne Forces. It is not offered by any operator in the hotel, because. it consists of 3 excursions that they offer. It is simply unprofitable for them, it is better you buy 3 excursions for $ 100-130 than one. It is very easy to get on it. On TV there is always an advertisement for this excursion with a telephone, call the reception and order. Moreover, the girl taking orders is ready to pay for your conversation, if it is not more than $ 5. The layout is as follows: if you are up to 4 people, the cost of the tour is $ 120, if from 4 people, the cost is $ 110. People from another hotel rode in our bus, they paid $ 190 each. Excursion for the whole day, it includes: sculptures, Blue Lagoon lake, cave, observation deck, lunch with animation, extreme sports (rope bridge, bungee, rappelling), sugarcane plantations, coffee, cocoa. You will be taught how to properly prepare all drinks including mamajuana. You taste everything. Just don’t buy anything there (very expensive, I’ll tell you where to buy later). There will also be cockfights (we were lucky, cock Putin won! ). Next is the beach (I forgot what it is called, they take it there on almost all excursions), on the beach there is horseback riding -40 minutes, surfing. You can go by bus (I advise, because there is such courage !!! , rum and cola flows like water, funny dances, sang songs), you can go by jeeps (and the driver is also allowed to drink alcohol). We had friends in a jeep, they are also delighted. At the Airborne Forces (please don’t confuse, because the Dominicans came up with a DVD tour, but it sucks), there is a TWO-DAY excursion, with an overnight stay, tents, a fire, dancing, but we didn’t get on it, because. she, only once or twice a week, in short, we simply did not have time. Guides, just cuties - Russian handsome guys. Why am I doing this? Yes, this tour is the best impression of this country.
Let's continue about the hotel: Food, it's just awful! ! The same thing, day after day, they put cinnamon everywhere, which I just can’t stand. For two weeks I have never eaten porridge for breakfast, because. It has a HUGE content of cinnamon. They don’t know how to cook seafood at all, the choice of everything is just meager (again, I compare it with good hotels). You eat simply because you need to eat. Fruits are not tasty - watermelon is watery, melon is green and hard. Desserts are not tasty at all (compared to Turkey). it was swept away in 2 minutes. Restaurants: just write, do not go to Italian and Japanese. It is better to sign up 2 times for the one that you like the most from the rest. Let's talk about the beach: the territory is large, there are a lot of sunbeds. But algae are TOUGH!! ! True, they are cleaned on the beach, although not every day, but in the sea they swim with you. I came to the conclusion that it’s just not the season, I’ll be smarter choosing the next country.
The most offensive was that the hotel did not congratulate me on my birthday, although the day before we took a photocopy of the passport to the reception so that they would not forget (or rather, a friend took it, because she wanted to surprise me), but just NOTHING . As it turned out, not only did they not congratulate me. We were that day in a Dominican restaurant, where two Dominicans were congratulated. In the same restaurant, there was a Russian girl who also had a birthday, but we were simply ignored, although my friend went to the restaurant manager. Yes, and figs with them. It’s just that if you compare other countries and 5 * hotels, you don’t need to tell anyone anything, the hotel itself congratulates you.
Souvenirs: before the trip, I looked through a lot of reviews where and what to buy. I write my experience, I think it will be useful to many. Buy magnets in a Russian store on the beach. There is also a very good boy who will tell you in detail about cigars, write down all the names and nothing more. At the reception, take a free voucher for San Juan and go to this shopping center, there is a supermarket on the ground floor where you can find everything - rum, coffee, cocoa, cigars. Everything is in pesos, so it's more profitable to pay by card. If you have dollars with you, change them there as well. they have the best course. But in the supermarket itself, they will calculate the rate much higher for you, and they give change in pesos, you yourself will not immediately be able to calculate how much you owe, but it’s easier. I will give an example for prices; Dry Mamajuana in Russian. Store 4 $, in the supermarket about 1.5 $ (this is a large package). Take more of it, I came to the conclusion that it is better to bring more coffee and mamajuana. Coffee bought almost all types that were, to sample. I advise Induban in a black pack - 100% Arabica, it is the strongest. Santa Domingo is good too, especially with the brown "Tostado en Grano" stripe, it's a little flavored. But try to buy coffee only in beans. By the way, the guide Anya incorrectly tells how to cook mamajuana. Briefly - for the first time you fill it with the cheapest vodka, insist 2 weeks in a dark place. Drain, you can’t drink it, only as rubbing. Vodka draws out all the bitterness and dust. Then pour 70% rum, 30% dry red wine, a spoonful of honey, and another 2 weeks in a dark place. Valid for a year, no matter how many times you upload. I can’t say anything about rum, because. I don't drink hard drinks. We bought what the boy from the Russian store advised, everyone seems to be happy, but they bought everything in the supermarket. By the way, there are days of sales, we just got to the sale of rum, it came out 2 times cheaper than in Russian. Store. Also in the supermarket there are small coffee makers for stoves, from 139 pesos, a very good present. Stone Larimar. In the hotel in a day or two, sellers come and trade on the territory of the hotel. Buy in the evening before they start gathering. We decided to buy rings, asked how much it cost - $40, bargained, and eventually bought two for $10.
It seems like everything. I will never fly to the Dominican Republic for the second time, even to a 5 * hotel. Thailand - cheaper and cooler, more exotic, courage. DO NOT judge strictly my review, it's just not the season and the climate is not there for me. And yes, I love the service.
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