Give me your opinions and experiences on all inclusive resorts in the Dominican Republic. My girlfriend is booking a vacation for us and I’d like to know where people have stayed and which resorts you liked. Right now I think we are leaning towards the Majestic Colonial.
Any suggestions for places outside of the Domincan Republic will be noted for the future but that’s where we are going this year. This will be the first adult vacation without kids I’ve had in a very long time. 10 years at least. I’m getting excited.
Uhm, yeah, the Dominican Republic is really nice! It’s a beautiful country with very friendly people. Plus, you can go and see where Jurassic Park was filmed and it really looks like Jurassic Park!
I didn’t stay in a resort, but I went inside the Club Med and it was nice. Lots of families with kids though, so that might not be the thing you are looking for.
The resort we went to was the Gran Ventana in Puerto Plata. Considering how cheap it was, the resort was nice and the food was very good and we had some fun off-site excursions. On the other hand, there was plenty of evidence of poverty right outside the resort area (unsurprisingly) and we met a few people who were very pushy about tips.
OMGWTFBBQ that’s just what I came in to recommend! Went there with my mum a couple of years ago. Great resort, probably more of a ‘family thing’ (quite a few loud kids). It’s part of a complex of a half-dozen or so resorts. One of the nearby ones, forget what it’s called, is in its own golf course. That’s probably better for folks who want a quieter stay.
Years ago I stayed at Casa de Campo, when it was still being built (also Puerto plata). It was by the far the most glamorous thing my 10-year old eyes had seen (they gave us a golf cart to drive anywhere!!)
That aside, I’ve found Tripadvisor to be extremely useful. Read all the reviews, going back a couple years. Some of them have some pretty hot tips. (for example, in one case I learned that building 7 of a certain hotel had the best rooms without extra charge, all you had to do was ask. I did and the room was SWEET). And it can be pretty funny what the negative reviews tell you. (too many topless women by the pool! Its so offensive! 1-star!)
We came really really close to booking at Cayo Levantado (Grand Bahia Principe) in the Samana area. It’s on its own private island. However both my husband and I really really wanted to scuba so we ended up booking for the Riviera Maya instead.
The prices to the Samana area out of NYC are crazy cheap though (we were looking for over Thanksgiving). I read something about JetBlue recently starting a route there so maybe they’re trying to make Samana more popular as it’s less developed.
I also agree with TripAdvisor being the best source ever…we actually ended up mini-mooning in Uttarakhand after our wedding (had to cancel Kashmir because of political unrest and my American passport) because they had so many amazing boutique eco-resorts that were priced well since it’s a bit off the beaten Indian tourist trail. It was a really good source of info. in terms of moving beyond the website hype.
Have not been yet but departing on our honeymoon in about 2 weeks and we are staying at The Excellence Resort in Punta Cana. Naturally all-inclusive and an adults-only property which is obviously important to us for a honeymoon destination as we don’t want screaming children under foot at all times.
