Travelled at a busy time, I know. University reading week :( - Resort was full to capacity. The staff definitely works hard and are generally pleasant. The usual large resort problems of fighting over deck chairs, in which clearly there are not enough and people are ignorant and claim them with a towel at 6am and don't even use them throughout the whole day!! I don't know it there will ever be a solution to that problem. The resort itself was very nice, food was good - no complaints. Usual activities, clean pools and nice beach. Overall, a pleasant experience.

A well-maintained resort - beautiful beach, grounds are kept clean, the food is EXCELLENT, and the staff are extremely friendly and helpful.
Rooms, however, are extremely out-dated and need major renovating. Room service (i.e., cleaning) is sub-standard. Poor t.v. reception (old t.v.), poor phone service (at times not working), poor electrical set-up (main switch near door entrance controls all individual switches - so, to use the washroom, you must walk (in the dark) to the main door, turn the switch (which, in turn, turns all the lights in the room) and then walk to the washroom to turn on the light!).

In terms of shopping, Orange Market! Go to #2 - Mr Cheap (Santos Garcia). He'll give you great prices! And in terms of excursions, you can trust "Felix" on the beach. Good deals and great excursions. Try Dune Buggy riding ... it was amazing!!

Dona and Anat - February 4-11, 2013

Travelled between Feb. 19-24. Check-in was a breeze and so was check out. Don't know what others were complaining about. The service was excellent and can't say enough of how super nice, friendly, and helpful all who work there. The people were the best. There is something for everyone in regards to activities and food. If others say that the food was just ok, they don't have know good food to begin with. There were some very good dishes and plenty of variety each and every day. My husband and I couldn't come up with one true negative thing to say about our stay. It's not a 5 star hotel by any means, but it offers quite a lot for the value. The a la carte restaurants were quite nice, especially the Brazilian, and oriental. Reservations must be made the day before and some people might find that annoying, but it's duable to wait 5-10 minutes on line to make a reservation. Breakfast was terrific every morning and I had to stop myself from eating all my favorite breakfast foods. There was so much to choose from--a little overwhelming. Loved the beach area. It was such a long stretch of beach. Great walking after each meal. Yes, they were vendors on the beach, but if you just said, "No, thank you" they wouldn't bother you. However, if you did give the slightest interest in some merchandise, they could be a bit persistent, but friendly. Everything was very clean and there were plenty of security guards throughout the entire hotel complex. Felt very safe and secure. MUST get up early to get beach chairs or pool chairs (Before 8 am), but that happens at all these resorts--nothing new. Was at the Westin in Aruba last year and preferred Barcelo over the Westin. Overall, it was a very nice vacation and the resort was just fine. Would return.

My family and I stayed at Barceló PP for 1 week in celebration of my dads 60th bday. We had a great time! There is tons of food available, pretty good food. The rooms were decent , nothing to brag about. In general if you want to save some $$ and have a relaxing vacation I'd recommend this place. I love DR and so did my family when we went. The hotel is in a fated community so playa dorado adds extra security in comparison to sag Sosua.